Comprehensive network wizard, magic emperor

Lin Bo collected the three remnant relics and asked the old priest who had sent them. He wrote down their names and would give them awards at the next Thursday gathering.

The remnant relics will be damaged after being sacrificed to the Zongwang. Although this is a voluntary donation by believers, it is destroyed after all, and Lin Bo must compensate the owner.

The old priest recorded everything that each member of the order sent, and Lin Bo asked him to find out if these three people had any supplies they were short of, or if they had any difficulties at home. Of course, a reward that could solve their urgent needs would be the best.

The remaining ordinary objects without reverberation can be returned to the believers in their original condition. There is no need to leave them gathering dust in the church.

He browsed the antiques and saw some fragments of books with scriptures written in Knin script to worship the sea god. The handwriting was crude, and the spelling and grammar were quite problematic, even more unfamiliar than that of Lin Bo, a foreigner who had only studied for a short time.

"I thought the Empire only believed in the Five Gods."

Upon hearing this, the old priest took a half step forward and saw the Night Watchman holding a few fragments of scripture. He then explained, "In fact, the faith of the Sea God is the native religion of the Sail Islands. It was defeated and expelled by the faith of the Five Gods that came from the Fertile Continent."

Among the old items presented by believers, there are several others that are related to the local belief in the sea god, but they are not ancestral property, but obtained through trade.

According to the old priest's recollections, when he was a child, there was often a group of "sea people" in Shita Town. They would cross the sea in canoes every ten days or half a month. They would exchange some minerals, bird feathers, herbs, handicrafts, etc. for whale oil and whale bones.

The trade between Stone Tower Town and the Sea People has a long history, but the last time people saw the Sea People was nearly ten years ago.

“…Maybe all those people are dead.”

Lin Bo seemed to be lost in thought. He remembered that last night the Fungus-Talking Seagull had found out about an abandoned human village on a nearby island, as well as a human living alone. Perhaps that was the last believer of the sea god.

"The craftsmanship of these people is quite stylish." Lin Bo checked the trade items of the Sea People, which were pendants, flutes, and rosaries carved from whale bones.

Even though they had not been maintained for many years, these instruments were still soaked in oil. When the wizard touched them lightly, he would get a deep silence in response. This was also his trick for distinguishing whale products.

These whale products all contain magical energy and are capable of carrying high-level reverberations. Unfortunately, they are just ordinary handicrafts. They neither carry the emotions of their users nor have they experienced the turmoil of the world.

However, this also gave Lin Bo a clear direction for searching for remnant relics. In the future, he should pay more attention to whale artifacts with a history, especially bone carvings handed down from ancient times.

Seeing Lin Bo's interest, the old priest explained, "Sea God believers believe that whales are the children of God. In ancient times, the Windward Islands were the only ones qualified to use whale bones to make statues, totems, or other religious objects."

The old priest had some knowledge of religious struggles in his homeland, a period of history that many common people in the empire could not access.

Whaling was once strictly prohibited in the Windward Islands. Only during certain Poseidon festivals would special convicts go out to sea to hunt whales. After they brought back whales, according to tradition, these brave sailors had to be killed to use their blood to appease the Poseidon's grief over the loss of his son.

However, sailors who could hunt whales were excellent laborers in any era, and wasting them in this way seemed extremely cruel and inhumane. Therefore, human sacrifice was only carried out a few times in history before it was banned by the kings of the archipelago and replaced with burning puppets.

Ordinary people were not allowed to touch the skin, fat, bones, and organs of all whales. Instead, they were used in special religious ceremonies. Only the flesh and blood would be distributed to believers for consumption after being offered, which was considered a holy communion at the time.

It was precisely because of the strict control of the Poseidon Cult on whaling that the people of the archipelago began to develop the whaling industry without scruples until the Five Gods Faith replaced it.

In less than a few years, the country, relying on abundant whale oil fuel, rapidly entered the era of the Industrial Revolution.

Contemporary historians often lament that backward indigenous beliefs hindered technological development.

"Are whale products passed down from ancient times still common?" Lin Bo asked.

"It's rare. During the religious struggles, the Five Gods sects often destroyed the relics of the Sea God. Now, they are only occasionally unearthed in ancient dynasty tombs. Some are collected in museums, and the rest are circulated among the people, in the hands of some religious enthusiasts and collectors."

"What a pity." Lin Bo put down the bone flute in his hand.

He instructed the old priest to entrust the merchants in the order to go to Jinbei City to inquire about the seller of whale bone artifacts as soon as possible.

Then, he turned and went out of the storage room.

The old priest took a step behind and quietly lifted a corner of the tablecloth. Seeing the mirror-smooth tabletop, he showed an expression of as expected. He murmured in praise of the saints for their generosity and sighed for the poverty of the order, which was really disgraceful.

Back in the church hall, the lighthouse keeper was still there, talking to a seagull that had landed on his shoulder.

The huge white bird chirped softly in the night watchman's ear, and he nodded in agreement from time to time, speaking a strange and melodious language, communicating with the seagull back and forth.

Several servants hid behind the pillars and peeked out, fascinated by the scene. The old priest waved his hand to drive them away. They looked back every few steps and left reluctantly.

After a while, Lin Bo released the seagulls and pondered.

The only human on the deserted island discovered by the reconnaissance bird flock yesterday was sighted again by seagulls this morning. This person has already left the island and is sailing eastward.

Does that person know the whereabouts of the Poseidon Cult's relics?

Chapter 56: Silver Ship Crossing the Sea, Advanced Reverberation

Returning to the lighthouse from the church, Lin Bo arranged the three relics he had obtained in order.

[Historical reverberations detected, sacrifice relics to retrieve the space-time slice collection.]

He did not rush, but held the things in his hands, trying to listen to what the relics had to say. The rings, jewelry boxes and rag dolls all told of their memories.

However, Lin Bo didn't detect a single sound from the Reverberations of History; this power remained completely silent to the True Name Mage. If it weren't for the Zongwang's prompt, he wouldn't have been able to tell the difference between the Reverberations Relic and other ancient artifacts.

"Confirm the sacrifice."

The remnants of the three relics were extracted one by one, then turned to dust, vanishing in the wind. Even gold, believed to be eternal and immortal, shattered, leaving no trace.

[Collected reverberations: Jie Ai Jewelry Box]

Reverberation level: Weak

Affinity: Gem 49%, Blood 30%, Disease 21%

Description: Before his death, the jeweler made a jewelry box for his daughter. He couldn't put real gold and silver jewelry in the box, so he could only fill it with some beautiful beach stones, but his daughter still liked it very much.

【Collected Resonance: Death Wedding Ring】

Reverberation level: Weak

Affinity: Misfortune 44%, Love 36%, Contract 20%

Description: A husband loses his right hand while competing in a folk swordfighting competition. His wife, working at a gold refinery, goes insane from inhaling mercury vapor. The husband buys gold and makes a ring for his wife, who wears it. Their relationship remains unchanged.

【Collected Resonance: Friend Puppet】

Reverberation level: Weak

Compatibility: Spirituality 55%, Childhood 33%, Friendship 12%

Description: A boy believes he has an invisible friend who speaks through a puppet. Years later, his lifelike ventriloquism earns him fame as a puppet master.

The one that surprised Lin Bo the most among the three reverberations was the Friend Puppet. "Spirituality" is a term that is strongly related to miraculous power. In addition, the "bad luck" of the Death Wedding Ring is also a compatibility related to the extraordinary, and there is also a higher probability of drawing a magic-side copy.

He was considering whether to consume the two reverberations immediately.

However, at this weak level, extracting copies of levels 1-3 will ultimately not be able to fundamentally solve one's own problems.

Lin Bo's professional level has been stagnant for more than two weeks, and there is no possibility of further progress for the time being.

Finding a group of spellcasters through magic-side dungeons simply means a richer variety of trade goods and improved knowledge levels, but no matter how thick and deep the foundation is, it is only buried underground.

It would be better to wait for the person who appears to be a member of the Sea People to arrive in Stone Tower Town and inquire about the whereabouts of the Poseidon Cult's relics. The whale skeleton, which contains magical energy, is capable of carrying a higher level of reverberation.

Even if the Sea People have no relevant clues, Lin Bo has already commissioned merchants from the Order to go to Jinbei to purchase whale bone artifacts, and news will be reported back soon.

As for the money needed to purchase the cultural relics, although he did not have much disaster coins on hand, it would be a considerable amount if converted into gold.

"Then let's wait a little longer." Lin Bo put away the network panel and prepared to go to the East Cliff Grottoes to continue construction, but after thinking about it for a while, he was still a little worried about the Sea People.

It is difficult for creatures who have never been exposed to the ocean to appreciate its fickleness and ruthlessness. Even though the island is only more than 300 miles away from Shita Town, it still takes about 20 hours to reach the shore by relying on a simple boat, even if the whole journey is smooth sailing.

Huge waves, loss of navigation, lack of water and other problems may take the life of a lonely sailor at any time.

In order to ensure the man's life, he had to go out to sea himself.

Lin Bo looked at the sky. The sun was hanging in the middle of the sky. He listened attentively to the low murmurs of the waves. They told the mage that the next few days would be sunny and there would be no storms in the nearby sea.

He asked the waves if they could locate a lone boat heading towards a lighthouse.

But the waves cannot answer this question. The target is too small. Even if a 10,000-ton ship sails on the surface of the ocean, it is not much different from a speck of floating algae.

So, Limbaugh mobilized his own flock of scouting birds.

The young king passed his order to the East Cliff Grotto, and the gathered birds took up arms and spread their nets towards the sea.

The night watchman walked out of the lighthouse and came to the pebble beach at the edge of the cape, looking out at the boundless ocean.

Flying is not suitable for long-distance journeys, as the magic power cannot sustain it. It is better to find a vehicle.

Lin Bo opened the dungeon transmission channel at the seaside, moved a large number of steel plates from the ancient machinery factory and piled them on the coast. In less than a quarter of an hour, he reshaped them into a slender rowing boat.

He sat down at the stern of the rowboat, wearing the face of a wizard and observing his surroundings, reciting the true name of the waves. Suddenly, the waves rushed ashore like horses, lifted the boat and swept it into the sea.

The rowboat was propelled forward by the waves, swift and light as a flying arrow. The sky and the sea were azure blue, the sun was warm and blazing. Lin Bo adjusted his sitting position slightly, leaning back more comfortably.

Hundreds of miles away from him, on the sea, two canoes were connected head to tail with a rope. The back boat stored several earthenware jars of water, some berries and a few smoked fish. The front boat sat a man with a thick beard and messy hair, who was paddling hard. His white skin on his bare chest was tanned red.

He had set out early in the morning and had been rowing all morning.

"Live, you must live!"

His lips were pale, he had an unbearable low-grade fever, and fatigue and weakness spread throughout his body and mind. He used words as the driving force of his muscles.

"Vellen Pearl, you will not die today, you will not die here!"

The man used his eyes as iron nails to chisel firmly into a whale bone statue placed on the bow of the ship. This was an ancient relic he found in a temple in a deserted island village. He insisted on taking it on board in order to seek the protection of the gods.

"Holy Father, Good Mother, Warrior, Craftsman, Old Man, or even you, Sea God. I don't care who it is, the one who lets me live is the good God!"

He paddled furiously, trying to drive away the feeling of weakness entrenched in his body. This willpower indeed squeezed out more strength, and for a moment, the man even felt that he was healed.

Suddenly, his eyes blurred, his hands and feet lost consciousness as if the strings were cut, and he fainted. The oar slipped out of his hand and fell into the sea.

Two faces emerged in my dark mind: the worried face of the fat mayor of Stone Tower Town, and the timid face of the bald boss of Old Street. They advised with distant sighs: "Don't go out to sea, a hurricane is coming."

"Who told you this?" another young voice in my mind asked.

"It's the Night's Watch. You don't know that he is favored by the Five Gods. Since you don't listen to advice, you are destined to die at sea." The faces of the mayor and the boss were mixed together, becoming distorted and terrifying, like a skeleton.

"Ah!" Waking up from his faint, Willen Pearl sat up, grabbing the oars with both hands but missing them, "No, no, no... No!"

He punched the air, snot and tears bursting out at once. He howled in agony on the boat for over three hundred seconds, only calming down when he had run out of energy.

After the tidal wave of despair dissipated, only peace remained in Viren Pearl's heart. Knowing that he could not escape death, he was no longer captured by fear.

He began to recall his experiences of the past few days: being stranded on a deserted island, finding the abandoned village of the Sea People, collecting food and preparing for the voyage home, risking everything for survival. The ending did not seem good. If he had stayed on the island, he might have lived a few more days.

Looking at the blue sky, the setting sun warming his aching body, and the circling seagulls, an hour ago, Willen would have said he would have caught and eaten these fat birds, but now, he just looked at their free figures.

"So beautiful...are you here to see me off?"

A few seagulls overhead landed, stood on the side of the boat, and came closer to take a look. They squawked a few times, and one of them flew away to the east, as if to report a message to someone.

It doesn’t matter. Unless the seagull can call the gods, who can save him in this vast ocean?

More and more seagulls appeared in Vilen's field of vision, which made him feel strange even though he was lost in thought.

The singing of birds is getting louder and louder, with a distinct rhythm, like the drumbeats of a military band or the chants of a choir, welcoming the arrival of something.