Chapter 13: Soren’s Grace
Time quickly transitioned to March.
There was only a year and a half left until the Saint’s Cataclysm, and about twenty months before the fall of the Goddess of Magic.
Soren always felt something was chasing him even though he was moving fast; he still felt that time was insufficient. Especially after the news came back that the Vampire Son had defeated the Church of Fear, Soren’s sense of crisis grew even stronger. According to the original historical trajectory, it should have been the awakening of the Fear Witch Lilian who would then control the Church of Fear, ultimately leading to a brutal slaughter. But now, the control of the Church of Fear had shifted to the Vampire Son, and a massacre seemed imminent.
Vivian had been sent back to the Overseas Islands.
Soren could not risk letting her divine essence of fear awaken further because as the boundaries of the planes loosened more and more, high-level demons had at most another six months before they could break through the barriers of the planes to reach the Material Plane. Devils had already appeared, inciting the mortals of power to start wars; the arrival of high-level demons was only a matter of time. During this time, the number of demon followers appearing in the Material Plane had become increasingly frequent, and some evil organizations were conducting forbidden sacrificial rituals.
In contrast, the Southern Coast, which had just gone through a war, was quite peaceful.
The news coming from all directions was not good.
Orcs had shown signs of migrating south, half-breed half-orcs had launched raids, and friction within the human duchies was increasing. Even the Duchess of Red Dragon, who had just clashed with Soren, was embroiled in a war to suppress rebellions. It seemed that starting from March, the conflicts that had accumulated over the past six months exploded, and there were at least seven places on the continent where wars broke out.
Leaffall City also received news.
Soren heard that the God of Half-Elves had gone missing, and the priests who believed in him could no longer receive divine techniques.
He didn’t quite remember where this deity had fallen to the mortal realm; however, he recalled that he had died in the Underdark, with the fall of this deity possessing weak divine power. The world’s attitude towards deities was gradually changing.
………………
Everything was normal on the Eastern Sea Route.
The duty of the Monk Monastery was still to suppress those ancient evil artifacts, at least until the arrival of the Demon Legion, many powerful monks were hiding in various parts of the world to cultivate.
This was their tradition!
Just like the Master of Fist that Soren encountered, he should also be practicing somewhere at that moment.
The Eastern Sea Route was intended to supply the monastery’s consumption, and cultivating monks also required a massive amount of resources, many arcane techniques needed to use expensive herbs for training.
Soren always had a sense of measure in what he did.
Because he was a lawful person. Coincidentally, monks were also of the lawful alignment, both placing great emphasis on the existence of order and rules.
The one responsible for overseeing the East Coast was the Half-Elf First Mate.
He was a person with a ruthless approach and strong decisiveness; under his control, the Eastern Sea Route would not have any issues in the short term.
Thus, after entering March, Soren prepared to return to the Overseas Islands.
He needed to make further preparations; establishing a foundation on the Overseas Islands was for future plans, and such plans would inevitably conflict with the deities and saints.
Even if he did not come into conflict with other deities, his battle with the Demon God of Fear was unavoidable.
He was dead.
But he wasn’t completely dead yet!
What Soren needed to do was ensure the complete demise of the Demon God of Fear, so that it could no longer threaten Vivian’s safety.
There were four Elemental Crystals in total.
The Earth Elemental Crystal was near the Elf Kingdom, the Water Elemental Crystal was in the Frozen Kingdom, and the Fire Elemental Crystal was in the Desert region. Soren was clear about the approximate locations of these three places, but he only knew that the last Air Elemental Crystal was in a very dangerous area.
This was a legendary difficulty chain quest!
Soren obtained the Earth Elemental Crystal entirely by taking advantage of circumstances; he still remembered how they left. From underneath the Elemental Altar burst forth that colossal rock giant.
That was the true guardian!
When the four Elemental Crystals were combined, they would increase the rank and ultimately possess a summoning spell approaching the legend rank.
——“Elemental Legion!”
Back then, completing this task involved stacking human heads; a total of three regiments of high-level professionists lost their lives. With Soren’s current strength, he should be capable of attempting to complete it independently.
After all, his equipment was far superior to the standards of that time!
The first destination was the Frozen Kingdom. The situation in Arendelle seemed a bit dire, so Soren planned to go take a look.
He was someone who valued promises!
The altar of the Water Elemental Crystal was only about a hundred kilometers from Arendelle. Numerous active Ice Trolls were nearby; he planned to cross the Northern Region to get there, passing through Arendelle along the way. The next stop was the d*ath Desert, with the first target being to collect the Fire Elemental Crystal. Then he would find a way to obtain the Wanderer’s artifact, the Anti-Detection Cloak.
This was the core equipment to combat the saints!
As for the last Elemental Crystal, it might require Gloria and others to accompany him because that place was somewhat dangerous.
Handling it alone might lead to unforeseen troubles.
Collecting the four Elemental Crystals could unlock a seal, with the reward being a fragment of divinity. If simultaneously possessing divine essence, the ultimate effect would be to transform someone into a Demigod!
Whether it was Vivian or Soren himself, they could use this fragment of divinity to advance to demigod status.
Therefore.
Soren was determined to obtain this fragment of divinity; after all, this was one of the few methods he knew of to gain a fragment of divinity without slaying a deity.
To be honest.
Even if he united everyone, he did not have much confidence in confronting a deity with weak divine power.
Because those above demigods were immune to the legendary spell, “Time Stop.”
Without Vivian’s finishing move, “Time Stop,” the success rate of directly confronting a deity would begin to plummet. This was the same even with the god-slaying spell “Mayoufu Meteor”; after all, this spell could only help them break through the protective laws of the deity, but could not directly eliminate those divine avatars.
………………
Returning to the Overseas Islands was already quite different.
Modo Harbor had expanded to double its original size, with two grand buildings still under construction nearby—the Ocean Temple and the Temple of Wealth. The two churches seemed to be secretly competing in strength, and the materials used for constructing the temples were extremely expensive, many of which had to be transported across the sea from other places. People were sometimes just that realistic. The more magnificent the temple, the higher the likelihood of attracting believers. At this pace, it would be impossible to complete a temple in less than a year or two.
Merchant ships from the City of Wealth had already arrived, and the trade of the Overseas Islands attracted many.
Especially now when the land was embroiled in war, the Eastern Sea Route helped expand the influence of the Goddess of Wealth in the trade sector.
Modo City was still in its original form.
It was just a bit larger, and the farmland in the south sprouted with green shoots. Spring wheat had already been planted; this year, even if it wasn’t a bountiful harvest, it would ensure self-sufficiency.
Soren had many things to do in a short time, but even with a lot of tasks, he had to take them step by step.
In the afternoon.
Batch after batch of slaves were gathered; Modo City now had nearly two to three thousand slaves.
Soren stood on the high platform overlooking the slaves below, then nodded to the nearby Red-Haired Pirate Woman; afterward, nearly thirty slaves were brought out.
“I am a man of my word.”
Soren looked down at the slaves before him, also observing others, his gaze sweeping across the Drow Warrior beside him. He could feel the other party avoid his gaze because the recent actions within the Drow community had left him quite dissatisfied.
Snap.
Soren walked up to the slaves, and at the front were two brothers who looked somewhat alike. They were the ones Vivian had saved earlier.
“Hard-working individuals deserve rewards; I am not a stingy master.”
Soren looked at these slaves; their expressions showed panic, except for the two brothers at the front who appeared surprised. This was because Vivian had once promised that some would receive rewards.
“As your master!”
Soren gazed down at the more than thirty slaves and said in a deep voice: “I grant you freedom! From today onwards, you will gain the status of residents of Modo City. You will have your houses, properties, and families.”
“Come here!”
“Unlock their shackles!”
A chorus of gasps arose.
The slaves, covered in black, involuntarily raised their heads, their faces displaying disbelief.
They were free?
How could this be!!!
However, the next scene made them realize this was no joke, as the city’s guard squad beside them unlocked the shackles of the more than thirty slaves, then threw them rough linen garments. Except for the two brothers standing at the front, the other slaves were equally filled with uncontrollable expressions of surprise, for they had not expected Soren to grant them freedom.
All those granted freedom were docile slaves.
The vast majority were from the mainland, with only three being indigenous slaves.
The so-called freedom granted did not mean allowing them to come and go as they pleased; they were merely granted the status of residents of Modo City and were entitled to have houses, properties, and the rights to form families.
These individuals would still have to work for Soren.
Just that they didn’t have to squeeze together in foul-smelling prisons, nor be whipped and beaten by guards; they could earn their private wealth and live a life far superior to other slaves.
Freedom?
Relative freedom was still freedom.
Soren had given them the greatest grace, so they shouldn’t think too much.
“Take them down.”
Soren turned to glance at the Red-Haired Pirate Woman and said solemnly: “Arrangements for their housing are made to the north; starting tomorrow, they won’t have to work with other slaves. Those with special skills will be assigned elsewhere, while those without special skills will be sent to the port for work. These two brothers are gifted in farming; let them be in charge of the farming.”
Slaves.
Population.
The two still had some differences.
Soren’s next step was to transform the slaves in Modo City into a population, of course, they must be docile slaves; those who were difficult to manage required the Drow to deal with them.
………………(To be continued ~^~)
