When he left the church, it was already noon. The sun hung in the sky like a massive disk, radiating an unbearably intense heat.

Obviously, the Floating Whale was now basking in the sunlight.

“Today, it might get dark a little later than usual…” A long-established life pattern flashed through Naimes’ mind, and he soon formed a plan for where to go next.

“The current trouble points are Op and the village guards.”

“Op has secretly done some things that violate the church’s taboos, and the village guards are very likely scheming something in secret, to the point that summoning demons is being used as a cover.”

“In three days, the interns—a priest and a holy knight—will arrive. They will most likely come to investigate me.”

“I need to find a way to resolve some of these issues within three days to better align with the upcoming plans.”

Naimes analyzed the current situation rationally. What he needed most right now was the power of faith.

Only with enough faith power could he continue to decipher the numbers of the divine persona and climb higher.

“Under the current circumstances, I need sufficient support. Otherwise, even if I uncover Op’s secret violations, I won’t be able to cover them up or alter them on my own. The church would still keep a record of it.” A decision gradually formed in Naimes’ mind.

Op was relatively powerful and influential. Out of over a hundred households in the village, most depended on him for their livelihood and resources.

He also had the economic means to control quite a few ‘supernaturals.’

The simplest example was the caravan.

Given the dangerous environment outside the village, that caravan must have multiple supernaturals accompanying it.

“So, I still need to focus on the village guards’ plans first and extract enough ‘power’ from them.”

Naimes then headed toward the outskirts of the village, deciding to open a breakthrough from the village guards.

The village guards generally lived on the village’s edges, where usually one or two reserve village guards would also be stationed.

They were people stripped of their identities, always lingering on the edge of danger.

For such people, getting them to talk was both easy and difficult.

The easy part was that these people had lost everything and had become a kind of ‘tool.’

The difficult part was also that they had nothing left.

In a sense, the village guards were contract-bound ghosts. They did not have lives of their own, so they generally had no needs.

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When Naimes arrived at the village edge, he heard continuous howling not far away.

The bushes rustled, and then a somewhat scruffy young man stepped out. He wore gloves and was holding a black-furred creature.

The moment he appeared, the young man saw Naimes and instinctively stepped back, placing his hand on his waist. The hand holding the creature was hidden behind his back.

But soon, he recognized Naimes and lowered his guard, bowing his head as he called out, “Lord Naimes.”

After greeting, the young man prepared to leave.

“What is your name?” Naimes’ voice interrupted his movement.

“Village guards have no names…”

“Do you know that even demons have true names?” Naimes didn’t wait for the young man to say those meaningless words but instead began sharing some knowledge about demons.

“Demons’ origins may be wandering souls from the material plane.”

“Their existence is polluted by the Abyss, capturing them. Later, when the Abyss transforms them into demons, it grants them true names.”

“So for wandering souls, becoming a demon is, in fact, a form of rebirth!”

“Do you desire a name, young man?” Naimes’ voice seemed to hold some magic, stirring the young man’s desires.

Village guards were not truly without desires; they were only forced into having none.

Especially this young man before him.

The moment Naimes saw him, he decided to use him as a target for temptation.

Youth implied a high chance he was deemed useless not because of himself but for other reasons and that he likely had not accepted his fate.

The fact that the first reaction to problems was to grab a weapon showed a strong fighting spirit and an inner unwillingness to submit.

Moreover, earlier, he had been brutally killing. Naimes clearly saw that negative resentment!

The black-furred creature in his hand was called a Nest Beast.

Nest Beasts were creatures that threatened villagers’ safety.

They were covered in black fur, skilled at hiding, crouching in dark corners, waiting for the chance to leap onto humans. Then their black fur would embed into the person’s body.

Once embedded, the black fur would start to lurk inside and turn the human into a nest.

In essence, the black fur was a kind of biological embryo, which is how the Nest Beast got its name.

The village guards’ most important task was to defend against creatures like the Nest Beast that posed a huge threat to humans.

They needed to use their sensitive noses to sniff out the scent of these pests around the village and eradicate them in advance.

Generally, village guards would shoot such creatures with one arrow and bury them on the spot.

But this young man did not do that.

Naimes looked at the Nest Beast’s body. It was still alive. The young man’s arrow, whether intentional or not, had hit the beast’s leg, and the rest of its body was covered with neat cuts made by small knives.

Between the black fur, some coarse salt powder was faintly visible.

“Village guard…” The young man shuddered but still prepared to recite the village guard code.

As a reserve village guard, he was also bound by a contract, with certain clauses that, if violated, would cause painful torment.

For example, being dissatisfied with the village guard identity and harboring rebellious thoughts.

Once clearly expressed, it would violate the contract.

But at that moment, the young man lifted his head. He stared directly at Naimes. Although he spoke the code, his eyes seemed to hold a certain power.

The next moment, Naimes raised his sword and thrust it straight out, instantly piercing the young man’s body.

The sudden attack left the young man no time to react.

The knight sword easily penetrated his body, leaving a hole.

Around Naimes, strands of ropes emerged, resembling dark, deep tentacles segment by segment.

One of the ropes writhed as if sensing something, then slithered along the knight sword into the young man’s body, filling the hole left by the sword.

At this moment, the young man clearly felt that the village guard contract inside him was being restrained by another power.

He slightly broke free from the cage.

“Pur, in the demonic language means ‘to raise one’s head.’ This will be your new name.” The countless ropes retracted and gradually disappeared, and Naimes’ voice sounded at this moment.

“From now on, I am your Abyss!”

The young man trembled all over, staring at Naimes but already kneeling on the ground.