Brain bloom

"Do not."

Just as it agreed to participate in awakening the primordial evil, even resorting to such extreme measures... it was all so that the sea god could have more followers. After all, whenever the sea god heard the devout fisherman's daughter praying for her father who was going out to sea, he would lament his own powerlessness.

With more faith, more people can be protected.

But... faith was quickly eroded by the sudden appearance of coffin bearers who used gold coins to win people's hearts. The sea god became weak; even though his prestige and divine status remained stable, he could no longer protect too many people...

As faith weakens, those who rely on the sea for their livelihood frequently perish, and fewer and fewer people have faith in it.

In another ten or twenty years, the next generation of humans will probably forget even its terror.

"You've committed many evils yourself," the voice said again.

Hodge did not deny it.

"A foolish and evil god."

“Hey…Annie Hodge! You need to get this straight, if you weren’t so docile and always treated humans so gently, would I be out here doing bad things for you? Of course, the fact that doing bad things is very enjoyable is also a reason.”

"Of course I know, and I'm grateful to you, at least you protected me... So, I'm still willing to stay by your side... even knowing you're going down the wrong path."

Hodge looked at the statue beside him.

When this temple was built, it issued a decree that it be worshipped not as a malevolent god, but as the original sea god. Anne Hodge, the sea god, gentle as the ocean, capable of encompassing all that is good.

An elegant mermaid who always wears a smile.

Noticing Hodge's gaze, it was no longer a statue.

It sat beside Hodge, its curly blond hair billowing in the sea breeze. Even though the island was shrouded in ominous fog, Anne could still bring a little bit of goodwill.

“Hey.” Hodge spoke again, his tone unfriendly. “Wait a few more days, and this world will be as beautiful as it was when you were born.”

Was that a good time?

"At least... you can roam freely in the ocean, and you don't have to sacrifice yourself for ungrateful humans. The world is desolate, but the ocean's ecosystem will be fine, and your old friends will continue to stay with you."

Perhaps Hodge painted a beautiful picture of the world, and it did indeed touch Anne's heart... but she didn't agree.

Instead, the question is—"Where will you be able to go then, and who will you be able to do bad things to?"

Hodge pondered for a moment: "I... will fall into a deep sleep. One day, when you suffer further injustice and hardship, I will awaken to share your burden. Alas, I only hope that such inexplicable 'true gods' who come to you out of nowhere, trying to win your faith with money, will never appear again..."

"I will not wish you success; that would be an evil deed."

"I don't need it either."

"But I will still be with you until the end."

"You can't leave even if you want to."

They both sighed simultaneously, in almost identical ways. Then, the elegant mermaid vanished, reverting to a roughly sculpted stone statue. But unlike before, it seemed to have a hint of a smile. Hodge, too, wore a wry smile as he continued to ponder the problem at hand.

Ideally, we should go directly to the Ancient Demon King and discuss the follow-up business deal.

But that would be beneath one's dignity. Besides, a price that cannot be paid immediately cannot constitute a transaction. The devil is rigid and cunning; he would never engage in such a high-risk deal.

As for a direct confrontation...

Hodge had certainly heard of the Dawn Princess's exploits. Though half-dead and on the verge of death, her fighting prowess would be terrifying if she were to truly unleash her power. Unlike the Ancient Demon King, she wasn't even a demon; no rules could suppress her.

While he wasn't incapable of direct combat, Hodge had some of his strength focused elsewhere at the moment; it was best to use his brain first.

After much deliberation, it came up with a plan. Long ago, it had clashed with the Holy Coffin Kingdom, and the groundwork laid then seemed applicable. Against Princess Dawn, Hodge could unleash this trump card… perhaps not immediately eliminating her, but significantly weakening her.

Now, let's see what kind of powerful attack humanity can unleash.

Volume 1, Chapter 302: The Generous Strawberry

In reality, Mori is the type of person who, once she buys something she really likes, will hold it in her hands and even place it by her pillow when she goes to sleep. She will often wake up in the middle of the night to caress it carefully, like she would caress her wife, before she can finally go back to sleep peacefully.

Now—she's succumbed to her old habit again.

All the things she had just acquired and coveted were thrown onto the bed. Unfortunately, even the luxurious bed in front of her couldn't accommodate all her beloved items.

A total of 3,932 gold coins – cash.

If you lie down, the hard gold coins will hurt your bottom; if you sit on them, the cold coins will leave red marks of the Holy Letter on your buttocks. They are just that unappealing, seemingly keeping people at a distance, but no one can dislike gold coins.

Mori was incredibly generous; after receiving the auction proceeds and paying a small handling fee, she simply tossed it onto the bed. That "sacred relic," which she had typed out in a short time and then cleverly crafted a story around, fetched a remarkably high price.

The ferocity of the fighting at the time almost made her laugh.

In the end, the prince acquired it, intending to use this sacred relic as a testament to his succession to the throne; anyone could guess his intentions.

"An unexpected windfall! I can go help the dandelion restore its kingdom!" she thought to herself, lying happily amidst the pile of gold coins.

Since passage was prohibited at night, these distinguished guests naturally stayed behind and could not return until tomorrow.

Therefore, this was the lord's luxurious castle, and in the highest-class guest room, there were even five well-bred, young, and capable maids. They stood in a row against the wall, looking at Mori with envy, their eyes filled with gold.

Besides, they were also secretly curious about the background of this guest.

Mori wasn't afraid of being targeted by thieves; she wanted to try out her newly learned magic.

"Okay...that's enough fun..." she murmured as she sat up, her face full of worry. "Showing off your wealth is fun for a moment, but getting paid is another story..."

It's easy to scatter gold coins, but it's a bit difficult to collect them back.

Several well-trained maids rushed to help. None of them were dishonest, and even when they saw Mori using a special spatial bag, they didn't dare to show too much surprise.

After finally collecting the money, Mori thought for a moment and decided he should go take a shower...

Just as she was thinking about asking the maids to leave and giving them a small tip, someone knocked on the door. It was a soft voice, but it sounded urgent.

Mori's eyes narrowed; the experience he'd gained from movies and TV shows in his previous life was coming into play. A beautiful young woman like her, all alone in the middle of the night—had some nobleman come knocking on her door wanting to flirt with her?

A maid calmly stepped forward and asked through the door—

"Who is this esteemed person who has come to visit so late at night?"

"I'd like to buy a healing spell scroll. Please discuss this with me privately, seller."

Sen Shi was finally relieved and put down the two debt collection tools.

After receiving permission, the door was opened. Mori saw a nobleman who seemed to be of considerable status, a capable and rather beautiful woman, standing somewhat uneasily in the doorway.

"Who is so rude as to reveal my information and let you know that I supplied the scroll?"

Sen was somewhat dissatisfied, but with so many people around, it was understandable.

“I’m very sorry, but I also have my reasons,” the woman said softly. “I am Zena, the eldest daughter of the Adelman family. The blood of a great mage boils within me… I can afford double the price; I only need a healing spell scroll…”

"We're out of scrolls, but if you're the injured person, I can still cast a healing spell on you."

Zena breathed a sigh of relief, seemingly pleased with herself, and hurried inside.

"Can an old injury from ten years ago be treated?" she asked again.

"We need to take a look; not all wounds are the same."

"Injuries are on my body..."

"Take it off, I'm in a hurry to take a shower."

Upon hearing this, the maids immediately closed the door and pretended not to care, averting their gaze. Zena didn't seem to mind much, and with a touch of shyness, she took off her coat, revealing her unexpectedly voluptuous body.

Unfortunately, a magical burn wound was on his chest.

It was a common wound, with a hint of malevolence. But it wasn't difficult to heal and wasn't a big problem. Mori was more curious as to why this small wound had lingered until now.

"This is?"

“A medal I earned a long time ago when I fought against evil to reclaim the land occupied by the evil god… but it has troubled me for a long time.”

"Didn't you consult any bishops or anything like that? This kind of injury shouldn't be difficult to treat."

Zena sighed, "I've tried everything, and each time it would only last for a few months before it would flare up again without me even realizing it. Nobody knows why... So this time, I'm not asking for a cure, I just want it to be quiet for a few months... no, even just a week would be fine."

Mori was a little curious, but he didn't intend to let her reveal herself for too long, so he silently began preparing a healing spell.

Perhaps sensing Mori's hesitation, the woman became anxious.

"I swear I will not ask anything else or reveal anything about you. I only hope that you can heal me so that I can be called up for duty tomorrow."

"Quiet."

Although interested in her so-called "recruitment," healing took priority. Mori pretended it was a solemn ceremony, reciting many irrelevant lines before finally activating a sliver of healing magic that slowly took effect on the other person's wounds.

Her pained and anxious face then relaxed.

Her skin looked so clean; no wonder she's a noble lady, she takes such good care of herself. To avoid blushing, Mori urged her to get dressed.

Only then did he ask, "What kind of conscription are you referring to?"

"An emergency order has been issued by our country, summoning all mages. It seems something big is about to happen. I want to join the battle, but this injury is just too painful..."

"Oh."

“I am very grateful.” After saying that, she took out a land deed, a pure gold key, and a heavy-looking seal. “This is the payment. It’s for the small castle in the White Nan Forest. I don’t have that much cash, so this is all I can pay.”

Mori heard the maids gasp in astonishment and wondered how he had gotten a castle after doing nothing. However, the other party didn't give Mori a chance to ask and left without even putting down the things.

Before leaving, Mori glanced at the door briefly.

[Level 74 - The Person Left with the Mark - Zena Adelman]

A feeling of unease crept into Mori's heart. She instructed the maids to prepare bathwater, while she climbed onto the bed and rummaged through her baggage. Among the mountain of gold coins, she pulled out the magical communication device that B had specially left behind before leaving.

It was a picture frame about the size of a palm, completely blank inside.

But once she got the hang of it, Morishi knew how to use it. She bent her index finger and tapped the screen lightly with her knuckles. A moment later, a large face that looked like it was busy and overwhelmed appeared on the screen.

"I obey your summons." B forced a smile. "Is there any new divine decree that I need to carry out?"

"You're recruiting mages? What happened?"

"Huh? How did you know?" B exclaimed in genuine surprise. "We just finished discussing it and were preparing to issue the conscription order tonight... As expected of you! The great S with uncanny foresight—"

"Stop, or I won't tell you."

"Please speak."

"Perhaps you should be more careful and watch out for a woman."

……