Chapter 400: Unexpected Harvest (22)

Secret prison.

Luosen squinted his eyes and began to scrutinize the Apostle of The Joyful One before him, as if trying to see through his soul.

Li Fu felt a chill in her heart under Luosen's gaze, wanting to speak but daring not to.

Because she knew nothing of his temperament, and his facial expression showed not a hint of ripple, like the calm surface of a vast ocean—seemingly tranquil yet unfathomably deep.

Yet those subtle expressions were fully observed by Luosen, and after Laifu's big‑data analysis, he attained a remarkably precise grasp of her character.

"Her professional ability is formidable and heavily reliant on that ability; once it fails, her performance drops dramatically."

"The likely reason is her origin in the lower‑middle strata of society; although she is favored by the True God and granted power, her personality still bears many imprints from that social tier."

That is entirely understandable, for a prostitute is inherently a lower‑class existence.

Even if she happens to slip into elite circles and skillfully maneuvers among the powerful, she remains a plaything that can be discarded by them at any moment.

Seeing through it, Luosen spoke again: "Now, answer the question I asked earlier."

Li Fu said cautiously: "It wasn't the master who told me; I heard it by accident. I overheard a conversation among Divine Avatars."

"Divine Avatar?"

Li Fu replied cautiously: "It is the True God's body used to walk the mortal world; in our world, this is quite common."

"Folklore abounds with myths of True Gods and mortals, and the vast majority involve Divine Avatars and mortals."

Luosen nodded in understanding: "Continue."

Li Fu continued: "I can sense that the divine does not care much about this secret, because for secrets they truly care about, they would never utter a single word in front of mortals."

"Moreover, as Apostles of The Joyful One, we constantly linger near strong individuals, bringing bodily and spiritual pleasure to them. Unintentionally, we inevitably overhear some unknown secrets."

"Of course, we also uphold strict professional ethics. Unless necessary, we firmly seal our own mouths."

That statement is true.

If Li Fu's words are true, it means the Solar Ring of this world can actually support life.

And the reason the Solar Ring in their world still lacks life is likely that no intelligent beings willing to communicate with mortals have appeared, because mortals have yet to discover a way to breach the 23‑ring.

Or put another way, in their world, the development level of mortal power is far inferior to that of Li Fu's world.

Thinking of this, Luosen asked: "In your world, is the Solar Ring region called the Divine Realm?"

"Yes."

"Then what is the Solar Ring called?"

"It is called the Divine Ring."

"So, how many layers does the Divine Ring have?"

"The Divine Ring should have only five rings."

At that, Li Fu said: "But the Divine Ring spans enormously; the first ring's span is far larger than all the 23‑rings of the mortal realm. My master possesses only a single‑ring divine power."

Luosen did not expect Li Fu to know so much; regardless of truth, he pressed on: "What about the blood‑drinker Cizhuo Kaweide?"

"He also wields a single‑ring divine power."

"Then what about Gao Miler's master?"

"His master is the Vanishing Goddess Fei Li Qi Si, one of the Nine Sovereigns of the Divine Realm, possessing supreme five‑ring divine power."

"Interesting."

Luosen couldn't help glancing at the Radiant Scepter in his hand.

The artifact, as if forged from pure radiance, was far more powerful than he imagined, capable of withstanding the soul strike of an otherworldly supreme True God.

No wonder Emperor Sa Fen Nuo Si has remained lucid for ten thousand years, while the eternal 23‑ring strongman Antowanji of the Nightmare Abyss fell directly to become a divine servant.

He thought to himself, "Now that is truly a priceless treasure."

Obtaining such a supreme relic, this half‑plane adventure was truly a windfall.

Turning his gaze again to the bound Li Fu in the air, he asked: "I heard mortals can become True Gods—how?"

When he asked, he did not expect an answer, but Li Fu gave him a surprise.

She immediately replied: "You must ignite the Eternal Divine Flame."

"How to ignite it?"

After asking, Luosen felt his question might have been pointless, yet his face remained impassive.

He did not expect Li Fu could still say anything else.

"I don't know much, but I've heard it requires something called 'Source Matter' as a medium, and that Source Matter is also a treasure in the Divine Realm; supposedly one must land on the Sun's surface to obtain it."

"Of course, what I say is hearsay and not guaranteed to be correct."

Luosen smiled: "Your knowledge is astonishingly broad. You must have endured the ravages of many strong ones, right?"

Li Fu gave an awkward smile: "Not that many, maybe a hundred or so." Luosen knew that prostitutes tend to present themselves as pure; if she says a hundred, the real number could easily be double.

Curious, he stepped forward, used the Radiant Scepter to part her garments and surveyed the battlefield, then waved the scepter again, exclaiming, "What a battlefield seasoned by countless wars this truly is."

Even just its form is quite alluring.

On the other side, even while bound hand and foot, Li Fu still strained to flatter and showcase her strengths to the fullest.

"Among the hundreds of thousands of sisters in the Church of The Joyful One, my joyful arts rank within the top ten."

"Your Majesty, if you do not mind, I can certainly let you experience the greatest earthly pleasure."

While speaking, she twisted her body, striving to envelop the Radiant Scepter, and performed her professional skill before Luosen.

Luosen watched for a moment, then retracted the Radiant Scepter, scolding, "How bold, daring to defile my treasure. In the Dawn Empire, just your sacrilegious act now would merit a hundred deaths as mercy."

Li Fu's face turned deathly pale with fright: "Your Majesty, I was wrong; please forgive my transgression."

Luosen was not truly angry: "Fine, I'll spare you this rudeness."

He personally didn't mind; after all, a true artifact isn't that fragile, and he is a pragmatist without a cleanliness obsession—just clean it after it gets dirty.

Moreover, the counterpart was highly cooperative; the information she provided, both in quantity and value, far surpassed that of Blood Mage Akaman, so Luosen saw no need to punish her.

After thinking a moment, he said: "I plan to carefully study your soul and body; if you continue to cooperate as you are now, and if I happen to figure it out, as a reward I will help you free yourself from The Joyful One's control, if you wish."

Lifu shook her head without hesitation: "No no no, I don't want to leave my master. Either you send me back to my homeland, or give me a swift death."

Luosen's heart stirred: "Send me back to my homeland?"

"What, you still have a way to return?"

Lifu lightly nodded: "I do. Of course, the success rate isn't high; it would require Your Majesty to take considerable risk for me."

"But I won't let Your Majesty take risks for nothing, because I've lived over 300 years and still know lots and lots of information useful to Your Majesty."

"For example?"

Lifu immediately said another important piece of news: "For example, the Annihilation Goddess is joining forces with Antuanji to build a Sun Bridge directly connecting the two worlds' divine realms. As far as I know, this Sun Bridge is already half-completed."

"Once fully completed, the Annihilation Goddess will be able to directly enter this world's divine realm."

"I think Your Majesty certainly wouldn't want to see that, right?"

Luosen frowned slightly: "Of course."

He even conceived the idea of infiltrating the depths of nightmares to destroy the Sun Bridge.

Premise: the news about the Sun Bridge is true.

Lifu immediately said: "Your Majesty, would you like to hear the advice of this disciple of The Joyful One?"

Luosen slowly nodded: "Why not, let's hear it."

Lifu softly said: "To true gods, mortals are merely sheep to be tended; we, the apostles of true gods, are merely the gods' shepherds."

"With Your Majesty's supreme talent and exalted position in the mortal realm, it would be a terrible waste to remain a mortal; better to find a true god ally to gain the opportunity to ascend to true godhood."

"I believe that, with Your Majesty's talent, after ascending to true godhood, you could easily establish a firm foothold in the divine realm, and even become the new supreme of the divine realm like the Twin War Goddesses Elowi sisters."

"And this, is truly the path to eternity!"

Luosen listened quietly, after hearing, he countered: "Why would gods tend sheep?"

"To obtain more source power, a mighty force gathered from faith, which is the fuel of divine fire."

"The more faith, the brighter the divine fire burns, and the stronger the god becomes."

Luosen couldn't help but marvel again at the breadth of knowledge of this disciple of The Joyful One: "It seems you, too, wish to become a true god?"

Lifu sighed deeply: "Which mortal wouldn't want to become a true god?"

Luosen didn't fully agree with that statement, and of course didn't voice opposition.

He could also feel that, in that person's world, becoming a true god ought to be one of mortals' ultimate dreams.

Lifu, however, thought Luosen had been swayed by her words, and added: "Your Majesty, if you are interested in becoming a true god, let me contact my master so she can teach you how to ignite the divine fire."

Luosen's heart stirred: "Then, what is the price?"

"My master is a weak god, but also an ambitious one; she has long grown tired of surviving in the cracks of the old world."

"If Your Majesty can successfully ignite the divine fire in this world, I hope Your Majesty can become allies with my master, and in the new world carve out a foothold for her."

"And even if you do not wish to become a true god, you need not worry at all that my master will threaten your position in the mortal realm."

"Because your mortal strength is enough to easily oppose my master; without your cooperation, my master would also struggle to develop sufficient followers in the mortal realm, right?"

Truly a rational and humble otherworldly god, his words made Luosen feel somewhat moved.

Possessing the Radiant Scepter and with Laifu's assistance, he indeed had the qualifications to engage in some dealings with a weak otherworldly god.

After thinking, he nodded: "Fine, let me have a chat with your master."

(End of chapter)