Wizard: My skills can be upgraded indefinitely.

The faith network in the gray fog world is sparser than expected.

Vivi stood quietly in front of a newly built, simple stone temple, with the chiefs and shamans of three tribes kneeling behind her.

Their foreheads were pressed to the ground, their hands outstretched, palms facing upwards—this was the prayer posture she had chosen.

Threads of faith rose from the bodies of these original believers, as thin as hair, swayed in the air for a moment, and then converged toward the statue of Kerrigan.

"There are too few living beings in this world, and their faith is far less pure than that of my Zerg."

Kerrigan's voice echoed in Vivian's mind, sounding somewhat disdainful.

The total number of beings in the Gray Fog World has just exceeded one million, of which less than one-tenth possess complete spirituality and can reliably provide faith.

The daily generation of faith power, when converted to standard units, is insufficient to sustain the daily consumption of Kerrigan's divine fire.

On the Zerg plains inside Ian Wizard Tower, the scene is quite different.

Kerrigan stood silently in the center of the plain, her eyes slightly closed, the colorless crystal on her forehead emitting a silver light, and around her were tens of millions of Zerg units.

They lay neatly on the ground, their compound eyes filled with pure, fanatical worship.

There were no distractions, no doubts, only absolute loyalty and devotion to the "Mother Goddess".

A massive amount of pure faith surged from the soul of every Zergling and flowed into the divine core on Kerrigan's forehead.

This power is so vast and pure that it far surpasses the meager output of the Gray Fog World.

Kerrigan clearly sensed that her divinity was being rapidly "nourished," and the reserves of divine power within her were growing at an astounding pace.

"Master, the Zerg have a strong faith and their divine power is growing faster than expected, but I need more worlds to strengthen my people."

Ian looked at the surging threads of faith and felt a pang of regret, for these faiths could only be enjoyed by Kerrigan.

Life is indeed scarce in the gray fog world, but in every complete world, the most precious thing is not just faith.

There are also minerals, special energy sources, biomass... any resources that can strengthen the Zerg can snowball and expand their foundation.

He turned his gaze to the edge of the gray fog world, where there was a relatively stable spatial rift, which had already been marked by the Wizard Tower's detection array.

The energy fluctuations emanating from the other side of the crack were mixed with a rich life force, as well as a hint of decay and decay.

"The Swamp of Decay." Ian pulled up the scattered information Anson had given him.

"According to records, this world is of medium size with a unique ecology, inhabited by an intelligent race called the 'Swamp People,' whose total population is estimated to be over 80 million."

Upon learning of this, Kerrigan immediately issued orders.

"Vivian, the church construction in the Gray Fog world will remain as it is, with stability as the priority. Your new task is to explore the neighboring world."

"Yes, ma'am!" Vivian bowed slightly, her delicate face showing no change in expression.

Three days later, at the edge of the spatial rift.

The Tower of Eternity floats on one side of the gray fog world, its rune array operating at full power to suppress the fluctuations of the rift to a minimum.

A silvery-white bridge of light extended from the base of the tower, spanned the crack, and firmly anchored itself on the other side of the swamp world.

At the end of the light bridge, a simple outpost is rapidly taking shape.

The engineers used their sharp forelimbs to cut through the rocks with great efficiency. In just two hours, a circular platform with a diameter of 100 meters had taken shape.

In the center of the platform, Vivi stood quietly, now dressed in a dark green robe with a simplified mother goddess totem embroidered on the hem.

This was specially designed by Ian based on the ecology of the Swamp World. It can disguise itself as the creatures of this world and keep out the poisonous miasma in the air.

"The energy concentration here is more than three times that of the gray fog world."

She raised her hand and a few drops of dark green mud fell into her palm, the surface of which showed fluorescent patterns resembling a neural network.

"Huh! Mud brimming with life energy," Kerrigan's voice rang out.

"It contains highly active microbial spirits that can absorb and transmit spiritual imprints. If used as a carrier of faith, the speed of dissemination can be doubled."

Just then, ripples suddenly appeared on the surface of the swamp surrounding the outpost, forming a loose encirclement.

Vivian fell into the mud and glanced at the surface of the water.

"Gurgle..."

A cry, accompanied by the sound of bubbles bursting, came from underwater.

The next second, heads covered in dark green scales slowly rose from the murky water.

They have large, round eyes with almost entirely black pupils, gill-like structures on both sides of their necks, and spears made from some kind of animal bone coated with a layer of dark purple poisonous glue.

There were about thirty of them, glaring fiercely at Vivian.

"Swamp dwellers." Ian scanned the creatures. "Medium intelligence level, tribal social structure, and primitive totem worship."

Each swamp dweller's skin is covered with distorted patterns drawn with colored mud.

It looks like an abstract painting of some kind of multi-headed snake, with the number of snake heads ranging from three to seven, intertwined to form complex patterns.

"There is a lot of room for change in this world," he concluded.

"Their belief system is not yet solidified. Their totem points to the 'Spirit of the Swamp,' but the concept is vague and can be generalized."

Vivian received the instruction and gently raised her left hand, a pale flame appearing at her fingertips.

Upon seeing the flames appear, the leader of the swamp dwellers let out a sharp roar and hurled his bone spear.

The bone spear pierced the air, leaving a dark green afterimage. When it reached three meters in front of Vivian, it suddenly fell and "plop" into the mud.

All the swamp dwellers' round eyes widened at the same time.

They had seen shamanic magic and the bravery of tribal warriors, but they had never seen a way to render an attack ineffective without a sound.

The flame from Vivian's fingertips drifted out and slowly flew towards the withered wood at the edge of the platform, forcibly stripping away the concepts of decay, death, and devouring.

The mold on the deadwood faded, the cracked bark closed up again, and a few tender green buds sprouted from the branches that should have been dead.

The swamp dwellers froze in place, the gurgling sounds in their throats abruptly ceasing.

This violated the cyclical law of "decay nourishing new life" in the swamp, and their understanding was challenged at this moment.

Shamanic magic can bring plants to life, but it requires rituals and offerings, as well as the blessing of the swamp spirit.

This outsider, however, merely flicked a spark, and the withered tree came back to life.

Vivian seized the opportunity and unleashed her spiritual power.

An elaborately crafted image of a "mother goddess" subtly seeps into the multi-headed snake totem pattern on the swamp dweller's body.

The image of the Mother Goddess has been altered, incorporating more characteristics of swamp creatures; her skirt has transformed into flowing mud, and her hair is entwined with water plants.

But the core meaning of "life's birth" and "protection and nourishment" is a hundred times clearer than the vague spirit of the swamp.

At the same time, Kerrigan mobilized the power of faith and performed a small-scale "miracle".

Centered on that piece of dead wood, within a radius of 100 meters, the turbid water became clear, and the deposited humus was combed out and arranged into regular spiral patterns.

Several poisonous insects lurking underwater fled in panic.

Upon witnessing this miracle, the leading swamp warrior was the first to kneel down.

It dropped the bone spear in its hand and collapsed to the ground with a "thud," its gills opening and closing violently, emitting a whimper that was difficult to understand.

Seeing this, the other swamp dwellers followed suit, a sign of their awe of power.

Vivian walked slowly to the edge of the platform and looked down at the crawling creatures.

She stretched out her right hand, and a drop of pale golden light dripped from her fingertip into the clear water.

The moment the light entered the water, it transformed into fine golden threads, which quickly spread along the water flow and adhered to the mud painting on the surface of the swamp dweller's scales.

The multi-headed serpent totems began to twist and recombine, their bodies transforming into human forms, gradually outlining a blurry female silhouette—a simplified version of Kerrigan, the Mother Goddess.

"From this day forward," Vivian conveyed through mental ripples to the consciousness of all the swamp dwellers.

"You are the messengers of the Mother Goddess of all beasts. Those who believe in the Mother Goddess will be protected and given new life."

The swamp dweller lowered his head even further, and his whimpers became even more devout.

The establishment of the outpost marked the first step forward.

In the days that followed, under Vivian's guidance, the missionary work progressed steadily, and the number of outposts continued to increase.

Six swamp dwellers who were most deeply "inspired" were selected as the first batch of "servants of the gods." They were allowed to enter the outpost, but only the outer area.

Vivian gave them a task: to sculpt a statue using materials unique to the swamp world.

Colloidal rocks are ground into powder, mixed with living mud and glowing moss, and then reinforced with tough aquatic plant fibers as a framework.

The swamp dweller's webbed hands were extremely dexterous, and they began to take shape based on the core rune array provided by Vivian.

They incorporated their own primal understanding of the Mother Goddess into the details of the sculpture.

The silhouette of the statue vaguely resembles that of a mother goddess, but it is more abstract. The lines of the body imitate the voluptuous curves of a swamp-dwelling woman, while the base is carved into the shape of swamp vines entwined around it.

This is a clever fusion, where a foreign belief is cloaked in local aesthetics.

Meanwhile, the plunder of the life-giving mud began silently.

Vivian's high-ranking Zerg quickly located three areas with the highest mud activity.

The transformed swamp-dwelling servants, leading disguised Zerg engineers, began large-scale excavation under the guise of collecting sacred artifacts.

After being transported back to the outpost, the mud undergoes initial purification, which is actually imbued with the power of faith and marked with the Mother Goddess's seal.

The final product was a paste that emitted a golden glow, which Vivian named "Holy Ointment".

The first batch of holy anointing was applied to the newly sculpted statue of the Mother Goddess, and when the last dab of gold anointing was applied to the statue, it came to life.

The mud on the surface began to flow slowly, and the faint glow of the fluorescent moss flickered with the rhythm of breathing.

The faith runes implanted by Vivian inside resonated with the active spirits in the holy anointing.

A gentle force field, imbued with the nourishing aura of life, radiated outwards from the statue, enveloping the entire outpost platform.

The swamp-dwelling servants on the platform all let out comfortable gurgling sounds.

Their scales, which had been eroded by dampness and toxins for years, became clean, and their gills no longer stung when they breathed.

This tangible physical benefit is more persuasive than any doctrinal indoctrination.

"The results exceeded expectations," Ian assessed the data.

"The life mud, as a carrier of faith, has an adsorption efficiency that is 12% higher than expected. At this rate, the initial faith coverage can be completed in the main swamp dwelling tribes within three months."

But the act of looting eventually drew attention.

On the seventh day after the first batch of "Holy Ointment" was distributed to the surrounding tribes, the sky over the Swamp World darkened without warning.

All the light was swallowed up by some kind of dark green energy field, and the puddles around the outpost boiled at the same time, bubbling up fist-sized bubbles.

The swamps of the entire world are filled with rage.

Vivian suddenly looked up at the top of the platform.

The air there is twisting and swirling, forming a huge vortex with a diameter of over 100 meters.

At the center of the vortex, viscous, dark green divine power gathered wildly, condensing into a blurry humanoid shape.

Composed of flowing mud, tangled aquatic plants, and half-rotten bones, two eerie green flames suddenly ignite at the head.

The overwhelming pressure, unique to the gods, pressed down like a collapsing mountain!

The barrier surrounding the outpost trembled violently, creating dense ripples.

The swamp-dwelling servants on the platform lay directly on the ground, driven by a fear that ran deep in their blood.

The blurred avatar slowly lowered its head, and the eerie green flames locked onto Vivian and the radiant statue of the Mother Goddess behind her.

An angry voice exploded directly in the consciousness of all spiritual beings.

"Outsiders! Your reach is too far!"

The mud beneath the divine incarnation surged, causing the entire swamp to tremble and soften, its edges beginning to crumble and transform back into a murky swamp.

"This world, and even the three nearby minor realms of 'Fungi Forest,' 'Miasma Valley,' and 'Marshland,' are all my domain, under the jurisdiction of my divine authority!"

The incarnation's voice rose in pitch, and the eerie green flames flickered violently.

"You dare to steal the primordial mud and tamper with the spiritual wisdom of believers!"

It raised its arm, made of bones and mud, and pointed it at Vivian.

"I am the god of this swamp. Though not great, I still rule over this region. I order you to immediately cease your blasphemy, destroy the image of this false god, and withdraw from my territory!"

An even more powerful divine might swept in, mixed with the decaying whispers of billions of living beings—this was the manifestation of divine authority.

"Otherwise, I will turn you all into a new skeleton in the endless swamp!"

This is the final ultimatum from the gods.

As a weak divine power, its authority is greatly amplified within this realm and its subordinate smaller worlds.

It can instantly blend into the swamp; every drop of mud is its eyes and ears, and every wisp of putrid odor is its breath.

Vivian stood at the center of the oppressive aura, her dark green robe fluttering in the wind, but there was no fear on her delicate face.

She did not respond to the avatar's threat because she was not the true decision-maker.

Ian and Kerrigan's attention had already been drawn to this.

The weak divine power is equivalent to a level 5 Moonlit Wizard, but it is only an avatar, at most at the mid-Morning Star stage, and is not worth worrying about.

However, since it did not formally declare war, killing one of its avatars would not be of much use.

The divine realms of those who cannot find the other's celestial realms have negligible influence on the gods.

Kerrigan sent a message to Vivian, instructing her to maintain the outpost presence and accelerate resource plundering and faith conversion.

Observe the god's ability and patterns of interference in reality. If necessary, send high-level insectoids to capture it and obtain more information about the surrounding world.

After receiving the instruction, Vivian did not look at the avatar of the swamp god again.

She slowly turned around and gently placed her right hand on the statue of the Mother Goddess.

A golden halo, imbued with an aura of inclusiveness and nurturing, gently spread out.

Wherever the halo passed, the boiling puddles calmed, the raging putrid fumes were soothed, and the suffocating aura of the swamp god was blocked by a completely different divine power.

This is a clear demonstration of the Mother Goddess's domain, which is different from the rules-based domain of the Swamp God.

Vivian slowly turned around, her eyes meeting the two eerie green flames through the barrier.

"This place has been chosen by our god."

After he finished speaking, all around him fell silent.

The mud surrounding his body began to boil, and the eerie green flames flickered, as anger, doubt, and weighing of emotions surged within him.

It stared at Vivian, then at the golden statue, but ultimately did not act immediately.

The mud gradually subsided, and the eerie green flames resumed their steady pulse, but deep within the flames, the chilling killing intent did not dissipate; instead, it became even more solidified.

"Very good!" The grand voice rang out again, this time with a somber tone.

"Then let me see how long your followers can survive in this swamp."

As soon as he finished speaking, the dark green divine power transformed into countless points of light, merging into the surrounding muddy puddles and disappearing without a trace.

The oppressive force dissipated, and sunlight once again shone through the sky.

But the sense of being "watched" around the outpost was ten times stronger than before.

Vivi stood quietly for a moment, then turned to look at the swamp-dwelling servant who was still on the ground, her voice returning to its usual cold tone.

"Keep working, the collection of holy anointing cannot stop, and the spread of faith must be accelerated."

The swamp dweller struggled to his feet, his eyes still showing fear, but even more so, an almost fanatical emotion.

They had just witnessed the confrontation between the "Apostle of the Mother Goddess" and the "God of the Swamp," and... they were not defeated.

This was revolutionary in their original understanding.

The Zerg engineers at the outpost resumed activity, the reinforcement work on the platform's edge continued, and the golden Mother Goddess statue stood silently, the holy anointing on its surface flowing slowly, as if it were breathing.

In the gray fog world, Ian's senses had been withdrawn.

A brand new star map unfolded before him, marked with four points of light that were close to each other.

World of decaying swamps, world of mushroom forests, world of miasma valleys, world of marshes.

"Four worlds, one weak god..." he muttered to himself, a burning glint in his eyes.

"Perhaps, this could be Kerrigan's first stepping stone into the Holy See."

Of course, the swamp god's kingdom must be found, otherwise even he wouldn't want to experience the destructive power of a god.

On the Zerg plains, Kerrigan seemed to sense something, her dark eyes gazing into the void.

She licked her lips, a hint of hunger flashing in her eyes.