Chapter 296 - Chapter 296: Chapter 283: 4th Rank "Shepherd (2/2)
The youth even often felt there might be no existence more terrifying than that person in the world!
Leaving the cabin, Ian followed the Daybreaker.
They arrived inside a massive cavern, where the boy only had to raise his head to see the many White Sea natives, still tirelessly constructing the grand statue of the Lord of the Lost.
The great Lord of the Lost, His majestic statue had been under construction for a full decade, and yet it was still not completed. The boy couldn’t help but gaze at it, with tears welling up in his eyes, praying earnestly from the depths of his heart.
Great Lord of the Lost,
please grant us your kind protection.
We, the people of the White Sea, wish also to become your faithful believers, and hope for the opportunity to be favored by You.
I am Ian.
I beseech your mercy!
At last, the two of them emerged from the cave to an open area, standing outside a three-story villa with a faint resemblance to the architectural skeleton of the Fischer Manor, albeit on a much smaller scale.
The Daybreaker glanced coldly at the youth nearby and said, “Wait here, don’t wander off.”
Ian nodded calmly, “Alright, Mr. Daybreaker, I will follow your orders.”
The Daybreaker then entered the villa to send a message, and after a while, the young man was finally permitted to enter the house.
“At last, the day has come…”
Ian was extremely nervous, he took a deep breath, and it took some effort to calm his emotions before he walked into the house somewhat guardedly.
He had seen that dignitary from a distance a few times before and knew her to be a woman of astounding beauty, fiercely loyal to the great Lord of the Lost, and possessed of incredible extraordinary power.
That dignitary was powerful, beautiful, and terrifying. Up to this day, too many islanders had been executed by her for their staunch belief in the Sea God.
Whenever the natives saw her, they felt fear in their hearts and knelt on the ground, full of dread.
Ian certainly did not want to be among those executed, and he was aware that the Sea God Cult was about to be completely annihilated, while on the White Sea, there were countless others like him. They should not have to perish with the monster of the deep sea.
Inside the villa, the hall was filled with many items and standing servants, but the figure of that dignitary was absent.
Although he couldn’t see where she was, Ian still kneeled respectfully in the hall.
A haughty female voice emanated from a nearby room.
“Are you Ian?”
He immediately answered, “I am.”
Inside the room, Lilian pondered for a moment before continuing, “Ian, I am aware of your situation; you are the White Sea native with the best academic results in the past five years.”
“Yes,”
Ian nodded calmly.
He was born with a talent for numbers, finding the basic mathematics taught at school incredibly simple.
Lilian’s voice came again.
“You have passed the final test and will be given a chance…”
“Whether or not you can seize this opportunity, whether the great One will ultimately bestow power upon you, that will depend on the extent of your devotion.”
Ian was momentarily stunned, then overwhelmed with joy. He knew he had a very good chance of becoming a Proselyte!
So far, the number of Proselytes from the White Sea natives could be counted on one hand!
Then Lilian suddenly said, “By the way, I heard you enjoy reading and even engaged in book theft.”
Ian felt as if a bucket of cold water had been poured over him, his body tensed immediately. After hesitating for a moment, he admitted the truth and nodded, “Yes, Lady Lilian, I very much enjoy reading, so I stole a math book once.”
He quickly added, “I’ve already received the whipping for it, and afterward, I swore to the great Lord of the Lost that I would never steal again in this life.”
“I see, you like reading books…”
Lilian fell into deep thought, finding it somewhat hard to accept that such a person could come from among the natives. However, she could indeed speculate on what rank within the God Pantheon stairway the book-loving youth outside might attain if he became a Proselyte.
After Ian left, Lilian in the room also closed her eyes, sensing the new power she had obtained the day before.
Recently, she finally ascended to the 4th Rank, becoming a “Shepherd.”
The promotion ceremony to become a “Shepherd” involved aiding the god of one’s worship in amassing a sufficiently large congregation. Lilian estimated that several thousand believers were required.
She couldn’t help but feel wistful.
“Had the Fischer family been located in the central mainland, they wouldn’t have come to the White Sea, a place lacking clear order. It’s truly difficult to amass a large number of believers here.”
As a “Shepherd,” she acquired a physical strength of 30, a spiritual power of 170, and although she only received one extraordinary power, it was very potent.
The name of that extraordinary power was “Herder.”
“Shepherds” can communicate with the souls of their deity’s believers at the moment of their death, persuading them to willingly become spirits for their own dispatch.
The restrictions on “Herder” are numerous. The spirits can only follow a “Shepherd” for a maximum of three years, and a “Shepherd” cannot harbor souls stronger than themselves.
The number of spirits a “Shepherd” can dispatch is limited. At the 4th Rank stage of “Shepherd,” one can shepherd a single spirit, but as their own strength increases, the number of spirits they can shepherd will also increase.
Engaging a spirit in combat continuously drains the “Shepherd’s” spiritual power.
Lilian was deeply grateful to the great Lord of the Lost for granting her such a holy power!
If anyone in the order passed away while still yearning for the material world and wishing to serve Him, this sacred power would prove invaluable!
In the past year, many from the Fischer family had reached the 4th Rank. It could have been a coincidence, but certainly made everyone joyful.
Lilian looked up, praying fervently.
“Great Lord of the Lost, please protect my father and allow him to ascend that stairway.”