Chapter 181: Manna from Heaven?

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The precious water source was gone.

The repair workers were filled with confusion and helplessness. They knelt, pleading for the Purification Society to continue supplying water.

The town could not survive without it.

The people were suffering from thirst, especially the elderly and children, whose frail bodies were nearing their limits.

Yet, the Purification Society firmly rejected the workers' pleas.

They explained that with the planet's water supply growing scarcer, the meager services provided by Train Town were not worth the Society's investment.

The termination of the water supply agreement was permanent.

This was not a one-time decision; there would be no water, ever again.

The orders had come from above, and the executors claimed their hands were tied.

The workers were advised to return and find their own solutions.

Hearing this, the workers felt utterly hopeless.

If the town could find its own water source, why would they have begged the Purification Society in the first place?

Angry and desperate, the workers launched a strike in protest, hoping to secure the water supply.

However, this act of defiance enraged the noble officers aboard the train.

Leading their troops, the nobles brutally suppressed the striking workers as if quelling a rebellion.

At least a thousand people died during the crackdown.

Afterward, the noble officers ransacked the town under the guise of hunting for traitors.

Many young adults were forcibly taken away.

The officers were pleased. The laboratory conducting human experiments had demanded more soldiers for its enhancement program, and the officers had been struggling to meet the quota.

Now, these so-called traitors would fill the gap, preserving the ranks under their command.

When the Titan Train finally departed, it left behind a broken town filled with the cries of the grieving.

Two weeks later.

Little Brown limped forward, enduring the pain.

He was on his way to pray before the statue of the God-Emperor.

Legends said that if one prayed with utmost sincerity, the God-Emperor would bestow manna from heaven.

That way, his younger siblings and the townspeople could survive their thirst.

As for his parents…

His parents had died aboard the Titan Train two weeks ago.

Little Brown trudged on, leaving behind drops of pus from his festering wounds.

This was his seventh trip; he had already come six times.

He believed that with enough devotion, the great God-Emperor would surely answer his prayers and send sweet rain to save the town.

The elderly in the town watched Little Brown with sorrow.

The boy's wounds were worsening, and new boils had appeared on his body.

Everyone had thought he wouldn't survive.

Even adults might not endure such injuries, yet miraculously, Little Brown was still alive.

Ever since he recovered, he had been proclaiming that he had received divine revelation.

He claimed that if he could pass the test, the God-Emperor would grant manna to the town.

Ignoring the advice of others, he crawled out of bed despite his pain, walking barefoot to the statue to pray.

This had been going on for days.

Many thought the boy had lost his mind. After repeated failed attempts to stop him, they let him be.

Too many had died in the town.

Everyone was drowning in sorrow, with little energy left to care for a child they deemed broken.

An elderly man hesitated before rasping out a warning:

"Child, go back and rest. You'll die if you keep this up…"

Little Brown turned back, forcing a smile to acknowledge the elder's concern. Then, stubbornly shaking his head, he pressed onward.

He felt that success was within reach. His younger siblings were still waiting for water—he couldn't give up now!

He trudged on, leaving behind a trail of bloody, pus-filled footprints.

The townsfolk watched in silence, a glimmer of hope flickering in their hearts.

Perhaps this child was right.

After walking for over half an hour under the scorching sun, Little Brown finally reached the God-Emperor statue—the only one in the town.

The statue had toppled during the chaos two weeks ago, its surface stained with dried blood and brain matter, making for a grim sight.

Flies buzzed around the dried stains, filling the air with a putrid stench.

Little Brown tried to drive them away and clean the statue, but without water, his efforts were futile. The flies quickly returned.

Exhausted, he gave up.

Little Brown knelt before the fallen statue, gazing devoutly at the bloodstained figure with half its head missing and flies crawling all over it.

"Great God-Emperor, your devoted servant beseeches your protection…"

He prayed fervently for the God-Emperor to send down manna, to bring torrential rain to the town.

He begged for the life-giving water to save everyone.

Under the blazing sun, Little Brown prayed silently.

Minutes? Hours? Or even longer?

Finally, overcome by pain and thirst, he collapsed.

As he fell, an unprecedented sense of relief washed over him. Even the scorching sun seemed cooler.

The agony faded away, replaced by a growing vitality within him.

His consciousness drifted into the infinite void, enveloped by an indescribable warmth.

In a trance, he crossed a thorn-filled path and beheld a lush green lake.

The water was so clear and inviting that he yearned to immerse himself.

Staring at the lake, his withered heart swelled with joy.

A great presence had answered his plea.

This was the life-giving water bestowed upon him!

He felt certain that the great being would soon bring an unprecedented downpour to the town.

The rain would cleanse everything, granting eternal life to the people!

Suddenly, his consciousness snapped back to his body. His parched lips felt damp as if rain had fallen.

A droplet reached his mouth, filling him with an indescribable sweetness.

It was the purest, sweetest water he had ever tasted.

A compassionate voice echoed in his ears:

"Child…"

Opening his eyes, he saw a sacred figure—a bald man whose shining head formed a halo in the sunlight.

Fran gently patted Little Brown's face.

"Wake up, child!"

Fran had spent over two weeks reaching this human settlement just in time to save the boy from succumbing to his festering wounds.

He used a precious emergency healing serum on Little Brown, a rare medicine infused with the energy of the Little Sun.

This serum, developed under the Savior's guidance, could numb pain, accelerate healing, and even resist Chaos-tainted wounds.

Fran had only one vial, originally meant for himself.

But leaving the boy to die would have violated the sacred teachings of the Redemption Codex.

Little Brown gazed at the kind-faced bald man in a daze, his voice hoarse:

"Who… are you?"

Fran's expression turned solemn and holy as he introduced himself:

"I am Fran, a saint sent by the Savior under the orders of the God-Emperor. Where the saints go, the Savior's light shall shine, bringing salvation to all!"

Though confused, Little Brown clung to the key words: God-Emperor, Savior!

His prayers had been answered. The God-Emperor had sent a messenger with water to save them.

With trembling hope, Little Brown asked, "Do you… have water?"

Fran, moved by the boy's plight, handed him the last half-bottle of pristine spring water:

"Here, drink. Don't hesitate…"

This was no ordinary water—it was Sacred Spring Water, a high-grade resource free of any pollutants.

Little Brown gingerly accepted the bottle, marveling at its crystal-clear contents.

It was as pure as the lake from his dreams.

Taking a small sip, he savored the sweetness and immediately sealed the bottle.

He wanted to save the rest for his siblings.

Just then, Fran's voice thundered with rage.

"What blasphemy is this?!"

The sight of flies desecrating the God-Emperor's statue filled Fran with fury.

He pulled out a special insecticide spray, a product of the Little Sun's production line, and unleashed a mist that killed the flies instantly.

The spray left a faint, lime-scented film on the statue, restoring a semblance of sanctity.

Afterward, Fran glanced at the scorching sun and frowned.

Turning to Little Brown, he said:

"Child, let me take you home. We'll discuss the rest later…"

In the Warp.

A Great Unclean One, the Rainfather Rotigus, had been preparing to bestow a torrential rain upon his chosen believer.

The rain would corrupt the land, spreading his blessings to all.

Yet, at the critical moment, the believer's soul abruptly returned to its body.

Rotigus was utterly bewildered.

(End of Chapter)

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