Waves splashed into the side of a majestic warship, yet it didn't falter at all. It stood tall like a mountain or reef braving the wind and waves, advancing into the depths of the outer seas.
The ship was flying the flag of a scarlet skull and dagger. Numerous others followed behind it, with fierce cannons and countless pirates on board. Even the largest of merchant groups would be scared out of their wits at this sight.
This fleet was that of the Scarlet Tigers, the organisation that controlled the outer seas of Dambrath. The Scarlet Tigers had the best of the best, with over a hundred large warships and more than five thousand men.
With their several expansions, the Scarlet Tigers seemed to have bitten off more than they could chew. However, with Tiff and the other elites joining from the north, a powerful pirate fleet was formed that rivalled the imperial navy.
"I never expected the native empire to actually exist…" Isabel was on the bow of the Scarlet Tiger, her legendary Red Dragon Sword hung at her waist. She emitted a faint draconic aura, her bloodthirsty eyes staring pointedly into the horizon.
The memory of her time on Nightmare Island was still fresh in her mind. She'd been made a fool of by the natives there, and now she'd obtained information regarding their empire through repeated attacks on native tribes. Having determined their location, she was planning to deal them a huge blow.
'But I never thought cousin Leylin would agree to this. He even came here himself…' Isabel looked towards the ship's hold, seeming serious, 'Is this for faith, to become a god? Is a god going to be born out of our family?'
In the past, Isabel didn't have the guts to think of such blatant blasphemy. However, things were different now. Leylin had performed miracle after miracle, cementing his cousin's confidence in him. In addition, Isabel had been able to sense the power of divinity on Leylin's body.
'My cousin will successfully become a god. All who stand in his way will be killed, regardless of their identity!' Isabel reached for the hilt of her sword, her mind made up. The sombre atmosphere caused all the surrounding pirates to shiver in fear as they glanced at their leader.
Once she'd become a Dragon Warlock, Isabel had completely suppressed the demonification of her body. Dragon King's Mystic Might had even allowed her to cross the threshold of the legendary realm! Her title in the outer seas had changed. She was no longer the Scarlet Witch, instead the Daughter of the Red Dragon.
Along with Leylin, she was one of the two main forces in charge of the outer seas, one on the surface and the other in the shadows. All the other organisations knew of their backgrounds, and were obviously fearful.
Leylin could sense Isabel's conviction. Sitting quietly in the captain's room, he couldn't help but chuckle.
'A conviction formed out of love?' Leylin nodded as he sensed an extremely thick string of fate.
Learning of his ambitions for godhood and that he'd already obtained a thread of divinity, Isabel had become one of Leylin's worshippers. She even began to spread the faith of the Winged Serpent God Kukulkan amongst the pirates, and even if Leylin wasn't a match for the gods of the storms or the like, her methods caused a portion of the pirates to change their faith.
What surprised Leylin more was that Isabel's faith for him was extremely firm and zealous. Albeit slightly, it was even more sturdy than Tiff's! Leylin knew for sure that if he'd become a god already she would be a devout follower of his.
Leylin sensed the faith of the other pirates, and could only smile wryly. "I'd be lucky to have even one with such a firm conviction as her…"
Although Isabel was doing all she could to assist him, Leylin was still only a divine being. He could only answer the prayers of his followers, not grant them divine spells. He wasn't competitive at all with the true gods, or even false gods, demigods, or devils. Worshippers were bright, after all. Why would they invest effort into someone who couldn't give them anything?
If not for Isabel using her position and doing everything in her power to promote this faith, the religion of the Winged Serpent God would have failed terribly.
'I need to give my worshippers some real benefits as soon as possible. I should become a demigod and bestow divine spells to them, but I'll also need to give them material compensation.
'This is the principle of equal exchange.' Leylin suddenly had a revelation. The path of faith in the World of Gods still followed the Magi's principles of equal exchange. Worshippers provided their faith, and in return the god promised to receive their souls after death, taking them into their divine kingdom. They would also provide shelter, divine spells, and other things. In essence, the thread of faith was a contract between god and man.
Of course, even the Magi's concept of equal exchange did not necessitate that the things traded were of equal value objectively. The two parties just had to find the traded items that valuable.
That concept allowed the gods to pay less than their worshippers offered up. This was the only way for them to accumulate divine force and increase their power. Sadly, these days the churches were growing more competitive. The gods had to give in greater amounts to obtain more and better followers. This internal competition caused wasteful consumption of divine force.
On top of that, there were devils and demons stealing their 'food'.
'This is the sorrow of the gods. As their foundations are with the mortals, they can never abandon the faith in the prime material plane. Gods whose faith has been lost will gradually die out, and their eternity is but an unrealistic rosy view…' Leylin sighed. Although this path was powerful, it was so limiting it wasn't worth him immersing himself in it.
This body was only a clone, while the original walked the path of the ancient Warlocks. This had never changed. That was strength that truly belonged to him, and Leylin knew this very well.
Of course, the path of faith was the most compatible with the rules of the World of Gods, and there were many areas of it he could learn from. Clone as he was, this Leylin did not hesitate in his attempt at godhood.
After pondering the contract between gods and humans, Leylin focused on other matters.
'But… Even I didn't expect that just as I was trying to find a place to expand my faith and comprehend the domain of massacre, the native empire suddenly emerged… Could the world origin force be helping me in hopes that I succeed? What kind of joke is this?'
He'd originally planned to conquer another territory to boost his relationship with his worshippers, comprehending the massacre domain and disseminating his faith. The information about the native empire had been a huge surprise.
Although there were legends and rumours about the native empire in the outer seas, Isabel had now found a number of safe shipping routes. It seemed too much of a coincidence, so Leylin smelled something fishy.
To the conscients of the gods, a Magus like him was an intruder and their arch nemesis. Why would they try to help him? It would be more normal if he was being hunted down!
'What's with this situation? Could it be that the World Will treats me as a complete native after reincarnation, and is trying to get me on its side? Or is it in such deep sleep that it doesn't react to the matters of the world anymore. Maybe this is to balance power… Have the gods' goals deviated from that of the World Will, and they're betraying it?'
Numerous possibilities flashed in Leylin's mind, and were simulated by the A.I. Chip to find any possible changes in the future.
'There are many changes in the future… But I can't go wrong with grasping the present!' After planning for a long time, Leylin sighed, 'Whatever it is, occupying the native empire and comprehending the massacre domain amidst constant slaughter is key. I need to spread my faith afterwards as well…'
At this thought, Leylin sent out a divine call.
"Master!" A moment later, Tiff's figure emerged from the shadows without a sound or any trace of energy undulations.
"Have you met Isabel? You will work with her in the future, and spread faith of me in the native empire…" A golden ray flashed in his eyes.
"I've seen her… If Master already has such power in the outer seas, the native empire will not be a problem for you." Tiff spoke reverently.
He was actually rather surprised that Leylin had a legendary sorcerer under him, and rather relieved as well. He obviously did not dare to be negligent when it came to Leylin's divine orders.
Watching Tiff's figure disappear, Leylin nodded inside. Tiff's retreat from the north had gone quite well. While he had lost a few helpers in the process, they were outer powers that did not know their true secrets. The group of acolytes that Leylin prized the most successfully reached the outer seas, giving Leylin the confidence to declare war on the native empire.
After all, faith could provide unimaginable effects when one was invading and occupying another territory. This war could be said to be a selection and training for the priests. With Leylin's foresight, he would definitely be able to discover a large number of people who would form the sturdy foundations for his church in the future.
He had two legendaries in Isabel and Tiff, as well as an experienced army. They were being led by a divine being in himself, and on top of that they had the continuous support of the Faulen Family. This was what Leylin was counting on!
He'd basically sent out all his elites for this battle, his ambition evidently not something a mere fief with a small population could satisfy.
-x-X-x-
An intense military discussion was taking place within the captain's room of the Scarlet Tiger, with few participants.
Leylin, as the person in charge, naturally sat at the front of the table, with Isabel and Tiff by his side. At Isabel's side were Robin Hood, Ronald, Karen, and the other leaders of the pirates. Next to Tiff was the organisation Leylin had run in the north. This included devil worshippers and real devils. Even if they concealed it, their aura still caused the pirates to feel a sense of danger and unease.
Next to the devil worshippers were a few priests, higher-ups with grim faces. These priests were seeds that Leylin had nurtured. Although they were young, they were already beginning to show merciful and kindly traits, and did not seem to be compatible with the devils. However, they still sat together, which created a rather interesting atmosphere.
These two groups were meeting for the first time, and could not help but size each other up curiously. These were all Leylin's elite forces, as well as the fledgling form of his future church and army. They were also the capital Leylin was using on an expedition to the native empire, and he naturally had to integrate them well.
After the long self-introductions were completed, Leylin coughed softly. Immediately after, the area went quiet.
"Isabel, describe the current situation." Leylin always called Isabel by name in official settings, and this was something that would continue even after he became a god. To long-lived beings like them, blood relations and the like were pointless. Their only interest lay in immortality.
"One of the pirate groups under me found the native empire. It's on a large island the size of two or three kingdoms like Dambrath put together, and its vicinity is always filled with dangerous storms and ocean currents. There's only a small period of time every year where ships can successfully sail past the area, which is why their contact with the outer world is minimal. My underlings now have a clear idea of the patterns of the currents, and have created an accurate shipping route…"
Identifying ocean currents and shipping routes was a fundamental skill for the pirates under Isabel. With their lives depending on the seas, their ability to navigate and determine their location based on the stars far exceeded that of the navigators of normal merchant ships.
As the greatest captain in the outer seas, Isabel naturally had many talented people at her disposal. Once they'd determined the location, identifying shipping routes was a simple task. It would take some time, though, and the many tests would have to come at the costs of lives.
"Hss!" Isabel's speech immediately caused gasps to sound from Tiff's underlings. "The size of two or three Dambrath Kingdoms? That area is akin to a small continent already!"
"The Dambrath Kingdom is made up of roughly a million people. Even the most conservative estimate puts the native population over 2 million. We have to face so many, how frightening!"
The simple ratio caused uneasy looks on some pirates' faces. After all, they had less than ten thousand men, and they had to fight over a hundred each. If not for their naval advantage and the shipping route, they would have thought of escape already.
"Quiet!" Tiff yelled. "Are you trying to humiliate yourselves in front of our master? Or are your minds that weak?"
The strict questions combined with his legendary might immediately caused everyone to quiet down.
Leylin nonchalantly waved his arms. "Although there are many natives, it doesn't mean much. You'll know how things are once we get onshore."
Even in Leylin's previous world, the colonialists in the age of discovery had conquered the Americas using mere hundreds or even tens of people. With thousands of criminals, pirates and many others, they had taken over the whole continent. In the end, they had become the heroes of heroes, like Cortéz who used just a thousand people to take over the fifteen million Aztecs in just five years.
This native empire wasn't much different from the Aztec Empire of his old world, a backwards civilisation full of savagery and ignorance. With their advancements in civilisation and technology, conquering some oversized land with a backwards people was no different from slaughtering a fat pig.
And most importantly, with a 'god' like Leylin on their side, what chance of failure was there? As a divine being, Leylin had an invisible aura that was greatly infectious. Seeing his confidence, the fears of the rest were allayed.
Leylin nodded at the result of the situation, allowing Isabel to continue the introduction of the native empire.
"Based on our usual practices, I call this newly discovered island Debanks Island. We know of a native empire at the very centre called Sakartes, translating to 'the sun that never sets.' It takes up most of the flatland on the island, with a population of about a million and a half. There are a few warring tribes around the Sakartes Empire, most subservient to it. Altogether, they add up to about five or six hundred thousand as well…"
Isabel evidently valued intelligence, being able to gather such definite information about the Sakartes Empire. It was pretty good. Although they were prepared for it, some of the people still gasped when they heard they would be declaring war on about two million people.
Looking at her subordinates' actions, Isabel exclaimed coldly in a condescending tone, "Hehe… that's nothing, you brainless things! They aren't two million enemies, instead two million healthy slaves! There's also countless treasures to be plundered and fertile land to be won!"
It was then that the rest of the pirates reacted, remembering the frail natives. They took these people as slaves, so they obviously knew that just the sight of their blades could scare them into subservience. They would not resist no matter how they were flogged, and sometimes a single supervisor could manage hundreds of them at a time. Now disregarding their numbers, the pirates finally reacted with a feeling of vast superiority.
"Exactly! Those natives are so frail. What's there to be afraid of? Besides, we don't have to declare war on all of them at once. We can work from the surrounding tribes and subdue a few groups to work for us and let them kill themselves…" Ronald spoke in a low voice, "If we conquer such a large land, or even just ten percent of it, all of you will be able to obtain unimaginable amounts of wealth and even become nobles who have land…"
Pirates always lived with their lives on the line. Hearing something so tempting, their breaths began to grow ragged as their eyes turned bloodshot.
"That's right… With our Marquisdom, my family has the authority to confer titles. When the time comes, I definitely won't be stingy…" Leylin's promise immediately caused the pirates to cheer. The temptation of becoming nobles would convince these lowly pirates to work torturously.
The people at Tiff's side began to grow a little restless. After all, the members of the clergy needed to eat and drink, and lead safe and comfortable lives.
"It is an order from our Lord, we are to take over the native empire and spread his faith there!" Tiff grimly announced.
"For our Master!" The rest began to pray devoutly.
Learning about each other, everyone left the room in succession. Only Tiff and Isabel were left behind.
"It doesn't matter if there are ten times more natives than us, but… has Master ever thought about the possibility of them being protected by gods?" Tiff asked solemnly. This was also what Leylin had been trying his best to avoid.
"Mm, I also wanted to warn you about this. In the few native tribes of the outer seas, there are faith totems. Some were even comparable to legendaries or demigods…" Isabel spoke seriously. From their point of view, no matter how useless the natives could be, they could still have one or two true gods. That would be terrible.
After all, Leylin was merely a divine being. The cruelty of divine battles could be experienced from many historical poems and poetic sagas.
"You don't have to worry about this. The Debanks Island does have a few native religions and divine beings, but at most, there's only a demigod and not a true one… On top of that, the gods of the continent have no interest in the faith of the natives…" Leylin guaranteed.
When it came to gods, he obviously was the one with the biggest say. Upon hearing this, Isabel and Tiff relaxed. Although there was a large gap between him and true gods, there wasn't as much of a difference between a divine being and a demigod. They still had the courage to risk their lives for this.
As for how Leylin knew about this, Isabel and Tiff sensibly did not ask more questions. Gods always had their own secrets…
Leylin too had no intention to share his plans. After they left, he went to the bottom of the hold of the ship and saw a group of native slaves cowering in fear. In preparations for this expedition, these natives would be the translators and communicators. This would reduce the natives' hatred of this colonial invasion.
-x-X-x-
'A.I. Chip, show me the schematic from the soul research.' Leylin seemed to have no reaction to the natives' fear. A wave of the hand had a wizened old man approach him, and he pressed his palm into the old man's head with a glint in his eyes.
Time, passed, and the man's expression warped quickly. There was happiness and suffering, but mostly confusion. The rest of the natives backed off as they watched this 'god' 'bestow' gifts upon him.
In their point of view, the leader of the slaves and the supervisor were both amazing people. As for Leylin, who headed thousands of pirates and had several hundred large ships in his possession, he far surpassed their tribal chiefs or priest elders. Perhaps the only thing that could compare to him were their totems.
[Beep! Soul schematic analysis completed. Beginning comparison…] The A.I. Chip projected a coloured image in front of Leylin, comparing the native's soul to that of a regular person. A few darker regions were specifically marked out.
Putting the now-useless lab rat down, Leylin returned to his bedroom alone. Large amounts of data flashed across his eyes, and he began to turn serious.
"As expected, there's something wrong with the natives' souls…" A long time ago, Leylin had discovered an extremely interesting phenomenon. None of the native tribes in the outer seas believed in any true gods. This was something unthinkable!
The gods were so thirsty for faith that they wouldn't even leave strange creatures and mud beasts alone. Why would they abandon these intelligent natives? Even if their souls weren't even a tenth as strong as that of a commoner from the mainland, the gods still understood that little things would add up.
However, of all the tribes that Leylin had attacked, the natives all believed in natural spirits and totems, and there was no appearance of the gods from the mainland at all. The only explanation for this would be that there was some flaw in their power of faith, which left the gods with no choice but to give up on them and treat them as trash. They allowed the natives to do as they wished, and even if they knew of the large native empire they didn't bother with it.
With large amounts of research and comparisons, as well as with his own abilities as a divine being, Leylin had finally touched upon the secret.
'This spirit… The problem isn't exactly internal. It's actually contaminated…' Leylin was now solemn, 'On top of that, this mutation is familiar, with the mark of arcane and Magus spells… It reaches the depths of their genes, and has been passed on generation after generation.'
In essence, the power of faith was just soul energy that was dispersed when worshippers reached an emotional peak during their prayers or ceremonies, full of fervour. Using their domains and divine sparks, the gods absorbed this specific soul energy and turned it into divine force. There was no essential difference between lesser and greater gods either. It was the same process.
"What happens if we absorb this mutated soul force?"
'A.I. Chip, simulate the absorption of the natives' power of faith,' Leylin commanded, stroking his chin with his interest piqued.
[Beep! Mission established. Beginning simulations… Preparing model…] Large amounts of data flashed by Leylin's eyes, giving form to a scenario. The statue of Malar from before had been enshrined around a native altar, the rest of the natives worshipping it. Visible only to divine beings, power of faith rippled as it gathered at the stone statue.
There was no change to the statue at the beginning, and his divine force increased in strength. However, a decade later the statue began to grow indistinct. A dark red lustre lingered around it, and Malar turned more violent and asked for regular blood sacrifices.
A century later, Malar's divine kingdom exploded amidst his despairing roars. A gigantic ape body fell into the prime material plane, bound securely around the native priests.
Five centuries had passed, and Malar was now a beast with no mind of his own. He had turned into a golden flag, with the figure of an ape on it.
'I used Malar as the model because I'm more familiar with his divine force, but I never thought this would happen…' Once the simulation had passed, Leylin fearfully recalled the scene just then.
"There's definitely something wrong with the natives' power of faith. It's greatly contaminated, and can even cause a true god to weaken, eventually even fall to the prime material plane. Combined with the sacrifices, they become bound to the planet, their mind slowly erased until all that's left is pure instinct…"
Such a miserable thing was no different from suicide. It was no wonder why the gods had forsaken these inhabitants.
'They lost their holy kingdom, and were banished into this area with their consciousness eroding over time. It's worse than confinement… The power of their faith is contaminated, but it's a hereditary thing that they simply can't change…'
Leylin pondered over the issue, 'Since that's the case, I don't have to worry about other gods meddling if I enact my plans on this kingdom. However, I'll have to bear the burden all on my own…'
Although the worship of these inhabitants was lacking, and the spirits they bound weren't as powerful as gods, a demigod who assimilated with those spirits could become comparable to gods! The totemic demigods would be that strong!
Of course, once they left their area, the power of these demigods would fall drastically.
'No matter what, there is a chance here. A huge one!' Leylin's eyes flashed as countless possible scenarios unfolded in his mind. All that was left was to bring them to reality.
"However… The incompleteness and contamination of these spirits still makes me uneasy. If I don't understand them completely…" Leylin recalled several samples of these totems, his divine conscience delving deep into the genes where the ancient memories were located...
There was a fire on the battlefield, floating cities crashing into the ground like meteorites. The arcanists, who were always intelligent and farsighted, who controlled all the truth in the world were now being slain. Their murderers? The gods!
The last remaining arcanists of Netheril cried out in hatred and anguish, "The spark of the arcane spells of Mise will never cease! We will never yield…"
Multiple memory fragments were revealed to Leylin, and even with his power he could only process a small portion of them. However, the information divulged from even that small portion was enough to move him.
"So these people are actually immigrants from the Netheril era!" Leylin gasped. He'd previously seen other people from the Netheril era before, like Helen. Although it was a rather miserable thing to see them run and hide for their lives, they were living in heaven compared to these people.
'Who'd have guessed that the progressive and cultured Netherese have been reduced to such a state over tens of thousands of years. They're called barbarians and fools, some even captured and turned into slaves…' Leylin sighed inwardly.
He could now understand what had happened before. The gods had been displeased with the fearless research of the Netherese arcanists, and it had eventually led to war. They began to kill what looked like all living arcanists, and most of the floating cities crashed into oblivion. The Netherese civilization had crumbled in a day.
It was at this moment that a group of Netherese had gathered. They likely wished to resist the enslavement of the gods, and were resolute in their decision. They swallowed a medicine that caused them to reject the power of faith, the rest unlucky enough to be swept into the high-ranking battle and ending up as collateral damage.
In any case, the Netherese had experienced a complete change in spirit, and were now considered venomous to the power of faith, and in turn to the gods themselves! They definitely wouldn't be taken in by the gods, so they escaped across the seas and started reproducing here.
During this process, due to the powers of the gods and other backhanded means, these people from the Netherese Era had regressed. What was once a renowned and cultured civilisation had now turned into a group of barbaric and foolish tribals…
'If my guess is correct, the ancestors of these natives turned into barbarians after rejecting the power of faith. This had stopped them from finding even one god to turn to, how pitiful…'Leylin felt the anguish of losing a whole civilisation from the bottom of his heart.
His eyes turned red. 'However… Since matters have turned out like this… Hand over your blood, tears, hatred, and your power of belief– everything…'
The gods may not have been able to resolve the issue, but Leylin could circumvent it. His ancient Nightmare Absorbing Physique could absorb emotion itself, and the emotions of millions of people would definitely grant him power to rival gods!
'Of course I have to keep a low profile about this. At least before I begin my ascension, the ability to make use of these inhabitants' power of faith shouldn't be divulged…' Leylin rubbed his temples, feeling a headache. The number of secrets he was hiding continued to grow.
'I'll have to devise a meticulous plan. Fortunately, Debank Islands is a solitary one, with almost zero contact with the mainland, so there's a chance to keep information from leaking!'
-x-X-x-
Hundreds of towering warships glided across the outer seas, making for a magnificent sight.
However, it wasn't so beautiful to the one in charge of the long voyage. There were five thousand men to feed and take care of, which was a huge problem on the seas. On top of that there was the restlessness, and the disease that constantly crept up on Leylin's men.
Fortunately the crew were originally pirates of the Scarlet Tiger, so they could handle such long distance sailing.Tiff himself had dispatched the acolytes under him to each and every ship, boosting the morale of the men. Without holy magic to aid them, it was a very big test.
Leylin was on the deck of the flagship, looking out at the boundless sea. He breathed a light sigh, "Our food and water supplies are depleting quickly. This long distance war is really a huge gamble… Fortunately, we are able to reach Debanks Islands before our stock runs out…"
A flush of red appeared on Isabel's face, a rare sight. Being the captain of the Scarlet Tigers for so many years had killed that elegant young lady. She was now a pirate, filled with savagery and deceit. Only when she was with Leylin like now would she reveal a part of her girly side.
"Are we depending to seize supplies upon reaching the shores? That might not be the safest method!"
Hearing Isabel's surprised words, Leylin shook his head. "We have a limited number of men. Each of them is extremely precious, so we can't make senseless sacrifices…"
Even in Leylin's previous world, it was difficult to win wars after a period of travel.
"What are you thinking of?" Isabel looked at him.
He'd already drawn out a navigation map with Debanks Island at the center. The drawing scale was somewhat absurd, but it had sufficed.
"We will first make a detour and circle to this area." Leylin pointed at group of islands beside Debanks Island. They were large enough to each have a ruling kingdom, with many smaller islands beside them.
"You mean to say… So we take down the Chihuahua Islands first, and use them as a supply point?" Isabel surmised. Although she had thought of this strategy as well, it required too much time to prepare. Leylin had maintained an unhurried pace in front of the pressing situation.
"Yes. There seems to be a tribe with over ten thousand members here, we could use them as practice to polish the skills of our men…" Although both Leylin and Isabel were confident in their army's strength, it wasn't possible to establish coordination in a day or two. Leylin wanted them to undergo some training.
"I got it…" This sort of slow and steady advance told Isabel how determined Leylin was, so she immediately passed down the orders.
...
The Chihuahua Islands were close to Debanks Island. The tribe that resided here were vassals of the Sakartes Kingdom, but because of the ocean separating them they were quite independent.
With their lack of skill at boat-making, even if they chopped up all the trees in the area to make wooden rafts they still couldn't stage a rebellion. Even if the ruler of the tribe had such thoughts, his elders and priests would advise him otherwise. In such a situation, this tribe was doing fairly well compared to the others who had to offer much more tribute to the empire.
The chief of this tribe was named Abasa, and he was being sheltered and served by his maids. Lazily enjoying tropical fruits, he was being fanned with a giant banana leaf.
Abasa was dark skinned, and extremely obese. Layers of fat on his body made him seem like a giant hog.
However, his neck was extremely slender, the sign of nobility. There were several metal piercings on his lips, with oil marks on his face hiding his original features.
As Abasa enjoyed the service of his maids, an extremely skinny old man dashed in. "Something has happened!"
"Oh? Wise priest, what has made you come in such a flurry?"
The high priest smelled heavily of incense mixed with lamp oil, and wore a feathered five-colour crown. Its plumes were three metres tall, the feathers themselves angled very dangerously.
The high priest fell and knelt on the ground, sounding serious, "Mighty chief of the Chihuahua Islands, our ancestral spirit is enraged. You need to be there personally…"
"The might ancestral soul is furious? Were our sacrifices not enough?" With such a matter coming up, Abasa found it difficult to enjoy himself. He pushed the maids away, eyes surrounded by puffy skin staring at the high priest.
"No, I think this is more like a warning." There was a patch of blood on the high priest's forehead, and he was evidently shocked by what had happened.
"Bring me there!" Abasa waved his arms, and a few natives who were like monkeys raised the chair he was sitting on and began to walk.
Less than an hour later, all the natives in the tribe seemed to gather as they watched the high priest in the centre performing a ritual. There was a sort of anesthetic incense burning in the air, and gas in the surroundings.
As their leader, Abasa wore his ceremonial attire with difficulty. He stood at the front of the procession in five-coloured beast hide, watching the high priest dance unceasingly as if his body was writhing with epilepsy.
At the heart of the procession, traces of reddish gold appeared on a crude animal-skin flag.
"Mighty ancestral spirit… What hint do you wish to give us?" Abbas knelt, and the rest of the natives followed suit.
*Rumble!* As everyone kowtowed, a huge cloud rose from the heart of the altar. The phantom of a creature flashed past, releasing a few roars that were difficult to understand.
"The ancestral spirit is warning us!" At this moment, the high priest jumped as if he had obtained some divine enlightenment.
"Unprecedented enemies will appear from the west. They ride steel fortresses across the sea and bring massacre and death… They are—" The high priest foamed at the mouth.
"What are they?" Abbas pulled at the high priest's neck till he turned purplish-red, as if about to suffocate to death.
"They are the fair-skinned devils!" After spitting this out, the high priest fainted.
"Fair-skinned devils?" Abasa rubbed his chin, "Send down the order. All the warriors are to bring the pikes and stone blades to the western coast…"
The vocabulary and experience of natives was limited. Even the chief did not understand what a fair-skinned devil was meant to be. All they knew was that the enemy was coming.
"Oh!" With the encouragement from the ancestral spirit, the sturdy warriors of the tribe completed this task at great speed.
Abbas was full of mettle as he guided his subordinates, "I shall skin the scalp of the enemy's leader and hang it on the wall to serve as my medal…"
...
"Hm? Our attack seems to have been discovered…" Leylin frowned from on deck.
"Luckily, this is just a small tribe. The natural spirits they worship are divine beings at best.
Seeing the native warriors at the coastline nearby, Leylin spoke, "Isabel! Tiff!"
""Here!""
"You'll take over command. There's no need to worry about anything else, just take out the Chihuahua Islands. Remember to seal off the sea, don't let anyone escape!" Leylin set off after giving these instructions, charging towards a divine being. After all, it was best to restrict news of his invasion as long as possible.
Isabel, who had taken over command, drew the Red Dragon Sword in her hand and glanced at the native warriors on the coast disdainfully. They had wooden pikes and stone blades, as well as canoes.
"Bombard them! Let them see our might!" Isabel yelled. The natives were equipped so poorly, and there were less than two thousand warriors. This was like a fat piece of meat being presented to them.
"Go!" Immediately, the pirates released terrifying howls from the warships. A wave of cannonfire shot at the native tribe.
The ferocious explosions as well as terrible cries by his ears left Abbas frozen.
"Ancient ancestor! This huge fort on the sea… and that godly fire… What have we provoked?" Countless warships closed in. Their canoes were already capsizing, and the guards by his side were already yelling as they tried to flee. The chief could not help but release bellows of despair.
In the next moment, this old chief had his head chopped off by a blade.
"Heh! This fat pig is obviously a high-ranked person. I wonder if there are rewards…" As this voice sounded, the gold and silver accessories on the chief's body disappeared in an instant…
"Is this the natives' guardian spirit? While there's divinity, it has low intelligence…" Leylin took a look at a divine being that looked like a flaming bird, eyes flashing with light from the A.I. Chip.
"Your followers are being massacred, and the power of your domain is diminishing. Submit to me, and I can let you live!" Leylin used his divine will to send a wave of information, but what he got in return was a howl of rage.
*Chiu! Chiu!* A bundle of golden flames enveloped Leylin, causing the air around him to distort and rise.
-x-X-x-
"Hmph, what a pigheaded idiot! You haven't even ignited your godfire yet and have the gall to go against me?" Leylin snorted, and the flames immediately went out. After obtaining divinity, he no longer saw anything in regular divine beings. This divine creature in front of him was merely seeking death.
At this thought, Leylin looked through the results of the A.I. Chip's scan.
[Totem spirit (Flaming Bird) Divine being. Strength: 15 (+5) Agility: 17 (+5) Vitality: 19 (+5) Spirit: 20 (+5) Possessed feats: 1. Domain: In the range of its worshippers' prayers, the totem spirit will be buffed. All stats will increase by 5. 2. Affinity with flames. 3. Holy Form: Immune to all spells below rank 5. 4: Unknown ???]
'While in the range of the followers' prayers, all stats increase by 5? This really is a god similar to earth-bound spirits…'
Leylin snickered, "Is this what you're depending on? Unfortunately… This isn't your time anymore. With the loss of your followers, the boost you get from your domain will decrease. Now is the best time to have you serve me…"
The boost from the domain came due to the existence of its worshippers. Now, however, the pirate army was closing in and the young men of the native tribe were being slaughtered. The power of faith was quickly diminishing.
The effects of the massacre itself were trivial. The problem, however, was that without the totem spirit protecting them the faith of the natives collapsed. Leylin saw the +5 at the end of each stat slowly drop to +4. As the land his army occupied expanded, the number dropped further.
"Is this faith? So powerful, and so pitiful…" Leylin sighed, noticing the fraud that was totem spirits. If he really could become a true god and bestow divine spells, the followers' faith would not crumble so quickly.
*Chiu! Chiu!* Leylin actually planned to subdue this flaming bird totem. It would be his primary guide on Debanks Island. Unfortunately, the bird had no plans to make use of Leylin's kind intentions. It ended the conversation with a ball of fire.
Golden flames struck Leylin's vicinity, the boiling-hot fire absorbing all the oxygen in the surroundings. Something similar to a vacuum was formed.
'It's ability is like magic, but it can't make use of the divinity and power of faith in its body well. It's like the instinct of beasts.' Leylin sighed, and the Red Dragon Staff appeared in his hands.
Since he'd used Soul Burn a few times already, the red dragon's soul within the staff had already diminished, and it looked rather dispirited.
Dragon Domain! Cone of Fire! In the face of a mere legendary divine creature, however, Leylin did not even need to burn the dragon's soul. A powerful draconic aura rippled out with a wave of his staff.
*Roar!* A phantom red dragon appeared above Leylin, spewing out a cone of fire at the flaming bird. It immediately caused the giant bird to snarl without end.
*Rumble!* Two streams of fire strived for victory in the air, turning the horizon red.
"How can such brutish strength contend against me?"Leylin yelled, the cone of fire piercing through the flaming bird's golden fire and enveloping it.
*Chiu! Chiu!* Enraged howls sounded from within the flames, but there was something peculiar about the situation.All of a sudden, the red dragon's flames exploded into what looked like a red lotus. At the heart of it, the flaming bird did not seem to be injured at all. Instead it seemed even larger.
It chirped in its excitement, swallowing the red dragon's flames with large gulps, its golden flames turning crimson.
*Chiu! Chiu!* The flaming bird that had assimilated with the red dragon's flames grew larger in size, eyes looking human and filled with pride as it flew towards the red dragon phantom in the air.
'It can absorb flames? The A.I. Chip should have found out. Is this a unique divine ability?' Leylin's eyes flashed with wit, "Are you trying to swallow a legendary dragon soul? In that case, I'll give it to you!"
Soul Burn! The dragon soul at the tip of the staff completely withered, its body enveloped by translucent flames. With that act, the phantom in the air grew more corporeal, each scale more vivid and each claw glinting with a sharper light.
All of a sudden, the red dragon's eyes showed intelligence. It roared as it crashed into the flaming bird.
High-pitched dragon howls and bird cries surprised both the natives and pirates on the ground. All of them gazed upwards, watching the battle between the red dragon and flaming bird. Some natives were able to recognise their totem and immediately tossed their weapons aside, beginning to pray right away.
"What are you standing there in a daze for? Go!" A similar draconic aura burst forth from Isabel, and she withdrew the Red Dragon Sword from a native soldier of unknown role as she berated the pirates loudly.
Having two legendaries in charge, and being better than their opponents in strength, equipment, and warriors, they completely crushed the opponents. The pirate army had now pushed through to the outer regions of the tribe, and the enemies they faced had turned into a mob. The old were appearing now, as were the youths, females, and the frail natives.
"Those who do not surrender are to be killed with no exceptions!" With her long life as a pirate, Isabel lacked the pity that normal women displayed. The pirates and devil worshippers were originally evil themselves, so they carried out her orders ruthlessly, perhaps being even more cruel than necessary.
'All I can do is give him all my faith, and take care of the mortal battles…' Isabel's eyes showed her understanding of her position as she charged to the depths of the tribal area. Draconic flames followed her around, making her look like the most beautiful war goddess.
*Chiu! Chiu!* Meanwhile, the battle in the sky between the legendary beasts had reached its conclusion.
Although the red dragon was a legendary beast that was burning its soul, it had died long ago and its power was diminished. Its opponent was equal in power, but also had divinity on hand! After several rounds, it had torn large chunks of soul force out of the red dragon's body and swallowed its flames, causing its golden fire to turn red.
*Ka-cha! Ka-cha!* At the end, as the bird gnawed at the head of the red dragon figure, the crystal with the dragon soul at the tip of Leylin's staff shattered.
"Tsk… after so many uses, the red dragon's soul force is completely consumed…" Seeing the dragon soul vanishing in front of him, Leylin did not look the least bit surprised. The flaming bird, on the other hand, released an elated chirp and gulped down the red dragon figure while absorbing the flames it possessed.
"Then again, it's time about I changed the core!" Leylin floated up to the flaming bird.
After absorbing the dragon soul, its body had become more enormous. A draconic aura emanated from it as it met Leylin's gaze without fear. There was even desire in its eyes.
"Oh? Trying to eat me too?" Leylin could not help but begin to chuckle after understanding what the bird wanted, "It really is a beast. It can only do everything by instinct and doesn't even care if it can digest me."
"Go crazy…" Leylin snapped his fingers, and the flaming bird immediately began to writhe, layers of flames rising as half of the red dragon's head appeared from its body.
"While being able to assimilate the flames is an advantage for you, you might want to be careful since eating too much could mean you might be assimilated instead…" A sinister smile rose by Leylin's lips, "You've been fattened up well. As you are now, you truly are prey worthy of slaughter…"
"Return!" Leylin tossed the Red Dragon Staff in his hands, and it began to soar into the air till it reached the head of the flaming bird. Its sharp end quickly pierced down into the head.
*Chiu! Chiu!* The large flaming bird could have easily dodged the attack, but it seemed to have gone stupid as it stayed where it was, golden and red flames twining around and eating at it.
*Swish!* The red dragon staff was like a sharp arrow that disappeared through the head of the bird, causing flames and golden blood to spurt everywhere. The bird cried one last time as a huge explosion sounded. The sound began from its stomach, transforming into a storm that swept the bird within.
Leylin stood at the side, watching the large body being torn and devoured by the storm…
'If all earth-bound spirits on Debanks Island have this level of strength, I have nothing to worry about. However, with the support of the native empire, those earth-bound spirits are probably as strong as demigods…' Leylin sighed inside.
The pirate armies had now killed their way into the inner parts of the native tribes. They began their ruthless massacre of the old, weak and ill, as well as all sorts of atrocious activities.
"Is this what conquering is? Increasing my strength through continuous massacre…" Leylin's eyes showed his bewilderment for a moment, before the A.I. Chip sounded. [Beep! Host has killed a divine creature. Additional information about the massacre domain has been found. Model established, beginning analysis…]
[Beep! Host has grasped the massacre domain!]
[Massacre Domain: This domain allows one to obtain strength by constant slaughter. In such an environment, host's stats are increased by 1% (Current Effect). There is a chance to obtain an opponent's soul energy, and the boost from the domain extends to the deployer's worshippers.]
-x-X-x-
"Massacre domain? Truly powerful... " Leylin muttered to himself, "You can strip the enemy of their life and soul energy during massacres and quickly recover yourself… Gods also have specific bonuses, and it might increase in power if I kill more powerful existences…"
The A.I. Chip's prompts continued. [Beep! Host has killed a divine being. Massacre domain has been boosted, absorbing the opponent's divinity.]
In that instant, Leylin had sensed that he'd absorbed the trace of divinity from the flaming bird, something formed by over a century of worship from the natives. A golden light spread across his body, and with the massacre domain in effect its power was transformed into a part of his own.
'The profits this time alone have allowed my massacre divinity to grow greatly. It's worth at least two to three years of worship…' Leylin looked excited, 'This trip to the outer seas definitely is worth it!'
Truth be told, the fastest way for a god to advance was to seize divinity, divine force, or even divine spark from battle. However, the native empire as it was now was not valued. The power of faith in these earth-bound spirits as well as their divine force had huge flaws, which was why the gods did not set their sights on them.
However, Leylin did not fear contamination from the Magi. On top of that, his Nightmare Absorbing Physique allowed him to naturally absorb the might of these native earth-bound spirits without issue.
'After absorbing the divine force, I'll be able to make use of this large bird's divinity and soul to a great degree…' Leylin tapped the crystal on top of the Red Dragon Staff.
*Chiu! Chiu!* Dazzling light figured as the red dragon imprisoned within disappeared. In its place was a terrifying large bird, burning with golden-red flames.
"Using a divine being's soul to substitute a legendary dragon soul, that's a pretty good deal…" Leylin observed the soul of the flaming bird. It was now firmly chained within the crystal, and it cried out in refusal.
'Although I've taken the soul already, I still need to forge it into something usable. Until I do that, the Red Dragon Staff needs to be sealed…' Leylin estimated that once he reforged it, the new Red Dragon Staff, although the name would have to be changed, would be more powerful than a legendary item…
As Leylin was killing the flaming bird, the flag above the tribe's altar tore. Ferocious flames devoured the totem. The gathered natives cried out in alarm, and their high priest's face warped and twitched before he fell into a dead faint while frothing at the mouth. The other priests and acolytes reacted in the same way.
The followers of gods possessed some totemic power, which was what allowed them to communicate with the god and do all sorts of otherwise unimaginable things. However, now that their totem spirit was dead they would meet a similar fate.
The extraction of power that had fused with the body was like the removal of organs from a human. It was no surprise for a few of them to just die. Had they been worshippers of a true god, things would have been even more serious.
While it could be worse, this situation left the natives horrified and panicked.
"Ah… the ancestral spirit…. It's dead…"
"The evil god of the enemies, the fair-skinned devils killed our ancestral spirit…"
"Boohoo… our chief, high priest and ancestral spirit have died…"
The situation instantly caused the old, young, and ill to fall apart. They'd originally persisted with the belief that their ancestral spirit would protect them from the attack. The death of that guardian was a huge blow to them.
The fighting continued, and the spirit of the natives was swayed immediately.
"All who resist us will be killed, whether they are elderly or children!" The pirates and many devil worshippers that Leylin had subdued walked towards the tribe's altar.
"My followers!" At this moment, all the pirates who followed the Winged Serpent God Kukulkan heard a low and solemn voice in their years.
"I give you my blessing. You shall obtain power through slaughter; the fresh blood of your enemies shall give you courage, and the moans of terrified souls will restore your vitality!" The words sounded like a divine order as a terrifying phantom Targaryen appeared in the sky.
"It's our Lord! The Winged Serpent God has shown himself!" Unlike the regular worshippers, the acolytes Tiff had nurtured had a more profound reaction to this.
"Massacre domain, boost!" Leylin's figure reached the skies above the battlefield. He willed a dark red light to move from his domain, having it appear by his followers.
"It's the power of our god! The Winged Serpent God is protecting us!"
Robin Hood chopped off the head of a native with a wave of his hand. In this process, he could feel that the stamina he had lost was somehow restored. He took a look around and saw the pirates who should have lost their stamina seem full of life.
'What kind of terrifying might will this ability grant us in battle?' The effects of this domain were incomparable in battle. The little resistance that the natives had still posed crumbled completely, and the tribe descended into a bunch of cries and howls.
With Leylin showing up as a god and displaying his protection of his worshippers, the conviction of the natives completely died out. Many began to surrender, and dense black flames enveloped the skies above the native tribe…
Evening arrived, and the reflection of the setting sun on the sea was as red as blood. Leylin had moved into the chief's palace, listening to his subordinates' reports.
This place was made up of multiple smaller tribes, with a little more than ten thousand people. This 'palace' was just a slightly larger house with beautiful beast fur on the walls. It was still pretty good compared to the houses of the normal natives, though.
"This operation was a complete victory. We killed about a thousand native warriors, and have taken over ten thousand prisoners. Mere tens of our men were lost…" As Isabel spoke beside him, Robin Hood and Ronald began to flush with excitement.
"Also, the sea routes were blocked so not one of the natives' canoes escaped. News of this will definitely not spread."Tiff added. With him and the other elites in charge of stopping the natives, breaking out had been an impossible task.
"Good! Next is to organise the slaves and search the island…" Many natives had still fled in the chaos of war, especially with their lacking manpower. Leylin didn't mind, though; this was an isolated island after all. Now that he had control of the sea routes, where could they go?
"The most important thing to do now is to subdue the natives of the tribe and spread my faith. I can establish a secondary army made up of natives after that…"
The stories of colonialism from his past life gave Leylin many examples to follow. The elite pirates were his core group, and they couldn't easily be dispatched lest they suffer huge losses. Each operation with them had to be a huge success, and give the elites the image that they were all-powerful.
His next task was to manage these natives, dividing them up to form a secondary army and his guard. It would be necessary to assist the native nobles, provoking the tribes to attack each other and causing strife. It would be even better if he was helped by disease.
Due to differences in their worlds, the battles between gods were extremely important. If Leylin could eliminate the totems that the natives had faith in, everything would be much easier. Debanks Island was just a fat pig waiting to be slaughtered.
But that was all in the future. Leylin focused his attention on organising the natives of the Chihuahua Islands for now…
Night fell, and chilly winds brought coldness into the tribe. Numerous tied up natives were grouped together, hoping to get some warmth from each other's trembling bodies. In contrast, a huge bonfire was burning in the centre of the plaza, the altar from before long since destroyed and replaced by a brand new idol.
On top of the gigantic obsidian base was a sinister-looking serpent, huge and with fleshy wings. It had sharp claws and a single horn, and its scales seemed to gleam. Large demonic wings spread wide apart, and vertical eyes revealed a ruthless bloodthirst.
This was the statue Leylin had chosen for himself. He still feared the other gods, so he couldn't show himself. The next best thing was the image of a Targaryen.
The natives were being sent to the statue batch by batch, ordered to swear allegiance to it. Before this, they even had to trample the flag of the flaming bird.
No matter how stupid they were, the natives knew this blasphemy meant subjugation. It caused waves of chaos, the influence of an ancestral spirit not fading so easily.
However, regardless of the disturbance, the hot-bloodedness of the natives died down in the face of the pirates' blades. Facing them, one of the natives was cowed into service. The rest soon followed suit.
Leylin could sense the faith of the numerous natives, and the fear that accompanied it.
He looked around and sighed, "Is the reverence for gods by all lifeforms the source of faith? The essence of divine force is astuteness and dignity…"
-x-X-x-
Under threat of imminent death, the natives succumbed to the devilish snake that had slain their ancestral spirit, giving it their faith. Although with some unknown contamination, massive and unbridled power of faith surged into Leylin's body through the Weave.
"Reverence turns into faith…" Reaping this new power, Leylin now understood the path of the gods better.
A contract between gods and mortals was just the base of divinity. Another important requirement was reverence. If reverence was lost, it was only a matter of time before the power of faith moved to someone else. And murder and death were the most efficient ways to command this reverence!
'It's just that these natives' faith is incomplete…' Detecting a huge amount of contamination that would erode his own divine powers and eventually destroy him, Leylin smirked, 'But how can my quintessence be so easily tainted?'
*Buzz!* Dark red runes crawled over Leylin's body. The Nightmare Eye opened between his brows, beginning to absorb the contamination and refine it into pure dreamforce.
'Dreamforce is definitely the most accommodating of different powers…' Leylin nodded his head in satisfaction.
With his abilities as a Warlock in addition to the Nightmare Absorption Physique, he could absorb the faith of these natives easily.
"However, I need some time to properly digest this much…" Leylin could feel the intertwined emotions of his worshippers through the Weave, and the instability of their faith. Still, this was only the beginning, and he'd gotten it through murder. Leylin was satisfied with the result.
'What matters is the other tribes. I need to change my strategy next time…' Leylin recalled the knowledge from his previous world. Blood and tears proved time and time again that war would always occur. No matter how much one drove for peace, someone would always strike at their enemy's lowest point.
The only way to conquer them was a display of force, constantly killing off their forces until they finally assimilated. There were many unorthodox ways to go about it as well, but they were easily countered.
The theory was simple, it was just a dog eat dog world!
Had Leylin been a simple leader, he would have decided to kill off all the tribes. After all, he already had a disadvantage in numbers. No matter how much they were assimilated, even smaller groups caused problems to large communities, let alone in this situation where the numbers were reversed.
The glory of the bald eagle, of the United States of America, had come on the back of blood, sweat, and tears. However, from a god's standpoint, Leylin had to adopt a different approach.
Gods transcended humanity. Having stepped into such a realm, their vision was no longer limited to that of humans. With everlasting life, the conflict between tribes was trivial.
To put it bluntly, even if he had to use all of the incomplete power of faith that came from these natives to match the power of gods, Leylin would be willing to do it. He thus absolved himself of all conflicts between tribes, only focusing on the power of faith. The more a person worshipped him and provided power of faith, the more glory they would get.
Even a native would be able to become a cleric or even a bishop! As long as they were devout and prayed piously, of course.
Leylin recalled a famous proverb from his previous life, 'Everything between heaven and earth is but a stray dog!'
Although there were many interpretations of it, Leylin himself knew that everyone was treated equally by the divine, with no bias. That was the approach the gods of this world had adopted, at least.
However, the truest lack of bias could only be attributed to the various World Wills. Realistically speaking, as long as a majority of his faith came from the pirates and devil worshippers, Leylin would favour them. However, in the future he would have to rely on the power of faith from Debanks Island once he conquered it. The scales would be adjusted then.
It was only pragmatic and necessary to pick up natives and make them priests or saintesses, showing that everyone was equal and giving them hope. Leylin turned his attention to the field using his divine sense.
The battle continued, with not every native being cowed by the fear in their hearts. When a change of faith was forced, 'heroes' were wont to step up time and time again. Be it man or woman, youth or elderly, the only similarity was the unwavering resolution in their eyes, and the spirit of martyrdom.
The pirates simply beheaded them, the fresh blood pouring into the battlefield striking more fear into the natives' hearts. Beautiful woman who did not comply were a way for them to flaunt their manhood as they slayed the old and young.
Isabel did not stop these acts. A change of faith had to be ignited by fresh blood, and those who wouldn't comply even superficially would only have death awaiting them. If their faith could not be forced from their soul, they would disappear in the flesh.
Before humans grew civilised, killing eliminated problems without solving them. As culture progressed, this method was abandoned. However, the laws of the jungle still prevailed in the World of Gods, even on the mainland.
'There won't be thorns sticking out anymore, but there should be some who've only complied on the surface. They'll be scheming something else in the background…' Leylin mocked this train of thought in his mind. Like the proverbs went, one would grow accustomed to kneeling. Once they swore loyalty to him, he could acquire their faith and strengthen it in the future.
The hidden problems were easy to solve. As a divine being, Leylin could tell deceit and true reverence apart. Those fellows would never climb up the hierarchy, and once they exhibited any signs of rebellion they would be executed immediately.
Using the method of the carrot and the stick, Leylin would convert them completely, making them unwavering in their devotion.
'It's just that I don't have enough time…' Leylin shook his head.
At this moment, many black-robed clerics flooded the battlefield, soothing the natives like they were lambs. "Forget the false gods you believed in, and put your faith in our Lord. Even your family will experience salvation for your choice."
A threat to one's life left them vulnerable in many ways. Tiff understood this himself, having sent the acolytes out to soothe the natives without instruction to. With the gentle words of these acolytes, even more of the natives pledged their faith to Leylin, which strengthened his connection over the Weave even more than before.
A native girl looked up at Tiff, her eyes betraying her apprehension. "If...If I choose to believe in your god, will father be saved?"
Tiff smiled gently, kneeling down. "Who is your father, and where is he?" he asked the girl who had pale yellow skin and dark hair. There were traces of mud and coal on her face.
"He… He was a brave warrior of the tribe. He died today on the shore…" the little girl said timidly.
"He will be," Tiff stroked her hair, "Our Lord has mastered the massacre domain. All souls that perished under him can definitely be salvaged. If you pledge your faith…"
"Then, I choose to believe!" The girl knelt before the statue and kowtowed with utmost sincerity. It was so much so that her forehead began to bruise, and blood appeared.
"Almighty bishop, I know where a group of the tribe's warriors have gone, including the chief. They are in a mountain-hole at Bakala."
The natives stirred in unrest, shocked by the little girl's betrayal. Her calmness surprised even Tiff.
"Very well, you shall be rewarded!" Tiff eyed an acolyte at the side, who relayed this important information to the other leaders. He looked at the little native girl fondly, trying to think of a reward.
Before he could do that, though, a golden light shone out of the Targaryen statue. The power caused everyone to kneel unconsciously.
"Almighty Lord…"
A divine aura seemed to come to life under the holy light, and a beam of it entered the native girl's body.
"You are kind yet resolute, you shall be blessed!" The golden light circled the girl's body, leaving a mark on her forehead.
Once the light dimmed, Tiff looked solemnly at the girl. "Your name?"
"I am Barbara! Barbara Morui!" The girl repeated her name.
"You have received the blessings of the Winged Serpent God. From now, you are the saintess of our church!" Tiff hoisted the girl onto his shoulders, "May the winged serpent always be with you!"
"Kukulkan! Kukulkan!" The numerous acolytes cheered Leylin's divine name in zealotry.
At the same time, this atmosphere, with Barbara hoisted up high, renewed the hope of the natives. Leylin felt the power from their faith surge again, and the web of their faith grew sturdier.
-x-X-x-
'Congregations are indeed a good way to embellish the atmosphere… No wonder the churches of my past preferred to hold worship on selected days each week…' Leylin who had withdrawn his vision shook his head.
It was just a matter of time before the tribes of the Chihuahua Islands would come to his side. He believed that Tiff understood his intentions, and could exploit the worth of a saintess.
After all these matters were settled, Leylin's gaze turned to Debanks Island. He did not have time to conquer all the tribes of the Chihuahua Islands. He had to conquer the few largest ones first, producing his own divinity and ascending to become a demigod before he could challenge the Sakartes Kingdom.
Once the internal affairs were taken care of, a new round of battle preparations was underway.
'It isn't just subjugating the tribes and killing them. The quest to conquer the natives has to be filled with death and plagues.' To truly win with his small numbers, he had to regard those last two aspects as well.
If he wasn't limited by secrecy from the outside world, Leylin would even have sent people to ask for help from the Goddess of Plagues. With her belonging to the evil alignment, she would definitely be glad to do it.
'Forget it, they'd find out I can absorb the natives' faith. Might as well do it myself.' Pride welled within Leylin. As a Magus, he wouldn't find it difficult to create a new plague if he spent some time. Moreover, being a bloodline Warlock he could even come up with one that was very infectious and fatal, capable of eliminating entire tribes.
While he did not have to resort to such extremes, it was still necessary to give them a good scare. Any tribes going against him would contact the plague. With people dying all the time, the only way to save themselves would be to pledge their faith to him. How much power would that produce?
While some clerics could use magic to resist the plague, how sparse were they amongst the commoners? With their limited spell slots, it would be great even if they could just save the nobility.
Furthermore, their gods were just earth-bound spirits or demigods at best. Their divine spells were rank 5 at most, and the number of casts paled in comparison to those of a real god. This was one major limitation.
Having conquered the Chihuahua Islands, Leylin's army could finally plant their feet down firmly close to Debanks Islands. With the support of their warships, Debanks Island's counterattacks would not amount to much. Even if they discovered Leylin now and took the most efficient course of action, they wouldn't be able to chase Leylin away.
In addition, Chihuahua Islands was now a constant source of war supplies, warriors, and most importantly power of faith. The natives Leylin had brought on board were now released, acting as translators and mediators that aided his governance.
While high-ranking cleric spells like Language Proficiency did exist, the acolytes on the ground couldn't use so many spell scrolls. The likes of translators were of paramount importance.
Of course, this was only the first wave, very soon a new civilisation would be introduced with the common language spoken on the continent. This was in fact how colonialism worked, Leylin had merely borrowed a page from its books. However, instead of harvesting resources he was harvesting power of faith…
Another month passed with this set in stone. Two fifths of the pirates Leylin had brought were now either injured or running operations on the ground. He brought the remaining three thousand on deck and headed for Debanks Island, and the true native empire.
This was three thousand against a million! It sounded extremely absurd, but after past events the crew had placed their utmost trust in Leylin. This fervent worship was the necessity for zealotry. Leylin believed that once he took these pirates through the unimaginable war, the survivors would definitely turn into fanatics.
Getting close to Debanks Island, Leylin passed down the orders for all ships to stop sailing. It was as if he was waiting for something.
To him, each and every one of his troops was extremely precious, so venturing in the dark would be too dangerous. According to his plan, what came next would be an effortless victory.
*Zoom!* Five hourglasses trickled by, and a red figure approached from the horizon and landed on Leylin's deck.
"Here he is, just as planned." Isabel was now in her draconic form. Crimson scales littered her body, and a pair of giant red wings protruded from her back. Her pupils had become vertical slits, as typical of dragons'.
However, Isabel seemed to be in a miserable state. The scales on her back were somewhat twisted.
"What happened? Is something wrong?" Leylin raised his hand, and an arcane healing spell covered her body. Large amounts of the shattered scales quickly regrew.
"While we were plundering others, we were discovered by the totem spirit and pursued. But it was like you said. It automatically backed off a certain distance from the tribe…" Isabel now looked much better as she tossed an unconscious native to the deck.
The captured native was dressed in bright robes. His rosy cheeks and exquisite skin showed that he'd been brought up in a great environment, and had at least as much power as the chief of the Chihuahua Islands.
"Good! Lock him up at the bottom of the ship and ensure that he doesn't die. We can then happily blackmail the tribe and ask for a ransom…" Leylin waved his arms, and two pirates immediately went forward to carry the unconscious native chief down.
"This is such a crude plan. Will they fall for it?" Isabel asked. Tiff had no intentions of questioning him, as if Leylin's word was gospel, but in spite of Leylin's imposing divine aura Isabel was still his cousin.
"Who knows? We can't go wrong with trying it…" Leylin rolled his shoulders back, feeling like there was a large possibility of this working out.
The natives were foolish, ignorant and naive, just like in the Americas of his previous world. The western colonialists had used extortion to gain countless riches.
While the situation was different, the natives here had sacrificial ceremonies for totem spirits and higher-ups like high priests. There was even a system of divine and royal power. This chief would have some descendants and faithful officials, no? Anyway, Leylin had made up his mind. If this didn't work out, he could just kill the captive and capture a high priest or something.
Fortunately, the tribe did not seem to be able to bear the death of the chief. After Leylin sent out an emissary, the other party's people quickly arrived. In the stipulated coastal waters, a large wave of natives rowing tens of canoes arrived under the Scarlet Tigers' ship.
The pirates on the deck watched the canoes under them disdainfully. In their eyes, just a slight splash from their large ship could drown the entire army, capsizing their boats and killing the people.
After that, though, they could not shift their eyes away. Any teasing or attempts at attacking these natives' canoes would result in a ruthless counterattack.
This was because they saw golden light! Golden light all over the canoes! Bright yellow gold household utensils and large chunks of gold nuggets were transported to the deck as a ransom for their chief! The dazzling colours immediately filled the pirates' sights, and greed appeared on their expressions.
Was this not why they'd become pirates, and struggled with their lives on the line in the perilous deep seas against military and merchant ships?
'While it doesn't amount to much, having them piled together is quite eye-catching…' Leylin knew that in reality Debanks Island didn't have plentiful amounts of gold.
Gold and silver was currency on the mainland, but here it would be items like cocoa beans or obsidian. Gold was just for decoration. If Leylin's emissary hadn't specifically requested this, they could even have brought a pile of obsidian over as ransom. The natives saw being able to get their chief back by handing over a pile of useless decorations as striking it rich.
Leylin stroked his chin, watching the emissaries from the natives' side crawling before him. From their point of view, this large ship was like a lofty mountain, no different from a miracle.
"Mighty beings with fair skin who traverse through the seas and possess tall and large ships, I have brought the items you wanted. Please let our chief go. From hereon, you will also have the friendship of our tribe…" a priest with status said while cowering, and Leylin had no trouble understanding him.
Regular divine beings couldn't compare to him in comprehension ability. The moment he became a demigod, he would be able to understand all languages by instinct.
The priest was now showing cowardice before Leylin.
"I see the ransom, but that isn't enough…" Leylin branded his meaning into the minds of the natives, "A king can only be redeemed by a king. You can meet your chief. After this, you are to declare war on the neighbouring Angodub. Bring their chief captive in exchange for your own!"