Originally, these trivial matters didn't require Ethan to handle them personally, but...

For the candidates, it was a good test.

At least, that's what Wilson thought.

The stench of the greenhouse didn't have much impact on Ethan; the wind element also served as an air purifier. When he walked in, the smell around him had already dissipated. He saw the little girl he encountered at the inn this morning from a distance. She was surrounded by a group of children, smiling as she shared her stories with them.

A golden bird that could cook, with soft and warm feathers, reminded her of the feeling of holding her mother's hand when she was young.

She also tasted a meal she'd never seen before.

Toasted bread with meat and vegetables, crispy long strips of fried potatoes, and thin pancakes filled with abundant ingredients, like the kind of food that only appears in fairy tales.

The little girl narrated in great detail, and the children around her listened intently, occasionally swallowing hard.

In the greenhouse, there was usually only the food provided by the consortium to keep them alive. They only realized there were so many delicious things in the world when they were lucky enough to occasionally eat some leftovers from the tavern.

Ethan's arrival caused the others' faces to change.

The little girl's father, who was tidying up the bed, saw him and said something to the others. In no time, 13 "Lambs" appeared before him.

They all looked similar, ragged and thin from long-term malnutrition.

From their expressions and their clenched hands due to anxiety, it was clear that the dungeon's brainwashing propaganda was not very successful. They felt a strong fear for their upcoming fate. Many of them occasionally glanced at the group of children or deliberately avoided looking at their family or friends.

"This time... is it earlier?"

The man, seeing Ethan did not speak, tentatively asked.

Ethan wore a mask and had the aura of the Upper City believers.

The man seemed resigned, but a few of the "Lambs" still weren't ready. After some hesitation, they requested, "Can I see them one last time?"

Ethan remained noncommittal.

Wilson mentioned on the way that before attending the ritual, the "Lambs" had to undergo cleansing. They couldn't present these foul-smelling offerings directly to the Old Gods, as that would be sacrilege.

They would be taken to the Upper City, where specialized believers would cleanse them of their filth and dress them in uniform robes. They would stay there until the festival's arrival.

Usually, the "Lambs" wouldn't know the exact time of the festival. When the believers guarding them covered their heads with burlap sacks and took them away, it meant the time had come.

It sounded like a painful and torturous process, like a group of death row inmates waiting anxiously for their execution without knowing the exact time.

However, Wilson seemed to enjoy this process. When talking about it, he was animated and hinted that he didn't like this "humane" system, which, he said, took away much of the enjoyment from watching the sacrifices.

Ethan could only sigh at how family environments affect children's growth.

Aisoke's interests aligned closely with his father's. Ethan had no doubt that they might even occasionally sit together to discuss people's painful decisions before their impending deaths.

He was very patient.

Wilson wished for him to personally take these 13 lambs to the Upper City.

Some "Lambs" cast grateful looks at him, while others had dark eyes, as if calculating something.

There had been cases of "Lambs" escaping before.

They persuaded some sympathetic dungeon residents to provide cover for their escape. However, the end result was the execution of both the escapees and the residents who aided them by the Old Gods believers.

Theoretically, even if they managed to escape the dungeon and leap over the defenses surrounded by the creations of the Old Gods, they couldn't leave the abyss.

Only believers who mastered the spell could tear open the gap between the polluted area and reality, which required considerable Magic Power as support.

These lambs, sacrificed monthly and during festivals, served as the "energy rods" to maintain the polluted area's existence.

Ethan's gaze rested on a "Lamb" with a dodging look in his eyes.

He seemed very young and didn't have much to say to others. He walked along a small path between the beds towards another direction. Some others noticed his unnatural look, and when they questioned the young man, he finally cracked under the pressure and took off running.

This poorly planned escape naturally ended in failure. The young man hadn't run far before he was pinned down by the prepared residents. He was quickly restrained and brought before Ethan.

"Why is it me? This is not right. Why is it our family again!"

The young man struggled to speak, his emotions seemingly on the verge of collapse.

Though the residents held him down, they neither punched nor cursed him, instead looking at him with sympathetic eyes. Someone voluntarily explained for the youth, "All his parents and siblings have been sacrificed..."

Now, the festival's choice fell on him again.

From their observation, each selection was random, with no discernible pattern. It was entirely dependent on the believers' whims, and even the elderly and children were not exempt.

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