Furthermore, Alan noticed another aspect of this world.
If a person dies an unnatural death and their soul is particularly weak, it may dissipate into nothingness, breaking down and merging with the natural consciousness.
If a person's soul isn't particularly strong but they have deep attachments, their soul, upon death, becomes a wandering spirit or ghost.
However, if someone possesses a strong soul, such as witch doctors, soothsayers, ascetics, or other class players, especially those at the 5-star General-tier or Lord-tier level, their soul might not disperse after death.
Instead, it might enter the underworld intact and undergo reincarnation.
Of course, there are also special individuals, like the virtuous, who receive divine blessings and protection.
In death, their souls remain intact and enter the underworld, guided to their next life.
The demon race has a similar fate.
Upon death, their souls either disperse or enter a unique underworld of the demon race for reincarnation.
Deities are different.
Upon death, their souls bind with their Divinity and trace back to their origins.
All memories of the deity, remaining divine power, and Divinity either go to the underworld or enter a realm rich in energy to enter a deep slumber.
After many years, once the Divinity and mind power gain enough energy, they can awaken and become a deity again.
As for the protagonists of this world's game, their souls should also remain intact upon death, at least not dispersing immediately.
Perhaps due to some "protection mechanism," a protagonist's soul is taken away the moment they die to prevent the antagonist from annihilating it on the spot?
Alan was also aware that some practitioners of dark arts possess terrifying techniques that can annihilate both the physical form and the spirit.
These techniques don't necessarily require a high level of power to execute.
If an antagonist happens to have this ability, wouldn't it be a great pity for the righteous if they lost even their chance of reincarnation?
However, after all, Alan is the Almighty God!
Now, he too can venture into the underworld and, with the divine power of the Almighty God, forcibly compel the god of the underworld to hand over certain special souls...
If the souls of other transmigrants really do reach the underworld after death.
Of course, there's another possibility: that a protagonist's soul doesn't go to the underworld after death.
Should the protagonist harbor unresolved feelings, a sense of injustice, and an unwillingness to wait too long, they can choose to "possess" another!
This method is less stable compared to reincarnation, but it allows the "protagonist" to make a quicker comeback.
"Elizabeth, you've done very well!"
"Vina, instruct the other paladins to be alert for any spirits in the surrounding cities."
"With the holy light within you and my blessing, you should be able to see the outlines of some spirits."
"Yes, my god Alan!"
Vina and Elizabeth quickly knelt on one knee in response.
Soon after, Vina, the Paladin Leader of Beaconburg, went to command the paladins to search around Beaconburg for the recently deceased protagonist, Little Robert's soul.
Elizabeth had been teleported over, bringing the captured Little Robert with her.
So, after Little Robert's death, his soul was near Beaconburg.
Having given his orders, Alan did not interfere further.
What happens next would be left to fate.
Alan didn't plan to annihilate a protagonist's soul right from the start.
Besides, if this protagonist's soul were to reincarnate or possess another body and rise again to seek revenge, that would indeed be interesting.
Alan pondered over this.
Then, he began to browse the antagonist store.
With his current 130 points, the items he could exchange for were quite limited.
He could obtain a one-time use lord-tier attack item.
However, for items that could be used in the long term, at least 600 points were required.
Alan wasn't particularly interested in such items.
He was more intrigued by the "cheats" of righteous protagonists.
Unfortunately, the last protagonist's "cheat" was damaged and somewhat lacking in functionality.
The necklace could provide disaster warnings, absorb nearby calamities, and cleanse and purify its host.
However, Alan already possessed similar abilities.
As for the negative persona within the necklace, it was essentially Little Robert's own personality.
It wasn't the soul of a powerful and wise predecessor capable of providing significant guidance or enlightenment to the protagonist.
Regarding the will of the Abyss of the Demon World contained within the necklace, and the information about the demon race's hidden treasures, Alan had already acquired that knowledge. That was sufficient for him.
He was contemplating whether to pursue these treasures now.
He wanted to see if there were any traps or contingencies set up within these demon race caches mentioned in the consciousness merged with the energy of the Abyss of the Demon World.
"Elizabeth, you performed exceptionally well in this mission. Your heart is truly devout, and you can wield a substantial amount of blessed energy. Hereby, I promote you to the Captain of the Beaconburg Paladins," Alan declared.
"You are tasked to venture into the nearby Stin Empire and gather information. Look for any extraordinary individuals or events, especially any young beings who have risen suddenly. Report back to me immediately if you find anything."
"Yes, my god Alan," Elizabeth responded. "I will make contact with the relevant paladins in the Stin Empire. Currently, though paladins do not hold official positions in the twelve kingdoms of the continent, our status is exceptionally revered. Most nations dare not offend us, and we can use the pretext of inquiring about Demon World information to gain access to internal affairs of the states."
Alan nodded in acknowledgment.
In his current form as a lord rather than the Almighty God, he did not have his "wisdom" divine power active and couldn't directly read Elizabeth's thoughts.
However, he could sense the sincerity in her words.
Undoubtedly, Elizabeth was not deceiving him.
Soon after, Elizabeth transformed into a beam of golden light and disappeared from the spot.
Meanwhile, in the Stin Empire, the paladins began their mission.
With their charismatic light, paladins were seen as heroes in the hearts of the common people, and they could directly obtain any information they sought.
Within the inner circles of some nations, high-ranking officials generally avoid contact with paladins.
However, lower-level officials often seek to ingratiate themselves with them.
After all, with insufficient personal background and likely challenging career prospects, forming a good relationship with the transcendentally positioned paladins of the continent could be beneficial.
Perhaps in the future, when their career paths reach a dead end, their devotion to the Almighty God might grant them a position in Beaconburg.
Even if they cannot become paladins and serve in a clerical capacity instead, they could still live closer to the Divine Pillar, under the blessings and protection of the Almighty God, potentially extending their lifespan.
Of course, Beaconburg is much closer to the Abyss of the Demon World compared to the twelve kingdoms of the continent, which seems perilous.
However, the Demon World has been stable for many years, and the number of paladins corrupted by its energy is extremely low.
The safety of other clerical personnel in the city is even higher.
Soon, the paladins gathered various pieces of intelligence.
Additionally, Alan instructed his paladins to investigate a few smaller nations surrounding the Stin Empire, as protagonists could also emerge in these minor countries.
As for the other nations of the twelve kingdoms, due to the distance, any protagonists there likely could not yet reach Alan.
He planned to investigate those areas later.
Before long, in a small town called Norton in the Stin Empire, the paladins identified a possible protagonist.
Of course, this time's "protagonist" was still a young boy with a seemingly unremarkable background.
He was currently a street urchin, but he had one very peculiar trait.
When playing dice games for money with other street children, he never lost.
Every time he shook the dice cup, he would roll exactly the numbers he wanted.
In no time at all, he had won over an entire street.
Soon, his small gambling spot attracted the attention of curious passersby, challenging him to duels.
Without exception, no one could defeat him in this dice game.
Some disgruntled customers even hired experts to observe and confirmed that the young man was not cheating.
If it were just that, one could say the boy was a gambling prodigy.
However, what made the paladins suspicious was his action after gambling.
He went straight to a magic potion shop and bought various special magic potions.
These potions were unusual, made from a hodgepodge of ingredients that seemed nonsensical at first glance: lime powder, snow mountain blueberries, stinkweed, red fly wings...
Yet, the young man was extremely cautious.
After purchasing a few ingredients from one shop, he would change his disguise and move to another store, ensuring he wouldn't be recognized before making his next purchase.
The paladins observed all these actions.
As beings with strengths all above the Elite-tier, each paladin could become a master of concealment when necessary.
Furthermore, with Alan's help, they could hide their own radiance, making it easier to complete their tracking mission.
It was only when they reached the destination, the magic potion store, that the paladins revealed their power of light and interrogated the shop owner, asking him to disclose the details of the young man's recent transactions.