Zambesi, a small country on the Western Continent.
"Zambesi? I actually ended up on the Western Continent?" Bruce's eyes flickered as he recalled what he had read about the Western Continent.
He had previously read an account of the four continents.
The Southern Continent was arguably the safest of the four. The Rune Kingdom, the Rediven Kingdom, the Trast Kingdom, and the other kingdoms at the top of its hierarchy were all highly committed to order, striving for peace and friendly coexistence between nations.
The Northern Continent was relatively barren and less developed, still governed by autonomous city-states. It was rich in mineral resources, with many gold mines, but many areas were reportedly ruled by giants, with humans still oppressed and enslaved.
Giants were said to be an advanced species created by the gods, born with immense strength. Some humans descended from giants and likewise possessed enormous physiques.
Giants had once ruled all four continents during the Third Epoch. But as the ages changed, most had died out and been replaced by humans. Only a few giant tribes still held strong on the Northern Continent.
The Eastern Continent was described as the Kingdom of Gold, also known as the Heaven of the Gods. Even its paving stones were said to be made of real gold and silver.
Unlike the other continents, the Eastern Continent had no multitude of kingdoms, only a single dynasty. The blood of the gods supposedly flowed through the veins of everyone who lived there.
To settle permanently on the Eastern Continent, one had to prove that one carried the bloodline of a god or demigod.
Gods did have bloodline descendants in the mortal world. Bruce had gained a rudimentary understanding of this while researching Extraordinaries, and Fawcett had mentioned it as well. Thus, he suspected that the Wayne Family truly did possess some divine ancestry.
But that was not necessarily a good thing.
The bloodlines of gods and demigods were highly unpredictable factors. Once a god or demigod became corrupted or lost control, their descendants would suffer corresponding corruption and loss of control. When it erupted, the resulting harm would be even more severe.
The Eastern Continent harbored considerable hidden dangers.
The Western Continent, meanwhile, was the most chaotic of the four.
Its landmass was larger than the Southern and Northern Continents combined, and it had far more kingdoms, which rose and fell rapidly. With wars and uprisings constantly raging, many nations could fall in a single day, while just as many new ones might be founded.
That was probably the problem Zambesi faced as well.
Bruce had formed a guess. Since he was impersonating a god, he had to act like one. A god must speak sparingly, cultivating an air of mystery and majesty.
Bruce silently reminded himself of this.
With that principle in mind, Bruce spoke.
"What is it?"
Those words were brief and forceful enough, stiff and cold.
"Is this the voice of our god? At last, we've heard our god's voice!"
As Bruce spoke, the black-robed figures below began trembling with overwhelming excitement.
That voice was simply too beautiful.
After a brief moment of elation, the black-robed figure in charge quickly gathered himself and answered Bruce's question.
Zambesi was a small, remote country with few resources, and it was frequently bullied. Armies from other kingdoms often came to plunder its livestock and food. When there was nothing left to take, they forcibly conscripted able-bodied men and carried off women.
Unwilling to see their country destroyed, the people of Zambesi could only endure in silence. Yet they refused to accept that fate. They secretly built an underground city in the mountains and hid their young and able-bodied people, children, and women capable of bearing children there.
They left some of the elderly, weak, sick, and disabled on the surface to keep up appearances.
But this was no lasting solution.
Zambesi's supplies were limited to begin with, and there were thousands of mouths to feed in the underground city. Once those supplies ran out, everyone would starve.
The god they had originally worshipped had not protected them.
They could only turn to another god. In particular, after meeting a mysterious figure and witnessing his immense power, they willingly devoted themselves to a new god, the Dark Lord. Bruce slowly digested the information the black-robed figure had provided.
The black-robed figures chanting on the second tier were all leaders of Zambesi. They had initiated the conversion, leading the people of Zambesi to become followers of the Dark Lord.
Zambesi was indeed a tragic country, but the Western Continent had many more kingdoms like it. Countless people were displaced, separated from their spouses and children, or left with their families destroyed. Having read about all four continents before, Bruce was not surprised.
What concerned Bruce more was the identity of the mysterious figure who had led Zambesi's people to worship the Dark Lord.
Since he possessed great power, he was presumably an Extraordinary, perhaps a Believer of the Dark Lord himself. Otherwise, he would not have led these people to worship the Dark Lord.
What kind of Extraordinary could he be?
These followers yearned for their god to grant them power. The real Dark Lord might have been capable of that, but Bruce was merely an impostor. Although he possessed many of the Dark Lord's innate abilities, he did not yet know exactly what they were and dared not act rashly.
The possibility that other gods were watching also worried Bruce.
He was trembling with caution, as though walking on thin ice.
But since he was the Dark Lord, he could certainly adopt the attitude of an evil god.
If I grant you power just because you ask for it, what dignity would I have left as a god?
After a little thought, Bruce had settled on a plan.
"It is not enough!"
Bruce unleashed the Dark Lord's Divine Might once more.
The black-robed figures below shook and prostrated themselves on the ground.
"We can offer more sacrifices!"
They had already sacrificed many living people to awaken the Dark Lord. Of course, they had forced no one; every sacrifice had been voluntary. The survival of all Zambesi was at stake, and they had long since cast aside concern for their own lives.
Even as they spoke, they began preparing the sacrificial ritual.
"Stop!"
Bruce hurriedly stopped them.
What a bunch of lunatics.
Bruce understood, more or less, that the people of Zambesi had nowhere left to turn.
"From this day forth, there shall be no more human sacrifices! I have no need of them!"
Bruce was not the real Dark Lord. He did not need human sacrifices, and even if they truly could grant him power, he would not accept them. He could not bear to see such a thing happen before his eyes. It disgusted him, but he did genuinely sympathize with the people of Zambesi.
Now that he had encountered them, he could not possibly stand by and do nothing. Besides, he wanted to maintain his identity as the Dark Lord.
Perhaps all of this was merely a chance coincidence, but since this opportunity had fallen into his lap, Bruce could not abandon it so easily.
Then he would give this impersonation of the Dark Lord a proper try.
Perhaps he could even steal the Dark Lord's authority forever!
Since they worship me, can they acquire the Extraordinary identity of Believer? Could I use that identity as a conduit to bestow the Dark Lord's divine power upon them and make them stronger? Bruce pondered silently.
In theory, this method should work. With their very survival at stake, the way they're behaving makes them practically fanatics.
But faith in me alone isn't enough. They also need the right aptitude. Only those with sufficient spirituality can become Extraordinaries. So which of these people qualify to become my Believers? Can I see it?
Bruce looked at the crowd below, but his eyes detected nothing unusual. All he saw were people kneeling on the ground, trembling.
Bruce began examining the Dark Lord's innate abilities, wondering whether any of them could reveal another person's spirituality.
The Dark Lord had hundreds upon thousands of innate abilities. The sight filled Bruce with envy. Unfortunately, he could only use them while he was the Dark Lord. When would he have that many innate abilities of his own?
Found it. This is the one.