Chapter 672: Section 459: Who Will be the First?
“People tend to huddle together for warmth when they find themselves in difficult situations,” Zhou Zhang said with a smile as she left the hut.
On the surface, she’d always allowed the captives to meet freely, but in reality, she was always watching closely.
Zhou Zhang was a Holy Domain Level powerhouse, already superior to Ba Qi, ship ghosts, and others. The pirate and Undead Mage factions battling against each other had provided her with the perfect opportunity. It had been easy for her to subdue them all.
Thus, the captives were split into two factions.
One led by the ship ghost Undead Mages and the other by Ba Qi, leader of the Human Race pirates.
Zhou Zhang’s arrangement wasn’t because she’d deciphered the ship ghosts’ plot; it was simply what she had always intended to do.
First, let them spread despair through their discussions, then divide and provoke them, completely isolating them. Only then could she facilitate their conversion more effectively.
As for the results?
Zhou Zhang’s attitude was good.
Even if she wasn’t successful, that was fine. If she was, even better.
If the captives failed to convert, they could still serve as nourishment for the gods, just like some special type of sea beast.
If they successfully converted, then they’d be considered one of her own people.
If an Undead Mage successfully converted, Zhou Zhang didn’t even dare further contemplate infiltrating the Undead Orthodoxy. With her level of strength and status, she knew much more than ordinary people; she was very aware of the extraordinary methods of the Undead Orthodoxy. Forces large and small all over the world had attempted infiltration, but the success rate was minuscule.
Zhou Zhang also harbored a wary respect for the Undead Orthodoxy led by You Can.
If the Charming Blue god were to awaken, Zhou Zhang would have some leverage. But with the Charming Blue god having been in slumber for many years, she had no wish to provoke the force of the Undead Orthodoxy.
She might have appeared defiant before, but in her heart, she was quite clear on the matter.
Yet if the Human Race pirates converted, maybe she could take the opportunity to infiltrate their ranks.
Firebeard’s pirate group and the Undead Orthodoxy were both at the Legendary level, superpower forces. But there was a clear distinction between the two. Compared to the might of the Undead Orthodoxy, Firebeard’s pirate group had a low threshold for entry, with no real background checks. Anyone who caught Firebeard’s eye or was recommended by his trusted allies could join.
Such a recruitment policy resulted in Firebeard’s becoming the largest pirate group on the Main Plane. The other two Legendary pirate groups combined didn’t even have a fifth of Firebeard’s numbers.
“Lord ship ghost…” The Little Prince’s voice was dry in the underwater hut.
The ship ghost looked at him. Though the Little Prince had become a skeleton, the ship ghost could still “see” the helplessness and plea for assistance in his face.
Among all the Undead present, the Little Prince was the most dependent on him.
The primary reason was his disposition. The Little Prince had been very young when he turned into a skeleton. Though he was now at the Silver Level, that was just in terms of power, his experience was lacking, and his mental maturity was still underdeveloped. He’d also developed a habit of depending on others, which, it had to be said, was a significant flaw.
Next was the Fin Spirit. The Fin Spirit was summoned by the ship ghost and had served as his alchemy assistant for years, cultivating a sense of obedience. The ship ghost’s decision to set her free, allowing her to assist the Da Ji Tribe, was a brilliant stroke.
Everything unfolded just as the ship ghost had predicted. The Fin Spirit, being an Undead Mage, wasn’t welcomed by the Da Ji Tribe. They even set a trap for her. The ship ghost helped the Fin Spirit several times, earning her immense gratitude and dispelling much of her prejudice against the Da Ji Tribe.
Then there was Ku Feng. Ku Feng had outright rejected the ship ghost’s summoning; his true pursuit was the way of the sword.
Perhaps in his previous life, he had various desires and complex emotions. But after a baptism of death, he was like iron forged in the fire, left with nothing but his obsession with the sword.
Even if the ship ghost had done favors for Ku Feng, they all came after this obsession.
Obsession was important.
Recent research by the Undead Orthodoxy had shown that the key factor affecting the summoning of ghosts, skeletons, zombies, and other forms of Undead Life was obsession.
The stronger the obsessions in the soul of an ordinary life after death, the higher the chance of a successful summoning.
The last one was Cang Xu. Cang Xu was an outsider who had experienced the battle at Nether River but had spent relatively little time with them.
The ship ghost gave him a Silver Level body, which naturally had its backdoors. Taking advantage of the time Cang Xu was unconscious, he had also tampered with Cang Xu’s head. Without these precautions, the ship ghost would never have trusted him as he did now.
Compared to the other three Undead, the ship ghost actually admired Cang Xu the most.
“He’s talented!”
Particularly Cang Xu’s previous extortion of the ship ghost further intensified the ship ghost’s admiration for him.
The reason was simple—Cang Xu’s life and death had always been under the ship ghost’s control.
Without this level of control, the ship ghost would have been full of malice for Cang Xu, eager to eliminate him quickly.
Seeing Zhou Zhang leave, Cang Xu inwardly sighed, “Any cunning scheme or plot, in the face of absolute power, seems pale and powerless, easily crushed.”
This feeling of helplessness was all too familiar to Cang Xu.
In his past years, he had too many similar experiences.
This was the world of the powerful.
The cornerstone of power lay in one’s Bloodline.
Wisdom was just the icing on the cake. Without the blessing of strength, it could only appear flimsy and feeble.
“The Deception and Disguise Skill is still reliable. I’m only at the Black Iron Level but managed to disguise myself as Silver Level. Although Zhou Zhang has taken me captive, she hasn’t seen through it. If she had, my ‘treatment’ would probably not be like it is now.”
Cang Xu quickly scanned his surroundings, realizing he was the calmest.
Because he still had a way out.
“Zhou Zhang’s intentions aren’t hard to guess. Her forced conversion for the sake of spreading her faith is quite normal,”
“No matter which Undead she promotes, she remains the absolute winner.”
“This time is a severe test of ship ghost’s leadership abilities, and it’s very likely that this small group of Undead will fall apart!”
Cang Xu’s gaze ultimately settled on the ship ghost.
The atmosphere in the shanty was heavy and oppressive.
Whoever was elected as the first person would face a very high chance of death.
The reason was simple—there wasn’t enough time!
Whether it was converting or forging memories, both required time.
The more time, the better.
Although everyone was of the Undead Life, they were not burdened by the erosion of negative energy and retained normal cognitive abilities.
Obsession ignited a strong desire within them all to survive. Perhaps this was why obsession was the most critical factor in determining the success of the summoning.
“The ship ghost is currently the safest.”
“That’s because when it comes to elections, the ship ghost’s strength, past favors, and the immense influence he has built will prevent him from being chosen.”
“Moreover, on Zhou Zhang’s side, they will put the Golden Level last. If a Golden Level can convert, it would bring the greatest benefit to the Charming Blue Sect.”
“The strength of the Golden Level gives the ship ghost and Ba Qi more qualifications to be recruited!”
“But it is precisely because of this that the ship ghost’s influence will be drastically reduced…”
Cang Xu contemplated endlessly, “Besides the ship ghost, the chances of the others being elected are about the same.”
“Because no one has irreplaceable value.”
Thinking this, Cang Xu noticed the gazes of others subtly glancing in his direction.
A thought struck Cang Xu, and he suddenly realized, “No, the one most likely to be elected… is me!”
The reason was obvious.
Cang Xu was an outsider.
Although they had jointly experienced the battle at the Nether River, compared to the time spent with the Little Prince, Fin Spirit, and Ku Feng, Cang Xu was the least familiar.
Insider and outsider were relative concepts.
Compared to the others, Cang Xu was certainly the outsider.
“Being elected as the first to be transported… isn’t too bad!”
After communicating with the Fishman youth, Cang Xu knew that the Deep Sea Monster Fish was hidden inside the Ocean Nest.
“If I can rendezvous with the squad leader in advance, I would be able to use the Memory Crystal to create a device ahead of time.”
“This might be a good opportunity. I was just worrying about finding an excuse to ask the ship ghost for a Middle-Level inheritance,” Cang Xu’s mindset was positive, he even had some anticipation.
But at this moment, the ship ghost spoke up.
“We are all our own people.”
“The sacrifice of any one of us is not something I want to see!”
The gaze of the ship ghost slowly swept around.
The Little Prince, the Fin Spirit, and Ku Feng, upon whom his gaze rested, were all deeply moved.
The ship ghost had bestowed favors upon them for a long time, frequently saved them, leading none to doubt his words.
The ship ghost’s final gaze rested on Cang Xu’s face, “Compared to others, Xu Jia has spent the least time with us. But having gone through the battle at the Nether River, I’ve acknowledged him. He is one of us, just like the rest of us.”
Cang Xu was shocked for a moment, then a look of emotion flooded his face.
The ship ghost’s tone turned grave, “All of this is because our strength is insufficient, falling into Zhou Zhang’s hands!”
Everyone immediately showed an expression of resentment.
Yes, the real instigator, the villain who drove them to elect among themselves and sow discord, was Zhou Zhang!
The ship ghost then changed his tone, “We must keep this hatred in our hearts, strive with all our might to survive, only then might we have the chance to seek revenge for our companions!”
The crowd fell silent.
Their situation was weaker than their adversaries; no matter how resentful, was Zhou Zhang going to die from their hatred?
Reality was cruel; the powerful made the rules, and they could only act according to Zhou Zhang’s rules.
The ship ghost took a deep breath, “So, for this election, I have a proposal.”
Everyone immediately listened attentively.
The ship ghost suggested: whoever’s progress in forging memories was the worst would be the first to participate in the Blood Sacrifice with transportation.
Hearing this selection method, everyone exchanged looks, and there were no objections.
Forging memories was everyone’s path to escape, but it required immense effort, and only through cooperative division of labor and collectively forging could there be a chance of success.
Whosoever’s progress was the lowest would be viewed as contributing the least to the group; thus, their sacrifice would be justified. For others, it was better to eliminate the worst than those who contributed more.
“It seems the ship ghost is also an excellent leader,” Cang Xu had a new appreciation for the ship ghost.
Although the ship ghost was hypocritical, sabotaging others in secret, his response to the emergency really wasn’t bad, revealing his sharp political acumen.
Zhou Zhang’s provocation was not only caught by him but also calmed the others. He even managed to use the external pressure to his advantage, furthering his escape plan.