Under Owen's watchful gaze, old John's past experiences slowly surfaced,
and his prayers, like devout whispers, echoed in Owen's ears.
"Seeking to advance to a higher-tier Awakener?"
"Such a firm desire."
After listening to old John's prayers, Owen also gained a clear understanding of his past.
"Though he has a resolute will and has put in the effort, his poor background left him with little access to advancement resources. His bloodline is also exceedingly ordinary. The fact that he managed to become a Tier-3 Beginner Awakener was due to a special secret technique, but his potential for further growth is nearly nonexistent."
"As the village chief of Annasi, he has done a decent job. Though he may use unscrupulous means to achieve his goals, he has never wavered on major decisions."
"And now, he's praying with such sincerity… I suppose I can grant his wish."
Owen glanced at the two Awakening Scrolls in his hand.
Awakening Scrolls could turn an ordinary person into a Tier-1 Awakener, or they could raise an existing Awakener by one sub-tier.
For someone like old John, a Tier-3 Beginner, the scroll would allow him to advance to Tier-3 Mid.
However, Awakening Scrolls could only be used on Awakeners Tier-3 and below.
"Now, who should receive the other Awakening Scroll?"
Owen's gaze swept across the D-rank devotees.
The number of D-rank devotees had now surged to 28.
However, most of them were elderly or middle-aged, with limited potential.
Even if they became Awakeners, they wouldn't progress far.
Among the younger ones, only two stood out:
Benjamin, 23 years old, physically strong.Frank, 24 years old, sharp-eyed.
"Benjamin is Thomas' youngest son. If I give it to him, their family will have two Awakeners. Favoring them too much might breed arrogance, which wouldn't be good."
After careful thought, Owen quickly locked onto Frank as the chosen recipient.
For Owen, these Awakening Scrolls were incredibly valuable.
Giving them away to the system in exchange for divine points was not an option.
For one, he needed these scrolls urgently.
And secondly, the system's pawnshop was practically a bloodsucker, offering absurdly low prices.
Even if he exchanged them, they wouldn't yield much divine energy, which would barely contribute to his growth.
After all, he was now a 1-Star Ancient God—he wasn't that desperate for divine points.
"Wait a second!"
Suddenly, a thought struck Owen like lightning.
The Trading Channel!
He could trade with other deities!
Now that it was the second day,
many other gods had likely completed their initial quests
and had Awakening Scrolls in hand.
Unlike Owen, they probably needed divine points far more urgently!
Without hesitation, Owen immediately opened the Trading Channel.
The moment he did, his eyes lit up with delight.
As expected—
many gods were selling Beginner Awakening Scrolls!
"I knew it. In this perilous world, other gods don't have my hundredfold amplification. Their early situations might be far more precarious. Compared to beginner-level blessings, they need divine points much more!"
Owen smirked.
Thanks to his previous dealings with the system's pawnshop, he wasn't short on divine points.
For him, anything that could strengthen his devotees was worth acquiring!
The stronger his devotees,
the safer he, as a deity, would be.
And with his blessings, their faith would deepen, yielding more incense offerings, which would convert into divine points, forming a positive cycle.
However—
since he had no idea how much Awakening Scrolls were actually worth, he had to be cautious to avoid getting scammed.
Thus, he quickly placed an Awakening Scroll into the system's pawnshop for valuation.
[Value: 2 Divine Points!]
The moment he saw this, Owen's vision darkened.
"This system's pawnshop really knows how to lowball prices!"
Then he turned back to the Trading Channel—
and immediately felt his eye twitching.
"6 Divine Points? Are they robbing people in broad daylight?!"
Most of these gods were even greedier than the system—
did they think other deities were walking bags of divine energy?
Owen carefully searched the listings.
To his shock, he even spotted Awakening Scrolls priced at 10 Divine Points!
The majority were listed at around 4 Divine Points.
Only a few were priced at 3 Divine Points,
and some of them had already been bought.
At the moment, only 7 remained.
"3 Divine Points seems reasonable—I'll take them all!"
Without hesitation, Owen purchased all seven Awakening Scrolls!
A total of 21 Divine Points was deducted.
Leaving him with 234 Divine Points remaining.
At the same time, the 7 Awakening Scrolls materialized in front of him,
emitting a soft golden glow,
joining the two he already had.
"Now with 9 Awakening Scrolls, I can expand the selection of recipients."
Owen once again surveyed the 28 D-rank devotees.
Aside from Benjamin and Frank, most of them were elderly or women.
Only a dozen men in their 30s and 40s could be considered viable candidates.
"Now that I have enough Awakening Scrolls, I suppose I can include Benjamin too. While favoring a single family too much might lead to arrogance, it will also deepen their faith."
After some deliberation, Owen chose 6 additional men from the older group.
Using all of the Awakening Scrolls at once instead of saving them for later was a calculated decision.
After all, Beginner Awakening Scrolls weren't particularly rare.
They were only scarce right now due to the early-stage scarcity effect.
And since they were available for purchase,
it made far more sense to strengthen his devotees immediately.
"Awakening Scrolls come with an additional skill… Fireball should do. Simple, explosive, and powerful!"
With his decision made,
Owen activated the 9 Awakening Scrolls, sending them soaring into the air!
At the Dam
The gathered villagers had mostly finished their prayers and offerings and were preparing to leave.
Although Deus Initium had descended and performed miracles, He had seemingly only favored Thomas, leaving others wondering whether they should return daily to seek divine blessings.
Just as the crowd was about to disperse, A sharp whistling sound suddenly pierced the air.
In an instant, nine radiant golden streaks shot out from the divine statue, suspending themselves above nine still-praying devotees, enveloping them in cascading curtains of golden light.
Among them—
old John.
He immediately sensed the anomaly, his eyes widening in shock.
Bathed in the golden glow,
his elemental energy surged,
his withered skin rejuvenated,
his graying hair darkened,
and his aura skyrocketed!
Tier-3 Mid!
He had crossed the threshold
he once believed was impossible!
At the same time,
the other eight chosen villagers, including Benjamin, felt an explosion of elemental power within them!
In the blink of an eye, they had transformed from ordinary people into Tier-1 Mid Awakeners!
In their minds, a new skill surfaced:
Fireball!
A violent, destructive spell, brimming with sheer offensive power!
It was as if they had trained in it for years, its execution felt completely instinctive.
Within mere moments, Annasi had gained eight new Tier-1 Mid Awakeners and one Tier-3 Mid Awakener!