Hyper-Dimensional Player-Chapter 590: Gods Veiled Era (Extra)

Simir Kingdom.

The gentle sea breeze caressed the sandy beach, and in the distance, a fleet of fishing boats were moored at the harbor. On a rock by the shore, a tall young man held a fishing rod, resting his chin as he gazed into the distance at the sea, his sight seemingly piercing through the sea surface, observing everything beneath the deep waters.

Before long, a fishing boat docked nearby. The fisherman disembarked, glanced over, and shouted, "That's upwind, the waves are too strong, you won't catch any fish."

"If you want to catch silver fish, you have to go downstream. There's a nice spot at the bend in the bay."

Upon hearing the fisherman's voice, the handsome young man turned his head but didn't put away the fishing rod. Instead, he countered, "How's today's haul?"

The fisherman, with his sun-tanned skin reflecting light, seemed pleased and said, "Praise the Sea Goddess."

"The recent sea has calmed, allowing us to venture into deeper waters, and the haul has been quite good."

The young man nodded thoughtfully.

His gaze caught sight of the waves below, where a mermaid quietly swam up to his bait, attaching a silver-scaled fish that she had caught with her bare hands.

Got a bite!

A fish was hooked.

The young man swiftly pulled up, and instantly, a silver-scaled fish over half a meter long struggled to the surface, yanked up by him with vigor.

The nearby fisherman was dumbfounded, murmuring, "That's not right!"

"Silver-scaled fish don't inhabit shallow waters!"

"How can such a large fish from the deep sea be caught here?" 𝒇𝙧𝙚𝓮𝙬𝙚𝓫𝒏𝓸𝓿𝓮𝒍.𝓬𝙤𝓶

The young man, smiling, carried the catch back. Before leaving, he turned and carefully looked at the fisherman, asking, "Sea God Church hasn't forced you to make offerings recently, have they?"

Upon hearing such blasphemous words, the fisherman turned pale and quickly shook his head, waving his hands, "No! Absolutely not!"

"We willingly offer our sacrifices."

"Recently, the seas have been calm, and the catch is plentiful. Offering part of the catch to the Sea God Church is the right thing to do."

The young man nodded slightly, refrained from asking further, and carried the large fish towards the market.

The influence of the gods is in steep decline.

Previously, if Lady of Fury was slightly displeased, the seas would surge. If any place failed to make offerings, she could easily bring storms and tsunamis. Many divine spirits gained mortals' faith not because of their greatness, but because they possessed formidable power: if you didn't offer and worship them, you'd face misfortunes.

Places that once disregarded Lady of Fury either saw diminished fish hauls, relentless storms, or faced maritime disasters when venturing out to sea.

Stories from the Mythical Era often depict mortals angering divine spirits by failing to offer sacrifices, resulting in calamities. The interference of divine spirits in reality was so strong that they could use threats against mortals to achieve their desires.

But now, sorry, any divine spirit wishing to inflict punishment has to first get past Duncan.

The era of coercing mortals through fear has ended.

Even Lady of Fury can no longer easily influence the world's power law, nor can she arbitrarily control the sea. Punishing mortals with divine wrath or disasters is possible, but it would cost her over ten times the divine power compared to before.

The era of obtaining faith through fear and coercion is outdated, even the domineering Furious Gods now must honestly engage in missionary work.

The tables have been turned by Duncan.

Now all the gods must sit properly and consider what kind of doctrine and ideology their churches should develop for the next thousand years.

Aqunari.

Located near the Golden City, this small city-state once thrived with temples; in the surrounding areas alone, there were tens of thousands of temples dedicated to gods, demigods, and those with divine-like power. But most of these temples have been destroyed, priests were disbanded on the spot, and mortals now worship only the main divine spirits, such as the Great Goddess Isis.

As the existence of divine spirits began to recess, the power of priests is greatly diminished, simultaneously leading to the emergence of new priest factions. These factions spread rapidly, replacing the old era's religious system.

Beside the pyramid temple in the Central Square, a divine hall under construction was nearly complete, with bustling crowds in front.

War God Hall.

This majestic hall stands amidst the bustling district, with shops lined in front. Unlike other divine halls, its front hall is open to the public, serving more as a service hall than a divine hall.

"Mercenary Guild?"

"What is it? Something new spreading from the south?"

People curiously inquire.

Soon enough, they gather information from others, learning this is a place to register task commissions, primarily serving warriors. It's considered a branch of the War God Hall, offering skilled, reputable veterans who believe in War God Quinn for hire. They provide protection along the way and charge substantial fees.

With their escort, even traveling southward to the grasslands won't encounter trouble from the Golden Families. This organization, established only a few years ago, is expanding rapidly, closely tied to the War God Church.

"War God is transforming into a God of Faith."

"Warrior's divine position?"

In the crowd, a tall, thin man gazes ahead, noticing that those registered are mostly retired veterans. Initially, this Mercenary Guild was called Warrior Union, directly under the War God Church. Gradually, it became an independent organization, though it's still accustomed to being housed near the War God Hall.