Standing in front of me are 40 people, boys and girls, all of them possess the characteristics I deem most worthy for my new legion of Readers.

Yep, that’s what I am going to call my minions, readers…

“Goodnight everyone… umm… Sorry, it should be a good evening, yes, good evening everyone!!” I greet them sincerely, but they just kept looking at me as if I were a clown.

Well, I am a bit clownish these days.

“You, yes you!! Beautiful lady. One step forward please.” I beckon to a plain-looking girl with braided chestnut hair and lots of freckles.

“Your name is Angelica, you are a poooooor peasant. Every day, you try your best to be inconspicuous so as not to attract the ire of any noble ladies. You are a good girl, definitely like Heather, a model student. In fact, she’s your role model! Ain’t that great? A peasant for a peasant. Unfortunately, you got raped destroying all of your fantasies of becoming a queenly peasant like Heather… So, so, sad… Jenney Samira must be still laughing in her grave just because of what happened to you.”

“And you!” Ignoring Angelica’s pale face, I point at another girl, she looks refined and clearly of noble origins. “Your name is Nella, a slutty noble!!”

“You!!” She angrily spats, but Zia just flexes her whip causing Nella to shut up.

“Shuush-shuuush…” I shushingly added. “Every day, you try to make yourself look beautiful. You are a rotten person to the core, but despite all that, you are still a person who is capable of falling in love. In which of late note didn’t go well for you as the man you pine for has been stolen by a peasant too capable you can’t match. What did go wrong? Well, maybe you have bad breath, or perhaps is it because you’re just a daughter-for-sale of a declining nobility. Tila remains victorious over you.”

I didn’t just stop at Nella as this time, I point at another girl, “Raela, look at me. It’s your turn now, so listen carefully. You know Tila right? And her handsome noble boyfriend who played with your heart? Charmed you to be his second pick, and what did you do? You bit on the bait like a whore. Pathetic, right? Luckily the cheating bastard with his peasant girlfriend is already in the afterlife by now!! HAHAHAHA! That’s a cause for celebration.”

I mercilessly continued on my rant to the poor girls until the very last one of them. Ladies first, I thought, thus I grilled these lasses first. I know it's sexist, but who cares?

This time, I look at the shrinking fatso who was about to leave through the door. “Hey, fatso! Don’t leave yet!! Stay this time, unlike that time when you left your glasses friend to the bullies. Oh, you crying? Don’t be sad, he ain’t lonely anymore in the afterlife, because I believe his bullies are already there.”

The fatso flared up and took the tiniest bit of courage hidden in his heart. “I DON’T WANT TO LISTEN ANYMORE!” He bravely walked to the door, only for Pedro to come from behind it. With Pedro’s one swift motion of his hand, The Fatso’s hand which is reaching for the doorknob was suddenly severed.

The 40 invited guests looked fearfully at Pedro who was wearing an executioner’s mask.

With an overpowering voice, I continued on with my passionate and heated speech one by one pointing to the people who have been victimized.

“You heard me loud and clear. You may not notice it if you’re dumb enough, but 13 people died for your sake…” I observed the crowd in silence, and just up to my expectations, I am getting the reaction I want as the people in front of me slowly recall the most recent serial killings.

Dreaded relief, doubt, and guilt— the crowd is getting moved by my speech.

“You people are clearly victims,” I dramatically paused and pointed at Zia. “Your goddess has heard of your pain…” Then another dramatic pause, this time, I pointed at Pedro. “And the executioner has lent you his strength.”

Then, I continued.

“However as victims, the only person who can save you is yourself. I am but a preacher who is telling you a story, so there is no need to fear. You only need to listen, and what I’m saying is… join us. Together, we will save sufferers like you and in its journey, also save yourselves.”

I waited for a second, then a second longer. My words seep into their minds like a sickness. Then the familiar fatso raised his bleeding empty hand. “Let me join!!”

Like a domino, another raised his hand… and then her hand… The crowd one by one raised their hands in unison. “Let me join!!” They echoed.

I am not done yet with my speech, so I continued.

“However, that’s not what all I’ll be asking. You not only need to listen but also read what is coming out of my lips. We are the tome, and you people are its readers. With all of you, we will write a story that this world will remember.

““For the Tome!””

I don’t know who started it, but the crowd started chanting in unison. If not for Zren lending me a noise-cancellation device, we would’ve definitely caused an enormous commotion. Looking at a box made of mutant-processed blocks, I feel eternally grateful for Zren.

He is a new member, but he’s already contributing.

Zia raised her hands in a fist demanding the crowd to be quiet. “Readers of the Tome, I present to you the blessings of the Tome, come in a file, and one by one, we shall baptize you with a greater power.”

Huhuhu… good, she’s following the script I wrote. Honestly, it’s my fault. Somehow, I can’t make her script sound better. Maybe it’s the actress’s fault. Totally, it’s on her.

The crowd of 40 made a single file while kneeling as Zia instructed. They look doubtful, but after this ceremony? I am certain, all of them will become devout believers. This world’s version of church greatly pales in comparison to mine. Mwahahahaha!!

“To be saved, what is it that you are willing to give up?” Zia asked the one to be baptized. For each and every one of them, the same question was asked.

One by one, Zia and I placed our palms over their foreheads. My palm is over Zia since it's Zia who needs to make direct contact with the person. The two of us brainstormed on how to make the ceremony aesthetically pleasing, but this is the best version we got.

What we are actually doing is imparting Soul Method to our dear new readers, just like how we did to Pedro. This Soul Method is laxer though compared to Pedro and mine.

It was going smoothly until the 6th to be baptized, a young man with dark hair started convulsing in the middle of the Soul Method. He went full crazy. In the end, Pedro has to off him.

“Unfortunately, he isn’t devout enough.” I sadly said to the crowd. They fearfully looked away. Left with no choice but to cooperate, they moved on with the program.

Almost half of the crowd went full crazy at the baptismal ceremony. Left with 22 readers, I feel so proud of myself. This lot will definitely evolve into fearsome elites.

Without any pretense, Zia addresses the crowd. “You… can choose to leave. We won’t chase after you. If you do, you can choose to back out, in which we won’t hold any grudge against you. However, if you choose to betray us, expose us… We will kill you, the closest person to you, your family, and even your friends. We will hunt you like an animal, and make you suffer an unimaginable death.”

With those threatening parting words, the meeting was adjourned.