Chapter 2: Divine Contract
2015-01-12
Author: Floating Tower
On the bustling street.
Soren cloaked himself in his hood, his senses regarding Amazon women not being particularly favorable, especially due to their attitude of treating men as mere breeding tools. The two types of females with the worst attitudes in this world are the Drow and the Amazon women. If you’re foolish enough to spend money seeking pleasure with them, you’ll find out that you’re the one being played, and if your combat power isn’t sufficient, they will look at you with a mix of pity and disdain.
Soren’s combat power is undoubtedly impressive!
He could handle even the most depraved Drow of the Underdark, so facing these Amazon female warriors would not put him at a disadvantage. However, these women are overly domineering. If your strength is not up to par, they could ride on top of you half the night, and in the end, you would feel as if you weren’t the one in charge, but rather that they were the ones in control. Forgive Soren for using such crude language, but the truth is that these women are hard to deal with; it’s best to keep some distance from them.
Moreover, Amazon women are notoriously heartless; they can fuse and intermingle with you one moment, then turn on you with a kn*fe the next if there’s a conflict of interest.
You cannot apply your views of ordinary women to them!
…
The night in Taro Port was not calm.
Soren weaved through the crowd and occasionally spotted some very dangerous individuals—those engaged in smuggling operations. Their cargo consisted of various goods, including human beings, with indigenous people being part of these smuggling trades. Women and children sold to the slave black market, while men could be sent to work in mines. The indigenous people of the Soros Archipelago had never ceased their battles against them. The noise in the taverns could last until dawn, with unfortunate souls being robbed or losing their lives here every day.
Near the temple, it appeared relatively quiet.
People’s fear of Evil Gods was more palpable than their reverence for Good Gods; no one dared to cause trouble near the Ocean Goddess’s temple unless they had a d*ath wish. Conversely, those passing by the Ocean Temple would offer a prayer in hopes that the Ocean Goddess would bless them and spare them from calamity. The Ocean Goddess was a vengeful deity; if you dared not to make an offering this year, she could raise monstrous waves next year and send sea monsters to destroy a fleet, ensuring that her fury would not be quelled for a long time.
Even pirates had to conduct nominal annual offerings, holding sizable divine tribute ceremonies!
There were almost no guards in front of the temple.
However, the Ocean Temple was connected to the underwater sea, surrounded by a bottomless pool, home to marine monsters of Biological Level 16. If one acted recklessly, slick tentacles would instantly lash out and drag them to the depths. Many bodies produced in Taro Port each year were fed to those monsters through the sewage system. Occasionally, one could even see giant sharks.
In the center stood a statue of a goddess.
It depicted a rather enchanting goddess, her hair resembling seaweed, dark tattoos on her face, arms appearing pale and elongated, but scales began at her abdomen, and her legs appeared extremely long and powerful, clad in a light blue skirt reminiscent of seaweed. She held the Artifact “Drowning d*ath,” a powerful trident. At the goddess’s feet lay a giant white shark, as she cherished the shark-people among marine species, who were her most devout servants.
Soren slightly bowed to the guards in front of the temple.
After stating his purpose, he was soon led into the temple. Inside, there was an unusual blue light, and the walls were engraved with waves of the sea, looking beautiful as if flowing like water in the light.
The guards quickly left the main hall.
Soren dared not move around, remaining quietly in place, for the temple was a dangerous place.
There was a faint wetness on the ground.
Soren was surprised to see water flowing through the hall, seeping from the corner of the temple underground. Then came a faint smell of bl**d— the scent of marine creatures.
“Human.”
A somewhat eerie and magnetic voice echoed, and from the back of the temple appeared a female creature with hair like seaweed, light blue skin, and four arms. Her lower body resembled a massive sea serpent’s tail. Frowning, she approached the main hall. With her cold pupils fixed on Soren, she slowly said, “The guards said you seek help from the great Ocean Goddess?”
Naga Sea Monster.
One of the ancient marine creatures, linked by bloodline to the Serpent Demon of the Abyss.
“Yes.” Soren humbly lowered his head, expressing his respect, and said solemnly, “I have suffered some dreadful magical damage and wish to seek aid from the Ocean Goddess’s priest to rid me of the evil power within me.”
A flicker of light appeared in the Naga’s eyes, looking at Soren and slowly saying, “Negative energy? Energy drain damage? Is it from a vampire? Or a dark creature? Or perhaps another spell?”
Energy drain damage is not limited to legendary spells; high-level vampires can also corrode their enemies with negative energy.
“It is energy drain magic.”
Soren did not conceal anything, saying solemnly, “I was afflicted by energy drain, sealing my power, and negative energy still lingers in my body.”
A hint of surprise appeared in the Naga’s eyes as she slowly said, “Energy drain magic? Human! It seems your strength is not too shabby.”
Having survived a legendary spell, Soren’s strength was naturally quite impressive.
Moreover, he did not seem particularly weak, indicating that even after being struck by energy drain, he still retained around second-tier strength.
The Naga fell silent for a moment.
The temple provided services to others, but there must be a price to pay; the most common price was monetary offerings.
All temples require considerable wealth to maintain.
The Ocean Goddess had fewer apprehensions; even the most wicked of pirates could receive help from her priests. However, the extent of this help was contingent on the circumstances; legendary spells like energy drain required high-level restoration magic to recover, which was also a considerable cost for the priest, potentially even causing them to weaken for a while. A glimmer crossed her eyes as she spoke in a low voice: “Human! The Ocean Goddess is willing to help anyone. But this requires you to pay an appropriate price!”
Soren gently nodded and then took out a large sum of Gind, along with a handful of gems.
In this situation, he had to demonstrate his sincerity first.
Soren had acquired quite a bit in the City of Wealth, and what he took out now was likely worth around eight thousand Gind. To have the other party cast ‘high-level restoration’, he would need to make a considerable sacrifice. Moreover, a priest of an evil deity inherently charged more than one of a good deity, requiring potentially over 50% more wealth if one was not a believer or had other contributions.
“Not enough.”
The Naga gently shook her head. Her more-than-two-meter tall body flowed before Soren, her eyes shining faintly blue, and slowly stated: “The power of this spell not only harmed your body, but has also weakened your soul!”
“This offering cannot restore your soul.”
A weak soul.
Soren seemed to realize something, falling silent for a moment before speaking resolutely: “My respect for the Ocean Goddess is beyond doubt! … May I ask how much I need to pay to have you eliminate the negative energy from my body? … Just give me some time, and I will find a way to amass enough wealth for an offering! …”
The Naga appeared to be contemplating. Temples had their own rules; they didn’t provide help without limits.
While casting an ordinary healing divine technique was naturally easier and could often be done without her intervention, such high-level divine techniques could not be cast carelessly, as this would consume divine power amassed by the temple. High-level restoration could bring a dying person back to life, regrowing limbs that were missing, or even returning a head if only the head remained. As long as one was not dead, they could be saved. Naturally, this kind of divine technique required a substantial cost, and legendary priests would use it sparingly.
“Human.”
A peculiar light appeared in the Naga’s eyes, and her expression turned somewhat cruel, as she slowly stated: “If you wish to gain the goddess’s help, you must contribute to her.”
“I can help you eliminate the spell affecting you, but upon completion, you must do something for the goddess.”
Soren’s heart skipped a beat, but he nevertheless asked slowly, “What is it?”
The Ocean Goddess is an evil deity, and such tasks would undoubtedly not be good deeds, but Soren hesitated not.
The Naga looked at him. After pausing for a moment, her face displayed a hint of anger and cruelty as she spoke in a deep voice: “Recently, a group of people have abandoned their faith in the Ocean Goddess! … They have ceased to revere the Ocean Goddess! … This group of individuals took the offerings that were rightfully the Ocean Goddess’s and dedicated them to the Lord of Storms! … They must be punished! …”
“They must pay the cost of betraying the faith of the Ocean Goddess! …”
The Naga’s voice was like rumbling thunder, her expression fierce as she declared: “I want you to k*ll them! k*ll them all! Not a single one left! …”
“Only then will these pathetic mortals remember the Ocean Goddess’s might and wrath! … Understand the cost of betraying the faith of the Ocean Goddess! …”
“Bring me the heads of their leaders, and you will not only not need to pay any wealth, but you will also receive the Ocean Goddess’s blessing!”
“Human! Do you agree?”
“While this is hazardous, it is also rewarding. Right? You should have the strength to deal with those individuals! I will also assist you! Do not try to deceive me. Do not attempt to deceive the Ocean Goddess; if you break the contract, her wrath will descend upon you!”
To k*ll her former followers simply for abandoning their devotion to the Ocean Goddess?
This truly was the Ocean Goddess’s style.
Although this may offend the Storm Church, Soren nodded without hesitation, saying solemnly: “Fine. I will k*ll them all!”
The Naga revealed a cruel smile and said slowly: “Good.”
“Follow me to the back of the temple. I will help you eliminate the spell on you, and then restore your weakened soul. Remember the promise you made; this is a contract with the Ocean Goddess.”
… (To be continued ~^~)
