Blessing of the Goddess of the Sea

Outside the Temple of the Sea.

Soren stood silently waiting before the main hall. He had sent Adele Isabel to the tavern; the next part of the plan needed some help, otherwise the two of them wouldn't even be able to get the ship moving. After returning, the Naga Priestess went inside the temple, even ordering the Temple Guard to stay outside. No one knew what she was doing on the surface. Soren, naturally, wasn't qualified to go in either. He didn't know much about the secrets of the Goddess of the Sea, because the more he knew, the deeper he would be entangled.

This is how they silenced witnesses.

Time passed slowly, and the Divine Power gathered around the Temple of the Sea suddenly trembled, a very noticeable vibration, the Divine Power around the temple surging like the tides. In this world, believers provide the Deity with the Power of Faith, and the Deity then transform this Power of Faith into Divine Power. This Divine Power is not entirely controlled by the Deity; it also needs to be fed back to the believers through Divine Magic, and a large portion of it remains within the temple. Therefore, any temple with a priest presiding over it will have a Divine Power aura; otherwise, it is just an abandoned temple.

The Divine Power will gradually diminish and dissipate.

If the presiding priest changes or becomes less powerful, or if the number of believers decreases, the Divine Power above will gradually diminish, eventually causing the Divine Power aura of the temple to drop by one or two levels. Upgrading a temple's level requires not only a sufficiently large scale but also a corresponding number of believers and influence in the surrounding area. This world has a large number of temples scattered throughout, but over 90% are at the temple level; very few reach the temple level, and the vast majority are located within cities.

The number of Grand Temple is even smaller!

Such a Grand Temple is equivalent to half Wizard Tower; even Meteor Swarm couldn't destroy it after Divine Power protection was activated.

Amber City is a typical example.

If it weren't for the temple's formidable deterrent power, the struggle between the Gods would be even more intense, as many Evil God would be eager to wipe out the strongholds of their Deity ' followers at any moment. If this temple were to be attacked head-on, it would be impossible to take it down without a proper legion, and even if it were, the casualties would exceed fifty percent.

Divine Power began to gradually gather. It seemed that some unpredictable change had occurred at the Temple of the Sea!

Soren couldn't comprehend this change, for he knew little of Divine Power and Divine Magic, and lacked the knowledge to judge it. Yet he could sense the shift, even perceiving it spreading towards the underground Seawater beneath the Temple of the Sea. It was as if an invisible energy fluctuation enveloped the entire Port Tyler. Soren wasn't the only one who sensed this change; all the guards before the temple knelt on the ground and began to pray devoutly. The other believers in Port Tyler also began to pray, and the invisible wave of prayer transformed into a powerful force of faith, causing the Temple of the Sea to emit a dazzling light invisible to the naked eye.

This process lasted for quite some time.

It has also attracted the attention of many forces, and the power of the temple seems to be gathering, showing signs of a breakthrough. If the Temple of the Sea advances to become Grand Temple, then the Avatar of the Goddess of the Sea will appear. This is a process of Deity blessing, which occurs when each temple upgrades. The earliest temples are given spiritual light by the Deity consciousness, and then as Ascension temples, they are given power by the Deity. The most symbolic feature of this is the statues, which bear the imprint of the Deity ' consciousness. Believers can be perceived by the Deity when they pray.

There should be no Avatar descending at this time.

All the Gods were busy resisting the Energy Storm, but the Temple of the Sea in front of them had indeed been upgraded and was probably now one of the most important Grand Temple in the coastal area.

Many followers of the Goddess of the Sea began to gather in this direction.

The Naga Priestess slowly emerged. Whether it was Soren's imagination or not, he sensed a Divinity aura emanating from her, somewhat like that of Chosen of the Goddess of the Sea, though not quite the same. It seemed that after offering Naga Priestess, she had received a Deity reward; Deity favor was a crucial part of solidifying faith.

The other person stood on the high platform in front of the temple, gazing at the gathered believers. Then, turning his gaze to Soren, he slowly said, "Human. Come in with me."

Soren bowed slightly and walked into the main hall.

"You did a great job."

The Naga Priestess stood before the statue, holding the scepter representing the Priest of the Sea, and spoke in an unusual yet solemn tone, "You punished those who betrayed their faith. You showed them the price of disobeying the goddess with blood and death. You also proved your loyalty; you offered the goddess the sacrifice she desired."

You deserve a reward!

The Naga Priestess slowly walked up to Soren. Then she raised her hand and said, "Kneel."

Soren's expression showed no hesitation; he merely hesitated for a moment before kneeling on one knee before the statue of the Goddess of the Sea. He had actually performed this step several times before, for this was the true ritual of Divine Blessing. To receive a Deity blessing, one must first express humility and respect, and prove one's worth. Only then can one receive the Deity favor; the Deity are not noble benefactors. The blessing from the Goddess of Misfortune was an accident; that mysterious woman seemed as unfathomable as the Goddess of Misfortune herself.

Priests of Deity share similarities with Deity; the priests of the Goddess of Misfortune and Goddess of Fortune are both capricious and fickle.

"Very good."

The Naga Priestess placed her hand on Soren's forehead and said in a deep voice, "Human, you have proven your worth. You have upheld the dignity and interests of the Goddess of the Sea with your strength and integrity. This is a commendable act, and therefore you are worthy of the Blessing of the Goddess of the Sea."

The scepter was gently placed on Soren's shoulder.

The Naga Priestess then bent down and kissed Soren on the forehead, speaking in a strange Aquan: "On behalf of the Goddess of the Sea, I bless you! You will be free from Sea Monster in the ocean! You will be protected by the Goddess of the Sea! The sea is your home! Giant waves and storms will stay away from you and your servants!"

"You will become the Favored of the Goddess of the Sea!... You can control the creatures of the sea with the goddess's power!..."

Streams of divine Divine Power began to converge.

A visible blessing aura appeared, and Soren's body seemed to be enveloped in a blue light. The statue of the Goddess of the Sea seemed to open its eyes. A gaze fell upon Soren, then gradually disappeared. This was the power of the Deity; from this moment on, Soren would become the Favored of the Goddess of the Sea, as long as he did not actively attack marine species. The vast majority of intelligent marine creatures, including the Naga, Shark-man, and Merrow Corsair, would not attack Soren or his companions.

Furthermore, he could communicate and Trade with these marine creatures, as the Goddess of the Sea had blessed him. His status was equivalent to that of Priest of the Church of the Sea.

This is a reward that is hard to refuse, especially since Soren is also planning to expand his territory in the Overseas Islands.

The Divine Power radiance gradually faded.

A row of data appeared before Soren's eyes, and he gained an additional background Feat:

"Blessing of the Goddess of the Sea [Special Feat]: You have received the Blessing of the Goddess of the Sea through your actions. From now on, you will greatly reduce your chances of encountering danger in the ocean. Whether it is storms, giant waves, whirlpools, or various ferocious and dangerous sea creatures, they will not easily attack you because of the Blessing of the Goddess of the Sea. You or your fleet will be protected by the Goddess of the Sea when sailing on the sea, and you will have the opportunity to Trade and communicate with other creatures who believe in the Goddess of the Sea."

From this moment forward, most marine life, including Ocean Monster, will consider you Neutral. Furthermore, through the Blessing of the Goddess of the Sea, you have gained a Spell-like Ability that allows you to control other creatures in the ocean.

This is the most basic blessing bestowed.

The Blessing of the Goddess of the Sea doesn't increase attribute abilities much, but it's like having an extra talisman on the sea.

Furthermore, it also grants an additional Spell-like Ability.

"Dominate Sea Creature [Spell-like Ability]: You possess the Blessing of the Goddess of the Sea, belonging to her favored ones, which grants you the power to control most marine creatures. This Spell-like Ability is equivalent to [Charm Sea Creature]. The level of control over ordinary marine creatures cannot exceed your class level, and the level of control over Ocean Monster cannot exceed half your class level. The difficulty of Saving Throw this Spell is related to your Charisma." [Once per day.]

This is a special Spell-like Ability.

It's similar to the less common ' Charm Sea Creature ', but the Spell's effect is stronger, even better than the Shark-man's Charm.

It has a Saving Throw level for saving throws, which is determined by Charisma.

The level at which one can control ordinary sea creatures cannot exceed Soren's level, and the level at which one can control special Ocean Monster cannot exceed half of Soren's level.

This is the power of the Goddess of the Sea.

Because ' Charm Sea Creature ' cannot control Ocean Monster; at most, it can only control sharks, whales, and Large Octopus.

The blessing ceremony is complete.

The Naga Priestess gave Soren a meaningful look and slowly said, "Human, maintain reverence for the Goddess of the Sea in your hearts. She will not be stingy with her rewards. When you decide to entrust your faith to the Goddess of the Sea, she will bestow even more blessings upon you."

This is blatant courting.

The main followers of the Goddess of the Sea are concentrated in marine life and coastal areas, and the value of a Quasi-Legendary Rogue is still astonishing.

After all, Rogue are more skilled in a wider range of techniques than other professionals.

Soren bowed slightly and kissed the Naga Priestess's hand, expressing his humility. For she represented the Goddess of the Sea at that moment. He said, "I revere the goddess's power. I thank her for her generosity, and when she needs me, I am willing to offer my own strength to her."

This is not the language of faith.

The meaning is somewhat similar to that of a guest advisor, more like an employer-employee relationship, and many temples have such members.

The Naga Priestess's face showed a slight hint of displeasure, which quickly turned into a smile as she slowly said, "Very well. I hope you remember your oath today: when the Goddess of the Sea needs you, you will dedicate your strength to her. Otherwise, the Goddess will withdraw her grace."

Deity blessings are not so easy to obtain!

Soren knew this all along, otherwise he wouldn't have lost the blessing of the Spider Queen.

but.

Now that we have access to it, we should make good use of it.

No one knows what the future holds. If something really happens, he can just deny it at most. A turbulent era is about to begin, and he doesn't believe the Goddess of the Sea would be so bored as to hunt him down over such a trivial matter. As for ordinary missions, Soren won't be too opposed to them. Anyway, he can't develop overseas without the help of the Church. With the Church of the Sea as his powerful backer, even if he clashes with the Storm Church, it won't be a problem.

The Goddess of the Sea is, after all, Greater Divinity!

With her support, Soren had essentially infiltrated the ranks of all marine intelligent beings. He didn't even need special reputation-granting quests; he could coexist peacefully with these creatures and, if necessary, profit from their Trade. This world values power above all else, and if he didn't possess Quasi-Legendary strength, the Naga Priestess wouldn't have gone to such lengths to win him over.

Now.

The most important thing is to take advantage of this opportunity to build up more strength.

...(To be continued~^~)