Beating Instances through Words Left by the Dead

Chapter 716 - 323: The Contested Land (Part 3)

This drove King Ogri mad, applying enormous pressure on the National Church, and for faith’s sake, the church had to muster all its capabilities.

According to Ernst, it was the Great Saint Mother who took action through the Earthly Divine Kingdom.

Both sides suffered severe losses; Da Gang tore apart the temporary projection of the Great Saint Mother, while he himself was gravely injured.

With his Divine Power severely depleted and in urgent need of rest, Da Gang intended to replenish some Power of Faith at Briff Island, only to discover upon arrival that despite all the evangelism efforts, not a shred of faith had grown here.

When Da Gang visited Mayor Harrison’s home, he found the Deep Sea Bible, meant to praise the Lord, being used by Harrison as a stand for Erin’s statue, and this thoroughly enraged Da Gang.

Since that day, Briff has been under Da Gang’s oppressive control. He forced the islanders to convert within a set time frame, or he would not spare them.

As the sinner who desecrated the Deep Sea Bible, Harrison was the first to be selected.

Da Gang sewed the Deep Sea Bible onto Harrison’s skin and demanded that Harrison personally smash the statue of Erin outside the Great Cathedral, or face death.

Harrison’s response was to tear the Bible off his skin painfully, shred it to pieces, and then spit on it.

After Da Gang eliminated Harrison, Morena, the highest-ranking person in town, became the acting mayor, and Da Gang extended Harrison’s ultimatum to Morena.

Smash the statue or die.

Later came the scene witnessed by Wu Chang and Erin upon entering Briff village.

Listening to Morena’s account, Erin showed a look of compassion. She used Holy Light to carry Harrison’s body from inside the cathedral and buried it beneath the Tree of Miracles.

Compared to Erin, Wu Chang’s focus was more on the intelligence itself.

Da Gang had not previously focused on Briff Island because he was always blocking the Ogri Kingdom, more precisely, preventing the National Church from claiming Briff Island.

Once he realized the Master of the Deep Sea was being neglected, he showed no mercy toward Briff islanders, even when controlled by Wu Chang, threatening to massacre the islanders to make Wu Chang cease his actions.

This indicates that Briff Island’s importance lies in the island itself, not its inhabitants.

This is corroborated by Archbishop Gelman, who immediately chose to expel all islanders after sealing Briff Island.

This implies that there’s a secret on Briff Island that attracts both the Master of the Deep Sea and the Great Saint Mother, prompting them to wage war to seize it.

The Master of the Deep Sea likely knew the secret long ago, while the Great Saint Mother’s side, as Morena suggested, discovered it through the Count’s Manor, Seaside Lighthouse, and Ebert’s Cottage.

These locations are coincidentally all connected to Count Jermaine and his Artificial God plan.

This reminded Wu Chang of the intelligence about Count Jermaine; Jermaine was the earliest to realize that sea lanes represented the kingdom’s future and was also an early investor in maritime business.

His emphasis on the sea surpassed any noble in the Ogri Kingdom.

Regarding combat, he didn’t choose to join the navy; regarding trade, upon receiving his fief, he didn’t opt for a more popular port but chose Briff Island.

Maybe he had secretly been collaborating with deep-sea forces for a long time.

In the past, Count Jermaine used the Golden Flying Fish to curse the islanders with the Fishmen’s curse and controlled the islanders through fish addiction.

Wu Chang transformed into part of the Sea Race after consuming the Golden Flying Fish. The Sea God told him that the oceanic bloodline within him shared the same origin as the Evil God Remains. He once wondered how Count Jermaine obtained Golden Flying Fish with the Evil God Remains’ bloodline aura.

If they had always worked together, everything would make sense.

There was collaboration between Count Jermaine and the Deep Sea Power, but Ebert, who assisted Jermaine in completing the Artificial God plan, seemed nearly oblivious to this, neither informing the church nor showing this in his grievances.

This implies that Count Jermaine’s ambitions were vast. Perhaps the Artificial God wasn’t his real plan but merely the starting point of his plans.

Further preparations would commence after deification.

It’s a pity that such a perfect plan did not even wait for a crucial first step before Wu Chang ended it.

Wu Chang glanced at Harrison being buried, and the Tree of Miracles behind him.

The Tree of Miracles taking root here signifies that Briff Island has become part of Erin’s large Divine Kingdom.

Wu Chang not only thwarted Count Jermaine’s plan but also used Jermaine’s plan to help Erin become an Artificial God. Now, even the fief and the islanders that Jermaine cherished have become his possessions.

Isn’t this a form of NTR?

Having sorted out the causes and effects on Briff Island, Wu Chang turned his thoughts from the past back to the present.

Based on existing intelligence, there are now two problems that need solving.

The first is what secret Briff Island hides that made the Great Saint Mother decide to completely seal off the place upon discovery and prompted the Fishmen, who had always hidden in the deep sea, to reveal themselves and start a war with the Ogri Kingdom for Briff Island.

When entering Briff Island, he casually searched the Count’s Manor and found nothing valuable left behind. He initially thought the islanders took everything, but now it seems all the items were taken away by Archbishop Gelman.

To uncover the island’s secret, he might need to ask the Master of the Sea, or Archbishop Gelman.

The second problem comes from the Fishmen.

From Fishman Ernst’s description, it’s evident that the Fishmen exist to offset the Master of the Deep Sea’s weaknesses, naturally endowed with the Talent to destroy ships.

They rely on this talent to keep the Ogri Kingdom’s fleet at bay in the Briev Sea Region, preventing them from gaining ground.

But now, due to Da Gang’s command, all the Fishmen confronting the Ogri fleet have come to Briff Island and have been completely captured by him.

Thus, it’s inevitable that the crazed Ogri fleet, incited by the prince’s death, will discover the Fishmen’s disappearance and soon arrive at Briff Island.

Just when he was worried about where to borrow ships to ram the Evil God Remains, here they are being delivered.