Global Fog Survival

“By the way, if you encounter other Gondorians who need help, please assist them,” Russell added.

Colin didn’t immediately agree. Instead, he said, “Unless they accept being fully controlled by me, I won’t help.”

“Of course. Human nature is the most unreliable. You just need to provide a safe environment. Safety is the most luxurious thing for us,” Russell nodded and then asked, “Another question, Mr. Colin. How did you survive ‘the Punishment’?”

He already knew Colin was punished by the system a few days ago and was curious about how he managed to endure it.

Colin shook his head. “It arrives in about three days, coinciding with the countdown.” He briefly explained the situation about the punishment.

Russell’s expression turned extremely peculiar, and he said in disbelief, “Arriving in seven days?”

“Is there something strange about that?”

“This is impossible. Once the punishment appears, it must arrive the same day, within twenty-four hours, and it’s certain death,” Russell shared what he knew.

“The Punishment” is one of the most baffling mysteries of the system. Once it appears, it arrives the same day, and no one can be around when it happens, or everyone nearby will be wiped out as well.

So no one knows what happens when the punishment comes. The death it brings is total, and it’s easy to identify a death caused by the punishment. The deceased usually appear as if something tore their heads off. This is also why Lady Bluebell left; she was marked but the punishment never came until recently when it suddenly appeared in her mind, prompting her to leave her territory and wait for death alone somewhere unknown.

But with Colin’s exception, Russell’s preconceived notions were shattered. “And the punishment won’t be announced to the whole server, only a forced quest, without a countdown, and death occurs randomly within twenty-four hours after an hour.”

Hearing Russell, Colin fell into deep thought. His punishment seemed off? But as a strange feeling enveloped the area, they both wisely chose to move on from the topic.

Now, Colin was certain the punishment timing was off—it was delayed by at least six days! Colin couldn’t help but recall the global terror countdown, the critical information somehow transmitted through the system.

Was the delayed punishment related to whoever sent that message?

No, he couldn’t think about this any longer. His heart felt uneasy. The punishment was the system’s most sensitive topic, even Colin dared not probe too much.

Taking a deep breath, Colin asked, “Do you know much about the history of this world?”

The previous generation’s investigator quest was 19% complete, it would be a waste not to freeload this information.

“I personally don’t know much, but I can probably give you about three percent,” Russell said.

That’s quite a lot. Colin muttered.

Their quest progress was less than one percent. Mainly because, apart from daily quest, they always encountered lord-level mutants no matter what they did. The task descriptions weren’t detailed enough, making progress extremely difficult. But they had to do it because the task’s title granted a thirty-meter teleportation skill, the ability Colin used to suddenly appear behind Russell during their fight. If everyone had this skill, their survival chances would greatly increase.

“Let’s start with the miracles. In the Era of Suffering, the people of this world generally worshipped a deity called the ‘Mother of Suffering and Thorns.'”

“The Era of Suffering began when the first miracle, the ‘Twisted Holy Father,’ was received through self-torture, requesting a miracle from the ‘Mother of Suffering and Thorns.'”

“People believed that as long as their bodies and souls endured suffering, this deity would bestow ‘miracles of suffering.'”

“Over time, as only one deity manifested divine signs, the ‘Church of Suffering’ emerged.”

“Under various ‘miracles,’ it quickly became the sole belief in the world, but from our perspective, these ‘miracles’ were quite twisted.”

“We divided miracles into two parts: ‘Great Miracles’ and ‘Lesser Miracles.'”

“‘Great Miracles’ are few, about thirteen, but they have significant impact.”

“We only know six: the first miracle, ‘Twisted Holy Father,’ the second miracle, ‘Mother of All Mothers,’ the seventh miracle, ‘The Undying,’ the tenth miracle, ‘Wailing Wall,’ the twelfth miracle, ‘Wound Licker,’ and the thirteenth miracle, ‘Ash and Silver.'”

“Excluding the ‘Mother of Suffering and Thorns,’ the source of all suffering belief, most ‘Great Miracles’ formed their own branches.”

“We know three of them: the ‘Twisted Holy Father,’ the main belief of the ‘Church of Suffering,’ symbolizing its pinnacle. All mutants are related to this ‘Twisted Holy Father,’ whose miracle form emits ‘Golden Hot Oil,’ or ‘Tainted Blood.'”

“Early ‘Golden Hot Oil’ was sacred, but it later caused a global catastrophe. We don’t know the specifics, as we haven’t encountered a ‘Great Miracle’ directly.”

“Then there’s the ‘Mother of All Mothers,’ honored by the church, though why they dared name it so is unknown. Interestingly, the ‘Mother of All Mothers’ doesn’t worship the ‘Mother of Suffering and Thorns,’ but the ‘Twisted Holy Father.’ There’s much to explore here.”

“The third is the ‘Lickers’ Holy Order,’ which heals through kissing wounds, restoring one’s physical state completely.”

“That’s the main content of the ‘Great Miracles’ we know. I’ll tell you more as I remember.”