Chapter 153: 146 3rd Rank "Preacher"!
Daybreak Orphanage in Nasir Town.
In the director's office, Irene gazed serenely at the grey-haired girl in front of her.
Rishia, now the most outstanding among the many children of Daybreak Orphanage, was thirteen years old. Her ancestors were likely some Extraordinary nobility, possessing a recessive high-level power of Bloodline called the "Night-Eating Bird".
The "Night-Eating Bird" was not a magic beast but a mysterious being from the shadow world, endowed with the mystical power to devour others' shadows and petrify them.
However, what made Rishia remarkable was not her Bloodline, but her extraordinary learning ability. Almost anything taught to her she understood at once; she could learn anything quickly, surpassing even the once brilliant Daybreaker, Yeager.
Rishia was not a pure human but a dragon descendant, her clean, fair skin adorned with very few grey scales, her neat and tidy grey hair reaching her waist.
She was frail in stature, holding a booklet in her hand, and spoke respectfully and slowly:
"Director, I have come to understand a lot about God."
"The great Lord of the Lost, He is the sovereign of us all, the only Dawn of the world, even the Lord of Salvation is but one of His manifestations."
"The world is now in utter darkness, and it is only because of His existence that we have the chance to attain a bright future."
Irene nodded lightly and smiled, "Yes, child, you are quite right."
Three years ago, she had started to gradually spread the faith to Rishia, and the girl had accepted it all quite swiftly, even showing the potential to become a devout person.
Rishia pondered for a long while, as if considering something very important, and finally couldn't help but ask:
"But there is one thing I don't understand, Director. Why would the great Lord of the Lost, so powerful and loving towards us, still let us suffer tribulations?"
Irene answered calmly after listening, "It is a trial, Rishia, indeed, it is only through God's trials that our lives can be filled with meaning."
"A trial..."
Rishia sank into deep thought, then asked again:
"My father abandoned me and my mother, and the people from the Tempest Church suspected my mother was from the Sea God Cult and they killed her... Can she still find happiness?"
"Are these all the Lord of the Lost's trials? Then, who is He really testing, me or my mother?"
Irene suddenly embraced her, and Rishia stood still, not moving for a long while.
She stroked the girl's grey hair, speaking slowly:
"The hardships we encounter can be seen as trials, a mission bestowed by God to test our courage, wisdom, and soul.
"And each trial is a new transformation, making us more perfect. Child, trust in the arrangements of the Lord of the Lost, and gain strength from it."
"As long as you faithfully believe in the Lord of the Lost, then the souls of your loved ones will also be saved!"
Hearing these last words, Rishia's eyes finally brightened, and she nodded vigorously.
"I understand, Director!"
At night, inside the orphanage.
On her bed, Rishia's face showed a sincere devotion.
Great Lord of the Lost.
She must have suffered greatly in death, the people from the Tempest Church said she would go to hell, I don't want her to go to hell.
I beg you.
I hope You recognize my devotion, I am willing to offer my soul to You, and I hope You can save my mother's soul!
Irene sat calmly in the office, checking the children's files.
By now, the orphanages across the East Coast had adopted hundreds of orphans, and she had put a lot of effort into properly managing each child.
This was also for the Lord of the Lost, and for the Fischer family.
Suddenly, Irene felt a strange sensation, with a clear boiling of spirituality in her mind, indicating that a new devout person had emerged!
"It is Rishia!"
Irene fell into contemplation, not surprised by Rishia's transformation.
Deep within her lived an enormous void waiting to be filled by some kind of spiritual support.
If not faith, it would have been some other thing that would eventually captivate the not-so-resilient Rishia. It just happened to be that she met Irene, and, upon learning of the greatness of the Lord of the Lost, Rishia's worldview was quickly reshaped.
"It is her fortune."
Over the years, Irene had become increasingly skilled at spreading faith and understanding people, a realization that grew strongly within her.
"However..."
She also realized her lifespan was coming to an end, with less than ten years remaining.
Irene closed her eyes, silently feeling the intense boiling of spirituality.
"It's so strange, that my spirituality boiled so fiercely. When Byrne described it, I simply couldn't imagine what it would be like."
It was a rather unusual sensation, where the originally calm lake deep in the soul suddenly seemed to ignite and boil without stop, a magnificent scene within the soul!
"Just by stepping onto the 3rd Rank, it feels completely different from before. What will happen once I reach the higher ranks?"
"So that's how it is, the Path of Divine Sacrifice. To reach the 3rd Rank, one needs to cultivate three devout followers who have faith in the gods."
She quickly jotted down the specific rituals for stepping onto the 3rd Rank of the Divine Sacrifice Path. Byrne would summarize all the methods of the rituals to prepare for those who came after in the Dawn Church.
The second basement level of the Fischer Manor.
Everyone gathered here again, excited, all eyes on Irene kneeling on the floor, holding their breath in silence.
With devotion, she offered the Class 3 Extraordinary Material, the "Bizarre Flower."
Karl appeared high in the sky, silently gazing at the girl who first encountered him; it all had started from that night.
"In the blink of an eye, twenty years have passed. Time really flies. She also stepped onto the 3rd Rank of the Path of Divine Sacrifice."
"Her soul is about to join me."
He silently accepted the Class 3 Extraordinary Material, the "Bizarre Flower," and made his way to the Spirit Realm.
Arriving in the Spirit Realm, Karl appeared at the highest point, gazing down calmly, and soon noticed an old man in a blue robe watching him.
It was a very normal occurrence; he knew many who explored the Spirit Realm would gaze at him, then shift their eyes away full of fear.
Sure enough, the old man in the blue robe quickly dared not pay him any more attention.
Karl didn't pay attention to him either but expertly shaped a new rank in the God Pantheon stairway!
The Consecution "Preacher"!
In the new constellation he had joined, there was a man with arms spread wide, speaking of godly matters, surrounded by flickers of spiritual light.
"The third person of the Fischer family to step onto the 3rd Rank."
In the real world, Karl, carrying the blue Spiritual Radiance, approached Irene.
She took a deep breath and wholeheartedly accepted the intensely expanding Spiritual Radiance, immediately feeling a surge of tremendous power!
From the very depths of her soul!
Experiencing the transformation deep in her soul and the great enhancement of spirituality, Irene's mind became clearer, and she finally understood just how vast the gap was between the 3rd Rank and the two lower ranks.
She had reached the 3rd Rank "Preacher" on the Path of Divine Sacrifice, and her overall qualities had improved by seventy points. However, the increase in physical condition was only fifteen, while her spirituality skyrocketed by fifty-five!
"I thank you for your gift, oh great Lord of the Lost. I feel that power."
"From now on, I will use this power to serve you even better!"
Irene closed her eyes for a long time, confirming the new power she had acquired, her heart secretly marveled at its mystical nature.
"Preacher" is the 3rd Rank of the Path of Divine Sacrifice and comes with a new Extraordinary trait, along with knowledge of three new Spells automatically revealed in her mind.
The new Extraordinary trait is "Soul Proclamation."
The three new Spells are "Thunderous Voice," "Mental Speak," and "Mental Secret Words."
"Thunderous Voice" can directly affect all enemies within the range of the voice, causing a tremendous shock to their innermost selves! It can directly strike at the enemy's will."
"Mental Speak" has a range of action of five hundred meters, where Irene can transmit her thoughts one-on-one, provided she has physically touched the person before.
"Mental Secret Words" is very powerful. After spending a lot of time, she can hypnotize at most one person, who is not stronger than herself and lacks the will to resist, through a ritual, lasting for three days.
With the effect of "Mental Secret Words," the "Preacher" can remotely give an order that must be absolutely obeyed within three days without the other party being aware, although such an order cannot demand suicide or the killing of loved ones.
It can only control one person at most, and to hypnotize another person, the "Preacher" must first remove the Mental "Secret Words" from the previous one.
"Soul Proclamation" is a powerful Extraordinary trait that can be used only once a day.
Before Irene wishes to cast any spell, she must first tell her target about the spell she is about to cast, and as long as the target clearly hears her words, the spell will receive special enhancements.
All spells of the Path of Divine Sacrifice are no exception; they all receive new enhancements because of the effect of "Soul Proclamation."
"Secret Ear Technique" and "Silence Spell" will have their range expanded because of "Soul Proclamation," "Thunderous Voice" will increase in power, "Mental Speak" will change from individual to group transmission, and "Mental Secret Words" will have its duration significantly extended to ten days.
Irene soon realized that "Soul Proclamation" was the core ability of the Path of Divine Sacrifice, which would still be of great use when stepping onto higher ranks in the future.
She smiled, swelling with gratitude once more in the depths of her heart to the great Lord of the Lost.
"Oh great Lord of the Lost, I praise your gift."
"It has been a long time since I met you, a lot of time has passed, and I think it's almost time. Before long, I will return to your embrace."
Irene had long accepted the fact that she would eventually leave her family and return to the embrace of her lord, her gaze filled with peace and tranquility.