"Stop him, do not let him get close," Menditt ordered the priests behind him. They were all human, and their thoughts were clear. If Menditt wanted to recruit the Three-Tailed Beast, why wouldn't the Church of Magic? "They will surely ruin our recruitment plan."
"Yes, my lord."
The more than ten priests knew the urgency. They all ascended into the sky, their staffs waving, magic tides churning. In an instant, the entire sky was covered in dark clouds, as if someone had spilled ink and begun to furiously paint the sky.
Silver lightning boomed, thunder cracked, fierce winds rose, and waves surged. The might of heaven and earth unfolded in the open sea. A storm cloud, spanning several miles, completely blocked the airship's path forward.
Menditt acted as if he didn't see the anomaly beside him, and cheerfully said to the Three-Tailed Beast, "I don't have much divine power on me right now. If you agree to join us and come back with us, I can apply for ten times this amount of divine power for you."
The Three-Tailed Beast continued to shake its head, "Your human words are the least trustworthy; not a single one is true."
Then, the Three-Tailed Beast aimed its head at the thick cloud layer in the sky, opened its large mouth, and began to gather energy.
"What are you doing?" Menditt panicked. They were talking so well, why the sudden attack?
The Three-Tailed Beast ignored him, swallowed the small ball of Tailed Beast Bomb, and in the next second, a red beam of light shot out. The storm, jointly cast by more than ten priests of the Storm God to block the airship, was instantly pierced by the Tailed Beast Bomb.
The sound of the Tailed Beast Bomb explosion drowned out everything else. The entire world seemed to have no other sound besides this roar.
The sky, which had moments ago resembled the end of the world, instantly vanished like a hastily written word erased by an eraser. The black clouds disappeared, the heavy rain vanished, the thunder and lightning dissipated, and the sky was renewed. The more than ten priests, affected by the magic backlash, all fell. Menditt, though furious, dared not displease the Three-Tailed Beast, as its fate was tied to his own future. He could only rescue the other priests first.
"Why did you do that?" Menditt questioned the Three-Tailed Beast after arranging all the priests.
"I learned about 'holding one's value' from you humans. Since others are coming, I naturally have to hear their offers. What if theirs is higher than yours?"
The Three-Tailed Beast's righteous words completely shattered Menditt's perception of it as easily deceived and ignorant. This seemingly honest and loyal giant turtle was clearly a cunning turtle, more cunning than a monkey!
The airship in the distance had already approached. After hovering, an elderly figure descended from the airship. The overwhelming magic energy emanating from him clearly indicated that he was also a Cardinal.
"Who is it? It's you, Sedonas, you old fool." Menditt's expression was filled with disdain upon seeing the newcomer. However, Li Xi could sense that Menditt's entire body was tense, indicating that this figure from the Church of Magic posed a significant threat to him.
Sedonas ignored Menditt and looked at the Three-Tailed Beast floating on the sea. The moment he saw the Three-Tailed Beast, the surprise in his eyes was undeniable, like a human trafficker spotting four beautiful women with reeds in their hair, being put up for sale.
He instantly understood what Menditt and his group were doing. This was a perfect specimen for future godhood. No wonder they used a storm to block the airship's path. If he were in their shoes, he would have dared to flatten the competitors.
"Tell me, old man, I heard that one of your Cardinal's branches was wiped out by some brat, and your Church of Magic didn't even make a peep. How do you have the time to wander around my ocean? Are you pretending to be ignorant?"
Sedonas snorted, "Menditt, since when did the ocean become your territory? Your god wouldn't dare say that. I advise you to keep a low profile, lest you be killed one day and never find the culprit. I know you were defeated by a mere mercenary before and haven't dared to approach land since."
Menditt's body trembled with rage, and the lightning symbol on his brow flashed wildly. "You..."
Sedonas ignored the furious Menditt and spoke to the Three-Tailed Beast with a gentle expression, "Thank you for your timely assistance, esteemed one. If you are willing to join our Church of Magic, I guarantee that whatever terms they offer, our Church of Magic will offer ten times that."
Seeing Sedonas trying to poach at the first opportunity, Menditt became anxious. "Old man, what big talk! You don't even know what I promised. Don't talk too big and burn your tongue."
Sedonas, with his hands behind his back, said imposingly, "It matters not. Whatever you can promise, it's nothing more than some divine power. Though I don't have it on me, I can mobilize it at any time. A mere bit of divine power is nothing to us in the Church of Magic. After all, we have the strength."
"You..."
Thunder began to rumble in the void, a resonance triggered by Menditt's inability to control his emotions.
"My lord, do not be impulsive! Now is not the time to act," the other priests of the Storm God quickly stepped forward and embraced Menditt, fearing he would impulsively start a fight. Although they were powerful, they were no match for the Church of Magic with its airship.
Sedonas did not take Menditt seriously at all. The airship behind him was not just for show. It could instantly launch twenty types of high-level magic, ensuring that Menditt would be sent to the bottom of the sea if he made a move.
The Three-Tailed Beast showed no reaction to the squabble between the two sides. Instead, it seriously said to Sedonas, "You are also human, and I don't trust you much either. He promised me five bottles of divine power now, and fifty bottles if I join them. You said that no matter how much he promised, you would give me ten times that. Do you still stand by your word?"
The Three-Tailed Beast asked with a look of sincerity.
Sedonas's facial muscles twitched. He truly didn't expect Menditt to actually make such an offer. Fifty bottles were already a painful price. Ten times that would be five hundred bottles. He wouldn't have that much even if he sold himself.
But looking at Menditt, who was smirking beside him, Sedonas gritted his teeth and chuckled, "What was it? Such a small amount is insignificant to our Church of Magic, insignificant."
Before the Three-Tailed Beast and Li Xi could discuss further, Menditt began to mock, "I won't lie to you. My five bottles only contain fifteen drops of divine power. Ten times that is one hundred and fifty drops. This is the maximum share our Storm God's Temple can offer. If you can really produce fifteen hundred drops of divine power now, I'll give up on the spot and leave. If I stay for another second, I'm your grandson."
"Show it to me, let's see if you're lying and if your Church of Magic keeps its word?"
Sedonas ignored Menditt's aggressive challenge and looked at the Three-Tailed Beast. But the Three-Tailed Beast was also looking at him with hopeful eyes, clearly expecting him to produce so much divine power. This left him flustered. He had spoken rashly and now wished he could slap himself.
"Heh, just because you don't have it doesn't mean we don't," Sedonas retorted to Menditt, puffing himself up, before continuing to speak to the Three-Tailed Beast. "You know the preciousness of divine power. I naturally wouldn't carry such a valuable item on me. Esteemed one, please return with me to the headquarters of the Church of Magic. After meeting with His Holiness the Pope, I guarantee that fifteen hundred drops of divine power will be delivered to you."
The Three-Tailed Beast pretended to shake its head. In fact, Li Xi inside its spiritual world was frantically thinking about how to obtain more divine power. The divine power obtained through fighting and killing was not as fast as deception. Killing an evil god would yield at most ten drops of divine power. Now they were discussing hundreds or thousands. Li Xi wished he could rush into their temple and rob them.
"I have been deceived by humans many times. If I hadn't been lucky, I would have died many times over. If you can produce so much divine power now, I will go with you. Otherwise, I will find a place to sleep."
The more uninterested the Three-Tailed Beast appeared, the more anxious Sedonas became. He thought the same as Menditt: recruiting a subordinate god for his main god would be a monumental achievement, and he would surely become the next Pope.
Seeing the Three-Tailed Beast about to leave, Sedonas quickly spoke, "Please wait, esteemed one. My airship has a small teleportation array, which can completely transmit divine power. Wait for me for a moment. After you see the divine power, you will know if I am telling the truth or not."
The Three-Tailed Beast glanced at Menditt, who was shouting frantically, "Don't listen to this old man! I guarantee he's not mobilizing divine power, but finding reinforcements to capture you in one fell swoop. Look at me, I can give you the divine power I have right now. Isn't that more sincere than him?"
Sedonas interrupted Menditt and guaranteed by patting the insignia on his chest, "Your strength, esteemed one, is evident for all to see. We are eager to recruit someone of your caliber; how could we possibly be your enemy? Give me half an hourglass, and I guarantee to bring you the divine power."
The Three-Tailed Beast scratched its head with its three tails, saying with a sincere expression, "Then go. I will only wait for half an hourglass. After the time is up, I will leave."
"Good, good, good. Please wait, esteemed one." Sedonas, overjoyed, flew back to the airship, not knowing how he would use his silver tongue to mobilize the most divine power.
Menditt was truly anxious. Sedonas certainly couldn't produce fifteen hundred drops, but the amount he could mobilize would definitely be far beyond Menditt's capabilities. By the time he returned, this prospect of godhood, which was within his grasp, would be lost.
"Esteemed one, please listen to me. They have so many subordinate gods in the Church of Magic, you won't get much resources even if you go there. It's better to come to my Storm God's Temple. We are located overseas with no other gods competing, so our resources are abundant, which will be more beneficial for your development."
"Furthermore, there are constant conflicts between the divine spirits of various factions on land. If you go there, you won't have peaceful nights. It's better to come to my Storm God's Temple. The ocean is your home!"
The Three-Tailed Beast continued to play with its tails, stirring up waves, and occasionally diving to catch some large fish for a snack, like an innocent child. "Don't worry. If he dares to deceive me, I'll blow up his airship, eat his people, and then come to your Storm God's Temple."
Menditt was still desperately trying to persuade the Three-Tailed Beast because he knew that the Church of Magic's offer would undoubtedly be much greater, even overwhelmingly so.
Inside the airship, as soon as Sedonas returned, he immediately ordered, "Activate the image transmission array and connect with His Holiness the Pope."
There were hundreds of mages operating within this airship. Upon receiving Sedonas's command, a magic array was instantly activated. Above the magic array, a phantom image of an old man wearing a golden crown appeared. As soon as this figure appeared, all the mages in the airship bowed, "Greetings, Your Holiness the Pope."
This old man was the current Pope of the Church of Magic, the earthly representative of the Goddess of Magic.
"Sedonas, what is it that you need me for? Did you capture the newly discovered evil god?"
Sedonas respectfully replied, "Your Holiness, something unexpected has happened, and I require your consent."
The Pope remained unfazed, "Speak."
Sedonas had the airship's side window opened so the Pope could directly see the mountain-like Three-Tailed Beast on the sea and its imposing aura. Anyone who saw the Three-Tailed Beast at first glance would marvel at the creator's craftsmanship. It was magnificent!
"Your Holiness, this is the newly discovered evil god. It is incredibly powerful. It has already used its special attack twice in front of us, each time with a power comparable to a minor forbidden spell. Our airship's current strength is insufficient to subdue it."
"Oh?"
"Furthermore, through my interaction, I discovered that it is naturally innocent and is not far from igniting its divine fire and becoming a god. Therefore, I persuaded it to join our Church of Magic and become a subordinate god of the great Goddess of Magic."
The Pope's face lit up with joy. If another subordinate god could be added during his tenure, he would rank among the greatest Popes in history, passed down for eternity, second only to a few legendary Popes. He impatiently asked, "Did you succeed?"
Sedonas's face showed anger. "No. Before us, this evil god was targeted by the Storm God's Temple, and they promised it one hundred and fifty drops of divine power."
"In order not to let such an excellent evil god slip through our grasp, I promised a higher offer. As long as we fulfill my promise, this evil god is willing to join our Church of Magic."
"How much did you promise?"
Sedonas's face showed embarrassment and difficulty. "I promised ten times what the Storm God's Temple offered. As long as we fulfill our promise, we will have another subordinate god in the future. I believe it is entirely worth it."
Through the image transmitted by the magic array, it was clear that upon hearing Sedonas quote a price ten times higher, even the Pope, who was as calm as a mountain before a collapse, couldn't help but gasp. That price was too high! The calculation method for divine power, even for the top human powers, used 'drops' as the unit of measurement, which showed how astonishingly precious this item was.
The Pope winced for a while. "What were you thinking?"
Sedonas, who had been quite apprehensive, was overjoyed to hear the Pope's question. Since the Pope didn't refuse immediately, it meant there was still hope. "Reporting to Your Holiness, fifteen hundred drops of divine power are naturally impossible. I believe if we can offer fifty drops to bring this evil god to headquarters, the rest will not need to be given."
The Pope pondered for a moment. Fifty drops were acceptable. At this critical juncture of the Goddess of Magic's return to the divine realm, the Church of Magic could not afford to produce more divine power. Sedonas's offer of fifty drops was precisely at his tolerance limit. Was trading fifty drops for a subordinate god a good deal?