Chapter 51#
Temple of the Burning Lamp 22#
Wisdom of the Wise?
Following the process of finding the previous ingredients, they would first have to find a “Wise Man” and then obtain his “Wisdom.” As for what “Wisdom” is, given the style of this world…
Across from him, Bai Song pointed to his own head and sent a questioning look toward Yu Feichen.
Yu Feichen nodded.
In this world that uses human bodies as raw materials, what else could “Wisdom” be? Other than the brain, there were no other thoughts.
He looked at that pitch-black cauldron.
Heart, eyeball, brain—if some water was added, it would be a perfect hotpot.
So, who would be the Wise Man?
The Empress walked toward an empty execution bed. Yu Feichen looked at her shadow; it seemed there was nothing unusual.
In the situation inside the shadows, several of them together had barely escaped. That path wasn’t something one person could walk alone; how did she escape? Yu Feichen’s gaze lingered there for a moment, but he didn’t think too deeply. Many things would become clear just by moving forward. Just like when he first started doing missions in the Paradise, he didn’t understand why, despite all being in a strange world, some people had much greater strength than him, and some had agility exceeding the normal range of this world—he later learned that everyone could use Ice Crystal stones to buy various enhancement items in the Tower of Creation for use outside.
At this very moment, the sun reached the center.
A beam of dazzling strong light shot straight down from the small hole in the very center of the sky, spreading slightly outward, eventually completely enveloping the circular field. The whole world was like a pitch-black stage, with only a blinding spotlight shining from top to bottom in the center.
In the strong light, all darkness had nowhere to hide. The outlines of all objects were blurred, and the scene was like a dream. Shadows were only in the small space beneath their feet, as if everyone was shrouded in sacred white light, yet stepping on a pitch-black disk. Black and white were the purest colors and the sharpest contrasts. Everything at this moment faintly revealed evil amidst the sacredness.
The old man’s gaze slowly swept across them.
“Guests from afar, you used only two short days to find the magic potions that exist only in legends. The most intelligent minds of Casablanca are undoubtedly among you. However, please answer one last question: here, who is the true Wise Man?”
Was this asking them to choose a “Wise Man” themselves?
The few people present fell into silence.
“It seems you also do not know who the true Wise Man is. Wisdom is an unmeasurable thing.” The old man sighed and said: “Respected guests, although it’s unknown whether foreign objects will affect the final effect of the potion, please hand over your wisdom in turn.”
The atmosphere in the field changed instantly. A terrifying aura emanated from every monk and nun. Yu Feichen felt the area from his neck upward go cold for a second, as if an invisible blade was slowly passing through it.
If a Wise Man couldn’t be chosen, would everyone’s brains be taken out?
“Wait a minute!” The Scholar was the first to lose his composure and shouted, “We’ll vote by a show of hands!”
“You are qualified to judge the wisdom of others…” The old man seemed to hesitate.
On the other side, the Empress’s nails dug into her palm.
A vote by a show of hands was absolutely not an option. Those people were all part of the Pope’s group. Qiu Na hadn’t accepted her olive branch, and Molly had even defected. If they voted by a show of hands, wouldn’t everyone vote for her? Schiller, Shadi, even that brainless Judge—as long as one of them were still alive and standing here, she wouldn’t be in such a passive position.
Her gaze was extremely calm, and she also spoke loudly: “We have known each other for a long time, and our feelings and hatred are intertwined. We cannot make a fair judgment. If the true Wise Man is not selected, it might endanger the Holy Son’s life.”
The phrase “Holy Son’s life” obviously touched the old man’s heart. He said: “Respected Empress Elisa, what do you think should be done?”
“There are hundreds of sacred nuns and monks present. Since they are servants of the gods, they are presumably not foolish. Why don’t each of us state what contributions we’ve made to obtain the magic potion, and let the monks and nuns vote by a show of hands? The one with the most votes will undoubtedly be the true Wise Man. And to ensure everyone’s honesty, others can rebut their words. If someone lies, the temple will impose punishment on them.”
Yu Feichen thought about the Empress’s proposal with some interest. At night, she had been bewitched by the illusion and had a brief loss of sanity, making a wrong decision, but now her IQ and courage had clearly returned together.
It wasn’t players voting in a group, but NPCs voting, so she wouldn’t be targeted.
Moreover, if someone lied, teammates familiar with their actions could provide evidence to have the other party punished. This move would dismantle the temporary trust relationship of their team. At least Yu Feichen didn’t quite trust the Scholar, who was a fence-sitter.
At the same time, the Empress’s teammates were all dead. Only she knew what she had actually done, so she could lie at will and hide her contributions.
In addition… if the monks and nuns could really vote, it would also prove whether they had wisdom, deepening their understanding of the dungeon by another layer.
Killing four birds with one stone, not simple. Once successful, his side would no longer have the upper hand.
He was about to speak but saw Ludwig across from him speak before he did.
“Even a true Wise Man cannot judge his own wisdom. Furthermore, words alone are not enough; evidence is needed. I suggest that each person name the Wise Man in their heart and then provide the location of physical or witness evidence for the temple to verify its authenticity. After the seven of us have finished nominating, the monks and nuns will vote among them.”
A good idea, not much different from what he had thought.
In this way, their side won another round. Not only that, but they could also obtain another key piece of information based on testing whether the monks and nuns had judgment—whether the temple could verify the authenticity of evidence already buried in the shadows. This meant they could know whether the people in the temple were afraid of the darkness.
Yu Feichen raised his eyebrows and saw Ludwig across from him also looking at him. The Pope’s demeanor was still calm and composed, as if everything was under his control.
The Empress’s expression turned sour. It was the same when tasks were assigned at the beginning; the Pope always dismissed her advantage with two casual sentences.
But for a moment, she couldn’t think of any proposal that would benefit her.
The old man in the cloak fell into thought.
Under the sunlight, the surrounding temperature gradually rose. Finally, the old man said: “Respected Pope Ludwig, you are indeed the guardian of Casablanca.”
The monks and nuns each took out a candle and matches from their robes and placed them on the iron execution beds. The old man said that a lit candle represented one vote.
“A decision should be made quickly…” His gaze swept across the people and finally stopped on Molly, who had her head lowered.
Molly felt that sinister gaze, which made her whole body tremble even under such strong sunlight, and she didn’t dare to look up. But the demonic voice still rang in her ear.
“The nun who does not follow the rules… point out the Wise Man in your heart.”
What to do? Point out whom? Who did she think should have their skull opened and brain removed?
Pointing someone out would be like—like being an accomplice to murder.
Biting her lip hard, tears fell from her eyes again. Just as she couldn’t let go of her ridiculous self-esteem, she couldn’t point out anyone present.
She wept in despair, unable to say anything, realizing once again what a cowardly and weak ordinary person she was.
“Nun, point out the Wise Man in your heart.”
The dazzling sunlight almost hurt Molly’s eyes. She thought of the doors she couldn’t knock open that night and the people who had helped her.
“I… am the Wise Man.” The tears stopped at some point. She clenched her fists and said slowly: “I violated the temple’s rules and faced the temple’s punishment, but I… used my wisdom to discover the secret of the temple’s architecture and escaped your search. So… I am the Wise Man.”
“Provide evidence.”
“Out of responsibility, the Knight Commander took me in. I found an abnormal small pattern at the bottom right corner of the pattern on the wall of the Knight Commander’s room, which opened a secret door. You can verify it. …I’m finished.”
“Messengers, please light the candles.”
Molly closed her eyes, not knowing if she was crying or laughing. The sunlight on her body was very warm. Since leaving her familiar world, this was the first time she felt peace.
It turned out she could also do something.