Chapter 320 (2): The More People I Meet, the More I Like Do
On a physical level, Marshall and Obed had failed, but on a spiritual level, their will to resist hegemony and monopoly deserved commendation. They were advocates who had bravely fought for freedom. Unfortunately, they had terrible luck and ran into a cheater, their dreams shattered before coming to fruition.
Obed, especially, could’ve succeeded.
Marshall was another story. He should’ve become part of the Astral Plane, but for some reason, he regained his sense of self and returned to the Chosen Land to distribute eggs—it was a means to an end, through which he sought to harvest followers like leeks[1].
The number of followers depended on the quantity of eggs. The more eggs there were, the more followers he would gain. Marshall was operating according to the trends in the market.
Anyway, to the Goddess of Darkness, Wayne’s advanced existence meant that he would never truly follow any one god. She wasn’t surprised. When She perceived his form in person, She confirmed that his power wasn’t as formidable as she had imagined.
He was an evolving Astral being, made precious because he imitated an ancient god!
She remained silent for a long while. This meeting wasn’t in Her plan. Wayne, on the other hand, had things to say. He said the lines he had prepared to probe for answers.
“Great Goddess of Darkness, I had no intention of stealing your faith. Anastasia’s transformation was an accident. Because of Thoggua, her body underwent uncontrolled mutation. I couldn’t bear to... I’m sure a merciful one like you would understand.”
Wayne went on and on about Anastasia’s difficulty and his charitable nature, playing up his virtuous image.
The Goddess of Darkness couldn’t care less. She had seen everything under the sun. There had been countless boastful humans like Wayne.
After rambling for a while, Wayne said tentatively, “Goddess, Anastasia must have told you that I’d obtained the power of five chosen knights and merged the power.”
“Yes, Anastasia’s memories told me everything,” the Goddess of Darkness said slowly. “Not only do I know everything, but I also know that the other three chosen knights know very little. Only I am aware of the lie of you being five chosen knights.”