The Entire Town of Heretics!

Da da da da da da…

Hundreds of townsfolk lined the shore.

They gazed at the behemoth, a vessel unlike any they had ever seen. The doubt in their eyes slowly hardened into determination.

They trusted Lilith. But they were still wary of Wu Wang, this Outlander.

Now, a cruise ship had appeared that didn't belong to their town. Even those who lived right by the sea had no idea how it had arrived. Everyone couldn't help but associate it with some kind of special power.

【Desire】!

Was this the power of 【Desire】?

Their faith brought them the 【Miracle of Suffering】. Could this new faith bring them a 【Miracle of Desire】?

Wu Wang seemed to read their minds. After boarding the ship, he smiled down at them.

"Grandma Victoria, if I recall, your grandson mutated right before your eyes, just before the High Priest moved you to the square. Is that right?"

Hearing his words, everyone's expression changed. They all turned to look at a white-haired old woman in the crowd.

She walked out, trembling and leaning on her cane. Her eyes glimmered with tears and despair.

"That's right… Little Ethan, he… sob…"

The old woman was so choked with sobs she couldn't speak a complete sentence. Her son and daughter-in-law had already died protecting her and little Ethan. The child, not yet three years old, was her only reason to Survive.

Now, that hope was shattered.

If the High Priest hadn't summoned her to Dedication Square, she might have already taken her own life.

"Do you want little Ethan to return to normal?"

Wu Wang's sudden question made Grandma Victoria freeze. The other townsfolk stared in disbelief.

Return to normal?

Could the mutated really return to normal?

"I do! Of course, I do! Little Ethan! He's my only hope!"

Tears and snot streamed down the old woman's face, her wrinkles bunching together.

At this, Wu Wang nodded to the High Priest.

Lilith raised her hand, piercing her index finger with her thumbnail.

Whoosh.

An indescribable 【Miracle of Suffering】 descended.

In the blink of an eye, a monster appeared at her feet. It was a ball of fur with feathers growing even from its eyeballs.

The crowd scrambled back in fear. Many even drew sharp objects, aiming them at their own bodies, ready to activate their 【Miracle of Suffering】 at a moment's notice.

"Hiss! Hiss!"

The feathered monster opened its large mouth, flicking out a bizarre, snake-like tongue. Its mouth was lined with sharp, spiraling teeth, and it let out a piercing hiss.

But it didn't lunge at the crowd. It just thrashed and struggled in place, as if trapped by an invisible force.

"Everyone, no need to panic. I have temporarily restrained it."

Blood slowly dripped from the nun's finger. The wound on her abdomen had already healed.

This gave Wu Wang some insight into why 【Suffering】 favored her. She had a body that healed rapidly, yet the slightest injury caused her immense internal pain. It was a body perfectly made for torture.

A few years ago, when he had just obtained 【Undying】, he might have been a perfect fit for a Saint Son of Suffering. Unfortunately, he was numb to it all now.

The thought flashed through his mind as he walked to Grandma Victoria and helped her onto the Mary.

He smiled at her.

"Grandma, now it all depends on how strong your desire is for your grandson to return to normal."

"Unleash your 【Miracle of Suffering】, but cry out a prayer to my Lord."

"My Lord's name is 【Spirit Venerable of the Sea of Desire】!"

The next second, Grandma Victoria fell to her knees. Trembling, she reached a hand toward the feathered monster, but timidly pulled it back.

She knew it was little Ethan, but she still couldn't accept this reality.

Her inner Suffering laid bare. Grandma Victoria let out a heart-wrenching wail as she repeatedly pricked her own arm with a silver needle.

"O, great 【Spirit Venerable of the Sea of Desire】! I beg you, please let my grandson return to normal!"

"Little Ethan is my everything!"

"I can't lose him!"

Her cries were so heart-rending that the nearby townsfolk turned away, unable to watch. Many even shed tears for little Ethan.

But the corners of Wu Wang's mouth curled higher and higher.

Big Boss, you won't disappoint me, will you?

Look at this scene! A believer of Suffering is trying to trigger a 【Miracle of Suffering】, yet they're crying out and begging for Your mercy.

Isn't this a form of NTR?

Don't you find it amusing?

"Ugh… Grandma… ugh… Gran…"

Just as everyone was filled with sorrow, the feathered monster's hissing mouth began to tremble.

The feathers on its eyeballs fell away, revealing a pair of frightened, timid eyes. A muffled cry came from its mouth.

Its appearance was still terrifying, but every townsfolk could sense it. Little Ethan's sanity was returning!

The physical mutation stopped and even began to reverse!

"The Spirit Venerable of the Sea of Desire! She has sent down a miracle!"

"A Divine Miracle! A Divine Miracle our Lord has never achieved!"

"The 【Miracle of Suffering】 on Grandma Victoria hasn't disappeared! The 【Spirit Venerable of the Sea of Desire】 coexists with it! Oh my Goose! What a benevolent being!"

Amidst the crowd's gasps of amazement, they realized the situation was exactly as the Saint Son of Desire, "Wang," had described.

【Desire】 had descended, but it had not rejected 【Suffering】.

The two coexisted! It was unheard of!

No one knew the real reason. 【Suffering】 didn't reject the new power because this place was inherently fake. And 【Desire】 didn't reject 【Suffering】 because a certain high and mighty being was enjoying the show.

She wore a playful smile, personally manipulating Her power to avoid a direct confrontation.

Wu Wang was acting, and She was playing along.

After Grandma Victoria's demonstration, the townsfolk had no more doubts.

Everyone flocked aboard, streaming onto the deck of the Mary.

The massive cruise ship could accommodate thousands, so a few hundred people were hardly a crowd. In fact, there weren't enough guests to go around for the attendants. On average, several attendants had to be assigned to each townsfolk. Otherwise, some would have nothing to do.

Ever since Mary had awakened, she had granted the ship's attendants independent consciousness.

They took turns managing daily operations. Otherwise, they just ate, drank, and had fun. In their free time, they would take the Mary for joyrides to various Instance Worlds. It was a joyous life.

They had only returned because Wu Wang had summoned them.

As a result, when the townsfolk boarded, conversations like this could be heard among the attendants.

"Number One! We agreed you'd serve him in the morning and I'd serve in the afternoon! Number Three is supposed to take the evening! Why aren't you handing over the shift!"

"Aiya, it's been so long since I've gotten to be an attendant. I'm just getting used to the workflow again. Besides, I'm called Zhou Zhiruo now, don't call me Number One anymore."

"Have you been reading Jin Yong novels recently?"

"How did you know?"

"Under normal circumstances, a person with a classic Latina complexion wouldn't have a name like that…"

In short, the townsfolk were overwhelmed. The enthusiasm on the cruise ship was so intense that even these famously passionate people found it a bit much to handle.

But even in this state of blissful indulgence, they didn't forget their purpose.

They all began to beseech the 【Spirit Venerable of the Sea of Desire】 for a miracle, offering their own 【Suffering】 as a sacrifice.

Thus, everyone in the town began to possess two faiths.

A town full of heretics was born.

They could not hear the silent roar of their patron, 【Suffering】, from the distant void. Nor could they hear the wild, unrestrained laughter from within the vast Sea of Desire.

This time, it truly was Suffering.