81 LOTM

In the ruins that was filled with seawater and was half fused with the spirit world, Klein stood at the door of the central hall, wearing full body black armor. Inside was the the gigantic blue serpent's body that was being mutilated for food and the old priest with his bulging stomach.

The latter's skin was a grayish-black, as though it had become dessicated from prolonged exposure to the wind. His eyes flickered with an azure-blue glow as he stared intently at the "guest" who wore a black crown, as though he was considering where he should start his meal from.

Without any hesitation, Klein reached into his body with his right hand and took out a brown translucent bottle.

Then, he stretched out his left palm and quickly unscrewed the lid before casually flinging the Biological Poison Bottle to a corner of the hall.

In this environment, which was half submerged under the sea, other than Fire of Light which could consume the undead and evil, no other flames could exist; thus, it also limited two important powers of Klein's Magician Sequence. Therefore, he could only push his other advantages to the limit right from the very beginning.

At the same time as when he threw out the Biological Poison Bottle, Klein's left glove quickly became resplendent, as if he was reflecting the light of the noon sun.

Around his body, the undulating seawater was stained with a golden color as it spread outwards, layer after layer.

This was the Priest of Light's power from the Creeping Hunger, Light of Purification!

The old priest who had eaten part of Sea God Kalvetua's body was certainly not civilized and polite enough to just watch Klein prepare for battle in a chivalrous manner. The blue light in his eyes suddenly bloomed, and his bloated belly once again swelled.

Howl!

An ethereal, yet mournful sound came from his body, instantly covering the entire ruins.

This voice was like the song of a nightingale, beautiful and also melodious at the same time. It was also cold and bone-piercing, one that penetrated right to the soul.

Klein was frozen in place. Similarly, all his thoughts seemed like they had been blasted by extremely cold waves and instantly froze.

The old priest's body swelled up in an instant, as if he was a resurrected Kalvetua or a giant that had walked out of a mythical legend.

One after another, blue slippery tentacles, all surrounded by silver lightning, emerged from under his ripped robe. They shot out and danced in the air, striking the stunned Klein.

Sizzle!

With a burst of silver light, Klein was sent flying before falling heavily at the doorway. The black armor on his body dimmed instantly and cracked, and he had subconsciously thrown the cane in his hand far away.

His mind remained abnormally calm. In a situation where he was almost frozen, he didn't even have the thought of using Paper Figurine Substitutes and had ended up taking on the blow head-on.

If it weren't for the Dark Emperor card and Azik's copper whistle which were simultaneously reinforcing his Spirit Body, with him essentially being a Sequence 6, he would've been seriously injured and even killed instantly.

The tentacles surged over again and struck down.

Klein, who was jolted awake by the electricity, agilely somersaulted away, barely dodging the attack.

He glanced at the man's body. He turned around immediately and ran out the door without any hesitation. It was a determined and decisive action.

Tap! Tap! Tap!

As Klein ran and flew as though he was pathetically fleeing for his life, the old priest's silver-lightning enshrouded blue tentacles were chasing him from behind in a bid to pull him back into the hall, but Klein would nimbly change direction, dodging with his agile movements and timely somersaults.

Seeing that things weren't going as he wished, the old priest's belly expanded once again, and his cold voice resounded in the ruins.

But this time, Klein was prepared. Although his body remained stiff and bogged down, it was soaked by the seawater before turning into a pile of soggy paper.

At last, the old priest moved. With heavy but swift steps, he attempted to catch up to his enemy.

The colossal figure rushed to the door, and the colossal figure slammed onto the collapsed roof and wall with a bang!

The door here was originally large enough for a creature like Kalvetua to pass through, but the collapse of the ruins and the madness of this Sea God before its death had caused the place to collapse. The collapsed rubble left the door with an opening that was two meters tall and one meter wide. As for the old priest whose mind was clearly abnormal, he had slammed right into it, causing him to be stuck.

Klein, who had been waiting for this opportunity, stopped and turned around.

He half-closed his eyes, straightened his back, and spread open his arms.

A beam of golden light descended from the sky, pounding the old priest's body directly.

Patches of his robe that hung over his body had ignited, and his grayish-black skin and flesh fell to the ground in chunks, melting and evaporating under the pure radiance.

It was only then that Klein made out what the oddity in the old priest's belly was.

The swelling was intense, especially in several areas, forming the complete outline of two eyes and a mouth.

It was as if there was someone hiding inside the old priest's stomach, putting their face there in an attempt to escape.

Bang!

The old priest exerted strength with his legs which were covered by the black serpent skin, causing him to be thrown backwards from the collapsed door. Rocks were sent flying and the seawater surged.

He finally broke away from the pillar of light, but most of his body was covered in hideous wounds caused by the collapse of his flesh. Even his "face" was filled with signs of melting.

Tap! Tap! Tap! The old priest's blue tentacles flailed in the air, bringing with them silver lightning as they lashed at Klein from all directions. The "face" at his abdomen would occasionally make a sound that made the Spirit Body quieten down.

Klein engaged in either running, somersaulting, circling, or calmly twirling around with his opponent. He would go in the opposite direction when his opponent headed in one, just like a wild dance between two people.

During this process, he relied on Paper Figurine Substitutes to withstand the ethereal, yet cold shrieking again and again. Occasionally, he would let out a roar and use a Wraith's shriek to agitate the old priest, forcefully interrupting the "face" in his abdomen from producing any sounds.

Time passed, second by second, and the crazy, old priest who had been keeping his hands down, suddenly raised them and pressed them against his stomach.

He pulled with his arm, forcefully tearing the silhouette of the mouth into a gash.

Blue pus gushed out of it as a dense array of sharp teeth grew out.

With another roar, the seawater around him gushed towards the mouth, forming the terrifying whirlpool that Kalvetua had previously created.

Klein, who was dressed as the Dark Emperor, was sucked in, and the lightning tentacles around him were retracted, about to embrace him.

Klein didn't panic, and the glove on his left palm quickly transformed, looking as if it was made of pure gold.

While floating in midair, he stared at the "face" on the old priest's abdomen and the seawater whirlpool below him. His eyes suddenly flashed with two bolts of lightning.

Interrogator's Psychic Piercing!

The old priest suddenly froze as the "face" in his abdomen wrinkled, and the terrifying suction force from the whirlpool instantly collapsed.

In the waves that were rushing backwards, Klein lowered his body and swam through the weak spots like a fish, dodging the random flailing of the blue tentacles.

He rushed to the old priest's side amidst the constantly flashing silver lightning, and at some point in time, the color of his gloves had changed to a pale green.

The muscles on Klein's back bulged as he threw out two punches, striking the old priest's thigh in the vicinity of his knee.

Bang! Bang! Bang!

Flesh and blood splattered from the cold-emitting punches. His right leg was covered in a thin layer of frost, and the surrounding seawater was completely frozen.

This was a Zombie's control over ice!

As the old priest cried out in pain, he retracted his whip-like tentacles, illuminating the entire ruin with silvery light.

At that moment, Klein wasn't greedy and stopped just in time. He continuously somersaulted backwards, avoiding the crazy attack that scorched the stone slabs on the ground.

He stood up, and while the old priest was still frozen in place, the glove on his left palm once again glowed with the color of the sun.

Klein straightened up and took a pose of praising the sun.

A thick, bright, and holy pillar of light descended once more, enveloping the old priest in it.

Klein saw the grayish-black flesh of his enemy quickly disintegrate. The skin of the "face" on his enemy's abdomen melted, revealing the situation inside—inside the old priest's abdomen, the heart, stomach, intestines, and other organs were mashed together, forming the face of a sea serpent.

Kalvetua actually still has a little of its soul left ... The will of a demigod is truly beyond my imagination... Klein somersaulted again, dodging the blue tentacle that thrust at him like a spear.

Wrapped with lightning, the tentacles, which had been melted away by the pillar of holy light, stabbed into the ground, twitching, twisting, and squirming.

The bright and clear light quickly disappeared, and the sinister serpent's face on the old priest's abdomen stubbornly opened its mouth once again.

At that moment, the old priest himself had bent his waist and let out a fit of violent coughs. The effort on the serpent's face came to an abrupt halt.

The Biological Poison Bottle had finally shown its effects!

Klein didn't miss the opportunity. He stood up straight again and spread his arms out as though he was hugging the sun.

A pillar of light with many golden flames illuminated the area. The old priest's figure first bent before shrinking, as if evaporating into thin air. The serpent face at his abdomen let out a shrill cry before completely vanishing.

By the time the light dissipated, the old priest had returned to his original size. His bones had almost melted, with pieces of grayish-black flesh still hanging from his body.

His aura quickly dimmed as his spirit rapidly disintegrated.

Klein rushed over and, relying on his state as a wraith, began to channel his spirit.

He wanted to confirm if the old priest was guilty of heinous crimes.

He felt that he needed to maintain his bottom line, which was something he wished for and a precaution against corruption and madness.

All of a sudden, he saw images of the old priest presiding over the living sacrificial rituals.

Without hesitation, Klein reached out with his left hand to let the long-starved glove taste a delicacy.

Flesh, blood, spirituality, and bone quickly surged into the gaping mouth of his palm, along with specks of blue light that came with some darkness. @@novelbin@@

During the spirit channeling, Klein confirmed that the old priest was previously a Soul Assurer. His potion formula and Beyonder ingredients all came from the Church of the God of Combat from the Feysac Empire. And by the time he became a Sea God Guard, he had already lost his mind and could only obey orders. After the death of Kalvetua, he had followed his instincts and eaten the flesh and blood of the deity he believed in, and in the end, the conflicting characteristics turned him into a monster.

Just as Creeping Hunger was satiated, all the Beyonder characteristics on the ground suddenly stirred, turning into a hurricane and sweeping into the hall before plunging into the white fang that was no longer curved.

When Klein looked over, he saw that Kalvetua's remnant corpse had completely collapsed into something that resembled mud. As for the serpent fang which had absorbed all the Beyonder characteristics of the area, it had become a short scepter, quietly embedded in a half-collapsed pillar.

On the tip of the white scepter, there were many tiny blue 'gems' embedded there. Some of them dyed in black and others with the light of dawn.

Seeing that Creeping Hunger was satiated, Klein rushed into the hall, cautiously approaching the scepter.

Before he really came into contact with the scepter, he heard layers of illusory prayers ringing in his ears, and he saw illusions. He saw worshipers prostrating and praying, as well as members of the Resistance crying over the shattered statues of their god.

-x-X-x-

As the layered sounds of the illusory pleas rang in his ears, Klein felt as though he possessed a corporeal body. The deepest part of his head throbbed with pain, so much so that he yearned to slam his head into the wall to alleviate the pain with more pain.

The scenes of different people praying to him made him feel an uncontrollable and abnormally terrifying sense of dizziness. It was as if he was walking the edge of a deep abyss and could fall down at any moment.

It was only because he had his Spirit Body reinforced with the Dark Emperor card and Azik's copper whistle, as well as being accustomed to being prayed to, which had prevented him from losing control straight away like other non-demigod Beyonders. They would've already collapsed to the ground in pain, turning into a monster or erupting into a mess of flesh and blood.

All of the Beyonder characteristics in this area have combined together to form a Sealed Artifact with the help of the serpent fang. Moreover, the degree of danger and negative effects have far surpassed that of a Grade 2 Sealed Artifact... Klein didn't rashly move forward but instead took a few steps back and left the area where the praying voices were concentrated, to ease the pain and dizziness that would've caused his Spirit Body to collapse.

He stood next to Kalvetua's mashed body which resembled slush, and he stared at the white scepter that was embedded in the half-collapsed pillar. He considered how he could take it away.

At the same time, he naturally chose a name for the Sealed Artifact: Sea God Scepter!

Yes, from the feelings and reaction just now, I can barely get close to it and pull it out, but I can only last a few seconds. There's no way for me to hold it or use it... However, it doesn't matter. Once I have it in my hand, I'll terminate the summoning ritual and return above the gray fog. There, I can effectively block the thousands of prayers and any of the still-unknown negative effects. It will allow me to study it with ease... Klein quickly came up with an idea.

In his wraith state, he could instinctively communicate with the spirit world to receive a revelation without the need to toss a coin.

His spiritual intuition told him that doing so wouldn't be too dangerous.

After making up his mind, Klein began to clean up the mess and take the opportunity to see what he could find in the ancient elven ruins.

He first headed to the corner and picked up the translucent Biological Poison Bottle, screwed the lid back on, and stuffed it into his body. Then, he turned around to find an iron cigar case that was half-hidden beneath the slushy remains of Kalvetua.

This... I thought it had been swallowed by Kalvetua and corroded into dregs... Klein clicked his tongue in wonder and quickly walked over.

Because he had been left feeling numb from the discharged electric currents from the seawater, he raised his right hand, allowing the iron cigar case to float slowly in the air before landing in his palm.

Klein glanced around and saw that the surface of the iron cigar case was covered with corrosion marks. However, it was still barely usable. As for the other items that were sucked away by the seawater whirlpool back then, there were no signs of them.

The aura of the gray fog made Kalvetua uncomfortable, so it vomited it out right away, or has this iron cigar case undergone some sort of mutation that makes it not prone to corrosion, allowing it to survive until Kalvetua died? Amidst his puzzlement, Klein placed the cigar case into his body, planning to study it after he left.

Under such circumstances, he was in a race against time. He couldn't afford even the slightest delay, because Klein didn't know when the Church of Storms and the kingdom's military would find this place!

He walked around the half-collapsed pillar from a distance and entered the rear of the hall which had almost completely collapsed.

There should've been many murals here, but with the destruction of the walls, they had all disappeared. Klein flew all the way to the end before seeing about a third of an exquisite throne being buried by stones and pillars.

On the left side of the throne, there was half of a mural that depicted a confrontation between two figures.

Looking down on the enemy from above was a man treading waves with dark clouds above him. He seemed to have storms draped over him as he had relatively softer features. His contours had an oriental trait from Klein's past life. He held a spear formed of pure lightning in his hand against an ocean that had drowned everything.

Beneath the man was a man wearing a simple white robe. His face was blurry, and it was difficult to discern his age. It was only barely possible to tell that he was a man.

There was a halo behind the head of the white-robed man. It quietly emitted a bright light like the sun.

Beneath his feet was an illusionary circle with twelve segments. Each segment had symbols representing different times.

Behind him was a shadow that was like a curtain, and within the shadows, it appeared as though there was an eye peeking out from it.

Relying on his solid foundation in mysticism and rich knowledge from many sources, Klein quickly made an interpretation.

Waves, storms, dark clouds, lightning... This should be the ancient god, Elf King Soniathrym... Indeed, he's just like the legends, with the rather soft facial features of an elf... This ancient Lord of Storms doesn't give off any irascible vibes, and his looks are surprisingly good. Heh, this is a mural in an elven ruin, so it's normal for them to beautify their own deity...

The sun-like halo and the twelve circular segments that symbolizes time, this... Isn't this the father of Amon and Adam, the Creator who's known in the outside world as the ancient Sun God and is revered in the City of Silver as the omnipotent and omniscient God? There's a shadow curtain behind him, and behind it hides an eye... Yes, one of the images of the True Creator is the Eye behind the Shadow Curtains 1 !

As expected, this is the Creator who took back the ancient gods' authorities with eight King of Angels following him?

Is this mural a depiction of Elf King Soniathrym's battle against the Creator?

Klein retracted his gaze and began searching for something of value.

Following his spiritual intuition, he came to the throne, reached into the base of the collapsed stones and pillars, and pulled out an object.

It was a flattened golden wine cup.

Its surface was engraved with intricate patterns, and its wine leg was already bent. At the bottom was a row of elven words: "Calamity, Cohinem."

The original owner of this ruin is a high elf named Cohinem? Did he, or should I say "He" have the title of Calamity? Hmm... It matches the Book of Calamity that Leticia and company found. Both ruins should belong to the high elf, Cohinem, and there should be some kind of miraculous connection between them... Unfortunately, this golden wine cup is just a simple wine cup. It carries a bit of spirituality simply because it's inscribed with the true name of the high elf... If Cohinem hadn't fallen, just a real name would imbue the wine cup with extraordinary powers. What a pity... Klein initially judged that Cohinem was completely dead because Sea God Kalvetua had inherited his powers.

However, Klein couldn't be too sure, because despite it being hundreds or thousands of years later, the Book of Calamity still had the quality of driving Leticia, a Beyonder whose Sequence wasn't too low, to lose control.

Furthermore, it doesn't seem like it's something Sea God Kalvetua was capable of... Could the high elf, Cohinem, have the ability to split his Beyonder characteristics? Kalvetua only inherited a portion. Most of the remaining Beyonder characteristics is the source of the Book of Calamity's unique quality?

Cohinem is dead, but he hasn't completely perished?

Of course, Kalvetua, who swallowed Cohinem's Beyonder characteristic, was just a beast without intelligence. No one knows what happened at that time; perhaps some of the characteristics were lost and formed a Sealed Artifact. After Kalvetua's defeat, it fell into the hands of the Church of Storms...

Yes, I'll ask Little Sun via The World at the Tarot Gathering next week. He should know who Cohinem is. Actually, there's no need to ask; he'll be offering two pages of ancient god legends. Perhaps there might be a detailed description of high elves next time...

After thinking it through, Klein stuffed the wine cup into his body. After all, this was made of gold, and even if the high elf, Cohinem, wasn't dead and had some sort of connection with the wine cup, the gray fog could still block him out.

After a thorough check, and seeing that there was nothing of note, Klein quickly flew back outside and picked up the black hardwood cane before wiping out any traces of the battle.

Then, he took out a paper figurine. With a casual shake, he threw it into the seawater, causing it to quickly turn soggy before reducing to dust.

The earlier parts can be interfered with, but I won't have the time or opportunity for the rest... Luckily, I am now disguised as Dark Emperor... As for the remains of Kalvetua, his flesh no longer have any value, and his bones are too heavy. It might affect my ability to wield the Sea God Scepter... With the help of Cogitation, Klein stabilized his state and quickly flew towards the white bone staff on the half-collapsed pillar.

Again, the sounds of illusory pleas filled his ears. Either pious, crying, fanatic, or numbed worshipers filled his vision, and the throbbing and dizziness became more and more intense.

Relying on his rich experience and the Spirit Body reinforcement from using the Dark Emperor card and Azik's copper whistle, Klein barely managed to hold on until he finally arrived beside the Sea God Scepter.

He extended his right hand, and he grasped the middle section of the white-boned scepter.

As soon as the two made contact, the scene before Klein's eyes became clear, and the buzzing sound beside his ears instantly became real.

He saw the bald, wheelchair-bound rebel, Kalat, collapsed on the ground, struggling to reach the shattered figurine of Kalvetua, chanting its honorific name over and over, his eyes filled with despair.

He saw Edmonton, with his blue sea serpent tattoo, prostrating himself in front of another Kalvetua figurine which was strangely bleeding, constantly knocking his head against the ground, creating a bloody mess.

In the slums, he saw believers hiding in their homes, weeping and praying numbly.

...

Klein's black armor couldn't support his body anymore as it quickly collapsed.

At the same time, his solidified "muscles" tightened as he exerted strength with his hands. Amidst the layers of resonating prayers and numerous clear scenes, he suddenly pulled out the short white bone staff that symbolized the Sea God's authority!

Whoosh!

The seawater in the ruins surged violently, either churning or transforming into a whirlpool.

Klein calmly held onto the Sea God Scepter with his pitch-black crown before immediately vanishing. He directly returned above the gray fog.

When the familiar towering palace entered his sight, the sounds of praying and the hallucinatory scenes in front of him had already disappeared.

Sitting on the high-back chair belonging to The Fool, Klein lifted his right hand and examined the Sea God Scepter inlaid with blue gems and stained with some darkness and the light of dawn.

Countless points of light floated around the Sealed Artifact. Each point of light seemed to correspond to a praying believer. This caused the milky-white body of the scepter to glow with psychedelic and holy streams of light.

At this moment, Klein felt like this scepter was the true body of the Sea God!

-x-X-x-

After some wrestling with the Sea God Scepter, Klein gained a preliminary understanding of its powers.

It could create tsunamis, create hurricanes, produce torrential rain, and bring forth lightning. It could allow a person to fly in the sky and roam the seabed with almost no restrictions.

It was nearly indestructible and could be used to smash an enemy's head in. It allowed the wielder to never get lost without the existence of any other powerful factors. It would provide an unimaginable level of balance, drive many sea creatures to do one's bidding, respond to prayers from believers, and also allow the wielder to obtain the same kind of strength as a sea monster. It was equivalent to making the wielder the ruler of an entire expanse of the sea.

To Klein, this was already considered at the level of a deity. Even on Earth, he could resist an aircraft carrier formation!

Although he was Sequence 6 with plenty of pragmatic Beyonder powers, making him a genuine powerhouse, a legendary figure, in the eyes of ordinary people, he was still weak in essence. He was still closer to Man rather than God. If the situation was right, a revolver would be able to finish him off. Of course, his resurrection and act of climbing out of a coffin was a whole other matter.

As for the powers of the Sea God Scepter, they had all surpassed the level of Man. In the folklore and in the hearts of the common man, he possessed the powers of deities and devils.

No wonder Beyonders are called demigods from Sequence 4. They truly are more like God than Man... Klein silently sighed with emotion, and then he made a self-deprecating comment.

If I use the Sea God Scepter under normal circumstances, I can already be a high-ranking deacon of the Nighthawks, becoming one of the twenty-odd people with the most power in the Church... If Ince Zangwill didn't have 0-08 and was at sea, I could immediately seek revenge on him. There might even be a small chance of success.

But can I use the Sea God Scepter normally?

No...

Klein had already discovered that the negative effects of the Sea God Scepter were staggering. In the Church of Evernight, it could easily obtain the evaluation of a Grade 1 Sealed Artifact, and countless researchers would have to die to figure out the best sealing and usage methods.

The Sea God Scepter had a total of three negative effects.

First, it made the wielder irritable, making them prone to anger and turning rash as a result.

Second, it periodically froze all thoughts of biological creatures in a certain range before draining their blood, including the wielder's. As for how huge the range was and what the exact period was, Klein, who wasn't a professional researcher, couldn't give a precise description. He could only give a rough estimate that the range was from 600 meters to 1 kilometer and the period was 20 minutes to 35 minutes.

Third, it would gather and display the prayers of worshipers, both audio and visual. This very easily caused a non-demigod wielder, who had a lacking spirit, to break down and lose control.

The first negative effect is still alright. If I were to only use it for a short period of time, the anger and irritation would still be acceptable. To put it simply, I'll just end things rashly with such a powerful Sealed Artifact...

For the third, there's actually a way to avoid it. The Sea God's response to its believers must have a distance limitation. That is to say that beyond the Rorsted Archipelago and the nearby sea regions, there would be no "signal," so one wouldn't be influenced by it. Yes... if it's constantly placed above the gray fog, I believe this can break the distance limitation. The prayers' voices and scenes would be screened, turning into points of light. It wouldn't affect me in any way. I can then choose whether to reply, who to reply to, and how to reply...

And when replying, I can use the powers of the Sea God Scepter...

The biggest problem is the second one. I myself am fine. As Dark Emperor, I'm considered a wraith; I wouldn't have blood, so there's no need to be afraid of being sucked dry. However, the surrounding creatures will be in trouble. After all, it doesn't distinguish between friend and foe. Besides, the frequency is quite unpredictable... It's impossible for me to first discuss with the enemy when I encounter danger about changing our time and place.

Klein carefully thought about certain scenarios of him using the Sea God Scepter, but it all depended on the environment and accurate judgment, so it wasn't very feasible.

Phew... could its fate be to stay above the gray fog? When people like Amon attempt to creep up, I'll give them a bashing, no—a bolt of lightning.

Yes, there's another usage method. When people like Miss Justice and Mr. Hanged Man seek my help, I'm no longer limited to using paper angels. I can provide rain and produce some wind... Of course, this can be done like the purifying powers of the Sun Brooch, using the paper angel as a vessel...

On some serious thought, I can fully appear like a true demigod above the gray fog, with the help of the Sea God Scepter...

Klein's mood gradually became better, as he had discovered that the Sea God Scepter wasn't completely unusable at the moment. It opened up many more options and avenues for him.

He withdrew his attention and once again looked at the white bone scepter with the blue gems embedded at the top. He pondered over another question, and that was whether or not he should respond to the prayers of the followers of the Sea God.

Kalvetua is already dead. There's no need to give those people another target of their faith...

But, even if the living priests and high-ranking members of the Resistance notice the abnormality and no longer receive any responses, they still wouldn't accept the worst outcome for a long period of time. People will often hold out hope and are accustomed to comforting themselves and hypnotizing themselves. This is especially the case when they're in a perilous situation with no hope to be seen. Just like the City of Silver, after two thousand years, they're still consecrating the Creator, believing that they had been abandoned and that they would receive a response one day...

That is to say that the fervent believers of the Sea God will not stop their live sacrifices just because they didn't receive a response, being unconvinced that Kalvetua has already perished. Instead, they will become worse, hoping to gain the favor of their god... Without years of promotions and setbacks, it will be difficult for them to realize the truth.

Without the support of a native deity like Kalvetua, the Resistance would probably fall entirely into Feysac's or Intis's camp. At that time, they would most likely be driven to do inhuman things, such as attacking places where civilians gather, or to make children who still retain their innocence act as meat shields...

I need to give them some guidance. I need to tell them what the correct way of practicing their faith is, but I should only help them without burdening myself... I'm not responsible for saving their fates...

Klein gently rapped the edge of the long, mottled table and suddenly chuckled.

Wasn't I supposed to act? Sea God Kalvetua is quite a good target.

I wonder if I'll get any feedback with the gray fog's interference.

Heh heh, I have to give it a try to figure it out.

Klein quickly made his decision, feeling strangely refreshed.

He deliberated for a moment. First, he conjured a necessary scene, then he held onto the Sea God Scepter, spreading out his spirituality before touching one of the points of light.

...

In a hidden cave in the forest of Blue Mountain Island.

The bald rebel, Kalat, fell from his wheelchair, his eyes filled with despair and confusion as he crawled towards the shattered figurine of Kalvetua in front of him.

He vaguely sensed something, but he was unwilling to believe it. This meant that all of his persistence, all of his sacrifices, and all of his pain would become meaningless.

No...

he screamed silently as he constantly muttered the honorific name of Sea God Kalvetua in an attempt to get a response from the deity.

With his elbows on the ground, his fingers reached into the soil as he moved towards the front of the shattered figurine one inch at a time. He picked up the head of the sea serpent that was carved out of stone, and he found that its eyes had collapsed inwardly to become a strange black hole, and its fangs were falling off one after another.

Kalat seemed to freeze; the light in his eyes seemingly vanishing.

It was at this moment that he suddenly saw a blurry figure. Behind the figure was a dark blue tsunami surging into the sky and streaks of silver lightning that branched out like tree branches.

Amidst his shock, Kalat instinctively lowered his head, an unimaginable sense of joy surging inside him.

He saw that the figure's feet were surrounded by waves, and there were hurricanes swirling around him. The figure was majestic and holy, high and almighty.

Then, he heard a calm and magnificent voice.

"I have returned."

As his voice echoed in the air, Kalat teared up for some inexplicable reason.

...

Ten minutes after Klein left the bottom of the sea ruin which was half-merged with the spirit world.

The seawater that filled this place suddenly churned and flowed backward. In just twenty to thirty seconds, the inside of the elven ruin was so dry that it resembled dry land.

A fresh hurricane blew in, bringing in breathable gas.

One figure after another descended from the hurricane, and leading them was a tall and brawny middle-aged man. He appeared to be in his forties with a face with firm and deep lines. His accentuated muscles filled with loose Storm priest robes.

He was none other than the Church of Storms Cardinal, Archbishop of the Rorsted Sea, high-ranking deacon of the Mandated Punishers, Sea King Jahn Kottman.

He had a pair of deep blue eyes, and his hair of the same color was twice as thick as a normal person's. They were like small worms or tentacles.

Behind Jahn Kottman were a number of Mandated Punishers and military personnel. They examined their surroundings expectantly and cautiously, not letting their guard down because of the demigod's protection up ahead.

At this moment, they heard a snort, and they were immediately swept up by a hurricane, arriving at the doorway of the ruin in one fell swoop.

They saw a huge sea serpent reduced to a sludge of flesh and blood, with its bone exposed. Other than that, there was nothing else.

"Who is it!" Jahn Kottman suppressed his anger and growled.

As he shouted these words, a sea wave crashed down from above.

The sea wave reverberated in the half-collapsed hall, quickly calming to form a windless lake.

The surface of the lake reflected the scene from before: An indiscernible figure pulling up a short white staff inlaid with blue gems, causing the sea to churn and the ruins to quake.

Jahn Kottman took a deep breath and turned his back to the crowd.

"Find him."

...

At that moment, Klein had selected a dozen or so believers to respond to, each of whom was relatively important, mainly by giving out a new covenant.

"I have returned, when the past is pardoned, I will redeem you.

"First commandment: Thou shalt not sacrifice unto me living human sacrifices."

-x-X-x-

"Second Commandment: Thou shalt not use my name in vain.

"Third Commandment: Thou shalt have no other gods before me.

"Fourth Commandment: Honor thy father, thy mother, and thy children as you love me.

"Fifth Commandment: Thou shalt not commit adultery.

"Sixth Commandment: Thou shalt not kill the innocent.

"Seventh Commandment: Thou shalt not bear false witness, frame, or violate contracts.

"Eighth Commandment: Serve me with your heart, not with your offerings.

"Ninth Commandment: Those who have committed lesser wrongdoings, first atone for your sins before seeking forgiveness.

"Tenth Commandment: Honor my name by helping your compatriots and companions."

One commandment after another echoed in the ears of the bald rebel, Kalat, causing him to completely prostrate himself. He held his head close to the ground, uncontrollably trembling slightly with reverence, fear, and excitement.

As a Mid-Sequence Beyonder, a rebel who had once been educated in the Feysac Empire, he had sufficient insight to understand that the worship of the Sea God was based more on fear—fear of powerful forces, fear of the fearsome natural risks that mankind faced, and many rituals that retained primitive bloodshed, a backward faith that reveled in inhumane and uncivilized practices, something that would be eliminated sooner or later.

However, the faith he had developed since he was young had made him afraid to go against the divine revelation. He could only bury the idea of modifying the ritual process deep in his heart and avoid the parts which conflicted with his own wishes as much as possible.

Now, the Sea God's sudden change left him extremely delighted. It was as if he could see the so-called "primitive totem," that outsiders claimed it to be, evolving into a true god.

Blessed are we; blessed are the rebels; blessed are the true believers...

In his blurred vision, Kalat raised his head, spread his hands sincerely, and placed them against his mouth.

"I will abide by your teachings as if I am praising your name."

The blurry figure in front of him disappeared, the magnificent voice by his ears vanished, and the scene in the cave returned to its original state.

However, Kalat knew that everything was no longer the same.

He moved his elbows several times and quickly crawled back to his wheelchair. He once again sat on it and turned to the other side of the cave.

Kalat quickly met with Edmonton. This member of the Resistance with a blue sea serpent tattoo was standing in front of the deity figurine that was bleeding abnormally. His forehead was a mix of scarlet red and black, dirty and gruesome.

However, Edmonton's expression was joyful, excited, and satisfied. He looked at Kalat and blurted out, "Did you receive the revelation?"

"Yes, it's the aura of God, just like before." Kalat nodded in excitement. "Not only has God rebuilt the earth, but 'He' has also rebuilt his covenant."

Edmonton let out a sigh of relief.

"I was even suspecting that I was hallucinating before.

"It seems like as long as an outsider touches the holy sword, God will be able to walk the land again. There's no need for it to be completely lifted."

Kalat chimed, "Indeed. The reason why the deity figurine shattered and bled is because God has changed 'His' image. We must build a new one! Just like the scenes we saw earlier!"

"God also showed his Sacred Emblem. Above the symbol of the waves, there was a scepter in the shape of lightning, surrounded by strong winds," Edmonton said as he recalled.

Kalat immediately patted the armrest of his wheelchair.

"Let's find the High Priest right now. He should've also received the revelation.

"We will usher in a new world!"

...

Above the gray fog, Klein put down the Sea God's Scepter and rubbed his temples in exhaustion.

He had noticed a problem earlier. The Sea God Scepter could respond to ritualistic magic, which meant that it could provide a certain amount of strength to help the worshiper complete the ritual and achieve their goals. However, it could only be concentrated within his domain and could not exceed the limit. Whatever could be done was relatively limited.

For example, the Evernight Goddess could use a method of influencing fate to let "Her" believers naturally obtain the money they needed and pay their debt. As for the Sea God Scepter, it could at most produce fake money on the altar, and after a while, it would become ineffective and return to its true form.

This is the difference between a false god and a true god...

Besides, apart from the gray fog, as long as it fulfills the procedure and prayer, the Sea God Scepter is capable of automatically responding to ritualistic magic, unless it will use up more than half of its power in one go... This might be why the steps to ritualistic magic are extremely important...

Above the gray fog, prayers will be screened, reduced to points of light. The Sea God Scepter is unable to automatically respond; hence, requiring me to manually handle them. This makes it relatively troublesome. It's impossible for me to stay here all day. Of course, there's also a benefit to it—as long as the prayer doesn't have any mistakes, and it is accurately pointed towards the Sea God Scepter, regardless of how perfunctory the ritual is, they will be able to receive a response. The only criteria is that I'm in a good mood...

I'll think of a solution when I'm free. I'll make it so that even if the Sea God Scepter is above the gray fog, it will be an automated answering machine... Produce a paper angel? That's useless, as it doesn't have any soul injected into it... Make a mechanical and rigid puppet to handle the repeated and trivial ritualistic magic? Hmm... I wonder if a Nimblewright Master has powers related to this. At the very least, Rosago only showed traits of controlling a person like a puppet...

As Klein's thoughts slowly settled, his eyes moved to the iron cigar case.

After some research, he discovered that this cigarette case that had a severely corroded exterior had undergone some abnormal changes. It was firmer, tougher, and more resistant to corrosion. However, it was still within a comprehensible and acceptable range of normal humans.

It isn't equipped with any special properties... However, if it were placed here for a few years, decades, or even longer where it holds Beyonder characteristics and mystical items, perhaps it could really evolve into a "sealing case" whose effects would gradually fade one day... The corner of Klein's mouth twitched, and he turned his head to look at the junk pile in the corner.

They were covered by the gray fog, almost blending in with the surroundings.

Heh heh... Klein laughed dryly and looked away.

He fiddled with the crushed golden wine cup again, confirming that there was nothing wrong with it.

After doing all this, he entered the real world and summoned himself once more to bring the Sun Brooch and other items back to his room in the inn.

At this very moment, the clouds in the sky had disappeared, and the moon was scattering its crimson tranquility. The entire City of Generosity, Bayam, remained asleep in its dreams. @@novelbin@@

...

9 a.m., Cathedral of Waves.

Alger was summoned, and by using the excuse of a confession, he once again met the diocese bishop, Chogo.

"Look for this person." Chogo handed over the portrait in his hand.

Another mission... What's going on recently? Alger muttered in his mind as he unfolded the piece of paper.

When he saw the contents of the portrait, he almost couldn't control his laughter.

It was impossible to tell if the figure in the portrait was male or female, or what they looked like. How was he supposed to find them? In a split second, he thought of something and didn't try to hide his change in mood. Instead, he deliberately blurted out, "Who is this?"

The portrait depicted an unusually blurry and mysterious person, with no characteristics that could be used to aid in a search.

There was no such mission yesterday... A sudden demand to pursue this person this morning... What happened last night? Hmm, Kalvetua perished completely... With that happening, the Church and the military would definitely search for its remains... Symeem Island is the clue? This person took away the most important item ahead of them? Who is this person? Alger's heart skipped a beat, and he almost didn't dare meet Chogo's eyes.

Chogo nodded.

"A dirty, despicable thief! He may be from Intis or Feysac, and he may belong to the Church of the Eternal Blazing Sun or the Church of the God of Combat."

Someone from Intis or Feysac, or someone from the Church of the Eternal Blazing Sun or the Church of the God of Combat? Why would there be such a guess and conclusion? His Eminence Jahn Kottman only received little information at the scene and was unable to pinpoint the target? In this case, it's indeed possible to presume that this person is from either Intis or Feysac, as the main supporters of the Resistance and Kalvetua are from those two countries. Heh heh, there is reason to believe that they may have already known where Kalvetua was hiding... It fits my theory from before... Of course, it could also be something else... Alger controlled his emotions and asked, "What did he do?"

"You don't need to know. Just pay attention to any abnormalities from people from Intis or Feysac in Bayam. Yes, also include the locals who have become Beyonders. Also, find the people who previously posted the notice on the front door of the cathedral. They might know something, and they could quickly give you further information," George ordered in a deep voice.

This is indeed a direction... This is tantamount to telling me that this person has something to do with the notice and the perishing of Kalvetua... I wonder whose hands Kalvetua's Beyonder characteristic landed in... Who.... Right, The World is in Bayam. Something happened to Kalvetua not long after he came here! Could this be Mr. Fool's purpose? Would this help him in the process of removing the seal and regaining his strength? Alger's pupils contracted as he recalled his conjecture from a while ago.

...

When he woke up, Klein, who had reaped a bountiful harvest last night, was uplifted and in a good mood.

He decided to treat himself today and make sure that his three meals would be sumptuous and delicious.

As he pushed open the door and walked into the living room, he saw that Danitz was out of "bed," untying the bandage and splint around his arm.

He recovered that quickly? Klein was stunned for a moment.

Seeing Gehrman Sparrow look over, Danitz chuckled and said, "My ability at recovering isn't too bad. My Sequence 9 is called Hunter. I received a clear improvement in various aspects of my body, allowing me to surpass ordinary humans. When it comes to combat, I experienced a great enhancement. Besides, I'm already at Sequence 7."

Sequence 9 Hunter? I've killed one, and I know the corresponding Sequence 6's name is Conspiracist... Klein suddenly recalled the first enemy he encountered back when he first arrived in Backlund. It had sucked him into a maelstrom that he was almost unable to extricate himself from.

"Sequence 8, Provoker?" Klein asked in passing.

He had long since guessed Danitz's Beyonder pathway from his adeptness at using fire. It was the Red Priest pathway which Roselle had called a true man. Sequence 7 was called the Pyromaniac, also known in ancient times as Fire Mage.

Danitz froze for a second, thinking that Gehrman Sparrow was doubting him. He subconsciously raised his voice.

"Do you think I'm not good at provoking?

"No, I'm an expert in this field!"

-x-X-x-

Danitz threw the splint and bandages into the trash, flexed his left arm, and said, "Typically, a pirate's provocation is an insult, but I'm different. I do targeted insults.

"This requires one to grasp a lot of information and rumors, and also understand the provocation target. Only by doing this will you be able to make him lose his mind and cause his brain to be burnt out with a single sentence."

He paused for a second and said, "Just like with Steel. You can curse him, calling him dogsh*t, or you could curse his parents and captain, but that will be useless. However, if you do an action and throw in a line with that, he will definitely turn into a bull who only sees red."

With that, Danitz put his hands on his hips, held his crotch, and shouted in a low, scornful voice, "B*tch!"

... I really want to hit him... He lives up to being a Provoker... Indeed, Steel Maveti has such tendencies and hobbies, tsk... Klein loosened his subconsciously clenched fists.

"This is what you call 'professional provocation.'" Danitz spread out his hands in conclusion. "If I meet a beast, a monster, or someone who cannot be communicated with since they had lost control, I can proactively emit a feeling that they hate. This is a Beyonder power."

People with such Beyonder powers would either be great at receiving beatings, or they would be great at escaping. Clearly, you belong to the latter... Klein cursed inwardly.

Without having to worry about his injured left arm, Danitz was in a good mood as he continued, "Actually, I'm very good at setting up traps. It's a pity that you didn't agree with my plan when hunting Steel Maveti."

Klein resisted the twitching of his mouth as he calmly replied, "You still have a chance."

"What chance?" Danitz asked out of curiosity.

"A chance to set up traps for Beyonders such as Steel. One by one, I'll introduce you to them." Klein smiled.

"..." Danitz was momentarily at a loss for words.

He knew very well that traps were often ineffective against a man who wasn't afraid of guns, projectiles, fire, or water.

Danitz let out a hollow chuckle and turned to look out the window.

"The weather has cleared up...

"Does that mean that the serpent, Kalvetua, is dead?"

Klein answered tersely without hiding the truth.

Danitz exhaled, hesitated, then said, "Regardless, after this city-wide sweep, few pirates will dare come to Bayam for some time. This will definitely include Admiral of Blood.

"Your plan of hunting him with Captain might have to come to an end. The Sonia Sea is so big, so it's very difficult to find a fleet that intentionally hides their whereabouts. Moreover, they can head for the Fog Sea, Berserk Sea, North Sea, and Polar Sea."

If it was that easy to kill a pirate admiral at sea, the Church and the military would've done it a long time ago! Let me return to the Golden Dream as soon as possible! Danitz lampooned under his breath.

Don't worry, I have a way, and this will be your job... Klein asked without batting an eyelid, "What's your Captain's opinion?"

He had already spent twelve pounds to obtain a radio receiver through Fors, but he had been too busy with matters regarding the sea god to bother with it. Hence, he hadn't taken it out from the junk pile above the gray fog to bring to the real world.

Meanwhile, Klein had received the money from Miss Justice and Mr. Hanged Man, raising his fortune to 7,085 pounds and five gold coins.

A wealth at this level was enough to buy a rather large and productive manor anywhere.

If it wasn't for my revenge and my hope of finding a way back to Earth, I could've already retired... Klein thought in satisfaction.

Captain's opinion... Danitz forced a smile and said, "Although Captain and the others should've entered within a 500-nautical-mile radius, in theory, allowing the attempt of a Soulfall Ritual, you should know that the sea routes aren't entirely safe. Pirates have to be careful not to get caught by the military or the Church. For this, they often need to take detours.

"I believe we should wait another day before doing the Soulfall Ritual so as to prevent any wastage of energy and materials."

"Okay." Klein didn't give any affirmative answers and had turned towards the washroom.

He planned on heading out again today to search for a chance to act as another person.

Seeing Gehrman Sparrow's back, Danitz exhaled.

I must first contact Captain in private and persuade her to let me return to the Golden Dream before I can use the Soulfall Ritual in front of you! Gehrman Sparrow is someone who likes to head out. I have plenty of opportunities and space. Heh heh, don't tell me that he enjoys shopping? Danitz thought, curling his lips.

...

After leaving the Cathedral of Waves, Alger Wilson went straight for the Ralph Trading Company in reflection and found the owner, who was reading a newspaper.

He was well aware that this middle-aged man, in formal attire, a bow tie, and glasses, was a veteran pirate. He supported the Resistance in secret and reverently worshiped Sea God Kalvetua.

"What is it, our captain of a ghost ship?" Ralph put down the newspaper, crossed his right foot over his left, and smiled leisurely.

He was an illegitimate child. His father was an adventurer of Loen and Feysac blood, and his mother was a native. He had made his fortune by becoming a pirate, then being a merchant that did business with both pirates and the officials. He established a vast network of connections that provided him with help at the governor-general's office, the city council, and the police station.

Upon hearing Ralph's question, Alger almost frowned, because the man's attitude and tone were rather abnormal.

This abnormality was a state that wasn't in accordance with Alger's expectations.

In his opinion, after the fall of Sea God Kalvetua, he was certain that there would definitely be bad omens in the Rorsted Archipelago. The pious believers would definitely sense that something was amiss, either feeling apprehensive or downcast, so how could they still be so relaxed and natural!

Alger didn't directly mention Kalvetua; instead, he chuckled and asked, "Do you know where Kovaro has been recently?"

Kovaro was the pirate captain who possessed the Beyonder characteristic of the Sanguine baron. It was said that he was once a sailor aboard the Dark Emperor, and that he was part of the periphery forces of the King of the Five Seas, Nast.

"Who knows? But he's surely not in Bayam; otherwise, he would've been caught in the raids in the past two days." Ralph shrugged his shoulders. "I heard that his boat went south."

Alger actually had an appointment with Kovaro on this matter, and he was only using it as a way to start the conversation.

Of course, he was well aware that to avoid the tsunami in the waters of the Rorsted Archipelago, Kovaro had definitely gone far away and would take some time before he returned to Bayam.

However, Alger wasn't too anxious, as he already knew that Mr. Moon had been given an acceptance draft. If he withdrew the sum before its maturity, he would receive a discounted value and lose a large amount of interest.

He deliberately nodded his head and said, "Got it, thank you for telling me."

At this point, Alger pretended to be unaware of what happened as he asked, "I heard that many Sea God figurines in many places shattered by themselves?"

He hadn't witnessed any instances of this himself, but he could make a reasonable deduction based on the Church's archives.

In many of the colonial islands and countries of the Southern Continent, more than one or two false gods like Kalvetua had been finished off by the seven Churches. What happened after their deaths had already long been recorded in the archives.

Ralph calmly nodded.

"Yes, there was such a thing.

"But that's not bad news."

His expression turned fervent.

"Because God has appeared over the land once again in a new image!"

God has reappeared over the land once again with a new image? Alger's eyes remained fixed on him, and he felt that this was both reasonable but also unexpected.

Judging from the Church of Storms's reaction, he was certain that Kalvetua was already dead. Then which Sea God was responding to the believers now?

Connecting it with his previous judgment, he quickly came up with a bold idea: Is it an embodiment of Mr. Fool?

He used Sea God Kalvetua's perishing to create a new identity? He can release his powers through the seal to directly affect an identity in the real world?

Is this the real reason for The World to come to Bayam?

Hiss, Mr. Fool really does things with pomp!

Alger secretly swallowed his saliva and suppressed his excitement.

...

In the Wind of Azure Inn, Klein, who had yet to leave, saw the stack of cash Captain Elland handed him.

"Here is your reward for a total of a hundred pounds."

He didn't mention how much Gehrman Sparrow and Danitz each received, but he gave a total amount. As for how exactly they would split the reward, that was something he left to them.

The military is really generous... Klein silently mused as he received the thick stack of cash, instinctively taking out two five-pound notes and tossing them to Danitz.

He lowered his wrist and finally drew another two ten-pound notes in an expressionless manner.

Gehrman Sparrow is still rather just, far more just than Just Elland... Danitz put away the reward in pleasant surprise. His wallet that had slimmed down quite significantly over the past couple of days had finally been replenished.

Glancing at Gehrman Sparrow in his new clothes, Elland asked, after some deliberation, with his boat-shaped hat in hand, "News from the Church of Storms has revealed that the person who posted the notices on the cathedral's door, informing them of the problem between Leticia and Sea God Kalvetua, was Blazing Danitz.

"What do you think about that?"

He stared straight into Danitz's eyes and waited for an answer.

"Haha." Danitz gave a hollow chuckle. "I don't know him."

Klein was silent for two seconds before saying, "While fulfilling a dead adventurer's wish, I came across Leticia and her companions at the inn.

"Snakes invaded our place in the middle of the night, but they easily resolved it. @@novelbin@@

"After returning to Bayam, I went to purchase some items from the Resistance and discovered that they had taken out their holy sword. Furthermore, there were two Mid-Sequence Beyonders guarding that small base.

"I felt a crazy will invade my body just by making contact with that holy sword for a moment, and I had nearly lost control on the spot.

"They were still after Leticia."

What Klein said was the truth; it wasn't the entire truth, but it was enough to infer the contents of the announcement.

Even if the kingdom's military and the Church of Storms were to investigate further, they would only be able to unearth the fact that Gehrman Sparrow could change his appearance.

After listening carefully, Elland sighed and smiled, "If there are such things in the future, you don't have to post notices in the middle of the night. You can come find me directly. This will allow you to reap even greater rewards."

He stood up, put on his hat, and said to Danitz, "I heard that the bounty for Blazing is going to rise again."

-x-X-x-

Bounty... The muscles in Danitz's cheek twitched as he forced a smile, pretending that he wasn't Blazing and that he didn't care.

When Elland left, he turned sharply to face Gehrman Sparrow and said, "I think we should move to another inn. No, we'd better leave Bayam as soon as possible!"

If I'm worth a bounty of more than 5,000 pounds, I won't be safe anywhere! The pirates and adventurers who are at the same level as me would definitely rush over like sharks smelling blood! Prey that they can finish off while also proving themselves and giving them a high bounty are always very popular. They're worth no less than treasure! Danitz suppressed even more of his inward shouting.

Klein didn't agree or disagree, he slowly smiled.

"Are you worried that your bounty will be too high?"

Danitz nodded heavily, finally feeling as though the madman, Gehrman Sparrow, was finally saying something sensible.

"Besides hiding, there are other solutions," Klein said as he walked over to the coat rack.

"What are they?" Danitz asked subconsciously.

Klein took off his half top hat and put it on his head.

"Raise your Sequence."

Let your strength match the bounty... He put on his coat, twisted the handle, and walked out of the suite.

Raise myself to Sequence 6? Become a Conspiracist? Danitz paused for two seconds, then he frowned and grimaced.

When he consumed the Sequence 9 Hunter and Sequence 8 Provoker potions, he didn't find it much of a problem. In fact, he began to long for finding the legendary treasures, obtain mid or high Sequence formulas and their corresponding materials to advance to a demigod, and then become the new king of the sea. However, the intense pain and discomfort brought to him by the Pyromaniac potion had left him in fear and apprehension. He didn't dare believe that he nearly lost control despite strictly following his captain's instructions of constantly provoking his opponents.

This forced Danitz to consider whether or not he was fine just getting rich so that he could return to Intis a rich man.

He stood there, troubled for several minutes. Finally, he thought of a question.

Even if I want to advance by consuming a potion, it's not something I can do in a short period of time. I'll still have to find the formula and collect the ingredients. It wouldn't be an easy task, and the new bounty might be released tomorrow or even today!

So, I must change inns and leave Bayam as soon as possible!

...

After Alger left the Ralph Trading Company, he casually went to a few places to inquire about the situation. When it was almost noon, he received a new report from the Church of Storms.

"It's confirmed that the person who posted the notices at the door of the cathedral is Blazing Danitz.

"Pay attention to his whereabouts."

Blazing Danitz... Alger held the slip of paper in his hand and ruminated over the name silently. The corners of his mouth curled up, and he no longer had any doubts in his mind.

With ease and certainty, he felt confident about going out to sea to hunt for materials.

This was because his quest would happen at sea and because Mr. Fool has a new identity: "Sea God!"

...

Having missed the morning's blue star, Danitz waited until four in the afternoon to attempt the Soulfall Ritual while Gehrman Sparrow was out.

He drew the God of Knowledge and Wisdom's Sacred Emblem with familiarity—an omniscient eye on an open book—with the appropriate altar set up.

Inside the wall of spirituality, he lit a candle and picked up the lavender and mint extract before dripping it onto the still burning flame.

A refreshing fragrance filled the air, and Danitz burned several more herbal powders.

Having done all this, he took a step back and said in ancient Hermes, "I pray for the power of knowledge;

"I pray for the power of rationality;

"I pray for the God of Wisdom's loving grace;

"I pray that you allow me to communicate with the spirit of Edwina Edwards, the teacher who pursues knowledge, the researcher of spirit world creatures, Vice Admiral Iceberg of the seas, who hails from Lenburg."

...

Whoosh!

Along with the echo of the incantation, the interior of the altar suddenly became cold. Apart from the three candles, the remaining brass dagger, the salt plate, the bottle of extract, and the fountain pen and paper all floated in midair.

Danitz waited nervously, not knowing what was going to happen next.

After nearly twenty seconds, the flames of the three candles began to sway, coloring the candles in a pale green color!

Danitz's body suddenly stiffened. He felt an icy chill invade his body in an irresistible manner.

He saw his feet move uncontrollably, and he took a step forward.

He saw his left hand rise and grab the black fountain pen and a piece of white paper.

He saw himself bend over with a pen in his left hand, quickly writing: "Is there something?"

The words were exquisite and artistic, very different from Danitz's own style.

It was only then that Danitz realized he could control his head and his throat.

"Captain, Sea God Kalvetua is dead!" He squeezed out his hoarse voice as though he was suffering from a heavy cold.

"Details." His right hand wrote smoothly.

This was the opportunity Danitz had been waiting for. He immediately recounted everything that had happened, including Gehrman Sparrow's visit to Symeem Island in order to fulfill some adventurer's dying wish, the possibility that Gehrman Sparrow had suffered the sea god's curse and how he easily resolved the problem after closing the door, including the madman's mistake of mistaking the ancient elven ruins as a Sea God ruin.

Towards the end, Danitz quickly added his own take on the matter.

"I believe that Admiral of Blood won't come to Bayam for quite a substantial period of time. Most famous pirates wouldn't.

"It will take at least half a year for this matter to pass.

"Captain, your hunting plan with Gehrman Sparrow might have to be shelved for the time being. I-I wish to return to the Golden Dream."

His left hand froze for a few seconds before writing: "Continue to follow Gehrman Sparrow, and be my contact point with him."

"Captain, y-you can teach him the Soulfall Ritual!" Danitz yelled hoarsely.

His left hand wrote: "This can only be done within 500 nautical miles, and in the case of the person holding the ritual, it would be quite risky for him. And you have our points of contact on the various islands. Those are things that cannot be told to outsiders."

Indeed... Gehrman Sparrow is just an outsider... But, Captain, I really want to go back to the Golden Dream!

Danitz racked his brains and said, "Maybe we can invite him to be a guest on the ship. No, this..."

Suddenly an idea came to Danitz.

"Captain, he has a messenger! He has a messenger!

"A messenger that travels through the spirit world to deliver letters for him!"

This should be an unrestricted means of communication, and it should be more private and secure! I don't need to be the contact person anymore! Danitz thought in abnormal delight.

His left hand hung in midair for a few seconds before he wrote: "If that's the case, there's no problem.

"As the new year holiday is coming to an end, it's indeed time for you to return to the ship. You do have some talent in languages, but you still have quite a few problems in other areas. You need to attend more classes and work harder."

Danitz opened his mouth, but nothing came out of it.

He suddenly felt that returning to the Golden Dream wasn't anything to look forward to.

...

In the evening, Klein returned to the Wind of Azure Inn.

He didn't find a suitable target for acting despite an entire day's work. Due to the sweep from before, many pirates and adventurers that were wanted were arrested. The remaining ones continued hiding cautiously, not daring to go out at all. Whether it was the bars, casinos, or brothels, business was poor and there weren't many customers.

"So this is the situation." Danitz came over. He cleared his throat and gave a hollow chuckle. "It would be my first time using the Soulfall Ritual, and I don't have much confidence. I did a test ahead of time, and haha, it succeeded. I managed to communicate with Captain, and she believes there's no chance to hunt Admiral of Blood any time soon. She plans on summoning me back to the Golden Dream. As for us communicating, don't you have a messenger? You can use the messenger to send Captain a letter."

My messenger was given by a bigshot, and it's not mine... Moreover, the messenger can only send messages back and forth between the owner and the owner of the token, without involving anyone else. Yes, it can also be between the host of a ritual and the owner... That reminds me, I have to find a way to get a messenger of my own, or many things will be inconvenient... As for the solution to this, obviously, it's to write to Mr. Azik who has to be an expert on the matter... Klein calmly pulled over a chair and sat down. He leaned forward and said in a low voice, "Tell your Captain that I have a way to find Admiral of Blood."

"Huh?" Danitz was stunned, having not expected such an answer.

Then, he saw the corners of Gehrman Sparrow's mouth slowly widen as he repeated, "Tell your Captain."

"..."

Danitz shivered. He didn't dare to make any inquiries as he forced a smile.

"We'll have to wait until the next blue star, which is between 11 p.m. and midnight tonight."

"Very good." Klein smiled as he praised.

But Danitz wasn't happy at all.

Klein stood up slowly, recollecting a special dish he had eaten for dinner, and he headed for the bedroom.

The food was called the Teativa, and translated into Loen, it was "meat within fruit." The cook used a giant local fruit, Teana, hollowed out its flesh, leaving only a solid shell; then stuffed it with mashed mutton and fish, followed by sea salt and several types of spices; and repeatedly roasted it over the fire. The meat was fresh, fragrant, and perfectly blended with the sweet and slightly sour flavor of the fruit. @@novelbin@@

Closing the door behind him, Klein first wrote a letter thanking Mr. Azik for his earlier guidance, then he asked again how he could have a messenger of his own.

After folding the letter, he took out his copper whistle and summoned the messenger.

The messenger didn't stay, disintegrating the moment it took the letter.

Phew... Klein rested for a moment, ready to enter the space above the gray fog to see if the prayers of the believers could bring him any useful information, such as who he could actually act as.

-x-X-x-

Above the gray fog, inside the palace that looked like a giant's residence.

Seated in The Fool's chair, Klein raised his right hand, allowing the Sea God Scepter to fly out of the junk pile and land in his palm.

He originally planned on placing this Sealed Artifact, that was on the level of a Grade 1 Sealed Artifact, beside his chair. This was to show respect to a demigod item, but after careful consideration, he believed that the Sea God Scepter was still unable to match up with the mysterious and powerful Fool, who was able to fight against the True Creator and Primordial Demoness. Only a Card of Blasphemy was barely qualified to match his status. Therefore, he threw the Sea God Scepter into the junk pile.

Looking at the blue dots surrounding the white bone staff, Klein willed them to split into preliminary categories.

Just as he had expected, those blue dots of light automatically split according to his will. Those that merely praised Sea God and were prayers with no clear reason sank to the bottom and then rapidly disappeared. Those regarding confessions and pleas floated upward and came closer to Klein's palm.

Following his spiritual intuition, he "tapped" one of the latter.

All of a sudden, he saw tall, surging waves and heard the violent whistling of a gust of wind.

A fishing boat was bobbing up and down in the undulating deep blue sea, as though it was ready to capsize at any moment.

Above the fishing boat, the natives were either hugging the mast or pulling on ropes, making their last-ditch efforts to survive. Many of them were panicking as they chanted the honorific name of Sea God. @@novelbin@@

Noticing that this was an ongoing prayer, Klein lifted the milky-white scepter.

At the tip of the scepter, the blue-colored "gems" emitted a halo of light one after another before they connected into one and shone onto the scene.

The fishermen were gradually losing all hope when all of a sudden, they felt the ship which had been thrown into the air stabilize.

They looked around in amazement and saw that the mountain-like waves had calmed down at some point, and the raging winds were slowly calming down, turning as mild as Zarhar beer.

The overbearing dark clouds in the sky dissipated, and a storm was forcefully pushed back by a mysterious force before it could fully assume its full form.

The fishermen quickly recovered from their dazed states and understood what had happened.

Sea God has protected everyone! Sea God has shown his majesty!

Plop! Plop! Plop!

All of them prostrated themselves on the deck, spread their hands, and placed them to their mouths, reciting the honorific name of Sea God in an irregular fashion.

"Thank you, praise you. Adorer of the sea and spirit world, guardian of the Rorsted Archipelago, ruler of the undersea creatures, master of tsunamis and storms, the great Kalvetua!"

Above the gray fog, Klein felt a little depressed.

I was the one who saved you, so why are you thanking Kalvetua?

That sea serpent will only deliberately create hurricanes, set off waves, and intimidate you so that you would piously believe in it...

Klein fell silent for two seconds, then he suddenly burst out laughing.

Kalvetua is already dead, and the current Kalvetua is another one of my identities.

Why should I be in a bad mood when people are thanking my other identity?

This is something a Faceless has to take note of when acting for real? To fully immerse oneself in the role, treating all emotions one receives as their own, but also never forgetting who they really are... This is difficult to accomplish. Failure to pay attention to it can result in an abnormal state of mind. And once a Beyonder's state of mind becomes abnormal, they won't be far from losing control...

After thinking for a while, Klein let out a sigh and chuckled to himself.

Acting the role of Sea God has been quite rewarding after all.

Although such acting doesn't provide feedback due to the gray fog's screening and isolation nor does it facilitate the digestion of the Faceless potion, it can provide me with experience and lessons, helping me figure out a safer and more effective way of acting.

Wrapping up his thoughts, Klein spread his spirituality to another point of light.

This time, the plea came from under a bridge. A woman with tattered clothes and a festering body was leaning against a corner, mumbling the honorific name of Sea God as she made her final confession.

Through her descriptions, Klein seemed to have witnessed her short life.

She was a native woman whose parents believed in Sea God. As a result, she inherited the faith of Sea God. In the first decade or so, her father worked as a miner, repairing roads and laying the rails, while her mother focused on temporary jobs—sewing, doing laundry, helping out at the docks, and occasionally working as a street girl. Only then did the family barely survive.

An abrupt change occurred two years ago. Her father had died during a road repair accident, and the Rorsted Railroad Company had offered only a pittance of compensation. This pushed the family onto a path of no return.

Subsequently, the girl was sold to the Red Theater by her mother and became a legal prostitute.

Although Emperor Roselle had long invented the condom, many pirates and adventurers were unwilling to use one in their desire for momentary pleasure. And since the Red Theater didn't enforce the use of condoms, the girl's resistance was ineffective. All she could do was submit, eventually getting infected with some disease.

The manager of the Red Theater had tried to provide her some simple treatment, but seeing that she wasn't getting any better, she was chased out because the cost of the follow-up treatment was obviously much higher than the cost of buying another girl.

Not only was the ill girl unable to find a new job, but she didn't even have the money to rent a house. Her mother and younger siblings had long since disappeared, perhaps already dead or abducted to become slaves.

The girl became a tramp and lived under the bridge. She managed to survive for some time thanks to the food and free medicine provided by charity organizations.

But it was ultimately a short period of time. Her illness got worse and worse, and her body became weaker and weaker. Very quickly, she reached the end of her life.

At that moment, she recalled the days when she was the most well-fed and dressed. She recalled the words that the pirates and adventurers would occasionally say. She whispered and prayed to Sea God, "I want to live like a human being..."

Klein once again raised his staff, but he found that this Sealed Artifact didn't possess the ability to cure diseases.

He thought of purchasing some medicine from Emlyn White via The World, but he found that the prayer scene happened at noon. The girl had already passed away under the bridge, in mud and dirt, her body filled with agony and intense hunger.

Klein was silent for a moment, then he raised the angle of the prayer screen to reveal the location of the bridge.

After memorizing the characteristics of the nearby streets and the surrounding area, Klein leaned back in his chair, sighed, and said with an insincere smile, "What a humble wish.

"There isn't much of an opportunity to act... I'll try my best to bury you like a human being..."

He retracted his attention and scanned the other points of light, searching for someone he could act as, but he found nothing.

During this process, Klein noticed that Kalat, Edmonton, and the other members of the Resistance were carrying out a ritual. They had placed a batch of items on the altar, and they prayed for Sea God to imbue them with power.

So that's how they receive the Beyonder items they use for trade... To be at the level of a demigod is truly different... Moreover, they're used to not receiving any immediate replies. It's as if they plan to leave the items on the altar the entire night... Apparently, that sea serpent, Kalvetua, didn't respond immediately either. It depends on its mood, or whether it was asleep or not. Otherwise, it could only respond instinctively, unable to produce any Beyonder items in batches... Klein picked up the Sea God Scepter, making the blue "gems" shine again.

Boundless spirituality magically merged together, gushing into the prayer scene with transcendent vibes and randomly fusing with various items.

Some of them are Electric Shock charms, some that allow people to swim in the sea like fish, some that allow a gale to blow... Within three months, their spirituality would gradually decline to nothingness... Klein half-closed his eyes, feeling the changes in the items.

Although he had only responded twice, he was already rather exhausted despite mainly relying on the power of the Sea God Scepter. However, the first response had to do with him forcibly dispersing a storm and calming the waves, while the second response was to simultaneously provide an "enchantment" to dozens of items. They were all at the level of a demigod, so it was rather draining on his spirituality.

Even if I frequently use the Sea God Scepter, I wouldn't be able to last very long... On the other hand, the negative side effects wouldn't be a burden on me. I can attempt to use it at times...

Yes, the situation with the Resistance reminded me. I can also pray to myself and make a bunch of charms, mainly to allow me to do things underwater. This way, even if I find myself in a sea battle, I wouldn't be so restrained. Oh right, I still don't know how to make lightning charms. I need to seek out the corresponding mysticism information, and with it, I can deal with enemies who have air superiority...

Klein silently muttered a few sentences and threw the Sea God Scepter back into the junk pile while swiftly returning to the real world.

...

East Chester County. By the side door of a huge manor in the vast and beautiful countryside.

Audrey Hall was dressed in a waist-fitting black riding suit with a simple blouse lining her insides. She skillfully sat on the back of a brownish-red mare without showing the slightest sign of wobbling.

Her black leather boots were in the stirrups, with her white trousers slightly tucked into them. She smiled at Susie, who had a leather bag on her back.

"I'll wait for you at the edge of the woods!"

With that, she bent down with the whip in her hand and let the brownish-red mare gallop across the open field.

Compared to the gorgeous yet gloomy family castle, Audrey preferred the beautiful manor and the scenery of the countryside.

One handsome horse after another came running out. The riders were servants and maidservants, and their only mission was to protect Miss Audrey.

Susie was also running happily, a feeling she couldn't experience in Backlund.

Moreover, she and Audrey would have a little adventure today, and that was exploring an ancient tower in the forest that had collapsed a long time ago. The valuable items there had long been taken away, but there had never been any accidents that happened there. It was a perfect place for an inexperienced person to practice her various abilities.

The only problem was that it would be dark in two hours, and there might not be enough time.