Chapter 110: Suspended Thread Diagnosis

There were about five hours left before nightfall.

At this moment, whether the survivors were already out hunting, resting and recuperating, handling various matters within their territory, or simply loafing around waiting for the end, all who opened the chat channel suddenly saw a string of blood-red messages flood their screens.

Almost instantly, everyone’s attention was drawn to these messages.

“Attention! To all survivors who have summoned subordinates using the ‘Special Talent Summon Card’: if you have not achieved one hundred percent loyalty, please be cautious...”

“Through certain channels, I have learned that the ‘Special Talent Summon Card’ can malfunction, and once it does, it will turn into a terrifying disaster...”

“This loss of control is beyond their own will. Unless one hundred percent loyalty is attained, it is inevitable...”

“The damage caused rivals that of lord-level mutations and is even more insidious and unpredictable. I will open a separate hot topic for detailed information...”

“I will do my best to provide methods for all holders of ‘Special Talent’ to achieve full loyalty...”

“Secondly, tomorrow a large shipment of potato seedlings will be put on the market. Survivors with territories of level two or above can purchase them if needed.”

“Thirdly, through special channels, I have gathered a wealth of precious historical knowledge, which will be released shortly for everyone’s reference...”

“In summary...”

After reading these announcements, the chat channels gradually erupted with activity.

“Damn, I said the surge in investigation task progress had to be related to the big shots, but you all refused to believe me. And the one who said to eat shit—do you know how much you owe now?”

“We can finally plant crops! At last, I can grow vegetables! My entire territory was just full of wild grass, and it tasted awful...”

“Wait, the characters summoned by the ‘Special Talent Summon Card’ can go out of control? That can’t be right. My ‘Greatsword Hunter’ doesn’t seem to have lost control at all...”

“Isn’t it what the boss said? This kind of breakdown isn’t governed by their will. If they aren’t at one hundred percent loyalty, they will collapse...”

“The hot topic is up, go check it out!”

“...Let me see. To achieve one hundred percent loyalty, you just need to help them fulfill their wishes. If you have special characters, send their attributes copied directly to Colin. He’ll give you targeted advice... Damn, why did I post that in the world channel? Wasted a horn—damn it...”

“Heh, they’re coming for us! When special talent levels rise, their strength becomes terrifying. Now they’re gathering information to prepare countermeasures. Who would believe that?”

“I’m sick of you conspiracy theorists. I’m telling you, special characters really do break down. One of our special talents dropped below thirty loyalty and suddenly turned into a walking fireball chasing us down...”

“In ancient times there was the mystical doctor diagnosing by threads; now we have the boss diagnosing through the network...”

“What kind of evil deeds have you done for this to happen...”

“I don’t know. His loyalty suddenly dropped from fifty to thirty, then he went crazy. We don’t dare to enter that area anymore...”

“Looks like things aren’t that simple now...”

“Everyone, listen to me. Special talents are great, but there’s deep water here. If you can’t handle it, contact the big shots to help you manage.”

So there really has been a breakdown already...

Colin frowned. He hadn’t expected such incidents to occur so quickly.

In the previous cycle, loss of control only happened after the thirtieth day. Before that, no matter how low loyalty fell, they wouldn’t go out of control.

Even if it dropped to ten percent or even zero, the worst that happened was disobedience—no backlash.

But now, it had only been four days...

“On the bright side, everyone’s broke and can’t afford to upgrade special talents...”

Thinking this over, Colin’s feelings became complicated. Because of poverty, they were actually doing quite well...

He didn’t know whether to laugh or cry.

However, without reaching level three, the loss of control of special talents wasn’t too difficult to handle...

Only upon reaching level three does their power undergo a qualitative leap, making disasters terrifying and difficult to resolve.

Like that so-called “guide party.”

Right now, barely anyone has the funds to upgrade to level two, let alone level three...

Colin recalled that the promotion to level three talents required a Stigma; for example, Shana needed the “Mark of Light”...

He was still unsure whether the “Mark of Light” existed at the far end of the mountain range...

According to Shana, the light in this area was undoubtedly the “Holy Light” she knew, sharing the same source of power.

But it was very “extreme,” offering no healing effects, only purification—the purest form of purification...

If you liken it to vehicles, one is an ambulance, the other a cannon.

Rational beings exposed too long to the light in this region would go “mad,” beginning to “praise the sun”...

This was something Shana had never witnessed before. She said it didn’t resemble her people, who only praised the sun sincerely from their hearts...

Yet, recalling the reverence on Shana’s face when she praised the sun, the unbelieving Colin couldn’t help but think of the difference between “Southern cults” and “Northern cults”...

Not dwelling on it further, Colin opened his private messages and unsurprisingly found an overwhelming amount of content.

After deleting a large amount of useless information, he searched for relevant details using keywords...

“So much...”

Colin was stunned, feeling a pressure building at his temples as he scanned the data.

“A level two ‘Greatsword Hunter,’ base strength 3.8, ‘Storm Slash’...”

Colin quickly processed the details, diagnosing through the screen.

[You sense that he may regret never having hunted a sufficiently powerful prey to earn enough bounty and glory...]

Is this about swordsmanship?

Colin pondered for a moment before replying, “Find one or more strong elite monsters for him to kill. Have you all ‘go easy’ on the side, make it look like it was a hard-fought victory, then reward him generously. Afterwards, get a group to flatter him relentlessly...”

“Yeah, don’t hold back on the rewards. From my experience, he’ll pay you back anyway...”

Soon, the other party responded with thanks.

Their enthusiasm gave Colin goosebumps; he half suspected they were about to engage in swordplay...

Just as Colin was about to check the next message, he suddenly felt something was off...

Reflecting for a moment...

“Huh? I remember Shana’s base strength is 3.9. How is the Greatsword Hunter’s base strength 0.1 lower than hers? Who the hell is the real ‘Greatsword Hunter’?”

If you swap their names without looking at the characters, it wouldn’t feel out of place at all.

He suddenly regretted not taking the black greatsword with him.

The more fleas, the less afraid of bites—after all, there were so many problems already; a few more wouldn’t hurt...

Shaking his head to dismiss these odd thoughts, Colin turned to the next message.