The followers initially relied on Linley's protection and had no fear of the Romans on the island. However, when a stronger enemy appeared, they felt helpless. Seeing the grapes and wine being confiscated, he decided to take a desperate gamble and planned to poison them.
Linley saw this and quickly stopped him, saying, "Don't do it. Be cautious, hide yourself, and don't get caught. I'll go to Andros Island. I'll not only destroy the Roman fleet but also compensate you and all the followers for your losses."
The follower, still doubtful, asked, "Really?"
Linley replied firmly, "Of course. Now go and contact the others. Be secretive and never reveal your identity. I'll be there soon. If anyone accuses you of being a Dionysus follower, accuse them right back. Whether it's lying, trampling my image, or doing anything else to prove you're not Dionysus followers, it doesn't matter. Saving your life is the most important."
The follower, moved to tears, said, "Yes, I understand!"
Linley added, "Also, from now on, get more people to work with bandages on their faces. If anyone asks, say they got injured in a fight."
The follower agreed, "Oh? Yes!"
Linley not only instructed this follower, but also contacted many followers on Andros Island directly, informing them of his imminent arrival and advising them to hide their identities and have their subordinates bandage their faces and limbs while working.
After making all the arrangements, Linley left the divine realm, surfaced to get his bearings using the sun, and swam towards Andros Island. After swimming for a while, he suddenly sensed something, dived underwater, and found that the dragon eye he had shot that day was injured by the holy light and had fallen into the sea midway back to him.
The dragon eye had not fully recovered yet, so Linley placed it in the divine realm to be slowly repaired with divine power.
Linley continued swimming for a whole day and night, finally reaching Andros Island. The port was full of warships, and all other ships were gone. On the docks, Roman soldiers were gathered in groups, talking and laughing loudly, with many laborers working around, all bandaged regardless of height, age, or gender, and even if the bandages were soaked with sweat, they did not take them off.
Linley chose a deserted place to go ashore, tore his clothes into strips, and tied them around his face and body, disguising himself as a laborer. He pricked up his ears, avoided the patrols, and quietly walked into a residential area, arriving at a follower's house.
The follower, named Donald, was a local man with a big beard. Seeing a stranger walk in without knocking, he was about to scold, but then saw Linley pull down the cloth covering his face, and was instantly overjoyed, "You finally came!"
Linley nodded and said, "Don't spread the word yet, to prevent the news from leaking."
Donald quickly agreed, "Yes. Are you here to deal with those Romans?"
Linley nodded, "Of course. The main target is the Roman fleet's cardinal. Do you know where he is?"
Donald was a bit hesitant, "Cardinal? I'm not sure, I don't know who the cardinal is."
Linley explained, "It's a high priest of Holiness wearing red clothes."
Donald suddenly realized, "If it's someone from Holiness, they should be at the church... which is your temple."
Linley had anticipated all of these situations. In fact, the temple was originally the Temple of Zeus, but later the Holiness followers removed the statue and turned it into a Holiness Hall. Linley later went and eliminated the Holiness bishop and priests, converting it into a Temple of Dionysus. Obviously, after Linley left, the temple would be converted back into a church.
Currently, hundreds of slaves freed by Linley were working in the church. Even though they disguised themselves, it was difficult to tell how many truly believed in Linley, how many were just pretending, and how many would switch to Holiness as the situation changed.
"Take me to see," Linley said.
"Yes," Donald replied, "I'll go right now."
Donald was once a nobleman from a wealthy family, but after his father's investments failed and several ships were lost at sea, the family fell into decline. In his youth, Donald led a wild life, with his only talent being wine tasting. Later, he became a follower of Dionysus, learned winemaking, and made a living from it, becoming a long-time devotee.
However, even as a long-time follower, Linley didn't fully trust him. Linley never revealed his trump card to Donald, ensuring he could escape if Donald betrayed him.
Donald changed his clothes and headed out with a few servants. These servants had their faces, hands, and feet covered with cloth strips, making them indistinguishable from Linley, thus hiding Linley's different appearance and skin color.
The church was surrounded by excited believers discussing and waiting in line to enter. The spread of Holiness didn't happen overnight; there were quite a few believers on Andros Island.
Many secret believers were revealed when Holiness first arrived. They weren't saints and took the opportunity to make a fortune. When Linley arrived, these believers were immediately counterattacked, many died, and the survivors were imprisoned. After Linley left, the local governor Goliath, feeling guilty, kept them locked up for a long time.
It wasn't until the cardinal and the Roman fleet landed that Goliath had to release these Holiness believers. These believers were naturally grateful, their emotions high, and they gathered outside the church waiting for the cardinal's reception.
Outside the church, there were three lines. The first line was the longest, with the poorest dressed people. The second line was half as long, with better-dressed people. The third line was the shortest, with the best-dressed people.
Donald hesitated for a moment, and Linley pointed to the middle line. Donald quickly went to line up.
"Hey, this line requires ten gold coins," said the Roman soldier maintaining order.
"Ten gold coins?" Donald asked.
"If you don't have the money, go over there! That line only requires one gold coin," the soldier pointed to the longest line.
"Isn't ten gold coins too much?" Donald felt a bit pained.
"Nonsense, this is a chance to see Lord Theodore, the cardinal! If you miss this opportunity, you will never see such an important figure in your lifetime. In the church, the Pope is the highest, below the Pope are ten cardinals, and below the cardinals are the bishops. Lord Theodore is ranked in the top fifteen. This is the closest you will get to heaven in your lifetime. Seeing Lord Theodore is equivalent to seeing the fifteenth ranked apostle under Holiness!" the Roman soldier said.
"Ten gold coins..." Donald's family actually had considerable wealth, but having lived a long period of hardship in his youth, he was very frugal with money, and the ten gold coins made him feel pained.