Chapter 15- Guardian
"Master, did you... just pray for me to be blessed by the goddess again?" Tiffany asked.
"Yeah," Frank smiled, wiping the sweat from her forehead. "Why, not happy?" She reached out and hugged him, suddenly becoming clingy. "Not unhappy, I'm just too happy, sniff... Master, I suddenly felt so blessed just now, like my soul has grown. I will always believe in you and the goddess, and I will serve you with all I have." Frank lifted her up and held her against his chest, patting her back gently like comforting a child, while also assessing her from his divine consciousness.
The modifier corresponding to Faith Level 9 is "not to be desecrated." Finally, there's a description for lust, but it's unclear what "permissible contact" would classify as in terms of level.
At this rate, it seems Tiffany is going to covenant on faith.
Actually, Frank prefers the attitude of love more, but thinking about it, faith isn't bad either. Faith is more blind than love, and there's not as much possessiveness that comes with it, which is safer for him.
Both girls have used up their Holy Semen counts, and it won't recover until tomorrow noon. Before then, it's time to consider things other than making love.
Like this newly acquired divine skill, alchemy.
Vicky's gamified assistance has been very helpful. The formulation of new recipes has a fixed format; as long as the necessary information is filled in the mind, it will display the recipe, required materials, and equipment. If one finds the material requirements too high, they can further adjust by reducing the efficacy and increasing side effects.
However, creating new formulas is limited to once a day and cannot be abused.
Thinking about the daily restrictions, Frank can't help but remember the spirit of finding loopholes and flaws while playing games before.
So, he needs to confirm with his divine consciousness.
"Vicky, does the skill status reset at noon daily include cooldown times?"
"Including. Noon daily is essentially the refresh time for all your skills; counts will be restored, and cooldown days will decrease by one."
So, if I release Ivanka, who I've been carrying and stashed away, before noon arrives, can I resume carrying her after noon?
"That's correct."
Very good, excellent. Frank smiled with satisfaction, walked to the edge of the bed, and looked at Tiffany, who was still panting slightly. He softly said, "Tiffany, Ivanka hasn't woken up, and I'm worried. I will seek the goddess's help. Whatever you see, don't be too surprised. And keep it secret for me, okay?" Tiffany nodded vaguely.
He then sat beside Ivanka, gently touching her ankle, activating the newly acquired divine skill, Carry.
A faint light flashed, and Ivanka's figure vanished into the air.
"Ah..." Tiffany's mouth fell open, showing a stunned expression as if her worldview was being reshaped.
Frank temporarily ignored her and sat on the edge of the bed, closing his eyes and focusing his consciousness on his soul. A panicked figure was frantically looking around in the darkness, seemingly shouting something, but without communication being initiated, he couldn't hear anything.
Shoulder-length hair, fair skin with a translucent youthful texture, lips naturally presenting a bright red color without the need for lipstick... That color that composed her exquisite beauty made Frank feel nostalgic to the point of tears.
This was Ivanka in her prime youth, perhaps lacking a bit of refined makeup and mature charm, but in his heart, this was the most beautiful version of Ivanka.
"Ivanka, how do you feel now?"
"Frank... what have you done? Where is my body?" Ivanka's voice sounded fearful and helpless, with a hint of concealed anger.
Frank sighed, lying down on the bed, thinking to himself: When I release you, your body will naturally recover. You've never been able to control your body, and I have to find a way to take you away. Keeping you here is too dangerous.
"Is this... also the ability given by that goddess?"
Yes, or rather, it's an ability given to you, but I have to use it. I guess that's why she said you would be my tool.
"What kind of nonsense goddess is that? Clearly a demon! I don't want to be your tool... I'm a person, a living person. How can you bully me like this... Is this how much you like me?" Frank frowned. No, Ivanka's current appearance is too impactful. He decisively opened his eyes, no longer looking at her illusion, patted Tiffany's head, and distractedly said to Ivanka: This is the only way I can think of to bring you back. Can you feel the outside world from inside?
"I can only see what you see, and it seems like I can hear too, but there's no other sensation. It's just black when you close your eyes... Frank, I'm scared, please don't do this..." I'll talk to you often. Let's start from here. We can't find a way back home by staying in the inn all the time. I have to go busy myself now.
Frank calmly ended the communication, recalling how he used to always be the one waiting to be called in chat tools in the past. Now that the situation is reversed, it's a bit satisfying.
"Master, where did Ivanka go?"
"I've stored her in the space given to me by the goddess," he pointed to his chest, "so I don't have to worry about her, and she can move freely away from here. Tidy up a bit, let's go out for a stroll."
It's already the third day since arriving in this world, and Frank finally feels in the mood to take a good walk and appreciate this marvelous place.
From a glimpse of Lorsa city and combining it with the partial knowledge given by his divine consciousness, he understands that most of the technology in this world is based on a magical mineral called mana crystal.
Mana crystals come in six types, corresponding to the six elements of Lubihaat, fire, water, wind, darkness, and light. Depending on their purity, the elemental content in the crystals varies.
Mana crystals can activate elemental powers through magic or magic circuits, enabling various abilities corresponding to the elements. For example, the lights in the inn are made using a small piece of low-purity light crystal or a higher purity fire crystal.
Based on magic circuits and driven by mana crystals, magical machines form the basis of the world's machinery.
Observing occasional items on the road, looking at the propellers, gears, pistons, bearings, and the magical mist lingering behind machines, Frank even had a feeling of steampunk.
When he saw airships slowly passing through the sky, this feeling became even stronger.
It's a pity that he couldn't see old-fashioned gentlemen in tailcoats casually strolling by with pocket watches; instead, he only saw various exotic beings rushing past with faces vastly different from humans.
"Vicky, is the proportion of female adventurers too high? I've been watching for a few minutes, and over ten adventurers have entered and left the adventurer's guild, but there were only two men."
"This is a world created by the goddess, and women receive various blessings. Regardless of the race, the potential of women is superior, and the probability of strong individuals appearing is also higher."
No wonder the statue on the city gate is also a woman.
"That's Lucia, the Guardian of the Locrara Federation, one of the Thirteen Sages of the Bright Side, representing the Light."
"Guardian?"
"Yes, there are plural Guardians on both the Bright and Dark sides, each supporting the rule of the God King and the Demon King, respectively. Their titles are passed down through generations and are the main influencing factors balancing the two forces.
However, Guardians rarely directly engage in wars. While individually powerful, their influence is more symbolic. Very few regions allow Guardians to manage directly, as their precious time is spent on enhancing themselves to avoid falling behind in competition with opponents."
"Are there many Guardians?"
"On the Bright Side, there are Seven Holy Maidens, Thirteen Sages, and Four Divine Envoys, while on the Dark Side, there are Five Demonesses, Ten Demon Stars, and Three Demon Generals. This is the current situation of this generation.
Although there have been changes in numbers in history, it's generally stable. Regions are willing to assist in the succession of Guardians, and it's rare for the lineage to be broken or new Guardians to appear, supposedly due to limitations imposed by the will of the world. Overall, a Guardian is usually the strongest individual in a region, so please treat them with caution."
Frank shook his head inwardly. Although these guys had tremendous influence and could give him 100 points of faith with just one level, it didn't seem worth it compared to the risks. It would be more convenient to proselytize a hundred honest farmers in the surrounding villages than to hoodwink such a powerful creature.
Thinking about the issue of faith, he picked up his main objective, which he had almost forgotten: buying materials for sacrifices.
He knew the method but needed offerings.
Currently, Tiffany was the only devout follower of the goddess nearby, so the scale of the sacrifice was minimal, and the value of the offerings didn't need to be high. It didn't matter if it didn't elevate Tiffany's faith level; his main goal was to meet the upgrade conditions.
The faith level determined the effectiveness of most of his abilities, so he had to make an effort.
Today was Earth Rites Day, and the required attribute for offerings was Earth. Since the scale was minimal, it wasn't worth using mana crystals. As long as it was related to the Earth element, he would be fine.
Considering he wanted to please the goddess, after buying Tiffany some clothes and shoes, he also bought a large bouquet of pink roses from a flower girl nearby.
They grew from the Earth, they were flowers; Vicky should be satisfied.
Despite the minimal scale and only one participant, Frank still wanted to give as much blessing to the sacrifice as possible, familiarizing himself with the process. So, he also bought some wheat flour, two potatoes, and a piece of horseshoe, increasing the variety of offerings.
Then, he walked with Tiffany to the outskirts, ready to find an open space without any obstructions.
Vicky's requirements for sacrifices were very strange; open spaces without any obstructions and unseen private places could significantly enhance the effect. It was like dealing with a capricious woman who wanted you to either go to the ends of the earth or dive into the depths of the sea.
The actual process was very simple. As long as the offerings were placed properly, the worshippers silently recited the name of the goddess, and Frank offered the offerings with his divine consciousness. But to add to the ceremony of the sacrifice, Frank added several embellishments according to his own ideas.