Chapter 15

Nagris underestimated the hunger of the people for food. Despite his request to limit the number of people, the temple was still overwhelmed by the crowd that rushed in upon hearing the news. When they learned that only sincere faith could earn the king's help, everyone eagerly surged toward the altar, eager to prove their devotion to immortality or to food.

The dilapidated temple nearly collapsed under the pressure of the surging crowd. The Minotaur family, shouting hoarsely, could not maintain order.

The Silver Skeleton, who had been sweeping the floor, gripped the broom upside down. The front end of the broom was wrapped in black mist, which quickly transformed into a large two-handed cleaver. This was the special feature of soul armament, which could change shape according to its purpose.

If one were bored and interested in practicing, it was possible to shape a hundred or so forms, and with practice, one could quickly transform them.

Holding the cleaver, the Silver Skeleton leaped with all his might, landing on a stone pillar beside the altar. He arched his body and emitted a silent soul scream.

The surging crowd could not hear this scream, but they felt a force that could freeze their souls pass through their bodies, similar to a chill down the neck, but several dozen times more intense.

Most people stiffened and began to shiver.

As the Silver Skeleton's scream continued, the temple, which originally had no walls, saw the ground rise up to form a fence made of bones, enclosing the temple area.

With the Silver Skeleton's roar, everyone calmed down. Enclosed by the bone fence, they seemed to remember that this was the Temple of Undeath, the abode of the undead, not a place for casual commotion.

They obediently formed a line and approached the altar one by one to pay homage. When they sincerely believed in undeath, Ang could feel himself connecting with his followers through the Bridge of Necrotic Fire, forming a network of souls.

At this moment, Ang could even hear some of their inner voices, a feeling that was very magical.

Most of them were saying, "Please grant me food," a few were saying, "Please grant me eternal life," and occasionally there were requests like, "Please kill the neighbor's fox spirit" or "Make the Wind of Rest disappear." This made Ang realize how complex the inner thoughts of living beings could be.

Besides listening to these inner voices, Ang's most important task was to convert the faith energy. This made him feel as if he were back in the underground lair, continuously guiding the energy into his body.

Soul crystals are the condensed energy of the souls of undead beings. Because they can be converted back to replenish the soul, other undead beings can also use them, making them a form of currency recognized by all undead beings.

This energy could also replenish Ang's soul. Previously, he had not dared to use it recklessly because he needed to transfer food. Now, with the ratio of food to soul crystals reaching 1:100, he could use it freely.

A steady stream of soul energy flowed into Ang, making him feel himself rapidly growing stronger.

Sometimes, change comes suddenly. The Flame of Souls suddenly contracted violently, all the flames converging inward to form a pulsating sphere. With each contraction and expansion, a stream of pure soul energy flowed into his bones.

Nagris noticed Ang's condition and said in surprise, "A Soul Heart? I said your soul was too dense, unlike a Gray Bone Skeleton. It turns out you were almost at a Soul Heart. Before long, your bones will transform into a Golden Skeleton, making you a Golden Skeleton King."

A Golden Skeleton King? It sounds very powerful. The lord who created him was a Golden Skeleton King. Does this mean he can also create other skeletons like a lord?

...

The rituals at the Temple of Undeath became routine. Those who could sincerely offer soul flames could receive a pound of food, and they could come every day. Ang had transferred about ten tons, or about 20,000 pounds of food, enough to sustain the temple for some time.

Not everyone was sincere, and not everyone truly believed in undeath. Out of 200 people, about 100 could offer soul flames. Those with weak faith did not return.

After a round of screening, there were about 200 regular followers, which was a very good number, considering the total population of the underground city was only about 5,000, and some had their own beliefs or were undead beings, reducing the total number.

The management of the underground city had significant disagreements about the sudden emergence of the Temple of Undeath. The succubus Lina even suggested preventing followers from worshiping to avoid instability.

However, this suggestion was angrily rebuked by Esk: "Are you crazy? I am a believer in undeath. Do you want to seal me too?"

Esk was a necromancer; which necromancer did not believe in undeath?

Lina's heart skipped a beat, realizing she had forgotten this. More seriously, she had forgotten the identity of the city lord, who was an old lich, a member of the "undead."

Proposing to seal the Temple of Undeath on the lich's territory, Lina felt she must have been out of her mind to make such a suggestion.

Phelin, knowing she did not mean it, consoled her: "Lina only meant well, fearing that a sudden new unstable factor would disrupt the current stability."

Lina nodded rapidly, having recently joined the underground city and not fully understanding the situation of the Temple of Undeath. Now she realized that the Temple of Undeath was a place for worshiping the undead.

Phelin, who knew the inside story, said, "Don't worry. The reopening of the temple is likely to become the most stable pillar of the underground city. Moreover, it continuously distributes food, alleviating our food shortage, which is a great benefit. Just let it be and don't interfere."

Cleg, sitting on the other side, smiled with a hint of "I knew it." He knew that Phelin had suddenly brought in several batches of food, and now the temple had reopened and was distributing food. Anyone with a brain would guess the connection, only a brainless succubus would speak recklessly.

Seeing everyone in agreement, Phelin changed the subject: "How is the project to use luminescent moss as a supplementary light source for crops going?"

Esk and Lina exchanged glances, their eyes finally settling on Cleg.

Cleg said, "It failed. The moss couldn't survive in the fields. Planted too far apart, the light was too dim to serve as a supplement. It had to be planted between rows of crops, but it needed a moist environment and couldn't survive. If we watered it more, the roots would rot, and the crops would be waterlogged. Sir, I think this method is not feasible."

"Oh? It failed? But I have seen it succeed," Phelin said.

"It's impossible," Cleg, being a clever goblin, was not convinced by anyone on technical issues: "Sir, were you perhaps deceived by magic? Using magic to temporarily maintain crop growth to deceive you, sir, please don't fall for it."