**Chapter Three: The Calling!**
The heavy snow lasted only a day.
The next day was a bright sunny day. This unusual weather phenomenon was referred to as ‘snow mutation,’ prompting many to cast their gaze toward Arendelle, secretly investigating whether this sudden snowfall affecting the entire Material Plane was related to the legendary Princess. Soren, however, paid little attention to this, as he knew it was indeed the work of the Princess, apparently linked to her immense Divine Power Value. Given her abilities, it seemed she resolved the crisis that led to such a situation yesterday.
Soren intended to win over the Legendary Puppeteer Girl, so he didn’t mind pausing along the way to showcase his strength.
In terms of power within the Material Plane, Soren was confident he was not much weaker than the Eastern Empress, so he needed to impress Alice, hoping to bring her into his faction.
With her assistance, the research on the Arcane Empire’s alchemical technology would surely progress much faster.
On the third day.
Soren arrived in Modo, a city far more prosperous than Taro Port, leaving Alice quite astonished. When she learned that this city had only recently been built, her expression turned even more incredulous!
This was a unique city.
Upon arriving here, Alice immediately sensed the distinct aura of the city, brimming with vitality and life; even the eyes of the lower-class civilians were filled with hope for the future, unlike the numb gazes found elsewhere.
Hmm.
The city was also enveloped in a strong fishy smell.
When Soren returned, he was momentarily taken aback. While he was reluctant to admit it, he indeed had a bit of a cleanliness obsession; otherwise, Modo’s planning wouldn’t have exceeded the standards of its time. Many of the improvements deemed useless by the locals were aimed at enhancing Modo’s environment. However, now his city was shrouded in a strong fishy smell, and Gloria had not notified him of the fish migration, so upon his return, he found the entire harbor filled with hanging dried fish.
That sour expression!
Alright.
These minor details could be overlooked. Since Soren had brought Alice back, the next steps naturally needed to be entrusted to Gloria and the Fallen Witch.
These two were the true masters of the knowledge of the Arcane Empire.
Whether or not Alice could be kept here depended on the performance of these two Legendary Witches, and that mask inscribed with ‘Illusion Magic’ should also be handed over for their research; it was clear that Gloria could decipher spells much faster than Soren could.
Their first meeting was very friendly.
Gloria was visibly surprised by the small puppet girl Alice had crafted, her eyes even shimmering with a hint of sparkle; such a cute, delicate puppet was indeed quite attractive.
When she first saw the laboratory in Modo, as well as the Wizard Tower in the Shadow Plane and the reorganizing Elemental Furnace.
Alice’s expression was also one of great shock, looking very satisfied with her visit.
Logically, Soren should have assisted in settling and persuading Alice, trying to extract the core knowledge from her or trade for it. However, on his first day back in Modo, a significant event occurred, one so important that he had to put aside other matters, including Saruman’s adventures, and focus on handling this crucial issue.
One of his subordinates had died.
The deceased was an elite pirate from Modo, a small chief-level half-elf pirate.
This loyal pirate’s death immediately alarmed Soren; it wasn’t merely because he held a significant position in Modo, but also because he was one of Soren’s Zealots.
He was the first of Soren’s Zealots to die!
Since Soren’s Investiture as a Deity, he had accumulated numerous followers, but very few could be termed as ‘Zealots’ up to now.
Undoubtedly!
Any Zealot is an important asset for a deity; even if a Zealot’s soul isn’t entirely pure, a deity wouldn’t hesitate to promote a Zealot.
The deceased pirate was named Mano.
An unremarkable name, he had participated in the Battle of the White Dragon and had followed Soren on expeditions to Treasure Island.
His strength was not particularly formidable.
He probably only had a Profession Level of around 12, having always been a mid-level officer in Modo. He was dispatched to the Spearwind Hills for a mission.
At the moment of his death, Soren experienced a strong sense of connection.
The next moment!
He conveyed the situation to Gloria with his mind, then teleported directly to the Grand Temple’s center.
Deities have their own duties.
Soren’s figure appeared within the temple, where he gazed upon his divine statue. He then activated his Saint form, spending a bit of Divine Power Value to infuse his spirit into the statue.
Then.
A hazy figure rose, representing Soren’s shadow, embodying a fragment of his soul.
He was calling forth the soul of his follower.
The Saint’s Cataclysm had officially begun, significantly weakening the functions of the Divine Kingdom.
Soren would not be overly concerned if an ordinary follower died, as their souls might naturally be called to the Divine Kingdom or could fall to other lower planes due to insufficient faith.
A Divine Kingdom did not benefit from having a surplus of souls.
The scope of a deity’s realm is limited, and so are its resources; only when a deity’s power is vast do the resources within the Divine Kingdom increase.
Thus, devout believers and Zealots are always prioritized.
A Zealot’s soul cannot be left to fate; when Soren realized he had lost a Zealot, he immediately sent forth a fragment of his divine essence to gather this follower’s soul. This was not a true avatar; rather, it was a temporary energy embodiment that mortals could not perceive with the naked eye.
If it were not for the Saint’s Cataclysm, such Zealot souls would typically be personally guided by Otherworldly Divine Servants.
However, due to the uncertainties within the Divine Kingdom during the Saint’s Cataclysm, deities had essentially cut off connections to the Divine Kingdom, making it nearly impossible to contact Otherworldly Divine Servants; under these circumstances, Soren had to personally go to summon his follower.
Moreover.
How to settle a Zealot’s soul was also a troublesome matter.
With the connection to the Divine Kingdom severed, Soren couldn’t easily send the Zealot’s soul to the Divine Kingdom to reincarnate, and a soul cannot maintain physical form for long.
But regardless of how to manage the following arrangements, Soren could not allow his Zealot’s soul to remain homeless!
A sacred radiance emerged!
Soren’s projection instantly vanished from the temple, and the next moment, his figure appeared in the Spearwind Hills, where he found over a dozen corpses of demons, including three soldiers obviously dressed as underlings of Modo, with one hanging on the brink of death. His pupils had already dulled, but when Soren’s projection appeared, an astonishing spark erupted in his dimmed gaze; his lips moved slightly, but he lacked the strength to produce any sound; the last two words he uttered were: “My lord!… ”
………………(To be continued ~^~)
