Yes, I became a god just by exercising.

Chapter 118 A Huge Reward!
Xia Fa looked at the demigod-level ghost spirit in front of him without saying a word, waiting for its next sentence.

However, he was quite surprised.

No wonder, he had previously felt that among the three demigods, Tyrene, Axo, and Bedivere, Tyrene seemed to be the strongest, and perhaps the leader among them.

Now he finally understood that Tyrean was a demigod, and that he had also subdued a wraith of demigod rank!

How could it not be strong?
"It seems that the secret agreement in the direction of spirit control has far greater potential than I imagined..."

Although he had seen Protoss beings as large as planets in the Protoss Realm before, and knew that they must be of very high status, he had even seen traces of extremely powerful Wraiths and Mystic Spirits.

However, in Xia Fa's mind, he always subconsciously felt that, for example, if he wanted to subdue a demigod-level spirit, he would probably need an angel or even a ruler.

But now, demigods can subdue demigod spirits, so the potential of the secret alliance in the direction of spirit control is enormous.

Thinking of the Spirit Servant Contract in his hand, and the "Star Spirit Master" contract that Dick Tudor had mentioned, the only overlord-level contract that could subdue Star Spirits, Xia Fa couldn't help but feel quite tempted.

After signing the "Lord of the Stars" contract, a supreme-level pact, my spiritual intuition guides me to the next contract, which is in the direction of spirit control. That's not bad at all...

At this moment, the bloodshot eyeball, the size of a water vat, opened its mouth, speaking in a rather serious tone.

"First of all, remember this: unless it is the Mist People or our Silver Church who come to investigate and question you, you can only talk about what you encountered in that desert little world. Otherwise, don't say anything no matter who asks you."

"Secondly, you must remember not to dwell on what happened today, because this could very well lead to you being targeted by that being."

"Also, you shouldn't concern yourself with Princess Victoria's affairs, no matter what happened to her. This is something Terrean specifically asked me to remind you of, because according to Lieutenant General Bedivet, you seem to get along quite well with Princess Victoria."

Regarding the explanation for the blood-red eyeball, Xia Fa had already planned to do the first two things.

As for the third thing... well, aren't Lieutenant General Bedivet and Terrence a little too close? They seem to talk about everything!

He even told Tyrene about his brief conversation with Princess Victoria...

Of course, despite his complaints, Xia Fa felt a sense of being cared for, especially since he had been an orphan before, and his elders wouldn't make such a big deal out of every conversation he had with any girl.

Moreover, Shafa knew that if it were any other clergyman, Tyrean might not even bother to care.

He had overheard Ethan and Fensne whispering about how serious and cold the cardinal usually was.

"Okay, I understand. Thank you, and please thank Lord Tyrene for me as well."

Xia Fa spoke earnestly, his tone quite sincere.

A faint, obvious smile appeared in the pupil of that enormous, blood-red eyeball, and it said:

"It's nothing, it's nothing. Oh, by the way, here you go."

Its thin line across its pupils suddenly split open, revealing a gaping maw full of sharp teeth. With a gentle spit, it expelled a shadowy object that landed on the mahogany table beside it.

Xia Fa asked in confusion:
"This is……?"

The blood-red eyeball replied without hesitation:
"You're lucky. Originally, Tyrene asked me to find extraordinary materials like petals of the Mind Flower and crystals of the Fountain of Illusion to concoct an extraordinary potion to help you repair your damaged soul. I never expected that I would actually catch a Dream Wraith in the Protoss Realm."

"Dream Ghost?"

"That's right, this is a very rare kind of spirit that likes to infiltrate the dreams of humans or demi-humans to play pranks and thus strengthen itself. The one I caught is already at the whale level. Perfect, its ghostly core can help you recover your soul damage to the greatest extent, and there might even be some left over."

After hearing this, Xia Fa picked up the shadowy figure with some curiosity.

It feels cool to the touch, like holding a lump of glue, yet it also feels light and empty.

"Alright, I've told you everything I need to. You'd better watch yourself."

As the blood-red eyeball spoke, its form began to fade.

However, just before disappearing, it seemed to remember something and added an extra sentence:
"By the way, the outside world is safe now. There are still a few days left in the Fog Carnival, so you can go and participate to your heart's content without being too afraid."

The voice drifted away with its form, and then vanished completely.

Only Xia Fa remained, still somewhat dazed, clutching the sticky, ghostly figure.

"Could it be that... Lord Tyrene and the others misunderstood my performance in the desert mini-world as me overdrawing my soul to use elemental expansion?"

Realizing this, Xia Fa chuckled, but it was fine this way; he was too lazy to explain.

His original reason was that, in order to participate in this Fog Carnival and represent humanity in the battle, he had secretly gone to the church these past two days to touch Baal's Blade and absorbed a portion of its power, storing it in his body.

This way, the secret of the burning sensation within one's body can be perfectly concealed.

But now that he has obtained the Ghost Core of the Dream Ghost, after he finishes eating it, his soul will appear normal regardless of whether it was damaged before, so he is too lazy to bother explaining it.

Since the blood-red eyeball said the outside world was safe, but there was always the possibility that people from the Mist Clan or clergy from the Silver Church might come to investigate him, he still couldn't just randomly freeload off someone.

Therefore, Xia Fa decided... to go out for another stroll!
The Fog Carnival is held once every five years and lasts only seven days each time.

If we miss this opportunity, won't we have to wait another five years?
Moreover, the next Fog Carnival may not even be held in the Kingdom of Augu. I heard that it will be held on all inhabited planets in the entire Wright Starfield, and the probability is random.

If the event were to be held on a particularly remote planet in the Wright Starfield next time, it would probably take ten days to half a month just to get there, and we would miss it entirely.

With this thought in mind, Xia Fa immediately went downstairs.

Benedict was sitting on the sofa, playing with the two little wooden puppets in her hands.

When Benedict said she was training on her own, Shafa thought she was joking. But after seeing her record of fighting the wolf Fenrir, Shafa suspected that it might actually be Benedict's self-training!
Just then, Benedict seemed to hear footsteps, looked up, and saw Shafa walking down the wooden stairs. She exclaimed happily:

"Have you finished your business?"

Xia Fa smiled:
"Well, it's done."

Benedict put away the little wooden puppet, her bright and flawless face full of anticipation:
"Then let's..."

Xia Fa waved his hand:
"Let's go, let's continue to participate in the Fog Carnival."

The doll-like girl almost jumped up:

"Great!"

……

Risle Street, in the suburbs.

Xia Fa glanced at No. 13 Risle Street and was surprised to find that the original iron nameplate had been replaced with wood, and the edges were rotten and blackened.

He had originally planned to visit Dicket to clarify the information about Pompeii and the ruler behind it, but now it seems that the change in the nameplate probably means... Dicket is not here?
I wonder if Dick, being a transcendent monarch, could have killed that ruler directly if he were willing to take action...

But thinking about it, it's impossible. It's not that Dick could not do it, but that He couldn't do it.

As Dicket said before, He was being watched by many eyes, and it was not convenient for even a demigod to kill Him, let alone a ruler.
Without giving it much thought, Xia Fa subtly withdrew his gaze and looked at a large expanse of wasteland on the outskirts of the city.

At that moment, hundreds of steel grills were set up on the wasteland, each skewering a whole roasted lamb with a golden-brown skin, which was slowly rotating.

Flames swirled below, sizzling oil dripped into the fire, occasionally sparking enticing sparks.

The unique aroma of roasted whole lamb wafts through the air, a blend of cumin and chili powder, enough to whet your appetite and crave the taste of roasted lamb with just a sniff.

This is a small event within the Fog Festival called "Barbecue Feast," which can be attended for a fee of 300 gold pounds.

Despite the high price of 300 gold pounds, these whole roasted lambs are supernatural creatures called Rockhorn Lambs, which are unique to the Misty Realm.

Moreover, they are all fed with extraordinary herbs, making them truly top-tier luxury delicacies!

Xia Fa even doubted that even if he activated his ability to randomly freeload meals, he would still have a hard time getting this level of food.

Now, you can get a sheep for just 300 gold pounds!

There were also skilled knife workers serving nearby, helping to slice the lamb while it was roasted and eaten.

chirp-

The doll-like girl, Beneath, swallowed hard, her golden-red eyes sparkling as she stared intently at the whole roasted lambs.

Xia Fa teased:
"I thought you only liked dried anchovies."

Benedict wiped her mouth, then swallowed hard, her mouth watering.

"Of course! If there were dried fish, I would definitely choose dried fish, but there aren't any now, hehe..."

Xia Fa smiled and shook his head, walked over, took out three hundred-pound notes, and paid the mist-man owner next to the grill.

The mistman innkeeper actually looked quite wealthy, with a large belly and wearing a white-gold silk coat. He chuckled as he accepted the money, and immediately another mistman led Shafa and Benedict to their seats.

Xia Fa chose a grill near the edge, since it would be too hot and poorly ventilated if it were in the middle of a group of grills.

Although he wasn't afraid of the heat, he still wanted to eat roasted lamb while enjoying the cool breeze in the fields.

The fog-covered man immediately brought over a round table and set up small stools for the two of them.

Shafa and Benedict sat facing each other. Shafa gazed at the boundless fields and the tender wheat seedlings that had already sprouted, while Benedict stared longingly at the whole roasted lamb from the Fogman.

On those square plots of land, many farmers are still bent over, working, loosening the soil, removing insects, or pulling weeds.

Some of the farmers looked pale and thin, dressed in rags, with deeply sunken cheeks. They were clearly refugees who had fled famine from various places and earned a meager living by working for local farmers who were relatively well-off.

It seemed that this lively fog carnival had nothing to do with them.

Xia Fa's eyes flickered slightly.

Fortunately, the biggest project of this Fog Carnival—the Land of the Gods in the Desert—though it encountered unexpected changes, still resulted in the Kingdom of Augu gaining ten million acres of oil fields, ten million acres of potato fields, and even ten million acres of hunting grounds.

Oil fields may not play a significant role in this era, but they will become the most important once future technologies develop.

As for the potato fields and hunting grounds—with these, the refugees still had to work hard, but at least they had something to look forward to, and they no longer had to suffer from hunger every day. They could even recover their health.

Two silver plates were placed on the small round table, and the mist-like figure was seen rapidly slicing the whole roasted lamb with a semi-transparent knife.

He sliced ​​off pieces of roasted lamb, each as thin as a cicada's wing, and placed them on a silver plate, still sizzling with oil.

The man in the fog quickly sliced ​​two large plates of mutton and then sprinkled salt on the extremely thin slices of mutton. The salt was pale pink and melted as soon as it hit the meat.

The fog-covered man then sprinkled sesame seeds on top, and also added extra spices such as cumin and chili.

An extremely tempting aroma of mutton immediately wafted up.

Both Xia Fa and Benedict Cumberbatch had a great appetite and started eating slice by slice with their knives and forks.

Many guests joined in, each choosing a whole roasted lamb and sitting next to the grill, where a mist person served them.

The atmosphere on the field grew increasingly lively, and the obese fog-man boss took the opportunity to promote his wine.

The glass bottles, filled with various colored liquids and wisps of steam, looked more like works of art than beverages. "This is wine brewed from misty ice flowers, best paired with roasted rock horn lamb. Fifty gold pounds a bottle, would you like it?"

The boss had a rope around his neck that was connected to a large wooden box, which was filled with neatly arranged bottles of misty ice wine.

Xia Fa ate to his heart's content, and at the same time felt an extremely gentle yet quite rich extraordinary power slowly spreading in his stomach, relieving the fatigue in various parts of his body, realizing that this roasted rock horned lamb was indeed far superior to the food of nobles of ordinary means.

He also ordered a whole sheep and bought five bottles of misty ice wine.

This misty ice wine tastes like chilled concentrated fruit juice; it's very rich, yet incredibly refreshing, and doesn't leave a lingering residue in your mouth.

As for getting drunk, he was quite content, enjoying a sip of iced wine and a bite of roasted whole lamb.

Benedict Cumberbatch, however, had a small appetite and was full after only two plates. She didn't drink alcohol, but simply rested her hands on the table and watched with great interest as Xia Fa ate heartily.

Perhaps because the burning sensation in his body when facing that sovereign today had consumed a lot of his energy, Xia Fa quickly finished eating the two sheep.

He was holding a leg of lamb, gnawing on the last bit of meat.

Suddenly, the lively atmosphere in the venue fell silent.

Many guests—mainly from the Kingdom of Augu—looked with considerable surprise as they stared intently in the direction of Risel Street.

Some nobles, in particular, stood up, placed their hands on their chests, and bowed respectfully in that direction, their expressions extremely sincere, even showing a hint of fear.

Xia Fa, who was originally facing away from Risle Street, turned his head curiously upon seeing this, still chewing on the lamb leg bone.

Then, he saw a familiar... well... somewhat familiar figure.

He was a middle-aged man wearing a white-gold cloak over a black double-breasted coat. He stood straight, exuding a royal air, and his clothes alone were extremely luxurious.

He wore a crown, his black hair was slightly curled and naturally draped down, and his dark pupils shone with a deep, ethereal blue in the bright midday light of the fields.

It is... Prince Ariman of the Selenes royal family!
The prince's expression remained solemn and dignified as always, exuding an imposing aura without anger. He was accompanied by several fully armored knights and was walking slowly toward the direction where Xiafa was.

Needless to say, his imposing and noble presence was impressive. Even just the aura emanating from his knights and squires was astonishing; each of them was a whale-level superhuman!
Xia Fa's expression was somewhat strange, realizing that what was coming had finally arrived—someone was finally investigating him.

However, Prince Areman is a member of the royal family, neither a member of the Mist People nor the Silver Church. So, if he asks any questions, should I answer them?
As Prince Ariman walked step by step toward Xiafa, the nobles present were all somewhat surprised, looking at the plainly dressed young man in disbelief.

To be honest, apart from his black hair and black eyes, there was absolutely nothing special or noble about that young man.

Of course, it must be admitted that the girl in the black dress sitting opposite him was stunningly beautiful.

Even though there are many beautiful ladies or pretty young ladies from noble families here, they would all pale in comparison to this girl's bright and delicate face.

Her blonde hair and noble golden-red eyes were especially admired by many ladies and young women.

Fortunately, because Beneath's black dress concealed the ball joints at her elbows and knees, no one recognized her as a doll girl, one of only two doll girls in the entire Augu Kingdom.

Everyone's attention turned to Shafa again. Prince Ariman, who held a high position and was deeply trusted by His Majesty the Emperor, personally came to meet with this young man. Just who was he?
"Xiafa".

Prince Ariman walked a short distance in front of Xiafa, then stopped, his back ramrod straight, his majestic gaze looking down.

Xia Fa quickly wiped the grease off his hands on his pants, stood up, and held out his hand:

"Your Highness, it's a pleasure to meet you."

Prince Ariman glanced at the cumin and sesame seeds still on his hands with some disdain, but for some reason, he still reached out and shook hands with Xia Fa.

"No need to be so polite, we've only known each other for a short time."

This scene stunned the surrounding nobles, who even forgot to eat the roasted whole lamb, even though they hadn't dared to eat it since Prince Ariman appeared, as it would be impolite.

But the key point is... Prince Areman's obsession with cleanliness is well-known in the Kingdom of Augu. Whenever a noble invites him, he has to clean his own reception room spotless, otherwise he will lose points in the prince's eyes.

Even the salon run by Prince Ariman's wife was famous for its extremely clean and tidy environment.

But now, this prince with mysophobia is actually willing to shake hands with this kid named Xiafa?
Could this be His Majesty the Emperor's illegitimate child or something?
But that's impossible. In the extraordinary world, it's not so simple for a ruler to have an illegitimate child. Not to mention, the other ruler of the Augu Kingdom, Lord Gaius of the Augustus family, would definitely have found out and spread the news far and wide.

So, what exactly is the identity of this Xia Fa?
Prince Ariman withdrew his hand and casually placed it behind his back. Water immediately welled up in his palm, washing away the grease and spices that had adhered to Sharfa's hands.

Immediately, he spoke with great seriousness:

"I have something very important to discuss with you, something extremely important to you."

Xia Fa asked:

"What's the big deal?"

Prince Ariman said:

"It's not convenient to talk about this here. How about we go to your place?"

Under the watchful eyes of everyone, Xia Fa nodded and led Prince Ariman toward Daniel Street.

They walked in silence, with only Benedict looking curiously at the various stalls set up by the Fog People along the way, seemingly not having had enough yet.

Soon, Xia Fa stopped in front of his two-story attic.

He opened the door and went in first, followed by Benedict.

This made Prince Ariman's face twitch again.

After all, according to the etiquette among nobles, guests should be allowed to go in first.

He sighed wearily, then went inside without paying any more attention.

The five knights in metal armor immediately spread out outside the door and assumed a defensive posture.

……

"Please sit wherever you like, don't be shy."

As soon as Shafa saw Prince Ariman enter, he casually pointed in the direction of the sofa and chairs.

Prince Ariman looked at the somewhat dilapidated attic and shook his head, but when he discovered that the attic had been cleaned spotlessly, a satisfied smile appeared on his face that he himself did not realize.

He looked at Xia Fa and said earnestly:

"Shafa, when you have money, you should buy a manor. It's not expensive. The cheapest one can be bought for around 100,000 gold pounds. If that's not possible, you can buy a villa, which will be even cheaper."

He paused briefly, then sighed:
"After all, this kind of house is no longer suitable for your status."

Xia Fa was a little confused. Wasn't he just a clergyman of the Silver Church? Even as a superhuman, his rank was only insect-level. What identity did he have?

But he immediately realized something, and his expression became somewhat strange.

Could it be...

Sure enough, the next moment, Prince Ariman said:

"In view of your contributions to our Kingdom of Augu during this Fog Carnival... and even to humanity in a broader and deeper sense, His Majesty the Emperor was very pleased upon learning of this and has decided to bestow upon you the title of Viscount."

A hint of gentleness finally appeared on his arrogant face, and he continued:
"So, from today onwards, you are the esteemed Viscount Shafa de Augustus. Whatever the reason for adding your middle name before, now, the middle name with the character 'De' is truly fitting."

Although Xia Fa had some suspicions, after all, he had indeed made some insignificant contributions, he was still somewhat surprised when he heard that he had been granted a title.

So he's a viscount now?
Duke, Marquis, Earl, Viscount, Baron... Judging from this, my rank is not low.

It's worth noting that even the Bald family, including the former demigod Raydonk Bald, only managed to acquire the title of baron.

Prince Ariman continued:

"His Majesty the Emperor originally intended to personally reward you with one million gold pounds as a commendation and to thank you for your contributions to the people of the Kingdom of Augu."

"But recently, His Majesty the Emperor has decided to build two more small towns next to the ten million mu of potato fields and the same ten million mu of hunting grounds, so that refugees can live there. Therefore, he is calling on nobles to donate money by paying for it himself, and the imperial treasury is slightly short."

He paused briefly, took out a bank draft, handed it to Xia Fa, and then continued:
"So I can give you the bank draft first, but the actual amount won't be cashed for at least three months."

Xia Fa's eyes suddenly lit up, and without any attempt to hide it, he took the bank draft directly.

In the upper right corner was the iconic sigil of the Selenes family, featuring a dragon breathing fire. The amount was marked with a "1", followed by six "0"s: tens, hundreds, thousands, tens of thousands, and so on.
Although it will take three months before the payment can be accepted, it's only three months!

That's a real million pounds!
At this moment, Xia Fa genuinely felt a bit of goodwill towards this emperor he had never met before. Putting aside everything else, this being who was both emperor and ruler was truly generous. When he said he was giving a reward, he meant it, and it was all from his own private funds.

Compared to one million pounds, he didn't care much about being a viscount or anything like that. Anyway, he was too lazy to play the noble game, and he didn't even plan to change houses.

"Xiafa, I hope you can understand that although your contributions are great, under the noble system of our Augu Kingdom, the title of viscount is the highest rank that can be given at present. After all, you are not a demigod yet."

Prince Ariman then spoke, seemingly to comfort Sharfa:

"Once you become a demigod, based on your contributions, you can be immediately promoted to earl. If you become an angel, then regardless of your contributions, you will definitely be promoted to duke."

Xia Fa felt a bit amused and exasperated. He really didn't care about titles. If a title could be exchanged for money, he would exchange it without hesitation!
"Alright, my duty is done. According to the customs of our Augu Kingdom, your investiture ceremony will be held in three months. During this time, you should work hard to improve yourself and try to sign another secret contract. Otherwise, if you are only at the Insect level, many nobles will look down on you and may not even attend your investiture ceremony."

Prince Ariman gave another instruction, this time patting Shafa on the shoulder before turning and leaving.

As he watched his figure, draped in a platinum cloak, disappear outside the door with his armored knights, Xia Fa closed the door.

He had assumed that Prince Ariman had come to inquire about what was happening in the desert mini-world, but to his surprise, he hadn't mentioned it at all.

That's good, he won't have to worry about it anymore.

As for the bank draft that amounted to a full one million gold pounds...

Xia Fa held it in his hand, looked at it several times, and seemed quite fond of it before reluctantly putting it into the button-shaped pocket at the collar.

After all, that's a million gold pounds!
One million gold pounds will be available for redemption in three months!

Not only does it cost money to buy the Star Gate, a top-tier secret contract, but it's not like we won't sign any more secret contracts in the future. What if another top-tier secret contract comes along?
Although Xia Fa knew that two overlord-level secret contracts were probably his limit, and that his spiritual intuition might even guide him to ordinary secret contracts next, what if that happened?
What if my spiritual intuition guides me to another supreme-level secret contract?
Whether it's the Celestial Mage, the Fairy Tale World, the Primal Stomach, the Forge of All Things, the Eternal Conditions... or even the other three unknown overlord-level secret contracts... you can sign any of them!

After all, the Silver Throne had already made him truly feel the unparalleled power of the Overlord-level Secret Contract!

Given that a top-tier secret contract typically starts at several million gold pounds, this one million gold pounds is incredibly valuable.

At this moment, Benedict Cumberbatch came over with a grin:
"Your Excellency, congratulations!"

Xia Fa waved his hand and chuckled:
"Don't joke with me, I don't care about this, speaking of which..."

As he spoke, he casually pulled up a chair next to the dining table and sat down. Perhaps it was because he was so close to the table, but the delicious taste of the whole roasted lamb he had just eaten popped into his mind.

Well, now that I've received a million gold pounds, even though it won't be cashed out for three months, can't I... go and eat a few more?
After all, that roasted salt horn lamb is so delicious.

But unexpectedly, with such thoughts in mind, he had just sat down—

call out!
In Benedict's wide, golden-red eyes, Shafa's figure vanished abruptly.

(End of this chapter)