Chapter 997

Nagris and Anthony exchanged a glance, then both looked at the silver coin, which nodded.

These fellows were well-coordinated; a single glance was enough to understand each other. Anthony smiled and said, “I am indeed the reincarnation of the Omniscient. Are you still my priest?”

These words carried deep meaning. The old priest carefully studied Anthony, then after a long pause, bowed and placed his hand over his chest. “I am the priest of the Omniscient. Who the Omniscient Master is doesn’t matter. If you can provide food for ten million people, I am your priest.”

“Good.” Anthony nodded in satisfaction. “I can provide food for ten million people. But how I get it is none of your concern. Will you cooperate?”

The old priest hesitated, glancing at the silver coin.

The silver coin pulled out a stack of large-denomination food vouchers, unfurled them so he could clearly see each denomination. After careful counting, they totaled roughly one hundred thousand tons—far short of what ten million people needed.

But it didn’t matter. These vouchers weren’t for him; they were merely a display of strength. He glanced at them once, then the silver coin tucked them away.

“Only actual food counts. I’ll cooperate with you for two days. If I don’t see real food within two days, you’re impostors,” the old priest said.

Anthony smiled. “I have heard your words. Omniscient Sea, lead the way.”

The old priest suddenly felt a daze, as if the Master had truly spoken into his ear. He instinctively looked at Anthony.

Anthony’s expression was gentle, yet his eyes radiated authority, exuding an aura of quiet command. The old priest’s heart tightened, and he instinctively averted his gaze.

But as soon as he looked away, he seemed to realize something, frowned, lifted his head—but his eyes still didn’t return to Anthony. After two seconds of hesitation, he turned his body sideways and made a gesture of invitation, then bowed his head and led the way ahead with submissive posture.

Ang and the others followed. Nagris couldn’t hold back and leaned close to Anthony, whispering, “What are you two hinting at?”

Anthony whispered back: “He knows we’re not the Omniscient God. I know he knows we’re not the Omniscient God. I asked him to cooperate with me, to let others believe I am the Omniscient God. He said he doesn’t care who the Omniscient Master is—but he wants to be the god’s priest, and he demands real food. I told him he can be the god’s priest, but how the food is obtained is none of his concern.”

He said he would only cooperate for two days—if he doesn’t see food within that time, he’ll kill us. I told him I understood, then I unleashed a hint of divine majesty. He was stunned—but quickly recovered, tried to glare at me, but ultimately bowed down.

Nagris stared in disbelief. “Damn, all that back-and-forth happened in just a few sentences? This old man isn’t simple.”

Anthony nodded. “Yes. A qualified high priest.”

Nagris snorted. “Qualified? He shows no reverence to the god—he even dares say ‘who the god is doesn’t matter.’ His piety is limited.”

Anthony smiled, raising his voice slightly. “I actually admire this attitude. He keeps stressing the need for real food—likely there’s little food left here. Does he preserve reverence for the god and let his followers starve, or does he first save his followers’ lives and worry about piety later? I believe he’s already made his choice. If he cooperates with me, I guarantee ample food supplies.”

The old priest ahead twitched his ears, but it was unclear whether he heard Anthony’s words.

After saying that, Anthony lowered his voice again. “In a faith with tens of millions of followers, there are pragmatists, slackers, and ambitious ones. He represents only one faction. So I asked him to cooperate—having an insider helps. At the right moment, he can play the part of a stooge and save me a lot of setup.”

Nagris and the silver coin couldn’t help but give Anthony a thumbs-up.

Soon, they followed the old priest to the end of the dock, where a dirigible was moored. But this dirigible was strange—not like a normal Void Airship, but more like the Unicorn’s Half-Submersible, round and fully enclosed, with almost no portholes visible.

“Looks like it runs underwater, just like the Unicorn,” Nagris said.

Anthony nodded. “Makes sense. Here, water is equivalent to the sky in other realms. If you can’t enter the water, you can’t fly.”

The group boarded the half-submersible. Anthony looked at the old priest. “Your name.”

The old priest replied, “Just call me Old Koni.”

“Hmm—?” Anthony drew out the sound, his tone stern. He asked again: “Is this how you serve your Master? Priest—your name.”

The old priest stiffened. After a long pause, he turned around, placed both hands over his chest, and bowed with a professional, devout expression. “Omniscient Master, my name is Koseni. I listen to your decree.”

Anthony finally nodded in satisfaction. “Go. Omniscient Sea.”

Koseni gave the orders. The crew aboard the half-submersible began operating in sequence. Soon, the vessel trembled, slowly rose, ascended through the sky’s water curtain, and finally plunged into the water.

Nagris hurried over. Anthony quietly explained: “He agreed to cooperate for two days, but his attitude was disrespectful. I was warning him.”

“You god-fakers, all of you are so… so…” Nagris couldn’t find the right word. Every sentence had multiple layers—like riddles.

Suddenly, the half-submersible’s hull glided through layers of electric sparks. The vessel began to move. Ang, who had been listlessly daydreaming, and Du Luo, who had been gazing around aimlessly, both turned their heads toward the hull at the same moment.

Nagris immediately sidled up to Du Luo. Clearly, they had noticed something—but asking Ang was hard; Du Luo was easier to understand.

Du Luo said: “It’s a very unique movement method. Like a lightning sled. The lightning element within the surrounding water elements is pulling the half-submersible.”

“Uh, lightning sled—or sled of lightning?” Nagris confirmed again.

“Sled of lightning. The sled of lightning. It’s the same method used to move Titans—except here, Titans are replaced by the half-submersible. A very unique movement method, clearly adapted to this environment rich in lightning elements.”

“So this environment suits Lightning Horses and Titans well. Ang, can you summon a Thunder Titan to play with?” Nagris asked.

Ang tilted his head in confusion, then pointed at himself.

Nagris instantly understood. “Oh, right—I forgot. You’re the one who skewered Titans with the Spear of Lightning. This place suits you too.”

The half-submersible sailed underwater for several hours, then suddenly plunged downward, its entire hull entering a massive air bubble.

“Sss— The lightning elements here are dozens of times more abundant than in the last bubble. I suspect these priests aren’t unaware of how to break the seals—they simply can’t find materials capable of channeling such intense lightning energy.” Nagris exclaimed, sensing the lightning elements.

At that moment, a thunderous voice boomed: “Who dares intrude into the Omniscient Sea? Die!”

Koseni’s face changed. Anthony’s face changed too. He sharply turned to Koseni and muttered: “I won’t become Gulliani, will I?”