Chapter 510: The War of Faith

"Nightwalker Ranod?"

"That patron of gamblers and thieves, the guy the Divine Lord specifically warned us to watch out for before we set off!"

Upon hearing this, the other three Apostles could not help but sit up straight; suppressing His faith was a bonus point Sinuoli had emphasized. Yet, aside from Dadan'ang in the Border Prince Territory, the other two had not even seen a shadow of His followers.

"That's right. Before I converted to the Divine Lord, I knew there were quite a few in the Tilean Federation—casinos, brothels, black markets for fencing stolen goods, and so on."

Duoluomao took out a cigarette and lit it—smoking in the narrow, damp ship cabin should have been strictly forbidden, but the other three Apostles were all captivated by his story.

"After returning to the Republic of Paiwena, I reorganized my old troops, developed them into followers, and then went knocking on their doors one by one."

"Compared to the Lady of the Lake or the Sea God, His abilities are just a small puddle. What about the War Goddess? Dadan'ang says Estalia is Her earthly Divine Kingdom."

Peter smoothed his brow and asked. In the Old World, where humans were dominant and productivity had yet to see massive development, traveling abroad was still a rare occurrence for the vast majority of the lower and middle classes. The two Apostles who had long resided in Bretonnia were unclear about how much influence Ranod had.

"It's much worse than that. Every major city in Tilea has a magnificent temple to Myrmidia, but that guy is only fit to hide in the gutters."

Duoluomao did not exaggerate his own achievements; Sinuoli's fairness was the main reason he had defected—this mercenary captain had realized long ago that short-lived races could hardly reach the peak on their own, so he had extensively examined the return-on-investment of the various gods.

"My God takes Justice as the foundation of His existence, so in conflict, I seek to have a legitimate reason. I don't strike at casinos directly; instead, I first gather evidence of their cheating, wait for them to be shamed into anger and strike first, and then unleash thunderous measures."

"Casinos have nothing more than a bunch of thugs, which can't stop mercenaries who make a living on the edge of a blade. What about His priests? What kind of methods have they used?"

Yagebu, who had rich combat experience, grasped the key point. In the Arden Forest, the Knight lords could not charge on horseback as they pleased, and the Prophetess under the Lady of the Lake had instead become the main force.

"The ones in the casinos were indeed very poor; they only used little tricks like flipping dice or changing the suits of playing cards. The petty thieves, madams, and pimps were all the same. After I overturned half the street, the Yingcheng Zhuzhu showed up; he was the only one with some real skill."

"The subordinates I developed are like that; I have to be careful even with my own, so how could I have any wealth to squander on them?"

"Since you can sit here, I suppose you defeated him."

"Not bad. I didn't personally handle the previous minor skirmishes. That guy didn't know my background and thought I was changing professions to snatch his territory. When fighting with Divine Art, seizing the initiative is very important. You all have experience—under supernatural power, the human body is too fragile."

Duoluomao's sharing benefited the other three Apostles quite a bit. To avoid angering the Lady of the Lake and inviting a thunderous blow, the two from Bretonnia both prioritized running and tried their best to avoid confrontation.

"But the smooth part ended there. Uprooting a core priest drew His attention, and the Black Blade—the lethal assassin group under His command—began to act. If it weren't for the protection of the Divine Lord and a group of loyal brothers, I would have died at least three times."

"The great power of the Divine Lord is lent to us in different ways. Since our dioceses are adjacent, I'll share a bit more. Alchemy can not only be used to turn enemies into gold, but it is also feasible to buff yourself for self-preservation when necessary."

The old mercenary's tone was flat, but the others could guess how heart-stopping it must have been at the time. He had risked so much to turn himself into a golden statue to block a fatal blow or to suppress the spread of a lethal poison.

"Black Blade, huh? It seems some people in the Border Prince Territory also hire them. So what did you do? Tongshanbao didn't have the spare capacity to support me, and it owed you nothing either. Don't tell me you drank those Clan elders under the table and borrowed a great army!"

Dadan'ang muttered again. The vacancy in the Vault Mountains made him feel uneasy, but after all, the recovery of Eight Peaks was the top priority of the Mountain Kingdom, and he had no way to coordinate it even if he reported it to Sinuoli.

"Assassins, assassins—they are only a huge threat when in the shadows. I left a few alive and followed them to their lair. Whoever can command the militant church guards is either the Dapushou or close to it."

"That's too risky. Your subordinates with combat power only number about a hundred, right?" The most cautious Peter reached toward his scepter. Duoluomao could tail them, but couldn't those professional assassins do the same?

"After many twists and turns, I locked onto their gathering point in Sartosa—the land of pirates. That place has changed hands repeatedly throughout history and has been ravaged. The buildings on the island are a patchwork of ruins from various periods, and the true core is in the caves carved into the sea cliffs."

The pirates of Sartosa, the Black Ark of the Dark Elves, and the Norsca-Lueduozhe riding longships are listed together, collectively known as the four great island groups along with Nipeng in the Far East. The "Strait of Bandits" and "Haidao Yongliu"—these place names, household words among Old World sailors—originated precisely because of them.

"The Assassin—the leader of the Black Blade—uses a combination of coercion and inducement to control quite a few forces. But the good news is that there are many who want to cause them trouble, and one of them, by a stroke of luck, formed an alliance with me. Why do you think this busy sea route of ours is so calm?"

"Naturally, it's because the Divine Lord won a surprise victory in that great naval battle at the mouth of Blackwater Bay, wiping out the three major pirate groups led by Noctilus in one fell swoop! Many sailors in Bordeleaux wear Amulets engraved with His image because of it!"

Peter answered loudly, snatching the chance. As a scholar-type figure who had received systematic aristocratic education, his breadth of knowledge was the widest among the Twelve Apostles.

"That's right. Those Vampire Coast pirates have been a scourge for over a hundred years, and countless people bullied by him have ended up with no bones left. A dozen years ago, he attacked Sartosa, slaughtered the entire family of an old navigator named Luosi, and seized his life's collection and research results regarding the Graveyard of Sunken Ships."

"Jiege Luosi, his youngest son, was away on a long voyage at the time and escaped the disaster. This man swore to avenge the destruction of his family, hiding his identity to develop forces and befriend heroes. He tried once, but the Xuexing Lueduozhe Hao was not something mortals could resist. Barely escaping with his life, just as he was lost, the Divine Lord and the fleet from Haimenguan cleared away his Grudge."

Duoluomao had also connected with Captain Luosi by chance. Repaying the favor was only one aspect; having witnessed the power of the master of the Graveyard of Sunken Ships, he knew even better what kind of great power had annihilated it. Whether pirate or adventurer, their future was limited after all.

"We joined forces and wiped out several peripheral Shenkan and illicit shrines, forcing that Assassin to act personally. Although we had set a trap, it still spat out a hook and broke free. You can guess that he has quite a few Divine Arts that others don't; he almost has the ability to steal the heavens and change the sun."