Chapter 16: Can I Become a Follower of the Internet God?

Panic spread among the boys as if it had a life of its own, with every breath they took!

Rapid breathing, terrified cries, and incoherent mumbling all mixed into a chaotic sea.

“No, no, no… Don’t kill me…”

“Mama… save me, Mama…”

Some were so scared their faces turned white.

Some even lost control of their bowels.

Others collapsed to the ground in terror.

Pus was also so frightened that his face drained of color.

But at this critical moment, he suddenly thought of something and looked sharply at the purple-robed magician. He shouted like a drowning man:

“Raymond Mentor, you’ll save us, right?”

Pus’s plea snapped the boys out of their daze.

The boys’ eyes all focused on the purple-robed magician, as if they’d found their last lifeline, and started shouting.

“Raymond Mentor, please save me!”

“Get us out of here, Raymond Mentor!”

“Raymond Mentor…”

However, Raymond, the one they pinned all their hopes on, was trembling like a leaf. He exchanged a glance with his companions, then gritted his teeth and bolted for the back door.

Halfway there, Raymond’s signature move—his hands suddenly blazed as if he were holding two flaming torches.

The boys’ eyes lit up, and many instinctively clenched their fists!

Thud!

With a soft sound, the horned demon guarding the back door casually waved a hand, sending Raymond and his companions flying back.

Fortunately, the basement was spacious enough, or they might have crashed into the boys.

Thump!

After they hit the ground, the basement fell into a deathly silence.

The boys were dumbfounded.

They couldn’t believe that the mysterious and powerful Raymond Mentor couldn’t even withstand one round against the demon.

Yu Sheng’an took two steps forward, and just those two steps seemed to startle the boys like a flock of startled birds. They retreated, pressing against each other.

Some even burst into tears, begging for mercy, “Don’t kill me, don’t kill me! I didn’t mean to learn magic, I was wrong…”

Looking at the terrified boys, Yu Sheng’an sighed and said, “Don’t be afraid; they’re just my servants.”

As he spoke, Yu Sheng’an waved his hand, and the two hideous demons vanished in a flash of teleportation light.

Seeing this, the boys’ emotions finally stabilized.

Of course, they merely returned from the brink of collapse. Their gazes at Yu Sheng’an were still filled with fear!

Doing good deeds but being misunderstood?

Yu Sheng’an smirked self-deprecatingly, then glanced at Raymond and his two companions. A shadow demon hidden in the dark lifted them up.

To the boys, it looked as if Yu Sheng’an had cast some mysterious magic to raise Raymond and his companions into the air.

Raymond, hanging in the air, struggled desperately, flailing his limbs with a terrified expression.

“Tell them what you’ve done, in detail. If you explain it well enough and I’m in a good mood, I might spare your lives. If not, I could use a few more undead servants. Your skeletons seem just the right size.”

“No, no, no… M-Master, I was wrong! I won’t dare to spread magic anymore!” one of them begged in terror, trembling mid-air like a toad.

“Is this about spreading magic?” Yu Sheng’an’s voice turned icy, and the shadow demon’s grip tightened, making the three men gasp for air as their eyes rolled back.

“Don’t kill me! I’ll talk, I’ll tell you everything. We… we just wanted to make some money, so we copied magic knowledge from the Internet and sold it disguised as magic courses…”

Raymond seemed to have made up his mind, and in a panic, he confessed their deceit.

With his confession, the boys were stupefied.

One by one, they looked at Raymond in disbelief, unable to imagine that the mysterious and powerful Mentor Raymond in their eyes was actually a fraud?

Especially the braver ones, who began to chant a prayer and summon the Internet interface. They found that the magic knowledge from the Library’s free section matched, and they were utterly shocked!

“Raymond… is actually a fraud?”

“Damn, all that money we saved with so much effort!”

“Wow, look, beside magic, there’s even Battle Qi and Divine Magic!”

“Look, there’s also Internet Magic Academy! From the descriptions, it seems like we can take classes here too. Does that mean… we can continue practicing magic?”

The boys were completely stunned by this sudden flood of information.

Some cursed Raymond, others marveled at the wonder of the Internet.

Of course, a portion of the boys’ gazes toward Yu Sheng’an also subtly changed.

They were no longer afraid.

They realized that the seemingly fearsome Yu Sheng’an was actually the good guy.

Those terrifying demons must have been his servants, just like in storybooks where powerful magicians always have demons as servants.

Yu Sheng’an paid no attention to the boys’ complex thoughts.

He looked at Raymond and said, “Do you know why I came looking for you?”

“I don’t… no, I do, I do! We shouldn’t have committed fraud!” Raymond replied incoherently, his face covered in sweat.

“No, mere fraud isn’t enough to make me take action.”

“We… we shouldn’t have spread Internet magic,” Raymond said.

“Internet knowledge is meant to be public.”

Raymond was nearly in tears, “Master, Master, I truly don’t know what we did wrong. Please tell me! I promise there won’t be a next time.”

Yu Sheng’an’s voice turned cold, “Your mistake was using Internet resources to commit fraud without spreading Internet Divine Magic.”

Yu Sheng’an didn’t care whether others might profit from spreading Internet Divine Magic!

If he could profit from it, that would be his skill.

On the contrary, he would allow it because only with benefit would people be motivated to help spread Internet Divine Magic.

But using his resources to commit fraud without spreading Internet Divine Magic was something Yu Sheng’an could not tolerate!

If Raymond and his companions had left behind just one Prayer, Yu Sheng’an wouldn’t have interfered. But they took everything without leaving a trace, then tried to walk away acting cool.

Damn it, did they think the Internet God was some harmless saint?

At this moment, Raymond’s companions cursed inwardly.

If you want to kill us, just do it! What’s with the excuses?

But Raymond, inexplicably, asked, “Master, are you a follower of the Internet God?”

Yu Sheng’an looked at Raymond in surprise, “Didn’t expect you to be this smart, huh?”

Praised, Raymond’s face suddenly turned pale, and he thought to himself, It’s over, it’s all over!

“If you’re so smart, then tell me how I should punish you,” Yu Sheng’an said with a smile, looking for suggestions.

“Don’t kill me, I… I’m willing to do anything!”

“Are you sure?”

“I’m sure.”

“Alright then. My lord needs preachers. I see you’re pretty sharp, how about joining… the Redemption Group to spread my lord’s light? How does that sound?”

Yu Sheng’an said with a smile.

This idea was spontaneous.

Raymond and his companions didn’t deserve to die, but letting them off lightly made him uncomfortable.

It just so happened that Raymond seemed quick-witted. Why not send them to spread the divine magic in the Five Prime Gods’ districts? Annoying the Five Prime Gods seemed like a neat plan.

If they succeeded, everyone would be happy;

And if they failed, there would be no loss.

“Being a servant of the Internet God is an honor. I, Raymond, swear, from this day forth…”

“Stop! There’s no need for oaths. Just sign this contract!” Yu Sheng’an interrupted, casually waving his hand. A spectral contract document materialized in the air.

Raymond was dumbfounded.

He had been considering whether he could stall for time.

But now, with the contract document, any chance of rebellion was gone for life!

However, being at the mercy of another, what choice did he have? It was better than dying on the spot, right?

Cold sweat dripped from Raymond’s forehead. In the end, he bit his finger and let a drop of blood fall onto the contract document.

In an instant, the contract document transformed into three beams of light.

One entered Raymond’s body;

Another entered Yu Sheng’an’s body;

And the third one soared into the void, merging with the Divine Spark of Contracts.

“How about the two of you? Oh, right, and there’s one more.”

Yu Sheng’an slapped his forehead and ordered a shadow demon to bring in another of Raymond’s companions who had been standing guard outside.

“I’m willing!”

“Me too.”

The captured companion, utterly confused, could only follow suit and agree without understanding what was happening.

After the other two signed the contract document as well, Yu Sheng’an smiled and said, “Congratulations, you’re now reborn. Alright, that’s all for today. Everyone go home now.”

After saying this, Yu Sheng’an turned to leave.

“Wait!” Pus suddenly called out.

Yu Sheng’an stopped in his tracks.

Pus nervously ran over and asked, “C-can I become a follower of the Internet God?”