Not Even Jesus Can Save You! I Said So!

The Calamity Cult's fish had taken the bait. Wu Wang decided to deal with them first; he had other arrangements for the remaining players.

He glanced at the dazed and flustered cultists before him, his eyes lingering on two familiar figures. A playful smirk touched his lips.

When the nun heard him say the word “punishment,” a look of holy pity graced her flawless face. Blood-red tears streamed from her eyes, a sight that stirred the cultists' souls. Their blood began to boil as the Suffering deep within them surged to the surface.

One by one, their expressions twisted into savage masks.

"No… Great Spirit Venerable of the Sea of Desire… Don't we have a deal with you?"

Tangqian Yan was on the verge of kneeling, but she forced herself to raise her head and meet Wu Wang's gaze. Her eyes met a pair that held no regard for life, an indifferent abyss that stared back at all things.

Wu Wang mentally raised an eyebrow.

Big Boss! Are you hearing this? This nobody is trying to frame you!

He chuckled with disdain.

"Oh? A deal? Then when your Calamity Cult tried to snatch things from Little William, did you ever consider our deal?"

A palpable shock ran through the cultists. At his words, the hairs on their necks stood up. Tangqian Yan, who had just spoken, turned deathly pale.

How could an existence of this level possibly pay attention to such a trivial matter?

According to the Calamity Cult's internal research, the 【Masquerade Ball】 instance where William was located had been an insignificant splinter of the Spirit Venerable's power. It was like an ordinary person caring about a single fallen hair. Would they really go out of their way to measure its length?

Besides, their superiors had said the 【Masquerade Ball】 had already collapsed. The very source that sustained the instance had vanished along with it, and all participating players were presumed dead.

Wait a minute… Could this cruise ship be…?

【They are guessing if this place is related to the Masquerade Ball, trying to figure out the purpose of your advent here.】

Wu Wang smiled tauntingly.

"You're not wrong. This is Little William's ship. I took it. Any objections?"

As if on cue, the nun increased the intensity of the punishment.

A heavy thump echoed through the hall as every single Calamity Cult member collapsed to the floor, unable to even lift their heads to look at Wu Wang.

【They are panicking.】

【They hope their other companions find a way to escape.】

【They have some way of confirming that the losers are not yet dead.】

Oh? So there really were more of them.

Wu Wang nodded to himself. Just as he'd suspected, they hadn't told him and Zhuge Yue the whole truth back when they signed the contract in the 【Spirit Calamity Plaza】.

He glanced down at his left wrist. Imprinted upon it was the Black-hearted Penguin's little golden cane sigil, the 【Auction Item Tag; Myriad Treasures Chamber of Commerce President Teng Xun Adolf has locked onto you】.

Next to it, a new gray-white, wave-shaped pattern had appeared. The Abyss God's Mark helpfully identified it as the 【Spirit Venerable of the Sea of Desire's Designated Saint Son】.

【A century's worth of the power of Desire has marinated you, as if pickling you to the core. The Aura of Desire on you is now enough to be called a true Saint Son of Desire, but it is only the aura.】

The corner of Wu Wang's mouth twitched.

He had originally planned to use the 【Miracle of Desire】 to purify those problematic 【Relics】. After entering a long slumber in the crystal coffin, he had the nun use the 【Miracle of Suffering】 to suppress the Relics by burying them beneath it.

He then passed down his will to the remaining townsfolk.

【If you want Aiguyi Town to remain peaceful, you will need to periodically have others satisfy your desires, and offer your desires up to the Spirit Venerable of the Sea of Desire.】

This was the same message Chen Xiuxiu had once given Yun Ze.

In reality, the power of Desire they contributed was all being funneled to the Mary. It was used to maintain the power of the crystal coffin, and as a side benefit, to purify the 【Relics】. He was just intercepting a tiny bit of the power.

He trusted the Big Boss wouldn't get angry. This was a win-win situation. Hell, he won twice.

He had found something good. And he was about to use it.

Wu Wang stepped out of the crystal coffin, his footsteps echoing in the silent room. He walked slowly toward the cultists, watching them tremble. It was hard to tell if it was from the nun's punishment or from the terror of having their minds read so easily.

"You think your other companions can escape?"

He lowered his voice to a soft chuckle.

"You still think it's a blessing that the losers aren't dead yet? The ones over there aren't as nice as me, you know~"

"Soon, the main event is coming~"

A fresh wave of despair washed over Jinxiu and Tangqian Yan.

He's right… An existence of this level descended personally. How could there possibly be any oversight?

They were doomed.

The other players standing behind them were frozen, trying to make themselves as small and unnoticeable as possible. They desperately wished they could be anywhere else, blind and deaf to the unfolding scene. They felt like background characters in someone else's tragedy, utterly powerless.

But they knew this was only a temporary reprieve. Once this terrifying being finished with the Calamity Cult, what would become of them?

At that same moment, in the cargo hold of the Mary, the Loser's Bracket players were bound tightly, making muffled sounds of protest. Their mouths were stuffed with rags frozen as hard as rock, which they wanted to spit out but didn't dare.

Standing before them was an elegant lady in a fiery red dress. At her feet lay a player who had tried to escape; he was now gasping his last breaths.

Mary revealed a faint smile.

"Now, I will ask you a question."

Her voice was smooth, but her words were razor-sharp.

"Be warned. You only have one chance."

"If I'm not satisfied, you won't be in the Loser's Bracket anymore. You'll be in the Deceased Bracket."

In the players' eyes, her smile was no different from a demon's grin before an execution. They shivered, yet a sliver of anticipation flickered within them.

If we answer correctly, can we leave the cargo hold?

"Now, tell me," Mary continued, her voice dropping, "which of you are Calamity Cult members? My Lord wishes to see you."

"If no one admits it, then you can all go feed the fish."

At her words, a glint flashed in the eyes of three players. They were all thinking the same thing as the winners upstairs.

Could this be the 'He' our superiors spoke of?

Mary's smile grew even more brilliant. She had seen the subtle change in their eyes. With a light wave of her hand, three inconspicuous marks landed on their shoulders. Their shape resembled the golden cane sigil on Wu Wang's wrist, a mark that shared a portion of his aura with them.

Then, she made a grasping motion in the air beside her long dress. A slip of paper flashing with golden light materialized in her hand, the two characters for 【Myriad Treasures】 written clearly upon it.

【Myriad Treasures Business Scroll; Using this scroll will summon a Myriad Treasures Auctioneer for a fair trade. Of course, haggling is within the scope of fairness.】

【Use?】

【Confirm Use】!

A swoosh filled the air. A cool-looking box with a question mark on it appeared out of thin air, followed closely by an exquisite cane.

A moment later, an angry voice boomed from the box.

"I sense the aura of the tag!"

"Damn red-tentacled thief!"

"To put it in the language of your world… not even Jesus can save you! And I'm the one saying it!"