What kind of nonsense is this, that you'd be chosen by the gods and favored by all the gods?

"That's fine too." Pude coughed a few more times. "Ah... I've talked way too much today."

"I'm a little tired, you can go now."

Lyle got up, but didn't rush to leave.

He looked around and then at the bookshelf.

"To be honest, I really want to borrow your collection of books, it just depends on whether you're willing to grant my request."

He was extremely curious about the knowledge of this world, even though it might seem heretical to the Covenant Church.

However, Pud had already reached a tacit understanding with him—to avoid discussing truly heretical ideas. That's why Pud repaired the scepter for Lyle, and why Lyle listened to Pud's heretical remarks.

"Hmph... Take a look if you want, but you're not allowed to take it out."

"If you get into trouble outside, don't say it's because I gave you these things."

After muttering something, Pude lay down on the bed in the room and went to rest.

"That's natural."

Lyle held the Desire Symbol in his hand, intending to sit down at the desk and browse through the old blacksmith's collection of ancient books.

But just as he tightly grasped the token of desire, words suddenly flashed before his eyes:

[The messenger of promiscuity and lust, the flow of desire casts its gaze upon you...]

[Upgrade Progress]: 100%

Attribute Points: 2

This?

Lyle was quite surprised and stood there stunned, but considering that there was an old blacksmith resting next to him, he sat down at the desk without making a sound.

Why did I start progressing from the moment I obtained this complete shard?

strangeness...

But then, in light of Timothy's death, a thought suddenly flashed through Lyle's mind.

Perhaps it's because only after obtaining the spoils of war is it considered a successful hunt?

The initial power we gained came from hunting monsters with extraordinary attributes, from the mysterious nourishment derived from their spoils.

This quote comes from Koven, the priest of the Church of Suenmozer, the god of the hunt.

Suen Mozer participated in the creation of the Great Covenant, which describes how the world works.

Perhaps this is why I have become stronger—that my unconscious actions have secretly conformed to the laws of power transfer in this world?

...Reasonable.

But thinking about it this way, becoming stronger by hunting down and inheriting the power of others is truly cruel...

With that in mind, Lyle allocated his attribute points to Vitality and Concentration, and then turned his attention to the runes.

Talismans bearing divine symbols possess special power.

Just as the emblem of the goddess of fate can enhance the power of covenant prayer.

Lyle was curious whether focusing solely on the Desire Symbol would yield any unexpected feedback.

"Goddess, please bless me."

Such matters cannot be confirmed through divination, because the outcome is largely determined by subjective judgment, and divination is of little significance.

Lyle thought about it and decided to take a gamble.

Concentrating his mind on the Desire Symbol, Lyle immediately felt a surge of heat coursing through his body.

These heat streams, in different colors, flow freely through the body and eventually radiate from the skin, like thin threads suspended in the air.

This?

Lyle looked around and saw that Pud on the bed also had them on him, and through the wall, he could see that Elsa, Helena, and Adri also had them on them outside the wall.

The only difference is the color: Pude's silk threads are few and dull, Elsa's silk threads are lively and brightly colored, while Adele's silk threads are restrained and strong.

However, there are two exceptions. One is Helena, who has no loose threads visible on her body.

One is oneself, and among the various colored threads, there is also a pure white and thick thread.

What is this?

Just as Lyle touched a pink wisp emanating from his body with the talisman, he suddenly felt a surge of heat rush through his body, as if he were on fire!

But that's not all. As the flames rose, he felt an intense hunger, as if every inch of his skin and flesh was yearning for something.

Hunger, desire, pleasure, torment...

Lyle was constantly tormented by a variety of strange and unbearable sensations, which were becoming increasingly difficult to endure.

Until Lyle reached out and bit down hard on his own knuckles!

"hiss..."

The intense pain instantly cleared his head, and the emotional influences surrounding pleasure could be easily dispelled by the pain.

But it also caused Lyle a lot of pain.

Oh my god—

I should have realized it sooner! A symbol of desire! What else could it be used for?!

Focus... Focus...

Reading, reading—

It took me quite a while to recover from the intense emotional impact.

However, this did clarify for him the use of these fine threads.

It can be called the "line of desire".

Moreover, it doesn't just affect desires in that area; it can also influence certain emotions through those fine threads of other colors.

It's just that I don't have as strong a desire for pink.

Desire Manifestation... what a terrifying heretical god! If you're not careful, you'll bring about your own social death.

Lyle muttered something silently, finally suppressing the emotions that had suddenly arisen through meditation.

This thing isn't that powerful; it only worked intensely because Lyle was completely unprepared.

He noticed that if he anticipated this change, he could easily suppress the threads emanating from his body.

In this way, it becomes difficult to be influenced or manipulated by others.

However, there is still some mysterious influence on Helena that prevents her emotions from being revealed.

The mystery was not solved; instead, mitosis increased.

With that thought in mind, Lyle stopped pondering and focused on the books in front of him.

Pudd's collection of books covered a wide range of topics, but Lyle was most interested in the passages about the manifold of desire.

Anything related to the source of power and the extraordinary in this world always piques Lyle's interest.

And seemingly thanks to the Book of Prayer of the Nameless, he felt that his memory had been enhanced to some extent.

However, the cost is a rapid depletion of concentration.

"Hiss... If only I had taken some Dea Fruit back then."

Lyle covered his exhausted forehead and rubbed his temples with a hint of regret.

However, it's best not to bite off more than you can chew. It's not too late to digest what you've learned before trying to learn more.

It's only been three or four days since I transmigrated here, and I'm being a bit too hasty.

However, there was one thing that bothered Lyle.

He sensed a trace of power emanating from the manifold of desire within the powerful scepter, but in the church, he could directly obtain power from the goddess of fate.

I wonder if this means I have to be in a church to acquire prayer-related skills.

Lyle could already imagine himself entering the heretical church, receiving the blessing, and becoming a double high-ranking member.

"Cough cough... I wasn't thinking about anything—"

A devout believer can only choose one deity to serve throughout their life.

Perhaps once one receives the blessing of the goddess of fate, one cannot receive blessings from other deities.

Moreover, the criteria by which this heretical god of desire chooses his chosen ones are utterly repulsive.

The most basic prayer ritual requires lewd and profane sexual intercourse between men and women. If it involves incestuous acts that violate taboos, then the power of the prayer ritual will be enhanced.

Only after becoming a chosen one of God can one receive the corresponding mark and exert the power of prayer.

According to the theories in the Pude Collection, weakened evil gods cannot imitate the righteous gods by leaving precise names and traces, nor can they appear in reality at will.

Therefore, its rituals must possess sufficiently strong corrupt emotions and dark power.

Furthermore, this ritual ensures that its messengers are necessarily doctrinal and utter scum.

It's no wonder that they are labeled as heretics.

Lyle silently memorized the contents, and then noticed that a new page had been added to the Book of Prayer for the Nameless.

[Gaining new, systematic, and esoteric knowledge]

[Page of Desire +1, added to the Book of Prayer for the Nameless]