Chapter 301: 301

“So, all the churches have been repaired, and the priests have also recovered their connection with the gods?” Landhar asked Hoen.

They were in the king’s bedroom in the royal city.

“Yes, all the churches have been repaired; the previously cracked sculptures have all been restored to their original state,” Hoen said as he knelt on one knee.

Landhar supported his face with one hand and leaned against the bed. He closed his eyes slightly and fell into deep thought. “Did Macrotov’s civil officials do anything?”

“No, Your Majesty. They just sent someone for Master Antonio. The messenger should still be on his way. He shouldn’t have seen Master Antonio yet! The investigators I sent had only just arrived in the nearby town. They don’t know what happened either. Everything seems to have returned to normal. Macrotov told me to ask for your opinion.”

“I understand. You may leave.”

“Yes, Your Majesty.”

Horn stood up and kept his head down. He walked out of the bedroom and disappeared into the long corridor.

Landhar was still lying on his side, mumbling to himself on the bed, “The sculptures repaired themselves. It’s just as I expected, but it’s a little slow.” Then, he seemed to have thought of something and stood up from the bed. He pushed the bed gently, and a deep, slanted tunnel appeared under the bed.

After tidying his clothes, he bent down and walked into the passage.

The passage slanted about ten meters downward, and there was an underground passage beneath it. There were stone doors that were locked with iron chains, but no one knew what was behind those doors. As soon as he entered the passage, a rotten and damp smell assaulted his nostrils.

Landhar lit a kerosene lamp with the flint next to the kerosene lamp after removing it from the right side of the tunnel. He advanced through the stone doors, aided by the dim light, to the end—it was an antique altar.

The ground was engraved with twisted symbols written in blood that were difficult to discern. Half of the bookshelf had been toppled into the corner. The books on it were relatively dust-free; it was as if they were frequently used. Following Landhar’s arrival, a squeaky sound came from the bookshelves. Then a flicker of a black shadow with crimson eyes passed by him.

Landhar placed the kerosene lamp in front of him and began to chant some ancient and mysterious incantations. Then, he blew at the kerosene lamp, and the orange flame immediately burst with a sound. The color changed from bright to miserable green.

The green flames shone around Landhar’s body, stretching his shadow infinitely. The Mysterious Magic Circle Underground could also produce a large shadow that squirmed and separated on the wall, turning into a blurry outline. There were seven of them.

“Landhar, you haven’t called for us in a few days.”

The first shadow made a statement. The voice was clear and neutral, and the shadow mirrored on the wall was a lovely silhouette clutching a harp. The silhouette wore what appeared to be a hat. He had broad wings and a coiled dragon-shaped tail.

“Agares, God of the Wind and Navigation, one of the seven gods of the Holy Dragon Kingdom, isn’t it a good thing for you to not see me?”

Landhar’s eyes were reflected in a horrifying green color. When he spoke, his body did not move at all, like a rock.

“That’s true. After all, nothing good happens every time you send a message. Speaking of which, we have been striving really hard to become the faith in the Holy Dragon Kingdom! It’s one thing for seven gods to share the same faith, but they still have to leave something for you from time to time. Furthermore, there will always be some unexpected changes in the kingdom. Just like the other time, a projection in a particular church had suffered a terrible attack, and we almost had to run away. Don’t you think so, Baldur?”

The second-to-last shadow had spoken. It was a god with a leopard’s head and bird wings. Its long hair spread on the wall like kelp, and it had a woman’s voice.

“Sidi, we have been here for more than ten years. As a god who controls the light, I have signed an ancient contract with the Holy Dragon Kingdom. It was just a projection that was destroyed. I will not go against the contract.”

Baldur was the leader of the seven gods in the Holy Dragon Kingdom; he was the shadow of a man in the middle. As he spoke, the light wheels behind the shadow, big and small, continued to rotate; it made most people dizzy.

As soon as he finished speaking, Baldur’s shadow on the wall seemed to have glanced at Landhar. “I want you to give me an explanation, Landhar. What exactly happened in the attack on the City of Steel? If you can’t give me a reasonable reason, we might just cut off any future engagement with you.”

Then, the entire basement shook. The lights also flickered non-stop, like a small boat in a storm that could be destroyed at any time.

“Lord Baldur, don’t be impatient. I will give you an explanation for that later. But before that, I want to obtain my Power of Faith for this month.”

Landhar looked around him.

“How bold! You haven’t even found out who attacked us, yet you dare to ask us for something?”

“You are a mere mortal king. If we hadn’t been helping you, your country would have been destroyed countless times! We can still find many people like you. Remember, you are the one who needs our help, not us. Behave yourself.”

It was apparent that Landhar’s request had triggered the gods’ anger; the shadows expanded rapidly. A strong sense of oppression filled the entire basement, but Landhar was completely fine. It was as if the pressure was nothing more than a breeze to him.

“Alright, stop arguing!”

“Landhar, you have reached a bottleneck in your diamond-tier progress. You need a large amount of Power of Faith to break through that. I can understand that, and I can fulfill your request. However, you have to agree to one of our requests. Otherwise, from now on, we will not respond to any of your prayers.”

Baldur, who was in the center, silenced the other gods’ arguments. Behind him, the light wheel-shaped shadow twisted, and milky-white phantom light spots erupted from it and invaded Landhar’s body.

After absorbing a large amount of Power of Faith, a divine radiance appeared on Landhar’s body; even his eyes were covered with a layer of gauze.

Absorbing the power would bring extreme comfort to most people, but he did not move. He waited silently for all the power to enter his body before he said, “I wonder what the leader of the seven gods wants me to do?”

“Find that youth.”

The flames in the kerosene lamp on the ground rose to draw a gorgeous portrait in the air—Watson. Whether it was the corners of his eyes, the tip of his brows, or his expression, they looked the same as Watson’s.

“Then what? Kill him?”

“No, we want you to sacrifice him to us. If you do that, then we will ignore that attack. At the same time, we will satisfy all your requests. Remember, it’s all of your requests, including the one you want to fulfill the most.”

After a short silence, Landhar nodded.

“Deal.”

….

Half an hour later.

Landhar returned to his bedroom and let out a long sigh. He pushed the wooden board silently as he smiled mockingly. “Those so-called gods are just a bunch of devils dressed in holy cloaks. Can they really fulfill my wishes? I doubt it, but I will reach that tier soon.”

“Everything is going according to plan. I can already feel the chaotic aura! Of course, some unexpected changes have to be removed as soon as possible. For example, the boy named Watson at the border, the mysterious youth in the City of Steel who pose a threat to gods, the Winter Nation’s strange actions, and the elves in the south…”

As he spoke, his gaze fell on a vase by the window sill. There was a flower in the vase. It was a beautiful three-colored flower, blooming brilliantly under the sunlight.

Landhar did not look like a terrifying king who played with people’s minds when he stared at the flower. He also did not look as calm as when he had talked to the gods. There was a gentle look at the corner of his eyes.

After a short while, he looked away. Then, his majestic voice resounded throughout the bedroom.

“Men, I want you to investigate a youth.”