A divine contract

On the bustling street.

Soren moved forward, completely shrouded in his cloak. He didn't have a very good impression of Amazon Women, especially their attitude of treating men as breeding tools. The two most despicable types of females in the world were the Drow and the Amazon Women. If you were foolish enough to spend money seeking pleasure from them, you'd end up feeling like the one being played, and if you weren't strong enough, they'd look at you with a mixture of pity and contempt.

Soren's fighting prowess is beyond question!

He could even handle the most depraved and lewd Drow of the Underdark, so he certainly wouldn't be at a disadvantage against these Amazon Warrior. However, these women were far too savage. If you weren't as strong as them, they could ride on you for most of the night, until you felt like they were riding you, not the other way around. Please forgive Soren for using such a vulgar phrase, but in reality, these women were just that difficult to deal with; it was best to keep your distance from them.

Moreover, Amazon Women are notoriously ruthless; one moment they're intimate with you, the next, if a conflict of interest arises, they'll turn on you.

You absolutely cannot apply the same views you have about ordinary women to them!

The night in Port Tyler was far from peaceful.

Soren weaved through the crowds, occasionally spotting some dangerous individuals— Trade. Their goods were diverse, including human species; natives were part of the Trade. Women and children were sold to the Black Market for Slave, while men were sent to work in the mines. The battle between the natives of the Soros Islands and Soren and Soren had never ceased. The tavern's clamor lasted until dawn; every day, unlucky souls were either robbed or lost their lives there.

The area near the temple was relatively quiet.

People's fear of Evil God was more real than their love for benevolent gods; no one dared to cause trouble near the temple of the Goddess of the Sea unless they were tired of living. Instead, when passing by the Temple of the Sea, they would offer a token prayer, asking the Goddess of the Sea to protect them from disaster. The Goddess of the Sea was a vengeful Deity; if you dared not offer a sacrifice this year, she would dare to unleash giant waves and send Sea Monster to destroy a fleet the following year. Without quelling her anger, such calamities could last for a long time.

Even pirates would nominally offer sacrifices every year, holding a large-scale ritual of offering sacrifices to the Deity!

There were almost no Guard in front of the temple.

However, the Temple of the Sea is connected to the underground Seawater, and the temple is surrounded by a bottomless pool of water. There are sea monsters of about CR 16 in this pool. If you dare to mess around, their tentacles and suckers will instantly come out and drag you to the bottom of the water. Many of the corpses produced in Port Tyler every year are fed to these monsters through the sewers. Occasionally, you can also see giant sharks.

In the center is a statue of a goddess.

It was a rather alluring goddess statue, with hair like seaweed, dark tattoos on her face, long, slender, white arms that began to show scales on her abdomen, and exceptionally long and powerful legs. She wore a pale blue dress resembling seaweed. In her hand she held the Artifact [Drowning Death], an extremely powerful Trident. At the feet of the Goddess of the Sea was a giant great white shark. She favored Shark-man among the marine creatures; these monsters were her most devout servants.

Soren bowed slightly to the Guard in front of the temple.

After explaining his purpose, he was quickly led into the temple, which was filled with a strange azure light. The walls were carved with ocean waves, which looked as beautiful as flowing Seawater under the light.

The Guard quickly left the main hall.

Soren dared not move around and stayed quietly in place, because the temple was a very dangerous place.

There were faint damp marks on the ground.

Soren was astonished to see Seawater flowing over the temple, then seeping into the ground from Sub-Deity. Following this was a faint, fishy smell, the scent of marine life.

"Humanity."

A somewhat sinister, magnetic voice rang out, and a female creature with seaweed-like hair, pale blue skin, and four arms appeared from behind the temple. Her lower body resembled a giant Sea Snake's tail. She frowned as she approached the temple. Staring at Soren with cold eyes, she slowly said, "The Guard said you wish to seek help from the great Goddess of the Sea?"

Naga Siren.

One of the ancient marine creatures, it has some kind of blood connection with the Abyss Marilith.

"Yes." Soren bowed his head humbly, expressing his reverence, and said in a deep voice, "I have been injured by some terrible Spell and wish to ask the priest of the Goddess of the Sea for help to remove the Evil power from my body."

A faint light flickered in the Naga Siren's eyes. After glancing at Soren, she slowly said, "Negative Energy? Energy drain damage? Is it from Vampire? Or Dark Species? Or some other Spell?"

Energy drain damage isn't limited to Epic Spell; high-level Vampire can also use Negative Energy Erosion enemies.

"It's Energy Drain."

Soren made no attempt to conceal anything, saying in a deep voice, "I was hit by Energy Drain, which sealed my power, and the Negative Energy remains within my body."

The Naga Siren showed a hint of surprise and slowly said, "Energy Drain? Human! It seems your strength is quite impressive."

Soren survived Epic Spell, which means he was quite powerful.

Moreover, he didn't appear to be very weak, which meant that even after undergoing the Energy Drain, he still retained around the Tier 2 strength.

The Naga Siren paused for a moment.

The temple will provide services to others, but this always comes at a price, the most common being monetary offerings.

All temples require a great deal of wealth to maintain.

The Goddess of the Sea had few reservations. Even the most Evil pirates would receive help from her priests, but this help was conditional. Epic Spell like Energy Drain required Greater Restoration to recover, a significant price for a priest, potentially leaving them weakened for a period. A glint flashed in her eyes, and she said in a deep voice, "Human! The Goddess of the Sea is willing to help anyone. But you must pay the corresponding price!"

Soren nodded slightly, then took out a large amount of Gold Daler and a handful of gems.

In this situation, he must first demonstrate his sincerity.

Soren had amassed quite a fortune in the City of Wealth; the items he was now presenting were likely worth close to eight thousand Gold Daler. To get the other party to cast ' Greater Restoration,' he was bound to bleed heavily. Moreover, the priests of Evil Deity naturally charged higher fees than those of benevolent Deity; if the person wasn't a believer or had made other contributions, they might need to pay an additional 50% or more of their wealth.

"Not enough."

The Naga Siren gently shook her head. Her over two-meter-tall body swam up to Soren, a faint blue light appearing in her eyes. She slowly said, "This Spell not only harmed your body, but also weakened your soul!"

"This small sacrifice cannot heal a soul."

The soul is weak.

Soren seemed to have thought of something. After a moment of silence, he said in a deep voice, "My respect for the Goddess of the Sea is beyond question!... How much reward do I need to offer to have you remove the Negative Energy from my body?... Give me a little time, and I will find a way to obtain enough wealth to offer!"

The Naga Siren seemed to be pondering. The temple had its rules; they didn't offer help without limits.

If it were just a simple healing Divine Magic, it would be easy; she wouldn't even need to lift a finger. However, such high-level Divine Magic cannot be used indiscriminately, as they consume the Divine Power gathered by the temple. Greater Restoration can bring a person back from the brink of death, regrowing missing limbs, or even leaving only a head. As long as they are not dead, they can be saved. Naturally, the price for such Divine Magic is very high, Legendary priests use them with extreme caution.

"Humanity."

A strange light flickered in the Naga Siren's eyes, then her expression turned somewhat cruel as she slowly said, "If you want the goddess's help, you must make contributions to her."

"I can remove the Spell from you, but you must do something for the goddess afterward."

Soren's heart skipped a beat, but he still slowly asked, "What is it?"

The Goddess of the Sea is an Evil Deity, and this kind of task is definitely not going to be a good thing, but Soren did not hesitate at all.

The Naga Siren stared at him. After a moment's pause, a look of anger and cruelty appeared on her face. She said in a deep voice, "Recently, a group of people have broken away from the faith of the Goddess of the Sea!... They have lost their reverence for the Goddess of the Sea!... These people have offered the Sacrificial Ritual that originally belonged to the Goddess of the Sea to the Lord of Storms!... These people must be punished!..."

"They must pay the price for abandoning their faith in the Goddess of the Sea!..."

The Naga Siren's voice boomed like thunder as she roared in fury, "I want you to kill them! Kill them all! Leave not a single one alive!..."

"Only then will those pathetic mortals remember the majesty and wrath of the Goddess of the Sea!... and understand the price of betraying Goddess of the Sea faith!..."

"Bring me the head of their Boss, and you will not only receive no wealth, but you will also receive a reward from the Goddess of the Sea!"

"Human! Do you agree?"

"It's dangerous, but it's worth it. Right? You should have the strength to deal with those guys! I'll help you too! Don't try to deceive me. And don't try to deceive the Goddess of the Sea. If you break the contract, the Goddess of the Sea's wrath will fall upon you!"

Must one kill their former followers simply because they no longer worship the Goddess of the Sea?

This is indeed the style of the Goddess of the Sea.

Although it might offend the Storm Church, Soren nodded without hesitation and said in a deep voice, "Yes. I will kill them all!"

The Naga Siren revealed a cruel smile and slowly said, "Very good."

"Follow me to the back of the temple. I will remove the Spell from you and restore your weakened soul. Remember what you promised; it's a pact with the Goddess of the Sea."

...(To be continued~^~)