Chapter 815: Oceanic Faith (2)
“Well, I’m just a minor lesser god, not comparable to those great gods like Eluvita.”
– Eluvita.
Ji Chen’s spirits lifted. He had many questions about this immensely famous deity, but now wasn’t the time for inquiries.
“…Let’s return to my domain for now and discuss matters afterward.”
Ji Chen led the divine being back to the Crown of the Ocean, refraining from using his Storm Authority to hasten their journey, nor did he reveal any other abilities apart from his Thunder Authority.
Caution was essential; concealed power was the best response to unforeseen circumstances.
With mastery over three authorities, he was confident in subduing a weakened deity who had been stripped of their powers and injured.
Nora harbored thoughts of using him to regain her strength, and Ji Chen himself entertained the idea of extracting more information about the orderly gods and Eluvita from her.
It was merely a mutual exploitation.
Humans and gods, each harbored their own motives.
Soon, the New Moon Islands came into view. Nora glanced at the bustling Crown of the Ocean with a hint of curiosity.
As a Void Elf, she had lived in the void since childhood and rarely visited the main world. After the Dark Lords broke free from their seals, she had hardly returned for a century.
A hundred years was enough for significant changes in the main world. Dynasties rose and fell, and empires crumbled, so it wasn’t surprising to see a thriving settlement in the vast ocean.
However, it was merely a passing curiosity. For this legitimate deity, such mortal realms were inconsequential; only divine realms were worthy of her attention.
Each deity resided in their own divine realm, which served as their true home. These realms varied in size and quality, ranging from expansive domains capable of hosting billions of beings, each with its own rules and systems, to smaller realms resembling massive cities.
However, Nora was unaware that the Crown of the Ocean had only been established for just over a year, from its inception to its current state.
After settling the “descended” Starlight deity, Ji Chen turned to Wilus to inquire about the current situation with the demons.
With the players joining the fray, the situation in the southern continent was gradually improving. Players who were fearless, well-informed, and versatile in combat style brought great trouble to the Greed Legion, much to their chagrin.
Now, in the Desert Alliance, with the joint efforts of the Alliance Fleet and players, they have managed to repel the Greed Legion’s attacks and sometimes even organize counterattacks. As more and more players are enticed by the lucrative rewards to join the battle in the southern continent, this land shrouded in yellow sand would once again fall under the control of the forces of Order.
News arrived from the Western Continent that the goblins had finally played their trump card, mobilizing a large-scale war puppet army for a counteroffensive and reclaiming thousands of square kilometers of land.
Meanwhile, the situation in the Eastern Continent, which had been a cause for concern, seemed to have taken a turn. The Markus Empire, feeling pressured, deployed its elite troops along with the Light Church and other forces from the Eastern Continent to bravely resist. For the first time, the Void Lord, who had been advancing triumphantly, had been halted and blocked south of the Hogsback Mountains.
While the demons had made extensive preparations, the Orderly Fraction was not to be underestimated. They had displayed formidable strength in the face of destruction.
Especially now that two of the Five Demon Lords had been defeated, the demons seemed to be struggling to keep up their momentum. Yet, they still inspire fear in ordinary beings.
With the demon invasion, the attention of various factions was focused on resisting them, leaving little regard for the common people. Naturally, they found themselves consumed by fear and confusion.
Especially when they heard about the demons inflicting heavy casualties on the Orderly Fraction and pushing the frontlines forward, their faces paled with fear, as if expecting the demons to attack their doorstep tomorrow.
In times of turmoil, beings always needed some form of spiritual solace. In the past, they could turn to various gods for this, but now the gods remained silent, leaving their souls adrift.
At this moment.
Almost overnight, a church known as the Oceanic Faith emerges in coastal cities across various continents. It was not only highly organized but also had ample funds at its disposal.
Their method of evangelism was quite novel. Attendees of their preaching sessions were given food items such as eggs, meat, and fabrics, or practical household items at the end. If approved, they might even receive specially crafted talismans.
Its preaching emphasized that as long as one believed in a deity called the God of the Ocean, they would be blessed with safety at sea, bountiful harvests, and protection from disasters.
In the Central Ocean, where waves were turbulent and storms were frequent, a slight misstep could lead to shipwrecks and loss of life. Therefore, fishermen, sailors, and merchants who relied on the sea for their livelihood often believed in one or two oceanic deities to ensure a safe voyage.
Some fishermen and merchants, seeing the sudden appearance of the Oceanic Faith offering gifts, joined the preaching sessions with the thought that even if they didn’t fully believe, it wouldn’t hurt to give it a try for peace of mind.
Initially, they were skeptical, but as some fishermen returned from the open sea with unprecedentedly abundant catches after receiving special talismans, they couldn’t help but feel excited.
Could it be that believing in the God of the Ocean really worked!?
On the Northern Continent, in the Lienhardt Grand Duchy, in the coastal city of Rasul.
In a towering stone building in the eastern part of the city, a preaching session of the Oceanic Faith was underway.