Chapter 3644: The Conflict
Editor: Nyoi-Bo Studio
A trace of excitement appeared in Meng Qingyu’s eyes.
Gods were able to enhance the overall strength of the entire pirate crew, and were extremely rare; what was usually found outside were low-level defective ones.
The ones placed inside the royal treasury were all high-grade goods.
At the very least, they were mid-tier gods.
Willow said, "All of the gods currently possessed by the Empire are here. You may choose any one of them. If you cannot make a decision today, you may return another time."
Each god was sealed inside a glass case.
The glass cases suppressed the gods’ power, making it difficult to perceive from the outside.
A professional god priest might have been able to roughly judge a god’s level from details such as shape and structure.
And the difference in a god’s level directly determined its strength.
In the past, when others came to choose a god, they usually had to bring several priests, study and discuss for multiple visits before making a decision.
Sometimes the process dragged on for months.
"There is no need."
As Fang Heng spoke, the God’s Eye hidden beneath his hood spun rapidly.
He saw it!
The god on the far right was emitting a faint blue glow, and its reaction to the power of faith was the strongest.
Hm?
Grand Mage Brandon narrowed his eyes slightly. Watching Fang Heng walk straight toward the god with the strongest power, surprise appeared in his gaze.
This brat!
How had he judged in such a short time that this god possessed the strongest power?
Had information been leaked?
Probably not.
Brandon shook his head inwardly.
He was in charge of the royal treasury. He was the only one who knew which god was the strongest.
Fang Heng stopped in front of the glass case and pointed at the dark-red witch-like god statue.
"This one."
Willow looked toward Brandon.
Brandon asked, "Are you certain?"
"Yes."
"Very well."
Brandon nodded lightly, stepped forward, and placed his hand on the glass case.
Buzz...
Dense defensive runes appeared across the surface of the glass.
The runes faded a moment later.
Two guards stepped forward and together removed the heavy protective cover.
At once, a red aura filled with sea elemental power leaked out from the god. In an instant, a faint red mist spread throughout the royal treasury.
Fang Heng stood still and felt the power emanating from the god.
In addition to the power of faith, there was also a cold sea elemental force.
It was very different from the god they had found earlier in the Skeleton Pirate Crew.
Was it tied to a different faith in this world?
[Hint: The player discovered a high-tier god-corresponding deity (unknown).]
[Hint: The player’s fleet can bind to this god.]
[Hint: After installation, the player’s fleet can receive the god’s bonuses.]
Fang Heng slowly reached a hand toward the god.
"Whoosh!"
The instant his right hand touched the god, a surge of power poured out from within it and rapidly invaded his body through his arm.
Fang Heng frowned.
Again!
The red energy quickly poured into his sea of consciousness.
The hell power within his sea of consciousness was stimulated once more. It instantly devoured the foreign power and then surged outward in violent retaliation.
Not good!
Fang Heng’s expression shifted. He immediately withdrew his hand and forcibly restrained the hell aura rushing back toward the god.
The god trembled slightly.
Hm?
At the side, Brandon sensed something and looked at Fang Heng with suspicion.
What had that been just now?
It was as if the god had been stimulated by some external force.
Backlash?
That kind of situation was extremely rare. It only occurred when two gods came into direct contact.
Because of the conflict between the gods, the two powers would attempt to destroy each other with full force until one of them shattered completely.
Had he seen it wrong?
Brandon began to doubt himself.
Seeing Fang Heng stop in place, Meng Qingyu quietly reminded him, "Commander?"
"Mhm. Put it away for me first."
Fang Heng thought to himself that this was troublesome.
This god was still too weak. Compared to the hell power inside his body, it was simply too fragile to withstand it.
Willow also sensed that something had happened in that fleeting instant, but she could not tell what. Her gaze shifted toward Brandon, and she saw the same confusion on his face.
Meng Qingyu had no idea what had happened. He stepped forward, stored away the god, and suffered no backlash at all.
Willow said, "After becoming a royal Chamber of Commerce member, your Chamber of Commerce must complete a certain number of royal tasks each month. In addition, during emergencies, you may be summoned by the royal family and may not refuse. If your performance falls below standard for a period of time due to failing routine assignments, the royal family has the right to revoke your royal Chamber of Commerce status and reclaim the god."
"We will not fail Your Highness’s trust."
Willow nodded lightly and watched as Fang Heng and Meng Qingyu departed with the god. Then she turned to Grand Mage Brandon and asked, "Mr. Brandon, did you notice anything just now?"
"Mhm."
Brandon nodded.
"I am afraid this commander is hiding more than a few secrets."
...
After leaving the treasury, Fang Heng and Meng Qingyu bid farewell to the princess’s group and headed straight for the military office to check the special missions issued by the royal family.
Completing missions would earn corresponding Empire points and increase reputation.
Fang Heng asked, "Can you bind a god?"
"Huh?" Meng Qingyu froze for a moment, then replied, "Your Majesty, I am not the commander. Although I can attempt to bind a god, I cannot complete the main storyline."
"I see. I’ve run into a bit of trouble."
Fang Heng had calculated everything, but he had never expected the mission to get stuck at this step. He briefly explained that he was unable to bind a god.
Meng Qingyu’s heart jumped, and his expression changed several times.
"What? Do you know what’s going on?"
"Your Majesty, I have actually heard of a case like yours. I think it may be because you already possess some higher-tier form of faith power, such as holy power."
Holy power?
Fang Heng narrowed his eyes slightly and said, "Explain more clearly."
"I heard that another team once had a player who followed the sacred study path. He was completely unable to use a god’s power. It was just as you described. Forcing the use of a god would trigger backlash."
"And after that? Was the problem solved?"
"Later, he went to Sea God Island. The priests there believed that different faith powers coexisted inside him. As for what happened afterward, I do not know. That player eventually left the Black Sea game world."
Fang Heng rubbed his chin.
Because different faith powers existed within the body, the two could not coexist.
That did seem plausible.
However, the source of the backlash inside his body was not holy power, but hell power.
Perhaps holy power was gentler by comparison, while hell power was far more volatile?
"Your Majesty, I suggest we go to Sea God Island and ask the Sea God priests. They call themselves followers of the Sea God and possess the power to control the ocean. No one understands the power of gods better than they do."
