Chapter 63: Ch 63: Merfolks

"Do you think it was the water pressure from last night that caused this? There was no wind, but maybe a storm came...?"

The fairies tried to reason, but it only served to make the dwarf leader angry.

"Do you think my construction is so flimsy that a simple gust of wind will knock it down? I trust my construction. This must have been done by someone with bad intentions."

The dwarf replied with a frown on his face, and it made sense in Aiden’s mind.

He wanted to check a camera to see if it had caught anything, but unfortunately, none of the cameras captured this side.

The river had never been a concern to them, so Aiden had not considered putting a camera on this side. But now he could see that it was a problem.

"Priest Aiden, what do you think?"

The dwarf leader asked, and Aiden let out a sigh. He did have a solution for this problem, but that would require another day’s construction to go to waste.

But for now, that seemed like the best idea.

"Let’s leave out another bridge as bait tonight. We can set up a camera to see who is doing this."

He told the dwarf leader, who nodded and got to work with enthusiasm.

Aiden returned to the main temple and immediately told his Goddess everything. But she looked unconcerned with the recent destruction.

"It must be the merfolks in the territory. They are a small but secluded group without much personal identity. Think of them as...simple destructive animals causing trouble. Do you want me to drive them out for you?"

His goddess proposed, and Aiden felt tempted to take her help.

But in the end, he decided he needed to resolve this situation himself first before coming to her.

His goddess looked disappointed at the fact that he chose not to reply to her, but she respected his wishes. She also decided to slither up his arm to rest on his neck.

"I will accompany you today. As much as I want to let you handle this, it is a conflict in my territory, so I will handle it if I wish to."

Aiden simply nodded, seeing no problem in allowing his Goddess to do whatever she wanted.

...

"Sir Priest, look at this! This destruction is the result of the merfolks. They are causing too much trouble here!"

The dwarf leader pointed out as he showed Aiden the footage. But Aiden did not look surprised because his goddess had already told him the truth.

"Oh! It seems like you already realized what was happening? That’s just what I expected from the head priest."

The dwarf leader praised Aiden, causing him to sigh and shake his head.

"Goddess Apophis informed me about what was going on. If there is anyone who deserves your praise, it’s her. But our more important question is what we are going to do? Does anyone have any ideas?"

Aiden asked, and the dwarfs shook their heads to show that they did not.

The fairies did suggest some ideas, like putting nets to stop the merfolks, but it was all ruled out because it was not trustworthy.

Aiden needed a solution that could allow them to reach a peaceful conclusion. But it was not like the merfolks could talk to them or understand them...

[Goddess Apophis has gained enough authority to bestow her blessing on the weak and powerless. Her blessing can allow creatures like merfolks to develop higher-level understanding.]

[In specific cases, it can also cause them to evolve into higher beings.]

[As Goddess Apophis’s Apostle, you share her power and authority. Would you like to evolve the merfolks?]

The system was being helpful, and the solution did sound like something Aiden wanted.

’As expected, my goddess is excellent and most powerful. She even gave me exactly what I wanted.’

Never mind that it was the system that told Aiden about this. The only thing that mattered was that his Goddess’s grace allowed him to do this.

"Sir Priest, what are we going to do?"

The dwarf leader asked, and Aiden suddenly looked up with a confident look on his face.

"I have a solution to our problem, and hopefully, it will be permanent. Come and follow me."

Aiden signaled for the dwarfs and the fairies to follow him, and they quickly did so, racing to the end of their territory where some underwater caves were located.

He did his best to concentrate until he could feel the presence of the merfolks, and the system popped up again.

[You have sensed the presence of a species that is capable of higher evolution. Would you like to bestow your blessing upon them?]

The system asked, and Aiden gave an immediate answer.

"Of course."

Divine power poured out of Aiden, and it was draining him. He was not used to using such power, so his legs immediately started shaking.

But he continued to stand for the sake of his goddess, and it all passed in an instant.

[You have bestowed your blessing on the merfolks. A few of them have evolved into higher beings.]

[The beings who have received your grace will be coming up to greet you soon.]

[Your follower count has increased.]

[Current Follower Count: 79/100]

’What do you mean my follower count has increased? I used Goddess Apophis’s power. Shouldn’t it be hers whose follower count has increased?’

There was no answer, but that was to be expected. Aiden should know better than to trust the system for any such information.

But for now, his focus was not on the system but on the small yet powerful creatures that came up to meet him.

Most of them were as tall as his leg, but they had sharp claws and unnerving eyes. But their voices were melodic...as long as they spoke underwater.

"Are you the one who bestowed us with your blessing? We shall be eternally grateful to you and serve as your followers from this grace."

"It was Goddess Apophis..."

The merfolks bowed to Aiden, not even bothering to indicate that they heard him speak. Well, it was another batch of followers he had that would help Goddess Apophis at least.