Mystery Paradise: Wishing Power Demon

In order to balance the consumption, Kokomoqi had already reduced the range of The Divine Country to around ten meters, and she was forced to cancel the frequently used Weightlessness Spell, now only using it occasionally. The Guidance Spell didn’t work either—it only pointed to people or objects that had been marked, and since she had never left a mark in Thistlefort, casting the spell now would only guide her back to Zhaixing City.

But she couldn’t turn back now.

Even if the thought "Maybe I should just go back" lightly surfaced in her mind, wishing power would continue to be drawn out of her body, leaving her no choice but to keep moving forward.

Of course, Kokomoqi had resisted this.

Magic is a miracle.

So there must be a miraculous spell that could restore everything.

She had tried both the Self-Healing Spell and the Restoration Spell, but aside from the pointless consumption of wishing power, the situation remained unchanged. Until this moment, Kokomoqi finally realized how cunning the other party was; the power of the contract was much stronger than she had imagined, and in terms of bending the rules, it even surpassed The Divine Country.

This was the biggest crisis she had faced since her birth!

"Ugh... I’m tired."

Kokomoqi couldn’t help but lean against a tree and sit down, rubbing her somewhat sore knees.

Usually relying on the Weightlessness Spell to get by, she discovered that without the spell, the toughness of her body was not much different from that of an ordinary person.

Maybe... use the Restoration Spell.

She raised her hand, hesitating for a moment before lowering it again—no, the stock of wishing power was now very low, and she had to use all her strength for self-preservation. Fatigue was something her body would just have to recover from on its own.

In the end, it was her lack of control over her impulses, using several high-level magic spells in quick succession, that had put her in this awkward predicament.

And yet, she could usually face various problems with calmness.

Why did she lose her presence of mind in front of a junior?

That guy... did he use some kind of sorcery?

Or was it because seeing a junior who understood nothing and was full of himself made her inexplicably angry?

And there was Engfelt, that fool, who acted without understanding the situation... Kokomoqi now realized that the reason the Paradise Master was "killed" was that it wasn’t the real body. The fact that the contract was still not concluded was proof that the parties who signed it were still alive. This might also explain why the range of the other party’s The Divine Country was pitifully small, which seems quite inconsistent with the mighty power of the Paradise Sect.

This method of functioning through avatars, she had heard that some divinities liked to do so. However, avatars would divide a lot of wishing power, and the more they divided, the weaker the original became, weak to the point that even mortals could kill the avatars. Therefore, it did not become mainstream. Just like the Paradise Master, this loss must have been significant, and he might even blame his grudge against Engfelt on her.

Grrrumble...

Kokomoqi suddenly heard a series of rumbling sounds from her stomach.

She was actually hungry.

Magic is a miracle.

But there is no magic that can fill an empty stomach out of thin air.

This was a new crisis!

She suddenly realized a serious problem: although the Restoration Spell could restore her to a few hours earlier, what if she continued to be lost? What if she couldn’t find her way out of this forest for a year or two, and her wishing power was completely exhausted? She couldn’t possibly become the first divinity to die of hunger!

No, no, no, she didn’t have to hold out to that point. In Zhaixing City, there were her believers; if it really came to it, she could send a message to her believers, telling those people to bring food and exploration tools to search for her in the deep mountains and forests.

But the problem is... if a divinity has to seek help from her believers, how is that different from being dead? Just thinking about it made Kokomoqi feel ashamed; she might as well just lie down on the ground, close her eyes, and be done with it!

Just then, an enticing aroma wafted into the Magic Goddess’s nose.

Kokomoqi’s eyes lit up instantly.

This was... the smell of roasted meat!

What she was eating wasn’t the most crucial thing; wild beasts don’t roast their food! It meant that someone was nearby, and if they were not bandits, they must be hunters—in any case, definitely someone familiar with the forest, otherwise they wouldn’t choose to linger here in the dead of night!

She cast the Weightlessness Spell on herself again and clumsily ascended to the treetops.

This time, she saw firelight—less than a kilometer away were flickering shadows of numerous people around the fire.

Great! They must have the information she needed.

Kokomoqi didn’t hesitate and flew towards the firelight.

As for who these people were, she didn’t care. Even bloodthirsty bandits posed no threat to her.

However, what she hadn’t expected was that those gathered were soldiers from the Kingdom Army. They had set up tents and a campfire and were preparing a late dinner. Everyone seemed a bit grimy, but the atmosphere was relatively relaxed, with people busy chatting and laughing with each other.

Deserters?

This thought flashed through Kokomoqi’s mind.

Even though she didn’t interfere with worldly affairs, she knew the treatment for deserters—essentially only the death penalty, which most of the time, made them suffer greatly before death. This method warned comrades that there was no honor in desertion.

Kokomoqi wasn’t averse to this practice; humans are, after all, a collection of contradictions, and sometimes killing is for a greater salvation. With just a thought, she could make these people die without realizing it, but after considering it, she decided not to do so and directly floated into the temporary camp.

Someone noticed her soon after. With a shout of alarm, everyone drew their weapons and aimed at her from every angle. Even though all were soldiers of the United Army, many had never seen a divinity in person, and fear was inevitable.

For a moment, Kokomoqi regained a hint of her former dignity.

Her elders had told her it’s better to stay away than to get too close. The longing for the unknown is also a major source of the power of faith.

"Put down your weapons! She’s not the enemy!" suddenly someone shouted loudly, "This is the Magic Goddess, Lady Kokomoqi!"

Kokomoqi looked towards the speaker... she remembered him, having interrogated him alone. He was a capable warrior, who seemed to be named... Ryan?

"You are..."

"My name is Ryan Kray, I’ve seen you two or three times," the man indeed replied promptly, "Did the divinity come to pursue us? Yet, I have a plea as well, and if you find our reasons unjust, it wouldn’t be too late to act then."

"No, I have no interest in catching deserters," Kokomoqi flatly denied, "I just want to ask you one question—In which direction is Thistlefort?"

Ryan exchanged looks with the others, "You... want to go to Thistlefort?"

Kokomoqi didn’t answer, but her expression clearly said "that’s none of your business."

However, Ryan didn’t take the hint and end the topic, "Coincidentally, we are also heading to Thistlefort. The mountain trails and forests here are quite complex; simply giving directions isn’t feasible, I couldn’t provide an exact answer. Besides, we are not deserters, at least we have not betrayed our purpose, so even if you travel with us, you wouldn’t be aiding deserters. If you don’t believe us, feel free to interrogate any one of us."

His gaze was steady, clearly believing in his own words.

Kokomoqi couldn’t help but become curious.

"What exactly happened to the punitive force? If you are not deserters, why are you here?"

"Our forces were met with a fire attack from Thistlefort, shortly after that fireball that lit up the sky appeared... I suppose it’s probably because the negotiations with the Paradise Sect broke down?" Ryan gestured towards the tents and made an inviting gesture, "As for why we left the main force... it’s a bit of a complex situation. If you don’t mind, we could talk inside; I can tell you everything."