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In a hotel in Bayam's Dock District.
Ethan, who had already drunk several cups of coffee, rubbed his forehead in exasperation. He regretted waiting for a potential follow-up; now he wanted to sleep, but the excessive coffee had completely banished his drowsiness.
"The fall of the Sea God will inevitably lead to a mass suicide among the natives here due to the collapse of their faith. Bayam—no, the entire Rorsted Archipelago—will experience a severe labor shortage."
"Not only that, but some fanatical believers will refuse to accept the fact that the Sea God has fallen. They will frantically perform human sacrifices, attempting to elicit a response from the deity."
"Just like those lunatics in our Numinous Episcopate's Artificial Death faction."
Ethan half-reclined in his chair, his voice devoid of inflection.
"We have already left the Numinous Episcopate," Phoenix gently corrected, raising his head slightly.
"Unfortunately, neither the Numinous Episcopate nor other forces on the Southern Continent seem to think so," Ethan sighed, his voice full of helplessness.
Phoenix stopped responding to the topic. He pulled a brass-colored whistle from an inner pocket of his clothes and blew it forcefully, but no sound emerged.
A moment later, a tall White Bone Messenger extended a hand from beneath the floor.
Before it could fully emerge, Phoenix placed the freshly written letter into its skeletal hand.
The massive White Bone Messenger paused, seemingly aggrieved as it clenched its hand. Its newly emerged skull receded back into the floor, carrying the letter as it traversed the spirit world.
After watching the messenger depart, Phoenix settled back into his chair. His gaze passed through the glass window, looking out at the clear night sky.
His eyes suddenly deepened, as if communicating with an invisible entity.
Moments later, he lowered his gaze and spoke in an uninflected voice:
"The spirits around here have reported that the statue of Kalvetua, the Sea God, has shattered and cannot be reassembled."
"Somewhere in the spirit world of this sea area, a fierce battle occurred. There's a sun-like aura there that they dislike."
Ethan stared blankly at Phoenix, then slowly spoke after a moment of stunned silence:
"When did you subdue the spirits of this sea area? And make them help you monitor it?"
Phoenix replied in an even tone:
"I've been doing it since I arrived in Bayam."
The Punishers of the Church of the Lord of Storms arrived belatedly at the real-world location corresponding to the ruins where Kalvetua was hidden.
Before they could even get close, they heard an angry snort, then were swept up by a hurricane and carried directly away from the area.
"Sea King" Jahn Kottman's deep blue eyes were filled with solidified rage. His loose Church of the Lord of Storms priest robe was fully distended, his chest heaving, his anger almost erupting.
The surrounding Punishers dared not breathe, all bowing their heads, silently awaiting orders from this Archbishop of the Rorsted Sea and Senior Deacon of the Punishers.
After a moment of silence, Jahn Kottman slightly raised his right hand. Deep blue light cascaded around him, creating ripples that condensed into a water mirror.
Within it was Leyton's figure, imbued with golden light, and a figure so blurry it was indistinguishable, holding a short white staff inlaid with blue-green gems.
Jahn Kottman took a deep breath, controlling his emotions, and said in a solemn voice:
"Issue a warrant for this Saint of the Church of the God of Knowledge and Wisdom throughout the entire Rorsted Sea. He has not yet left."
"Find the person who took this white staff and reclaim it!"
Dock District, Azure Wind Hotel.
Klein was meditating in his room, rapidly restoring his spirituality.
Once his spirituality was mostly recovered, he returned to the magnificent, ancient palace above the Gray Fog.
He sat in The Fool's high-backed chair, holding the sea god scepter in his right hand, and closed his eyes, performing a simple divination.
The effects and negative side effects of this sea god scepter quickly surfaced in his mind.
It was very powerful; even among Sequence 1 Sealed Artifacts, it was one of the stronger types… Unfortunately, its negative side effects were significant, making it almost impossible to use outside the Gray Fog.
After pondering for a moment, Klein decided to respond to the believers of the "Sea God."
This was not only a reminder from "Red Light" Aiur Moria, preparing faith for his Future advancement to demigod, but also to stabilize the Sea God believers and prevent them from making any crazy moves.
It was also for acting. How could acting as an ordinary person be as effective as acting as a "Sea God"?
As he thought, he used the Gray Fog to materialize a suitable scene:
A slightly blurry figure stepping on waves, cloaked in a howling hurricane, with heavy dark clouds overhead…
The overall impression was sacred and majestic. This was inspiration he had drawn from the murals in the elven ruins where Kalvetua had been hidden.
He then extended his spirituality, pouring it into the sea god scepter, establishing connections with several of the brighter points of faith within it.
He projected the visualized scene, along with a detached, grand voice, into them:
"I have returned!"
After communicating with the "Sea God" believers and re-establishing the Sea God's covenant, Klein put down the sea god scepter, rubbing his temples with a hint of fatigue.
Although I can respond to believers through this Gray Fog, it's still a considerable burden on my spirit.
Moreover, due to the Gray Fog's obstruction, the sea god scepter cannot respond to rituals or answer believers' prayers in a timely manner, and I can't stay here for long. I need to find a solution.
As thoughts spun in his mind, his gaze fell upon the crimson star representing Leyton. He should still be awake, right?
After a slight hesitation, he extended his spirituality, touching the crimson star representing Leyton, and informed him of his problem.
Feynapotter, Seville.
Leyton had just finished discussing a grain transaction with Boen. The latter promised to collect grain worth 5,500 pounds within three days and gradually transport it to the warehouse here.
After settling the details of their Future cooperation, he eagerly took two bodyguards to find a lawyer to draft the contract.
He even thoughtfully left two bodyguards to guard the warehouse and protect Leyton's safety.
As one of Feynapotter's largest ports, Seville had no shortage of pirates and adventurers. This was also the outskirts, and moving around alone at night still carried some danger.
Leaning against the carriage Boen used to transport grain, Leyton's vision was suddenly filled with dense Gray Fog. He saw a blurry figure enveloped by the Gray Fog, appearing as tall and magnificent as if overlooking the entire world.
Leyton looked up at the night sky with a slight Confuse. He wasn't sure why Klein was looking for him at this time... Had something gone wrong during the process of receiving the Sea God's believers?
As thoughts stirred in his mind, The Fool's leisurely voice echoed in his ears:
"Do you know how to solve the problem of the sea god scepter not being able to respond to prayers and rituals in a timely manner above the Gray Fog?"
Noticing that the connection Klein had established with him above the Gray Fog had not been directly severed, Leyton immediately extended his spirituality, sealing off his surroundings to prevent his voice from escaping.
Having done that, he then spoke:
"Leave a clone there. A Sequence 4 of the Spectator pathway can create virtual personalities. Based on that, I can try to develop a secret art to separate a clone with a certain degree of self-awareness…"
"Uh, with your current spiritual level, you probably can't sustain it. You need to become a Marionettist at least."
"At this stage, you can only frequently go to the Gray Fog to respond, or have the Sea God's believers pray and hold rituals at a fixed time?"
No sooner had Leyton finished speaking than Klein's slightly helpless reply came from his ear:
"Marionettist… I haven't found any clues about mermaids yet."
Leyton shrugged:
"That's actually quite simple… Pray to the Evernight Goddess for help."
"If you want to rely on yourself, you can only go to the Ruins of Gods deep in the Sonia Sea. There are still some mermaids living there."
"I recommend you travel on Admiral of Stars's Future. She has experience exploring that sea area, which would be more helpful to you."
After a moment of silence, Klein's voice echoed in Leyton's ears again:
"I will try to contact her."
This voice faded along with the Gray Fog before Leyton's eyes.
Morning, in Bayam's Cathedral of Waves.
Alger, summoned by the Church, arrived here and once again saw the diocesan bishop, Jogori.
The white-haired elder handed him three portraits:
"Find them."
Alger took them in confusion, casually unfolding the papers. The top one was a portrait of Leyton, a portrait that the Church of the Lord of Storms had completed after removing the golden glow that enveloped him.
"He is 'Pyromaniac' Al, formerly a crew member on Admiral of Stars's flagship, the Future."
"But this should only be one of his disguises. His True identity is a Saint of the Church of the God of Knowledge and Wisdom, who planned and participated in the previous attack on Bayam, and was involved in seizing an important item of the Church."
"You only need to find him, even if it's just some information. The Church has raised his bounty to 150,000 pounds."
150,000 pounds… The bounty for Agalito, the King of Immortality, one of the Four Kings, is only 100,000 pounds. Does the Church consider him more dangerous than the King of Immortality?
For this kind of task, just go through the motions… As thoughts spun, Alger had already decided to slack off.
He casually flipped to the next portrait; it was a figure so blurry that it was impossible to tell if it was male or female. Through this portrait, one could only determine that it was a person.
The Hanged Man struggled to control his expression, barely preventing himself from laughing aloud.
Jogori ignored Alger's expression and thoughts, introducing the next portrait with an angry tone:
"This is a filthy, despicable thief! He may be connected to the Church of the God of Knowledge and Wisdom!"
This sudden task must be related to what happened last night. Last night… Kalvetua completely fell, and his Legacy was taken by someone in advance?
Alger's expression gradually became serious as he flipped to the third portrait.
It was a short staff, a short staff with delicate blue-green gems inlaid at its tip…
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