As Martin asked about any proof, Audrey, the middle-aged woman, appeared slightly taken aback.
Proof of blessings? That was something she couldn't really provide in a tangible way.
Even if those who had witnessed miracles in the past vouched for her, the three young people might still doubt, thinking they were colluding to deceive them.
Seeing is believing, hearing is deceiving. Audrey understood this, but...
Martin and the others, who had been expectant and anxious, noticed Audrey's expression and saw their own anticipation and unease vanish, replaced by disappointment.
Martin asked, bewildered, "Is there no proof at all?"
"If that's the case, we don't know whether to believe you…"
Though they were eager to join the group and explore worshiping the rumored Light God Bader, they were unwilling to be deceived.
After waiting for a while without seeing any evidence from Audrey, their faces were filled with disappointment, convinced that Audrey was deceiving them.
Noticing their expressions, Audrey opened her mouth, wanting to explain, "Bader did bless me, that's true, but I don't have any evidence to…"
"And worshiping a deity is a sacred act; we shouldn't do it with selfish motives…"
Before she could finish, Sara, the young woman among them, changed her expression and huffed, "Hmph, we won't be deceived by you."
"Martin, Mauro, let's go!"
She pulled the two men toward the door.
Seeing this, Martin and Mauro hesitated for a moment but made no move to stop her.
Even without Sara pulling them, they were already inclined to leave.
Watching their actions, Arlen, the middle-aged man who had led them in, looked displeased and questioned them, "What do you mean by this?"
Sara responded with disdain, "What do we mean? We simply don't believe you frauds."
"With no evidence at all, how can we trust you!"
With that, she led Martin and Mauro out of the room.
Seeing this, Arlen turned his head instinctively to look at Audrey.
Noticing her saddened expression, he quickly apologized, "I'm sorry, Audrey. I didn't expect them to be like this."
Audrey shook her head and said, "It's alright. I anticipated this sort of reaction. Even if it weren't them today, others would have raised doubts eventually."
"And worship is a sacred matter; it might be better if they don't join…"
Although Audrey said this, Arlen could still detect the sadness in her voice.
"Ah…" Arlen sighed quietly.
While they were distressed, Syd, who had been silently observing through the connections, began to reflect.
He had witnessed the entire scene.
Previously, when he didn't pay much attention to Faith Power, he would have ignored this situation. Now...
Considering Audrey, Syd thought he should provide something to help her continue spreading the faith.
With some form of proof, Audrey could better promote her faith and convince more people of its validity.
Such a move, with low investment and potentially high returns, was something Syd wouldn't ignore. The idea of doing nothing, letting faith be a purely voluntary act, seemed foolish.
How many people would truly believe and worship?
At the very least, there needed to be something tangible to demonstrate the divine power.
With this in mind, Syd pondered what he could give Audrey. Blood? Divine power?
Suddenly, Syd remembered an ability he had almost forgotten—a power he acquired long ago.
"I recall that Divine Speech can grant blessings, right?"
He remembered that with Divine Speech at Level 5, he had gained the ability to bless and curse like the gods.
Among the famous divine blessings and curses, Greek mythology had notable examples, such as the gods collectively blessing a woman named Pandora.
In Greek, "Pan" means all, and "Dora" means gifts, implying a woman endowed with all talents.
Hephaestus, the god of fire, gave Pandora a magnificent golden robe.
Aphrodite, the goddess of beauty, granted her beauty and the power to enchant men.
Hermes, the messenger of the gods, bestowed upon her eloquent speech...
In short, nearly all of the Greek Twelve Olympian Gods had blessed her.
Unfortunately, the Greek gods weren't exactly benevolent; Pandora was given as a beautiful yet perilous gift to humanity.
This was also the beginning of the famous Pandora's Box incident, a punishment for humanity after Prometheus stole fire.
In the box, Zeus released both calamities and hope.
Ultimately, Pandora, driven by curiosity, opened the box, unleashing the calamities and bringing suffering and misfortune to humanity.
Greed, hypocrisy, slander, jealousy, pain—various evils flew into the world...
Before this, the world was clear and harmonious, without disasters. Afterward, humanity was destined to struggle in suffering.
In the end, Pandora realized her mistake and quickly closed the box.
The evils flew away, but hope remained inside.
One interpretation is that the final hope was left as a beacon for humanity, suggesting that despite hardships, hope remained. This has been a common explanation.
But there's another perspective...
Syd felt there was a logical inconsistency. Did the Greek gods, who generally disregarded humanity, genuinely leave hope as a kindness?
Hope was trapped inside the box, not released to the world. Additionally, in Greek, hope also means unrealistic wishes.
Another interpretation is that the goddess Athena, out of kindness, secretly closed the box.
Hope, being one of the most dangerous forces among the evils, was left inside for humanity's benefit.
For many things, hope can support people, but reality often differs significantly from expectations.
Hope, while bringing anticipation and guiding persistence, can also lead to unrealistic expectations, causing harm if one becomes too engrossed in it. In severe cases, it can lead to losing one's life.
Thus, Syd suspected that hope might also be a form of calamity.
Reflecting on the nature of divine blessings, Syd turned his attention to his own blessing abilities.
He had previously tested them on animals and considered trying them on people, but had never found the opportunity—until now, which seemed like a good testing ground.
With this thought in mind, Syd decided to give it a try.
(End of Chapter)