"I have some healing potion here. Do you want it?"
Loren pulled out several bottles of healing potion from his clothes and set them in front of Justitia.
"No need. Healing potions might tip off the Church, and besides, I'm not in pain right now. With my self-healing ability, no pain means I'm fine."
"If you ever run into someone from the Witches' Church, remember to tell them that I am the Perpetual Observer."
Loren sighed and got down to business. His heart truly ached for Justitia.
"Understood."
Justitia dragged her body onward, heading into the distance.
"I'll deal with the Orthodox Gods as quickly as possible. Then you can live peacefully with us."
Justitia stopped, turned back, and flashed Loren a smile:
...
"She's gone. What do we do next?"
Once Justitia had left, Veronica stretched her arms, putting her impressively ample chest on full display.
"Head back to the God of Freedom's territory, snatch a ghost ship, and then set sail for the Western Continent."
Loren tidied up Veronica's slightly messy hair as he spoke.
Veronica's personality issues wouldn't be fixed overnight, but that kind of temperament wasn't necessarily a bad thing. Being cold and detached was far better than being a selfless saint—at the very least, it wouldn't drag down her own people.
"Let's go."
Loren scooped Veronica up and flew into the sky without a hint of stealth.
He planned to spread the word about himself along the way, making sure everyone knew that Loren was the Perpetual Observer.
This would also help him search for witches. If his power suddenly spiked, it likely meant there was a witch nearby who had heard his message.
On the road, Loren and Veronica stopped at a safe spot in the Holy Flame Empire to grab a bite to eat.
Even during this process, Church members patrolled the streets with crystal balls in hand.
Veronica's Arcane Ability could interfere with those crystal balls—that was how she'd evaded the Church for all these years.
Loren and Veronica sat in the restaurant, watching the Church members pass by.
The crystal balls in their hands were already flashing frantic warnings, yet they remained utterly oblivious.
Loren ignored them. After finishing his meal, he set off once more.
Unless necessary, Loren didn't want to kill.
Loren flew with Veronica back to the Royal Capital of Elecia, standing atop the grand church.
Just like before, Loren had Veronica cooperate with him, spreading news of his return across the entire kingdom.
This place was one of Loren's most critical pieces on the chessboard. Across the entire Western Continent, only the God of Freedom's territory allowed people to discuss things freely.
The God of Light and Fire enforced militarism, the God of Confusion forcibly controlled people's thoughts, and barely any of the God of Dreams' followers were even lucid.
Loren knew that from now on, the hottest topic of conversation would be him.
"No one's coming to stop us?"
In Loren's arms, Veronica looked down at the scene below.
"That's the way of the Freedom's followers."
Loren answered. They hadn't just announced Loren's return—they'd even blown up the church's rooftop in the process.
Yet even after all that, no one came to stop them. Some Freedom followers even walked right past without sparing Loren a single glance.
They knew perfectly well that going up against Loren meant certain death. Better to pretend they hadn't seen anything.
After all, Loren's reputation preceded him. They firmly believed that as long as they didn't threaten him, he wouldn't attack them.
By now, the vast majority of people in this world also believed that Loren had been wronged by the witches. If he announced he was cutting ties with them, plenty of churches would probably be willing to take him in.
This was a critical moment in the Divine War. The gods had already witnessed Loren's Severance Ritual. If any one god gained his help, it would be an overwhelming advantage against the others.
The only god who might refuse Loren was probably the God of Vows and Wind. Even the God of Light and Fire wouldn't be too resistant to Loren—as long as Loren could provide assistance.
As for the things Loren had done in the past—blaspheming against the gods, spreading the Severance Ritual, killing angels—it was all the witches' fault. Loren himself was innocent.
Since the God of Freedom's followers wouldn't make a move against Loren, Loren couldn't be bothered to trouble them either. The current situation was surprisingly peaceful, to the point where Loren felt he could walk the streets without any disguise.
Loren eventually made his way to a tavern by the seaside—the best place to find pirates.
After sailing the seas for so long, pirates needed to let off steam.
Most of their time at sea was spent on boring voyages, with little they could do. Intense, thrilling battles were rare; pirates could make several trips without ever seeing a real fight.
Pillage and gambling were the only fun things they had.
So when they came ashore, they had three destinations: taverns, casinos, and brothels.
Taverns were the most popular. Their meager earnings couldn't survive the casinos, and most of them weren't particularly lustful either.
That wasn't to say these pirates were noble. It wasn't just them—most people in this world weren't driven by lust. The reason was simple: the God of Plague held a portion of Slaanesh's authority.
He was the one responsible for it all. It also served as a way to curb population growth elsewhere.
In all the time since he'd transmigrated, Loren had yet to meet a single lustful person who wasn't a Plague Believer.
"Which one of you is the strongest? Get the hell out here!"
Loren kicked open the tavern door and swept his gaze across the people inside.
A few pirates shot to their feet at his words, grabbing their weapons.
Sensing trouble, the ordinary patrons quickly fled. There were no bloodthirsty spectators here willing to throw away their lives for a show.
"My bounty is fifty gold—the highest here. What do you want with me?"
A burly man with a full beard slammed his massive battle-ax onto a wooden table, which instantly splintered.
"You look like cannon fodder... Do you have a ghost ship?"
"Ghost ship? Hahaha... A pampered little whelp like you thinks you can get your hands on a ghost ship?"
"Hahaha..."
The tavern erupted with laughter—until Loren's blade cleaved through the burly man, axe and all. The cut on the axe was smooth as a mirror, the head hit the floor, and spurting blood stained the tavern red.
"I don't have time to waste on you idiots. Who has a ghost ship? If no one speaks up, you all die."
"I do! My captain has a ghost ship! I'll take you to him!"
One of the pirates immediately chose to sell out his captain. The others were still processing what had just happened.
"Good. Lead the way."
Loren casually slashed out a few Crimson Blades, cutting down the remaining pirates. He couldn't be bothered to trade words with these small-time thugs—it was beneath him.
"R-right... I'll take you right away."
"My captain recently got his hands on a treasure that instantly boosted his strength. He's already a high-ranking mage now..."
His words carried two meanings. On one hand, he was telling Loren the captain's secret to earn his trust. On the other, he was hinting at the captain's power to intimidate Loren.
Loren saw right through it.
He also knew that the "high-ranking mage" the pirate mentioned was definitely a seventh-tier mage. If it were anything higher, he would have given the exact rank.
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