AN: Sorry for not uploading a chapter past week. I had a really bad fever.
Also, We are pass 100K words with this one!
------
The Blue Avenger drifted near the absolute edge of the spatial cage. Just beyond the invisible wall, the displaced ocean pressed heavily against the barrier, which formed a towering cliff of dark water that looked ready to crash down at any moment.
While the supernatural storm summoned by Kelvatua quickly faded, the physical devastation left behind rapidly took its place.
Inside the cage, the aftermath of the terrifying explosion from the attack of Gehrman quickly took hold. The immense heat had vaporized a massive portion of the sea. As the air cooled, the superheated water vapor rapidly condensed.
Little by little, the sea filled with a thick white fog. The dense mist rolled over the waves and swallowed the lower half of the ancient ghost ship.
Francis leaned against the wooden railing near the helm and looked out into the white abyss. "Are you going to remove the barrier?"
Gehrman stood quietly on the deck. He calmly adjusted his gold-rimmed glasses. "No. It will stay until the weather inside calms down."
Alger nodded in agreement. He was just about to request Gehrman to keep the seal active, but the Blessed had already thought of it.
He understood the logic perfectly as he looked up. The sky above them did not calm down at all. It remained completely covered in unnaturally thick clouds. All that steam and vapor created as a result of the massive attack had nowhere else to go. It was going to rain down in this confined space for a long time.
'If he removes the barrier now, all of this trapped water vapor will violently expand.
'It will cause a massive lightning storm on the open ocean. A sudden storm of that magnitude will immediately bring heavy attention from the Church of Storms.'
Alger knew that was a situation everyone on this ship would much rather avoid.
Nearby, Danitz finally managed to calm his racing heart down. He looked around the quiet deck and let out a long breath. "Is... Is it over?"
"No." Gehrman curled the corners of his lips and revealed a gentle smile.
"You could have killed it with that last attack, couldn't you?" Alger suddenly asked.
Alger watched the entire battle with all of his senses. His intuition told him that the terrifying sword slash was not aimed directly at the serpent's head. It only grazed the creature on purpose.
"What?" Danitz jumped in fright, looking frantically between the two men. "You let it go on purpose? W-what else needs to be done!?"
Gehrman did not answer immediately. He just maintained his smile that perfectly concealed his madness.
He then adjusted his glasses and finally answered. "We are going to loot its lair."
Before Danitz could process the absolute madness the bounty hunter was spouting, Gehrman turned toward the helm and spoke.
"Miss Francis. Take us to the Spirit World."
Francis let out a delighted laugh. She grinned from ear to ear and eagerly walked over to the ship's massive helm.
"Hold on tight!" Francis cheered, grabbing the cold wheel.
Standing quietly near the back of the deck, Leticia could only lament her fate of being stuck here.
The ancient ship suddenly tilted downward and plunged directly into the crashing waves. But instead of sinking underwater, they traveled through veil and appeared in a realm of saturated overlapping colors.
The moment they entered the Spirit World, the colors around them quickly turned richer and tainted the vessel with an ethereal vibe.
Danitz immediately felt a strange weightlessness take over his senses. His mind seemed to detach from his physical form. He looked down at his hands and saw his fingers melting into thick glowing liquid. A school of translucent fish swam straight through his chest, leaving behind a trail of bubbling laughter.
This was the very first time Danitz had ever entered the Spirit World. He had only learned about its existence and what to expect from the strict teachings of Vice Admiral Iceberg Edwina.
Around him, red, yellow, blue, green, and countless other colors were superimposed. They layered together like the most abstract oil painting ever created. The standard concept of direction that humans were used to could no longer be applied here. If someone tried to use normal methods to distinguish their location, they would definitely find themselves completely lost.
The vivid hallucinations only grew worse. Danitz heard colors and tasted sounds. The wooden deck beneath his boots felt like breathing flesh. He saw a massive, upside-down city hanging in the fog, and a flock of birds made entirely of ticking pocket watches flew past his head. He felt his own soul slowly unraveling to join the chaotic storm of colors.
Suddenly, the ship activated its distortion of rules effect. The space around the deck heavily rippled. The chaotic rules of the Spirit World were forcefully pushed away, and the environment inside the ship completely stabilized.
Danitz gasped for air as he felt his mind violently slam back into his own body. He stumbled and grabbed the wooden railing to steady himself. He looked around.
The ghost ship sailed carefully and casually through the chaotic environment. Around the ship, he sometimes saw a yellow sun that resembled a child's crude sketch, and at other times, the ship brushed past an incorporeal river flowing quietly through the void.
"Wh-what was that?" Danitz muttered.
"Was that your first time?" Leticia asked. She stood right next to him and watched his pale face.
"Uhh... yeah," he replied while trying to catch his breath.
"Well... This happens when your physical body enters the Spirit World for the first time," she explained calmly. "Your mind becomes filled with too much saturated spirituality. The next time you enter, it will not be the same."
Danitz looked at her with a slack jaw. He blinked a few times in complete surprise.
"Wh... what? Why are you looking at me like that?" She asked, her voice stuttering slightly under his weird stare.
"Uhh... you are very knowledgeable. I did not know you knew..." Before he could finish his sentence, he stopped talking entirely.
When Leticia turned around to see what made him stop talking, she saw a giant eye.
The huge, round eye appeared translucent, with perfectly clear blacks and whites. It floated quietly behind the saturated, overlapping colors and looked directly at the ship without blinking. There was no head, nor was there any corresponding body attached to it.
Danitz immediately remembered what Vice Admiral Edwina had taught him.
'Try not to make eye contact with any Spirit World creatures for more than three seconds unless they want to communicate. That is considered provocative behavior. Also, do not look terrified. For some predators, fear only increases their desire to attack.'
He quickly averted his gaze and focused on the vivid superposition of colors and the various physical symbols passing by instead.
As the ship continuously sailed through the Spirit World, Danitz suddenly heard a sharp whistle. He looked over and saw Gehrman standing on the deck nearby, whistling as if he had just called for a pet.
Moments later, two massive figures suddenly jumped onto the deck out of nowhere behind Danitz!
Danitz let out a loud yelp when they sprinted right past him!
Their entire bodies were covered in short, pitch-black fur. Inside their empty eye sockets burned two balls of dark red flames. The ends of their mouths extended abnormally all the way to the back of their heads. They clearly existed in a corporeal form, but they gave off a highly illusory and surreal feeling.
The terrifying hounds completely ignored the rest of the crew. They went straight to Gehrman, happily sniffing his coat and playfully nudging his hands.
Danitz recognized them instantly. These were the exact same beasts he saw eating the dead bodies of Steel Maveti and his lackeys!
He hurriedly hid himself behind Leticia, who was standing completely still. He absolutely did not want to catch the attention of those terrifying creatures.
Leticia turned her head and just looked at him weirdly.
Alger stood next to Gehrman and blinked in surprise at the hounds. His spirit vision immediately warned him that these were incredibly powerful creatures.
"What? I mean, why are they here?" Alger asked, looking at the snuggling creatures acting like normal pets next to Gehrman.
Gehrman adjusted his gold-rimmed glasses and tried to stop one of the hounds from licking his face. "They are going to help us locate the space where Kelvatua is hiding."
Seemingly feeling annoyed, Gehrman snapped his fingers loudly. The sharp sound caused the hounds to instantly stop what they were doing and stand at attention.
Gehrman adjusted his clothing and took out pieces of the bone sword. He held them out for them to sniff.
One of the hounds walked over to the shattered remains of the bone sword, which had broken apart into dull fragments following the summoning ritual. It lowered its dark snout and sniffed the residual spirituality clinging to the pieces.
The beast let out a sharp bark toward its companion and sprang off the edge of the ship. The moment its paws left the deck, its body expanded rapidly into a giant hound that bounded through the chaotic void and vanished into the vibrant colors.
Gehrman walked over to Francis, who was steering the vessel carefully to avoid drawing attacks from nearby Spirit World entities.
"What was that?" Francis asked without taking her eye off the swirling void ahead. She was fully focused on keeping the ship stable.
"One of the hounds noticed Kelvatua'a traces," Gehrman replied calmly. "I can tell exactly what direction the hound went. I will give you the instructions, and you just need to steer the ship that way."
As a Sequence 3 Wanderer of the Door pathway, his senses in navigating the Spirit World are second to none.
Francis grinned. "Sounds easy enough."
"Turn right," Gehrman instructed calmly. A moment later, he added, "Now down."
Following his precise directions, Francis turned the wheel and navigated the ghost ship through the saturated void as they chased after the Hound.
The ship shuttled back and forth between distinct and overlapping layers of color, passing half-hidden Spirit World creatures that defied any logical description. It was impossible to tell how far they had traveled.
Alger tried to keep track of their path, but he quickly realized it was useless. Neither he nor Danitz could tell which direction they were actually moving.
He looked around to orient himself, but the environment completely defied physical logic. The seven brilliant lights that usually remained high above to mark one's location were scattered everywhere. At times, Alger saw them shining beneath the wooden hull, then to his left, his right, directly ahead, and behind them.
As the ship sailed, its ropes moved hypnotically like snakes. They looked as if they had a life of their own. Coming into the Spirit World felt as if a hidden truth had been revealed, and the ancient ship had finally gained full control over its own body.
The ghost ship sailed carefully and casually through the chaotic environment. Around them, they sometimes saw deeply unnatural sights.
Alger spotted a flat, two-dimensional woman floating through the colors. She had a completely naked upper body and a bizarre face resembling a smiling crescent moon. She drifted past them like a discarded piece of paper.
Next to the ship sailed a small rowboat. It was an incorporeal wooden vessel that shimmered with a faint purple hue. On a built-in deck chair sat a hunched skeleton. The undead creature was using a massive alpine horn as a paddle to silently move the boat forward. It completely ignored them and vanished into a smear of yellow color moments later.
Further ahead, a massive tangled ball of thread hovered in the void as it pulsed steadily like a living heart.
He then saw a serpentine staircase made of pure white stone stretching out of nowhere and leading upward toward the seven pure lights.
This was the Spirit World. It simply could not be understood or viewed using common human logic.
About eight seconds later, a faintly discernible collapsed building appeared in front of the ship.
Outside the building floated a Spirit World creature that resembled a giant jellyfish. It extended transparent, sticky tentacles, pulling the surrounding area into its own "territory."
At the end of each tentacle grew a white skull with deep eye sockets. The skulls trembled continuously as the creature floated about with light, slow movements.
The remaining hound that was standing on the bowsprit sprang from the ship and viciously attacked the jellyfish.
It's maw unhinged abnormally all the way to the back of its head. The massive beast completely ignored the sticky tentacles and lunged right past them. It clamped its jaws directly onto the jellyfish's translucent core and crushed it in a violent bite.
It killed the monster in an instant and rapidly absorbed its spirituality. This was simply how Spirit World creatures hunted for food.
They didn't process flesh or bone, but directly devoured the target's lingering soul and residual spirituality to fuel their illusory bodies.
In the ship, Gehrman watched the hound finish its hunt, and stepped right up to the edge of the wooden deck.
"Follow me," He said as he jumped into the collapsed building ruin.
With a delighted laugh, Francis jumped in right behind him. Alger did the same with a strong sense of anticipation.
Leticia remained standing on the edge of the ship. She hesitated for a moment as she gripped the wooden railing.
Curiosity was gnawing at Leticia to see what lay inside. Her rational side warned her that following them could lead to certain doom, but the sting of being betrayed by the Moses Ascetic Order still felt fresh.
The report she received from their informant was a complete lie. This place was incredibly dangerous. The artifact she found back on Symeem Island was definitely at the Grade 1 level. She would have gone completely mad and died just from studying that book if Francis had not shown up to warn her. On one hand, she was very thankful for the pirate's intervention. On the other hand, she was highly annoyed by how Francis actually handled things.
Gathering her courage, Leticia ultimately decided to go with them. She hurriedly took out a few magical scrolls she had prepared for protection.
Danitz followed closely behind her. He was still trying his best to hide from the terrifying hounds. Leticia only shook her head at his ridiculous actions and jumped forward into the dark opening.
The moment they passed through an ethereal barrier that resembled a thin curtain, Alger felt the air around him suddenly become thick and heavy.
They had entered a hidden place where reality completely blended with the Spirit World. A shimmering wave of light appeared around him, coming from the deep blue water that filled the entire area.
At the bottom of this bizarre sea lay an ancient, dark ruin. All the buildings had either collapsed or half-collapsed. A huge stone pillar, heavily carved with strange patterns and symbols, extended out from the middle of the city. It looked like it had supported the entire place in the past. Now it was broken and leaned heavily on top of a nearby building.
At this very moment, an unwilling, pained, angry, and crazed scream echoed through the heavy water. It did not weaken in the slightest. That sound was precisely the same howl of hatred that Kalvetua had let out when it got injured by Gehrman's attack.
Alger landed firmly on the greenish-gray stone road in front of the ancient ruins. He listened to the residual scream echoing around them.
'It is really dead...' Alger thought to himself.
On both sides of the road stood pillars that were neither thick nor tall. They were covered in strange patterns that looked completely different from the symbols and magic labels they had seen earlier.
At the bottom of each stone pillar sat a quiet figure. Some of them wore ancient robes, while others wore brown jackets that were currently fashionable back in the real world.
As soon as they sensed the group approaching, they raised their swords, axes, and other weapons in a stiff but quick motion. They turned toward the group, revealing their weathered, grayish-black faces and shriveled bodies completely devoid of flesh and blood.
Their feverish and numb eyes locked directly onto Gehrman at the front.
'Kalvetua's devotees...' Alger realized as he immediately jumped into the fight. He bent his body slightly and charged toward the first Sea God Guard that rushed him.
Faint, illusory scales appeared on his skin. He lowered his stance and moved rapidly. He ducked to the side and stepped diagonally to slip past the guards' stiff weapon strikes.
He retaliated with crushing force. He threw heavy punches and sweeping kicks, leaving deep dents and shattered bones on the desiccated flesh of the corpses.
Gehrman simply kept walking at a leisurely pace. He only bothered to kill the monsters that foolishly stepped directly into his path, casually dispatching them without breaking his stride.
Francis pulled a flintlock pistol from her coat. She casually aimed and shot the monsters right in the head. She fired non-stop without ever reloading, her gun seemingly possessing an endless supply of ammunition. Whenever a bullet hit an enemy, their withered bodies instantly burst into intense holy flames.
Leticia provided support with her magic scrolls. She activated a Freezing scroll, sending a stream of crystal-clear light through the air that slammed into a charging target and froze it solid.
However, the majority of her spells were from the Sun domain. These scrolls released a blinding aura of holy light that instantly purified the corrupted guards upon contact.
Danitz covered their flanks. He chucked bright red fireballs at any Sea God Guard that managed to get too close, blasting them away into the shadows.
Together, they easily cleared a path down the road and arrived in front of the half-collapsed ruins.
Behind the party, the defeated Sea God Guards bloomed into bright golden torches. The cleansing fires lit up the greenish-gray stone slates and the strange pillars. The burning guards fell to the ground one after another and finally stopped moving.
Without looking back, the group went up the stone steps and entered the dark building where the giant broken pillar rested.
The first thing that entered their vision was an unimaginably huge blue sea serpent. The slippery scales covering its massive body bore patterns nearly identical to the strange symbols carved throughout the ancient ruins.
Its gaping jaws clamped tightly onto a thick stone pillar with its curved milky-white fangs completely sunken into the solid rock.
Below its elevated head, the serpent's body slumped heavily across the ground. Its coiled form took up nearly a third of the expansive hall looking like a small blue hill.
The creature's surface was heavily marred by mangled flesh and dark blood, a direct result of Gehrman's previous attack. Deep gashes ripped through the tough scales as it exposed the thick pale bones underneath.
A mysterious cyan light gathered over the dead beast's battered body. The ethereal glow crept slowly toward one of the fangs, which was significantly longer than a human arm.
The concentrated energy caused the slightly curved piece of sharp bone to slowly straighten out as the strange power condensed inside it.
The serpent's dying cry reverberated heavily through the thick air once again. The raw and maddening sound slammed directly into their minds.
Alger stumbled forward a step and showed clear signs of spiritual instability as he fought to maintain his composure, he gritted his teeth to steady his mind.
He took a deep breath and forced the chaotic ringing out of his head. Beside him, Danitz fell to his knees and covered his ears in pain. Leticia massaged her forehead from the headache. Francis just clicked her tongue and tapped her pistol against her leg.
Gehrman, however, remained completely unaffected. He just stood there and observed the massive corpse with calm eyes.
Seeing the Blessed act so casually helped Alger regain his focus. He forced his eyes away from the beast's mangled wounds and looked down at the ground near its head.
At this moment, an old man wearing a clergyman's cap was lying beside Kalvetua's body.
His hair was gray, and his skin looked like solid gray rock. He pressed his face tightly against the serpent's body, making incomprehensible sounds from the back of his throat. His exact goal was a complete unknown.
Around the gigantic serpent's corpse lay several desiccated corpses. They were similar to the Sea God Guards outside, but they were even more bizarre.
Their stomachs bulged outward to the point of rupturing. In addition, their mouths were stained with dark red blood and had thick strips of raw bluish meat hanging from their lips.
Faint blue dots of light leaked out from their bloated bodies, rushing towards the white fang that was gradually straightening up.
Before Alger could fully process what the scene signified, the old man in the clergyman's cap stood up in a staggered manner and turned around.
His eyes flashed with a bright blue light. His mouth was covered in raw, blood-red meat that he was chewing with all his remaining strength.
In the exact spot where his face had just been pressed, the snake's body was completely mangled. It was missing a massive chunk of flesh and blood, leaving the pale bone underneath almost fully exposed.
He was actually eating the corpse of Sea God Kalvetua.
'This is absolute madness,' Alger thought. He frowned, roughly understanding what was happening.
After Kalvetua's death, the priest and the surviving guards in the hall lost control of their minds and began to frantically devour its flesh and blood.
At this point, the Beyonder characteristics had yet to fully form and separate from the corpse.
Kalvetua's body still contained a massive amount of raw untamed power. Many of the guards suffered a lethal potion overdose or absorbed conflicting pathway characteristics. Their bodies broke down on the spot, and they died miserable deaths.
However, there were always exceptions. Some were lucky enough to survive the sudden influx of power. Others lost control and mutated into disgusting monsters.
A rare few directly skipped several Sequences to become incredibly powerful, while others turned into raving lunatics twisted by distorted demonic powers from the violent mixture of pathways.
Regardless of the outcome, dealing with them was extremely dangerous.
Alger looked down from the surviving priest's deranged face and noticed his belly. It was bulging outward unnaturally, looking just like a heavily pregnant woman's stomach.
A strong rhythmic contraction pulsed beneath his tight skin, beating heavily like a massive monstrous heart.
The Priest'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.
Before the monstrous heartbeat could accelerate, Gehrman simply stepped forward. He lifted his right hand and held out two fingers.
Without changing his expression, Gehrman swiped his fingers casually in the air.
A sharp invisible force sliced through the space ahead. The priest did not even have time to react.
The invisible blade cleanly cleaved his bulging body and gray-rock flesh into several bloody pieces, which collapsed wetly onto the stone floor. The rhythmic pulsing stopped immediately.
'That was fast,' Alger thought. He relaxed his tense muscles.
All the loose Beyonder characteristics scattered on the ground suddenly stirred. They spun violently into a chaotic hurricane, swept across the massive hall, and plunged directly into the white fang that had completely straightened out.
Alger looked over and saw that Kalvetua's remaining corpse had entirely collapsed. The massive beast melted down into a foul pile of sludge and mud.
The serpent fang absorbed all the wild Beyonder characteristics in the area and transformed into a short scepter. It rested quietly, firmly embedded in the half-collapsed stone pillar.
At the tip of the pale white scepter, dozens of tiny blue gems clustered together. Some of the stones were dyed a deep corrupted black, while others faintly radiated the warm light of dawn.
'This is a genuine divine artifact,' Alger thought, staring closely at the glowing gems.
"Do not get closer to that," Gehrman said. His cold voice instantly broke Alger out of his trance.
Alger shook his head and realized he was involuntarily walking directly toward the scepter. A cold sweat formed on his back. He quickly took a couple of steps away so he would not get seduced by it once more.
"What are you going to do with it?" Francis asked, looking at the artifact with clear interest.
"I am going to sacrifice it to Mr. Fool," Gehrman replied calmly.
He then looked around the vast silent hall. "Search and see what else we can find in these ruins."
Saying that, he walked closer to the scepter and plucked it from the pillar. He closed his eyes, supposedly praying to Mr. Fool.
Alger found it weird that Gehrman didn't set up an altar. He just shrugged and categorized it as a perk of being a Blessed.
The group spread out slightly across the massive hall. The shimmering blue water above cast a rippling glow over the broken stones and ancient architecture.
Danitz stayed close to the stone steps. He kicked away a loose piece of rubble and found something underneath.
Leticia immediately walked over to the nearest intact pillar. She began studying the Elvish carved into the stone.
Francis hummed a cheerful tune and poked around the muddy remains of Kalvetua. She used the barrel of her pistol to push aside chunks of gray rock.
Alger walked deeper into the ruins. He walked around the half-collapsed pillar from a safe distance and entered the rear of the hall which had almost completely collapsed.
"There is a passage here," Alger called out to the group.
Leticia turned away from the pillar she was examining and ran toward Alger. She reached all the way to the end of the dark corridor.
What she saw made her completely entranced. She basically forgot her previous caution.
There should have been many murals here, but with the destruction of the walls, they had all disappeared in the physical realm. Through her Eyes of Mystery Prying, she could see a lot of details that seemingly left a permanent imprint on the Spirit World.
She looked past the rubble and saw about a third of an exquisite throne buried by stones and pillars. On the left side of the throne, half of a mural depicted a grand confrontation between two figures.
(Image)
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 and possessed relatively soft features. He held a spear formed of pure lightning in his hand, standing against an ocean that had drowned everything.
"Waves, storms, dark clouds, lightning... What is this? Is this another depiction of the Lord of Storms? Why would an elven ruin feature the Lord of Storms?" Leticia muttered.
Alger shook his head. "The Church of Storms never had any connection to ancient elves. At least not that I know of."
Alger looked down. Beneath the storm-draped man was a figure wearing a simple white robe. His face was blurry, making it difficult to discern his exact age. It was only barely possible to tell that he was a man.
A halo floated behind the head of the white-robed man. It quietly emitted a bright light like the sun.
Beneath his feet was an illusionary circle divided into twelve segments. Each segment held strange symbols representing different times.
Behind him was a shadow resembling a heavy curtain, and within the darkness, it appeared as though an eye was peeking out.
"Who is this?" Alger asked, pointing at the man with the halo.
Leticia shook her head. "I do not know either."
She then clarified, "I specialize in studying ancient elves. I know some history, but definitely not all of it."
"Give me a minute, I need to record this in my notes as fast as possible," she said. She took out a notebook and pen from her bag and started to quickly sketch the mural.
Alger retracted his gaze and began searching for something of value nearby.
Following his spiritual intuition, he approached the ruined throne, reached into the base of the collapsed stones, and pulled out an object.
It was a flattened golden wine cup.
Its surface was engraved with intricate patterns, and its stem was already bent. At the bottom was a row of ancient elven words: "Calamity, Cohinem."
'Is the original owner of this ruin a high elf named Cohinem? Does he or "He" have the title of Calamity?' Alger wondered.
Danitz walked towards both of them through the ruined hall.
"Did you two find anything good back here?" Danitz asked. He held up a strange looking fish scale with a proud grin. "I dug this up from under the rubble."
Before Alger or Leticia could answer, his gaze shifted to the massive mural on the ruined wall. He froze in place and let out a soft whistle of amazement.
Footsteps echoed behind them. Gehrman and Francis walked through the broken passage and stepped up beside the group.
Alger turned toward the Blessed and held up the flattened golden cup he had just pulled from the rubble.
"Do you know anything about the origins of these ruins?" Alger asked.
Hearing the question, Leticia immediately stopped scribbling in her notebook. She turned around and paid intense focus to Gehrman, completely eager for any historical insight he might share.
Gehrman glanced at the golden cup and then shifted his gaze back to the ruined wall. "This was likely the residence of the Queen of Calamity, Cohinem, the Elf Queen."
Francis walked closer and took the cup from Alger's hand and started to examine it.
Gehrman lifted his hand and pointed at the man with the soft facial features treading the stormy waves. "This is the ancient god, Elf King Soniathrym."
Gehrman paused for a second. "I met 'Him' once before. 'He' directly gave a tyrannous impression, as though 'He' would not say a word before picking up the electric spear and throwing it."
Danitz's eyes widened in sheer disbelief at the casual admission of meeting an ancient god. He stared at Gehrman as if he were looking at a complete monster.
Leticia blinked and looked back at the painting in confusion. "Uhh... this does not give off any irascible vibes, and his looks are surprisingly good."
"This is a mural in an elven ruin, so it is normal for them to beautify their own deity," Gehrman explained calmly. "This is a depiction of Elf King Soniathrym's battle against the Emperor of Mankind."
He then pointed at the being with the bright halo. "That is the depiction of the Emperor. He was the one who liberated humans from the oppression of the non-human races. You would recognize him as the Ancient Sun God. He was one of the most powerful Ancient Gods in the Third Epoch."
'The Emperor of Mankind who saved humanity from oppression,' Alger thought as he looked up at the glowing halo on the wall and suddenly found himself asking, "Is 'He' dead?"
"Presumably so," Gehrman replied. "But then again, what is death to a God?"
Gehrman stared at the massive mural for a moment in complete silence. He then turned around and began walking back toward the exit.
"Let us go, we are leaving," Gehrman said.
…
The next day, Alger walked out of the Cathedral of Waves through one of the backdoors.
He stepped onto the bustling street. As he walked, his thoughts drifted to Gehrman's casual history lesson in the ruins.
'The Emperor of Mankind, would such a being truly have existed? Maybe I can ask Mr. Fool about it in the next gathering.'
Thinking about the Tarot Gathering made him let out a long sigh of relief. He originally planned to pay Mr. Fool with nineteen pages of Roselle's diary. Gathering that much material would have forced him to burn a lot of favors.
'Now that I have squared my accounts with Mr. Fool, I just need to lay low,' he reminded himself.
Alger continued down the road and looked at the local citizens. People were buying groceries, laughing, and going about their normal routines. The streets of Bayam were perfectly peaceful.
He slowed his pace. This level of calm felt completely unnatural.
In many colonial islands across the Southern Continent, the seven Churches had finished off plenty of false gods like Kalvetua. The massive riots and cult uprisings that happened after those deaths were well documented in the archives. Yet, Kalvetua died yesterday by the hands of Gehrman, and the city was completely fine.
The Church of Storms also had absolutely no idea that the Sea God Kelvatua had fallen.
'Did Mr. Fool do something to cover it up?' Alger thought.
Seeing the peaceful people act like nothing happened made him decide to investigate right away. He changed his direction and headed straight toward the Ralph Trading Company.
He decided to check on one of Kalvetua's key believers there to see what they were doing and hopefully find some clues regarding the situation.
'I have a tiny suspicion that Mr. Fool sent his Blessed here for more than just stopping a tsunami,'
Alger stepped inside the Ralph Trading Company and quickly found the owner sitting at his desk, reading a newspaper.
He was well aware that this middle-aged man in formal attire, complete with a bow tie and glasses, was actually 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.
Alger pretended to be unaware of what happened as he asked, "I heard that Sea God figurines in many places shattered by themselves?"
Ralph paused. His leisurely smile faded into a serious expression. He leaned slightly across the desk and lowered his voice. "Before I explain, let me confirm something. You told me before that your faith also lies with the Sea God, correct?"
In order to befriend him, Alger had lied before, saying that his faith lay with Sea God, Kalvetua.
"Of course. That's why I'm asking. I was really worried." This time, Alger's answer was firmer than ever.
Ralph calmly nodded and leaned back in his chair. "If so, then yes, the rumors are true. But that is not bad news."
His expression turned fervent. "Because God has appeared over the land once again in a new image!"
Alger kept his eyes fixed on the man. Hearing this, everything finally connected in his mind. His previous suspicion that the Blessed Gehrman appearing here and finding the bone sword was not a coincidence proved true. He quickly came up with a bold idea.
'Is this new image an embodiment of Mr. Fool?
'Did He use Sea God Kalvetua's perishing to create a new identity? Is this the real reason the Blessed came to Bayam?
'And Mr. Fool did all of this without alerting any of the official authorities. He really does things with pomp!'
Alger secretly swallowed his saliva and suppressed his excitement. He cleared his throat and maintained his rough pirate persona. "A new image? What exactly are His new decrees?"
Ralph smiled proudly. He opened a drawer and brought out a neatly folded piece of paper. "I have written down our Lord's commandments. You may have a look if you did not have the vision of our Lord. Follow them with your heart."
He handed the paper to Alger. The words on the page were written clearly:
"I have returned, when the past is pardoned, I will redeem you.
"First Commandment: Thou shalt not sacrifice unto me living human sacrifices.
"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."
'This...' Alger was completely shocked as he read the list.
He had sufficient insight to understand that the old worship of the Sea God was based heavily on fear. The religion relied on the fear of powerful forces and the fearsome natural disasters mankind faced on the ocean. The old rituals retained primitive bloodshed. It was a backward faith that reveled in inhumane and uncivilized practices, something the seven Churches would eliminate sooner or later.
'Mr. Fool is a benevolent god after all!' Alger thought, staring at the paper in awe.
Looking at his awed face, Ralph laughed out loud. He narrowed his eyes and asked, "If I were to say that I received the blessings of God, would you believe me?"
'I believe it completely,' Alger answered in his mind without a single moment of hesitation.
Suppressing his intense curiosity, he asked, "What kind of blessing?"
Ralph nodded in satisfaction. He revealed a wide smile and whispered, "I received a revelation yesterday. God sent me to help 'His' young lambs.
"I intend to establish a charitable fund for this purpose.
"This is the will of God. As 'His' believer, I think you would be happy to provide some assistance."
Ralph held out his right hand and calmly waited for a donation.
Alger's expression stiffened. He was momentarily unsure of how to respond. He could still donate quite a bit if he skimped and saved his remaining funds, but it still stung.
If the Sea God was still Kalvetua, Alger would not have hesitated to find a quick excuse to refuse. But now, he had to seriously consider the deeper motives of Mr. Fool. Was this charity part of a grander plan?
Noticing Alger's hesitation, Ralph's eyes glinted like a true merchant before he spoke again. "We want to help children who are suffering from unnecessary discrimination because of their bloodline. They live a hard life, and they have very little hope. This includes pure-blooded natives, as well as mixed-bloods."
Alger was silent for a few seconds, then he pulled out a wad of cash.
"Here's 100 pounds."
Ralph took it and said with a smile, "Your kindness will definitely be rewarded.
"God will protect you."
…
AN: Next Chapters are going be Tarot Club chapters.
There is already TWO chapter ahead available on pat-reon, your support would truly mean a lot to me. Pat-reon: /DmonLord
Also, Join the discord server if you have any ideas or suggestions you'd like to share: https://discord.gg/xWBvMn6vkc