**Chapter 41: Preaching! (4000-word chapter)**
2016-03-16
Author: Floating Tower
**Mithril?**
As if想到什么 (thinking of something), Soren immediately took out a piece of silvery metal from his space.
This was a trophy he had obtained from the laboratory of a demigod lich. Mithril is a very high-end alchemical material, and many legendary spellcasters tend to stockpile some. However, the quantity is generally not large. The piece in Soren’s hand looked fairly sizeable, but in reality, it might weigh less than 100 grams. To describe mithril in one sentence, it would be “light as a feather, hard as steel.” In the Underdark, even the price of diamonds cannot compete with mithril.
“Do you think this is enough to hold us for a while?”
Soren handed the mithril to Gloria in front of him and said slowly, “I can get the rest done right away, just give me about three days.”
Gloria reached out and took the mithril, saying immediately, “This is enough for us to last a week.”
“There are also some leftover materials in the Arcane Tower. Completing the large floating ring on the lowest level shouldn’t be a problem. However, if we want to create a true floating tower, we must construct a medium-sized energy protection barrier.”
The floating island is not simply successful if it flies.
An arcane floating island has many accompanying facilities, including long-range strike weapons, close combat defensive puppets, and an energy protection system.
Once the floating island is airborne, the wind is particularly strong.
Not to mention anything else, just the strong winds at high altitudes would ruin your hairstyle without an energy shield for protection.
So, to protect their hairstyles, a floating island at the very least needs a wind barrier.
Energy protection barrier.
Modo City already has the corresponding technology; the energy shield above the city is one example, although it utilizes the power of the Grand Temple.
Now, all that’s needed is to redirect the energy supply to the Elemental Furnace.
“Mm.”
“I’ll set off now.”
Soren is always efficient in his work. After explaining the remaining matters, he promptly opened a portal leading to the continent.
To obtain mithril, one must go to the Underdark.
However,
the Underdark is not easy to access. The drow are currently a danger Soren dares not provoke, especially since the Spider Queen has descended. If he encounters her, it would be an utter disaster. So, he intends to pick the softer targets, which means his goal is the grey dwarves in the Underdark. During his last expedition, he discovered a city controlled by Greybeard, which has a mithril vein beneath it. Based on the timeline, the artifact-level “mithril chainmail” they are making should be nearing completion.
Soren plans to see if he can steal some.
There’s no chance for a frontal confrontation; no matter how strong a saint is, there’s still a limit. If surrounded by a group of grey dwarf mages, he would certainly be worn down.
………………
Meanwhile,
in the Bottomless Abyss’s third layer, the long-dormant Gurenba Arena suddenly sprang into action.
During this time, although Gurenba Arena changed demon lords, the outside world had little understanding of it, and there was no significant transformation. The only visible change was that there were more neutral evil spirits appearing nearby. Gurenba Arena has expanded its business into many places in the third layer of the Bottomless Abyss, the “Land of Forgotten.” Recently, even two lesser demon lords had hired evil mercenaries from Gurenba Arena during their internal war with money. Now, the blood war has nearly halted, and many evil mercenaries are starting to accept other contracts.
This time, Gurenba Arena’s movement is significant.
Not only has the Executioner — Soren’s guard squad — been dispatched, but even the nearby evil mercenaries have joined in the action.
Soren’s target is a lesser soul-warping demon lord.
During the second wave of the Saint’s Cataclysm, many lesser demon lords launched probing attacks on the Material Plane. However, the strength they put in varied. The lesser demon lord Soren is targeting this time was the one who teleported a large army to the Material Plane during the second wave of the Saint’s Cataclysm.
This lesser demon lord’s luck isn’t very good!
He teleported near the Elven Forest, and although he gained a good deal of loot, he quickly faced a counterattack from elven rangers.
In the end, nearly all the demon army he led was annihilated, and his avatar was killed once.
This demon lord’s territory is very close to Gurenba Arena. Hence, upon learning this news, Soren decisively called his army to attack this soul-warping demon lord.
If they don’t eliminate the enemy now to expand their territory, are they supposed to wait for him to regain his strength?
The Bottomless Abyss is cruel.
Since he dared to run into the Material Plane to raid, he must be prepared to be annihilated by other demon lords if the raid fails.
“My lord!”
“The army has been gathered! The assassin demon — Karon has been dispatched! News will arrive shortly.”
The goblin demon sorcerer Tibi, with a fawning look, followed closely behind Soren. He should be one of Soren’s smartest high-level thugs, and his status has recently risen faster than that of other high-level demons.
Soren has been recruiting subordinates during this time!
Now, he has acquired a powerful assassin demon, who is even more dangerous than a legendary wanderer. If it weren’t for Soren’s strong power, he probably wouldn’t be able to keep him in line.
“Mm.”
“Very good! You go prepare the portal!”
Soren looked up at the sky, and in a deep voice said, “We will launch a surprise attack at nightfall!”
Standing beside Soren are two incredibly beautiful high-level succubi, one being the owner of the Furnace Tavern, and the other a newly recruited high-level succubus. It’s said that this new succubus has gained the favor of the demon lord Soren and has rapidly risen in status after just one night, seemingly becoming his right-hand and even surpassing the early-following succubus owner.
Originally, this wouldn’t have been strange.
But what’s puzzling is that the succubi, who usually fight for favor, have this time not engaged in infighting. The owner of the succubus tavern even shows no temper toward the new favorite of the demon lord Soren, appearing to be completely willing to be subordinate to her. This has caused many high-level demons to raise their eyebrows at this new succubus.
As the Gurenba Arena leans towards order, many succubi have recently gathered here due to the chaos in the Bottomless Abyss.
Because the Succubus Queen has gone missing.
The radiant nuns leading the succubus army in the Bottomless Abyss seem to be embroiled in infighting. Without strong protection, succubi are easily preyed upon by other demon lords.
Thus, many succubi in the Land of Forgotten hope to seek refuge in Gurenba Arena.
Now, the number of succubi in the territory has nearly reached fifty or sixty.
The Saint’s Cataclysm is an opportunity.
This opportunity exists not only in the Material Plane but also presents infinite possibilities in the Bottomless Abyss.
Failures in attacking the Material Plane would mean paying a heavy price, and such losses in the fiercely contested Bottomless Abyss would signify becoming prey for other demon lords.
Soren has never intended to attack the Material Plane.
He has been waiting for the arrival of the second wave of impact, during which demon lords will inevitably fail, and these failures are the targets he needs to eliminate to preserve his strength.
………………
Southern Coast. Narod Region.
This place is about a hundred kilometers from Taro Port. It was originally a rather prosperous area of the Southern Coast, but it has now turned into ruins.
This region belongs to the edge territories of the Rosad Duchy.
Currently, the Rosad Duchy is under the control of the Duchess of Red Dragon. Although she has suffered consecutive defeats in her war against the Pirate King Soren, it doesn’t mean she’s not strong enough; it’s just that the legendary Pirate King is far too terrifying.
The Saint’s Cataclysm naturally did not spare the Rosad Duchy.
During the second wave of the impact, the Rosad Duchy also suffered heavy losses. Although the Duchess of Red Dragon has taken repeated action against high-level demons, many towns within the duchy were still leveled to the ground. Now, various places on the continent are in dire straits, and the Rosad Duchy can’t even pacify its interior, so these border areas have naturally been neglected.
Thus, Narod was forgotten.
The demons are not the true culprits of their destruction; the hidden traces of the devils are the real culprits!
The town has been destroyed.
Although the paladins of the “Fiery Hearts” saved many people, paladins are not secular protectors. After eliminating the remaining demons, these noble idealists were recalled by the church.
The demons have been eliminated.
The devils are temporarily out of sight.
But the remaining land, scarred and broken, still needs these survivors to rebuild. The paladins can protect them, but the church is powerless to aid the disaster victims; the Rosad Duchy is in turmoil. They have neither the strength nor the resources to care for these poor souls.
Thus, at this uncertain time, these survivors have encountered new survival dilemmas.
They lack food!
To survive, one must eat; to continue living, one must have a future.
As night falls.
In the darkness, two shadows are edging towards the shore.
“Is this the place?”
One young man with attractive features looked around and slowly said, “The church said there are followers of the evil god spreading faith nearby.”
“These evil scum must be judged!”
A paladin.
Moreover, a young paladin.
Whether a paladin is old or young isn’t merely judged by their age; it can be discerned from the tone of their speech.
“Shh.”
“Don’t alert the enemy; we need to observe first.”
“Because besides the demon lord Dagon, the Ocean Goddess’s followers seem to be active nearby as well.”
The one speaking was a middle-aged cleric.
A person who has dedicated their life to the god; such people often never marry or have children throughout their lives.
The two gradually approached the shore.
Soon, they saw the firelight ignited, with many people gathered around, and from afar, they could smell the aroma of food. Next to the fire was a beautiful woman dressed in priestly robes, and nearby, stoic warriors were patrolling. Farther out in the sea, something seemed to be lurking, and that aura made the cleric feel very dangerous!
“Disaster has struck!”
“Our world will face an attack from demons! Only by believing in the Ocean Goddess can you receive protection!…”
“The sea has endless treasures!…”
“Food!… Wealth!… Status!…”
“Your nobles don’t care about your lives!… Your kingdom has abandoned you!… Those seemingly glorious churches don’t care about you at all!… They usually take your offerings but now are watching you starve to death with their eyes wide open!…”
“The Ocean Goddess is merciful!…”
“She saved you from the terrible demon Dagon!… Now she offers you food!…”
“As long as you sincerely believe in and serve her!…”
“Then the Ocean Goddess will provide you with everything you desire!…”
………………
“Look at the nobles ruling you!… Think about the kingdom that has forsaken you!…”
“Only the Ocean Goddess has accepted you!…”
………………
A rhythmic voice echoed, and the refugees gathered around the campfire seemed to be lost in thought, but more were gazing intently at the large pot in front of them.
Kelp, fresh fish, and a large pile of catches simmered for a long time inside.
Long-standing hunger has drained the refugees of energy to think deeply; if not for their fear of the patrolling warriors, they might have already started to scramble for food.
The preaching continued.
The priest in the center, wearing a robe, continually spoke about how despicable and shameless the nobles, churches, and kingdoms are, while proclaiming the Ocean Goddess’s mercy and greatness to these disaster victims.
At the same time, he repeatedly mentioned the name Dagon, causing many nearby victims to show fearful expressions.
“Those damned cultists!”
The young paladin expressed anger after listening for a while, seemingly tempted to rush out, but he was quickly restrained by the middle-aged cleric beside him.
“Don’t be impulsive,” the middle-aged cleric shook his head.
The young paladin seemed to heed his advice; after pondering for a moment, he asked, “Should we report this matter to the church immediately?”
Upon hearing this, the middle-aged cleric looked into the distance.
A large group of emaciated victims was huddled around the campfire, and some surviving children had already become skin and bones. A hint of sympathy appeared in his gaze as he slowly said, “No need.”
“The church is on guard against the demon lord Dagon.”
“It is currently not suitable to engage in a war with the Ocean Goddess!… Moreover, even if we defeat them!… What about these victims?”
“Who will provide for them?”
“The church has already become unable to aid the disaster victims of the Southern Coast!…”
“Sigh.”
“It seems the Ocean Goddess just wants to spread the faith among these people, rather than sow evil, chaos, and slaughter like Dagon.”
“Right now, the most important thing for the church is to eradicate demonized cultists!…”
“Having the Ocean Church shelter these disaster victims will at least ensure they don’t starve to death; if there’s another demon attack in the future, the Ocean Church will also protect these poor mortals.”
“This is certainly better than them starving to death!…”
The young paladin was stunned.
He felt that what the cleric said made a lot of sense, yet it seemed somewhat contrary to doctrine since the Ocean Goddess is an evil deity.
Reality, ideals, and beliefs clashed for the first time in a tumultuous way, and the young paladin was unsure whether what the elder he had always respected was right, leaving his mind in a state of confusion.
********!
An education he had received was being challenged by reality, and it was the first time he learned about compromise.
Compromising with evil for the sake of justice!
He felt very confused inside; if he could step over this hurdle, perhaps he would become an elderly paladin, the most solid force for protecting justice.
But if he fails, he would likely become lost in faith!
………………
In the future, the chapters will be combined to about 4000-5000 words.
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