Chapter 670: The Right to Interpret Faith

"Let me take you up first. Tell me what happened."

"Get ready."

Loren directly embraced Korali, activating water magic to rush toward the surface with her.

With a merfolk's ability, rushing to the surface at this speed wouldn't be a problem.

...

"Korali? Why is she here?"

When Loren and Korali reached the lake surface, Anna also recognized Korali.

"Scarlett, prepare a fish tank. We need to go find Melody quickly. She's been captured."

"Got it..."

Scarlett immediately produced a large fish tank on the spot. This was the advantage of having Scarlett around, she could pull out useful things at any time.

"Now quickly tell us the situation. Why did the elders arrest Melody?"

On the way back, Loren questioned Korali about the circumstances.

There were many corpses along the route. Naclis stood at the front using Return to Earth to clear the path, and this gruesome sight made Korali somewhat frightened.

She swallowed hard, forced herself to calm down, and recounted the situation to Loren:

"Ever since Mara captured me, I never left merfolk territory again. Very few others ever leave either, only Melody would go out...

"When I learned that she had also met you, I was so happy, especially when I found out you were the Perpetual Observer.

"Melody didn't tell many people this news. I didn't understand her behavior at first. Shouldn't such good news be proclaimed to the world?

"But one day she was suddenly arrested by the merfolk guard, on charges of betraying the faith... that's one of the greatest sins..."

"Betraying the faith?"

"Yes, the elders said she betrayed the faith of the Perpetual Observer, that she wanted to find an impostor to replace the Perpetual Observer... but I know very well that you are the true Perpetual Observer...

"So I felt something was wrong about this. But no matter what I said, no one believed me. They even arrested me too.

"However, their surveillance of me wasn't strict. I took the opportunity to escape. I wanted to find you. Only you can change all of this..."

As she spoke, Korali kept crying. She felt deeply wronged, and she felt wronged on Melody's behalf as well.

They had clearly wanted what was truly best for the merfolk race.

"There has always been a legend within the tribe, that once the Perpetual Observer returns, everything will change. He will lead us to see the light of day again...

"But you really appeared. Why would they do this?"

Korali was far more naive than Melody, unable to even comprehend this.

"The right to define faith is entirely in the elders' hands. The right to interpret the divine realm is also in their hands.

"So even if I appeared before them, they wouldn't acknowledge me."

"Why..."

Korali didn't understand what Loren was saying.

"Isn't this what we've been waiting for all along?"

"The merfolk have been waiting. Not the elders."

The individual does not equal the group, especially when high-ranking individuals do not equal the group. This theory applied anywhere.

It worked for the Church, and it worked within merfolk society too.

"Why?"

Having it explained to this extent, Korali, this naive child, still couldn't understand.

"Because of greed for power. Merfolk lifespans are considerably longer than humans', so they're also more easily corrupted by authority.

"With me absent, they are the leaders. Whatever they want, they simply interpret it out of my divine oracle. Merfolk society is their absolute domain.

"If I were present, they'd just be messengers with no authority whatsoever, no different from any ordinary merfolk."

"For this little bit of power, they'd rather betray their faith... abandon the chance to see the light of day again..."

Korali still couldn't quite understand their way of thinking. In her view, power was far less important than faith.

"This is also what they've been brainwashing you with all along... Anyway, from my understanding of the Dawn Princess, she wouldn't force others to believe in me.

"The Perpetual Observer in your faith could be swapped for any nonexistent god. The reason the Perpetual Observer was chosen is simply because that was the Dawn Princess's faith, and the most widespread faith at the time.

"Faith is just their tool to control you."

Loren had explained all the reasoning to Korali in plain terms. This time she finally understood, and simultaneously fell into silence.

It wasn't until everyone boarded the ship that Loren spoke again:

"Take us to merfolk territory. We're going to rescue Melody.

"We need to move fast. As long as Melody is alive, she's a threat to the merfolk elders. They won't let her live long.

"Melody has some reputation. They can't kill her too casually. They still need to find a reasonable justification.

"Directly pinning a charge of betraying the faith is too hasty. After all, the pendant chose her, and the pendant was something I left behind."

Loren had grown accustomed to replacing "the Perpetual Observer" with "I," and no one else noticed anything off about it.

"Alright, Atlantis is over there..."

Korali indicated a direction for Loren:

"It's in the deep sea right there..."

"Atlantis, huh... what a name full of stereotypes..."

Loren didn't dwell too much on the name. He steered the ghost ship toward the direction Korali pointed.

Atlantis wasn't far from here. Loren and the others soon arrived directly above Atlantis.

"Korali and I will go down. The rest of you wait up here. We'll be back quickly."

This was one of the few situations Loren was unfamiliar with. He wasn't clear on what exactly the merfolk's situation was.

But there was one thing he did know. Mara had released Super-tier Magic by stealing something from the merfolk, and this group of merfolk might also be capable of casting Super-tier Magic.

If that were true, Loren would have difficulty protecting the others from Super-tier Magic, especially since they were at the seabed. Even with the Sea God's blessing, mobility would be troublesome for them.

"I'm going too! I also have the Sea God's blessing!"

Laila was the first to volunteer, but was immediately rejected by Loren:

"No. The merfolk likely have Super-tier Magic."

"Then I'll go! I'm immortal!"

At that moment, Reflection Naclis stepped forward:

"I also have the blessing, and I personally don't even need to breathe. I can't drown either."

"Alright, then the three of us will go down."

Reflection Naclis coming was perfect. She was immortal and could also relay messages for Loren.

"Original, I'll trouble you to continue sleeping then."

Naclis glanced at Loren with reluctance, said "Alright," and fell into slumber.

As long as it benefited Loren, she wouldn't hesitate for even a moment.

"Then let's set off. Hurry and rescue Melody."

Loren picked up Corolla from the fish tank. Reflection Naclis also hid herself in Loren's shadow. The three of them leaped into the water together.

If anything happened to Melody, Loren might truly slaughter everyone connected to this matter.

Compared to the entire merfolk race, Loren cared more about Melody and Korali.

What he loved was the individual, not the group.