A new line of text appeared, and now Thorn just needed to wait.
The decision behind choosing Shenlong over the other demigods was simple.
Thorn didn���t want other life forms to become like him, forgetting the god who created them, who protected them, and who gave them the strength to fight.
He wanted to be like Shenlong, a being who protected the weak and showed them the way to be under the protection of God Cosmos. ����������������������������������������������.������������
He wanted to spread the faith of his god and prove that he would do anything for him.
-Master, your plan worked like a charm. Do you have a talent for manipulation?- Thea said, her voice filled with admiration for Sunny���s cunning.
Thea was right; this decision of Thorn���s was not his own.
It was a well-thought-out plan of Sunny���s.
He wanted a few of his life forms to wander the world and spread the faith to others.
Just as Shenlong was already doing, he didn���t want to create another demigod for a similar purpose, as this could create conflicts between them in the future.
But if there was only one demigod per role, it created a whole ecosystem where they couldn���t use their powers to the fullest without the help of another god.
It was not that Thorn was unfaithful towards his god, Cosmos.
He prayed multiple times daily and was a devoted believer.
But a single comment from Sunny had made him question his faith.
Sunny���s plan was simple: he wanted Thorn to believe that he had been negligent towards his duty to Veridia.
And the best way to do so was to prove him unfaithful towards Sunny.
This would make Thorn do everything in his power to prove his faith in Cosmos.
-I don���t have such a talent,- Sunny replied, rejecting Thea���s train of thought. He felt a hint of sadness for Thorn.
-I feel slightly bad for him,- Sunny thought to himself.
But it was not his fault; he wanted Thorn to be reborn into the world again, which would surely help the masses.
He wanted Thorn to embark on a journey where he could spread the faith of Cosmos to other life forms.
But to say it outright would be against his own motto of letting life forms live independently.
Thus, he used this trick to make Thorn feel guilty and take this step on his own.
A new message from the system arrived.
Demigod Shenlong has accepted your request
Congratulations on becoming the first apostle of Shenlong
After this congratulatory message, the scene shifted in Thorn���s eyes.
He was now in front of a huge container, huge enough to drown all the continents in Veridia.
It even felt like the container was growing every second.
-What is this? Where am I?- Thorn mustered these words, his mind unable to comprehend where he was.
Suddenly, the shiny liquid inside the container stirred.
A small part of it began to move and transform.
It quickly morphed into a magnificent dragon.
It was similar to Shenlong in size and physical features, but its green scales were replaced by golden ones, which suggested that this was not Shenlong���s real body, but only a temporary form created just to give blessings to Thorn.
-I like your dedication to spread faith for my Master, and for this reason, I have accepted your request to become my apostle,- the figure of Shenlong said in a majestic and deep voice, which produced ripples in the liquid.
Chapter 71: Ch 71 : Loki���s misfortune
Thorn knelt, his eyes fixed on the magnificent figure of the golden dragon.
-I greet Demigod Shenlong,- he said, his voice filled with reverence for this being who could manifest into a powerful dragon from a shiny liquid, seemingly from billions of miles away.
-No need for pleasantries,- Shenlong���s voice boomed, deep and calm.
-Dive into this container and absorb as much as you can. The more you absorb, the greater the power you will receive.-
With those words, Shenlong���s form dissolved, mixing back into the remaining liquid in the container.
Thorn���s soul automatically flew to the edge of the container, one more step and he would be inside the liquid.
This liquid was the Essence of Hope, filled with the energy of countless prayers and desires.
With Shenlong���s blessings, anyone who dived into it would have all their wishes and hopes fulfilled.
But every use would consume some of the liquid, a fact that gave Thorn a sense of purpose and responsibility.
Taking a deep breath, Thorn���s soul plunged into the essence.
The next second, his body sank deep into the liquid.
His whole form was now surrounded by the essence, working to rebuild his lost body from the ground up.
Slowly, his bones began to form, followed by muscles, veins, and other body parts.
Sunny watched this scene with pleased eyes, a feeling of fascination washing over him.
He hadn���t seen such a sight in his entire life.
The creation of a demigod through a divine embryo was not this captivating; it simply morphed into the shape Sunny desired.
But the formation of Thorn���s body felt totally different and mesmerizing to Sunny.
As Thorn���s new body was forming, and he was gaining talents from Shenlong, constantly fusing these into his soul, Sunny knew this process would take time.
A few months in real time, which was something Sunny, a being with a lot of patience, still didn���t like.
So he acted. He directly created another subspace in Veridia, a space solely for storing the Essence of Hope.
Now, an entire month of forming the body would just be a small amount of time for Sunny.
In another place, in the vast expanse of the Realm of Advancement, a figure laughed, a sound of pure glee echoing through the air.
-Finally, I left that hellhole! That silly demon gave me the chance to escape, haha!- The voice belonged to Loki, currently in the form of the fastest beast he had ever seen in the realm.
He was flying with the fastest speed possible.
He wanted to find a place to rest and also to take a few apostles, as his merits were more than enough to acquire the talent for giving blessings and even giving blessings to some of the life forms he would find.
He flew towards the cities of the life forms from Veridia.
But he was oblivious to the fact that an entity, one he had known for a long time, was following him closely.
Back in Sunny���s God space, the all-knowing Thea said in a calm and laughing tone,
-Master, Loki is being followed by the demon demigod he worked under for all these years.-
-Cut down all of his merits. I don���t want any of my life forms blessed by him to cause mischiefs everywhere,- Sunny said with a laugh.
He knew from Thea that the demon was strong, but not strong enough to contend with Nova.
So he asked Nova to teleport to Loki���s location and help him capture the demon.
Nova, who would get the merits snatched from Loki, laughed at his misfortune and teleported towards him.
While Loki was running at full speed, he suddenly felt a strong space ripple around him.
He stopped dead in his tracks, sensing the familiar aura.
His mind began racing. -Why did my sister visit me?-
His thoughts quickly went over all the possible mischiefs he had committed.
Then, he realized the biggest problem he was in and said in a loud voice, -Sister, kill that fiend!-
Nova was surprised by Loki���s sudden comment. -Oh, you knew about that demigod following you?- she said in a surprised tone.
Loki sighed and thought. -Hah, my guess was correct.-
Then he said, with a tone filled with reverence for Nova���s strength, -Sister, I was going to bring it towards Veridia so that you could easily take care of it.-
-Master has already given me all your merits,- Nova said, a hint of amusement in her voice.