Chapter 453 - 191: You’re Simply Too Stupid

Then, Wei’en turned his consciousness inward to check his panel.

After balancing his basic attributes and Origin Power through his "Spiritual Conversion" talent, his Spirit and Resilience levels had reached 7217.5. If not for the 620-point deduction to his Resilience from using "Forbidden Item 2-77, Karel’s Whisper," both of his basic attributes would now exceed 7500.

This time, thanks to the gaze of the Lord of Dawn, his Origin Power had also exceeded 600, with the exact value being 622.

Furthermore, his much-needed Survival Points had again reached 26,451, enough to support his upgrades for a short while.

’As expected, my previous choice was the right one... The more dangerous the crisis, the greater the gains!’ Wei’en mused, looking at the returns on his panel.

Aside from the increase in his strength, his greatest discovery this time was a secret regarding the Power of Faith: the stronger a Holy Professional’s faith, the less of their own Origin Power they possessed.

This was very likely the fundamental reason the Four True Gods and those Evil God Sects were so keen on gathering followers!

Following this line of thought, Wei’en deduced that Origin Power was likely the key to future advancements. The fact that even the True Gods needed to absorb the Origin Power of their believers was a clear indicator.

At the same time, this led him to another suspicion—was the Ghost Soul School’s Soul-Devouring Magic also designed out of a craving for Origin Power?

If that was the case, then the difference he’d experienced between devouring Ghost Mages and devouring the Origin Power of other creatures must stem from this very reason!

There was no guarantee that some Wizards within the Ghost Soul School weren’t secretly devouring the Origin Power of their own peers!

’Of course, it’s also possible I’m just overthinking things...’

However, in a world this bizarre, and especially after the incident in Caster, he had no problem viewing everyone with the utmost suspicion.

’Until I get to the bottom of this, I can’t go back to the School.’

Wei’en knew very well that if such people really existed in the Ghost Soul School, a Wizard like him whose strength was increasing so rapidly would definitely become a target for them to devour.

Therefore, he had no intention of returning to the School until he was strong enough to protect himself.

With this thought, Wei’en glanced at the clock. Seeing it was already eight o’clock, he took out the Golden Key and returned to the captain’s cabin of the *Leonard*.

’I wonder if Ronan followed my instructions to remove the old emblem from the sails and replace it with the new clown design...’

...

...

Meanwhile, nearly two hundred kilometers away from the *Leonard*, a small sailboat surfaced from beneath the waves, not far behind the *Bai Ke Li*.

"Elder, their heading is Avad Island. It looks like they won’t be stopping, or will only make brief landfalls."

The Sea Crow Race Elder, Troy, gazed at the *Bai Ke Li*, more than ten kilometers away, and nodded. "Rejor Island. That’s where they’ll make their next stop."

"Rejor?"

A nearby Sea Crow clansman consulted a very old nautical chart. "That’s still a ten-day voyage from here. Should we go on ahead to prepare?"

"Xia Nai, the Elder is here. What are you worried about?" another clansman said, periodically reaching out to snatch a Deep Sea Aberration and stuff it into his mouth, chewing greedily.

"Hmph! We already missed the *Storm Hunter*. If we miss the *Bai Ke Li* this time, who knows how long we’ll have to wait to get to Woichek. Los, you don’t want our mission to fail completely and for us to be punished by the patriarch, do you?"

"I didn’t mean that..."

"Enough!" Troy interrupted coldly. "Instead of wasting time, you should contact the clan immediately and pass on the information about that individual we encountered!"

"About that... Elder..."

"What is it?"

"Last time we sent a message back, you saw what happened..." Xia Nai said through gritted teeth. "Whether he’s Red-haired Marco or the Mutated Mage Wei’en, the clan is already furious that you traded away that holy relic on your own authority."

"And?" Troy glared at him. "Did you not see what happened last night? That Mutated Mage, Wei’en, is merely an Intermediate Mage, yet he killed a Judgment Knight! His potential is terrifying, nearly on par with the ’Sea Emperor’!"

"But..."

"Do as I say, unless you want me to devour you right now!"

Xia Nai glanced at the others, but they all wore cold, indifferent expressions. Defeated, he gritted his teeth. "I understand. I’ll relay the information on him back to the clan now..."

"Mm."

Meanwhile, aboard the *Bai Ke Li*, Black Jack and his men had already returned to their leisurely state of drinking and playing cards, completely unaware of the pursuers behind them.

"First Officer, Lady Lodilia is looking for you!"

"Damn it, what does that woman want now?!"

Black Jack muttered curses as he returned to his cabin, picked up an ear-shaped communicator, and put on a brilliant smile. "My dear Lady Lodilia, what are your orders?"

"Get to Avad Island as soon as possible. The *Alanjia* may be making a move!"

"The *Alanjia*? Do those bastards dare go to Avad Island?"

"Enough nonsense. This is a message from our contact on the Western Continent. That bastard Suyade has returned from the Forbidden Sea aboard the ’Homeward,’ and he’s brought back some very mysterious people—a group described as being wrapped from head to toe in cloth strips!"

"Wrapped in cloth strips? Aren’t those just wounded people? What’s so special about that..."

"Hm?"

"Right, right, I get it. My business here is wrapped up, and we’re already on our way to Avad Island. You can count on me. No matter who the *Alanjia* sends, I’ll make sure it’s a one-way trip for them!"

"It had better be!"

Black Jack glared at the now-silent communicator, his face twisting in vexation as he muttered, "That woman... so damn rude..."

...

...

「Meanwhile, in a hidden space in the central region of the Eastern Continent, extremely far from the Cordo Sea.」

A blonde woman was brandishing a great black sword, dripping with sweat. Her Golden Armor was soaked, making her look quite disheveled.

DONG, DONG DONG...

A series of chimes rang out, interrupting her training.

"Your Eminence, Kali."

At this moment, a tall figure appeared beside her, knelt on one knee, and said respectfully, "Archbishop Helieta requests your presence."

"Has something happened, Melbel?"

The blonde woman was indeed Kali Morris, who had come to the Dawn Sanctuary for special training. She waved a hand to dismiss the great black sword, then picked up a nearby towel to wipe the sweat from her face as she asked calmly.

"Judgment Knight Huberto has returned to the embrace of the Dawn."

"I remember he went in pursuit of..."

Melbel followed behind her, his eyes hinting at a cold indifference from beneath his mask. "He went to pass judgment on Wei’en Loft. He died at Wei’en’s hands."

"Wei’en... Is that the Mutated Mage we met in Caster?"

"Yes, Your Eminence!"

Kali’s expression grew thoughtful, her tone puzzled. "For some reason, that name... it bothers me. It’s as if I knew him well once..."