One Trait Draw Per Year Even Simulations Count

The Winged God Church’s branch was a tall and imposing stone fortress, covering a vast area. The fortress walls stretched beyond the horizon, comparable in scale to a city.

You, Ying’er, and the eligible individuals brought from various villages by the White Priests were led to the fortress’s imposing main gates.

Before you lay a spacious square, surrounded by a ring of black-armored soldiers. Each of them bore a giant sword taller than themselves on their backs, making them appear even more intimidating than the Guardian Knights.

These black-armored soldiers were not human either. You noticed a vertical eye on their foreheads, but that was about it. They were one of the alien races whose appearance was closest to humans.

Those traveling with you said they were the Three-Eyed Clan, part of the Black Eye Legion, one of the eight armies under the church’s command. They were also the most battle-hardened and exuded the strongest killing intent.

You also learned that this magnificent stone fortress was merely a branch of the Winged God Church.

The main headquarters was far larger, a city in its own right. It was also the most prosperous and largest city on Fortune Star.

There were many White Priests sent out to collect people from various regions.

They had all gathered at this square from different directions.

Then, an old winged man clad in a red robe stepped onto a raised platform at the center of the square. Spreading his arms and two pairs of pure white wings, he declared in a voice akin to operatic singing.”Sinners! Today, right here, the great Winged God will discern your aptitudes, and by your aptitudes shall your lifelong method of atonement be determined!”

Liu Ying told you that this man was called a Red Cardinal, the highest authority in a branch.

You nodded slightly but asked in confusion.

”Why are we called sinners? I thought they’d call us believers. Even if we don’t believe, they’re so powerful—we’d have to believe whether we want to or not, right?”

”No, no, no! We humans aren’t qualified to be believers.”

”Huh? Why?”

”Fortune Star is actually a prison.

The humans you see now are all descendants of great sinners who were exiled here in the past for committing heinous crimes across the universe.

The Winged God Church acts as the prison’s warden, guiding us to atone for our ancestors’ sins.”

When Liu Ying said this, her voice was calm, as if stating a fact.

”Is all that just what the Winged God Church told you?”

”Yes, they come to the villages regularly to preach and talk about the planet’s history.”

”And you believe that?”

”Everyone does.”

Generations of brainwashing by the Winged God Church had etched a stereotyped view of their own race into these people.

Humans were sinners who must atone, hence their hard life.

The Winged Clan were the leaders, so they were exalted and deserved respect and admiration.

Other races were nobility, their status and position higher than humans.

You didn’t argue further on this topic and continued watching to see what nonsense this cult would pull.

On the way here, the group had encountered several attacks by Exotic Beasts.

The Exotic Beasts here were much the same as those in the human world, at most differing in species.

Based on the fights between the Guardian Knights and the Exotic Beasts, you judged their cultivation to be around the Middle Martial Path (Golden Body, Spirit Sea, Spirit Condensation).

As for these White Priests and Red Cardinals, their status was higher, so their cultivation level was likely higher as well.

So you didn’t try to escape but temporarily cooperated, intending to gather more intel and then plan your move.

Besides, running away was pointless. You needed to interact with cultivators to learn more information unknown to commoners.

”Now! Please come forward one by one and receive the Winged God’s Gaze!”

Behind the Red Cardinal was a crystal stone three or four meters high, floating in mid-air like the eye of an eagle.

On the square, the humans brought from various areas were urged by the White Priests, moving like zombies one by one up the platform.

Their mental state was strikingly similar.

Dusty, ragged, dispirited, numb and dull, each one seemed in a state of profound intellectual suppression.

You watched from the square, feeling a knot in your stomach.

In the Void Realm, humanity, despite the persecution by the Ancient Wasteland Survivors, developed slowly but still lived with a modicum of dignity.

Cultivators could still recall the glorious ancestors of humanity, who once stood above all races in the Void Realm.

How did humans in the Real Realm end up so miserably?

It was like a herd of penned-up livestock.

Or was it only like this on Fortune Star?

You saw the villagers passing one by one under the eagle eye. A winged female Winged Clan member recorded and announced the results of the ”Winged God’s Gaze.”

”No immortal root, no special physique, no special soul, white fate! Mine Number Nine, excavator worker!”

”No immortal root, no special physique, no special soul, white fate! Mine Number Nine, cleaning worker!”

”Ninth-grade immortal root, no...”

The vast majority had no immortal root, with an occasional ninth-grade one.

As for special physiques or special souls, there were none at all.

Fate, however, varied in level.

You asked around and learned that white fate was the lowest, followed by green, purple, gold, and multicolored.

Wasn’t that the same color system as trait tags’ quality?

”Such a coincidence?”

Most people were assigned to various mines. A few good-looking ones were sent to the fortress as servants.

You heard a guy behind you muttering.

”I really hope I don’t have high aptitude, please no, no...”

You turned around curiously and asked.

”Brother, isn’t high cultivation aptitude a good thing? Maybe they’d let you be a believer and not do hard labor?”

Just as that guy was about to speak, the platform announced, ”Second-grade immortal root.”

Without a doubt, this was excellent aptitude!

”See for yourself...”

The person with the second-grade immortal root clearly didn’t know as much as the muttering guy and had no idea what was coming.

Then, the Red Cardinal, as if struck by a sudden illness, emotionally walked over to that person, circled around him rapidly, and shouted.

”You are an unredeemable sinner! Your life must be offered to wash away your sins!”

The second-grade immortal root person was still dumbfounded, as if not yet recovered from their state of hunger and numbness, completely withdrawn.

It wasn’t until several soldiers from the Black Eye Legion picked him up and threw him into a huge bronze furnace that he suddenly snapped to attention and started screaming.

”What are you doing! What are you doing! I’m not some unredeemable sinner! I can work! I can mine! Let me mine! Let me mine!”

A large wooden mallet flew out from the Red Cardinal’s voluminous red robe.

His palm remotely controlled the mallet, and it came down heavily on the person inside the furnace who couldn’t climb out.

”Pfft!!”

All sounds from inside the furnace ceased instantly.

A trail of blood seeped out, flowing across the square’s ground and reaching right to your feet.

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