Chapter 204 - 141: Capturing the Soul Stone Mine, Discovering the Rain God Statue, the Third Option

Chapter 204: Chapter 141: Capturing the Soul Stone Mine, Discovering the Rain God Statue, the Third Option

"This is the only way we can save the princess and rescue our families!"

The people looked at one another, their faces weary, their lips twisting into bitter smiles.

"Captain Kael, we really can’t go on..."

Another middle-aged man spoke, his voice barely a whisper, "With the constant rain these last few days, the Fog is full of muddy bogs and monsters. We’ve all reached our physical limits..."

A young man beside him chimed in, "Yeah, and we haven’t eaten in two days..."

"If this keeps up, forget reaching another major city. We’ll starve to death on the way..."

Their words resonated with the rest of the group, and morale hit rock bottom.

Captain Kael looked at his exhausted people and didn’t blame them.

As the only Extraordinary Level expert in the group, even he was exhausted. What more could he expect from these ordinary people?

Just then, a child suddenly pointed into the distant Fog and shouted.

"Light! There’s light up ahead!"

Everyone raised their heads and looked in the direction the child was pointing.

Sure enough, they could see the faint, flickering glow of an orange-red light in the distance.

As if grasping onto a sliver of hope, they hurried toward the light, which grew brighter and more dazzling with every step.

Then, they saw them: towering city walls, a multitude of Arrow Towers, and the silhouettes of figures patrolling atop the battlements.

The looks in their eyes shifted from confusion to surprise, and then to utter shock.

"B-By the gods... when did such a massive territory appear here?"

...

...

"Shen Xing, fly southeast this time. About seven hundred meters."

Xia Wanyin said softly, sitting on the Horned Eagle’s back with her eyes shut tight as she sensed their surroundings.

"Okay."

Shen Xing replied and gave the command to Fried Chicken.

"SCREEE—"

With a long cry, the Horned Eagle glided in two and a half elegant circles before turning to its new heading.

Reina sat quietly to the side, her hands gripping Shen Xing’s wrist tightly.

She stared resolutely ahead, the howling wind whipping through her long hair and across her exquisitely beautiful profile.

She had been silent ever since her outburst back at the Soul Stone Mine, lost in thought.

Before Shen Xing could give it much thought, they arrived at their destination.

Looking down, he saw an incredible sight.

There, on the black, rain-soaked, muddy ground, stood a lone humanoid statue.

Its Height was approximately two meters, and it seemed to be sculpted from yellow clay, yet it remained intact despite being lashed by the rain.

Its long hair cascaded to its waist like a waterfall, and its downcast eyes were filled with a sacred aura.

But bizarrely, a jet-black chain was wrapped tightly around the statue’s neck, its other end firmly anchored to the ground.

"Is this... a Rain God Statue?!" Shen Xing said in surprise.

"Huh? It’s one of those?" Xia Wanyin seemed surprised, then nodded in realization. "No wonder this place felt different from the other resource points."

"Let’s go down and take a look."

Shen Xing’s interest was piqued.

This was one of the new event statues added in today’s system update.

He had logged into the forums while they were traveling and had seen pictures of them.

Some players had already encountered these statues and had even gotten rewards from them.

However, it seemed that the statues were rare and scattered randomly, so not many players had found them yet.

Fried Chicken gave a gentle flap of its wings, bringing them to a smooth landing in front of the Rain God Statue.

Looking up, the Rain God Statue’s face remained indistinct, as if eroded by the heavy rain, or perhaps veiled by some mysterious power.

The chain wrapped around its neck gleamed with a dark metallic luster, its links inscribed with ancient sealing runes.

A system prompt appeared before his eyes.

[Rain God Statue (Event)]

[1: Rite of Praying for Rain (Close your eyes and pray for 10 seconds to grant your entire party a 20% movement speed boost for 5 hours.)]

[2: Gift of the Shattered Rain (Shatter the statue to randomly receive a piece of Rain God-themed equipment or an item.)]

[3: Rain-Bearing Shackles (The Lord may undo the chains on the statue to receive a large reward. However, the chains will transfer to you, reducing your movement speed by 50% for 15-30 days (duration can stack).)]

...

’So it’s three different options again?’

Shen Xing analyzed in a low voice, "This is just like the Holy Altar and the Demon statue I encountered before. Different choices lead to different rewards."

"But with the other two, you could sacrifice Attributes to get rewards. This Rain God Statue doesn’t have that option..."

’That’s a bit of a shame. It means I can’t get the rewards for free this time.’

"Shen Xing, which option should we pick?" Xia Wanyin asked softly.

Shen Xing didn’t answer, analyzing the options in silence.

’Obviously, the third option has the best rewards, but also the biggest drawback.’

’Having to bear the Rain God’s chains, taking a massive hit to my movement speed for at least half a month... that’s pretty outrageous.’

’But... I don’t have any movement ability to begin with. Does this penalty even affect me?’

’At worst, I’ll just have a chain on me. I can treat it as a fashion accessory.’

With this in mind, Shen Xing said, "I’ll try the third option."

"The third option... but won’t you be bound by the chains?"

Xia Wanyin shook her head. "I should do it. I don’t have much combat power to begin with, so it doesn’t matter if I can’t move. We can just split whatever rewards we get."

Shen Xing glanced at her. "What are you fighting me for? I’m already in a wheelchair. Do you think I care if I can walk?"

Xia Wanyin was taken aback for a moment, then gave a sheepish smile. "That’s true."

Shen Xing smiled and decisively chose the third option.

Immediately, the chain that had been wrapped around the Rain God’s neck began to come loose, snaking through the air toward Shen Xing’s neck like a phantom serpent.

He quickly threw up his right hand to block it.

’I can accept having a chain on me, but damn it, aiming for my neck is going too far.’

’Anyone who saw this would think I was into some kind of kinky play!’

"KLANG..."

The chain touched his wrist and quickly wound around it several times, binding it tightly.

He felt the cold touch of the metal, and at the same time, a heavy sensation, as if something were dragging him down.

He shook the chain on his wrist, just about to take a moment to admire it.

But just then, something strange happened.

On his wrist, the ethereal Fog Flower began to spin rapidly.

This time, however, it didn’t spew out mist. Instead, it unleashed a peculiar suction force!

The chain was pulled toward the Fog Flower and made contact.

And then... then it was just swallowed whole.

With a SLURP, like someone slurping a noodle, the entire chain was sucked inside.