Chapter 39

【Current popularity values: Zhao Mei 23500, Ye Zheng 2100, remaining action points 120.】

『I have to remind you: even if you successfully avert the disaster in this shelter, what happens here won't appear in the manga. At most, it'll get a passing mention as background. The main focus will always follow Pei Xi.』

『In other words, this will cost you a ton of action points but barely help your popularity.』

The system spoke earnestly.

"Hm?"

"'Ye Zheng' has 2100 popularity?"

Hearing the system's real-time report, Ye Zheng snapped out of her deep thoughts and asked in confusion in her mind.

『Is that the point?!』

"According to what you said before, my actions should make many readers hate me. Popularity dropping would make sense, not rising."

She remembered that last time she appeared as Ye Zheng, her popularity was only around 200. Now it had increased tenfold?

『Popularity is super mysterious. Your actions this time did get flamed by a lot of readers, but... that final panel in the manga had insane atmosphere and impact! The character contrast is ridiculously gripping!』

What final manga panel? Ye Zheng recalled. She had shot a monster, then stayed behind with Bai Muqing. Aside from changing the part where Pei Xi saved her, everything else seemed ordinary.

She especially did not understand the "character contrast." She had always been this gentle and kind person. Readers' tastes were hard to predict, but they often surprised her pleasantly.

"Popularity isn't that hard to get, is it?"

The system thought about it. She was right. This girl was never short on popularity or action points. Both identities were raking in doubles left and right. She had plenty of capital to be willful!

Ye Zheng supported Bai Muqing down the stairs. Under the expectant gazes of the shelter crowd, she whispered in Bai Muqing's ear, "Muqing, can you identify all the parasitized people?"

"I can, but we might not have enough time."

Ye Zheng faced the sea of people, eyes curving gently with a smile, posture relaxed and elegant as if nothing was a problem.

"That's an issue. I'll handle it." She tilted her head slightly and murmured almost inaudibly.

Bai Muqing unfolded her 【Divine Domain】 under the immense suppression inside the shelter. She closed her eyes tightly. Her already pale face lost even more color. For other ability users, the suppression here only greatly reduced their powers.

For her, born blind and relying solely on her ability to perceive surroundings, it drastically dulled her senses. Everything felt fogged, and the loss of control made her extremely uncomfortable.

Suddenly, a cool, refreshing sensation climbed up her arm. At some point, water streams had wrapped around it, becoming the most vivid feeling she could perceive right now. Her mind cleared instantly.

Ye Zheng had already lifted a parasitized person. She made a small incision in the chest with a knife, and water flowed in.

"Lu Qi, take some people to find the shelter's backup water supplies. Use wet compresses to cool them down."

The orange-ponytailed girl grumbled, "Why do you order me around like you're so used to it?"

"Please?"

Despite complaining, Lu Qi obediently gathered a few people to search for the water supplies.

Bai Muqing sensed her methodical movements and thought she had lost to Ye Zheng again. She really was an impeccable saintess.

Yinkong never understood her. Why did she, with near-double-S talent, treat an A-class healer as a rival? Everyone praised her as the strongest female ability user of the younger generation. Though Ye Zheng was famous too, in terms of raw power, anyone would say Bai Muqing far outclassed her.

In her blurred perception, Bai Muqing leaned against the cold, hard wall, closed her eyes, and recalled some past events.

The year they competed for saintess, Bai Muqing had believed that with her strength, flawless doctrine knowledge, and devotion to the God of Hope, the position was surely hers.

Her ability 【Divine Domain】 — was it not born to serve as a divine emissary?

Yet Ye Zheng's rise shattered her long-held confidence.

At fourteen, Bai Muqing was far more stubborn than at seventeen. She found the black-haired, black-eyed girl under an oak tree in the church's central garden. The girl sat quietly in white, reading doctrine.

"Why you? The saintess should not be you."

"You have no faith."

In that chaotic black-and-white soul, there was not a trace of piety toward the divine. Bai Muqing had "seen" it clearly through 【Divine Domain】.

Faced with the rude accusation, the black-haired girl looked surprised for a moment. She glanced around to confirm no one else was there before whispering, "Are you competing for saintess because of faith?"

"Of course. The saintess acts on behalf of the divine in the mortal world, bringing salvation's gospel. It is the highest honor for a woman of the empire."

The black-haired girl smiled. The fourteen-year-old little saintess was not yet skilled at pretending. Her smile held a mischievous slyness, eyes playful. "That's why you lost to me."

"Whether for commoners, royalty, or the church, I am the most perfect saintess candidate. Or rather, I can be whatever perfect saintess everyone imagines."

At fourteen, Bai Muqing came from nobility, was extraordinarily talented, and doted on by family. No one had ever provoked her like this. Her holy white pupils clouded with gloom.

"I will prove they chose wrong."

"Ah, then good luck."

The black-haired girl did not look up. She focused on the doctrine, stumbling over obscure words. Damn it, she could not even read the doctrine fluently! Bai Muqing grew angrier.

The fragrant grass and trees of the church garden lingered in Bai Muqing's memory for years. She liked the place but not the girl who sat under the oak. She visited the church many times after but never lingered in the garden again.

Now in the hard, noisy shelter, Bai Muqing sensed Ye Zheng's busy figure and realized she did not hate her. She hated her own failure, her own stupidity. Even now, she still did not understand what Ye Zheng meant by her "reason for failure" back then.

"Saintess, please rest. Or let us help with something."

"It's fine. My daily work is healing and saving people. This workload is nothing."

"Yes!" A child called out proudly. "Last time the saintess came to our district, she saved so many people!"

Bai Muqing listened quietly to the sounds. Ye Zheng was an ability user too. Her power was suppressed by at least half here. Facing such heavy work, she still appeared calm and composed, even easing the fear of those around her.

She once thought Ye Zheng, without faith, could not fulfill the saintess role. But now, Ye Zheng's words from back then were completely right.

Bai Muqing could not understand. What feelings drove Ye Zheng, who lacked faith in the divine, to do all this? The older she grew, the more she saw the church rife with corruption and hypocrites. So was Ye Zheng sincere or pretending...

After thinking for a long while without answers, the white-haired, white-pupiled teenager moved. She had adapted to her current perception level. From the corner, she walked toward the crowd and imitated Lu Qi and the others by pressing a soaked cloth onto an unconscious parasitized person.

"Hey, hey, hey! Press on the chest, not smother them!"

Lu Qi shouted loudly and quickly stopped Bai Muqing's action. The other stiffened and withdrew her hand.

Ye Zheng heard the commotion and smiled as she continued her work, tossing all extracted eggs into a bucket of water to prevent hatching for now.

There were fifty people Bai Muqing detected with eggs — fewer than expected, letting Ye Zheng breathe a sigh of relief.

Here, her ability was suppressed. Fortunately, she usually liked to overwork in the lower district, so she could still cope with the current situation.

After an unknown amount of time, Ye Zheng finally healed the chest wound of the last person. All the insect eggs had been extracted.

She supported herself to stand up and announced to the grateful yet concerned crowd that the crisis was temporarily resolved. She told them to wait peacefully for the aberrant realm to be destroyed.

【Changed the original plot where fifty people simultaneously erupted with the insect disaster. Deducted 50 action points.】

"Changing it like this only costs 50 points?"

【This crisis subplot doesn't affect the main line. The focus of this aberrant realm's plot is the protagonist team fighting the insect mother.】

Having handled everything, Ye Zheng leaned back in a secluded corner. In a rare relaxed and casual posture, she took out her phone.

The manga had updated with a new chapter. The original plot spoilers must have updated too. Although she had eliminated all hidden dangers in this shelter, she still felt somewhat uneasy.

Opening the new chapter and scrolling down, the readers in the comments seemed full of controversy about her appearance. Ye Zheng had no time to review these little readers' opinions for now.

She pulled the manga to the very bottom. A short-haired woman with a refreshing and generous aura appeared. Her expression was tense, lacking the enthusiastic friendliness from their first meeting. Her posture was concealed, as if hunting something.

Wu Shu. As expected, she had not given up on the points from this aberrant realm. Ye Zheng pondered. It seemed Wu Shu still held considerable weight in the upcoming plot.

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Authors Note

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To the pure Bai Muqing, who lives so straightforwardly, Ye Zheng is too complicated. But complicated people are exactly the ones who are attractive!