When Linley heard Pandora casting a spell on him, his heart immediately tensed up. The system promptly informed him, "You've been hit with a non-damaging spell. You can choose to accept or resist it."
"So, I can resist it," Linley thought, "Being a god sure is convenient." He remembered characters in games he used to play that were immune to magic and couldn't even receive beneficial spells, which seemed unreasonable.
Finally, Linley decided to accept the spell. With a thought, the spell's effect immediately took hold. A huge phantom appeared around him, exuding an extraordinary aura. He was stunned for a moment and then turned to look at Pandora.
"Point at the crab," Pandora instructed.
Linley pointed at the crab as instructed, and a beam of light shot from his fingertip, hitting the crab's phantom, which then vanished. The followers immediately began to sing praises, and the power of faith surged towards Linley like a tidal wave.
"What are you doing?" Linley asked Pandora.
"Isn't this good? Everyone's faith in you has deepened, and your lesson was taught without anyone being in real danger," Pandora explained. "They won't dare to slack off in the future," she added.
"Is this really a good thing?" Linley retorted, "Creating a crisis out of nowhere and then solving it?"
"Many gods do this, even Poseidon," Pandora replied.
However, Linley knew in his heart that this practice was essentially deception. If the truth came out, the followers' faith would suffer irreparable damage. Although these fisherman followers might be temporarily fooled by the phantom, wouldn't they start to get suspicious as they gained more experience?
On the island, there were not just fishermen but also priests from the Temple of Dionysus in Athens. They were knowledgeable. Even if they wouldn't expose the god they believed in after learning the truth, wouldn't their faith waver seeing Linley play such tricks?
Currently, Linley's followers were already few, and the crisis he faced was immense. Lies could only create a bubble, and once that bubble burst, the faith would shatter along with it. What he needed were true followers who could think independently, have confidence, and wouldn't be easily swayed by threats or temptations.
"Did you all see that?" Linley said to the followers, "That crab just now wasn't real; it was an illusion."
The followers' praises immediately ceased, and they looked at Linley in astonishment.
"It was just an illusion I asked Pandora to create. You were too careless. You didn't post guards outside, didn't pay attention to the navigation, and even blocked yourselves with your boats. If an enemy came, you wouldn't even have a chance to escape!" Linley said sternly.
The followers nodded repeatedly. Linley felt the power of faith coming from them weaken considerably, but its quality improved. The original power of faith was vague, mixed with fear and dependence, but now it was much clearer, with significantly less fear and dependence.
"What are you doing!" Pandora asked in confusion.
Linley ignored her and continued to speak to the followers, "In the future, always stay vigilant and don't be careless."
The followers began to discuss among themselves.
Linley continued, "We have received some exciting news. Princess Pandora has just successfully installed the valve on the pond. From now on, the rainwater in the cave will be stored and won't leak anymore. We will have ample drinking water and will be able to grow crops and grapes! As long as we work hard, we will be greatly rewarded. We can live and work here peacefully, without worrying about food and clothing. In the future, we can return to Greece, go back to Athens, and regain our honor and status!"
The followers erupted in cheers once again, their faith as strong as ever.
"Praise Dionysus! Praise Dionysus!" the followers shouted excitedly.
"Go rest first. I will keep watch around us," Linley said.
His massive figure stood imposingly over the sea, appearing awe-inspiring and intimidating. Although everyone knew the figure over the sea was just an illusion, they still felt incredibly safe.
They couldn't rest and immediately dragged away the wreckage of the Thunder, revealing a small channel, then sailed further out to keep watch.
Linley smiled wryly and said, "Not everyone needs to go out. Leave a few boats to keep watch, and the others can go back to dismantle the wreck."
The fishermen then realized, discussed it, and decided to leave five boats to keep watch while the others went back. Linley watched them, their eyes wide open, repeatedly staring at the pitch-black sea, and couldn't help but shake his head.
Such intense work cannot be sustained for long. It's hard to stay focused, and their minds won't be able to handle it. They should take shifts, each responsible for one direction, and not let themselves get too tired.
The purpose of keeping watch is to give timely warnings when the enemy appears and notify the islanders to prepare for battle. If the enemy hasn't appeared yet and you're already exhausted, it's pointless.
The enemy can't sail at night; hitting the reefs would be disastrous and too dangerous. Whether searching or doing other activities, the enemy will only operate during the day. The sea is clear during the day, and you can see everything at a glance. Just check every once in a while.
Linley understood these principles, and so did the fishermen. They were just too excited to think about it. When they got tired of watching, they'd naturally know what to do, without Linley needing to remind them.
"Wow, I've never seen a god like you before," Pandora stared at Linley in a daze.
"Faith obtained through lies will eventually be lost because of the truth," Linley said.
"Lord!" Pandora's eyes were brimming with tears, almost turning into heart shapes.
"Let's wait here until dawn before going back," Linley said.
"You are... you are so touching," Pandora's tears finally fell, turning into pearls and dropping into the sea.
"Why are you crying?" Linley was startled and quickly went to retrieve the pearls.
"I am just so moved," Pandora said. "The gods I have seen before were all full of lies, doing whatever it took to gain followers, deceiving people, bringing down disasters, spreading plagues, and stirring up wars."
Who is so wicked? It shouldn't be the same god, especially spreading plagues, which is a technical task that ordinary gods don't understand. Stirring up wars should be the specialty of the god of war. As for lying and deceiving, there are many; among the Olympian gods, it seems only the craftsman god is known for honesty, but even he is portrayed as a cuckold.
"Not every god is like that," Linley said.