City of Sin (Yanyu Jiangnan)

Refugee

Richard and Flowsand looked at each other. Kellac had been an unexpected surprise, a gargantuan one. If all he said was true, and he really could regain his powers as a high priest, he would be a great boon for Richard’s growth. Flowsand nodded in response to Richard’s inquisitive gaze; she could do this.

Richard’s heart was thus set at ease, and he asked Kellac one last question, “Now then, what were those unfulfilled wishes?”

Kellac fell silent for a while, his face contorting as he recalled unpleasant memories. He eventually let out a long sigh, “I wish for the crucifixion and burning of Cardinal Markville of the Highland Wargod!”

The Highland Wargod was a lesser deity, so a cardinal of his would normally be around level 16, maybe level 15 in the best case. Of course, the level was not the biggest problem. Burning a cardinal at the stake was basically declaring a crusade against their deity!

Richard continued his questioning, finding out that Markville had originally been a level 17 high priest just like Kellac. The source of their enmity was not important; all he’d needed to know was whether Kellac’s wishes contradicted the will of the Eternal Dragon.

Richard nodded his head towards Flowsand and she spoke up, “The master I serve, his name is the Dragon of Eternity and Light.”

“What?!” Kellac involuntarily cried out.

He immediately realised that he had lost his self-control, but the name that Flowsand uttered was far too shocking. If this was really the god’s title, then it wasn’t some new demigod but a deity whose powers transcended Faelor itself!

The Book of the Gods ensured that Kellac was well aware of the deeper systems of the plane. He knew the laws of Faelor would not allow for such a powerful god to exist.

If Flowsand was telling the truth, there was only one possibility. However, she could not be lying, because that was a meaningless act. He would naturally feel the presence of this new god when he converted.

Kellac’s mouth contorted and his voice suddenly grew hoarse, “The Dragon of Eternity and Light… This is a god from a different plane!”

“Not a different plane,” Flowsand corrected him, “He reigns supreme over many.”

Kellac inhaled a deep breath, “But… There is essentially no difference! You lot are invaders!”

“Yes, we come from another plane. However, a majority of the pantheon on Faelor won’t accept you,” Flowsand pointed out harshly. She had some understanding of Faelor’s gods by now.

Kellac painfully closed his eyes, his face warping. He was already prepared when he spoke the truth about the Sunset Shrine, prepared even before he took a step through the door. He knew there would be a bumpy road ahead, where he could follow a new deity’s transcendence or even witness the blasphemy of killing a god. However, the truth was always more frightening than what one expected. This unbelievably mighty god would allow his wishes to come to fruition easier, but these invaders clashed with his beliefs. It was an extremely difficult decision to make.

It took a long struggle before he finally spoke again, “Yes, indeed… I… I am willing to worship the Dragon of Eternity and Light.”

Having said that, he leaned back into his chair, sweating profusely. He looked very weak, as though he was suffering from a grave illness.

Flowsand stood up, a stern expression on her face, “You will not be disappointed! Follow me, we can start the ceremony now.”

The ceremony was held in Flowsand’s room, the altar was a piece of wood that had been nailed crudely to a wooden frame, the workmanship shoddy. Kars and Marvin served as assistants, while Richard was the only spectator.

Flowsand placed the Book of Time on the wood, giving Kellac a quick summary of the Eternal Dragon’s teachings, his domain, and his blessings. The old dragon’s teachings were actually quite simple, with almost no specifics. In other words, there were no lengthy codices to solidify the religion, most of the information passed on being related to sacrifices and blessings.

These teachings truly left Kellac surprised, but after seeing the cold divine might being emitted by the Book of Time he immediately turned serious. Every type of power in nature could be fabricated, but not the power of the gods.

A faint gold glimmer started flowing from the Book of Time under the melodious sound of Flowsand’s chants. She motioned for Kellac to step forward, kneeling in front of the Book of Time and stretching out his hands to receive the divine power. Kellac was so excited his entire body started trembling as he complied with all her instructions.

The pale gold glimmer exploded onto Kellac’s hands like a rain of gold. His body immediately shook as he felt a cold, metallic divine power roll through his body. His dry, cracked soul screamed, absorbing the divine power that it had not seen for a long time. The wounds to his soul slowly closed up.

The ash-black on Kellac’s face was washed away by the cleansing might, the face that resembled an old tree bark slowly swelling up as several deep wrinkles flattened out. All his bones started crackling, his body growing in size.

Kellac was completely transformed by the divine power, and his powers were returning just as quickly. It wasn’t long before he had passed level 10, and he didn’t seem to show any signs of slowing down.

Small beads of sweat had started forming on Flowsand’s forehead but she continued the constant chant, controlling the sparks flying out from the Book of Time towards Kellac’s hands. This process was taking longer than expected, but it was also the most important. It was only now that Kellac would grow so quickly; once the ceremony came to an end, he would have to regain his power bit by bit like anyone else. As long as he could absorb the power of time, she had to persist.

The pale gold energy had slowly spread to Kellac’s waist, covering the top half of his body. A blinding glow suddenly radiated from his shirt, seemingly plating the entire room in gold.

For a moment, it seemed like that gold glimmer had absorbed all the power of time. The portion of his shirt quickly turned dark, decaying into ashes. This was the power of time; it might not be as violent as a burning flame, but its might was unstoppable. Who could weather the passage of time?

All of Kellac’s clothes were corroded in an instant. Some expensive magical artifacts, including powerful scrolls, could not resist the flow of time and were completely destroyed. The only exception was a small scroll, which instead of fading away started to absorb more and more power from its surroundings. It turned red hot, eventually looking like a brand that burnt a part of Kellac’s skin in the blink of an eye. He was forced to retreat involuntarily, but the scroll remained in its original position, floating in mid-air.