Chapter 554: Acting as God

Above the gray fog, inside the palace that looked like a giant's

residence.

Seated in The Fool's chair, Klein raised his right hand, allowing the

Sea God Scepter to fly out of the junk pile and land in his palm.

He originally planned on placing this Sealed Artifact, that was on the

level of a Grade 1 Sealed Artifact, beside his chair. This was to show

respect to a demigod item, but after careful consideration, he believed

that the Sea God Scepter was still unable to match up with the

mysterious and powerful Fool, who was able to fight against the True

Creator and Primordial Demoness. Only a Card of Blasphemy was barely

qualified to match his status. Therefore, he threw the Sea God Scepter

into the junk pile.

Looking at the blue dots surrounding the white bone staff, Klein willed

them to split into preliminary categories.

Just as he had expected, those blue dots of light automatically split

according to his will. Those that merely praised Sea God and were

prayers with no clear reason sank to the bottom and then rapidly

disappeared. Those regarding confessions and pleas floated upward and

came closer to Klein's palm.

Following his spiritual intuition, he "tapped" one of the latter.

All of a sudden, he saw tall, surging waves and heard the violent

whistling of a gust of wind.

A fishing boat was bobbing up and down in the undulating deep blue sea,

as though it was ready to capsize at any moment.

Above the fishing boat, the natives were either hugging the mast or

pulling on ropes, making their last-ditch efforts to survive. Many of

them were panicking as they chanted the honorific name of Sea God.

Noticing that this was an ongoing prayer, Klein lifted the milky-white

scepter.

At the tip of the scepter, the blue-colored "gems" emitted a halo of

light one after another before they connected into one and shone onto

the scene.

The fishermen were gradually losing all hope when all of a sudden, they

felt the ship which had been thrown into the air stabilize.

They looked around in amazement and saw that the mountain-like waves had

calmed down at some point, and the raging winds were slowly calming

down, turning as mild as Zarhar beer.

The overbearing dark clouds in the sky dissipated, and a storm was

forcefully pushed back by a mysterious force before it could fully

assume its full form.

The fishermen quickly recovered from their dazed states and understood

what had happened.

Sea God has protected everyone! Sea God has shown his majesty!

Plop! Plop! Plop!

All of them prostrated themselves on the deck, spread their hands, and

placed them to their mouths, reciting the honorific name of Sea God in

an irregular fashion.

"Thank you, praise you. Adorer of the sea and spirit world, guardian of

the Rorsted Archipelago, ruler of the undersea creatures, master of

tsunamis and storms, the great Kalvetua!"

Above the gray fog, Klein felt a little depressed.

I was the one who saved you, so why are you thanking Kalvetua?

*That sea serpent will only deliberately create hurricanes, set off

waves, and intimidate you so that you would piously believe in

it...*

Klein fell silent for two seconds, then he suddenly burst out laughing.

*Kalvetua is already dead, and the current Kalvetua is another one of my

identities.*

*Why should I be in a bad mood when people are thanking my other

identity?*

*This is something a Faceless has to take note of when acting for real?

To fully immerse oneself in the role, treating all emotions one receives

as their own, but also never forgetting who they really are... This is

difficult to accomplish. Failure to pay attention to it can result in an

abnormal state of mind. And once a Beyonder's state of mind becomes

abnormal, they won't be far from losing control...*

After thinking for a while, Klein let out a sigh and chuckled to

himself.

Acting the role of Sea God has been quite rewarding after all.

*Although such acting doesn't provide feedback due to the gray fog's

screening and isolation nor does it facilitate the digestion of the

Faceless potion, it can provide me with experience and lessons, helping

me figure out a safer and more effective way of acting.*

Wrapping up his thoughts, Klein spread his spirituality to another point

of light.

This time, the plea came from under a bridge. A woman with tattered

clothes and a festering body was leaning against a corner, mumbling the

honorific name of Sea God as she made her final confession.

Through her descriptions, Klein seemed to have witnessed her short life.

She was a native woman whose parents believed in Sea God. As a result,

she inherited the faith of Sea God. In the first decade or so, her

father worked as a miner, repairing roads and laying the rails, while

her mother focused on temporary jobs---sewing, doing laundry, helping

out at the docks, and occasionally working as a street girl. Only then

did the family barely survive.

An abrupt change occurred two years ago. Her father had died during a

road repair accident, and the Rorsted Railroad Company had offered only

a pittance of compensation. This pushed the family onto a path of no

return.

Subsequently, the girl was sold to the Red Theater by her mother and

became a legal prostitute.

Although Emperor Roselle had long invented the condom, many pirates and

adventurers were unwilling to use one in their desire for momentary

pleasure. And since the Red Theater didn't enforce the use of condoms,

the girl's resistance was ineffective. All she could do was submit,

eventually getting infected with some disease.

The manager of the Red Theater had tried to provide her some simple

treatment, but seeing that she wasn't getting any better, she was chased

out because the cost of the follow-up treatment was obviously much

higher than the cost of buying another girl.

Not only was the ill girl unable to find a new job, but she didn't even

have the money to rent a house. Her mother and younger siblings had long

since disappeared, perhaps already dead or abducted to become slaves.

The girl became a tramp and lived under the bridge. She managed to

survive for some time thanks to the food and free medicine provided by

charity organizations.

But it was ultimately a short period of time. Her illness got worse and

worse, and her body became weaker and weaker. Very quickly, she reached

the end of her life.

At that moment, she recalled the days when she was the most well-fed and

dressed. She recalled the words that the pirates and adventurers would

occasionally say. She whispered and prayed to Sea God, "I want to live

like a human being..."

Klein once again raised his staff, but he found that this Sealed

Artifact didn't possess the ability to cure diseases.

He thought of purchasing some medicine from Emlyn White via The World,

but he found that the prayer scene happened at noon. The girl had

already passed away under the bridge, in mud and dirt, her body filled

with agony and intense hunger.

Klein was silent for a moment, then he raised the angle of the prayer

screen to reveal the location of the bridge.

After memorizing the characteristics of the nearby streets and the

surrounding area, Klein leaned back in his chair, sighed, and said with

an insincere smile, "What a humble wish.

"There isn't much of an opportunity to act... I'll try my best to bury

you like a human being..."

He retracted his attention and scanned the other points of light,

searching for someone he could act as, but he found nothing.

During this process, Klein noticed that Kalat, Edmonton, and the other

members of the Resistance were carrying out a ritual. They had placed a

batch of items on the altar, and they prayed for Sea God to imbue them

with power.

*So that's how they receive the Beyonder items they use for trade... To

be at the level of a demigod is truly different... Moreover, they're

used to not receiving any immediate replies. It's as if they plan to

leave the items on the altar the entire night... Apparently, that sea

serpent, Kalvetua, didn't respond immediately either. It depends on its

mood, or whether it was asleep or not. Otherwise, it could only respond

instinctively, unable to produce any Beyonder items in

batches...* Klein picked up the Sea God Scepter, making the blue

"gems" shine again.

Boundless spirituality magically merged together, gushing into the

prayer scene with transcendent vibes and randomly fusing with various

items.

*Some of them are Electric Shock charms, some that allow people to swim

in the sea like fish, some that allow a gale to blow... Within three

months, their spirituality would gradually decline to

nothingness...* Klein half-closed his eyes, feeling the changes

in the items.

Although he had only responded twice, he was already rather exhausted

despite mainly relying on the power of the Sea God Scepter. However, the

first response had to do with him forcibly dispersing a storm and

calming the waves, while the second response was to simultaneously

provide an "enchantment" to dozens of items. They were all at the level

of a demigod, so it was rather draining on his spirituality.

*Even if I frequently use the Sea God Scepter, I wouldn't be able to

last very long... On the other hand, the negative side effects wouldn't

be a burden on me. I can attempt to use it at times...*

*Yes, the situation with the Resistance reminded me. I can also pray to

myself and make a bunch of charms, mainly to allow me to do things

underwater. This way, even if I find myself in a sea battle, I wouldn't

be so restrained. Oh right, I still don't know how to make lightning

charms. I need to seek out the corresponding mysticism information, and

with it, I can deal with enemies who have air superiority...*

Klein silently muttered a few sentences and threw the Sea God Scepter

back into the junk pile while swiftly returning to the real world.

East Chester County. By the side door of a huge manor in the vast and

beautiful countryside.

Audrey Hall was dressed in a waist-fitting black riding suit with a

simple blouse lining her insides. She skillfully sat on the back of a

brownish-red mare without showing the slightest sign of wobbling.

Her black leather boots were in the stirrups, with her white trousers

slightly tucked into them. She smiled at Susie, who had a leather bag on

her back.

"I'll wait for you at the edge of the woods!"

With that, she bent down with the whip in her hand and let the

brownish-red mare gallop across the open field.

Compared to the gorgeous yet gloomy family castle, Audrey preferred the

beautiful manor and the scenery of the countryside.

One handsome horse after another came running out. The riders were

servants and maidservants, and their only mission was to protect Miss

Audrey.

Susie was also running happily, a feeling she couldn't experience in

Backlund.

Moreover, she and Audrey would have a little adventure today, and that

was exploring an ancient tower in the forest that had collapsed a long

time ago. The valuable items there had long been taken away, but there

had never been any accidents that happened there. It was a perfect place

for an inexperienced person to practice her various abilities.

The only problem was that it would be dark in two hours, and there might

not be enough time.