*Buzz!* The statue of the god began to rumble, divine force rippling like waves in water. It was as if it was about to come alive.
However, with the external activation not coming forth, the pendant restlessly shook a few times and then unwillingly stilled, losing its sheen.
"The divine summoning failed, huh. Apart from the divine force here, there is also the presence of the divine kingdom's coordinates and even the conscient of a god..." Leylin muttered.
At this moment, he felt an extremely bitter conscient radiating great power from the pendant, as if its rage was about to overflow.
'I'd need to worry if this was the true body, even if it's an avatar… But what's a trifling conscient like this?' Leylin harrumphed, and a Targaryen phantom appeared in his eyes.
"Hss!" The conscient of a near rank 7 descended, annihilating all signs of the conscient lingering in the pendant. Just before that conscient dissipated, the raging divine force calmed down like a wave in a tranquil sea.
"Not bad at all! The divine force contained in here could perhaps give me an unexpected surprise…" An expression of glee spread across Leylin's face.
The divine force of gods, to put it bluntly, was just a high-ranked power in a different form. It was considered venomous to others, and clerics could only receive the divine force of the gods they worshipped. However, it was all a supplement for Leylin.
'What a pity… If not for those powerful gods, I would have long since broken into many churches and robbed them of their divine force…' Leylin began his deductions.
Divine force, divinity, godfire, worshippers, divine spark; these were what the gods needed the most in increasing order.
With his current strength he could barely absorb some divinity, but it would destroy the foundations of his own cultivation. Needless to say, godfire or divine sparks were even more destructive for his body.
As for divine force? That was still well within Leylin's absorption capabilities. Moreover, Leylin had deliberately digested the divine force of certain gods. Until now, he had only managed to have chance encounters with Malar and Cyric.
These two crazy and sinisterly evil gods had overlapping domains, which laid out a foundation for Leylin's future plans.
'Looking at the divine force stored in this pendant… It should be enough to increase my spirit a little, or even balance the other aspects of my stats…' Leylin rubbed his chin. After eradicating the original conscient in the pendant, the divine force was now ownerless. Leylin could now absorb it slowly, with the greatest efficiency.
Through digesting this divine force Leylin would be able to analyse the process, helping him understand Cyric's divinity. If he met other gods of different domains, he would be able to create a whole new divinity all for himself!
'After tossing away this thing, even if this bishop managed to survive, he wouldn't have a happy ending… No! He would be even worse off after his death!' Leylin looked at the corpse on the floor and sighed.
Gods held control over the souls of their worshippers, and this was a high-ranking priest on top. Leylin hadn't completely destroyed his soul just now. Once it was inspected by the God of Death, this priest's soul would definitely be sent to Cyric's divine kingdom.
As for what punishments the cleric would receive, no more words had to be said.
"What a pitiful fellow... " Leylin was, of course, not sympathetic in the slightest bit. He quickly tossed this matter to the back of his mind.
"It seems like they were small crews roped in from Pirates' Cove. Apart from the elites of the churches, there aren't many forces would could execute something like this!" Isabel trod on the face of a pirate captain, using their robes to wipe clean the Red Dragon Sword as she grumbled.
With the activation of the bloodline, she'd also inherited a warrior-like thirst for war.
"Yes. Had they been given time to train we would've had a much bigger problem…" Leylin nodded his head in approval, very soon ordering Ronald to clean up the mess.
As dusk approached, the sky above the sea was dyed a crimson red. The entire region was littered with the remnants of broken ships and boats. Splintered masts and flags covered half the place, and not too far from that scene were many floating corpses, blood continuing to ooze and trickle from their bloated bodies.
The enormous pirate crew slowly left, leaving a trail of destruction behind them. From this day onwards, everyone would know that two epic battles were fought in this forsaken region, devastating and annihilating two giants of the seas in one stroke.
"This atmosphere and scenery… I really want to lift my voice in song…!"
*Crash! Rumble!* A figure wearing lavish noble robes descended from the sky. He exuded an aura of charisma and elegance, yet a pair of black wings spread from his back. Apart from the difference in colour, this figure looked just like an angel, with many beautiful features. However, his image was shattered the moment anyone looked into his eyes.
"That Baron Leylin… He rules the outer seas from today, eh? I really am looking forward to it…" This person was obviously Neville, but his pupils had now turned a silvery hue, with no traces of affection in them. With just one glance into his eyes, one would feel their soul turning frigid.
Neville's black wings shook slightly as they supported his weight. At this moment, this demon looked at the Scarlet Tiger ship sailing away, as he pondered deep in his thoughts. 'Strong, determined, decisive, brave…Once a soul with these qualities falls, the strength that would manifest would definitely be able to give birth to a greater devil…'
"As expected, it's a devil huh?" An indifferent voice sounded behind him, which turned made Neville freeze in his motions.
He turned his head around slowly, looking at the young noble wizard that should have left. Yet he was now floating in the air alongside him with his arms crossed, a hint of mockery flickering in his eyes.
"Hello mighty wizard, ruler of the outer seas! I am Neville, of the third hell. I hereby extend my greetings to you, with utmost respect!" After giving Leylin a once-over, Neville greeted Leylin decorously, with his right hand on his chest.
"I believe that in the future there will be a day where you'll require my services!"
"One cannot trust a deal with devils. Not to mention that you tried to lure me into a ploy… Anyone who tries to challenge me will never live past the day…" Leylin uttered his words icily, and a silver spell formation wrapped Neville up.
"Wait… I can still give you… Many things that you would not think of! Material possessions of the prime material world, authority that cannot be challenged, and also many beauties…" The silver spell formation seemed to be able to suppress devils. As his black feathers came into contact with the light barrier, they burnt up to release a charred smell.
"The promise of a devil? Hahaha…" Leylin smiled faintly, his golden pupils turning a deep hue that was darker than the abyss. The phantom of a Targaryen appeared behind him.
A terrifying devouring energy burst forth from the spell formation, completely engulfing Neville within.
"This devouring power… as well as laws… You are…!" Neville's eyes flashed with understanding, but before he could utter the truth his body vanished into the spell formation.
"The ruler of the third level of hell, the Duke of Greed… Mammon, huh?" Leylin uttered his breath and closed his eyes, relishing in the energy that he was absorbing.
[Beep! Host absorbed a large amount of energy. Agility +1, Vitality +1.] The A.I. Chip voice intoned.
Very soon, another notification appeared, and it caused Leylin to become gleeful.
[Host has devoured a devil from the third hell. Laws of devouring have been activated, obtained information on laws of greed]
"Isn't this the devouring technique of my main body?" Leylin muttered. His main body controlled the laws of gluttony, and through constantly devouring these laws he would gain a higher enlightenment of them. The devil from the third hell had enlightened him a little in that aspect.
"My main body's injuries have begun to heal faster than normal then… Its support has increased…" Leylin was elated. His stats had now changed:
[Leylin Faulen, Age: 22. Race: Human, Rank 16 Arcanist. Strength: 13. Agility: 12. Vitality: 13. Spirit: 16. Arcane Energy: 160. Status: Healthy. Feats: Sturdy, Erudite, Elementary Perfect Body. Specialties: Arcane Energy Detection, Arcane Amplification.]
"I have also absorbed some information on the laws of greed? It seems like Beelzebub was indeed one of the dukes of hell. Even after making changes to it, it is still highly adaptable to the laws from the abyss!"
Leylin gazed towards the horizon. "The outer seas are now my base, impenetrable to outside forces. Be it from hell or any divine kingdom, no threat…"
A high-level flight spell lit up, and very soon Leylin's figure was just a black dot in the distance, slowly disappearing into the horizon.
More repercussions were brewing and intensifying in the aftermath of this event...
...
In another part of the continent, in the midst of a gloomy valley.
An aura of death permeated the air, and there was a black church at the valley's center. Magical light filled the area, and even legendaries would perish within it.
Just as the bishop was about to perish, a white-browed priest raised his head in the church.
"Men!"
"Your holiness!" Several dark robed priests answered immediately with reverence in their eyes. Standing in front of them was a core member of the Church of Cyric, a legendary priest!
-x-X-x-
"Jesfano, that piece of trash. Not only did he die, he also lost the master's token…" The old man's voice was incredibly hoarse, and it held an unendurably strange tone as he pointed out an earth-shattering fact.
"What? That happened at the Dambrath outer seas?" These black-robed priests exchanged glances, seeing shock in all of their eyes.
They were unwilling to think about what had happened to Jesfano.
In the Underdark, the druid elves that angered the spider empress Lolth would turn into terrifying half-spider monsters. For Jesfano, whose soul was in the hands of his god, he would be in a worse state.
Even the black-robed priests felt sorrowful on his behalf., but it didn't last for long. The old man slowly scanned them, the whites of his eyes brightening slightly, "Jesfano was already a high-ranked priest. We'll have to dispatch a legendary to be able to find out what happened. Who's free right now?"
One of the priests muttered to himself, then continued, "Lord Shadow Mask's whereabouts are unknown now, while Crimson Eye is at the barren west. It'll be very inconvenient for them…"
"As for my own subordinates, the north is still rather unstable. A few lords have been pursuing Queen Alustriel, and there still haven't been any results…" another black-robed priest reported. This was the pain of large organisations. While their influence was spread throughout the prime material plane, it was not so simple to make use of their high-tier forces.
"How's the Cadaver Collector doing?" Since the old man had ordered this, he must have his own plans.
The last one hesitated for a while before speaking, "He has yet to complete his experiments…"
"Tell him to rush to the outer seas once he's done. I want him to skin the scalp of the sinner who had the gall to kill my master's priest!" The elderly man spoke slowly, and then knelt in front of the idol and began to pray, immovable. He was like the most solid statue himself.
The black-robed priests glanced at each other and retreated.
...
Leylin was completely clueless about the matters on the mainland, but he had his own predictions. He had returned to Port Venus undisturbed and hid in his wizard tower.
"This serenity should be maintained for a period of time. Even if the God of Murder's church wants to take revenge, the time taken for them to investigate and dispatch men should be enough for me to advance…"
Leylin was now seated in the core of the wizard tower. There were terrifying isolation runes on the walls around him, and the tower genie was strictly monitoring everything. With its help Port Venus had become the harbour with the best security. Crime rates were currently very low, which attracted even more merchants into business here.
Leylin knew very well that even more trade was coming in. That was the result of eliminating the Barbarians.
'Cousin should know that they can attack Pirates' Cove and treat that area as an eternal base…' Leylin placed the steaming cup on the table, a ruminating look on his expression, 'I never thought I would become the source and driving force of chaos in the outer sea…'
At this thought, Leylin could not help but look at the other item on the table. This was a pendant of a strange make, containing surging strength within. Yet, it had lost its own spiritual nature and turned into an enormous source of energy that anyone could use.
"Now that I've removed the conscient and sealed it, the God of Murder shouldn't be able to sense it anymore, no?" Leylin did not mention Cyric's name. This was cautiousness on a fundamental level. Just mentioning a god's name would allow them to sense things.
'The information in the Wizards' Guild stated that greater gods can obtain 15 to 18 words of information on the ones who call their truenames, regardless of where they are…' Leylin stroked his chin.
This ability was somewhat similar to a part of the abilities of great rank 9 Magi, who were capable of everything and knew everything. It was a pity that this was just a part of it, and was a unique law that had been generated specific to the World of Gods. There were far too many ways to evade it.
'Also… such a tremendous divine force… What a huge gift!' Leylin spread his fingers and began to rub on the surface of the pendant. Threads of chaotic energy had been transformed by his devouring power, becoming the purest dark gold. Leylin absorbed it unceasingly.
Leylin now had given up the vulgar method of devouring everything at one go, and had switched his method to making fine adjustments and changes continuously. While the divine force of the God of Murder was powerful, it seemed too impure, and the power of Distorted Shadow was continuously seeping in from it. What Leylin needed was to refine the purest divine force and use it on himself.
As the divine force was poured into himself, a golden mist formed around Leylin, like he was a god cast of gold.
The A.I. Chip's prompts kept sounding out. [Beep! Host has absorbed large amounts of energy essence. Determined to be a greater god's divine force. Effect similar to eternal grace from the god.]
[Host's stats have increased, Strength +1. Agility +1. Vitality +1.]
As the A.I. Chip's robotic voice sounded, Leylin felt like his body had been enhanced. Terrifying strength burst forth from all his cells.
"As expected of a greater god's divine force…" Leylin sighed with satisfaction.
"A.I. Chip, assess the value of all the divine force!" He commanded.
[Beep! Mission established. Constructing model of host's body. Beginning simulations…] The A.I. Chip loyally carried out Leylin's orders. Within seconds, it had a comprehensive conclusion.
[Beep! Preliminary results show that the pendant will be used up completely in 145h 12min. Host's average stats estimated to reach 15, will advance one rank as an arcanist.]
"Is that so? That's not bad… On top of that…" Leylin saw the A.I. Chip's prompt below. [Beep! Analysis of level 5 Weave at 100%. Host has obtained all rank 5 spell models, is now immune to forgetting spells. No materials needed to cast rank 5 spells.]
There was a new change to the A.I. Chip's interface, in the portion related to the progress on the Weave.
[Analysis of Weave: Level 0: 100%, Level 1: 100%, Level 2: 100%, Level 3: 100%, Level 4: 100%, Level 5: 100%, Level 6: 53.33%, Level 7: 34.97%.]
'So divine force is also effective at deciphering the Weave…' Leylin nodded, 'It also seems to have something to do with me becoming an arcanist. Now that I've somewhat broken away from it, the analysis has quickened quite a bit…'
Becoming an arcanist was a huge advancement for Leylin. It wasn't just a change in combat ability, he could now completely break through the Weave that limited wizards.
With the restrictions of the Weave, high-ranked wizards after rank 15 would find advancing extremely difficult, Becoming a legendary was also incomparably harsh. It was easier for legendary warriors; becoming a legendary wizard before turning three hundred would already make one extremely young!
Leylin had a feeling that, after experiencing the dusk of the gods and the rise of the Netheril Empire, the gods had consciously limited the abilities of the spellcasters and prevented them from improving and growing.
However, this did not apply to arcanists. As long as they had the theories and a foundation, as well as enough resources, there was nothing stopping arcanists from advancing! However, the difficulty for arcanists lay in constructing theories applying to the higher ranks or even legendaries. This was much harder than for wizards.
In ancient times, the difficulty in arcanists advancing far exceeded that of the wizards. But Leylin was different. His main body was a near rank 7 Magus of laws! His foundation was extremely solid for the nonlimited arcane arts. With enough capabilities, he could constantly improve.
With the recuperation of his body and restoration of his law of devouring, as well as Cyric's bishop's 'altruistic' offering, he was pushed into the fast lane of advancement.
'Only legendaries are high-end battle powers in the prime material plane. I must become a legendary as soon as possible; only then will I have the confidence and capital to separate the outer seas…' When it came to his future development and plans, Leylin practically had a complete set of steps to follow.
'Before this, I need to crack down on the faith of the natives and the various devil and demon worshippers, as well as the followers of evil gods…' Leylin got up slowly, the great energy in his body turning into terrifying streams of air in the private room.
'I'll need to alter my outer appearance. It wouldn't be fun to be misunderstood as related to the God of Murder!' With a thought, all of Leylin's divine force was converted into the purest energy. The faint golden light on his skin completely disappeared.
"Master, the guests have arrived outside the tower!" The tower genie spoke respectfully, her little face appearing at this moment.
"I'll greet them myself!" Leylin nodded.
He headed outside the wizard tower and saw the figure of Gold Priest Xena. Beside her were the priests of a few other churches, though they were only around rank 10.
"Bishop Xena, everyone else, welcome to my wizard tower!" Leylin had a cordial smile on his face. In that moment, it was as if spring had arrived and all sorts of beautiful flowers were blooming.
'This power of influence… How terrifying! What state is his spiritual force in now?' While having shock in her eyes, Xena similarly revealed a smile, "Lord Baron, you're too courteous! As guests, our gifts are lacking. This isn't good manners…"
-x-X-x-
After giving them a tour of the tower, Leylin brought the priests to the drawing room. The metallic golems arrived quickly, presenting tea and snacks in elven porcelain.
"May I know why Lord Baron invited us here?" Xena took a look at these golems that were about as strong as rank 10 Professionals, and increased Leylin's rating in her mind.
Beside her as a representative of the Goddess of Wealth's church, there were also priests from the Gods of Knowledge and Suffering. However, Xena was the highest-ranked, and the influence of the Goddess of Wealth was the greatest here. It allowed her to act on behalf of the other two.
"Before all that, I'd first like to give you two gifts!" Leylin clapped, and another golem came forward, placing two boxes in front of them. Once they were opened, a pungent smell wafted out with large amounts of lime powder. It caused Xena to furrow her brows. She slowly drew closer.
"This is…" She suddenly took several steps backwards after seeing what was inside.
"Ah…" "It's actually…"
If Xena had reacted that way, the other two priests had even larger reactions.
"Lord Leylin, are you using this to scare us?" Xena's tone was of dissatisfaction, as the box contained two sinister heads. Showing heads to these priests was no sign of goodwill.
"Hehe… I'm obviously not offending you. Please take a closer look…" Leylin had an easy smile on his face.
After confirming that Leylin would not fall out with the church of wealth, Xena endured the nausea and discomfort and began to observe the sinister faces in the box.
After taking a closer look, she found something was wrong. "Hm? This …"
The two other priests also seemed to have noticed something as well, delight showing on their expressions.
"Lord Leylin, this is…" The priest of the God of Suffering, Avdonia, began sounding unsure.
"Indeed, this is the high-ranked assassin that killed numerous men of the clergy during the Pirates' Tide."
Leylin pointed at the box on the left, "As for the one next to him, it is the bishop of the God of Murder hidden in the outer seas, Jesfano!"
"Hah… On behalf of all my comrades that met harm, I thank you!" Xena covered the boxes and sighed. The two other priests also thanked him happily.
During the Pirates' Tide, the God of Murder had dispatched his subordinates to assassinate those of godly duties without regard. This had resulted in massive losses on the gods' end. The churches that the three priests in front of Leylin represented were also included in the scope of the attacks, so it could be said that they had a feud with these two people.
The fact that Leylin had given them these two heads as gifts made them rather pleased.
"Well then… What does Lord Leylin wish to speak about?" The priest that had come in the bishop of the God of Knowledge's stead was one that looked like an elderly scholar. The man called Salilus questioned Leylin with an intelligent glint in his eyes. After hearing his words, Xena and Avdonia focused on Leylin.
"Actually, these two heads were surprises that I obtained when exterminating the notorious Barbarians…" Leylin explained slightly.
"The Barbarians? You mean the culprit that started the Pirates' Tide causing heavy casualties in the outer seas? They've been wiped out?" Xena was rather surprised, while Leylin snickered inside.
By defaming the Barbarians over the long term, especially with the king's announcement, the Barbarians were now complete criminals. There was no way to absolve themselves of this reputation.
"Mm. They weren't just pirates, they were connected with the God of Murder's church!" Leylin declared, which then earned him flattery reserved for young heroes from Salilus.
"But…" When Leylin continued however, his tone completely changed, which made the three priests aware that Leylin was about to come to the main point.
"I believe that the outer seas as they are right now are in urgent need of a purge of faith in evil gods. This applies especially to those pirates and natives…" Leylin spoke in a low voice, his true intentions now revealed.
"A purge of faith?" The three of them exchanged glances in their surprise.
"Yes, a purge!" Leylin nodded resolutely.
While he treated the outer seas as his trump card, he could not offend all of the gods. Cyric and Malar's reputations were rotten to the core, so that didn't matter, but the few churches on Faulen Island needed to be roped in to his side. They could be considered as the Faulen Family's natural allies.
As for the unlucky bishop of the God of Murder, Leylin was sorry to say that he could only be treated as just another stepping stone.
"Also… when it comes to dealing blows to the devils and demons, there are many ways we can cooperate in the future. I myself have come up with many new spell formations to detect demons and devils…" Leylin looked extremely furious.
Getting the favour of the good faction via proclaiming his wish to attack the devils and demons was a part of his plan. He could keep subduing them in the shadows to expand his strength, which made it like killing two birds with one stone.
"Oh? Please allow us to discuss this for a while…" Xena looked towards the priests beside her and answered, finding herself put in a spot.
From Leylin's actions, it was apparent that he was making a declaration to dominate the outer seas. Most importantly, with the annihilation of the Barbarians and uprooting the God of Murder's church, there now seemed to be no other opposing forces on the sea.
As those of the clergy, they would first have to consider the benefits to their churches. Everything else was secondary.
Unifying the outer sea and cracking down on faith in evil gods and devils was unquestionably beneficial for the gods they had faith in. Of course, this was only if they stood on the same side as Leylin and worked together with him.
'He has the ability to destroy the Barbarians in secret… Seems like the rumours that the Faulen Family has control over the Scarlet Tigers is true…' Xena glanced at Leylin, who was all smiles, and pondered over this.
'With huge armed fleets on the surface and a pirate group in the shadows, as well as huge trade benefits and shipping routes supporting him, it is undeniable that he shall be king of the outer seas. Rejecting his goodwill at this time is very unfavourable to the goddess' upcoming plans…'
Xena was actually very unwilling to see a single organisation becoming the dictator of the outer seas. She would rather this region be a place for free trade. However, she was currently left without choice.
The moment she infuriated a large organisation like this capable of unifying the outer seas, there would be a huge blow to trades in this region. This was also disadvantageous to the spread of faith in the Goddess of Wealth. Xena kept weighing her options.
'But… attacking the evil gods, devils and demons?' Xena shot Leylin a glance. While she had no clue what he was actually thinking, doing this meant she could tell what faction Leylin was in. At the very least, he was not on opposing ends with the Goddess of Wealth.
"In this regard... Please give me some time, my Lord. I need to discuss this with other members before I can make a decision!" While she already had a general inclination to agree, Xena still answered this way.
"The same goes for us." At the other side, Salilus and Avdonia gave the same answer.
"Of course! This is just my intent. My family also has no plans of sending out troops on a large scale as of yet…" Leylin knew that these priests needed the permissions of their churches and even gods, which was why he didn't pressure them. Whatever it was, this would be beneficial to them. He was sure that those with foresight could see this.
"As for the new detection spell and spell formations that you mentioned…" Before leaving, Xena displayed her strong interest in what Leylin had mentioned.
"Those are things I put research into and created unwittingly. They're about half a fold more effective than ancient detection techniques, and the same goes for the range!" Leylin spoke indifferently, but that only caused the priests' eyes to glint.
Demons and devils were the most hated beings in the prime material plane of the World of Gods! Altars and spells that could detect and distinguish them, especially those as effective and with as large a range as Leylin had said, were definitely the dreams of the churches.
"To be able create new spells alone… I was actually doubtful of my Lord's talent in spells, but my doubts have been set aside." The priest of the God of Knowledge, Salilus, spoke with conviction.
Even if it was the simplest distinguishing and detection spells, being able to create a whole new spell model meant that Leylin's knowledge in terms of spells had reached a very profound level. Wizards like these were more capable of reaching the realm of legendaries. This was how it was recorded in many documents. Leylin had exhibited his abilities here, and Salilus could not help but brighten up.
"Many thanks for the praise. I can discuss matters related to this more comprehensively if you wish to!" Leylin was, on the surface, still a follower of Oghma. Naturally, he had to give this bishop preferential treatment, as well as give the other two some pressure.
"Of course, of course!" Salilus nodded with his eyes wide, while the other two looked wary.
After sending the three priests away, Leylin strolled back to his room.
'There aren't anymore issues in persuading them…' he thought, 'I'll have a reason to purge the outer seas and call for help. All that's left is to make preparations…'
By purging the faith of the natives in the outer seas and stealing their soul strength, he could constantly advance, speeding up his contact with the legendary realm. In the meanwhile, he could also expunge the devils and demons. This was Leylin's main plan that would never change!
-x-X-x-
Faulen Island, the basement of the wizard tower. Within the negative energy pool.
This was a place where wizards conducted taboo experiments, with dimensional spell formations specifically to summon demons and devils. Hence, a powerful binding formation was an essential protective measure for this place.
Researching demons and devils! Obviously, once priests or paladins found out, he would become a wanted man, a sinner that all the humans would call out.
It was a pity that most high-ranked wizards had to make use of negative energy to advance. There were few who followed some lesser-known paths. After becoming a legendary wizard, those madmen might even completely disregard the gods and brazenly go against their ban, becoming involved in the domain of arcane spells.
In the eyes of those strictly forbidden scholars, the gods were merely a group of powerful wizards. Who exactly was up there was a function of luck and one's birth.
Due to their pursuit of truth and their research, wizards often harboured thoughts of becoming treacherous, and were hated by the gods to the bone. They had then done all they could to create the Weave in order to limit the spellcasters.
Unfortunately, even with the annihilation of Netheril and the crippling of most wizards through the Weave, legendary wizards still walked the path of doubting the gods. The immense pressure they exerted caused even more vigorous backlash, which was in a way very ironic.
"A dimensional summoning spell formation? While I can only summon beings from various planes within the crystal sphere, it's still not bad…" Leylin now stood at the edge of a spell formation with various runes drawn all over it, possessing an inquiring look on his face.
After sending the three priests away, he focused entirely on research in arcane spells. He was already a rank 16 arcanist, and it was obvious that he would perform practical experiments in this area.
"There seems to be a very powerful limitation in summoning spells within the World of Gods. There are also different factions. Of course… anyone can summon demons, as long as they are controlled well after that…" Leylin murmured to himself and activated the runes on the spell formation.
"Though it's my first time using this, I guess I'll summon demons. After all, I've gotten familiar with devils, but haven't gotten the chance to observe demons myself…"
Demon summoning! As this was the first time, Leylin had not planned to summon a particularly powerful demon. However, after casting the spell, he suddenly found his spiritual force connecting with a large, deep, dark and chaotic plane.
"Is this the abyss? This power of space and chaos…" The abyss was currently known to have hundreds of layers, and most of it was definitely undiscovered.There were even rumours that the ninth level of hell had initially been part of the abyss and been separated.
With Leylin's current spiritual force, it was impossible for him to advance too far into the abyss, even with spells and spell formations supporting him. He could only tour the surface layers.
"Mm! There's a confusing and chaotic soul aura here, but it feels infinitely tiny. This should be a type of abyssal worm. That's too weak… But then this one is too powerful. I think it's approaching the rank of legendary. Everything is so different… I give up…"
With his fine spiritual force control, Leylin had more choices than other wizards. Finally, after a generally searching the area, he found his target, "A powerful soul aura and a strength that isn't too strong or too weak. It's you! Summon!"
The planar coordinates locked onto the target, and Leylin saw a teleportation gate opening. A strange, terrifying demon was teleported over.
*Kukaka!* What entered Leylin's sights was a huge demon that looked more like a bald eagle on two legs. It was completely naked and had large wings on its back, the disgusting red chicken skin evident. Its human arms were tipped by incredibly sharp claws.
It did not hesitate to attack once it saw Leylin. The bloodlust, chaos and insanity within the soul caused his eyes to widen slightly.
"This should be a Vrock! While evolved from abyssal worms, it should be considered a mid-ranked demon! On top of that… this amount of chaos and level of attack… Hmph!"
Leylin huffed, the binding spell formation he had prepared beforehand flickered with dazzling light. Tens of lightning rays formed a huge prison. The Vrock's talons clashed with the electricity, and it immediately caused a huge sound. Large amounts of black flames began to blaze within, causing even the Vrock to retreat pitifully. There was finally some fear in its eyes.
"This guy only knows to be tough on the weak but is afraid when treated harshly!" Leylin shook his head, his right index finger pressing on his temple, "A.I. Chip, scan it and gather data!"
[Beep! Mission established. Beginning scan.] The A.I. Chip loyally carried out Leylin's commands. Soon enough, a 3D scan appeared in front of Leylin, detailing its stats.
[Name unknown. Race: Vrock (Tanar'ri) Strength: 16 Agility: 17 Vitality: 15 Spirit: 13 Feats: 1. Demon Skin 2. Flight 3. Corrosive Aura 4. Ability similar to magic. Description: This is a mid-rank demon. There is chaos and evil of the abyss in its very soul. Unless its mind is controlled, one will definitely be met with a powerful counterattack.]
'It's the model of a high-ranked professional, and its stats in all areas surpass them!' Leylin evaluated dully, and then saw its faction lights and soul temperament. 'What kind of insane and chaotic soul is this! It even has such an evil feeling…'
It had to be said that while he'd heard of this before, actually meeting one had Leylin losing completely hope in demons.
"They're just a bunch of evil lunatics with power in their hands!" After seeing its temperament, Leylin finally understood why the demons kept losing in the bloody battles with devils. While they were all evil existences, these beings that hid within chaos were just unworthy of his attention.
"The chaotic temperament from the abyss? Where is this coming from?" Leylin had a searching look in his eyes. He observed the Vrock trapped by the binding formation, the intense gaze causing even the insane demon to feel some fear.
"I don't have much time, but I do have patience for my first specimen!" Leylin had an apathetic expression as a small, silver surgical knife and other tools suddenly appeared in his hands.
...
"While the flesh itself is filled with a filthy power of chaos, the temperament of demons seems to be rooted in the soul itself…" The laboratory was now completely empty, and there were only bloodstained bits of bone left here. Some creature's last wails seemed to linger in the area, filling the place with a frightening aura.
However, this did not affect Leylin at all. After washing away the blood and dirt on his hands, he focused on studying the potion in the test tube he held. A dark red liquid could be seen in the test tube, a dark light within shining with varying amounts of intensity as he shook the tube. It seemed evil and frightening.
'This is the potion that was made from extracting the demon's energy. A.I. Chip!' Leylin's eyes twinkled as he ordered.
[Beep! Item Name: Middle Demon Potion. Effect: Raises vitality and strength of all beings below 10 points by 1 point. For those with these stats below 15 points, vitality and strength increases by 0.5. Ineffective for all professionals above rank 15. Description: This is a potion with powerful demonic energy. Drink it if strength is desired, although be fearless of the corruption to your soul. You might fall to the abyss forever.]
"Not a bad result. What a pity…" Leylin sighed. While this potion was pretty good at boosting his underlings' strength, the demonic corruption that would result was a huge issue. If he wanted to continue working in the prime material plane, then his underlings could not be a group of demons!
However, his underlings could not be too weak either. He was preparing to nurture talents for the church he would build.
"What a bother! While I'm unafraid of such corruption, it won't be the same for others…" Leylin muttered, "I need to adjust the soul to remove the corruption, which would increase the costs too much. This can only be used as a reward, and not an ordinary potion to be passed down…"
'And… the abyss?' Leylin stroked his chin, recalling that mighty surge of chaos he had felt before.
'Chaos is a rather powerful law. After grasping it, I might even be able to command strength even more powerful than greater gods and work together with the abyss. Unfortunately, it doesn't suit me at all… I should head to the abyss and hell after becoming legendary to take a look.'
With Leylin's abilities, the abyss and hell were good choices to reincarnate in. However, Leylin had pondered over this and then given up. Compared to the prime material plane, these two areas were far too dangerous. There were battles everywhere and basically no peace whatsoever.
Right after reincarnating, Leylin would be at his weakest. How could he gamble on this?
"Even if I wanted to try my luck, would I, an invader, still be cared for by the World Will?" Leylin had a feeling that even while the World Will was in a deep sleep, its malicious intent towards Magi would not disappear so easily.
However, with his law of devouring, he would certainly be able to let his talents shine if he were to enter the abyss and hell. Leylin had no hesitations when it came to that!
-x-X-x-
Within a dim room. Powerful golden divine force was raging like stormy waves as it gushed out of a small statue. It was then absorbed by a huge black vortex in mid-air. Completely transformed, a pure energy gathered at the body of a quiet figure sitting there.
Powerful divine force condensed to form a faint figure of light, a thread of divinity sparkling as it emerged.
'The analysis of divine force has slowly given me information over divinity…' Leylin pondered over this. In the eyes of Magi, this so-called godhood was merely an elementary understanding of the power of laws.
A true god had comprehended one law completely. From there, one would ignite their godfire to join the ranks of the other true gods, a process improving comprehension of laws as they grasped them.
"But… The World of Gods has unique rules of their own. With the power of faith, comprehension of the laws can be hastened. The power of laws possessed after becoming a true god can also be boosted through faith. With the comprehension of laws as the core, one can rob or present this divinity that comes from faith…"
It was extremely difficult for the inhabitants of the World of Gods to surpass the limitations on their own bodies and obtain divinity. Unless one was lucky enough to get into the good graces of the gods or pick up a divine weapon with divinity hidden inside, this was basically impossible.
However, having already grasped the true essence of laws, Magi didn't find it too difficult to create divinity as long as they had enough materials.
'Honestly speaking, divine force is actually the material to form divinity. It takes other gods too much energy to transform it, to the point that they're unwilling to do so…' Leylin studied the statue in his hands. The divine force within was almost completely depleted.
"Even with all the divine force stored inside being able to raise my average stats, I still can't form any real divinity…" Leylin muttered to himself. After absorbing all the divine force within the statue, his strength had improved just a bit. He now had a better understanding of Cyric's godly duties and domain, but he still could not condense divinity. This was not an issue in technique, but just that there weren't enough pure ingredients.
By his estimation, he would require all the divine force from a god's avatar to condense the divinity he needed.
"Eliminating an avatar?" Leylin stroked his chin, beginning to ponder over the feasibility of this matter.
It wasn't possible for a god to descend on the prime material plane in their true body. Their personifications were at most high-ranked legendaries and saints, about as strong as rank 5 or 6 Magi. They would also lose their holiness, and could therefore be killed.
Of course, even the avatar wasn't someone Leylin could deal with easily.
'I completely understand Cyric's divine force…' Leylin reflected, 'With multiple domains like murder, massacres, conspiracies, and death, he has entered the ranks of the greater gods. An avatar from him would be the cream of the crop…'
In Leylin's eyes, however, of all of Cyric's laws, the only ones Leylin found worthy were those of massacre and death. These two domains were very formidable, and they were what Cyric had relied on to enter the ranks of the greater gods.
It would take a tremendous amount of divine force to condense a divinity in these domains.
'Even if he's gone insane, this is still far too difficult… I should change my target…'
Ever since Leylin had started out here, he had only offended two gods; the God of the Hunt, Malar, and the God of Murder, Cyric. This had naturally been done after some pondering. As the path he had chosen caused conflict with these two gods, becoming hostile was obvious.
'Malar is only a lesser god, and his avatar would be easier to deal with. I don't want anything to do with his domain of hunting, but it won't be hard to transform it into a divinity in massacres…'
Only middle gods and above in the World of Gods could transform divinity between similar fields. However, any rank 8 Magus could do so. This was the result of differences in comprehending laws.
With Leylin's temperament, those benevolent and honest roles meant nothing to him. Not only was his soul unsuitable for that, it would also pollute his path to becoming a rank 8 Magus. Hence, he had few choices.
With research on ancient Magi like Distorted Shadow, he now had a better understanding of his own path.
'My path is definitely inclined towards 'evil' for this world. Will I completely walk the path of a rebel?' Leylin stroked his chin, 'Based on the novels from my previous world, rebels never lead good lives. That's rather… interesting…'
'But… the power of devils will definitely gives rise to massacres and death. That's rather fitting…' The corner of Leylin's lips suddenly turned up in an evil smile.
He did not fear sin on his path to eternity, nor did he mind grasping evil laws.
*Boom!* At this moment, the miniature statue in his hands exploded. His continued absorption over this period of time had completely exhausted the divine force within.
"Is it depleted already?" Leylin closed his eyes. The cells all over his body greedily absorbed this pure energy that had been transformed, and there was even a huge improvement on a genetic level. At this moment, the A.I. Chip's robotic voice sounded.
[Beep! Host has absorbed pure energy. Effect similar to eternal grace from the god. Strength +1, Agility +2, Vitality +1, Spirit +1.]
[Host's spiritual force has broken through, rank increasing. Host is now a rank 17 arcanist. Arcane Energy +10.]
[Obtained spell slots: rank 8(1), rank 7(1), rank 6(1), rank 5(1)]
All his stats had now exceeded 15. Power erupted in Leylin's body, and it felt as if every cell was dancing in elation as if they had broken through their shackles.
[Beep! Host's stats have all reached 15. Feat Elementary Perfect Body has become Intermediate Perfect Body.] The A.I. Chip's prompt continued to show.
Afterwards, the explanation of the Perfect Body feat was refreshed. [Intermediate Perfect Body. Host's genes have been optimised. Characteristics of exemplary beings has been strengthened, and host has obtained mid-rank resistance to toxins, fire, cold, and corrosion. Endurance in varying environments has been increased by large degree.]
Leylin's stats changed. [Leylin Faulen. Age: 22. Race: Human, Rank 17 Arcanist. Strength: 15. Agility: 15. Vitality: 15. Spirit: 17. Arcane Energy: 170 Status: Healthy. Feats: Sturdy, Erudite, Intermediate Perfect Body. Specialties: Arcane Energy Detection, Arcane Amplification.]
[Spell Slots: Rank 8(1), Rank 7(3), Rank 6(6), Rank 5(???), Rank 4(???), Rank 3(???), Rank 2(???), Rank 1(???), Rank 0(???)]
[Analysis of Weave: Level 0 100%, Level 1 100%, Level 2 100%, Level 3 100%, Level 4 100%, Level 5 100%, Level 6 53.33%, Level 7 34.97%. Level 8 0.11%.]
'So all of the divine force and demon potions recently have allowed me to rise to this point?' Leylin nodded, looking satisfied.
The rise in his arcanist ranking allowed him to reduce the consumption needed for arcane spells. Besides for rank 9 arcane spells, he would not need to pay any price at all. The rise in his wizard ranking also allowed him to obtain a rank 8 spell slot, which was pretty good.
"And then… Intermediate Perfect Body?"
Leylin wondered about this. The advancement in his perfect body meant he was transforming into a higher-grade lifeform. Once he became a legendary, he would probably get a Greater Perfect Body or even Legendary Perfect Body as his feat.
"Even those old legends must have endured long periods of training to improve their stats, allowing them to possess a Legendary Perfect Body. However, at the rate that I'm improving, my feat with the Perfect Body alone after becoming a legendary would allow me to catch up to legendaries who have been amassing strength for so long…"
"Also, a powerful vessel would allow me to make preparations to take on more power!" Leylin had a feeling that once his Perfect Body reached the legendary domain, there would be huge advantages to absorbing divinity and even igniting his godfire to become a god.
"Whether it's the remaining evil organisations in the outer seas or dealing with the God of Murder, all this would require me harnessing great power…" The Faulen Family might have become a king of the outer seas, but lacked the power to completely control the situation!
Only by quickly becoming a legendary could he fearlessly take on the attack from the God of Murder's church, and therefore make the outer seas a solid foundation for him to become a god.
"My speed of advancement is already very fast. If I want to continue, the only method would be making use of the faith of the natives in the outer seas…"
-x-X-x-
Leylin's progress slowed once he became a rank 17 arcanist. He performed experiments on negative energy and other planes everyday within his wizard tower, and occasionally taught some apprentices. He led a leisurely life.
As he possessed crucial techniques and strength, he was not in the least bit anxious. And just as he expected, others could no longer hold themselves back.
"Lord Baron… Were you really the one to create these three spells? Detect Demon, Detect Domain, and Sense Devil?"
Xena did not seem to be in the best mental state. There were dark bags under her beautiful eyes, and it was apparent that she hadn't had a good rest in a long time. For her, this was something unthinkable.
"Yes!" Leylin answered with a smile, and he then saw Xena's eyes that were full of shock and astonishment that she could not hide.
"The many gods will definitely notice your contributions to the World of Gods!" After obtaining an affirmation, Xena immediately guaranteed.
This was because Leylin's invention was far too astounding.
Even if the paladins had spells like Detect Evil, its categories and scope were far too narrow. After personal testing, Xena found that the spell models that Leylin provided far exceeded the detection methods from before, whether in terms of accuracy or scope.
The effect it would have on the operation of dealing with demons and devils was obvious.
Xena's eyes were now full of fervor as she watched Leylin. If she could offer up these techniques to her goddess' church, she might even have the confidence to compete the next 'Holy Coin' church election!
"I've always had zero tolerance for evil organisations!" Leylin's experiment showed how 'righteous' he was, but he was snorting away inside.
He himself was half an Archdevil, so making a few techniques to detect devils was far too easy. Having met a high-ranked person from their faction, being betrayed and sold out was just the devils and demons being down on their luck.
With this, Leylin could also show his resolution in his faction.
Of course, as the person who created these detection techniques, Leylin had long since come up with their respective defences and counter spells. Of course, he had given all those to his own devil underlings.
'It's wonderful to use another's strength to eliminate your enemies…' Leylin assessed to himself, 'If these spells grow widespread, then all the devils and demons hiding in the mainland will face heavy losses. It'll be a chance for my worshippers of gluttony…'
Thankfully, Xena had no idea of what Leylin was thinking, or else she'd definitely attack him.
"But I can only sell the spell scrolls and alchemic items related to this to you. The basic spell model has to be kept a secret. At the moment, I will only be selling them to you three and your churches," Leylin's next words caused Xena's expression to change.
"After all… my Faulen Family is merely a small power that's unable to go against the devil and demon forces of the whole continent. You wouldn't wish for our Faulen Family to be massacred by violent devils and demons, would you?" Leylin watched Xena, looking helpless. While this Gold Bishop's expression changed, she still had no choice but to acknowledge this.
Even Xena had no confidence to say that the church of wealth would definitely protect the Faulen Family, because this was impossible.
Those devils and demons definitely did not care for the Goddess of Wealth.
"Mm, alright. You will also need to swear that you will never leak news that I am the seller!" Leylin spoke seriously. While dealing blows to devils and demons was good, he did not want to invite trouble. This was why it was necessary to take all these steps as well.
Most importantly, there was a limit to the spell scrolls and alchemic items that he was selling, so that the effect could be regulated. With the ability of Magi and arcanists to seal things, Leylin was confident that he could press this advantage for over a century. Even a legendary wizard would not be able to decrypt his spell models.
In addition, with his 'pitiful' speed, there was a limit to the spell scrolls he could make. Part of the time was also needed to be spent on research. Hence, the actual damage to the demons was rather slight.
Based on his speculations, being able to wipe them out of the Dambrath Kingdom within a decade was something very amazing.
This would prevent certain powerful demons and devils from being driven to action in their desperation. With such a long period of time, they would have the time to come up with plans and deal with it.
By selling this stuff, he could also rope in the three churches. He'd already considered the possibility of them joining hands to pressure him. Firstly, the three of them were in the lawful good faction, and would never use sinister methods. With their three gods controlling each other, he would also have the chance to benefit from them all.
Only a legendary, with decisive power in the prime material plane, would be a sufficient foundation to protect the interests and safety of his organisation.
"... I understand… After this, I'll contact the other two churches." Xena gave Leylin a look, having thought of many things in that instance, "Our church of wealth is very much in favour of the Faulen Family expanding in the outer seas!"
"Thank you very much! Oh, I've already prepared the specific spell scrolls. The price is ten thousand gold kronas, so please come and get it anytime!" Leylin smiled winningly like an unscrupulous businessman. The church of wealth had money after all, and who was he to say no to that? They were more than capable of paying for this.
...
After the exchange of benefits and agreement, the Faulen Family's inclination of unifying the outer seas was unstoppable. They'd already subdued other, smaller nobles, so they met no opposition on that front. The rest were like Marquis Tim of the Gold Thornblossoms, too afraid to oppose this.
After seeing the three churches standing by the Faulen Family, he was already scared shitless. Tim knew how ruthless Leylin was. He had dared massacred the Baltic archipelago, and after gaining support from the churches he was fearless. If Tim had the courage to fight back, he would end up in an even worse state than the old Marquis. He was a smart man, and obviously made the right choice.
In that moment, the outer seas belonged to the Faulen Family's to do as they wished. Only the ships that had the family's flags could move around in the outer seas uninhibited.
Recently, there were even rumours that Tim and his band of nobles were planning to petition to the Dambrath King to consider the Faulen Family's expansion and 'outstanding contributions', in hopes to raise Leylin's feudal rank and give him more land.
With all the troubles on the surface dealt with, Leylin focused his attentions on what was going on in the shadows.
"There are actually only two forces in the dark world of the Dambrath outer seas. One is the evil force with the pirates in power, but with the annihilation of the Barbarians, they now pose no threat. The other is the native islands with their faith in evil gods…"
Using a conjured water mirror, Leylin was now deep in a frank conversation with his cousin Isabel.
She had already completely taken over Pirates' Cove and turned it into the Scarlet Tigers' base. It could be said that the fall of Pirates' Cove meant that the outer seas' pirate world had been unified. There would no longer be any forces on the sea that could match the Scarlet Tigers.
"Also… The native tribes' belief in the evil gods is something very troublesome. They are rather ignorant, greedy, and savage, and believe in natural spirits. They rely on beings with great might to shelter them, and become a huge threat to passing ships…"
As the noble child of a merchant of the seas, Leylin had long since gotten a deep understanding of these native tribes. Even if the Dambrath Kingdom had entered an age of discovery in the seas and gone through generations of migration, there were still few 'civilised people' in the outer seas than natives.
It was said that further into the deep seas, there was a large continent where an empire built by the natives existed!
Hence, in order to completely unify the outer seas, he could not let go of these natives' tribes, especially since they had natural spirits that had formed after hundreds or even a thousand years worth of offerings.
These primitive totems had, with years of faith from the natives, obtained immense strength. Possessing divinity or even igniting divine flames was nothing special from them.
"I hope you can head the elimination of the native tribes in the outer seas, in the regions that we know of." Leylin spoke to Isabel through the communicator.
He now somewhat had a group of underlings with reasonable strength, and there were some things he did not have to do himself. In that sense, he'd turned from a pawn into the player.
In order to truly leap out of the chessboard, he'd at least need legendary strength. To take part in the games of the gods, he would need to be a member!
"Make records of all the natural spirits and totems with legendary strength and above, and also the native tribes that believe in the Goddess of the Ocean. Let them off temporarily." Leylin had consistently been taking advantage of the weaker ones and afraid to go head on with the powerful. Nothing changed here.
"I understand!" As a senior pirate, Isabel knew full well the terror that the Ocean Goddess could inflict. There were many amongst her own men that followed her. Once she was provoked in the ocean, then one would only be engulfed by boundless storms.
Isabel could even imagine that once she ordered those pirates to attack the Ocean Goddess' church or altar, those pieces of trash would collapse in their fear.
-x-X-x-
"First ensure the safety of the shipping routes. If there are those you can't deal with, make a record of them and leave them to me!" Leylin went through things to take note of and then ended the communication.
"With the expansion of the outer seas, there should still be many left even after eliminating those too powerful or with powerful backings." Leylin's eyes glinted with wit, immediately recalling the barbarian altar from before.
"I don't need that many. As long as I find around 10 of the natives' sacrificial areas like that of the barbarian tribe, the accumulated energy should be enough for me to advance and even get close to the realm of legendaries…"
Leylin willed it, and the outer seas immediately grew lively. With the Scarlet Tigers taking the lead, numerous pirates yelled out as they swept through the native islands close to important shipping routes.
Besides those with powerful backers or the protection of powerful beings, basically all the native tribes were purged. Most of the adult males in these tribes were killed, while the rest were turned into slaves.
With abundant supplies, the price of native slaves in the outer seas fell steeply by 50%, causing many slave traders to go bankrupt. Of course, in this whole disturbance, the Faulen Family made use of prompt news and abundant resources to gulp down much of the share in the sales of the slaves.
With such a storm, the little businesses could only be crowded out. The true big shots would use these methods to massacre the market and remove all competitors in their way. They could then monopolise the market.
Leylin could be said to be very familiar with this. With the war, all sorts of loot and slaves were shipped to the Faulen Island. There were even totems and ritual items for evil gods here, which actually helped Leylin to learn a great deal.
Within these items were some form of power of faith. Leylin found this useful. Through these years of hard work, the power he held gradually took shape. He need not bother himself with many things, because his underlings would take the initiative and do everything well.
This was the advantage of being the master of a large organisation.
'No wonder even gods would create churches and work hard to operate them. While they look like saints, the intent behind it is rather similar…' Leylin found that he now had a better understanding of the methods of the gods. Afterwards, however, something snapped him out of his thoughts.
*Ka-cha! Ka-cha!* The faint sounds of shattering could be heard from Leylin's shirt tail, causing his expression to change.
Leylin reached down and came up with several fragments from a crescent shape ruin. This was supposed to be a complete crystal, but had now shattered into numerous tiny pieces. The luster on it dimmed in an instant.
"Is there trouble?" Leylin's eyes did not waver as he mumbled. This was a communication rune he had made especially for his cousin, which could bypass most spatial separation.
This sudden alert meant that Isabel had met with a very problematic issue on the outer seas. She had no choice but to cut off all communications, a desperate step.
"Send down the message that I'll be leaving for a period of time" Leylin told the tower genie dully. The intellectual core quickly understood Leylin and carried out his order. Ernest headed to his drawing room directly.
"Why are you leaving now? Don't you know that our experiment has reached a crucial stage? Oh! Also, the trade of your family is the best it can be! Poor Leon needs to calculate bills all the way till deep in the night everyday…" Ernest spoke, as if blaming Leylin.
"We can set the experiment aside. Anyway, those gem kelp that we were observing need another two years until they have fully matured. There's also nothing to worry about with the family business. If anything happens, look for my father, Baron Jonas. The churches will also help you as much as they can!"
Leylin rolled his shoulders back.
"Fine… Seems like you've made up your mind. Can you tell me why?" Ernest looked curious, "Let me guess… it's… for a woman? Am I right? Only beautiful girls could make someone of your age more boyish…"
"What do you mean by 'more boyish'?" Leylin stared at him, speechless.
He was most worried about the Scarlet TIgers that he'd established suffering a huge blow. The safety of his cousin Isabel was also of utmost importance. Of course, she was a beautiful woman, but this had nothing to do with what Ernest was talking about.
"Oh, teenagers… don't worry… I'll explain to your father!" Ernest winked suggestively at Leylin, a suspicious look on his face.
"Fine, fine." Leylin shook his head and walked out. He had a feeling that Master Ernest must have noticed something, and everything he was doing was on purpose!
...
At the same time, a blazing fireball was launched from the Red Dragon Sword. In that instant, all the thorny vines wiggling in the air were burnt to ashes.
"It's the seventeenth time!" Isabel huffed, though her gaze was still strong, "Everyone, retreat to the cave. Quick!"
Red Dragon Transformation! Dragon Breath! Following that, Isabel unhesitatingly activated her bloodline force and turned into a half-dragon with fiery-red scales and a pair of large wings extending from her back.
The heated conical flames formed a triangular blank space. A few natives who could not evade in time were struck by the flames, and became huge chunks of ashes.
"Damn it, there's something wrong with this tribe!" As she guided the surviving men into the cave, Isabel cursed and grabbed a black rock by the side of the cave.
This operation had started swimmingly. The tribe they were going to wipe out did not have the protection of true gods like the Goddess of the Ocean. There were also no legendary natural spirits and totems here, so they were rather weak.
However, just as Isabel prepared to destroy the huge tribe in one go and make all of them slaves, a series of unthinkable things happened.
This tribe actually had relations with the rumoured native empire, and they had coincidentally met with their support forces! At the thought of the unpredictable killings in the forest, Isabel turned glum.
The black rock in her hand produced noises before ultimately shattering, turning into fragments of lime and sprinkling everywhere.
Such a violent scene immediately caused the pirates to shrink back, afraid that her palm would arrive at their heads next.
This was the most solid greenstone! Through the polishing and corrosion of an unceasing water flow, it had grown lustrous and hard. It felt indestructible, but it was like white bread in her hands.
"Pfft, a bunch of cowards!" Isabel disdainfully turned back. With her remodelling as a bloodline Warlock and the fusion with the legendary dragon's blood, her power was increasing by the day.
By using the Dragon King's Mystic Might meditation technique, Isabel could sense her strength was increasing. It was as if a dragon resided in her body! If not for her underlings dragging her down, she would find it easy to break out of here alone.
"The signal has already been sent out. Hmph! Once Leylin's here, I'm going to burn these disgusting monkeys to death!" The sword in Isabel's hand glimmered with light. Crimson qi immediately destroyed numerous tropical trees, revealing the elite native warriors and their summoned creatures.
They were now in a gigantic tropical rainforest, and there were native tribal warriors everywhere. What attracted Isabel's attention the most were actually the elite warriors from the empire.
'Based on their dialect, the reinforcements are the Forest Hunters and Amazon Warriors?' Isabel recalled the information she had obtained before.
The system of Professionals in the World of Gods was huge. Besides the most common warriors, thieves, and so on, there were countless other hidden professions, such as the arcanists.
There could even be systems of power from the dark era in remote regions.
The native empire had their own system of professions, which Isabel thought to be a normal occurrence.
'I just don't know if there are gods in the empire of natives.' Isabel suddenly considered this. While they were base and lazy, and the power of faith they offered less pure than even that of regular people, the amount was still pretty good.
If they could find a new continent with the native empire with no gods, then even a god would go green in envy!
*Rustle!* The natives that had been scared off by Isabel's attack shrank back, while Isabel looked on every corner of the battlefield. A slender figure soon appeared behind a broad-leaved tree.
"How is it, Karen? Have you found their commander?" Isabel asked without hesitation.
"No!" This was the pirates' scouting captain, the half-drow Karen. She was shaking her head regretfully, "The leader is very vigilant and seems to have great anti-detection abilities. I can't find their core…"
"Damn it! We can only wait for reinforcements…" Isabel sighed. She began to feel deeply uncomfortable at the thought of being unable to complete Leylin's mission, though she couldn't quite tell why.
-x-X-x-
Numerous elite natives formed a heavily-guarded defensive line within the tropical rainforest. Behind them were several crudely constructed tents.
Based on the traditions of the natives, these tents were adorned with colourful feathered decorations on the surface, as well as some runes smeared on with fresh blood.
"Has Special Envoy Agigikro caught them yet?" asked a native who was evidently their leader. He wore a large golden crown on his head, but looked rather slender, almost bony; it was a stark difference. This man was currently watching another white-browed native.
This native called Agigikro had evidently experienced much over many years. His eyes showed his wisdom, and he was half a head taller than the leader, which showed that he had been raised in a more nourishing environment.
"They are very powerful followers of another religion. The elite Forest Hunters and Amazon Warriors that I brought couldn't even take a blow from that monster in human form! To force them to come here, I've already lost 27 elite warriors…"
Agigikro was evidently not this leader's subordinate, and his tone made him sound like they were on equal terms.
"Also… I've only come here to accept offerings to the empire and had no intentions of taking part in this!"
After seeing that this envoy was beginning to get mad, the native chief grew restless, "But… With these outsiders and those of another religion around, my island is now getting increasingly unsafe. My people are losing their lands. If you weren't here, I might have chosen to abandon this place and find a land that those blue-eyed ones can't see…"
Seeing that his complaints and chattering did nothing to convince Agigikro and only made him more enraged, the head wrung his hands and looked to be in pain, "Fine… Fine… To thank you for your help, my friend, I can offer you some things privately. They're all…"
After hearing a whole bunch of promises, Agigikro's frown smoothed out. The islands around this place weren't much to those from the natives' continent. However, this one place was different. This chief in front of him was the only way they could procure the specialties of this place, and they were very precious in the empire.
If not, Agigikro wouldn't be so kind hearted as to help him fight off the invaders.
'Perhaps… I should find a chance to beat the method they get their tributes from out of them…' Agigikro looked towards the head, eyes glinting with a chilly gaze like a poisonous snake hidden in the shadows.
While this was a mere glance, the head was already beginning to get uncomfortable, "Well then, about those invaders… What do you say?"
"Them?" Agigikro froze, and then looked furious. "Those who have the gall to kill so many of my men will never be let off easily. I'm going to skin off their scalps and use their bones as musical instruments, eternally hung in front of the doorframe to my house.
"But… They seem to be powerful beings who've grasped evil strength. If we go in with dull strength, we'll also have casualties. On top of that, the terrain is hindering us… Hence, I believe we can push the timing to attack them back. What do you think about tomorrow night?"
Agigikro's eyes were filled with a sneaky luster.
"Tomorrow… Night? You mean—" After hearing this, the head's eyes brightened.
"Exactly. With that around, those of another religion can only embrace the eternity of death, no matter how many of them there are…"
At this thought, the head applauded, now in a better mood. The tent was pulled open soundlessly, and then a group of girls with different-coloured fruit plates balanced on their heads flitted in like butterflies. They had eyes like black pearls, and their lips were extremely charming. Every part of their bodies held vitality that only youth possessed.
The maids respectfully put the fruit plates down. There were all sorts of precious tropical fruits within, while the plates themselves also emitted a charming golden light. They were made of pure gold.
"Envoy, there's still much time till tomorrow. How about you take a look at what we have planned here?"
The head smiled and he clapped. A group of musicians began to play elegant tunes, and the girls began to dance gracefully. The provocative dance had a unique beauty to it, and in that moment the tent began to undulate with youth.
Agigikro stared hard at one of the dancer girls, who was the most beautiful, and he began to peel a grape while looking intoxicated. The head, who was watching, snickered inside. On the surface, he looked ready to flatter the envoy more.
...
While the natives danced to show happiness and prosperity, Leylin had secretly arrived at Pirates' Cove. This place had now turned into the Scarlet Tigers' main base, and any barbarians or organisations related to the church of murder had been uprooted.
The Scarlet Tigers had conducted a purge after occupying this place. Powerful ammunition had exploded on half of the dock; blood still stained the port from that day.
However, pirates lived like locusts. The scattered pirates reappeared after the purge of war, like bamboo shoots in the rain. The bars and dancing halls were open the whole night, and the place seemed dazzling and prosperous.
This motivated more sailors to turn to the path of piracy. While most were killed, the lucky ones who survived did strike it rich and turned into a new legend. This encouraged generation after generation of pirates.
"My Lord!" Now, in the core residence of Pirates' Cove, Ronald and Robin Hood's foreheads were dripping cold sweat as they watched the young noble in front of them.
While Leylin had not released his aura, the pressure he gave them was enough for them to feel like they were in front of a dragon. In this situation where Miss Isabel was heavily surrounded, it didn't matter if this was an error on their end, but they knew they could be hanged for this.
Knowing how terrifying Leylin could be, the thought of fleeing did not even rise in their minds. They could only keep praying that Leylin could show them some benevolence.
"I took a look when I came. The construction of the harbour went well. Robin Hood, you've put in much effort!"
Unexpectedly, Leylin did not begin to reprimand them first thing. His approval immediately had Robin Hood feeling slightly better, "Many thanks, young master! I only did what I had to do the best of my abilities!"
"And you, Ronald!" Leylin then glanced at the middle-aged pirate next to him.
Through years of experience, this subordinate that he had recruited now had the aura of someone at the top. His strength had also grown by a large amount, as was expected of a seedling that Leylin had chosen himself.
"My Lord!" Robin Hood went down on a half-kneel, "I am in charge of the sea routes. No matter what happened, I am partially responsible for this. Please forgive me!"
Much time hadn't passed since the establishment of the Scarlet Tigers, but a few groups and factions had already formed. While most were under Leylin and Isabel, there were still others.
Compared to a general like Robin Hood who had come straight from the garrison, Ronald who had entered midway lacked confidence. Of course, this might also have to do with Leylin having too much power.
"Since this has happened, I'm not going to put the blame on anyone. I just hope we can solve it as soon as possible…" Leylin waved his arms. He'd already had some expectation that this might happen. However, as long as there were people around, the losses could be quickly replenished, which was not an issue.
"I've looked through the records in the meeting, and you aren't in the wrong. You have no need to worry about it…" This was the main point. Otherwise, Ronald might not even be able to walk out of this room.
"My lord…" A warmth surged in Ronald's heart, and his chest felt stuffy, yet he could not say anything.
"Enough. Who are you putting this show for?"
Leylin stopped Ronald and then spread out a huge sea map on the table. This was the most complete map of the areas the Scarlet Tigers' had gathered. There were also some areas added in that had been explored by the Barbarians or other pirate groups. At a glance, the entire Dambrath outer seas could be seen vividly in his mind. This was a priceless treasure.
"Come, Ronald. Mark the route that Isabel has taken this time!" Leylin took a vernier caliper and moved it around, and then passed a red marker to Ronald.
"Yes, my lord!" Ronald took a deep breath and calmed himself down. Meanwhile, after recalling some memories, he drew a crooked red line on the map.
"As most of the outer sea native tribes have been wiped out, Lord Isabel's hunting targets are now closer to the deep sea… In the previous sail, we communicated. Things had been normal up till this point!"
"The red coral sea? That's rather close to the outer regions…" Leylin glanced at the area Ronald had marked out on the map.
The red marking was the most southern part of the map, and extremely close to the boundaries of the outer seas. With a few days of sailing, she could sail away from the scope on the map.
"My cousin… I already reminded her not to go too far…"
Leylin sighed as he shook his head, "There are far too many native tribes in the south, and things are complicated. There are even rumours of the native empire there. She was trying to wipe them out with just one pirate fleet… sigh…"
-x-X-x-
"Ready a ship and men. I'm going to leave immediately!" Since he had confirmed the location, Leylin would obviously go on a rescue mission immediately. Robin Hood and Ronald listened respectfully. Not long after, they had everything prepared…
A day later. Isabel had just met her life's largest crisis in the rainforest.
"What… what the heck is this?" A powerful draconic aura spread out, and a few black monsters were burnt to ashes.
These black monsters had a strong, dark-red fog around them. They were shaped weirdly, as if formed of soil.
*Rustle… Rustle…* Even if it was burnt off by the flames, the dark red gas gathered once more to spawn more monsters.
"Damn it! They can't die?" Karen used her dagger and pierced into a monster with three human heads, one each belonging to an elderly, a middle-aged man and a youth. However, the injuries quickly recovered and even swallowed her dagger. Sensing the immense danger, Karen could only abandon her weapon and leave.
"Only powerful attack spells or the explosion of qi from a high-ranked Professional can truly hurt them!" Isabel was now in her half-dragon form. Those fog creatures quickly evaded a powerful Dragon Breath, and that finally gave the two a path to retreat.
"I never thought that there would be such strange things in the forest!" Isabel gazed at the moon on the horizon. The moonlight, which should be bright, was now stained with a layer of purplish-red and looked incomparably evil.
Things had originally been going smoothly. After withdrawing from the rainforest, the attacks and searches of the natives had weakened, and she was even considering escape routes. But the night held a huge surprise for them.
"It's like the whole forest turned into a ghost region!" Isabel looked alert. The danger here far exceeded her expectations.
"Hehe… play with me!" The forest seemed to change under the purplish-red moonlight, dark red fog filling the area. A large banyan tree twisted abruptly, and numerous vines turned into flexible arms that grabbed at Isabel. A baby's face appeared on the trunk.
"Even my dragon aura is useless? What the hell is this?" The crimson Red Dragon Sword exploded with burning qi. The conical flames from Dragon's Breath were launched unceasingly, causing the giant hands that formed webs to be ignited and fall off. This finally allowed Isabel to clear off an area to move into.
"Hehe… It doesn't hurt at all!" The large banyan tree had pulled itself out of the soil, the many roots turned into countless tendrils. Dark red fog lingered, and the vines that had been cut off and burnt regrew.
"I won't be able to hold on at this rate…" Glancing at the other side, where her subordinates were heavily injured, Isabel could not help but force a smile.
...
Many natives were gathered outside the rainforest, looking solemn. At their centre was a tremendous altar.
Twisted and evil runes, dark red in colour, were present around the altar. Blood plasma was smeared on it, and the droplets of blood that rolled downwards along the cracks of the stone made it look exceedingly terrifying.
Many of the natives now wore fancy feathers and hide. They kept chanting and praying to the altar. On the altar was the face of a young female native who seemed pure and holy. However, her eyes had lost all signs of life, and there was a large wound on her wrist.
Evidently, an extremely evil sacrifice was being done here, and the target was no known god, devil or demon.
The chief looked like a worthless person in imposing clothing to Special Envoy Agikikro. He glanced at the man and suddenly asked, "I never thought the enemy would enter this forest, that's a great help for us. I wonder if this will affect us from getting our offerings?"
"Please do not worry! Our ancestors have carried out the sacrifice numerous times. There won't be errors…" The native head could do as he pleased in his tribe, but he did not dare show any sign of negligence to the envoy of the empire. Droplets of sweat even appeared on his forehead.
"I've even invited our tribe's great priest for the sake of success. With a group of powerful followers of another religion being the sacrifices, the effects will be much better than before. The number of offerings might even be several times more than usual!"
The native head had a flattering smile in his eyes, "When the time comes, I can gift you a few extra!"
"Thank you very much then!" At the thought of the miraculous effects of the product, Agigikro immediately revealed a smile.
Meanwhile, however, scorn flashed in his mind, 'These darned swines who only roll around in the mud all day! If not for the offerings only appearing here and needing to be extracted with specific talents found in their tribe, the empire would long since have occupied this place!'
"It's beginning!" The head called out. He naturally had no idea about how the envoy of the empire was scorning them.
"Hm?" Agigikro focused on the altar.
A layer of murky dark red fog shrouded the top of the forest, breaking through some boundary with the deaths of the pirates. It began to extend towards the altar, causing the chief to look delighted as the chants increased in volume.
Dark red fog continued to spread, like a huge beast that had opened its ferocious mouth. A lot of it gathered to form a large eight-clawed spider.
"Leave this place quickly!" The great priest was the first to run upon seeing this fog spider, fast and nimble. The other priests did the same.
"Ah…" "Save– …"
A few native guards that ran a little too slowly were swallowed by the fog. Before they could even complete a sentence, they collapsed and died. Their bodies withered in an instant as if they had lost all life energy.
The fog spider grew more vivid after swallowing all this life. It came to the altar, its terrifying, ferocious, and ugly mouth making contact with the girl.
*Ka-chak! Ka-chak!* With the fog spider's work, the young native girl's body made a few strange movements, like a puppet controlled with strings.
Upon noticing this, the great priest halted and that focused his attention on the altar unblinkingly, "Alright. The mighty Balulukulu has already taken in enough lives. It will no longer be dangerous."
The purplish-red moon was at its most dazzling, practically a little sun. The fog spider seemed to have met its goal, and it dove into the orifices of the native girl.
*Gulu! Gulu!* The girl's flat and smooth stomach strangely began to expand, and numerous warts began to move, as if a colony of mice was living under her skin.
"It's a success!" The great priest cheered, and brought the other priests to the side of the altar. They flipped the girl over to reveal her stomach. She looked like a woman who was ten months pregnant, with a dark red tattoo in the shape of a spider on her fair back. It was like a living image, and very vivid.
"The grace of Balulukulu!" The great priest looked solemn as he took an obsidian knife from an apprentice and began some chants. After cutting his own forehead and thumb and smearing a few markings with blood, he placed the black blade at the swollen stomach of the girl. There was a cold glint in his eyes as blood spurted everywhere.
"Is this the sacrificial ceremony here? As heard from rumours, it's very unusual!" After seeing something so bloody, Agigikro could still converse with the head next to him at ease.
"Hehe… this is the best method that my ancestors found after thousands of tries!" The head now had a prideful expression on his face, "Well then, envoy! Please accept my gift!"
With the chief's nod, a priest took a golden circular plate and brought it over. On it were a few blood-red crystals the size of chicken eggs, still stained with blood and pus on the surface.
"Balulukulu's crystals!" Agigikro's eyes were fixed on the item on the plate, and he looked intoxicated.
This crystal was a specialty of the natives, only found on this island. If someone strong swallowed this, they would gain extraordinary strength provided they survived the aftereffects.
That was not all. The higher classes in the native empire had even found that burning these crystals produced a unique gas. It would give rise to an incomparable ecstasy, and was a luxurious item that the higher class enjoyed. It was extremely expensive.
"Being able to obtain this on this trip makes it worth it!" Agigikro looked impatient and nodded to a warrior to take the golden plate.
At this moment, however, an abrupt voice interrupted them.
"This really is good stuff. Can I take a look?" It was as if an invisible force pulled at things in the air. The blood-red crystals flew from the golden plate, entering the hands of a noble youth.
"Hm? Who is it? Take him down!" Having had such an important item stolen, Agigikro roared hysterically. Immediately after, many native warriors pounced forward.