587 "Deceived"
Upon hearing the young man's words, Bard felt his blood rush to his head.
Crafting a seemingly valid rule over a millennium to deceive others?
What kind of lame antique Swindler is this?
Bard blurted out, "The patterns on the altar and the surrounding arrangements are also fake?"
The young man in the dark-blue deputy host robe chuckled.
"If it wasn't real, would you have been deceived?
"Furthermore, I occasionally venture out. When I do, it grants Steal powers on my behalf. Of course, with the spirituality produced by the surrounding worshippers, it can indeed only bestow once a year."
As the young man spoke, the smile on his face widened.
Bard's forehead throbbed as he listened, feeling like he had been mocked.
According to the other party's claim that the Steal powers could be bestowed at will, the Ring of the Sea Queen should have been complete and equipped with all its functions. So, why did the success of the sea prayer ritual experience such a significant delay?
Unable to comprehend the situation, Bard turned around and sprinted towards the exit.
It wasn't that he hadn't considered begging for mercy and surrendering on the spot, but these things could be done later. For now, he wanted to take a gamble, betting that the other party's claim of occasionally venturing out was a lie. In essence, he believed he was trapped in the altar, unable to venture anywhere and influence the people around him. If he allowed himself to be intimidated and didn't dare to escape, he would fall into the other party's trap, cheated of his freedom and future.
Thud! Thud! Thud! Bard reached the staircase in a few steps and ran up.
The more he ran, the happier he became. The monocle-wearing young man didn't stop him.
I made the right bet!
He's the core of that altar. There's no way to leave!
Thud! Thud! Thud! Bard witnessed the scene on the first floor illuminated by sunlight.
Amidst his ecstasy, his thoughts suddenly shattered. He felt the darkness around him being pierced by the light, shattering into pieces.
Bard bolted upright, alarmed to find himself lying in the servant's room at the Governor of the Sea's residence. He hadn't left.
He surveyed his surroundings and heard cheers and crackers from outside.
I just had a dream? Did it stem from a spirituality warning, helping me discover a problem with the plan? As Bard pondered these thoughts, he immediately dismissed the corresponding judgment. No, how could I have fallen asleep during the sea prayer ritual? Did I start dreaming after hearing soft footsteps in my room?
Bard rolled to his feet, slung his backpack over his shoulders, and tentatively pushed open the door, entering the corridor.
No longer smug with the plan that required minimal risks or combat, Bard realized he couldn't share in the distribution of items. He couldn't teleport away directly, nor could he return to his original appearance or disguise himself as someone else.
Upon reaching the corridor, Bard noticed the Little Devils leaving the shadows and performing a strange celebratory dance.
He hadn't "communicated" with these sea spawn and knew their intelligence was roughly equivalent to that of ordinary dogs. They could be tamed and controlled, but direct communication was beyond them. However, the amazing thing was that Little Devils had the ability to record and recreate human words, even if they weren't sure of their meanings. Moreover, they could receive signals from their collaborators within a 100-meter radius.
The Little Devils ignored Bard as well. The sea prayer ritual had succeeded. According to their prior agreement, the fake Governor of the Sea could leave on his own.
Bard left the Governor of the Sea's residence and realized that the guards at the entrance weren't kneeling to thank the boon like before. The villagers of Milo Village at the docks were the same. Apart from a few who sincerely shouted that the sea prayer ritual had succeeded, the rest merely echoed what was happening and expressed their joy, with many preferring to release crackers.
Indeed, it was a dream. The villagers' reactions in the dream were too exaggerated… I should know that based on past experiences with sea prayer rituals, only the committee members of the Fisheries Guild and a few people with strong sea bloodlines can sense the arrival of the sea's boon. Others with sea bloodlines wouldn't have a tangible sense. They'd slowly realize they've become stronger, or the changes are too weak to detect. Otherwise, the failure of the sea prayer ritual last year wouldn't have escaped the notice of Port Santa's citizens and would have only circulated within the core circle. Bard used the environment to quickly confirm the essence of his previous encounter.
He didn't dare relax, nor did he "again" head to the docks to admire the villagers being fooled. Instead, he turned to the road leading to Port Santa's city district.
Just as he stepped out of the ancient village, Bard spotted a figure ahead.
The man stood over 2.4 meters tall, clad in a simple linen robe and a hood, holding a thick staff.
"Gandalf…" Bard's heart tightened as he shouted.
With the dream just now, he thought he had been exposed, so he didn't pull off any act.
Gandalf, the president of the Curly-Haired Baboons Research Society, was taken aback and let out a deep chuckle.
"You're really fake."
H-he's not sure of my identity? Bard was taken aback, wishing he could slap himself.
…
Inside the underwater spaceship, in a metallic room reminiscent of a beehive.
Having failed to capture Mad Lady twice in a row, Mr. K's body underwent a sudden transformation, expanding to nearly three meters in height.
Fortunately, he wasn't adorned in actual clothes. The blood-colored cloak draped over him had morphed from his flesh and blood. Otherwise, even the loose robe would have succumbed to the drastic change.
Concurrently, Mr. K's skin darkened, assuming the appearance of thick and formidable armor. Crooked goat horns adorned with sinister patterns sprouted from his head, and a pair of bat-like wings, encircled in crimson and blue flames, emerged from his back.
A pungent smell of sulfur hung in the air.
Being a Sequence 5 Shepherd of the Secrets Suppliant pathway, Mr. K possessed the core ability of Grazing. This allowed him to fuse other people's souls with Beyonder characteristics or boon powers and utilize them uniquely. It was akin to grazing lambs for a deity.
Each Shepherd could graze up to seven souls, controlling only one at a time. In this state, Shepherds could employ their Beyonder abilities and three abilities corresponding to the souls. These were chosen during Grazing and remained fixed thereafter.
The most formidable aspect of Shepherds was their ability to Graze demigod-
level spirits, enabling them to contend with Saints for a limited duration.
Presently, Mr. K was using a Grazed Devil. He had selected Devil Transformation, Sulphur Fireball, and Sword of Lava in the past.
Mr. K deliberately chose to forgo Devil's most distinctive Danger Premonition because he believed it to be effective only when commanding the Devil's spirit. Under normal circumstances, he couldn't activate Grazing continuously. In any case, if grave danger loomed, a divine revelation would be provided by God. Failure to receive such guidance indicated wrongdoing, warranting divine punishment.
As the expansive bat wings on Mr. K's back unfolded, light-blue fireballs condensed, numbering almost twenty.
They indiscriminately bombarded every corner of the metallic beehive, creating an all-encompassing barrage to counter Mad Lady's elusive "flashes" throughout the space.
Rumble!
The explosion, a mix of fire and poison, wreaked havoc on the metallic hive, tearing apart the incubating Batings Black Insect, Little Devils, and other creatures.
Mad Lady abruptly halted as the Sulfur Fireball condensed.
Cloaked in a blood-colored dress, with grotesque flesh lumps on her face, an illusory, slowly flipping book materialized in her eyes. Faint recitations echoed around her.
Drawing a dagger, she genuflected and drove it into the metal floor of the hive.
Dawn-like light ascended, forming an almost invisible wall around her.
Rumble!
The shockwaves from the Sulfur Fireball's explosion and the poisonous pale-
blue fireball relentlessly struck the invisible barrier, causing it to sway, yet it stood resilient.
This was Protection of a Warrior Sequence 5.
Record, the core ability of a Sequence 6 Scribe of the Apprentice pathway, allowed the "recording" of others' abilities for use, each recording usable only once. Scribes could even record Beyonder powers with godhood effects, but the success rate was minimal.
After the explosion's aftershocks subsided, Mr. K, donned in a blood-colored cloak and resembling a colossal Devil, wielded a broadsword composed of crimson lava and pale-blue flames. He surged towards Mad Lady in two steps, slashing down.
The nearly invisible wall around Mad Lady couldn't withstand the onslaught and finally shattered. As the illusory book in her eyes flipped, a robust and sharp Sword of Dawn materialized in her hand.
Excitedly, she swung her two-handed light sword.
Clang!
Mr. K's strike sent Mad Lady, lacking a Warrior's physique and strength, flying.
Though Mr. K hadn't anticipated her determination to engage in close combat despite her limitations, the battle's tempo remained unaffected. He advanced, wielding the lava broadsword once again.
Poof! The Mad Lady he struck suddenly thinned, transforming into a paper figurine consumed by sulfurous flames.
Paper Figurine Substitutes!
Mad Lady reappeared beside a demolished metal hive, her illusory book flipping once more.
She then stretched her arms, allowing a pure and magnificent blazing pillar of light to descend from the sky and strike Mr. K, who had attacked the paper effigy.
Priest of Light's Light of Holiness!
