Chapter 30: The Evil Spirit's Rite of Revelation!

"Hmm... a truly excellent harvest!"

Borrowing the skeletal fire within the fireplace from the "Arsonist," Zorn tallied his gains from this operation.

First and foremost was the evidence of smuggling and collaboration with an evil god organization, enough to ensure "Viscount Brinn" spent the rest of his life behind bars. However, this Viscount was an existence that even a Tier 2 "Arsonist" feared—a transcendent of formidable strength. Without sufficient force to conduct an arrest, the Viscount would undoubtedly escape. He was, without question, a difficult adversary, and not one that Zorn could face head-on at his current level.

The Bay District docks were a core nexus where various interests intertwined; the water here ran very, very deep. Zorn understood this better than anyone. Thus, he intended to hand this evidence over to his friends in the police force. Let the police take the relay from here. Zorn trusted that Ansel Hall, a law enforcer filled with a sense of justice and responsibility, would be able to bring the heinous Viscount Brinn to justice. Though this process would be fraught with resistance and danger, to gain higher honors, grasp greater power, and even hold the authority of the police order, one must pay a price, must they not?

In the city of Ogran, there were many enemies. It was impossible for Zorn to handle every single one personally. The friends he cultivated could play a massive role as well. If Ansel Hall handled this well, utilizing the power of the municipal police and the Church would surely crush Viscount Brinn into dust.

Beyond the evidence, there was a large amount of paper currency, primarily in denominations of 1, 2, and 5 pounds, totaling 1,646 pounds. This wealth was enough to cover the embezzled dividends of the Corrick family for the past half-year, with some to spare. And this was merely the interest; the true main event lay in the dock warehouse.

After carefully stowing these items away, Zorn glanced at the burning Arsonist in the fireplace. He began to organize all the information and results from today's dual-sequence experiment. During the day, as he guided Miss Jolia and set her to tasks, Zorn had already sniffed out the signs. He needed more samples to confirm the results. From his control over the two mafia lackeys at the tavern to his current mastery of the Arsonist—forcing it to divulge sensitive secrets—after repeated testing on multiple targets, Zorn had reached a precise conclusion.

A Spirit Warlock could not obtain "Essence" by controlling enemies with the power of the "Spirit Authority." However, when a Pugilist used their "abilities," which were judged as "combat," they could obtain "Essence." Now, with the two sequences intersecting, the Spirit Warlock sequence used the "Spirit Authority" to gain followers and drive them. This capability was interpreted by the Pugilist sequence as "combat," and thus Zorn gained a constant stream of "Pugilist Essence." This essence was then absorbed by both sequences, serving as nourishment for the overall system.

Both major sequences benefited from this. Relying on this strange glitch, the system functioned with remarkable efficiency.

"Hoo... hah..."

Exhaling a long breath, Zorn suppressed his restless heart. With this result confirmed, the room for maneuver was vast. His mind raced.

"I can recruit workers through a steam factory to work for me, masking the power of the evil god. Simultaneously, I can use the power of the 'Authority' to influence the workers' loyalty and faith toward the steam factory enterprise."

"In this way, my 'Spirit Authority' is triggered passively, while on the Pugilist level, it counts as me 'fighting' a large number of ordinary people, yielding a constant harvest."

"This is far more effective than the enslavement, exploitation, and imprisonment of a Spirit Warlock. And it doesn't hinder the functioning of the Spirit Warlock's own traits. Combined, it is one part effort for five, six, or even seven or eight parts reward. While the workers receive more pay from my factory, they only need to pay a small price—the price of believing in me. It will be a fair trade!"

What? You say that faith in a steam factory is the bewitchment of an evil god? I apologize, sir, that is our company's unique corporate culture!

"Therefore..." Zorn stretched his torso slightly. "I need to craft 'spirit statues' to better exert the power of my 'Authority.' Although 'spirit statues' do not require vast amounts of material like 'miracle statues' do, they still require significant resources. I hope the upcoming transcendent exchange meeting will have some of what I need."

Pulling his mind back from the blueprint of his future plans, Zorn looked at the completely carbonized remains of the Arsonist. He opened his palm, and a hazy, pale, and somewhat twisted "wraith" was slowly drawn out from the remains. The newborn wraith was weak, confused, and fearful of Zorn. Regardless of who it was in life, in death, it would be food for the Spirit Warlock. The abundant spirituality within the wraith seemed to whet Zorn's appetite, but he controlled his greed for "spirituality" well.

He manipulated the wraith to infuse itself into the fiery red "sequence core" among the Arsonist's remains. Soon, a "Spirit-Sequence Core" was born. This was one of the materials for the "spirit statues."

After putting these away and preparing himself, Zorn donned his raincoat and stepped into the depths of the rainy night. Accompanied by the roar of thunder, he soon arrived at the dock warehouse where the contraband "Blood-Vein Coral" was hidden.

Four mafia members on the night shift were dozing off out of boredom. They didn't even notice Zorn approaching through the curtain of rain. There were many guards stationed here, and it wasn't far from Sweetheart Cabbage Tavern; should anything happen, reinforcements could arrive quickly.

What a pity! They were facing Zorn, a Spirit Warlock capable of bewitching minds and controlling souls. Utilizing his "Spirit Authority," Zorn successfully captured four devout believers. Opening the warehouse door and stepping inside, Zorn began to set up the sacrificial ritual. The quantity of the smuggled "Blood-Vein Coral" was significant—at least seven or eight crates worth.

Zorn could not take them all away alone. Even if he could, he wouldn't; it would only invite trouble. But using a ritual to sacrifice them directly would leave no trace. That damned evil spirit stole the contraband—what did that have to do with Zorn Corrick?

Under the cover of the "Pugilist" sequence, the traces left by the "Spirit Warlock" were merely those of a weak "evil spirit." Furthermore, there were far more evil spirits active in Ogran than just Zorn. If they wanted to investigate, let them take their time. Besides, Viscount Brinn himself would soon be mired in crisis, with no time or energy to investigate.

The four mafia members pried open the crates, moving pieces of "Blood-Vein Coral" one after another. Zorn performed the sacrifice repeatedly, offering all these tributes—rich in spiritual essence—to the "hidden source" he had anchored. Of course, Zorn could have sacrificed these to his place of origin, the "Calamity Source," but he had not yet constructed his own "spiritual domain" there. Once sacrificed, if other evil spirits noticed, Zorn's efforts would be in vain.

As these resources were continuously sacrificed and consumed, the rich spirituality gathered together like a vast ocean of essence. Such abundant resources made Zorn's heart surge; this was truly a massive windfall.

"At least thirty to forty thousand pounds worth of resources."

"With such a batch of sacrifices, carefully digested, it is enough for my dual-sequences to advance to Tier 2, with even more to spare."

"Soon... Ogran will welcome its own wave of transcendent power and a terrible storm of calamity. Many transcendents will take the stage. Evil spirits are also stirring."

"After advancing to Tier 2, I will be better able to withstand this terrifying storm and wave, and even draw nourishment from it."

"This sacrificial ritual will also be a proclamation of the evil spirit!"

"It is the beginning of me carving my first stigmata into Ogran!"

Near the small hours of the morning, Zorn completed the final ritual. The sacrifices for the last ceremony were the four mafia members. They knelt piously before the small table altar, offering up their lives and souls. Whether Zorn spared them or not, their deaths were already fated. Rather than leaving traces for the enemy to investigate, it was better to handle it cleanly.

*Crack...*

*Rumble...*

Purple lightning streaked across the sky, illuminating a cold face hidden beneath a knit cap and raincoat amidst the rain. Then, the thunder echoed deep within the vast, drifting curtain of rain. As Zorn moved forward, he employed the power of "Forbidden Weaving" to interfere with any traces that might be probed. Previously, Zorn hadn't dared to act lightly, mainly because the "Pugilist" lacked good means to isolate detection. But for the first world-class boss, the "Spirit Warlock," his very existence was naturally a source of pollution and interference, making him extremely difficult to track. By using the power of "Forbidden Weaving" to erase his tracks, it would be a perfect elimination.

As the rain washed away the last traces, Zorn vanished into the depths of the dark, rainy alley.