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Chapter 322 Tensions Running High

The number of skills Players could learn drop drastically after they reach Level 50, although the power of their skills would also rise to the next level with the high specialization that came with taking different skill routes.

And just like before, Xi Wei shouldered the skill costs for the Players.

It was fine since the number of Players were still few for now, but their average level would definitely increase as time went on.

Moreover, as more Players rise beyond the threshold of level fifty, the casting of high-level skills would definitely drain a huge portion of Xi Wei’s divine power.

To be frank, Xi Wei was feeling a little overwhelmed...

But he was a deity, and there was no way he could cry to his believers, saying, “Stop! I really have nothing left!”

Therefore, to ensure that he wouldn’t be drained dry, he decided to attach a certain additional condition to skills above level fiftyit was the consumption of Illum crystals, which energy would be used to compensate for the skill cost.

The variety of classes would in turn require different colored Illum crystals, which was why the powerful skills beyond Level 50 were all known as ‘colored skills’ amongst the Players.

Xi Wei had assumed that the new change would draw discontent amongst the Player base.

After all, using their skills before this did not require consumables and the blue bar tend to recover on its own with time, which was freeloading at its essence. And as anyone would know, freeload a day and you feel good for a day-freeload a lifetime and you feel good for a lifetime.

Even so, the Players appeared understanding about the update, and even believed that the God of Games held the same conscience just like before.

The reason was not hard to guess— feelings of happiness were actually relative, a whataboutism.

While the other gods would respond to their own believers and bestow them their own power in the form of so-called sacred arts, even the simplest ones require corresponding incantations, hand gestures or runes. A shrine and required offerings would also be mandatory once they reach stronger sacred arts, just as the rituals must be carried out strictly according to what was dictated-it was also worth mentioning that such rules were conveyed through dreams or oracles.

That was why the moment that the reaction of any city watch informed about the presence of cultists was to search for the shrine that the cultists would be using: humans were alive and could move, but shrines would leave traces even if it were destroyed.

As for why the gods would trouble their own believers over all that? It naturally wasn’t because they wanted to watch a monkey show out of boredom-belief was actually a power that bound the gods and their believers, and even the gods need the believers to pray and the foundation of bonds in order to respond to them.

The problem was that the gods had a limit to how far their minds could extend. Even though they could gain substantial divine power if their believers would pray to them at once, they would also bother the gods with countless different wishes.

That was why aside from the few special exceptions, most gods usually keep themselves oblivious to most prayers because they didn’t want to hear their believers praying about everything that irritated them.

That in turn presented a new problem: If the believers had an urgent need for the gods’ help, what could they do especially since they were keeping themselves oblivious?

That was how ‘rituals’ came to be.

To put it in simpler terms: the whole relationship was like that of a radio-the believers’ normal, daily wishes would be blocked by the gods like random static.

On the other hand, when they need help over a certain purpose, they could apply certain rituals, which was akin to putting their information up on a selected channel. When the corresponding god heard that channel and received the information, they would verify if the prayer was a believer of their own, and bestow them their divine powers once no problems were found to complete the sacred arts.

It was simple why advanced rituals were more complicated as well-channels had limits, and it was only by working on specialized radio channels to fulfill wishes when there are complex categories. The original ritual would therefore be added with certain little variances to realize the functions of different sacred arts, which in turn complicates the rituals. Even so, that problem didn’t exist for Xi Wei.

With his ability to transmigrate and to build a direct connection to the Players’ belief, he didn’t have to share the congested channels of electromagnetic waves with other gods, and instead fool around on a separate blank channel he had all to himself.

Instead, what bugged Xi Wei as a god was the matter of ‘insufficient divine power’ which didn’t exist for any other god, since none of them were feeding back their believers with that much divine power.

***

When Edward finished casting his spell, a tremendous black inferno shot out from Happy Flames, converging and materializing into a massive dragon with crimson eyes. Its gaze was overflowing with the scent of an evil dragon, whereas its black scales reflected a metallic luster as it bellowed at the skies with stunning might.

No matter the perspective, it was a totem of fire itself-no one would believe that it was a real dragon!

And now, the black dragon was streaking downwards, unleashing a massive black fireball at the two men who were fleeing at their top speed, sack in two. The tall man’s face had gone pale—his war hammer was certainly not going to stop that fearsome attack.

On the other hand, the short man who carried the sack turned around.

He was holding a weirdly shaped buckler on his hand that emitted champagne-colored radiance, maintaining a transparent circular barrier which both men stayed behind.

Soon enough, the fireball slammed heavily into the barrier but could not break it, and was instead deflected to a nearby building.

The walls and the roof were vaporized instantly by the black flames, but the people inside were somehow fine. The family of three who were having some bacon hence stared blankly as the black dragon flew past, followed by Gou Dan and Edward, the latter of whom was being carried by Joe. “What the heck was that?” Gou Dan couldn’t help gaping. As a Level 50 skill, the fireballs that Edward’s black dragon breathed wouldn’t cause secondary damage of searing heat or explosion. It merely ‘burns’ to the extreme, and any substance touched by the black flames would vaporize immediately!

Even so, that mysterious buckler had succeeded in deflecting the entire fireball without taking so much as a scratch. “It’s either a relic imbued with a powerful sacred art, or the sacred item of a certain religion. Only something along those lines could stop my Red Eyes Black Dragon’s blast.”

Edward’s face was pale. The Level 50 skill took a heavy toll, leaving his body feeling drained. “The other man’s hammer is the same-if I’m not wrong, it’s a sacred item too!”

“I’m not sure what’s happening, but this is a provocation against the Church of Games!” Joe looked extremely irritated even as he carried Edward. “I’ll flatten them!”

“But they are cunning, we have to prepare for a long chase... my stamina potion is ready!” Gou Dan said solemnly although he was barely doing anything Clearly, they were exceedingly furious to find Eleena who grew up with them being abducted.

Even as the chase continued amidst the trading of a wide assortment of skills, the air between both sides were running high with tension.

That was when the two kidnappers suddenly and simultaneously fell heavily face-first into the dirt.

Edward and the others did a double take, but soon noticed the white chains of light bound on their feet.

It was a derivative of Eleena’s Chains of Penance.

Still, because he had fallen too hard, the sack on the short man’s back that was holding Eleena dropped into a nearby river with a plop...