Brain bloom

He greeted them politely: “Thank you for your generosity. The supreme sea god Hodge will appreciate your contributions and is willing to communicate with your souls to ensure that the sea’s wrath stays away from you and that the sea’s blessings accompany you forever.”

"Thank you."

"What would you like to pray for? Or do you need holy water?"

"I'm just here to offer my gratitude."

Before ascending the shrine, Morey bowed to the seaweed statue, which was faded and peeling but still exuded a pungent, salty odor.

Then, with hands clasped together, he bowed slightly in a manner universally understood throughout the world, silently thanking Hodge.

Thank goodness it spared Claire in the past few years, giving her freedom and a new life.

Perhaps it was too sincere, or perhaps... the four gold coins were too generous as a stepping stone, but the sea god did receive this gratitude, and was filled with doubt.

The sacrifice named Claire was killed by its own hand, and its soul was taken to the theater. Why is anyone thanking it?

Need to check

Volume 1 #291: Simple Humans

The sea god separated a wisp of his consciousness from his divine essence. This process was gentle and natural, like a strand of hair that naturally falls out when someone combs their hair, all in order to investigate that strange event.

This wisp of consciousness, searching for the consciousness that was praying to it, gradually discovered the other's trace.

Within the cultural circle of those who carry coffins, lies an unnamed fishing village.

The god of the sea was quite displeased with the utterly wretched temple. Yet, he was also puzzled as to why this person would come to such a godforsaken temple to offer such strange gratitude.

seem……

This person who prays is quite powerful.

Sensing the depth of spiritual power, the sea god's consciousness crossed the sea in an instant, barely reaching this place through the faith network within the temple, in the gap between the seagulls' cries of a single note.

The cultural sphere of the coffin bearers was so rich in faith that even though Hodge only sent a wisp of consciousness, it became somewhat difficult to enter. Fortunately, it was only a wisp of consciousness and would not cause conflict between the deities. The consciousness quietly arrived before the shrine and then merged into the statue of the god, which was being worshipped with meager offerings.

Hodge is an ancient god, and although the methods of worship vary from region to region, they are all very simple... even backward and dilapidated. More and more young people are beginning to forget the methods of worshipping him and instead turn to the coffin carriers that people always mention.

"Ugh."

Compared to the magnificent church, it felt a deep sense of dissatisfaction, envy, and loneliness.

It grew tired of this kind of life...

but--

Once the world is decayed by primordial evil, everything will return to zero.

The world will wither, and humanity will perish. The temple of the coffin bearers will be deserted, weathered into sand by time. But the sea that Hodge possesses will endure.

Just as it has continued from ancient times to the present day, it will also continue from today into the even more distant future.

After thinking about all this, it managed to suppress its feelings of inferiority and disappointment.

To accomplish all this, it must ensure that the primordial evil is awakened, eliminating even the slightest risk along the way. That's why it came here, refraining from rash actions, and observing the person before it through the broken eye of the idol.

"A formidable adventurer," Hodge thought to himself.

"Morey, don't forget to seek safety," his adventurer companion reminded him from behind.

"Well... by the sea god above, may our voyage be smooth sailing. We will also go to 1848 to give thanks again at the main temple where you reside. But our baggage is empty, and we cannot offer much in sacrifice. We hope you can understand."

Hodge's interest grew even stronger.

Killing a sacrifice could bring such strange gratitude?

To understand all this, its consciousness manifested. However, this was only a wisp of consciousness; it couldn't probe the other's consciousness, after all, the other was no weakling. The best way was to manifest itself and question it personally.

Instantly, the temperature inside the temple dropped a little, and the salty, fishy smell that seemed to come from nowhere spread out, with a pungent odor that the strong sea breeze couldn't dispel.

Several experienced adventurers suddenly had a flash of inspiration.

Meanwhile, the believer who had been staring longingly at the gold coins suddenly forgot all his greed and knelt down on the ground.

They all felt a tremendous pressure, and without a doubt, the will of the true God had been revealed!

The sound was vast and boundless, like thunder, striking straight into everyone's soul.

“Poverty? It doesn’t matter—regardless of social status, even without offerings, as long as one’s heart is sincere, one has the right to believe. And I, Hodge, the true god who rules the sea, will accept all faiths.”

"...It was actually the true god himself who appeared."

"This is the first time I've ever seen anything like this."

"This is also..."

"You received my gratitude?" Morey was equally excited and knelt on one knee.

“Of course,” Hodge said with a smile. “Otherwise, I wouldn’t have come here to find out who is so sincere. Human emotions are so beautiful, always so pure and straightforward…”

"Thank you for giving Claire her freedom."

"Freedom...is also a beautiful word."

After condescendingly displaying his divine authority, Hodge began to probe in a tone of lament.

"You saw that lovely girl? It seems that destiny truly is guided, whether it be a true god, a human, or even a tiny ant..."

"Yes, in Silver Ring City."

He recounted everything he had witnessed in great detail.

Then, he interrupted Hodge's thoughts—

"I'd like to make a deal with you."

"trade……"

"She... Claire, she can't grow up, it's the price of freedom, right? I've heard about things like that."

Hodge's silence was interpreted by the other party as tacit agreement.

Morey continued, "I hope you can take back this price. Take whatever you need from me."

"Why? Why go to such lengths?"

“I don’t want Claire to suffer because she’s seen as a monster… She’s being forced to cheat for free food, probably because she’s never grown up and is seen as a monster. Nobody will accept someone like that… Sigh.”

Hodge initially wanted to refuse.

Because the transaction was unequal, it had never done such a thing. But just as it was about to utter the words of refusal, it vaguely remembered that it was not some benevolent god, nor did it need to abide by any bullshit reciprocity in transactions.

Since such a sincere piglet is right in front of us, it would be too boring not to accept it.

"The price is very high."

“I can pay.”

"soul."

"As expected... You guys really like this word."

“I can ensure that the girl you love will never again be discriminated against or bullied. But you’ll probably have to say goodbye to these friends, and then… join me. I need your strength, strong one, this is the price.”

"join in?"

"Come with me to 1848, to that free land of exiles, and help those wretched people survive. I do not wish to see those who believe in me suffer, harassed by the strange monsters of the forest... and then die!"

"In short, they want me to fight those monsters?"

"Yes, a few days of protection will suffice."

Morey still hesitated, because he recalled the various opinions about Hodge, the sea god, circulating in the world. Opinions were diverse, some praising him, some condemning him…

Hodge easily saw through his wavering and hesitation. It was far too easy to deceive an honest, simple human being with genuine desires.

"Because I must leave for a few days to reach out to your beloved Claire."

"Ah... so once you leave, you can't protect those people anymore? That's why you asked me to help out for a few days..."

In an instant, Morey's hesitation vanished, replaced by a sense of guilt and responsibility, which led him to his decision: to agree.

Then—he bid farewell to his companions, carrying weapons and tools specifically for fighting wild beasts, and followed the sea god to that mysterious little kingdom. But what awaited him was an overwhelming amount of ominous mist, and the excruciating pain of being swallowed by it…

Volume 1, Chapter 292: Bad or Good?

The food prepared by Master Woodpecker must be served by magically created dolls, not by any waiters. Even seasoned waiters with decades of experience cannot resist the aromas.

It doesn't smell very good...

Sen Shi couldn't understand why this strange thing on his table was so precious.

It looked like the cook hadn't put any effort into it; it was just a quick and careless job, and the presentation was terrible. Mori couldn't help but recall the first time he fried an egg at home—he forgot to add oil and cracked the egg into the pan before it was even hot.

Finally, it stuck completely to the pot, and with lots of broken eggshells, it turned into a bunch of weird stuff.

"...So I was already this good at cooking back then."

She nodded, then looked back at the food in front of her.

It's just a seafood risotto... a few overcooked shrimp with the veins still attached, a plate of undercooked rice, and some miscellaneous ingredients, some of which are burnt or chopped too finely.

It wasn't like the woodpecker master was deliberately making things difficult for her, because everyone around was pretty much the same. But these powerful and wealthy people forgot about table manners and were even more ferocious than animals in heat, directly picking up the plates and licking them up.

Mori tasted a little, and it had a wonderful flavor that could satisfy the soul, but that was all.

The taste on my tongue was awful...

She couldn't understand why this weird dish was so popular.

"Why aren't you eating?" A woodpecker flew out at some point and landed opposite Sen Shi.

"It tastes awful."

"Have you got a meal yet?"

Sen Shi took another bite of rice, looking disgusted: "Really, it tastes awful."

Master Woodpecker wasn't too surprised; instead, he was relieved: "Then it seems you really are a true god... When I heard the name 'Coffin Carrier,' I thought you were joking with me."

"That's right, you know who I am, so why don't you bow down and marvel at me?"

“I was once a member of the true gods, but things have changed. You can’t appreciate the exquisiteness of my cooking because I’m cooking with divine power. This flavor can affect anyone, but it has no effect on those of higher rank than me… like you.”