Chapter 444: Battle for Faith

The ocean of Nordhill was even larger than the continent, but its civilization lagged far behind. More accurately, the disparity in wealth was simply too extreme. The ruling classes, such as Mermaids and Nagas, lived exactly like the top factions on the mainland, while bottom-tier marine creatures like murlocs still fended off enemies with bone weapons.

The White Dragon Lord planned to use a carrot-and-stick approach to drive the ocean's murlocs into the embrace of the New God of Fishmen. First, however, the empire needed to find the locations of those primitive tribes. Dispatching an army into other factions' territories was out of the question, so he planned to utilize adventurers.

Driven by the Yafiavi Empire's state machinery, everything proceeded in an orderly manner.

At the borders of the Yafiavi Empire, a massive number of murlocs swam toward the depths of the ocean. Clutching bone weapons and wearing primitive ornaments like bone spikes, they looked no different from savage murlocs.

Yet anyone with a discerning eye could tell them apart from primitive murlocs at a glance. The difference was mainly in their spirit: these murlocs exuded confidence from the inside out, and none of them fell below the strength of an Intermediate Tier professional.

They were the vanguard sent by the empire into the deep sea.

Ragu the Shark Hunter was one of them. True to his nickname, he was a somewhat renowned High Tier murloc hunter and an adventurer. He had accepted a mission issued by the empire: to head into the deep sea, find suitable tribes, and preach to those primitive natives.

The rewards offered by the empire were extremely high and included many items money couldn't buy. Countless adventurers were tempted and had sprung into action.

To stand out among the many competitors and secure that massive payout, he had to move fast.

When it came to speed and locating hidden primitive settlements, Ragu held a massive advantage. He was a hunter, and his animal partner was a megalodon.

"Zhulang! Swim faster! Leave them behind!"

The shark beneath Ragu flicked its tail, stirring up a small splash in response to its master. The five-meter-long adolescent shark abruptly accelerated, carrying him on its back and pulling away from the main group.

Seeing someone pull ahead, the other murlocs unleashed their own methods to speed up. They spurred on their mounts or animal partners, while a few even used magic items to ride the waves. The surface of the sea grew extraordinarily lively.

After moving far from the Yafiavi Empire's border, the adventurers scattered. Ragu the Shark Hunter and his shark partner forged ahead across the boundless sea, carving a ripple over the calm water.

Sharks possessed a very keen sense of smell. They could distinguish the scent of blood from several kilometers away and track it straight to the source.

Ragu the Shark Hunter had already encountered the scent of blood three times, but it had only been marine creatures hunting. He looked up at the sky. The sun was about to set. According to the habits of the Yafiavi Empire's people, they would go to sleep shortly after nightfall.

I need to find a beach to spend the night.

Just as Ragu the Shark Hunter thought this, the shark beneath him suddenly slapped the water. This was how the specially trained beast alerted its master to a new discovery.

"Go!" Ragu patted the shark's head.

Receiving the command, the shark flicked its tail and accelerated sharply, swimming into the distance.

Not long after, Ragu noticed faint traces of blood drifting on the sea's surface. He dipped his finned hand into the water and brought a drop to his mouth.

Murloc blood!

Overjoyed, he urged his animal partner to speed up.

Tracking the blood trail, Ragu soon caught sight of the scene in the distance. It was an island with a primitive landscape, where several murloc huts built from branches and straw stood in the shallow waters. A primitive murloc village.

At that moment, the village was being invaded by a marine creature. A giant turtle the size of a carriage was rampaging through the settlement, overturning everything in its path. From time to time, it would thrust out its massive head, bite a besieging murloc, and swallow it whole. Severed limbs fell into the shallows—the source of the bloody scent.

The murlocs' crude weapons and combat skills couldn't even dent the giant turtle's defenses. By the time Ragu arrived, the murloc tribe was already on the verge of collapse. He let out a loud roar.

"Wala wala la la la!"

Accompanied by the murloc charging war cry, Ragu the Shark Hunter had his animal partner launch him into the air. He leaped up from the shark's head, and upon reaching the apex of his jump, he hurled the hunting spear from his back.

The qi-wrapped hunting spear struck viciously against the giant turtle's shell. With a loud bang, the giant beast knocked away the surrounding murlocs and turned to face the hunter who had just landed in the shallow water. It sensed a threat.

Once the giant turtle turned around, Ragu the Shark Hunter got a clear look at its front. He noticed scales on its neck and was greatly startled. This was actually a dragonborn creature with a faint trace of a dragon bloodline.

What great luck!

Ragu the Shark Hunter didn't take the dragon-blooded giant turtle seriously. As a graduate from the Yafiavi Empire's advanced academy, he had received systematic combat training. As long as one knew the method, these massive turtle creatures were actually quite easy to deal with.

He drew another hunting spear and let out a provocative roar.

Then he quickly fell back. Seeing its enemy retreat, the dragonborn giant turtle assumed the foe was terrified and gave chase.

Under the dumbfounded gazes of the murlocs, the invincible destroyer was successfully lured away by the "good guy" who had descended from the sky.

Ragu the Shark Hunter led the dragonborn giant turtle all the way to the deep sea region before stopping.

Because the murloc tribe was located in the shallows, his shark partner had been unable to assist in the fight. Without his animal partner's help, his combat strength dropped by at least thirty percent. Now that he was in the deep sea, he could finally relax.

Ragu the Shark Hunter blew a whistle, and a shark roughly the same size as the giant turtle ambushed the beast from behind.

Taking advantage of the giant turtle's diverted attention, Ragu the Shark Hunter scrambled onto its shell and viciously thrust his spear into the root of its hind limb. The murloc hunter was positioned directly in the giant turtle's blind spot; no matter how the dragonborn turtle thrashed about, it couldn't reach the murloc clinging to the edge of its shell.

Panic set in for the giant turtle. It rolled violently in the seawater, stirring up massive splashes.

Ragu the Shark Hunter gripped the edge of the shell tightly, anchoring himself in place as he ruthlessly drove his hunting spear through the giant turtle's hind limb and deep into its body.

Scarlet blood gushed out, dyeing the surrounding sea red. After over ten minutes of struggle, the dragonborn giant turtle, its internal organs destroyed, gradually lost its ability to move and verged on death.

Ragu the Shark Hunter had his shark partner drag the dying creature back toward the murloc village.

Now it was time to harvest!

Under the reverent yet fearful gazes of the murlocs, Ragu the Shark Hunter dragged the giant turtle's corpse into the shallow waters just outside their village.

"I am the envoy of the New God of Fishmen—Ragu the Shark Hunter! I came specifically to save you..." Riding the momentum of his victory, Ragu the Shark Hunter boasted, trying to bluff these ignorant natives. "Throw yourselves into the embrace of the New God of Fishmen! You will receive His guidance and live a beautiful life..."

The murlocs looked at one another in dismay. Most were shallow believers of the God of the Fishmen, but there were also several devout believers among them. Now, some guy claiming to be the envoy of the New God of Fishmen was trying to persuade them to convert. If they hadn't known they couldn't beat him, those devout believers would have attacked him on the spot.

"Outsider! Get out—"

A spear slammed into the ground right in front of the speaker, cutting him off and making him jump.

Ragu the Shark Hunter glared at the disgruntled devout believers with murderous intent. He was an adventurer, and adventurers lived a perilous, high-risk life of violence; they were by no means kind souls.

Not to mention he was facing a group of ignorant natives. Ragu the Shark Hunter could guarantee that if he hadn't intimidated these primitive murlocs right from the start, he would have already been attacked.

"Ignorant natives! The opportunity is right in front of you, yet you don't know how to cherish it!"

The erupting aura of a High Tier professional cowed the murlocs. Then, Ragu the Shark Hunter's tone abruptly turned amiable.

"The New God of Fishmen is a wise new deity, and He is far more worthy of our faith. It was precisely under His guidance that I arrived in time during your crisis. God is merciful, and anyone who believes in Him will be rewarded. If you are willing to believe in the New God of Fishmen, you may divide the meat of this giant turtle."

Upon hearing about the reward, some of the shallow believers wavered and couldn't help but shuffle forward.

"Don't believe him, everyone! Betrayers will suffer divine punishment!"

Hearing the term divine punishment, the murlocs shrank back in fear. His plan disrupted, Ragu the Shark Hunter grew furious. He decided to conquer this primitive murloc tribe by force and make them pray to the New God of Fishmen.

"Who is the chief! I challenge you to a duel!"

"The chief is already dead!"

"Then I claim the title of your new chief! Anyone who refuses to accept this, step forward!"

The murlocs didn't even dare to breathe too loudly. Having just witnessed Ragu the Shark Hunter's ferocity, none dared to duel him.

"If no one steps forward, then I am your leader! I order you to—"

A devout believer interrupted Ragu the Shark Hunter. "Outsider, you aren't from our Marsh Crab Fishman Tribe! You have no right—"

A spear shot out and pierced right through the objector's head. The rest of the murlocs took a collective step back, silenced by fear.

"Does anyone else have an objection?!"

This time, no murloc dared to find fault. Ragu the Shark Hunter smoothly became the chief of this village. He looked over the damage caused by the giant turtle and found an intact murloc hut on the edge of the settlement.

Taking out the statue of the New God of Fishmen from his Dimensional Bag, he placed it inside the intact hut and ordered all the murlocs to pray before the makeshift temple. Those who disobeyed became dead souls under his spear.

Under the threat of death, the murlocs dared not refuse. They gathered in front of the temporary temple and followed Ragu the Shark Hunter in praying loudly.

Of course, right now the murlocs were only yielding on the surface, and they couldn't produce any power of faith at all. But it didn't matter. A lie told a hundred times became the truth; after praying a hundred times, these murlocs would eventually become genuine believers of the New God of Fishmen.

Just like that, Ragu the Shark Hunter completed his missionary task. Upon returning to the Yafiavi Empire, he could claim his reward. As for proof of the mission, none was needed—no one could lie under the dual scrutiny of magic and a divine statue. At the very least, a group of adventurers who were at most Master Tier lacked the ability to do so.

The bloody missionary stayed with the Marsh Crab Fishman Tribe for several days, converting the hundred-strong murloc tribe into believers of the New God of Fishmen. Before leaving, he inquired about the locations of other murloc tribes.

"I will be back!"

Leaving those words behind, Ragu the Shark Hunter embarked on a new journey.

...

Within the White Tower of the Yafiavi Empire, the White Dragon Lord was conducting magic experiments. The divine avatar of the New God of Fishmen stood behind him.

"Your Majesty, isn't it somewhat inappropriate for us to snatch believers so brazenly?" The newly ascended deity looked worried.

"The struggle for divine portfolios is a life-and-death battle to begin with. You can only gain the upper hand in this competition by acquiring more believers, so don't worry about the methods," the White Dragon Lord replied without looking back, continuing his magic experiment. "Is there any news from the Ocean Pantheon?"

"I have already communicated with that entity. She has agreed to let me join the Ocean Pantheon."

The White Dragon Lord breathed a sigh of relief. The Ocean Goddess was a mighty existence at the level of Greater Divine Power. Moreover, she excelled in combat and possessed a moody, explosive temper. He truly didn't want to clash with her head-on for no reason.

Now that Feixi Darkscale had gained her approval to join the Ocean Pantheon, the conflict between the New God of Fishmen and the God of the Fishmen would simply be an internal competition.

"Have you contacted the other deities of the Ocean Pantheon?"

"Not yet. Once I officially join the pantheon, I will visit them one by one."

"Stay safe. Right now, the God of the Fishmen wants nothing more than to kill you. You also need to gather more intelligence on Him, just in case He resorts to extreme and reckless actions when cornered, and initiates a divine war before you have secured your foothold."

The White Dragon Lord thought for a moment. "Feixi, I will help you secure the murloc faith in Nordhill, but you'll have to rely on yourself for the other planes. Also, your struggle with the God of the Fishmen for the divine portfolio is an internal competition within the Ocean Pantheon. If we interfere, it might incur the wrath of the Ocean Goddess. Therefore, unless absolutely necessary, the Nordhill Guardian Council and I will not help you openly."

"I understand, Your Majesty. I am confident I can defeat Him, and I already have a preliminary plan."

"Oh? What plan?" The White Dragon Lord felt curious. "Let's hear it."

"I plan to emulate the Yafiavi Empire and civilize my believers. Although they won't compare to the murlocs of the Yafiavi Empire, civilized believers will still be far stronger than savage, primitive murlocs. Once my believers gain the upper hand in strength, I can launch a war of faith."

Feixi Darkscale continued, "Also, just as you said, a better life is the common desire of all living things. I believe that emulating the Yafiavi Empire's methods of production will bring a massive transformation to the murloc race. Once there is a contrast, those murlocs still living primitive lives will naturally understand which path to choose."

The White Dragon Lord nodded. "A good idea, but implementing it will be somewhat difficult. The murloc race suffers from inherent deficiencies. The Yafiavi Empire's murlocs could only develop stably because they have my backing. Otherwise, they would have long since attracted the attention of the sea tribes' powerhouses and been reduced to slaves of production."

"Understood. I will vigorously promote professional education and have my believers keep a low profile until they possess enough strength to protect themselves."

"Mhm, I believe you can do it."