Hyperdimensional Player

Chapter 393 Turning the Tables! Duncan Takes Over

Duncan returned to his residence at dawn.

After switching back to his dimensional perspective, he discovered that the human host had gained a special blessing status—the Divine Grace of the Lady of Joy.

—“The Grace of the Lady of Joy [Divine Power]: You have received the grace of the goddess of joy, Lira. You are immune to the effects of fear, despair, charm, etc. caused by conventional spells. Your morale will not be affected by any negative emotions. At the same time, all your saving throws are affected by the 'Joy' domain with an additional +2 effect.”

Whenever you find yourself in danger, a "High Morale" check will be triggered in the Joyful Realm, after which you will enter the special state of "Fighting Spirit".

Lady Joy is watching you.

Before this deity withdraws their grace, your heart will be enveloped in a gentle joy, and you will not be eroded by other negative emotions.

Divine grace.

The gods of this world often bestow a kind of blessing upon those who value mortals. Above that is divine favor, which requires the consumption of divine power. And above that is divine selection, which allows one to mobilize a portion of the gods' power.

The Mother of Great Bliss is quite generous.

Although this woman has many flaws, and is even a bit arrogant, she has power, status, good looks, a great figure, and even controls the treasury of the Pleasure Cult. She also has the Goddess of Pleasure as her lover, so it's understandable that she's a little arrogant.

Tonight's divine grace was what she prayed for. Five people received the grace, with Duncan being the only outsider; the others were all members of the Scarlet Actor Order.

Even when Duncan left, you could see the envious, jealous, and hateful look in the eyes of the Master of Revelry.

However, divine grace can be taken back.

If Duncan no longer serves the Cult of Pleasure, then the divine favor of the Goddess of Pleasure will naturally disappear as well.

"This woman most likely knows who I am."

"But she still wanted to win me over."

"Truly confident!"

Duncan is now at least 70% certain that the Great Mother of Bliss knows the identity of the human form, namely the Five Fierce Women behind the scenes and the support of the Church of Wealth. However, she is certain that the Goddess of Wealth, Woking, will not return in the short term, so she is confident that she can gather some of the Church of Wealth's power.

"We need to find a way to improve the physical fitness of the human host."

Duncan doesn't have many trump cards up his sleeve right now, because there's a god-level being in this realm, and he doesn't dare to infiltrate too much power rashly. Therefore, his top priority is to improve the combat power of his human form.

"After the outbreak of the Holy Cataclysm."

"Death and slaughter are currently in a stage where many powerful individuals are secretly vying for control."

"But the priesthood that truly resonates with me the most."

"On the contrary, it is the god of tyranny, the tyrant in the mouths of mortals - Bane."

Duncan's eyes were fixed on the distant port. There were too many people watching death and slaughter, but if Duncan could obtain tyranny and strife, he could instantly turn his divine authority into a royal law that belonged only to him.

He is the King of Kings.

He was born with the ability to rule, but pure killing was not so suitable for him in this world, because Duncan did not kill for the sake of killing.

"Bane, the God of Tyranny".

"If I can seize the power to reverse the tide, I might be able to cultivate a human form with powerful divine abilities."

"But before interfering with the laws of the Three Gods of Death, I need a springboard."

"We may even need a group of powerful allies."

"Ideally, they should be allies of god-like status."

Duncan had already begun to plan, and many ideas gradually emerged in his mind: "Tyr, the god of justice, is my natural ally."

"Leaving aside my relationship with the Norse pantheon in the origin world."

"If I can reverse tyranny and reduce much evil in this world, then the three gods of justice might support me in critical moments."

"But we cannot place all our hopes on them."

"Because I am not purely kind either."

Duncan can reverse tyranny, but he cannot be absolutely benevolent; he can only do his best to make the world order more stable and better.

"There is another potential partner."

Tiamat.

Duncan seemed to have thought of something and thought to himself, "If I rely on the status of the Root World, Tiamat, the Queen of the Five Colored Dragons, might also be a potential partner for me."

"But this needs to be carefully considered."

"However, all of these plans are predicated on my ability to first build up a substantial financial foundation."

"If I cannot control the situation in Sergant and extend my influence to the goddess of wealth, Woking, and the goddess of joy, Lira, it will be very difficult to persuade others to support me with the resources I have."

"At the very least, one must have the status of a demigod."

"What I lack right now is, firstly, the strength of a high-level legendary figure or above; secondly, the divine laws; and thirdly, the divine domain."

In the world of the Kingdom of Heaven, it's very difficult to obtain a divine position simply by killing people.

Duncan needs a strong springboard, but before he gets that springboard, his human form's strength must also catch up, at least to be on par with some powerful chosen ones.

The gods of this world all act in groups, making it even more difficult for mortals to fight alone.

soon.

Duncan then had a plan, washed up, and went straight to sleep.

damn it.

Having spent so much time with the Pleasure Cult, his sleep schedule had become completely disrupted. Ever since he started protecting the Mother of Great Bliss, his human form had adopted a nocturnal lifestyle, spending his nights either working or busy, and then sleeping soundly at home during the day.

For a human being, not sleeping for a short period of time is not a problem, but entering a state of fatigue is a major taboo for professionals.

In the afternoon.

The priestess in charge of serving Duncan's daily life has been replaced. She is a beautiful woman named Arya-Laughter, the same woman who wore a light purple priestess dress yesterday. Lila needs to rest a little today and has something to report to the Great Mother of Bliss.

"Lord Duncan."

“The Mother of Great Bliss wants you to see her this evening.” Arya smiled ingratiatingly and offered him some refreshments.

Because of the divine grace ceremony last night, she has also become a formal priestess of pleasure.

Duncan nodded calmly and said, "I understand."

"Go down."

Then, Duncan got up, drew his longsword, and began training in the courtyard outside the temple.

Oh shit.

The entire Temple of Joy didn't even have a training ground; it was full of bars, lounges, dance halls, and so on—even a clubhouse wasn't this well-equipped. Back when he was fighting monsters with the barbarians, the Temple of the God of Strength was either a training ground or an arena. He could even lift stone weights or challenge people to wrestling duels; his training never faltered.

Killing and manipulating are the essence of barbarians.

If it were all women, the barbarians would all become spineless wimps.

Even if Duncan were a human being, such constant partying and revelry would lower his fighting ability, let alone others.

Hedonists are so corrupt and decadent.

Duncan stretched his muscles and finally felt his form return. He wiped the sweat from his brow with a towel and turned his head to see a corner of the courtyard where several priestesses of pleasure, who had just gotten up and hadn't even washed or dressed yet, were secretly observing him. One of the blue-haired noblewomen was pointing at his rock-solid chest muscles and whispering to her sisters.

They had just woken up; they had been partying until the early hours of the morning.

"They are all at the professional level of mid-to-high-level priests, but their combat strength is not worth mentioning."

"With those skinny arms and legs, they probably couldn't even walk properly if they were wearing armor."

Duncan shook his head speechlessly, sheathed his longsword with a clang, and immediately changed his clothes to go find the Mother of Great Bliss.

The entire Pleasure Cult is quite bizarre.

In other churches of the gods, the most important attribute for priests is perception, followed by strength, constitution, and agility. However, for priests and priests of the Pleasure Cult, the most important attributes are perception and charm. Strength, constitution, and agility are not very important, since they are dressed in formal attire and tight-fitting clothes anyway, so the lack of strength does not matter.

As for wielding a heavy shield, carrying a flail, and cracking someone's head with a mace, a battle axe, or a warhammer, don't even think about it.

"damn it."

"I'll train you into combat nuns sooner or later!"

Duncan left without looking back.

Beauty is fleeting.

When he saw these people, all he could think about was how to improve their combat effectiveness. The enemy was already at their doorstep, yet they still had the mind to enjoy themselves.

Duncan felt very frustrated that night when he was commanding these men in battle.

Don't be fooled by his hand at the time; he played a series of threes and fours, and when he went head-to-head with them, none of them could beat him.

On his way to the villa of the Mother of Great Bliss, Duncan encountered a member of the Scarlet Oratorio, the clown. He was probably the only one who left halfway through the night; the clown never waits until the party is over to leave. Because the clown's stage only lasts until the curtain falls.

The other person was drawing comical clown graffiti, twirling a one-handed scythe in his hand. He looked Duncan up and down, and when he saw the sweat on Duncan's brow from his recent training, his eyes softened. He nodded slightly in acknowledgment and disappeared into a cloud of illusionary smoke without saying a word, as if taking his final bow on stage.

He is a master!

It's just a bit pretentious.

The Church of Pleasure's career advancement system is chaotic. The goddess herself is a part-time sorcerer, as are the church's priests and priests. Among the Crimson Dancers are sorcerers who can cast spells up to the ninth level.

"Skilled in illusion and assassination."

"A capable person is far superior to anyone else."

Duncan nodded to himself. That night's counterattack saw the clown kill many enemies and assassinate the opposing team's sharpshooter, making him one of the heroes who turned the tide.

"We can only rely on the Scarlet Actors Order."

Duncan stopped and gestured to the attendant to announce his arrival. Soon after, he entered the luxurious mansion and stood in the hall waiting for the Mother of Great Bliss to appear.

Soon, servants brought out wine and food.

Just then, a lazy yawn came from the second-floor corridor. The Mother of Great Bliss, dressed in a gossamer-thin silk robe with her long hair flowing freely and no inner garment visible, leaned against the steps, seemingly just waking from a hangover. She lazily surveyed Duncan, then slowly and gracefully walked into the living room, gesturing to a servant to bring a cup of sobering tea. Only then did she cross her long legs and leisurely say, "Why are you here so early?"

The Mother of Great Bliss has low physical constitution and low strength, but she can pass the test with agility.

With her physical condition, which makes it difficult for her to move even when wearing full armor, and her daily pursuit of pleasure, sooner or later she won't even be able to hold a shield properly.

Duncan looked up, then looked away and said seriously, "Shouldn't the Godmother change her clothes first?"

The other person wore a silk robe that was as thin as a cicada's wing and semi-transparent.

There should be a proper attitude when discussing matters.

Upon hearing this, the Mother of Great Bliss paused for a moment, then chuckled and stood up. Without returning to her room, she gestured for a servant to bring her clothes, then casually walked into a room without even closing the door.

Duncan could see the whole process of her changing clothes just by looking up.

But Duncan didn't make a move. His expression was serious. He just stood there motionless, waiting quietly.

A bright young woman helped the Mother of Great Bliss change her clothes, then secretly glanced back at Duncan, who stood quietly with his eyes closed, and whispered a few words in the Mother of Great Bliss's ear.

The Mother of Great Bliss shook her head slightly, and quickly changed into a less revealing outfit before coming out.

She still wasn't wearing an inner layer.

Unless something comes up, she rarely goes out in the morning. The entire Joyful Church doesn't have the habit of holding morning services, and these revelers usually don't show up until at least the afternoon.

"what's up?"

After changing into a gorgeous long dress, the Mother of Great Bliss regained her slightly arrogant and aloof demeanor.

Duncan glanced at the other person, his gaze sweeping over the exposed nipple. He shook his head inwardly, but said with a serious expression, "The Order of Pain will not give up its assassination attempt easily."

"I suggest we strike first!"

There's no reason to guard against thieves every single day.

Duncan's motto is to take revenge. If you don't hurt your enemies and make them afraid, things will never end.

Upon hearing Duncan's words, the Mother of Great Bliss was momentarily stunned.

Fight back?
Do they really have that ability?
If the Church of Pleasure hadn't been so weak in combat, Duncan would have wanted to eliminate the Church of Pain's stronghold in the area completely.

Clearly, Duncan had guessed the Great Mother of Bliss's thoughts, and he said in a deep voice, "If the Great Mother gives me the Scarlet Actors Order."

“I am confident that I can severely damage the Church of Pain’s influence near Sergant.”

"but."

"During this period, it would be best for the High Priestess not to leave the temple area."

Before he could go out to fight the enemy, the Mother of Great Bliss was directly raided.

to be frank.

Although the Great Mother of Bliss was a legendary priest, Duncan felt that if he prepared in advance and found a way to rush to her side, without giving her a chance to cast spells, given the Great Mother of Bliss's combat skills and her usual gorgeous dresses, Duncan could cut off her head in less than a minute.

With her physical condition, even if she were to be attacked, she wouldn't be able to withstand a single divine heal.

Unless the Great Mother of Bliss dons heavy armor like a priest and prepares spells beforehand, she won't be able to hold out against Duncan for more than a few rounds.

The Joyful Church is so rich that few of its pastors wear armor when they go out.

A bodysuit? A formal evening gown?

joke.

How much protection can a bodysuit provide?

Upon hearing this, the Mother of Great Bliss fell into deep thought, seemingly hesitant. Although she valued Duncan's abilities highly, she was well aware of her own limitations. The Church of Pleasure's greatest trump card was the Scarlet Actor.

If something goes wrong and too many people are lost, it will shake the very foundation of the church.

"Are you sure?" The Mother of Great Bliss asked, her expression growing serious as she stared intently at Duncan.

Duncan nodded without hesitation.

At this moment, he must give the Mother of Great Bliss confidence; if he is not steadfast, the Mother of Great Bliss will definitely waver.

The Mother of Great Bliss pondered for a moment, then looked up and asked, "How many people do you need?"

Duncan calmly replied, "Four people."

that's it?
wrong!

He wanted the leading cast of Scarlet Actors.

The Great Bliss Mother instantly realized that Duncan didn't want any of the small fry; he only wanted the main battle group of the Scarlet Actor, namely the clown and other experts.

If anything goes wrong, the Scarlet Actors could just disband on the spot.

The entire hall was deathly silent.

The Mother of Great Bliss pondered for a long time, then gritted her teeth, looked up, and said, "Here you go!"

Someone came to our door to beat us up.

This is a major blow to the prestige of the Pleasure Cult. Although they don't have much prestige themselves, if they don't retaliate immediately, they will definitely be looked down upon.

very good!

There is still help.

Duncan received the promise from the Mother of Great Bliss, and his expression instantly improved. He even had the leisure to look up and down at the Mother of Great Bliss's graceful and exquisite figure. She herself had given him the opportunity to look, so why not?

Seeing the change in his expression, the Mother of Great Bliss even laughed in exasperation. However, she was not intimidated at all. Instead, she straightened her graceful figure and returned to her room with elegance and composure.

She wanted to give Duncan the Holy Symbol of the Pleasure Cult, only then could she mobilize the Scarlet Actors.

before leaving.

Duncan suddenly stopped, turned around and glanced at the Mother of Bliss, saying meaningfully, "Before I leave, I need to go to the Great Treasury."

The subtext is either an implication or a request for support from the Church of Wealth.

An ally is still an ally.

Before turning against each other, the goddesses of the Bright Water Domain still maintained a united front against external forces.

The Mother of Great Bliss gave a casual "hmm," but her eyes were not as calm as they appeared.

The Pleasure Cult is really bad at fighting.

If Duncan wants to win completely, he also needs to get the support of the Gold of the Wealth Church, namely the Five Fierce Women.

at the same time.

In a secret chamber within the Temple of Joy, the Master of Revelry, Korver, also received a secret report. Overjoyed, he exclaimed, "I knew Duncan Starfall was definitely a spy for the Church of Wealth!"

"He secretly colluded with the five shrewish women."

"Immediately send someone to inform the Mother of Great Bliss."

"No!"

"Keep it for now, and deliver the fatal blow at the crucial moment!"

He now holds the secret of Duncan Starfall, and can manipulate him however he wants in the future, even revealing it to the public and leaving him with no place in the Cult of Pleasure.

Duncan's rise directly threatened his position of power.

………………

(End of this chapter)