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

On the bell tower of the Wave Church in Bayam, the "City of Generosity" in the Roside Islands.

Alger looked toward the distant port, where the Storm Church's fleet set sail amidst the sound of ship horns, carrying the Storm Church's believers toward the distance.

Meanwhile, large numbers of rebels entered the city and took over facilities that originally belonged to the colonial government.

People spread the word and lined the streets of Bayam to welcome him, with lanterns and decorations everywhere, their faces beaming with joy.

These people were mostly local natives, and compared to the Loen people who colonized and enslaved them, the indigenous resistance fighters were undoubtedly more popular.

For them, the arrival of the resistance did not mean disaster, but rather a symbol of liberation.

Just as Alger had this thought in mind, he suddenly heard the sound of footsteps, "tap, tap, tap."

Alger turned around, and behind him stood a burly middle-aged man.

He had soft blond hair and wore a long robe embroidered with lightning bolts. His name was Sainz, Alger's former partner. But one later chose to become the captain of a ghost ship, continuing to drift at sea, while the other returned to the clergy.

Now, one of them has become a cardinal of the Rothschild Islands, and the other has been sent to Bayam as a bishop.

Alger knew that Sainz's stay had other special significance, but he didn't care. Because the moment Arne Courtman asked him to stay as a cardinal, Alger already understood everything.

Alger slowly began to speak:

"Do not hinder the Church of Fools from taking over the church, and try to avoid conflict with them."

"Understood," Sainz said solemnly.

Although he didn't know why the Church of Storms had withdrawn from the Roside Islands and handed it over to an obscure Church of Fools, Sainz knew there must be some secret deal he was unaware of. He didn't need to know the reason; he only needed to fulfill his mission.

"The believers who do not wish to leave the storm will come to pray as usual, and the Fool's Church will not interfere. But you must stop proselytizing to the locals, and all proselytizing activities must cease. Do not do anything unnecessary unless believers come to pray on their own initiative."

"In addition, the clergy of the Storm Church should avoid going out as much as possible."

Sainz frowned, puzzled:

"Is it really necessary to go this far? The Church of the Fools doesn't seem like the aggressive type."

Alger said in a deep voice:

"I'm not worried about them, I'm worried about the local indigenous people!"

Sainz felt a chill run down his spine.

For decades, the Church of Storms had been trying to convert the local inhabitants into believers in the Roside Islands, which had been colonized by the Runes. Unfortunately, the presence of the "Sea God" Kavituwa had hampered the success of their missionary work.

Although some indigenous people converted to Storm Church, they were ultimately a minority.

Most people still harbor hostility towards the Kingdom of Rune that colonized them, and are filled with hatred for the Storm Church that forced them to convert. Previously, due to their overwhelming power, these natives dared not openly resist the Storm Church.

But now, most of the Storm Church's forces have withdrawn from Bayam, and the Fool's Church and the Rebels have taken over the city. This could very well unleash the pent-up hatred of the local Indigenous people, with some extremists attempting to launch vicious attacks on Storm Church members and clergy.

Sainz took a deep breath and said in a low voice:

"I will give the order."

Sainz was actually a little annoyed. When had the Church of Storms ever suffered such grievances?

But since it was Cardinal Alger's order, and what he said was indeed reasonable and for the good of the clergy, Sainz couldn't say anything.

Alger nodded slightly, then handed a book to Sainz.

Sainz glanced at the cover:

The Fool's Sayings

Sainz's pupils contracted slightly. This was a sacred text of the Church of Fools. Why was it in Alger's hands?

Alger noticed the doubt in Sainz's eyes and said:

"Summon all the clergy and have them rewrite the Book of Storms according to the scriptures of the Church of Fools."

Sainz's expression changed drastically, and he said sternly:

"Are you crazy?!"

The decision to cede the Roseside Islands to the Church of the Fools was made by Archbishop Cortman, and was personally instructed by the Pope. Furthermore, this did not actually result in any substantial loss for the Church of the Storm.

During the war, the Church of Storms already struggled to consider the interests of the Rhodes Islands, especially given their consistently difficult missionary work there. The local indigenous people were very hostile towards them, so ceding the Rhodes Islands would actually be more beneficial than detrimental to the Church of Storms.

Although they lost their foundation for a long-term foothold in the Roseside Islands, they gained the support of the Church of the Fools as an ally, and were able to consolidate their forces to better defend Pasu Island, and even launch a counterattack against the Fusak people.

But Alger's task was entirely different; he was going to revise the Book of Storms!

This is undoubtedly shaking the foundation of the Church of Storms and is an absolute act of apostasy!

For a fleeting moment, Sainz even had the thought of fighting to the death to take Alger down with him!

Facing the somewhat angry Sainz, Alger remained calm and said:

"This is the Pope's instruction."

As he spoke, he opened his palm to show what was in his hand.

It was a badge, a "Storm Emblem" composed of symbols such as gales, waves, and thunder, containing a sacred yet violent aura. Just one glance at it gave one the urge to kneel and submit.

Sainz immediately calmed down, because having worked at headquarters before, he could clearly recognize the uniqueness of this holy emblem, which contained the power belonging to Pope Gad II!

This directly confirms Alger's words—that this was the Pope's order.

The Pope is the Storm Lord's representative on earth, which means that this is a divine decree personally issued by the Storm Lord!

But why would the Lord of Storms issue such a divine decree? Why would he send them to do such a thing? And why choose this crucial moment—when Cortman and the others have left the Roseside Islands and Alger is assuming the position of Cardinal? Could this be a forgery by Alger?

No, it's impossible.

Even if Alger was already a demigod, how could he possibly forge an angel's holy symbol? Even if other angels were to intervene, their power would be completely different from the Pope's, and would not feel familiar to him.

But if not, how do you explain everything that's happening now?

Sainz's mind was in turmoil, with all sorts of thoughts surfacing one after another.

Seeing Sainz remain silent, Alger let out a barely perceptible sigh.

Although he had done things disloyal to the church under the coercion of Zilingus, although he joined the Tarot Society and drifted further and further away from the 'Abyss of Storms', believing in Mr. 'The Fool' and seeking greater power and influence, and although he repeatedly betrayed church information and slacked off in some matters, he still considered himself a believer of the 'Lord of Storms'.

That's why the doubts of his former friend really hurt him.

Ultimately, Sainz's faith allowed him to suppress his unease. He took a deep breath and said in a low voice:

"I'll go and tell them."

Just as Alger was about to speak, a thought suddenly struck him, and he turned his gaze to the northwest sky.

Wherever his gaze fell, the sky suddenly darkened, layers of dark clouds piled up, and countless silvery lightning bolts leaped out.

Many deep blue waves surged high, swept by the wind, heading straight for the clouds, connecting the sky and the sea.

Where the sea meets the sky, beams of light appeared. They were not brilliant, not clear, and had no color; they seemed to be composed of a vast amount of illusory things.

-

"Praise be to Mr. 'The Fool'!"

Throughout Bayam, the residents of Silver City and Moon City, who were taking over the city along with the rebels, simultaneously stopped in their tracks.

They gazed at the strange changes in the sky, muttering to themselves as they pressed their right palms against their left chests.

The fellow rebels hesitated for a moment, but were quickly infected by the enthusiasm, and voices of praise rose and fell throughout the ranks.

Eventually, this "infection" spread throughout the entire city.

Almost all the residents were bowing their heads and reciting the prayers devoutly, whether willingly or unwillingly.

"Praise be to Mr. 'Fool'!"

-

Above the gray fog, "The Fool" Klein took in everything that had happened in Bayam. He heard countless illusory voices rising from the air, mingling with real praise, surrounding him, fixing him in place.

"The effect is even better than I expected," Klein murmured.

It was initially thought that converting all the residents of Bayam into believers would be difficult and would require a long period of adjustment. However, it turned out to be far less difficult than imagined.

On one hand, there was the foundation of the "Sea God" Kavituva, and on the other hand, there was the assistance of "expelling" the Storm Church, performing miracles to protect the Rosed Islands, and distributing relief food. Under the leadership of the residents of Silver City and Moon City, he caused a huge resonance throughout Bayam, directly making the vast majority of the city's residents his believers!

Although more than 99% of them are superficial believers, belonging to the type who believe in you today but may turn to other churches tomorrow because they receive more relief.

But no matter how shallow the faith may be, it is still a faith!

At least in terms of numbers, the Church of the Fools already boasts over a million believers!

Although he is still slightly inferior to the seven true gods, he has already won by a landslide compared to evil gods such as the true creator, the primordial witch, and the bound god, who can only secretly develop followers.

However, this was also thanks to the cooperation of the Lord of Storms.

If He hadn't voluntarily relinquished His interests in the Roseside Islands and reached an agreement with the Church of the Fool, the Church of the Fool wouldn't have been able to so easily take over Bayam, much less acquire millions of followers in such a short time.

Moreover, His initiative in having Alger compile "The Lord of Storms" already demonstrated His stance.

He has no intention of being an enemy of the Fool, nor of the First Fire.

Something's not right here.

Because the Lord of Storms was unaware of their plans, or rather, not the entirety of them. Even if the Goddess of Night had a slightly better relationship with the Lord of Storms, she would not reveal these secrets to him.

However, the Lord of Storms still made a change, choosing to extend goodwill to the Fool and letting Alger, who was already an open traitor, preside over the rewriting of the Book of Storms, but without specifying a particular direction. In fact, he was handing over the initiative to the Fool, letting Him decide the content.

Of course, the Lord of Storms was not without precautions.

He had evacuated all members of the Storm Church from Bayam ahead of time, leaving only a portion of the clergy from the Wave Church, who were then responsible for compiling the text. Meanwhile, the Fool had also "hidden" the entire Roside Islands, preventing outsiders from entering and those inside from leaving without permission.

Since these people are under the control of the Fool's Church, and the person in charge of the compilation is a traitor, the content of the "Book of Storms" will be entirely up to this "fool".

However, because Bayam is kept "hidden," those outside won't know what's happening inside, nor will they know that Alger and his group are attempting to rewrite the Book of Storms. As long as no one knows, the impact of rewriting the Book of Storms can be minimized.

Even if the Lord of Storms later changes his mind, he can still simply "humanely destroy" the Church of the Waves, erasing all traces. Even if someone discovers any clues afterward, Alger can be blamed—it was he who forged the holy emblem and deceived other clergy into blaspheming the Book of Storms, and it had nothing to do with the Church of Storms.

Klein thought to himself:

"The Lord of Storms is indeed a wise man."

Everyone thinks that extraordinary individuals with the "Sailor" pathway are manic and easily angered, often unable to distinguish between jokes and sarcasm. Once their anger erupts, they don't even consider the big picture, so few people like to deal with them.

As the apex tyrant of this path, the Lord of Storms has always been portrayed as a volatile and irritable ruler. For example, in various legends, the Lord of Storms is often depicted as using lightning to punish heretics and traitors.

However, judging from the various intelligence Klein possessed, this Lord of Storms was clearly not as simple as he appeared on the surface.

If he were really that irritable and impulsive, he wouldn't have done so many things that didn't fit his public image.

Whether it was the meticulously planned betrayal of the ancient sun god during the Third Age, the demand for restraint from the Church of Storms during the total war, or the act of extending goodwill to the Fools in this incident, all of this demonstrates that beneath the Lord of Storms' wild exterior lies a delicate heart.

Ember had once encountered the ancient sun god, and this Lord of Storms was only a 'Wind Angel' at the time. Although he had never directly interacted with Ember, he must have discovered some clues during his observation of the ancient sun god.

While this wasn't enough to help Him see the whole picture, it was enough to keep Him vigilant. That's why He considered things more deeply than others, and why He took these seemingly irrational actions.

This is a wolf king-like existence, and the extraordinary beings of the Storm Church are indeed very similar to space wolves.

For example, Alger, the "Hanged Man," is a prime example.

Despite being an extraordinary individual of the Sailor Path, even Klein sometimes felt that he was more like a 'schemer' of the Hunter Path.

Klein sighed and turned his gaze to the embers beside him:

"He is so reasonable, it's not easy for us to harm him."

Ember said calmly:

"It's okay, it's all the same."

"That's true."

Klein smiled. The Lord of Storms was clever and had guessed some things, but He wasn't clever enough.

His vision was not broad enough; he had not yet seen through the essence of things.

After all, He didn't know what a Dark Soul or a First Flame was.