Mystery: The Undead Don't Die from Linking the Fire

Chapter 379: Ascension

Bayam, the "City of Generosity" in the Rothschild Islands.

In a room high up in the Wave Church, the two-meter-tall Derrick Berg met the renowned Cardinal of the Storm Church, the "Substitute Punisher" Senior Deacon, and "Sea King" Arne Coltman.

Arne Courtman said coldly:

"Tell me, what do you want?"

Derrick instinctively glanced at Elder Lovia beside him, but the latter remained unmoved.

It was agreed beforehand that this "diplomacy" would be led by Derrick, after all, he was the archbishop of the Church of Fools.

Derrick hesitated for a long time before deciding what to say:

"We came for peace."

"Peace?" Yann Courtman, who was also tall and burly with sharp, defined features, snorted.

The Church of Fools' open missionary work in the Roseside Islands is itself a challenge to the Church of Storms' authority and an attempt to shake its foundations in the region. These outsiders have done everything they should and shouldn't have done during this time, and now they want peace with them?

Derrick recited his prepared statement, speaking sincerely:

"We can help you resist the invasion of the Fusaks, and you can concentrate your superior forces to defend islands such as Pasu. If necessary, we can also cooperate with you to launch a counterattack on Sunia Island."

Arne Coltman stared at the powerful but politically naive boy before him and suddenly sneered:

"If we withdraw most of our forces, can you hold onto Bayam and the archipelago?"

"If we can't hold out and the combined fleet of Fursac and Fenneport breaches our lines, how can we guarantee the interests of the Rune immigrants?"

Derrick thought for a moment and said seriously:

"We have nearly ten demigods and tens of thousands of extraordinary beings."

Arne Courtman remained unmoved; Derrick's words were utterly insufficient to sway him.

In peacetime, the number of demigods in major orthodox churches is usually only around ten. However, since the outbreak of the all-out war, the upper echelons of major churches have increased their efforts in cultivating saints, providing a large number of extraordinary traits and materials, enabling many Sequence 5 extraordinary individuals to advance to Sequence 4.

For example, the number of saints in the Storm Church has expanded from ten to nearly twenty.

In other words, the Church of the Fools that Derrick spoke of, even if its members are at the Saint level, are only half the size of the Church of the Storm. Undeniably, such a force is indeed powerful, but what does it amount to in a war?

Admittedly, if the Church of the Fools were to launch a sudden attack, they could easily seize Blue Mountain Island, where Bayam is located, with their ten demigods and tens of thousands of extraordinary beings. The Church of the Storm, however, is bogged down in war and cannot send any more demigods to support them.

But so what?

While Yern Cortman couldn't stop them from conquering Blue Mountain Island, he could ensure that the Church of Fools would get a deserted, dead island—as a demigod of Sequence 3 of the 'Sailor' pathway, he was virtually invincible on the high seas unless a Sequence 2 angel personally intervened.

Because he's Aquaman!

As "Sea Kings," even with limitations on their domain, they are powerful rulers within their controlled sea areas. They can freely roam the seabed, unleash tsunamis at will, raise sea levels, and command marine life to fight. They are absolutely capable of overwhelming all demigods of the same level!

As long as he is at sea, no demigod or pirate king can defeat the "Sea King".

If the conflict between the two sides truly reaches an irreconcilable point, he will certainly have the opportunity to fight to the death. With his power, he could easily submerge the entire Blue Mountain Island, turning it into a ruin. At that time, everyone on the island will be dragged down with them!

The only one who can stop all of this is another Aquaman.

But it is clear that the Church of Fools does not exist in a similar way, and they cannot accept Blue Mountain Island being submerged by the waves.

After all, the reason the Church of Fools preached in Bayam was precisely to attract potential believers on the island, wasn't it?

Without people, this island will be meaningless.

Therefore, both sides must negotiate, and can only negotiate; this is the only way for them to coexist peacefully.

Seeing that Derrick was getting to the point, Lovia sighed and took the initiative to speak, saying:

"We will pray to our Lord, asking Him to protect the Roseside Islands."

"Hmm?" Aquaman, the "Sea King," narrowed his eyes and turned to look at the woman.

She wore a long black robe embroidered with many mysterious purple patterns, and her thick, slightly curly silver-gray hair cascaded down her back. Her face was smooth and fair, and her eyebrows and eyes were striking and beautiful. She looked to be in her early thirties, and her pale gray eyes seemed to pierce through one's soul.

It was common knowledge that the Church of the Fools had been proselytizing extensively throughout the Roseside Islands. Even Arne Coltman had inadvertently learned quite a bit about the Church of the Fools.

For example, the "Fool" they worship is not a false god like the "Sea God" Kavituwa, but a genuine deity!

He has already received confirmation of this from Pope Gard II.

This is why the Storm Church did not take any measures to stop the Fools Church's missionary work, but instead tacitly approved of it.

In this critical moment before the outbreak of divine war, the attitude of a strange god becomes crucial. Even if they cannot become friends, they must at least ensure that the other party will not become an enemy, especially if the other party intends to show them goodwill.

That's why he patiently negotiated with these two people; he was waiting for them to bring up the "Fool" on their own initiative!

Derrick finally came to his senses, took two steps back, lowered his head, and recited the name of the Fool:

"A fool who doesn't belong to this era;"

"The Mysterious Ruler Above the Gray Fog;"

"The King of Yellow and Black, who holds the key to good fortune."

"I beg for your help."

"I pray for your favor."

"I beg you to bestow your power and protect the islands..."

Just then, the sky outside suddenly darkened, as if a large number of dark clouds were flying in and obscuring the sun.

Aquaman, the actor who plays Aquaman, turned his head warily and looked out the window. He saw that the place where the sea met the sky was shrouded in shadow.

With his control over the island waters, the Cardinal of the Church of Storms quickly grasped the overall situation in his mind:

The Roside Islands and the surrounding waters were shrouded in thick fog, making them appear indistinct and unreal.

A seabird flew by, trying to land on the harbor cliff, but it flew right through it without stopping.

Ordinary people inside the archipelago continue to live their lives as usual, but they have a feeling that another storm is coming.

This… Yann Courtman’s deep blue pupils widened considerably. He subconsciously turned around and looked at Derrick, who called himself the Archbishop of the Church of the Fool. His expression was extremely devout, showing no surprise at the power of the Fool.

In Derrick's mind, Mr. Fool was almost omnipotent.

A few seconds later, the fog dissipated, the shadows faded, and everything on the Roside Islands returned to normal.

Arne Courtman paused for a few seconds and then said:

"I will carefully consider your proposal. I will immediately convene a meeting with several key figures in Bayam to discuss this matter and will give you an answer in an hour."

Lovia smiled:

We will patiently await your reply.

After saying that, she turned and walked out of the room, with Derrick following behind her.

Arne Coltman stared intently at the woman's back. On the back of her robe was embroidered a mysterious symbol, the emblem of the Church of Fools, consisting of half a "pupilless eye" symbolizing secrecy and half a "twisted line" symbolizing change.

Compared to that naive young man, she was clearly more suited to lead this negotiation.

But the truth is that the boy named Derrick was the archbishop of the Church of Fools.

Is it due to the route taken, or are there other reasons?

As Yann Courtman frowned and pondered, he suddenly heard a knock on the door.

Arne Courtman said calmly:

"Come in."

Alger entered the room and bowed respectfully, saying:

"Your Excellency, Cardinal."

Looking at this veteran who had just returned from the front lines, Yann Courtman suddenly asked:

What do you know about the Church of the Fools?

Alger's eyes flickered slightly, but he didn't look up.

Before entering the room, he had already met Derrick and Lovia, the two demigods of the Church of the Fools, who left the room under the guidance of their attendants and went to wait in the reception room. He, on the other hand, had come here to pay his respects to the cardinal before him.

But why would he suddenly ask these questions?

He did indeed pilot the Blue Avenger to the port of Silver City, where he displayed a close relationship with Derrick.

This scene was also witnessed by the sailors on the ship, and given their loyalty to the Church of Storms, it was only natural that they would report it to their superiors.

However, he had borrowed "Lemanor's Travel Notes" from Miss "The Magician" beforehand and used the extraordinary abilities recorded by Miss "Justice" to hypnotize the sailors, so there shouldn't be any future problems.

If that's the case, why would Arne Coltman suddenly ask these questions?

Alger's mind raced. After a moment's consideration, he spoke:

"The majority of the believers in the Church of the Fools come from the city of Silver, outside Bayam."

As he spoke, he looked up to observe Yann Courtman's expression, who nodded slightly to signal him to continue.

"I have been to their port and observed the residents of Silver City up close."

"Most of them are as tall as the Fusaks, perhaps due to the influence of the 'Warrior' pathway."

"According to their own account, they claim to come from the land of the forsaken God, and came to the new world under the protection of the 'Fool'."

"The Council of Six rules Silver City. It consists of six demigods, and their leader is a Silver Knight of the Sequence 3 pathway, a Warrior. In addition, there is a Silver Knight of the Sequence 3, two Witchers of the Sequence 4, a Singer of the Sequence 4 pathway, and a Black Knight of the Sequence 4 pathway, a Mystic."

"In addition, there is a group of residents in Silver City whose physiques are no different from normal people. They claim to be from Moon City and are ruled by three high priests. Among these three high priests, there is a 'Night Watchman,' a 'Iron Knight,' and a 'Law Mage'..."

"Besides, the Abraham family seems to have some secret connections with Silver City. The land used to build Silver City was purchased with funds from the Abraham family, and the port was also built by the Abraham family."

"And these members of the Abraham family also appear to be followers of the Church of the Fools."

"These three forces combined, conservatively estimated, have nearly ten demigods and tens of thousands of extraordinary individuals; their strength should not be underestimated."

After a pause, Alger continued:

"On the way here, I saw a relief point of the Church of the Fools distributing bread and brochures to the people of Bayam. It seems that they have begun a large-scale missionary work in Bayam."

Arne Coltman nodded silently, then suddenly asked:

"So, what attitude do you think we should adopt towards them?"

Alger carefully considered his answer and replied:

"It's best to avoid conflict with the Church of the Fools and prevent them from being pushed to the side of the Fussacs."

Such a biased statement is actually very dangerous, but Alger felt it was necessary to take the risk.

In fact, his understanding of the Church of Fools went far beyond that.

For example, he knew that Silver City had two '0' level sealed artifacts and nearly ten '1' level sealed artifacts. At the same time, Moon City also possessed a small number of demigod extraordinary traits that could be temporarily used to create '1' level sealed artifacts, five '1' level sealed artifacts, and a large number of potion recipes.

For example, the Abraham family has already cultivated several Sequence 5 Extraordinary individuals, and in less than a month, the family will have many Sequence 4 'Arcanists'.

After all, the Abrahamic family has never lacked extraordinary abilities; they were simply hampered by the curse, making advancement difficult. Now that the curse is gone, the number and quality of extraordinary individuals are experiencing explosive growth, not to mention the powerful aid of the Dream World.

The same applies to Silver City and Moon City. They have cultivated a large number of Sequence 5 Extraordinary Individuals, who are only missing Extraordinary Traits to advance. However, this is also the weakness of Silver City and Moon City, because although they are currently powerful, it is the result of their potential being drained by the harsh environment of the Forsaken Land.

Compared to the Church of Storms and the Abrahamic family, they lacked depth and heritage.

The Church of Storms was able to cultivate more than a dozen demigods within months of the outbreak of a full-scale war; that was their foundation. Silver City and Moon City, on the other hand, could not do that; they possessed almost no superfluous extraordinary characteristics.

Even if those sealed items are shattered into extraordinary properties, only a very small number of them will be useful.

Of course, he wouldn't tell Yann Courtman these more specific details.

After all, the earlier achievements could be attributed to intelligence personnel, but the later ones were not something that ordinary intelligence personnel could know.

These things, if said, will only become evidence in his future trial.

After hearing Alger's analysis, Arne Coltman gave him a deep look and slowly said:

"The Church of Storms will withdraw from the Roside Islands. After I leave, you will become the Cardinal."

(End of this chapter)