Jeremy was not deceived by the beautiful scenery surrounding him.


    He was acutely aware that the area in which he found himself was exceedingly perilous. Given that they had already encountered formidable foes in the Giant''s Cemetery, it was only logical to assume that they would face even stronger adversaries here.


    Ritchie, however, was not quite as cautious as Jeremy.


    He found thendscape to be exceptionally beautiful, which led him to lower his guard.


    "I believe there shouldn''t be any enemies around here. Let''s continue onward, perhaps we might encounter some adversaries up ahead."


    Ritchie actually hoped to encounter some enemies.


    For Ritchie, the absence of adversaries indicated ack of any clues.


    Jeremy nodded in agreement.


    Although he did not share Ritchie''s perspective, continuing forward was indeed a very reasonable course of action.


    After advancing for a while, the two discovered that their surroundings had undergone a dramatic transformation.


    What had once been a vibrant area teeming with life suddenly morphed into a Death Desert, where nts withered rapidly.


    "What on earth is happening? Is it possible that our own lives might also vanish just as abruptly?"


    Upon witnessing the unexpected turn of events, Ritchie hastily eximed.


    Jeremy shook his head.


    "What just transpired should have no bearing on us. I did not detect any alteration in the spatial realm, so this must merely be a natural cycle of life, birth and decay."


    Jeremy promptly offered his assessment.


    Yet, he was uncertain whether his judgment was urate or misguided.


    He expressed these thoughts solely in hopes of calming Ritchie down.


    Ritchie nodded in acknowledgment, epting Jeremy''s exnation.


    The two continued their journey and soon came upon a vige.


    All the houses in the vige were constructed of thatch, presenting an appearance that was strikingly primitive.


    In the very center of the vige, a roaring bonfire zed brightly.


    The presence of the fire seemed incongruous with the surroundingndscape.


    Given the lush greenery around them, the sudden emergence of a bonfire hinted at the likelihood of impending danger.


    "Should we enter the vige?"


    Ritchie whispered to Jeremy, lowering his voice.


    Jeremy nodded his head.


    In truth, Jeremy had no other options avable to him, if he wished to acquire more information, he had to venture into the vige.


    Although entering the vige posed certain dangers, it was still preferable to remaining outside.


    Staying outdoors would result in wasting too much time, and their avable time was already limited.


    If they continued to squander more moments, they risked bingpletely lost in the mists of history.


    Upon entering the vige, Jeremy refrained from recklessly inspecting any of the buildings.


    Instead, he called out loudly near the entrance of the vige.


    "Is anyone there? We are here to ask for directions! We bear no ill will!"


    After uttering this statement, Jeremy quietly observed his surroundings.


    After a brief pause of several seconds, a young man emerged from a thatched hut at the far end of the vige.


    The young man scrutinized Jeremy and Ritchie from head to toe.


    "Why are you here? Are you messengers sent by the Goddess of Life?"


    The young man''s question piqued the curiosity of both Jeremy and Ritchie.


    Although he had not provided any information, his mention of the Goddess of Life indicated that he might not view them as direct enemies.


    "We got lost, which is why we ended up here! Furthermore, we are not messengers of the Goddess of Life!"


    Upon hearing Jeremy''s response, a look of profound disappointment crossed the young man''s face.


    "Since you are not messengers of the Goddess of Life, I am under no obligation to assist you! You would do well to leave quickly, otherwise, we shall treat you as sacrifices to be offered to the Goddess of Life."


    The young man''s words left both Jeremy and Ritchie somewhat taken aback.


    They had not anticipated that the Goddess of Life would require sacrifices.


    In Jeremy and Ritchie''s eyes, only the masterminds behind the apocalypse games would resort to such measures to sustain their power.


    Other deities should not need to maintain their strength through such brutal means.


    Jeremy was acquainted with two deities: one was Janna, the Goddess of ss Change, and the other was the entity known as "The World."


    Neither of these deities had ever demanded that Jeremy conduct human sacrifices.


    Jeremy began to wonder if the Goddess of Life mentioned by this young man was actually a pseudonym for some apocalypse game designer.


    "If you truly intend to sacrifice us to the Goddess of Life, we might not outright refuse. After all, if you provide us with no information, we are likely to perish here anyway."


    Jeremy spoke in a voice that was slightly subdued.


    Upon hearing Jeremy''s words, the young man''s expression grew somewhat hesitant.


    "You should stay here for the time being, I will go inform the others in the vige. We will discuss a resolution as swiftly as possible, but until then, do not take any rash actions."


    After delivering this message, the young man quickly returned to the central thatched hut of the vige.


    After a span of several minutes, arge group of people emerged from the thatched hut.


    Leading the procession was an elderly man with snow-white hair, he was the vige chief.


    "What do you wish to inquire about? Feel free to ask me directly. If I know the answer, I will share it with you. Once I have provided you with sufficient information, you must leave."


    Faced with the conditions set forth by the vige chief, Jeremy and Ritchie naturally had no intention of refusing.


    Jeremy nodded in agreement.


    "If you can answer our questions, we will indeed depart promptly. We assure you that we will not cause you any trouble!"


    The vige chief nodded in acknowledgment and gestured for Jeremy to begin asking his questions.


    "I would like to know exactly where this ce is. How can we leave from here? We seem to have lost our way in this area, and we wish to exit as soon as possible."


    Jeremy framed himself and Ritchie as mere tourists who had be disoriented in this locale.


    The vige chief did not question Jeremy''s ount, instead, he quickly responded to Jeremy''s inquiries.


    "This is Green Grass Vige. Within a twenty-mile radius around the vige, there are only a few other viges. Therefore, if you wish to continue on, you will need to travel at least one hundred miles to reach a town.


    The way to leave is quite simple, just follow this little path. After approximately half a day''s journey, you wille across a main road. Continue along this main road, and you will soon encounter other travelers. At that point, you can ask them for the answers to the questions you seek."


    After delivering this information, the vige chief promptly turned to head back into the vige.


    Jeremy hurriedly intervened to stop him.


    "I have more questions to ask! Is the Goddess of Life the deity you all worship? Why have I never heard that name before?"


    Jeremy''s inquiry caused everyone in the vige to turn their gaze toward him.


    In that instant, Jeremy felt a palpable hostility emanating from all the vigers.


    Ritchie also sensed the animosity among the vigers, prompting him to take a step back, ready to engage inbat if necessary.


    After a moment of tense silence, the vige chief slowly turned his head back.


    "Since you wish to know about the Goddess of Life, I shall inform you. However, you must be prepared to pay a price, for knowing the Goddess of Life also means that the Goddess of Life knows about you."


    Without hesitation, Jeremy nodded in agreement.


    In Jeremy''s perspective, the masterminds behind the apocalypse games were indeed capable of such feats.


    Thus, if the Goddess of Life truly possessed power on par with that of the assumed game designers, then she certainly should be able to do the same.


    "The Goddess of Life we revere embodies not only the birth of life but also its inevitable demise. In the realm watched over by the great Goddess of Life, life flourishes rapidly and fades just as swiftly.


    It is precisely through the divine power of the Goddess of Life that we are able to survive in such a deste ce. Do not be deceived by the lush greenery surrounding you, in reality, cultivating crops here is exceedingly difficult."


    The vige chief, upon reaching this point, directly pulled up the grass in front of him.


    After uprooting the grass, Jeremy discovered that beneath the greeneryy nothing but gravel.


    "Can nts really grow on gravel? Where do these nts derive their nutrients from?"


    Upon witnessing this scene, Ritchie could not help but pose the question to the vige chief.


    The vige chief replied with a smile.


    "This is a manifestation of the great Goddess of Life''s divine power! She bestows her blessings upon us, transforming thisnd into a realm of both birth and demise.


    Thus, all of us worship the Goddess of Life, and to the best of our knowledge, there is not a single soul here who is not a follower of the Goddess of Life. Now, it is your turn to answer my questions."


    At this juncture, the vige chief''s expression underwent a dramatic transformation.


    The benevolent look that had adorned his face vanished entirely, reced by an expression filled with suspicion and hostility.


    "Why do you not know of the Goddess of Life?! How did youe to be here?!"


    As the vige chief asked this question, the surrounding vigers began to brandish their weapons.


    Seeing this, Ritchie instantly prepared tounch an attack.


    However, Jeremy timely intervened to prevent him.


    "I can answer your questions, but only on the condition that you lower the weapons you are holding."