Chapter 10: The Plan Changes
The atmosphere in Taro Port was somewhat tense.
Soren’s arrival disrupted the original order here, making slaughter and chaos increasingly frequent. There was really no need to elaborate on what had happened during this time; just the changes in the surrounding waters of Taro Port could reveal everything. The bodies thrown into the sea had even attracted sharks to the shallow waters, and one could imagine how many people had died in Taro Port during this period. The fall of one power meant more interests to distribute, more interests attracting more people to争斗, leading to greater slaughter that resulted in the destruction of more forces, while certain forces grew stronger and absorbed the vast majority of Taro Port’s interests.
Clearly, this was being manipulated by someone; the security team was under pressure, which led to continuous escalation of chaos and slaughter, annihilating many nearby forces amidst the turmoil.
As for the ultimate beneficiaries, one need not think too much.
The first was definitely the Ocean Temple, the second was the Storm Temple, and the third was the Amazon Female Warriors.
A lot had happened during this time.
The Storm Temple seemed to have compromised with the Ocean Temple, and the Rosad Merchant Association had completely become a pawn, with the Storm Temple’s believers obtaining territory from other forces as compensation, while the Ocean Temple had nearly controlled half of Taro Port. The Amazon women had risen between the two church powers with their formidable combat power; the street where Soren currently lived was entirely their territory. The original owners had disappeared without a trace, and the Amazon women were preparing to open up this street into a large trade hub.
Oh, by the way.
A Lord of Storms had appeared.
Without her presence, it was likely that the Amazon women would not have managed to secure such a large piece of the pie.
………………
Ocean Temple.
Soren’s figure appeared in the grand hall, where the Naga Priestess seemed to have been waiting for his arrival. Her expression appeared somewhat excited, and upon seeing Soren, she immediately said in a low voice, “The plan has changed!”
“That group of betrayers has new movements; your task now is to find a way to seize their cargo ships.”
Soren frowned involuntarily upon hearing this.
The sudden change of task after the target had appeared made him feel displeased, but he still said in a low voice, “What happened? Why has the plan suddenly changed?”
A cruel smile crept onto the Naga Priestess’s face. She slowly said, “This group of betrayers used the name of the Storm Church to conduct trade in the Soros Archipelago. However, they actually acted as traitors for profit, using schemes and poison to massacre an Indigenous People’s Tribe, and then seizing the wealth from the gold mines controlled by the Indigenous people. The betrayers plundered that Indigenous tribe, loading all their wealth onto ships.”
“News has come. Their ships are filled with gold and jewels!”
The Naga Priestess handed a scroll to Soren, and as he opened it, she recounted the process. It turned out that these betrayers, after changing their faith to join the Storm Church, indeed opened a new situation in the Soros Archipelago. The faith of the Lord of Storms spread throughout the Soros Archipelago region; with this banner of faith to pave the way, they could trade with almost any coastal Indigenous town. It should have been that simple for these guys to make some money from trade and then return.
However, unexpectedly, one of the Indigenous tribes seemingly trusted them too much and revealed the massive gold mine secretly controlled by the tribe.
There are many scattered mining sites in the Soros Archipelago, and the number of gold and silver mines is not small.
This tribe occupied one of the more abundant gold mines; it is said that their chieftain directly forged a throne nearly half a ton heavy out of pure gold, and to showcase his wealth, he entertained them using many pure gold utensils. However, little did he expect that this would attract disaster; among the merchants of the betrayers were followers of the god of plague and disease, who had mixed secret poison into the water source, using the power of plague and disease to directly crush this Indigenous tribe.
The subsequent events need not be elaborated.
The betrayers slaughtered this Indigenous tribe, plundered their wealth, and finally set fire to their gathering place.
How much did they actually gain?
The information in Soren’s hands did not specify clearly, but it was certain that it was an enormous wealth enough to tempt even the Ocean Temple.
The gold plundered by this group was calculated by the ton!
The wealth of gold accumulated by the Indigenous tribe over generations, along with various gold and silver pieces and treasures, was all loaded onto their ships, and they even discarded a large number of Soros Archipelago copper coins because the cargo ships couldn’t accommodate these cheap copper coins due to their weight limit. Soren could only roughly estimate that the wealth they reaped exceeded five hundred thousand Gind!
An Indigenous tribe rich in gold mines.
Just the gold and silver plundered from the tribe alone could exceed ten tons!
These guys struck it rich.
The wealth they plundered even excited the Ocean Temple. It was unclear how the news slipped out, but now not only the Ocean Temple knew about their massive loot, but even pirates around the Soros Archipelago and near Shipwreck Bay had learned of this shocking news. The fleet of the Betrayer Merchant Association had already changed course. However, pirates from all directions spread out like a great net, almost surrounding them from all possible routes to the Soros Archipelago.
Not just the Ocean Temple was on the move; even the Amazon pirates were stirred up immensely, and the three great Pirate Kings near the Soros Archipelago were almost all on high alert, searching for their traces.
This wealth was too astonishing!
When Soren estimated the approximate amount, he was shocked himself. If he could obtain this wealth, he could go to Wizard City and exchange it for a set of legendary equipment.
Temples also needed money.
No matter which deity’s temple it is, maintaining its operation requires a large amount of wealth. The Ocean Temple here had at least hundreds of years of history, all built up with money, and the spells and divine power enhancements inside all required wealth to arrange magic circles; one of the most important tasks of priests is to earn money and develop their faith. The Church of Deities rarely hoards wealth, but they still need it because wealth is paramount in the secular world; wealth can directly cultivate a large number of believers and can manifest the church’s influence.
The immense influence of the Lord of Radiance, is it not because he donates and helps the poor every year?
Where does this money come from?
Wealth may not be the most critical part of faith, but it is undoubtedly an indispensable part.
A magnificent and solemn temple, a ramshackle and dilapidated temple, without much thought, one can understand which can attract more believers.
Believing in this deity can result in receiving donations and assistance each month, while believing in that deity may not yield anything but requires donations.
For the lower-class civilians, there is hardly a choice to make!
They are just ordinary people, able to see only what is in front of them. Even a temple of an evil god, possessing enormous wealth can easily expand its influence, whether it is recruiting manpower to suppress other churches or secretly cultivating its own power, all of this relies on the support of wealth. However, churches also have their own rules; many times they cannot interfere too much with the secular world. They need wealth but cannot act recklessly, after all, what deities need is faith, and wealth is merely a tool to maintain faith.
The Naga Priestess wanted this wealth.
This money was enough for the Ocean Temple to expand into a Grand Temple, whether in its influence in the coastal regions, the rewards from the Ocean Goddess, or the divine power gathered in the temple, all of this was something she couldn’t refuse. After the Ocean Temple expanded, she would be able to completely suppress the Storm Temple; even when the time came to strike, having the Grand Temple as a backing would make her unafraid of any Lord of Storms.
A temple is somewhat akin to a Wizard Tower.
Only it is not as powerful as a Wizard Tower because the temple operates on divine power. This is also why Amber City was destroyed, but the temple district remained intact.
Soren fell silent, and after a long pause, he said solemnly, “We don’t have enough manpower!”
“If news has already spread among the pirates, merely relying on a ghost ship to seize it would be tantamount to courting d*ath! The betrayers have managed to hold on until now without being found, so there must be someone helping them behind the scenes. This wealth is likely worth that duchess personally making an appearance. Besides, the three Pirate Kings of the Soros Archipelago are not to be trifled with, and nearly all of them are no longer mortal. I am very concerned that the giant octopus might appear as well; the Priestess should know who I’m referring to, right? That monster was once the great adversary of the Ocean Church and was also personally banished by the Ocean Goddess!”
“It seems to have a habit of collecting wealth, and there are its worshippers among the pirates, so the possibility of its appearance is too high.”
Soren unfurled a nautical map.
After pondering for a moment, he raised his hand and pointed to a location that seemed to be an island, saying solemnly, “According to what I’ve learned, there seems to be a black dragon at this location. It has been taking human form to secretly maintain contact with Shipwreck Bay, and if it knows that there are five ships filled with gold and treasures sailing on the sea, I find it hard to believe it won’t be tempted.”
The Naga Priestess fell silent.
She looked up at Soren in surprise, seemingly contemplating something, and then said in an unquestionable tone, “I will send more manpower to help you. If the enemy is very strong, I will summon the nearby Naga Sea Clan, and if necessary, I will personally take action! The Ocean Goddess is watching over us, and on the sea, we need not fear anyone!”
“This wealth must not fall into anyone else’s hands!”
………………
In the evening.
Soren slowly walked out of the Ocean Temple, his brows tightly knitted as if he were pondering something, murmuring in a voice only he could hear, “Totem Spirits!… How did those guys defeat the totem spirits?… Why didn’t the Naga Priestess even mention it?… Does she think I don’t know that Indigenous tribes all have spirit worship?…” (To be continued ~^~)
