Become their wicked yet gentle lord.

The only response to Ryuka's cries was the hooting of owls echoing through the dark jungle...

"Looks like the signal is bad..." Ryuka shrugged at the resentful figure, making a helpless expression. "Sorry, the guy you worship isn't here. Oh well."

After saying that, Ryuka turned and left.

As for the vengeful resentment fueled by cruel desires? What a joke! I've already suffered enough from this power; I should probably refrain from using the witch's power until I understand the truth.

As the saying goes, curiosity killed the cat. I already have enough trouble on my hands, and I don't want to get involved with any more strange people...

Well... that's true...

Liu Xia frowned and stopped, turning back to look at the orphan and widow lying on the ground, and couldn't help but sigh.

"Listen carefully, I'm not doing anything for Kurowell, I just have plenty of money so I'm doing a good deed on the side..."

Ryuka pointed at the swirling resentment, then took out a gold coin from his pocket and placed it next to the woman.

Forget it... let's just exchange it for silver coins... suddenly bringing out gold coins might not be a good thing for this woman who is a serf...

After thinking for a moment, Liu Xia took back the gold coins, exchanged them for a few silver coins, and put down all the loose copper coins she had on her.

"I'm sorry, I'd love to help you get revenge, but I still have uses for those knights, so I can't do that for now. Ah, but that landlord is fine, I'll cast a spell on him later..."

Ryuka muttered to the woman on the ground, even if he killed that landlord, he couldn't change the fate of these people. There were always countless similar things happening in places he couldn't see...

I can't possibly lead an entire village of suffering people across such a long distance to Linhu Territory... Besides, winter is coming soon, and Linhu Territory's current population absorption capacity is already nearing its limit...

However, it's still possible to use [Charm] on the landlord to stop him from abusing the slaves.

Even from several courtyards away, Ryuka could hear the snoring of the exhausted knights, and the landlord's room was right across from them.

Just as Liu Xia was about to get up, a voice suddenly came to her ear.

"Hmm~ As expected of the person we chose~"

Besides those words, there was nothing else around! A cold sweat instantly broke out on Liu Xia's body! It was something that even her own superior senses couldn't detect!

Considering the cause and effect, there was only one answer in Liuxia's mind!

Kuroel!

"Wow~ You're quite clever too~ No wonder you're so smart~"

As these words were spoken, everything in the world suddenly lost its color, transforming from black and white into nothingness. And then, a colossal temple gradually appeared before Liu Xia…

The temple complex stretched out like a mountain range, making Liu Xia feel as insignificant as dust in its presence. Surprisingly, however, Liu Xia didn't feel any pressure; instead, she felt a sense of pity… (The rest of the text appears to be unrelated and possibly machine-generated gibberish.)

Because these temples are so dilapidated!

The temple was haphazardly pieced together from wooden sticks and rags. The only adornments it had were faded and worn-out silks and perfumes, as if they would crumble into dust at the slightest touch...

"How rude of me! These are treasures offered to us by believers... Hey! You! Were you just thinking, 'Do gods really live in places like this?'? Wait! What do you mean, 'The voice sounds like a little devil'?!"

My thoughts have been seen through; it seems I'm facing a genuine deity, but thankfully, they don't seem to harbor any ill will towards me...

With that thought in mind, Liu Xia felt relieved and boldly stepped into the temple in front of her.

Inside the main hall, a huge gauze curtain obscured a blurry statue of a deity. Only this area, slightly less dilapidated, emitted a faint glow. That light was so weak, it seemed it would vanish soon…

"You are Chloe? What business does the deity have with me? Is it because you're still upset about me using your name, or perhaps you want me to become your 'messenger' or something?"

Upon reaching the statue, Ryuka felt it was impossible to go any further, so she stopped and asked the statue a question.

"Well, smart people are easy to talk to, that's all~ By the way, didn't anyone teach you not to misuse the names of gods? Don't you even understand such a basic thing?"

The little imp's voice sounded very cheerful, as if she hadn't spoken to anyone in a long time.

The message conveyed in her words was as if she were suggesting that the name of a deity possessed immense power. This premise was familiar to Ryuga, but it also raised new questions for him.

"There are plenty of people in this world who do things in the name of gods every day. This is the first time I've heard of gods actually existing. You're not some kind of Heavenly or Saint-level magician, are you just playing me for a fool?"

Ryuka's composed demeanor seemed to impress Chloe behind the curtain, and Chloe appeared completely unconcerned about her questioning.

Chapter 31 The Job Invitation from the Gods

Kurowell answered Ryukyu's question quite readily:

"Ah~ you mean those clergy who keep calling her 'goddess' all day long, right? Well then, let me ask you, what's the name of the goddess they're talking about?"

"What's the name?" Liu Xia suddenly realized.

The goddess of the Papacy has no name.

Because that is the only true 'god' proclaimed by the Vatican, naturally it doesn't need a name...

"That's right~ So that guy can't hear or see anything right now~ He's been blinded by his own followers~ Ha~ It's really funny~ Enjoying the most powerful faith in the world while being cut off from that world~ You find it funny too, right~~~"

"And what about you?" Countless speculations flashed through Ryūka's mind as he tried to piece together the system and truth of this world from Chloe's words. "You must have a large number of believers now, right?"

“That’s true, but without a temple in the mortal world, and without a priesthood to serve, even we can’t directly contact the believers, no matter how many times they chant our name every day. However…”

As Kurowell finished speaking, he seemed to be suppressing a happy laugh.

"Claiming to be a 'deity' is quite different. Normally, this would be an act that would be noticed by the gods and subject to retribution, but it's quite rare that I, in my weakened state, have managed to establish a connection with you~"

“Weak…” Ryuga looked around at the old and dilapidated surroundings. It seemed that apart from Chloe’s followers, most of them were pitiful people, and the main reason was that no one had believed in them for a long time.

"Ah~ I am indeed very weak~ But I can still linger on for another hundred years or so. I can still use my remaining strength to lock onto you and cause you some 'minor troubles'~ So don't underestimate me~ Hey! You were just thinking about something rude like 'I'm clearly a little female brat' again, weren't you!"

In an instant, a powerful pressure came over. Liu Xia couldn't describe the feeling, but she felt her existence begin to blur and disappear.

Ryuka instantly mustered her strength to resist, the two powers within her body—the [Proof of Leadership] and the Cruel Witch—surging forth simultaneously to resist the invisible pressure! But Chloe seemed determined, and a powerful force emanated from her once more, causing the radiance of the statue within the veil to dim slightly, imperceptibly to the naked eye…

"Alright, alright! I understand you're very powerful! You didn't call me here to erase me, did you?"

As Ryūka compromised, the pressure on him suddenly dissipated, and Chloe's voice came again:

"As expected, you have more than one 'qualification,' which is why it took us a little longer to find you..."

"Qualifications?" Ryuga immediately grasped the key point in Crowell's words, but just as he was about to ask a question, Crowell forcefully interrupted him.

"We know you have many questions~ We can tell you, but you must swear an oath to become our divine messenger~"

"There's no such thing as a free lunch, is there?" Ryuka looked at the statue behind the gauze curtain and said.

"Sure."

"Hmm~ You need to think about it for a while, right? I understand... Uh?! What, it's okay?"

"Sure, but at least you should explain the salary, benefits, and job duties clearly. Is this your first job interview for a working-class position?"

Ignoring the dirty ground, Ryuka sat down directly on the ground, adopting a negotiating stance.

If I'm not mistaken, gods do exist in this world, and while they are powerful, they cannot interfere with this world without limit...

The gods obtain the faith offered by believers through temples, bestow power upon their messengers to act on their behalf on earth, and what connects all of this is the god's 'true name'...

While heretical deities like Chloe still retain their legendary foundations of worship, the Church punishes them severely. Forget about temples; even possessing items related to heresy is punishable by death. Furthermore, all those who claim to be apostles of other gods have been wiped out within a millennium…

That's probably why her power has weakened to this extent, which is why she values ​​herself so much—the only one she can target and who suits her taste. If I'm not mistaken, simply bringing herself here has already depleted her already dwindling power...

But the most troublesome thing is that he also possesses the power of both the [Proof of Leadership] and the Cruel Witch within him, making it difficult for her to control him.

So, it seems that the 'qualifications' she mentioned... could it be that the [Leader's Certificate] and the power of the Cruel Witch are also some kind of divine power?! (You Lin Mei, are you thinking of Mei? Are you empty? Are you Lin Zai Zai...?)

After all, the model that requires the approval of followers and can reward them with strength is very similar to the model of believers worshipping gods.

The power of the cruel witch is also related to people's thoughts, and her terrifying legends still circulate in the world to this day...

In a sense, is Kania, an inheritor of witch blood, perhaps a messenger of some kind of 'cruel god'...?

"You're really bold and clever..."

In a sense, is Kania, an inheritor of witch blood, perhaps a messenger of some kind of 'cruel god'...?

"You're really bold and clever..."

Chloe sensed Ryūka's thoughts once again and exclaimed in admiration.

"As a gesture of good faith, I'll tell you this: the power within you is likely a 'fragment' of the divine essence of some deity, but it's merely a fragment..."

The other one is the 'contract' you made with other gods through a divine messenger, but it seems this contract is quite unstable..."

"Unstable..." does it mean that Kania doesn't know the full truth about the "Cruel Witch" or the true name of the god behind her?

After all, all she knew was that the cruel witch's surname was 'Bell'...

It is said that Chloe can read her own consciousness, but it seems that when she thinks about things related to Kania, she cannot read it. Is this the power between gods interfering with each other?

The fact that the [Proof of Leadership] is a fragment of divinity surprised Ryuka greatly. Doesn't this mean that he is qualified to become a god? After all, a true god has already appeared before him.

As for how this ability came to be in her possession, Ryuka still has no idea...

"I understand. Tell me your conditions first." With that thought, Ryuka felt relieved. It seemed that her deepest secrets would not be known to Chloe in front of her.

"Honestly, can't you even say thank you? I did tell you some things..." Chloe muttered, completely lacking any divine airs, truly acting like a little devil.

"Well, in short, you need to act on our behalf in this world, fulfilling the obsessions of devout believers and guiding their souls to us... Simple, right?"

Thinking of the lingering resentment of the serf, Ryuka asked, "Is it simple? What if your followers have strange obsessions? And you have so many followers, I can't possibly fulfill their obligations one by one, can I? Besides, you only mentioned the obligation, not the reward!"

Chapter 32 Divine Messenger and Divinity

"Of course there will be benefits to working for us~ Divine messengers can borrow the power of the gods! How about it~ But don't worry~ our power won't bind you, nor will it conflict with any other power within you~ This is the deposit~"

As Crowell spoke, a gray mark popped out from the curtain and entered Ryukatsu's mind.

[Divine Incarnation]

"Hmm... Can I borrow your power to transform into a divine messenger with ram horns and fully enhance my melee abilities...?"

As Ryūka experienced the skill she had directly learned, she noticed the activation conditions:

It requires chanting Kuroel's true name and having enough believers.

What is this believer's faith?

"Of course, it's the faith of believers."

"Saying it is the same as not saying it at all."

"Well, it means you'll need to perform my duties, gaining power by guiding souls or performing miracles. But the easiest way to gain faith is to build temples or distribute idols for believers to worship~"

It's basically the same as incense offerings, religion, and the like. But Ryūka suddenly realized a few things.

Building a large-scale temple for Chloe would likely draw criticism from the Holy See. And...

If people all turn to worship gods, won't that affect their faith in their 'leader'?

After all, he himself also possessed a fragment of divine power. Although there were no relevant clues yet, wasn't this tantamount to undermining his own people to support his peers?

"Well, you don't need to worry too much about this~" Chloe noticed Ryuka's concerns and reassured her:

"Although we don't know your specific identity and status, you must have a lot of enemies, right?"

"Establishing temples and spreading faith can be done covertly on someone else's turf, right? Dividing your opponents' strength would also be very useful to you, wouldn't it?"

Indeed, compared to slowly developing and gaining influence on their own, it is more convenient and faster to acquire power by borrowing the name of a god with a large legendary foundation and potential believers, especially for territories where influence cannot reach.

If we disregard the matter of the divine fragments that Chloe told us about, both the [Proof of Leadership] and becoming Chloe's divine messenger are merely means to become stronger.

Strength is the foundation of development.

Chloe noticed the change in Ryukyu's thoughts and quickly added fuel to the fire:

"To be honest, my situation isn't very good. If you reject me, who knows how long it will take to find another suitable candidate for divine messenger... So! If you become my divine messenger now, I can split the power of faith with you 30/70! How about that! Pretty good, right!"

"I've been running around doing all this, and it's only 70% done?" Ryuka frowned. According to Chloe, she didn't need to do anything at all! She had to handle everything herself!

“Seventy percent of them are ours…” Chloe seemed surprised by Ryukyu’s idea and quietly added.

Familiar dialogue...

Liu Xia remained silent, choked with sobs.

"Well... well..." Chloe looked quite embarrassed. "Sorry, I'm just too poor..."

Even Chloe, who once had a large following, is now struggling to survive after nearly a thousand years without food and water. She has only managed to hold on this long because she is a very frugal deity, never daring to waste a single ounce of her power even at the height of her faith…

"And if you die or give up halfway through, we'll have to accumulate enough power to meet the next divine messenger!" Chloe said confidently.

"Don't think about things with my death in mind! Can't you protect your only divine messenger?!"

Ryuka was speechless, while Chloe started throwing a tantrum. Although her true form couldn't be seen, that's exactly what her voice sounded like...

"Please, please, please~~~ Being our divine messenger has so many benefits! You're a man, right? Even among the poor souls like slaves and prostitutes, there are plenty of gems! You want those pitiful slave girls and those untouched but highly skilled courtesans? Don't you want them?!"