A heated discussion broke out in the vast open-air square. Some were confused, some, fearing the demon's wrath, supported sacrificing Xia Lin, while others, who either adored Xia Lin or highly respected his noble status as the count's son, opposed it!
The bishop used the sound-transmitting magic to quiet everyone down. "This is the will of the gods. The gods appeared to me in a dream. Because Lin Rofirant has pure noble blood, he has been coveted by the demon. The gods told us to sacrifice Young Master Lin to the demon. Then the demon will be satisfied and won't let his minions harm the people of our city anymore!"
Everyone exchanged surprised glances. In this ignorant era, how could ordinary people dare to question the will of the gods? Since that was the case, surely Young Master Lin would be willing to sacrifice himself for his people?
They had no choice but to sacrifice Young Master Lin.
Anyway, the count would soon have another son.
With these thoughts in mind, the crowd no longer opposed sacrificing Xia Lin to the demon. But Xia Lin remained expressionless. He coldly glared at his stepmother and stepsister, who were feigning grief, and questioned the bishop. "How could the gods possibly ask us to sacrifice to the demon? Shouldn't they descend to earth to eliminate the demon?"
The bishop looked ugly. What was going on? Wasn't it said that this Young Master Lin had always been gentle and devoutly believed in the gods?
But there were other people here. He couldn't let Lin's words influence those ignorant and blindly obedient commoners. "Lin Rofirant, are you questioning the gods? Don't think that just because you're the son of the count, you can question the great gods' decision. The gods are never wrong! You're blaspheming! The gods will forgive your disrespect this time, considering your upcoming sacrifice to the demon. Alright, everyone step back a bit. Let's start preparing for the sacrifice ceremony now!"
Xia Lin was thinking about whether to run away. He hadn't redeemed the reward points from the last world mission. If he redeemed them, he might get items to help him escape. But what could he do if he ran? He would be hunted down forever for defying the gods' will and live a wandering life. Maybe... he should wait until after the sacrifice to escape. Once he was sacrificed, in others' eyes, he would be a dead man. No one would care if he escaped then. He could surely survive and then go look for the villain!
So Xia Lin waited for the sacrifice with an angry look on his face. To make it more convincing and avoid suspicion, he glared fiercely at his stepmother and stepsister. "You just wait! When Father comes back, he won't let you off. You'll surely end up miserably!"
His stepmother covered her abdomen and pretended to be pitiful with her stepsister, tears streaming down their faces. "Waaah... Lin, my dear son, just blame your mother. For the tens of thousands of people in this city, your mother has no choice but to sacrifice you. It's okay. You can scold your mother. Your mother and sister won't blame you."
Standing on the platform with a strange formation drawn on it, Xia Lin and the other seven teenagers and girls, who were crying so hard they were about to faint, were teleported away.
After a bout of dizziness, Xia Lin opened his eyes again and found himself in a gloomy forest. Bats, crows, dead trees, and the blood-red moon in the sky all looked extremely terrifying and inauspicious.
The other teenagers and girls huddled together, shivering. They discussed whether they should just run away, but before they could take action, footsteps came from not far away... Several demons with "goat horns" on their heads appeared.