Trump Card
Temple of the Sea.
Soren paused slightly as he reached the doorway, for he noticed a peculiar carriage. It wasn't the carriage itself that was unusual, but rather the tuna-like Crest it bore. If he remembered correctly, based on the knowledge of nobility in this world, this should be the crest of a noble family. Noble crests are typically distinctive and symbolic; the use of such a tuna-like emblem suggested a noble family from a coastal region.
This is Port Tyler.
Port Tyler is a chaotic area. Although it has administrators, they are definitely not nobles, and the power behind the scenes changes frequently. This means the nobles cannot be local; they can only be from the coastal region. But why would nobles from the coastal region come here? And why would they come to the Temple of the Sea, which leans towards the Evil Alignment? Do they worship the Goddess of the Sea?
Soren frowned as he went inside.
He indeed saw a woman praying. From behind, she was very tall and beautiful, wearing a veil and with an incredibly slender waist. Because she was kneeling before the statue of the Goddess of the Sea, her buttocks appeared very large and round when she bent over. From any angle, this woman exuded a strong allure.
Soren's footsteps alerted the other party.
Upon hearing the voice, she stood up, her azure eyes fixed on Soren. Smiling, she removed her veil, revealing a strikingly beautiful face. She had a high, straight nose, a characteristic of western nobles, and remarkably fair skin. Her long eyelashes looked like false eyelashes, though they were natural. Another distinctive feature was a small, inconspicuous mole at the corner of her mouth, which, combined with her alluring features, added a unique seductive quality.
This woman was tall, about five centimeters taller Soren. It's not easy for a woman of that height to find a husband.
After all, Soren, with his Half-Elf blood, wasn't short!
She estimated her to be over 1.8 meters tall.
The woman of this height had a very slender figure. She looked to be in her early twenties, no more than twenty-four. Because of the trend of belted long skirts among the local nobility, a patch of white skin was exposed on her chest, revealing her full breasts, slender waist, and rounded, full hips, all outlined in an alluring curve by the snow-white skirt. This kind of clothing seemed to be worn only at aristocratic banquets, as it perfectly accentuated a woman's curves and allure; wearing such clothing at ordinary times would be quite uncomfortable.
The main reason is that the high waistband affects natural breathing, and people who are not used to wearing it will feel suffocated!
Soren was slightly taken aback.
He couldn't help but take a few more glances, not only because of her alluring face, but more importantly because her appearance seemed somewhat familiar. Soren, of course, had never seen this woman before. However, after a few more looks, he finally understood why she looked so familiar: the woman in front of him actually bore a resemblance to Adele Isabella in some of her facial features, with about five points of similarity in their facial contours.
Facing Soren's gaze, the noblewoman blushed slightly, then gently bowed. Her fair hands lifted the hem of her skirt in a graceful curtsy. As she slightly bent her knees, the fullness of her breasts became even more striking, as if deliberately revealing a deep cleavage before Soren. Her long dress, trimmed with lace, bloomed like a flower. The noblewoman bowed slightly, then looked up with a bright smile. Her cheeks seemed to flush slightly at Soren's handsome face, before she turned and tiptoed into the back of the temple.
"Her name is Monica Isabella."
The Naga Priestess emerged, seemingly pleased with Soren's initial performance, and said with a sinister smile, "She is Count Khaled's daughter and his only heir. She is a descendant of Queen Isabella, possessing the purest noble bloodline, a line that has produced many exceptionally talented Sorcerer. Although she is just an ordinary person, she possesses an extremely wealthy dowry. Because her father is growing old, she controls the power and wealth within the entire earldom. She even has a Order of Knights loyal to her."
"Throughout the entire South Coast, she was the dream wife of countless noblemen, both for her beauty and for her wealth."
"Oh, right."
The Naga Priestess, observing Soren's increasingly astonished expression, seemed to have a strange, amused look in her eyes. "She's still a virgin!..."
Holy crap!
What kind of rhythm is this?
Even with Soren's composure, he was somewhat taken aback at this moment.
It took Soren a while to come to his senses, then he took a deep breath and said, "Did Your Priest summon me here for this matter?"
It seems he truly underestimated the influence of the Temple of the Sea.
If that noblewoman truly possessed the right to inherit an earldom, then she would undoubtedly belong to a first-rate noble family on the South Coast. Even with their numbers dwindling, they still possessed considerable wealth accumulated over centuries. However, the Naga Priestess before her treated her like a commodity, as if she could marry Soren if Soren so desired. In this world, women also have the right to inherit titles, and their dowry is not counted towards their husband's family; it remains their private property.
Therefore, noblewomen held a high status, and many noble families considered lineage, dowry, social standing, and other factors when choosing a wife.
Beauty is only a small part of it.
From this perspective, that noblewoman was truly of the highest standard. It's no exaggeration for the Naga Priestess to say that she was the object of pursuit for many nobles on the South Coast.
But how could the Temple of the Sea possibly control such a noblewoman?
Although it only affected her marriage, it represented a powerful influence. The Church of the Sea's control over the coastal areas was stronger than Soren had imagined. That noblewoman must have had some kind of deal with the Temple of the Sea, or perhaps some kind of contract. Soren couldn't know what the agreement was, but he was certain that the Naga Priestess had really gone to great lengths to recruit him this time.
The Naga Priestess frowned slightly.
Soren's words clearly indicated that the trump card she had just used hadn't completely won him over, which made her feel a surge of annoyance, vaguely sensing that Soren was indeed ungrateful. However, she restrained herself from showing it, because what she had just given him was merely a sweet treat; the Morningstar was still waiting for Soren.
She gave a strange smile and slowly said, "I really didn't expect you to have such abilities! You quelled the pirates in the nearby waters in just a few days."
"But."
The Naga Priestess paused here, then said in a deep voice, "It seems you have become the King of the Swamp's target. He appears to intend to kill you to consolidate his power. He is a very powerful Pirate King, and his subordinates are completely different from the humans you encountered; many of them are even non-human monsters."
"If you can't defeat him, all your efforts over this period of time will probably be in vain!"
"Those pirates have little loyalty; they'll betray you without hesitation if you fail even once. So I want to know how you plan to deal with the King of the Swamp?"
The Naga Priestess smiled slightly, seemingly gloating.
If Vivian hadn't woken up, Soren would have truly had to seek help from the Temple of the Sea. However, now that he and Vivian have combined their strength, defeating one of the Pirate King, the ' King of the Swamp,' is not impossible. After all, Soren is well aware of the power of the Fear God Child; they are born with near- Legendary Domain. Vivian has now fused with the power of two other Fear God Child, making her far stronger than Soren. It's just that she doesn't yet have the experience to use this power effectively.
Refuse the Naga Priestess?
When Soren needs to rely on the Church of the Sea again in the future, he cannot afford to make the relationship too strained.
Do you agree to her recruitment?
If it's not a mandatory Deity contract, then it's worth agreeing to. Anyway, Soren doesn't have any faith right now, so using a general religious title isn't out of the question. After all, the Goddess of the Sea is a powerful figure to rely on.
final.
He had a plan in mind: swallow the sugar coating, then throw the cannonball back.
...(To be continued~^~)