Uncharted Waters [III]

~Chromalith? Paragon? Whatever those are, it seems even among the drasvalik, I'm a rarity. This is a problem,~ Edric thought to himself, noticing the hungry look that the woman had in her eyes.

"I came on behalf of the temple of champions, I'm a priest," he lied, trying his best not to show fear.

"The temple of champions, of course. Who would've thought they were hiding something like you behind those walls," the woman said in a mockingly grandeur manner, before looking at Edric with a serious expression.

"But please do tell, whose priest are you?"

Edric's heart froze for a moment. These women seemed powerful enough to at least have some knowledge about the various deities. If he lied carelessly, they might ask him to prove it, which would be impossible since he didn't know any of the 'songs' or 'dances'.

~Should I just tell the truth?~ he wondered. 

Greed had warned him not to let anyone know that he was the second champion, however, HE never mentioned anything about being a priest. Though this was a gamble. It would be easy for them to figure out the truth if he slipped up around them.

"The deity of desire," he replied finally.

"The deity of desire? This is the first I've heard of that name," the woman replied, before standing up from her desk and approaching him.

She was wearing a black silk dress, with a slit on the side that ran up to her hip. With each step, the side of her dress revealed her supple bronze skin, though Edric's instincts would not let him enjoy the view.

He was in danger.

"I'm going to ask you once more, Mr priest, and I hope you won't lie to me this time," she said, placing her hand over Edric's heart. She came in close, so that her head was against his chest, before looking up at him.

"Whose priest are you?" 

In that moment Edric understood one thing. Death was a woman, and she current had her chest pressed against him.

He felt a strange coldness slowly grip his heart. He wasn't certain how she was doing it, but he could tell that his death would not be slow.

"Ah, I see my mistake. Outsiders call HIM the deity of greed and wealth," he said finally, keeping his tone as neutral as possible. 

There was no point in letting them know that he was scared. However, it was hard to explain that to his thundering heart.

The woman smiled for a moment, before slowly moving off him, the cold sensation leaving with her touch.

He could've sworn he heard Irene and Selena sigh in relief beside him, however he paid it no mind.

"I've heard of your champion, the golden bastet, a rather flamboyant girl. It only makes sense that one of her priests would be a Chromalith," the woman said, more to herself than to Edric.

"I'm sure you'll tell her about our hospitality when you meet her again," she added quickly, using the fakest polite tone that he ever heard.

"Now, I know that this is none of my business, but why would the temple send you here instead of her? I don't mean to insult you, but you don't seem all that powerful. Despite being a paragon drasvalik, you haven't even reached first-evolution," she said, now sitting on top of the desk, with her legs crossed.

~If it's none of your business, then why ask?~ Edric thought to himself. However, he understood that he was basically a hostage here, so he had no choice but to answer.

"The deity of greed and wealth offers a proposition," he started, pausing purposefully to draw in their attention. It was a common tactic he had used back on Earth, especially during talks with board members.

"Go on," the woman said, her interests peeved.

"HE offers to save the city, in exchange, he wants he wants to be patron deity of Southport... and the undercity," he finished.

He had pulled this completely out of his ass, however, it fell in line with his goals here. If he could establish himself as the prime vessel of the patron deity, he would have a needed foothold to manipulate the economy here.

Besides, his current quest required him to convert people anyway.

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『Business Aims』

[Convert at least 20 inhabitants to the deity of Greed and Wealth within the next month

Time remaining: {29:01:03}]

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For a moment, the woman looked at him as if he were crazy, before laughing gently.

"You're serious?"

"And does your deity plan to go to war with the deity of tides? Despite HER lack of care for this place, it is still her domain," the woman explained.

"Greed does ask, HE takes. I am but a servant here, conveying HIS message," Edric replied.

After all, there was no way around it. If Greed had really wanted to avoid scuffles with other gods, HE wouldn't have given him the converting quest. Besides, Edric doubted that HE even cared about fighting over gods. So long as he could get results, Greed would support him.

"I love a man who knows what he wants," the woman commented, her smile dangerous, alluring.

She uncrossed her legs, before crossing them on the other side.

For a moment, her dress revealed a dangerous amount of skin. Edric's primal urges spiked for an instant, his blood boiling in want.

~I have to get out of here as fast as possible,~ he decided.

"But how does your deity plan on saving us? The nest that surrounds us evolved to a fourth generation just last week. I'm aware the golden bastet is powerful, but isn't she still just a third-tail?" 

"Isn't HE trying to bite off more than he can chew?" the woman asked.

"He has other methods, more... money-oriented methods," Edric explained, making his tone as cryptic as possible.

He hadn't a monkey's clue about how he would get rid of the fourth-generation nest, however, he needed to start somewhere. And perhaps... just maybe, this encounter was actually a blessing in disguise.