Lin Qingyue looked at the unconscious Cat-men piled on the ground, a kind smile spreading across her face.
She stepped forward, twirling her staff, [Beloved], lightly in her palm.
"Alright, my lucky clients, next up is our free trial session."
Lin Xiyue, Su Wan, and Xia Lian fanned out with perfect coordination, each taking a position to completely seal off the area.
They still sported their eye-catching sakura-pink hair, but their gazes and movements were as cold and professional as experts.
"Sis, go easy on them."
Lin Xiyue, shouldering her massive tower shield, couldn't resist adding a reminder.
"Don't cause any weird side effects again."
"Don't worry. This is the compassionate version, designed to purify their minds and help them return to their true selves."
As Lin Qingyue spoke, a soft pink light glowed at the tip of her staff.
"Mass Purification Art: Modified Version—Sage Mode!"
A massive pink ring of light expanded from her, precisely enveloping the five Cat-men on the ground.
The ring washed over them like a spring breeze, gently seeping into their bodies and souls.
The next second, all five Cat-men opened their eyes almost simultaneously.
Their eyes held neither the previous fanaticism and bloodlust, nor the confusion of just waking up.
Instead, they possessed an absolute clarity that saw through worldly affairs and transcended mortal desires, as if a supercomputer had instantly calculated all the financial statements and emotional gains and losses of their entire lives.
Their gazes swept over the Pink-haired Quartet standing guard, over the desolate hills, and finally settled on themselves.
The Cat-man Captain stared blankly at his cultist robe embroidered with strange runes, then touched his uncontrollably twitching ears.
"Wait a minute."
His brow furrowed, his expression as serious as if he were presiding over a crucial annual financial report meeting.
"Just now... did we abandon our patrol mission to chase a glowing dot, and then end up in a pile because we were fighting over it?"
"Yes."
Lin Qingyue's voice was gentle, as persuasive as a therapist's.
"Now, can we talk about your faith? What makes you so... devoted to the 'Mother of Rebirth'?"
Under the dual stripping effects of the Dungeon Rule [Truth] and Sage Mode, all emotional filters vanished.
The Cat-man Captain's eyes were completely devoid of emotion as he began to state the facts.
"A Fox Merchant named Sally found me."
He recalled methodically,
"She said I had a rare and remarkable physique, a talent seen once in a generation, and that serving the Mother Goddess would grant me a complete 'life upgrade.' Looking back now, that sales pitch sounds awfully familiar."
"For this, I traded all the liquid assets in my family account, plus a fixed asset of historical value, my 'Ancestral Hunting Bow,' for a 'Sacred Relic' she provided."
As soon as he finished, a teammate beside him seamlessly added, his tone filled with deep remorse for his past actions.
"Similar situation. Sally claimed my singing voice could resonate with the Mother Goddess and had great potential for development."
"My core desire was to grow the sixth toe I'd always dreamed of. She promised faith could make it happen."
"I traded all the bride price money I'd saved for my wedding for a 'Sacred Relic.'"
The Pink-haired Quartet: "..."
Damn, isn't this just a pyramid scheme scam targeting specific customer demographics?
Lin Qingyue suppressed her laughter and continued to coax them, "That 'Sacred Relic'... could you let me see it?"
Without hesitation, the Cat-man Captain pulled out a small object carefully wrapped in oilcloth from his robes, his movements so practiced they seemed rehearsed countless times.
Unwrapping the oilcloth revealed a shriveled, dark green fruit, polished to a glossy sheen and emitting a strange, fragrant aroma.
"This is it."
The Cat-man Captain's eyes were clear, but his tone was filled with self-scrutiny.
"I found that whenever I felt burnout or began to doubt the meaning of my life, just smelling this thing would instantly invigorate my spirits and reignite my fervent devotion to the Mother Goddess... Wait, why does that mechanism of action sound so much like an addictive drug?"
Su Wan stepped forward. Before Lin Qingyue could speak, a wisp of ice-blue magic power coiled around her fingertip and cautiously probed the "Sacred Relic."
The thread of magic traced a circle over the dried fruit's surface, and a massive stream of data instantly flowed back into her mind.
Su Wan closed her eyes to analyze for two seconds, then opened them. With a gaze that mixed "I knew it" with "My condolences," she calmly announced the appraisal results to the Cat-men:
"The main component is high-purity concentrated nepetalactone, with a structure highly similar to the active ingredient in the Earth plant Nepeta cataria. To enhance its addictive properties, an additional 0.3% trace amount of hallucinogenic fungus has been added."
Then, she added in a more easily understandable way:
"Nepeta cataria is commonly known as catnip."
The air fell dead silent.
The five Cat-men, now in absolute rational mode, showed no change in their facial expressions, but the ears on their heads began to twitch frantically at an extremely abnormal frequency, so fast they left afterimages.
"Cat... nip...?"
The Cat-man Captain repeated the term, his sober mind already calculating costs and assessing losses at the speed of light.
The next second, he shot upright and clapped his hands.
"Alright, everyone. This emergency meeting is now in session. Agenda Item One: Post-mortem analysis and follow-up plan for the failed 'Mother of Rebirth' project investment."
"I'll start," a Cat-man beside him immediately raised his hand. "According to the latest data, our invested 'Marriage Reserve Fund' has been confirmed to have been exchanged for catnip products with a market value approaching zero. The return on this investment is zero, constituting substantive fraud. The project is confirmed to be a scam."
"Addendum," the third Cat-man spoke up. "The ancestral handaxe I invested is an irreplaceable cultural asset, its value far exceeding the material level. This transaction has led to a severe loss of family assets, and my personal credit rating has plummeted to rock bottom."
"Conclusion."
The Cat-man Captain delivered the final verdict.
"The 'Mother of Rebirth' project has completely collapsed, and all members of our party are effectively bankrupt. We are not only the victims of asset loss but were also recruited as downlines, providing security services to the fraud entity free of charge, a classic case of sunk costs."
Watching this chillingly rational bankruptcy liquidation meeting unfold, Lin Qingyue revealed a satisfied expression.
Excellent. The formatting effect exceeded expectations and is ready for large-scale deployment.
She cleared her throat, waiting until the group of Cat-men began debating whether to flee or disband on the spot before speaking in a voice full of temptation:
"So, gentlemen. Faced with such immense asset loss and reputational damage, are you just going to let it go?"
The Cat-man Captain snapped his head up, the flames of data analysis burning in his rational eyes: "The target is a God-tier Fraud Entity. Conventional methods are ineffective for asset recovery..."
"The main body of the 'Mother of Rebirth' was just injured by us," Lin Qingyue casually dropped the bombshell.
The five Cat-men instantly ceased their discussion, staring at her in unison.
Lin Qingyue pointed toward Blackrock Stronghold, her smile warm, but her words held a demon's allure:
"Want revenge? Want to get back your hard-earned money and dignity?"
"Go there. City Lord Punk of Blackrock Stronghold is recruiting troops, providing food, lodging, and even equipment. He specializes in dealing with Evil Gods, scammers, and bad assets."
"Tell them Lin Qingyue sent you, and you'll get access to the internal employee referral channel."
After speaking, she ignored the Cat-men, who were already re-evaluating risks and returns, and gave a cool wave to her three pink-haired teammates.
"Let's go. The next batch of clients is waiting!"
The four pink figures quickly vanished into the shadows of the hills.
Only the five Cat-men remained, exchanging glances in the wind, their eyes now shining with the resolute light of seeking a new round of venture capital instead of bankruptcy liquidation.
An "anti-fraud guerrilla war" against the Evil God's belief system was about to begin.