Chapter 31: First Sermon

Chapter 31: First Sermon

Klein felt not the slightest surprise at Patrick Bryan’s answer. He nodded gently and asked,

“Which life of yours is this?”

As far as he knew, an Undying would die once every sixty years, then revive once, forgetting the vast majority of their past memories and needing to slowly recover them afterward. It was like beginning a new life.

This was knowledge that came with the potion. Patrick Bryan easily understood what the favored one opposite him meant. After weighing his words, he said,

“I am not yet fifty. It has been less than ten years since I became an Undying.”

Klein naturally followed up:

“When did you convert to my Lord?”

The “Lord” here referred to the Lord of the Underworld.

Bryan thought back for two or three seconds.

“At that time, I had just passed my thirtieth birthday.”

Only entering the world of mysticism and walking the Beyonder path at thirty, then becoming a Sequence 4 demigod before forty… This speed either means his talent is astonishing, or it means he is very likely a favored one… Heh, as expected, during that ritual, both his spirit and body were affected by the Uniqueness of the Death pathway… As Klein listened, he thought, becoming even more certain of his previous conjecture.

Of course, compared to Klein himself, who had gone from an ordinary person to a Sequence 4 demigod in only a year, Patrick Bryan’s speed of advancement was not worth mentioning.

Klein, however, did not feel there was anything to sigh about in that regard, because he truly was a favored one. And he also had external cheats—more than one.

The only question was whether the remuneration currently exchanged for those gifts had already become sufficient.

After pondering for a moment, Klein changed the subject and asked,

“What is your public identity right now?”

“I am a businessman. I own two ready-made clothing factories in Backlund. On the surface, I believe in the Evernight Goddess and support the New Party…” Patrick Bryan introduced himself.

Klein nearly let out a “heh,” but continued asking,

“How many members of the Numinous Episcopate do you command, and what are they doing?”

Bryan had clearly prepared. He answered smoothly,

“Two small groups, twelve Beyonders. Some work in my clothing factories, while others work at clock shops. Each has a proper occupation.

“Under normal circumstances, they carefully and cautiously spread God’s faith among those around them. Progress in that respect is very slow, and it is not our main objective. The total number of believers does not exceed one hundred.

“Most of the time, they gather clues regarding the various things God left behind, as well as the different materials required for awakening rituals.

“Once we have clues, we launch corresponding operations. And when the materials are complete, we experiment with different awakening rituals to find the most effective one. I am the presider of the operations, and also the core element of the rituals.”

He sounds rather proud… Klein asked about several other matters as well, receiving detailed answers for each.

In the end, after thinking for a while, he spoke with a solemn expression:

“Obeying God’s oracle, from this moment on, you will follow my instructions.”

Patrick Bryan immediately stood and gave a formal bow.

“Yes, Your Excellency Favored One.”

Klein nodded slightly.

“First, stop every ritual and cease gathering materials. God has already preliminarily awakened and is now in the process of recovering. You must not allow noisy ‘voices’ to disturb Him.”

In Klein’s view, no matter how Bryan and the others changed the form of their awakening rituals, the final target was always the artificial Death—the Uniqueness of the Death pathway. This would further activate it, which was unfavorable to the Goddess’s deeper control.

And regardless of whether Klein was happy to see such a situation occur, since the Evernight Goddess had already sent Bryan to him, he had no choice but to make this…