Capítulo 302: Chapter 302: The Star-Wandering God
Chapter 302: The Star-Wandering God
Puning Port.
Without the presence of the Eye of the Goddess's, the remaining members of the Red Glove squad were like naked targets in the eyes of the playwrights, who could depict them however they wished.
Even though Hastur, the one they were investigating, was right under their noses, they couldn't detect him.
Hastur, uninterested in them, focused on handling port affairs.
Recently, Duke Southwell, under pressure from Backlund, ceded control of three ports to him. These ports, all located in the south, were the most likely battlegrounds if the Southern Continent were to attack.
To manage these ports effectively, Hastur personally stationed himself at Puning Port, while sending others to guard the remaining two.
Reclaiming command over the port garrisons was relatively easy, as few dared to defy Duke Southwell's orders.
With authority in hand, Hastur's first move was to cut the garrison's size by half.
Most of these soldiers were useless, necessitating the recruitment of fresh blood.
Once stability was achieved, Hastur planned to eliminate more personnel.
Deciding who to cut was simple: a basic physical test followed by a written exam would suffice to identify the unfit.
Considering the lack of widespread nine-year compulsory education, Hastur put extra thought into the written test, including picture-based questions and matching games.
The quickest way to recruit new soldiers was through money.
Puning Port, a major port in Southwell County, was the preferred docking point for many merchant ships from the Southern Continent.
However, due to Duke Southwell's influence, most of the profits were taken by him, leaving the local residents with low incomes.
Offering higher-than-average military salaries would easily attract recruits.
Moreover, many viewed the Southwell County Navy as a cushy job, with pay but little work.
In just seven days, Hastur completed the initial reorganization. Seeing good results, he had the other two ports follow suit.
If there weren't enough young men at the port, he would spread the news inland to attract more manpower.
Next, Hastur devised a one-month training plan, focusing on basic physical training and familiarization with naval combat.
After a month, Hastur planned to lead them on a pirate-hunting mission to gain experience and cultivate their courage and ferocity.
Soldiers who had seen battle and blood were entirely different from those who only trained.
After setting these plans, Hastur finally had some time to rest.
He wandered around the port with Aisala, observing the local customs and commercial activities.
The main source of tax revenue at Puning Port came from merchant ships, taxed based on the approximate value of their cargo, which was very expensive.
Passenger ferries, on the other hand, were taxed based on the number of passengers, with profits being taken by half to two-thirds.
It seemed Duke Southwell understood the principle of not killing the goose that lays the golden eggs and didn't over-exploit the port.
Hastur merely observed, with no intention of changing these practices.
Developing port commerce wasn't his current concern.
When war broke out, the more prosperous the port, the more spectacular its destruction would be.
He didn't want to see the port he painstakingly built destroyed by war.
It was like playing a game where your opponent was frantically building an army while you were hiding at home building wonders. In the end, the opponent would come to your doorstep, compliment your beautiful wonder, and then destroy it with cannons.
**...**
At night, Hastur arrived at the Hall of Stars, as usual, scanning the stars before focusing on a light next to the
High-Dimensional Overseer.
The small town that initially spread the faith now had over half its residents believing in the High-Dimensional Overseer.
However, they didn't worship the High-Dimensional Overseer
by that name but referred to him as the Star-Wandering God.
They believed that the pair of white crystal eyes that suddenly appeared on the clock tower were thrown from the depths of the starry sky by a deity.
This was a gift from the stars.
In the missionary manual written by a devout believer, it was described as follows: "He is a god who loves to wander the stars, always inadvertently bestowing his gifts upon the world."
"These white crystal spheres, which he often plays with in his hand, are called wandering stars, his favorite toys."
"If these wandering stars are returned to the sky, one can see the magical starry gate, where he will appear in a chariot carved from starlight."
"Seeing his beloved toys, he will be pleased and grant the kind person who returned them three wishes and allow them to enter his eternal divine kingdom."
Hastur silently read the missionary manual and had to admit it was well-written.
It was likely that the High-Dimensional Overseer had given instructions, possibly even issuing a divine oracle.
Otherwise, the devout believer wouldn't dare to fabricate a deity's image or use the title Star-Wandering Giod.
The Star-Wandering God might be the Sequence 0 of the
High-Dimensional Overseer's extraordinary pathway.
The only part that felt out of place to Hastur was the depiction of the High-Dimensional Overseer
as an innocent, childlike figure.
This wasn't a metaphor; the Star-Wandering God was literally depicted as a child.
The child sat in a chariot pulled by Pegasus, lying slightly as if just waking from a dream, holding a small, delicate wand-like object in his left hand, with blurred facial features and a somewhat ethereal figure.
Surprisingly, this depiction of the deity was quite endearing, at least not provoking hostility.
People tend to be patient and fond of children, lowering their guard.
Even Hastur found the childlike depiction pleasing and comfortable at first glance.
Moreover, using a child as the deity's image aligned with people's understanding of easily deceived gods in mythological stories.
Overall, Hastur could give the High-Dimensional Overseer nine out of ten for this move, reserving the last point for potential future surprises.
Hastur observed patiently for a while longer, finding no abnormalities among the believers, and continued to let things be, using this to further understand the High-Dimensional Overseer.
**...**
On the sea, a ship slowly sailed with the current.
After a period of consumption, the remaining supplies on board were scarce. Mr. A decisively threw the excess crew into the sea, generously giving each an empty oak barrel.
Mr. A didn't know the exact location of the Forsaken Land, and it no longer mattered to him.
As the ship sailed slowly, his sense of pilgrimage grew stronger, bringing unprecedented peace and joy to his heart.
He didn't need to think much; having the Lord accompany him on this journey was enough.
Now, besides his daily devotions, he spent his time sitting at the bow, gazing into the distance, emptying his mind.
When Hastur descended and saw this scene, he couldn't help but be amazed.
"With no hindrances in the mind, there is no fear. Far from deluded thoughts, one reaches ultimate nirvana."
This scripture suddenly came to Hastur's mind, fitting Mr. A's current state perfectly.
Could he be cultivating a Buddhist disciple? Perhaps "awakened one" would be more appropriate.
Hastur smiled, not disturbing Mr. A, and opened the spirit world door to leave.
He didn't have the leisure to stay on the ship, accompanying Mr. A in contemplating the universe and all beings.
The spirit world travel was swift, and Hastur had already locked onto the ship king of the five seas , Nast.
He had intended to chat with him earlier but was delayed by Bernadette's presence.
Now that Lady Lisa had written the script, he could conveniently pin the blame on Nast.
A Five Seas King who had roamed the seas for many years, stealing 008 from Ince Zangwill, was a plausible story.
It was also reasonable to use him to attract the attention of Adam and the Goddess of the Night.
When Hastur descended on the Black Emperor, Nast's first reaction was to break into the spirit world and escape.
But in the next second, Hastur appeared in his captain's cabin, facing him.
Nast, after a moment of silence, gave up struggling and sighed resignedly, "I knew you would come back."
"Good intuition."
Hastur casually sat on a chair, his clear gaze sweeping over Nast, making him feel completely seen through.
"What do you want from me?" Nast asked directly.
Having roamed the seas for so many years, he understood that this mysterious visitor had a task for him.
Hastur glanced around and said playfully, "Your Black Emperor is quite impressive."
(End of Chapter)
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