Lord of All Spirits

In an abandoned warehouse by the canal, Little George was practicing his Shaman abilities.

At this moment, the natural elements in the environment were stirred by his Spirituality, and faint currents of air swirled around him.

Little George flicked his hand, and with a sharp whistling sound, a piece of wood placed on the ground fell over. A straight line was cleared through the dust-covered floor, as if someone had drawn it with a ruler, without a single shred of excess energy leaking out.

"Not bad."

Ivan's voice appeared abruptly in his mind within the empty, abandoned warehouse, and then a Jellyfish radiating a faint blue light appeared in mid-air.

"Great Lord?"

Little George was startled at first, but upon seeing the blue glow before him, he reacted immediately and hurriedly bowed his head.

"Is the Great Lord checking to see if I am prepared for tonight's communion and Baptism Ceremony?"

He quickly added:

"Great Lord, I have followed your instructions and prepared the communion; it will be delivered to the South York Poorhouse tonight!"

Seeing Little George prostrate on the filthy warehouse floor, Ivan felt a pang of sympathy.

"No need for such formalities."

He had indeed come to see how Little George was progressing, but having received the report, he felt at ease.

Seeing that Little George was becoming increasingly proficient in his extraordinary Shaman abilities, a new idea occurred to Ivan.

I can have Little George use his Shaman abilities to control water to perform the baptism for the believers. That will surely make those believers even more convinced of the power of the Holy Spirit Society.

As the god they worship, I must maintain mystery and not reveal my form so casually. Otherwise, if there are too many clever people, someone will surely question this jellyfish of mine...

Gais's figure appeared vividly in Ivan's mind. "Yes, just like that guy!"

I must find a way to establish the image of the Lord of All Spirits, the god worshipped by the Holy Spirit Society.

Sigh, I should just finish giving instructions to Little George so the child stops guessing blindly.

He made up his mind and transmitted his voice to Little George once more:

"You shall preside over the Baptism Ceremony."

Little George stood up, but he dared not look up to meet Ivan's gaze. His eyes were wide, and his tone was filled with disbelief.

"Me? Great Lord, am I truly capable of such a thing?"

Ivan drifted forward, the cold, dim light falling upon his face, and a tentacle gently touched his forehead, dispelling his unease.

"Naturally."

"I am currently borrowing the form of this Jellyfish Spirit Object; my true body cannot manifest in this world."

"You are the avatar I have chosen, so you can naturally perform the baptism on my behalf."

"Use your Shaman abilities to control the water and manifest my miracles before the masses."

A warm current flowed from his forehead throughout Little George's entire body, and his heart pounded. This was the first time he had heard the Great Lord transmit so many revelations at once.

Does the Great Lord acknowledge my efforts? He considers me his representative in this world!

Little George nodded vigorously. "Great Lord, I will certainly not let you down!"

"From now on, the Holy Spirit Society may chant my ancient name: Lord of All Spirits," Ivan added, his tone carrying a touch of solemnity.

"Remember this name, and let every believer know that the one they worship is the Lord who governs the spirituality of all things."

"Yes! I will tell everyone!" Little George repeated the four words "Lord of All Spirits" in his heart several times, memorizing them firmly.

Lord of All Spirits... no wonder the Lord is unwilling to always appear in the form of a jellyfish.

The millions of spirits in this world are all the Lord's people. How could a mere spiritual vessel be used as the face of the Lord to spread the faith?

Little George lowered his head further and further, trying his best to ensure that even the corner of his eye could not catch a glimpse of Ivan.

Good, this way, I can also avoid appearing before Gais and causing unnecessary trouble.

Ivan watched Little George's self-consistent logic and nodded with satisfaction.

As for why he wanted them to chant "Lord of All Spirits":

He simply felt that the name sounded smooth after hearing it from Gais, and it distinguished him from the one in the Church of Divine Grace, which would better guide the energy of faith to converge upon him.

The claim of it being an "ancient name" was merely to pose as a reawakened ancient god and elevate his own status.

Hmm, I just wonder if Little George understands the meaning of an ancient name...

Ivan thought of other matters, and his figure suddenly became serious.

"Furthermore, holding the ceremony at the poorhouse is too conspicuous."

"Gather the believers at midnight and move to the Small Chapel."

"By the way, another follower of mine will join the Holy Spirit Society as a missionary. You shall cooperate well with him in the future to spread my name."

Little George had received too many revelations, and his mind felt a bit dizzy for a moment; he hurriedly committed Ivan's words to heart.

"I shall strictly follow your revelations, great Lord of All Spirits."

"I will work with him to diligently spread your name, so that more impoverished workers may bathe in the radiance of your mercy!"

Ivan watched as the thoughts in Little George's mind collided and sparked, estimating that if he received any more new information, he would explode on the spot.

He pondered for a moment, concluding that there shouldn't be anything left out.

"You have done well, child."

Soon, the time arrived at midnight once again.

The moon in the sky was obscured by the smog emitted from the factories of Trino City, making the night appear even more hazy.

In front of the South York Poorhouse, Little George stood on the steps at the entrance early, his gaze constantly fixed on the street corner.

"Why have so few people come?"

Below him, there were only a sparse twenty or thirty people, a stark contrast to the grand turnout of the previous night.

Ivan, however, was not particularly surprised by this scene. He scanned the crowd below, seeing only Old Harvey and those who had truly been saved from the poorhouse by Little George.

After all, everyone had only acted on impulse the night before; many had been swept up by the surrounding atmosphere and, in a moment of fervor, had believed in the Holy Spirit Society.

But once daylight arrived, some had pondered carefully and naturally were unwilling to risk being captured by the Church of Divine Grace to participate in the Holy Spirit Society's communion.

"I wonder if we'll be reported..."

Ivan felt a toothache coming on. If a few of those people reported their gathering to the Night Watchman, then this newly established society could declare itself disbanded.

"It's a good thing I decided to change the location; this way, we avoid being surrounded and wiped out by the Church of Divine Grace here tonight."

He immediately made a judgment, ordering Little George to take these twenty or thirty people to the Small Chapel while he waited here for Gais and any other "friends" who might arrive.

"Go to the chapel first."

Hearing Ivan's revelation, Little George did not hesitate and immediately organized the believers below to head toward the Small Chapel in the East District.

The area in front of the South York Poorhouse fell into silence once again. Even the homeless people who usually slept at the entrance had moved elsewhere, as if they dared not provoke the monster that had torn through the iron fence.

After a long while, Gais strolled over slowly from the side; he had managed to procure a top hat and a cane from somewhere.

His gait was extremely elegant, looking exactly like a high-class gentleman from the West District.

He looked around and, finding no one else present, was just beginning to feel puzzled when Ivan's voice reached his mind.

"Gais, the brethren of the Holy Spirit Society have gone to your chapel."