Hearing this, John was deeply puzzled.
After pondering for a mont, he asked, "What about Aegir? He is the Norse god of the sea, right? How does he compare to Poseidon in terms of strength?"
"Comparing gods from different pantheons is pointless. Are you trying to argue with ?"
"Didn't Hera lose?"
"That's an exception! Generally speaking, gods who wield the sa authority are of equal strength. But Hera only controls the power of death, while Hades also governs the afterlife. Hera's defeat was inevitable. But why am I explaining this to you? You're far from reaching that level.
Instead of worrying about this, you should focus on dealing with the current problem."
John shrugged and continued, "It's just an academic discussion. Aren't you curious? Odin and Zeus, Tyr and Ares, Apollo and Balder—don't gods with the sa authority have a desire to prove who's superior?"
"If they have such desires, it shows they're not worthy gods."
"And what about you? What's your domain? If you were invincible in your domain, how did you die so miserably? So far, you're the only dead god I've seen. Even Tyr, as wretched as he is, is still alive. You're worse off than him."
"You're getting too cheeky. Do you want to control your body and make you spit out the Waterproof Pearl, so you drown in seawater?"
"See, you're getting worked up again."
John smirked and stopped talking to Seraphina. ntioning her past always made her react like an agitated cat, full of hostility, which only deepened John's confusion.
"I advise you to give up on this line of questioning. So things will beco clear when you're ready to know them. Until then, it's pointless."
As he conversed with Seraphina, John continued to dive deeper. Along the way, he encountered several monsters, but most were relatively weak, and he dispatched them effortlessly.
Finally, in the pitch-black water, a bright light appeared suddenly, like a solitary morning star.
Next ca a second star, then a third.
Soon, the starlight ford a continuous line, and everything before John was fully revealed. It was a kingdom lost beneath the deep sea, a dreamlike realm.
Countless luminous pearls illuminated the kingdom, with colorful coral reefs adding to its splendor. The scene was so breathtaking it seed almost unreal.
No matter how many tis one looked at it, the beauty was always srizing.
John floated there in the water, dazed for nearly ten minutes, before Seraphina's urging snapped him back to reality. He then ventured into the world enclosed by a giant bubble.
In that instant, the icy seawater was completely cut off from John. He spat out the Waterproof Pearl and greedily breathed in the slightly salty air.
"I didn't expect to return here so soon."
"Are you going to say 'the more things change, the more they stay the sa' next?"
"The more things change, the more they stay the sa... Ti has passed, and it seems nothing has changed, yet everything has changed..."
"Are you showing off?"
"Hmph, don't think that knowing a few phrases makes you an expert. The culture of Dragonia is profound and vast, understand?"
John smirked triumphantly, but sothing strange struck him—he didn't see a single person.
In his mory, Atlantis was always bustling with people, no matter the ti. How could it be so desolate now?
Even without the presence of players, the sea people lived here. They were the fortunate ones embraced by the ocean, citizens of Atlantis with considerable combat power, unaffected by the water.
Most importantly, the sea people's appearance was almost as striking as that of the elves.
One side was vibrant, the other soft and graceful—two distinct beauties, each unparalleled.
And...
John had a complicated past with the sea people's princess. Ahem... But that was in his previous life.
"This is strange. In my mory, nothing like this has ever happened before. Seraphina, what do you think?"
"What's with that tone?"
"Don't worry about the details. Just tell , what do you think is going on?"
"What else could it be? This anomaly must be related to the Divine Emissary and the apostles. Either he has foreseen your arrival in Atlantis and has taken asures against it, or [gluttony] has already devoured all of Atlantis. Which possibility do you lean towards?"
"Of course, the forr. [Gluttony] hasn't awakened that quickly, I'm sure of that. Never mind, I won't get any useful clues from you anyway. Luckily, I ca prepared."
With that, John took a deep breath, his aura spreading out, containing all the powers he had acquired so far.
[Deception], [Lust], [Betrayal], and from Hades, [Death Herald].
Four distinct yet equally potent auras exploded from within John and spread around him.
In just a few breaths, a figure shimred into view behind John. The man wore a aningful smile and, upon seeing John, gave a gentlemanly bow and said, "John, I didn't expect us to et so soon. You're two days ahead of my expectations."
"I ca as soon as I finished up over there. So, what's going on? How can all of Atlantis be completely empty?"
"Ah, if you're referring to the sea people living here, they've all gone to worship."
"Worship? Is today Sea God's Day? What are they worshiping? Do the sea people have a holiday I don't know about?"
"Of course not. To be precise, they've gone to worship the Divine Emissary."
Hearing this, John frowned and asked, "Why would they worship the Divine Emissary? Don't they worship Poseidon, the god of the sea?"
"That used to be the case. But I have to admit, Miles is quite the skilled charlatan. Using his abilities, he revealed several prophecies to the sea people, all of which ca true. Since then, he has been revered as a deity. Recently, he revealed yet another prophecy."
"In the prophecy, it is said that an enemy has already arrived in Atlantis. He will overturn everything here, destroy everything they know, and let the entire Atlantis sleep beneath the sea. My friend, can you guess who this person in the prophecy is? Guess right, and there's a reward~"
"Do I even need to think? I am that person."
"You're so clever, John, as expected. Here, your reward: a pretty seashell I picked up on the way. Quite beautiful, isn't it?"
"You still have the mood to joke around. Does that an things aren't so urgent?"
At this, the smile on [Deception]'s lips froze, and he said helplessly, "If only the reality were as optimistic as I am. Unfortunately, it isn't. [Gluttony] is about to break free."
"...How much ti do we have left?"
"Twenty days? Two weeks, maybe less? I'm not sure. It depends on the Divine Emissary's capabilities. But his skills must be quite good, otherwise, he wouldn't have gathered so many loyal followers in such a short ti. So, you're in danger.
If you reveal your identity in Atlantis, you will beco the enemy of the entire kingdom. And there's nothing you can do to change that because people believe that prophecies always show signs. As an outsider, you must be removed."
This was undoubtedly bad news.
Right now, Atlantis had almost beco the stronghold of the Divine Emissary and [Gluttony]. John was the challenger. Not to ntion thwarting their plans, even sneaking into Atlantis was a challenge for John.
"Is there any way?"
"Of course, my friend! To , nothing in this world is truly impossible. Since the Divine Emissary has already made it impossible for you to infiltrate Atlantis from the root, why not change our approach? For instance...
You, Morton Leonard, were born in this lost kingdom, Atlantis. You were never an outsider. After all, the best way to dismantle a lie is undoubtedly with another lie, right?"
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