Spellcasting Gods

This is why the number of ships that sink in the Atlantic Ocean is far greater than in any other body of water in the world.

Just as Zhang Cheng was searching and salvaging the sunken ship in the surrounding area, he suddenly heard a warning notice issued by the meteorological center. It was said that a strong airflow had formed in the Atlantic basin and could develop into a deadly tropical storm at any time.

"BOSS! We have to turn back!" Yelena rushed into the captain's cabin and reminded him with a serious expression.

After all, no matter how sturdy modern ships are or how strong their ability to withstand wind and waves is, they are still fragile and powerless in the face of nature.

Even those maritime behemoths with a displacement of 100,000 tons can easily be capsized by one giant wave after another. Therefore, most ships will choose to return to the nearest port as soon as they receive a storm warning. No one would risk their life.

"Alright! Let's go to San Juan to lay low for a while." Zhang Cheng nodded somewhat reluctantly.

Although the fleet has salvaged four more shipwrecks from this area in recent days, none of them are the legendary Flame Queen. One was a frigate that accompanied the Flame Queen, another appeared to be a pirate ship modified for boarding operations, and the other two were standard Dutch armed merchant ships, which has significantly increased the treasure in the yacht's cargo hold.

In particular, several Spanish noble swords decorated with precious gems and engraved patterns were found on the armed, unguarded ship. The swords even had noble badges on them, which are of great archaeological and collectible value.

"Understood! I'll go and inform the captain of the salvage vessel to adjust its course immediately."

Seeing that Zhang Cheng did not insist on staying, Yelena visibly breathed a sigh of relief and quickly turned and walked out.

Mansa, who was carefully cleaning a primitive pistol while leaning over a table not far away, suddenly asked out of the blue, "Why San Juan?"

"Is that even a question? Of course, it's because Puerto Rico is relatively close and is a self-governing state of the United States, making it the best choice in terms of both distance and safety. Besides, San Juan is a relatively developed port city in the Caribbean, so at least the hotels there will be very comfortable. Don't tell me you like staying in dangerous places where you have to keep one eye open even when you're sleeping." Zhang Cheng gave his answer matter-of-factly.

There's a famous saying that circulates throughout Central America, South America, and the Caribbean: "Too far from heaven, yet too close to the United States."

Since the rise of the Monroe Doctrine, the United States has regarded the Americas as its absolute sphere of influence, and has carried out multifaceted infiltration and control over various newly independent countries in terms of economy, military and culture, not allowing anyone to interfere.

The Cuban Missile Crisis is the best proof of this.

Given the insatiable greed of large American corporations and conglomerates, apart from their traditional ally Canada in the north, no country in the Americas can escape its current state of poverty and chaos.

Only in poverty and chaos do the corrupt ruling classes of these countries need the intervention of a powerful external force and the support of a stable and strong nation at critical moments.

Of course, the price paid is an extremely poor economy and public security. In many places, drug lords and gangs are even more arrogant than the police and the army, and murder is a daily occurrence.

"Shit! I admit you're right! It seems San Juan is our ideal safe haven." Mansa cursed helplessly.

Through news media, she gained a general understanding of the security situation in Central and South American countries and realized how dangerous these countries were.

Take Mexico, our southern neighbor, for example. It's a nightmare. On average, more than 100,000 unfortunate people are kidnapped every year, more than 200 every day. It's horrifying. Among them are many wealthy people and social celebrities.

The most terrifying thing is that the vast majority of these poor souls who have been kidnapped will not be able to return to their relatives and friends alive, but will be killed and their bodies dissolved by the kidnappers.

Even Americans who are used to occasional shootings around them find it hard to tolerate such a terrible security environment.

"By the way! Have we found out the identity of that statue?" Zhang Cheng asked with great interest.

Upon hearing this, Mansa immediately put down her work, took out her phone, and pulled up a few blurry black and white photos: "Take a look for yourself! If I'm not mistaken, the statue in your hand should depict a person from an ancient mural. She is not a god, but a powerful priestess."

"A priestess?!" Zhang Cheng raised his eyebrows in surprise.

“That’s right! It’s said that she once offered three thousand sacrifices to a god during a grand sacrificial ceremony, and was thus granted immense power and a half-human, half-serpent form. However, for some reason, this priestess later became increasingly insane and cruel, attempting to replace the god she once served. As a result, she used her immense power to slaughter the entire population of a city, and ultimately, the god punished her by imprisoning her in a dark and sunless dungeon. The Incas feared her power, so they later worshipped her as a god as well…” Mansa explained succinctly.

"Interesting! A battle between a priestess and a god?" Zhang Cheng's eyes revealed a hint of amusement.

Judging from the power contained within the statue, this priestess has clearly transcended the boundaries of mortals in the use of magical energy. Even by today's standards, she is undoubtedly a top-tier spellcaster.

It's not surprising that such a spellcaster would have the idea of ​​replacing a god.

Look at those high-ranking mages on the Farronda; every single one of them yearns to unravel the secrets of the gods' power and immortality.

What puzzled Zhang Cheng was why the gods at that time did not kill the ambitious priestess, but merely imprisoned her.

Unkillable?

Or does the other party possess something that even the gods cannot help but want to know?

More importantly, where exactly was the priestess imprisoned?

The City of Gold?

Filled with unanswered questions, Zhang Cheng carefully picked up the statue and muttered to himself in a voice only he could hear: "If you can hear me and understand what I mean, then give me a hint. Don't worry, I'm not your enemy, but your potential ally. At least we share a common goal in dealing with the gods."

The words had barely left his mouth!

The statue's jewel-like eyes suddenly twinkled!

next second...

Zhang Cheng sensed a very faint consciousness trying to establish some kind of connection with him.

Unfortunately, this consciousness was too weak, so weak that it couldn't even convey the most basic emotions, let alone complex information.

Chapter 0702 Self-Awareness

San Juan, the capital of the Puerto Rican Free State, is also known as the Pearl of the Caribbean Sea, especially when deadly storms rage in the Atlantic Ocean, it becomes a safe haven for countless ships.

On days when they couldn't sail, lonely sailors disembarking from the ships would generously wave their banknotes, drink local rum to their hearts' content, and incidentally engage in intimate relationships with beautiful girls that went beyond friendship.

Human beings' instinctive desires are on full display at this moment, and almost no man can resist such a wonderful time where he can indulge in pleasure without having to bear any responsibility.

However, for Zhang Cheng, this base desire derived from continuing the lineage had long since faded into insignificance.

So instead of attending the party at the hotel, he stood alone by the window of his luxury suite, admiring the spectacular scene of the storm sweeping across the city.

Neither the vehicles parked on the roadside nor the roofs of houses with weak structures escaped the disaster.

At first glance, San Juan looked like a young girl being ravaged by a strong man, completely powerless to resist. The raging waves in the harbor kept crashing against the rocks, making a huge noise. As for the residents, they had no choice but to hide and wait for the storm to pass.

"Boss! Would you like me to arrange room service for you?" Yelena asked meticulously.

Of course, this room service isn't your average room service; it's about arranging for a pretty girl to keep you company during your lonely nights.

As a professionally trained spy, she was well aware of how strong the physiological needs of healthy men were, and she understood why the director kept sending her to carry out such seemingly easy tasks.

Because Leonid needs to maintain close contact with her employer, she is even prepared to personally intervene if necessary.

After all, those shameful techniques I learned at the KGB training base were meant to be put to use someday.

Through his psychic abilities to perceive the surface-level thoughts of the brain, Zhang Cheng effortlessly sensed the other person's thoughts and shook his head with a smile: "No! No need! Don't associate me with those lustful slaves who only think with their lower bodies. I am the master of desire, the controller of desire. I only have desires when I genuinely crave something from the bottom of my heart."

"You mean... you don't easily develop an interest in women? And you don't have any corresponding physical urges?" Yelena's face showed undisguised surprise, which contradicted the experience she had accumulated over a long period of time.

As the saying goes, the greatest suffering of mankind is the inability to control their desires.

From billionaires and political elites to beggars and homeless people on the street, everyone will make mistakes they would never normally make at some point in time, or under the stimulation of external factors.

It was precisely because the KGB, the intelligence organization of the former Soviet Union, discovered this weakness that it trained professional spies, Swallow and Crow, to engage in sexual seduction.

However, everything has two sides. Given that humans cannot control their desires, some of these trained spies do develop strong feelings for their targets, thus choosing to betray their countries and intelligence organizations.

"That's right! It's a kind of evolution! Evolution from lower life forms to higher life forms! Think about it, what kind of species would keep itself in a state of estrus all year round and desperately mate and reproduce? Naturally, it's a lower life form that is constantly on the verge of death due to various accidents. Although humans have become the undisputed overlords of this planet, they are still very fragile in nature and need to maintain their advantageous position in the natural competition through reproduction."

As he spoke, Zhang Cheng's eyes gleamed with a pale golden light, clearly indicating that he did not consider himself one of the human beings.

Strictly speaking, from the perspective of life, he is no longer a simple human being, but an immortal being who has transcended the boundaries of mortals but has not yet entered the realm of gods.

This is why he became increasingly indifferent and apathetic towards the deaths of ordinary people.

Yelena clearly sensed something, and instinctively shuddered. She cautiously probed, "So, you're no longer human?"

Upon hearing this, Zhang Cheng couldn't help but laugh and explain, "It depends on which aspect you're judging from! If you judge me based on my physique, thoughts, and habits, I am clearly still a member of the human race, at least on the surface. But in terms of the essence of life, I surpass the vast majority of life forms in this world, and I can even survive a thermonuclear weapon attack. Therefore, whether I am human or not is not important; what is important is whether I have a clear understanding and definition of myself."

"So, how would you define yourself...?"

“I consider myself a transcendent being! No longer confined to identity, lineage, or even species! I am myself! An individual destined to stand at the pinnacle of life's evolution. You may find it strange, and even frightening, why I would suddenly say these things. The answer is actually quite simple: I see a certain potential in you, the potential to transcend the self and complete evolution.”

After saying that, Zhang Cheng turned around and looked directly into the other person's eyes.

Through the petite and fragile body before him, he could clearly see the originally ordinary soul inside undergoing an incredible transformation.

It goes without saying that the priestess behind the statue is silently invading Yelena's soul through magic, making it a vessel for her own consciousness.

It's important to understand that this kind of soul invasion is not something that just anyone can withstand. The invaded person must first have sufficient soul strength, otherwise they will be crushed the moment a powerful consciousness descends.

"What do I need to give in return?" Yelena nervously bit her lower lip.

No one can resist the allure of supernatural power!

Especially after witnessing the incredible power of powerful magic firsthand, a burning flame seemed to ignite within her, but her years of espionage work had instilled in her a good habit—patience.

She will only use her resources to acquire what she has when the time is right.

In fact, in just a few days at sea, Yelena managed to extract from Mansa that Zhang Cheng possessed a magical potion that could instantly grant ordinary people immense power, so she understood that she had a chance.

But now, when the opportunity is presented to her, she realizes how ridiculous her pride in patience was.

The violently beating heart inside the chest cavity is the best proof!

“What a clever girl! I need you to monitor Leonid’s every move. If he makes any betrayal, kill him for me.” Zhang Cheng said with a smile, outlining his terms.

For him, trust is something that exists only for the sake of betrayal; no matter how low the possibility, it's always best to have a little insurance.

Chapter 0703 Tasinma

To monitor Leonid?

Upon hearing this, Yelena's pupils immediately revealed a hint of tension and unease.

Because she knew that if she agreed to this condition, it would mean that she would become a double agent, and the danger involved was self-evident.

In many literary and film works, double agent may be a cool and exciting profession, but in reality, very few double agents are acting voluntarily. The vast majority are caught red-handed and forced to sell intelligence to their adversaries.

As the amount and importance of the information they betray increase, they will all eventually embark on a path of no return.

Most importantly, Yelena understood Leonid's personality. Once he knew she was a double agent, there was no guarantee he wouldn't do something crazy, such as staging an accident to kill her to cover it up.

However, by the same token, given that the entire intelligence agency's funding, technology, and equipment support are provided by this mysterious young man, accepting this mission cannot be considered a betrayal to some extent; at most, it can only be seen as internal power struggles.

After hesitating for several minutes, she finally made up her mind and answered seriously, "No problem! I think I can handle the new job."

“Very good! I like intelligent people, but I don’t like people who are too intelligent. I hope you won’t disappoint me…”

As the last word slipped out!

Without warning, Zhang Cheng suddenly raised his right hand and gently tapped the other person's forehead.

moment!

Yelena felt her consciousness begin to detach from her body and slowly fly out, floating in mid-air in a way that was completely indescribable.

"This...this is..." She waved her non-physical arms in terror, trying to return them to her body.

But all her struggles were in vain. No matter what she did or how far she flew, she would eventually return to the same place, as if she were fixed in place by some mysterious force.