CHAPTER 22: ALTAR BURNS

Gray Fort Empire capital outskirts.

Grand Magician Andrew stood at the center of the newly built altar. Over a hundred believers of the Goddess of Magic sat cross-legged in a circle around him, beginning to recite prayers to the Goddess of Magic and God of Technology that had just been learned and compiled from various churches including the Church of the God of War and Church of Nature.

As a legendary magician, he possessed vast knowledge, numerous spells, and powerful strength, but when it came to prayer, he was completely clueless.

Fortunately, with His Majesty’s decree, various churches were quite courteous in sending high-ranking clerics or even popes to personally instruct.

The whole process went smoothly.

Deep, solemn prayer words echoed across the altar as a mysterious aura spread from the altar’s center.

Frigid Moon’s cold winds howled, but they couldn’t affect them at all.

This wasn’t just because they were supernatural beings, but because faith power had begun surging.

Even magic seemed drawn into motion.

Surrounding magic particles became especially active.

Every magician felt their body and spirit becoming excited!

Gradually, magic actually condensed into firefly-like points of light, dancing freely around the altar.

The most direct feeling was that this place seemed to have transformed from an ordinary area into a magic anomaly zone. Any magician here would get major bonuses to magic recovery speed and meditation efficiency.

All the magicians became excited.

This was their first time knowing that praying to the Goddess of Magic would cause such things to happen...

Fanaticism.

Everyone’s face showed fanaticism!

Even knowing that such miracle-summoning prayers required certain costs—essentially ’equivalent exchange’—it didn’t affect their fervor.

The prayer had continued for a long time, nearing its end.

Even Grand Magician Andrew, with his legendary power, couldn’t help but break out in fine sweat on his forehead. This was his first time receiving a response from praying to the Goddess of Magic.

This was the first task the Goddess of Magic had given him.

As a fanatic, his psychological pressure was imaginable...

Fortunately, finally, just as it was about to end, he felt it—they felt it—a strange sensation of being watched.

Just like the clerics from the Church of the God of War, Church of Nature and other divine churches said—a god’s gaze.

The Goddess of Magic, who never responded to mortals, had actually turned her gaze toward them.

Success!

They had succeeded after all!

Grand Magician Andrew immediately relaxed, but quickly tensed up again.

This wasn’t over yet!

Now wasn’t the time to let his guard down...

The moment the final prayer word appeared, everyone shouted: "God! Please bestow your miracle!"

Magical power on the altar became active to the extreme—even the Gray Fort Empire Royal Mage Society headquarters wasn’t one-tenth as active as here.

Countless light points formed by magic particles danced frantically.

A strange power they couldn’t sense seemed to surge around them.

Suddenly, the mountain of refined iron before them completely vanished, replaced by a hill-like pile of rings.

Rings carved with various runes.

Identical to the ring the ’shadow’ had brought back from the Kingdom of Dawn’s border.

Grand Magician Andrew thought this...

"Hiss—holding such gatherings produces so much faith power?!"

In the divine realm, Ren felt intense faith power surging toward him. Watching ’faith essence’ rapidly forming drop by drop in the blank godhead, he couldn’t help but exclaim: "The faith from these hundred-odd people equals what ten thousand people in the Kingdom of Dawn produce using Magic Net Rings for a day. No wonder those strong-faith gods form religious organizations and frequently hold such activities."

"Lord Ren, I think you must be mistaken. Such faith activities aren’t common. Even the Church of the God of War might only hold them once every few years. When ’miracles’ occur, they extract a certain cost from participants. Most magician believers still maintain curiosity—that’s the most important factor driving them to come..."

"You mean such activities consume far more than that old guy in the Kingdom of Dawn praying and us giving him Magic Net Rings?" Ren frowned slightly.

"Of course." Betty cut in directly: "Take the Church of the God of War—they usually only invoke such prayers during major wars. Though our scale is smaller this time, plus they provided lots of refined iron and we only responded with Magic Net Rings, so their drain isn’t huge—at least not irreversible."

"’Those who approach gods are no longer human’—that’s no joke. The closer to deities, the more contact with them, the more terrible the drain."

"So we can’t have Andrew hold such events frequently." Ren frowned slightly.

Gray Fort Empire actually having a legendary magician as a fanatic, and a famous great noble at that, was definitely a pleasant surprise.

The more powerful mortals were, the less likely they’d easily contribute their faith.

Ren wanted this guy to properly assist in developing the Gray Fort situation—couldn’t let him get damaged.

"Don’t worry, this time’s drain on him is minimal." Betty smiled: "We’re doing ’fair trade.’ If the cost were high, the Goddess wouldn’t allow it. Next time he can just gather some other believers."

"Speaking of which, I suddenly noticed something—seems like the more faith power that gathers, the faster it transmits from the mortal realm to me. Is there such a rule?"

Ren carefully felt changes in his internal godhead and couldn’t help asking.

Just then.

The magic particles above the altar gradually began calming down, and that mysterious aura started receding like a tide.

"Are these the legendary Magic Net Rings? Can you really communicate with distant places through these?"

The pressure completely vanished, the active magic began settling down, and some magicians who’d just finished praying immediately grew curious.

Whether it was the Magic Net Rings before them or the experience they’d just had, it was all too novel for them!