We agreed to set sail, so you'd become the ruler of the deep sea?

Chapter 309 [So, what's the price?]

In Xia En's perception.

Kur was in a dark cave, his expression a mixture of gloom and madness, muttering something under his breath.

Combined with the hastily prepared and rudimentary rituals on the ground, the mottled bloodstains dripping onto them, and the [lava ore] powder emitting an ominous red glow...

If you said this wasn't a ritual performed by some evil god, probably no one would believe it!
Xia En's lips twitched slightly as he reflected, "It seems I've pushed him a bit too hard... Could I have driven him crazy?"

"Lord of the Rhine... I pray to you, begging you to grant me your power..."

Kur's plea rang out again.

Hearing him address him as "Lord of the Rhine," Xia En couldn't help but feel a little flustered.

Although this was the name that Shane himself left on the parchment, it felt a little strange to hear Kur recite the name so carefully and devoutly.

I always feel like I'm wearing a tiger skin, swindling and cheating like a charlatan.

But then again, Shane's description of the "Lord of the Rhine" is quite accurate, isn't it?
The Traveler Who Travels Through the "Secret Sea" refers to someone who can use "Deep-Sea Diving" to travel through the "Secret Sea".

【The Traveler of Thousands of "Secret Realms"】—refers to his use of 【Submarine Anchor Points】to teleport into different 【Secret Realms】.

【The master of a world】—refers to Shane being the master of the 【Rhine】 realm.

Doesn't every single one match up?

"No problem, absolutely no problem..."

Xia En muttered to himself, suppressing the complex emotions in his heart.

Although he had never actually been an evil god, he had at least heard about the communication process between evil gods and believers.

So, Shane began to respond using that mysterious thread.

"I have heard your voice."

Perhaps because this "thread" has only just been formed, it is still very fragile and not stable enough.

Or perhaps it was because the ritual set up by Kur was too rudimentary that some distortion occurred during transmission.

From Kur's perspective.

He had just silently uttered the name of the Lord of the Rhine when he heard a low, chaotic murmur in his ear.

The sound was like filthy flesh churning in a boiling pot, or like the grotesque, sticky writhing of limbs.

But strangely, Kur still managed to glean the general meaning from the disordered and indistinct whispers—

I understand your words...

"The Lord of the Rhine is a real being!"

"The contents of that leather paper are true!"

After a brief period of tension and fear, Kur couldn't help but widen his eyes, a strong look of joy appearing on his face, as greed and desire arose.

Only now did he finally find a way to defeat Bronzebeard and become the chieftain of the Warhammer Horde again!
As for the strange and chaotic voice of the Lord of the Rhine, Kur was indeed filled with strong fear and unease, but he had previously regarded the Lord of the Rhine as an "evil god".

These characteristics, on the contrary, met his expectations, so he didn't panic too much.

Kur steadied himself, suppressing his fear and excitement, and whispered as devoutly as possible.

"Lord of the Rhine, I crave power!"

"I'll take any form of power, please."

After saying this, Kur kept his eyes closed, quietly waiting for the [Lord of the Rhine]'s response.

A moment later, the authoritative, indistinct whisper rang out again.

So... what's the price?

Upon hearing this, Kur's heart sank, and his face turned pale.

Yes, the deity he was communicating with was not a benevolent being, but a genuine evil god!

If you want power, you must pay the corresponding price!
The most common costs are lifespan, vitality, and sacrifices.

Thinking of this, Kur immediately became somewhat apprehensive and asked softly, "What...do you want?"

This time... I have received your offering...

[More... is needed...]

Amidst the intermittent murmurs, Kur understood the meaning of "Lord of the Rhine".

Then, a mysterious power, indescribable in words, entered his body along invisible threads.

"This...this is?!"

Kur was startled and carefully sensed the secret power entering his body.

This secret power is extremely unique, unlike any other secret power that Kur has ever sensed.

It seems to possess all the characteristics of secret power, can be transformed into any kind of secret power, and also carries an indescribable and amazing vitality.

Ever-changing and mysterious.

Moreover, once this secret power entered Kur's body, it spread to his limbs and bones, seemingly subtly transforming his physical form.

Kur could clearly feel that his body was becoming stronger!

A moment later, this secret power subsided within his body, as if he had fallen into a deep sleep.

But Kur felt he could wake it up at any time.

"call……"

Kuer exhaled a long breath of stale air, pressed his hand hard against the rock wall, and a small pit immediately appeared.

"Is this...something I can do?"

The bearded dwarf trembled with excitement, his breathing became heavy, and his eyes were filled with elation.

He actually gained new power from the Lord of the Rhine!
"By the way, what is that secret power?"

Kur carefully channeled a wisp of his secret power and placed it on the rock wall in front of him.

The moment it came into contact with the rock wall, numerous cracks appeared, as if a secret force had penetrated directly into the depths of the rock layer, destroying it from a deeper level.

This power is truly breathtaking!
"Is this the power of the Lord of the Rhine?"

"So strong! Absolutely amazing! Hahaha..."

Upon seeing this, Kur couldn't help but burst into laughter: "If I can continue to acquire this power, even Bronzebeard wouldn't be a match for me, would he?"

A greedy fire ignited in his eyes as he muttered to himself.

"Bronzebeard, Hope, Mary, you just wait!"

"The position of clan leader will definitely be mine!"

At that moment, Kur felt like the protagonist of some legend.

Despite encountering major setbacks, he gained extraordinary abilities through a fortuitous encounter, and from then on, he soared to great heights, becoming unstoppable.

Characters like Bronzebeard and Hope are merely minor obstacles on his path to rise.

The feeling of having power was so wonderful that Kur couldn't help but be deeply intoxicated and addicted to it, and even became somewhat arrogant and conceited.

However, Kur didn't know...

Every gift from fate comes with a price tag.

The secret power that the Lord of the Rhine, also known as Shain, bestowed upon Kur through invisible threads was none other than his exclusive Void Secret Power. Because this secret power can simulate the characteristics of almost all secret powers, Shain naturally adjusted it to suit Kur's state and made it take root within Kur's body.

From Kur's perspective, he might feel that his physical abilities have been enhanced and his body is filled with secret power.

You will naturally conclude that you have become stronger.

However, from another perspective...

Shane's secret power has taken root throughout Kur's body, including vital organs such as the heart, trachea, and brain.

He only needed a thought to take Kur's life.

Furthermore, if Kur stops praying to him, his entire body will become extremely weak due to the loss of the support of the [Void Power].

It's not impossible for him to fall seriously ill.

However, Shane believes that Kur will continue to repeat this process.

Because, having tasted the power, he could no longer tolerate his former weak self!
This mentality is especially evident in people like Kur.

It can be said that from the moment Kur prayed to Shane for power, his life was no longer his own.

This is the price Kur paid!

"hiss……"

Thinking of this, Xia En couldn't help but take a breath.

Thinking about it carefully, this behavior is probably, perhaps, seems, maybe... indeed not much different from what evil gods do?
However, the thought of how Kur had framed him instantly calmed Shane down.

He has never shown any mercy to his enemies.

Shaen thought to himself, "I wonder what Kur's reaction would be if he knew I was the Lord of the Rhine..."

"His expression will be priceless then, won't it?"

at the same time.

Kuhl was completely unaware of his tragic future. He took a few deep breaths to calm himself down.

"Wait, the Lord of the Rhine says he received a sacrifice?"

"But I clearly didn't put any offerings..."

Kur looked around the ritual track with a puzzled expression and quickly discovered that the [Lava Ore] powder that had been glowing with a dark red light had disappeared at some point.

Kur suddenly realized: "So the offering was [Lava Ore]!"

Realizing this, his eyes flickered.

He naturally had a considerable stockpile of lava ore at home.

More importantly, as the second most skilled craftsman in the Warhammer Tribe after Hope, he was responsible for forging many of the tribe's equipment.

In this process, you will receive lava ore from the tribe.

At that time, we can keep a portion for ourselves and offer more [Lava Ore] to [Lord of the Rhine] in exchange for more power.

"This is entirely feasible, but we have to keep it a secret from that old geezer Hope..."

Kuer began to silently consider the feasibility of this matter.

If Xia En knew what he was thinking, he would definitely exclaim, "You're a fucking genius!"

Good heavens, they've only just had one encounter with the "evil god," and they're already planning to sell out their tribe?

This is probably what is called the "born cultist's holy body"?
Currently, the most valuable things for Shane in the [Forge Realm] are [Lava Ore] and the equipment crafted by the dwarves.

—If the Moonlit Clan in the Rhine Realm could be equipped with dwarven gear, their combat power would likely increase significantly.

Therefore, Shane also listed these two as targets for "sacrifice".

On the other side, after preparing himself to be a traitor, Kur completely cleared away the rituals at the scene, muttering to himself.

"Praise be to the Lord of the Rhine!"

He believed that his life trajectory would be greatly changed because of the Lord of the Rhine.

And just then.

A sudden tremor of the ground came from a distance.

"what happened?"

Kur's expression changed slightly, and he peered down into the cave.

A group of dwarves dressed in armor and wielding large axes were seen quickly passing through the passage below.

Like a rapidly advancing army!

"It's the Barbarian Axe Tribe! They're attacking!"

Kur's heart skipped a beat—he could easily identify the group from their distinctive large axes.

Not only that, he even saw a giant wolf in the group with flames burning in its eye sockets.

Its massive, robust body, sharp claws and teeth, and fiery red fur... all exuded a terrifying sense of oppression.

Its mere presence was enough to terrify most dwarves, rendering them unable to even conceive of resistance.

Without a doubt, that was a genuine [Fire Seed]!
To be precise, this is a [Fire Wolf], and a tamed [Fire Wolf]!
Yes, in the [Forge Realm], some powerful dwarven warriors are able to defeat and subdue the [Fire Seed] with their own strength.

These "Fire Seeds" can be turned into mounts or companions, and can also become valuable labor for the entire tribe.

At this moment, a remarkably tall dwarf was sitting on the back of this [Fiery Wolf].

He was at least two heads taller than the average dwarf, and his hair was a fiery red that swayed slightly as the [Fire Wolf] moved forward.

That body clearly contained explosive power.

The obedient and exceptionally docile [Fire Wolf] beneath him, and the awe-inspiring gazes of the dwarves around him, are the best proof of this.

Upon seeing this person, Kur couldn't help but gasp, his heart skipping a beat.

Explosive - Sunfire!

The number one warrior of the Yangyan Tribe!

Even though he was in a remote place like the Warhammer Tribe, Kur had long heard of the warrior's deeds.

It is said that Burst Sunflame was originally an abandoned child of the Sunflame tribe, raised by a [Fire Seed].

Perhaps it is related to his upbringing.

During the growth of Burst Sunflame, he quickly demonstrated exceptional talent, perfectly complementing the [Furnace Realm] and possessing profound mastery of fire elemental power.

In the second year after being brought back to the tribe, Burst defeated all his peers and was hailed as a once-in-a-century genius.

However, due to his childhood experiences, his explosive personality is quite eccentric.

Or rather, he leans more towards a wild side, and has even had bloody exploits such as tearing enemies apart with his bare hands during battles.

Many dwarves thus developed a strong fear of him, calling him the "Son of Fire," meaning the child of the "Fire Seed."

Although Kur already knew in advance that the Burst Society would participate in the war.

But how could they have arrived so quickly?

Kur suddenly realized that the Barbarian Axe tribe's army might have already set off at the same time that secret message was sent!
Now, what should he do?
Just then, Burst, sitting on the wolf's back, raised its head and looked in the direction where Kur was.

(End of this chapter)