'If I were to choose the 50,000 pounds...' Klein's brow instinctively furrowed. His rational mind told him that 50,000 pounds for the Sequence 4 potion formula was not overpriced, but his wallet disagreed — he simply couldn't afford that kind of money.
'Do I really have to resort to making cat meme expressions?'
Mr. Fool hesitated slightly. Then, he heard Lynn suddenly speak up:
"By the way, Gehrman, do you mind if I invite Mr. Azik over to help? We could recreate the classic big cat and little cat duo."
Klein: ...
Klein's expression almost cracked. He looked at Lynn with difficulty and finally said, "Lynn, show a little humanity!"
"Strictly speaking, it's hard to define if I even am human to have humanity," Lynn corrected jokingly. Seeing Klein's face on the verge of breaking, Lynn finally showed some mercy. "But since you're so against it, I won't invite Mr. Azik."
Klein let out a sigh of relief but quickly realized what had just happened. He muttered under his breath, "I didn't even say I was going to choose the first option..."
Hearing this, Lynn said nothing, just smiled at him, then glanced at his wallet and shook his head, sighing.
He didn't say a word, yet it felt as though he had said everything.
Klein: ...
Gehrman couldn't help but clench his fists, feeling a surge of determination rise within him. He swore that one day he would make Lynn understand — the God of Poverty wouldn't stay poor forever!
"Enough with this. I'm still terrifying, you know!" Klein finally snapped.
"Hahaha!" Lynn, showing no shame, burst out laughing. He then patted Klein on the shoulder and said seriously, "Keep it up, Gehrman. I look forward to the day your cat meme album goes public!"
This time, Klein's fists tightened for real.
...
While Lynn was busy attempting to coax Mr. Fool into making cat memes, and while Mr. Fool was on the verge of unleashing his friendship-breaking punch, elsewhere, the Angel of Secrets was meticulously crafting with Kalvetua's Sea King Characteristics.
The process didn't take long for the Angel of Secrets, being the finest artisan of the era, aside from Artisan. By that evening, the Angel had already handed the newly forged "Sea God's Scepter" over to Mr. Fool.
Out of a sense of ritual, the Angel of Secrets shaped this Characteristic into a scepter, similar to its original form, but with some differences in ability.
The new version of the Sea God's Scepter retained most of the abilities once held by the Sea King, allowing its wielder to communicate with followers of the former Sea God, Kalvetua. Additionally, it came with an advantage that wasn't present in the original — minimal negative effects.
In the original story, the Sea God's Scepter was classified as a standard Grade 1 Sealed Artifact due to its severe negative effects. Without Klein's protection through the Gray Fog, using this artifact could have killed him.
However, after the Angel of Secrets' modifications, the new scepter's negative effects were much simpler. The wielder would become hot-headed and quick to anger, and the scepter needed to be soaked in blood after each use — though it didn't have to be human blood; livestock blood would suffice.
Furthermore, the power to channel the prayers of believers, which was both an ability and a negative effect in the original, was also improved. The wielder could now choose whether or not to accept prayers from followers and could control the amount of prayer channeled, making it safe and manageable.
That very night, Mr. Fool donned the mantle of the Sea God, taking on the role in the Gray Fog for the first time.
In the jungles of Blue Mountain Island, within a secret cave that served as one of the rebellion's hidden bases—
Bald-headed rebel Kalat knelt despairingly in front of the shattered statue of the Sea God, his entire being void of spirit.
His reaction was understandable. Since noon, when the statue broke, Kalat had lost contact with the Sea God's high priest, and the god had ceased to respond to prayers. For a devout believer like Kalat, this was akin to the sky falling.
He couldn't even lie to himself — he wasn't the only one who had lost the god's favor. The other members of the rebellion had also failed to receive responses. It seemed all signs pointed to one conclusion — something had happened to their god.
It was a terrifying thought, one that could drive any Sea God follower to despair. Yet, it wasn't entirely unexpected for Kalat.
As a high-ranking member of the Sea God Church, even though he had been exiled to the rebels for rejecting bloody sacrifices, Kalat had long suspected that their god was in decline.
But he hadn't expected it to happen so quickly, so suddenly. This left him confused, heartbroken, and despondent. If it weren't for his responsibility to the rebels and the oppressed people of the Rorsted Archipelago, Kalat might have considered following his god into death.
But he couldn't. If he died, what would happen to the rebels? And what of his fellow countrymen, those who had no means of resisting the oppression of the Loen Kingdom and other foreign powers?
'But, without our god, can we truly continue to resist?' Kalat's sorrowful, confused gaze once again landed on the shattered statue of the Sea God. Then, something caught his eye.
He froze, seeing a vague figure, a towering form that seemed to blend into the deep blue waves of the sky and bolts of silver lightning.
The figure was majestic, grand, awe-inspiring, and sacred.
Kalat was instantly awestruck. He instinctively lowered his head, his heart swelling with incredulous joy.
Then, he heard a calm, powerful voice:
"I have returned."
...
Above the Gray Fog, Klein carefully selected a suitable believer from the Sea God Cult and proclaimed the Sea God's rebirth. He also issued a new holy covenant, marking the beginning of the church's reformation.
The Sea God Cult, having once worshipped the insane serpent Kalvetua, had been both primitive and bloody. Now that Klein had taken over, he would not allow such mistakes to continue. With careful restraint and reform, his goal was to transform the Sea God Cult into a proper church instead of a cult, and a reputable secret organization that wouldn't be blacklisted by the official churches.
(End of Chapter)
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