69: S-Rank Divine Realm Quest

The sun had just risen above the ridge line. Shen Xiaochuan stood by the altar, clutching a blueprint for a Tyrant Spear in his hand. A southeasterly wind blew in, carrying the scent of damp earth. He lowered his head to glance at the copper gear pendant hanging from his cuff, his fingertips gently brushing over the old scratch on it.

It was left behind by his father when he worked at the factory. As the years passed, it had also accumulated memories.

He carefully folded the blueprint, tucked it into his jacket, and turned to walk toward the front of the group.

"Move out." His voice was not loud, yet it clearly reached everyone's ears.

Five thousand people immediately sprang into action. The Azure Dragon Legion walked at the front, followed closely by the transport team, carrying beast carcasses and weapon crates on their shoulders. The terrain outside the rift valley had changed; the sandy ground had turned into a quagmire, sinking half an inch with every step. His work pants were already covered in dried mud clods.

The Scouts had set out half an hour ago, each equipped with a pair of binoculars—which he had exchanged using faith points, capable of seeing movement within three kilometers. With an iron casing and a rim of copper welded around the lens, they looked bulky but were extremely sturdy.

After marching for two hours, a burnt smell suddenly drifted through the air.

It wasn't the scent of burning wood, but the distinct, pungent smell of scorched flesh.

He raised his hand and waved, and everyone stopped immediately.

Three hundred meters ahead was a village. Half of the houses had collapsed, with roofs caved in and walls cracked. Several remaining pillars were still smoking; though the fires were out, the embers had not yet cooled. There were bloodstains on the ground, dragging out in long trails that extended toward a few houses that hadn't been completely destroyed.

"Spread out," he ordered in a low voice. "Surround the entrance, don't let anyone leave."

The soldiers quickly split into two teams, flanking from left and right, their steps light and cautious, their grips on their rifle stocks extremely tight. He knew there were still survivors in the village. Earlier, through the binoculars, he had caught a glimpse of a gray shadow dashing by, holding a sharp blade, vanishing in an instant.

He walked forward, stepping over a pile of broken tiles. A severed hand lay by the roadside, fingers curled, nails blackened. He did not stop and continued toward the center of the village.

Suddenly, a line of text appeared before his eyes:

【High-purity divinity fluctuation detected】

【Target: Underage deity (Not yet awakened)】

【Location: Third house in the northwest corner, underground】

【S-Rank Divine Domain Mission triggered】

【Option 1: Join the bandits, gain initial influence +500】

【Option 2: Protect the villagers, activate guardian-type divine skill growth path】

【Option 3: Save the young deity, bind special divine servant relationship】

The light screen hovered before him, the three options clearly visible. He didn't even look at the first two, choosing the second one directly.

"Confirm selection: Protect the villagers."

A voice immediately rang in his ear: "You have chosen humanity."

He ignored where the voice came from, his gaze locked tightly on that house. The door had been hacked open, and a woman lay fallen beside the threshold, face down, with a wound on her back deep enough to see bone, blood soaking the ground. One of her hands was stretched forward, as if trying to grab something.

He crouched down and turned her wrist over—there was no pulse.

In her other hand, she tightly clutched a wooden plaque, on which a heart was carved with crooked, childish lines. He gently removed the wooden plaque and discovered a pendant hidden in her collar. It was silver, small, and slightly warm to the touch.

A System prompt appeared: "Detected residual blessing-type divine energy, source: Maternal Bloodline Legacy."

He put the pendant into his pocket and then walked toward the corner of the room. There was a cellar entrance there, the wooden board half-covered, a sliver of light shining through the gap. He knelt on one knee and leaned toward the opening.

He lowered his voice and said, "Is anyone inside? Don't be afraid, I'm here to help you. The bandits outside have been repelled, it's safe now."

No one answered.

But he heard faint breathing, intermittent and weak.

A few seconds later, there was a rustling sound, followed by stifled sobbing. He didn't move, waiting quietly.

"My mom... she told me not to come out." The Little Girl's voice was very small, with a crying tone.

"I know," he replied softly, "but it's okay to come out now. I promise."

Another silence followed.

The wooden board was slowly pushed open a crack, revealing a small face. She was about seven or eight years old, her hair disheveled, her face covered in dust, her eyes red and swollen. She held a tattered doll in her arms, the cotton almost entirely leaking out from the tears.

She saw him, and her body trembled slightly.

She asked timidly, "Are you... a god?"

Shen Xiaochuan smiled, "I suppose so. What's your name?"

She didn't answer, just stared at him. Suddenly, she raised her hand and pointed to his chest.

"You took my mom's pendant."

He looked down and discovered the pendant had slipped out of his pocket and was resting against the second button of his work clothes.

"I was afraid someone else would take it," he said. "She died for you; this thing must be kept."

The Little Girl bit her lip, tears sliding down silently.

She slowly crawled out of the cellar, her legs weak, barely able to stand. He reached out to support her arm.

"What about the others?" he asked.

"They're all... gone." Her voice trembled. "Last night, they rushed in, burned the houses, and robbed everything. Mom pushed me into the cellar and blocked the door herself... then there was no more sound."

He looked back at the corpse lying quietly.

"What is your name?" he asked again.

"Aphrodite," she said, "Mom said it's a good name."

He remembered it.

At this moment, a shout came from afar: "Captain! We found survivors on the west side!"

He stood up and said to the Little Girl, "You stay here for now, don't wander off."

She nodded and retreated to the edge of the cellar entrance, still clutching the doll tightly.

He strode toward the west side. Two soldiers were holding a man kneeling on the ground. The man was covered in blood, with a knife wound on his left cheek and a missing finger on his right hand.

"He says he's a villager," one soldier reported, "but we found a knife and a gold necklace on him that belongs to the village chief's family."

He walked up to the man, crouched down, and said in a calm tone, "Why didn't you hide?"

The man looked up, his eyes full of fear. "I had nowhere to go... They killed my wife and children. I want to live."

"So you robbed others?"

"I don't want to die... I just wanted a full meal..." the man's voice trembled.

He stared for a few seconds, then slowly stood up.

"Lock him up," he said, "take him back to Skydome City and hand him over to the Dispatch Center."

The soldiers took the man away.

He stood where he was, looking at the village. Among the ruins, several heads poked out one after another—they were survivors hiding behind broken walls or collapsed houses. They didn't dare to move or speak, only watching him and his army silently with their eyes.

He knew that these people were full of fear at this moment, unsure of how he would treat them.

He took out his communicator and pressed the channel: "Notify the Logistics Group, prepare medical kits, water purification tablets, and compressed rations, and airdrop them to coordinates [756, 2570] within thirty minutes."

"Yes!"

He immediately opened the map and marked three areas. "Send three more search and rescue teams to search by sector and find all survivors. Register all corpses uniformly; do not bury them without authorization."

After issuing the orders, he walked back to the cellar. The Little Girl was still sitting there, her head lowered, her fingers unconsciously picking at the tear in the doll.

"Are you hungry?" he asked.

She nodded.

He took a piece of compressed biscuit from his backpack and handed it to her.

She took it, didn't eat it immediately, but looked up at him.

"Will you leave?" she asked.

"No," he said, "at least not now."

She took a bite of the biscuit and chewed very slowly.

He looked at her, and a sense of oppression suddenly welled up in his chest.

He hadn't felt this way for a long time. The last time was in college, the moment he saw a classmate dumping leftover food from the cafeteria.

He lowered his head and touched the Gear Pendant on his chest.

This time, it wasn't to become stronger.

Nor was it to defeat anyone.

He just felt that some things had to be done.

He stood up and looked around the entire village.

"Set up tents," he said to his subordinates beside him, "clean up the corpses, and designate a safe zone. Everyone will station here tonight and wait for the supplies to arrive."

"Yes!"

The soldiers quickly sprang into action. He stood in the center of the ruins, the wind blowing his coat tails. In the distance, mountains rolled, and sunlight spilled onto the muddy ground, reflecting a sheet of white light.

The Little Girl finished the biscuit and looked up at him.

"Are you really... not leaving?"