"Taylor, Payne, and Shiva, you just wait. I'll see you again in twenty minutes."
Qin Shilei muttered in a low voice, hiding in a suite.
If Taylor and Payne knew what Qin Shilei was thinking, they would surely shout: "Scoundrel, cheating, hacking!"
Even now, Taylor and Payne were in a sorry state.
Payne's injuries were lighter, only a stab wound on his exposed wrist. However, several of his hard-earned protective items had been shattered. If Qin Shilei had struck again at that moment, he would likely be lying on the ground now.
Taylor's protective items were also completely depleted. Not only was his wrist injured, but Qin Shilei had also stabbed him in the abdomen, which was now bleeding profusely.
Shiva, the only one unharmed, looked at the temple that had become almost a ruin and roared furiously, "King Qin An, I will tear you to pieces!"
While Shiva and the others were discussing how to find Qin Shilei, time quietly passed, and the cooldown for the phantom had expired.
Qin Shilei was about to control the phantom again to kill Payne and Taylor first when the two of them walked out of the temple. Their direction seemed to be the City Lord's mansion not far away.
Qin Shilei's mind raced, he summoned the phantom and hid in the shadows, then transformed back into Gaude and pursued Taylor and the other two.
"City Lord, you really made me look for you."
"Gaude, why are you showing up so late?" Taylor asked with an unfriendly expression.
Qin Shilei touched his stomach and said apologetically, "Perhaps I ate too much roasted meat this morning and my stomach acted up. When I was in the restroom, I heard fighting and quickly pulled up my pants and ran out, but I couldn't find you. My stomach started acting up again, so I had to go back. After I was done, I came out and couldn't find you."
"Why didn't you just die in the toilet," Payne grumbled with dissatisfaction.
Taylor glared at Gaude. Thinking that the other party was now one of his only two Golden Masters, he had to suppress his anger. He turned and walked forward, "Follow me, let's go back to the City Lord's mansion."
Qin Shilei asked in a low voice, "Aren't we going to see Shiva?"
"Go to hell," Taylor replied irritably. "Just follow when I tell you to."
"Better not to go," Qin Shilei thought to himself.
The three soon entered the City Lord's mansion.
Along the way, Taylor and Payne were extremely cautious, fearing that the phantom would suddenly appear.
Qin Shilei, meanwhile, kept subtly inquiring about Shiva's information.
Unfortunately, Taylor and Payne were preoccupied with their own thoughts and only responded with hums and haws.
Upon arriving at the main hall, Qin Shilei presented a pair of red shoes to Taylor. "City Lord, I am eternally grateful that you have accepted me, a mere idler. This small gift, I hope the City Lord will not find it wanting."
Taylor's face broke into a smile, and he accepted the shoes with ease. "Gaude, you are thoughtful. From now on, Budulong will be your home. Together, we can surely stand tall on Blue Star."
Although a mere red equipment would not shock or make a City Lord lose his composure, it was still not something to be ignored. Moreover, this was a gift from a newly recruited subordinate, representing his respect.
This made Taylor's gloomy mood improve slightly, and he found Qin Shilei much more pleasing to the eye.
Qin Shilei glanced at Payne beside him and said, "Thanks to Payne's introduction, I have finally found my organization. Dinner and massages tonight are on me. City Lord and Brother Payne, you are not allowed to refuse."
Payne also burst into laughter. "Brother Gaude is truly thoughtful."
Seizing the opportunity, Qin Shilei pressed on, "City Lord, I just seemed to sense a powerful pressure from the direction of the temple. Has Lord Shiva descended?"
Taylor nodded. "Indeed."
Payne chimed in, "Brother Gaude, didn't I lie to you? Budulong is protected by Lord Shiva."
Qin Shilei tentatively asked, "How exactly can Lord Shiva descend to our Blue Star? Is it like those novels say, by means of devout believers descending to Blue Star?"
Taylor glanced around and then said mysteriously, "Gaude, since you are now one of us, I will tell you this secret. You must never reveal it.
To receive Shiva's protection, one must be sufficiently devout. Only when the power of our faith is transmitted to Lord Shiva in the heavenly kingdom can we receive Shiva's divine grace.
There are three ways for Lord Shiva to descend. First, find a divine child whose physique matches Lord Shiva's. We can then pray for Shiva to manifest a part of himself through the divine child.
Second, build a temple, and with a large number of devout believers praying, we can have Lord Shiva descend through the statue and a certain artifact.
Third, the spatial barrier between Blue Star and Lord Shiva's divine kingdom weakens, allowing Lord Shiva to descend in his true form."
Qin Shilei suddenly understood. Eugene in the past was likely the so-called divine child. And here, Shiva seemed to have descended through the power of a statue.
Taylor might very well possess the artifact he mentioned.
Qin Shilei asked again, "City Lord, why don't we let Shiva directly attack Hope City and forcefully eliminate King Qin An?"
Taylor glanced at Qin Shilei. "It seems you still don't understand. When Lord Shiva descends through a statue, he can only remain near the statue. Once he leaves Budulong, he will automatically dissipate within three to five minutes."
Payne also added, "If we can find a suitable divine child, we can sweep across the entire Blue Star. Lord Shiva will also reward us greatly."
Qin Shilei understood immediately.
As long as the statue that Shiva used to collect faith was destroyed, or the artifact in Taylor's hand was damaged, Shiva might not be able to descend here.
Thinking of this, Qin Shilei wished he could eliminate Taylor right now or have the phantom rush into the temple and smash Shiva's statue to powder.
However, he suddenly thought of something and asked again, "City Lord, was that King Qin An who appeared just now? Did Lord Shiva eliminate him?"
Upon hearing this, Taylor's face darkened, and he replied irritably, "That cunning fellow only sent out his summoned creature, which allowed him to escape."
Payne also said fiercely, "I don't think he can last much longer. Lord Shiva has made thorough preparations. As soon as King Qin An's summoned creature appears again, Lord Shiva can trace the connection between them and capture him.
At that time, tsk tsk, Lord Shiva will extract the soul of this detestable fellow and torment him for a thousand years."
Damn it, it was a good thing I asked that extra question, otherwise I might have fallen victim to Shiva's scheme.
It was possible that asking Taylor and Payne to return to the City Lord's mansion was also a trap set by Shiva.
After casually asking a few more questions, Qin Shilei left the City Lord's mansion and found a hotel nearby to book a room.