Sea-Going Maiden

Isabelle remained silent.

Yu Yao said cautiously, "I know you're an Apostle... I can feel the oppressive weight of the Power of Faith on you. It's different from the Sparks we carry."

She twisted her fingers together. "I mean no harm. I haven't hurt anyone."

Isabelle said coldly, "Answer my questions, and then I'll consider your suggestion."

"Whose believer are you? What are you doing here?"

"..."

Yu Yao hesitated for a moment. "I am a believer of the Prayer God, from the Donghai Clan of a low realm dimension. My true name is Haicheng Yao, and I am the Prophet of the Donghai Clan."

"The reason I appear in the High Realm Dimension is also by divine decree."

"Our clan can birth Sea Monsters through mating. The purer the bloodline, the more powerful the Sea Monster it can produce. But for the branch bloodlines, they must rely on the power of the Deity Totem for assistance."

"In the Divine Realm of this High Realm Dimension, the Donghai Clan mates with latent deities to birth even more powerful Sea Monsters. This is the mission of those of us chosen as 'Sea-Going Maidens.'"

"We birth powerful Sea Monsters for the clan, offering our strength to the Flame of Faith of the deities."

"It's just that... I disobeyed the deity's command and escaped."

She lowered her head, a look of shame on her face.

Isabelle remained unmoved. "So, the Prayer God summoned you to the High Realm Dimension to have you bear Sea Monsters with other men?"

Yu Yao nodded. "Our clan's bloodline is special. I can conceive and give birth to a baby in just one day."

"Why did you run?"

"...I don't know."

The woman's face showed a look of confusion.

"On the first day I arrived, I was normal, just like before. I gave birth to a Sea Monster baby with a man from the Divine Realm. I felt proud at the time, because I was contributing to the great deity and the entire clan."

"But on the second day, after the deity found me a man to mate with and he gave me money, I suddenly felt a little sick."

"On the third day, I felt very scared... By the fourth day, I felt like I had become a different person. I started to question whether what I was doing was right."

Yu Yao's voice trembled slightly, and her body seemed to tense up from fear.

"I think... I'm turning into a monster. When individuals from a low realm dimension enter a high realm dimension, they gradually become monsters due to the distortion of Rule Power. This is something all 'Sea-Going Maidens' know."

She said in a low voice, "I know I'll be caught eventually. It's just a matter of time."

"In this world where only deities are qualified to survive, I only have fifteen days to live."

"Twelve days have already passed. I have three days left. After three days, I'll end myself before I completely turn into a monster."

"Actually, I can already feel it. Now I love eating raw meat and drinking fresh blood... So I have to secretly buy live fish and hide to eat these things."

Through Isabelle's eyes, Lu Yao coldly observed Yu Yao.

There was one question she had never directly answered.

Isabelle raised it.

"The Prayer God just let you run away like that?"

"...I don't know why, either. Maybe He's busy with more important things. Someone as insignificant as me is completely unimportant to the Prayer God."

"Prophets like me, transformed by a deity, are just like Heroes and you Apostles. We have the Faith Spark sown by the Prayer God inside us. I cannot defy or overstep Him in any way. Doing so would let the Flame of Faith consume me instantly."

Lu Yao told Isabelle through her eyes, "Ask her why she chose that man earlier."

Yu Yao's explanation was: "I suspected he might also be a deity."

"When I saw him, he was very cautious and started talking to me on his own. At the time, I thought he might have discovered my identity, so I followed him."

"Only a deity can oppose a deity. If he really was a deity, then perhaps he could grant me a Blessing, letting me escape the Prayer God's punishment and continue living."

"Unfortunately, he was just an ordinary person from the High Realm Dimension."

Yu Yao didn't hide her disappointment. "The reason I followed him was that it made it harder to be exposed, and it was convenient for me to keep searching for a true deity."

"So you pretended to be lovers with him?"

"Yes."

Yu Yao let out a laugh. "I have no feelings for him, and I won't hurt him. To me, he's just a piece of clothing to hide myself."

Lu Yao sighed as he listened.

Old Zhou had fallen into his girlfriend's hands again.

"Understood."

Isabelle nodded. "Do you have anything else to say?"

Yu Yao seemed to sense something and said nervously, "Don't kill me. I just want to live... I haven't hurt anyone."

Suddenly, a yellow, sticky liquid seeped out from the car's seats, cushions, and door cracks.

This liquid silently and tightly adhered to Isabelle, like Gummy Candy, quickly wrapping her into a solid lump of gel.

Yu Yao sat in her seat, a strange smile on her face.

"It really worked." She licked her lips.

Before she could celebrate for long, Yu Yao's gaze suddenly turned dazed.

"I... what am I doing here?"

"What's wrong with me?"

"Who am I?"

"Where am I?"

"What is this?"

Confusion surfaced in Yu Yao's eyes. She looked at her own hands, then at Isabelle beside her, who resembled yellow gel, and was startled herself.

"What is this thing?"

Her eyes widened. Visibly, she had lost that previous calm rationality, becoming erratic and distracted, her gaze unfocused.

At that moment, the gel began to melt, receding from Isabelle like a tide. Everything played out in reverse, and soon there was no trace of the yellow liquid inside the car.

Isabelle continued to gaze at Yu Yao, as if nothing had happened.

"My lord, the Beast Transformation Ritual has stripped her of reason and cognition. She could degenerate into a beast at any moment."

Isabelle lowered her head, her gaze falling to her chest.

Only then did Lu Yao notice the small black sculpture hanging from her neck—the Statue of the Flayer. Once the Beast Transformation Ritual was activated, the person stared at by the statue's many eyes would become the sacrificial offering.

In its place, a small, pale flame floated above Yu Yao's head.

"This is the Power of Faith gained from the ritual."

Isabelle raised her hand, and the flame burrowed into her palm.

Lu Yao immediately saw a +10 symbol.

This Beast Transformation Ritual had yielded 10 points of faith.

Isabelle requested, "My lord, please allow me to execute her. If she fully transforms or mutates, there will be unpredictable risks."

"Finish it quickly," Lu Yao said.

He could tell that Isabelle was exercising great restraint, deliberately baiting Yu Yao into attacking.

The reason wasn't hard to grasp—through this live demonstration, Isabelle was showing Lu Yao the danger of a low-realm individual losing control after entering a high realm.

Isabelle punched straight through Yu Yao's chest.

The female prophet of the Donghai Clan slowly lost the light in her eyes.

Soon, only a black silhouette remained in the seat beside her, like ash after burning.

The ash covered a yellow stone.

Isabelle picked up the stone, got out of the car, and closed the door.

Thanks to Chongyang Shennong for supporting 100 Qidian coins, and Star Moon River for supporting 100 Qidian coins.