Old Gods, Rapid-Fire Guns, and Prohibition

Chapter 289 [Scales]

Johnny Blackbird wasn't intimidated. His face had never been exposed before, so he wasn't afraid of being recognized.

He stood in the very center amidst everyone's anticipation.

That's directly below the statue of Isis.

Pope Edwin Virantis, however, has already quietly withdrawn from there.

The believers below the stage didn't have much doubt about the sudden appearance of Johnny the Blackbird, after all, Edwin had already given them a general account of the whole story.

They roughly know what happened last night, and that it was caused by Depp, who is known as the Chosen One.

He claimed that he had been called by the sea god.

Every year, there are always some people who claim to have received divine revelation and want to gain the attention of the church leadership.

Of course, those people were basically eliminated from the competition from the very beginning.

The fact that someone could reach Edwin's level proves it's real.

Moreover, the storms last night were unprecedented.

Therefore, people's feelings towards Johnny Blackbird are more of curiosity than doubt—curiosity about what this man chosen by God actually looks like.

Johnny Blackbird also has a talent for performing. In just a few days, he has developed a charlatan-like demeanor. On stage, he raised his hands and then made the signature prayer gesture of the Church of Poseidon, with his hands moving like flowing water.

"Ladies and gentlemen, please listen to the sound of the water."

His expression was serious, and his tone was as fluid as water.

Soon, everyone joined in the prayer.

Originally, this was just an impromptu move that Johnny Blackbird was making on the spot.

Anyway, Ethan has already written the script; all he has to do is read out the answers in a bit.

But I don't know if it's because there were too many people here today, and they were all too devout, with their prayers being too strong.

It was also because Ethan was present.

As the prayer began, the sound, like flowing water, grew louder and louder, eventually transforming into a roaring, surging sound that flowed and howled throughout the church.

And in that instant, the statue of Isis, the sea goddess, which had just been placed high up, seemed to come alive.

She walked down step by step.

At least, that's what Ethan saw.

He saw her walking towards him.

This made Ethan realize something was wrong. He looked around again and saw that the people who were praying, Morris, even the High Priest Hagen, Jellett, and Pope Edwin on the platform, all seemed to have disappeared.

The sound of the waves grew louder and louder until the entire church disappeared.

The surrounding area seemed to have turned into a sea.

Ethan was sinking deeper and deeper.

But Isis continued to walk towards him.

Finally, she stood before Ethan.

She no longer looks like she did in the pool.

At this moment, she was full of divinity, the sea goddess most familiar to ordinary people, with snake hair, an indescribable divine head, and an extremely tall human body.

Her eyes were bloodshot and extremely eerie.

"Brother...is that you?"

She spoke.

No, it should be Him.

He slowly moved closer, like a snake, and gently pressed himself against Ethan's face.

An extremely cold and damp sensation spread throughout Ethan's body.

Keep him motionless.

He had no choice but to activate the authority of the King of the North Sea, and in conjunction with the 'Name of the True God,' let it permeate his entire body, and then slowly said, "It is I, Auraya."

Upon hearing this name, the previously cold and damp atmosphere suddenly weakened, and Isis's scarlet eyes seemed to soften.

The scarlet light had dissipated considerably.

"It really is you, brother..."

She pressed herself completely against Ethan's face, and at that moment, Ethan felt that Isis's face seemed to be covered with slippery scales, which made him extremely uncomfortable.

"Brother, did you come to save me? Did you hear my cries for help?" "Yes, I came to save you."

That was the only answer Ethan could give.

He still doesn't know what happened.

But it is highly likely that he himself caused all of this.

It all starts from last night.

After he jumped into the sea, he released the authority of the King of the North Sea, as well as the aura of the Tear of Auraya.

Then, sure enough, the entire ocean reacted.

In fact, it was all Ethan's doing.

Ethan retreated again before being summoned by Auraya once more.

He thought nothing would happen.

Unexpectedly, Isis actually appeared here today.

"Brother, I miss you so much..."

"Me too, Auraya."

"When are you going to rescue me? I've been locked up here for so, so long..."

"It will be soon, trust me, I'll find a way."

Ethan could only try to agree with her.

"Okay, brother, I'll wait for you."

Isis seemed to have calmed down, and the cold, slippery sensation was gradually fading away.

In the end, He suddenly turned back.

“Brother, my people are also your people. Please give them your orders.”

After saying this, He completely disappeared.

And all the sounds and people around them returned.

Ethan let out a sigh of relief, feeling uncomfortable all over and desperately needing to take a shower.

Especially on the face...

He touched his face and felt something extremely slippery. Everything that had just happened was not an illusion; it seemed that Isis had really appeared.

Ethan wiped it a few more times and discovered that there was something hidden in that slippery substance.

It was a scale, its color a deep blue like the sea in the dimly lit church.

The next moment, it quickly merged into Ethan's body and was then absorbed by the 'Name of the True God'.

Then it merged with that drop of Isis-like substance, rapidly intertwining to become something new—a scale containing tears.

As Ethan felt the scale, he sensed that he possessed more of Isis's authority.

He could even vaguely sense the piety of the believers nearby, and that piety was surging towards him with strands of power.

It seems he can absorb the faith of these Isis believers?

"Okay, that's enough."

Ethan instinctively spoke to Johnny Blackbird on the stage.

Johnny Blackbird was stunned for a moment, because he heard words that were completely different from Ethan's before; a sound like the roar of the ocean resounded in his heart.

It seems like it really is a deity speaking.

Could it be that……

He was a little uneasy, but he quickly regained his composure, and a smile even seemed to twitch at the corner of his mouth.

What god? There is no god.

It's all an illusion, an illusion.

"Ladies and gentlemen, I have received a divine oracle from the great Isis!"

I'd better get my job done quickly.

But for some reason, I have a feeling that things are getting out of hand.

(End of this chapter)