Reincarnated as the favorite of an obsessive goddess: gave me a system-Chapter 50: The start of the plan.

The sound of Valira’s hooves against the dark stone pavement of the capital of Terminus was rhythmic, almost hypnotic, but it failed to drown out the sense of unease simmering in Kai’s chest. They had left the customs warehouse behind after a mechanical and efficient unloading, leaving Lint and Nick submerged in a sea of scrolls and wax seals to collect the rest of the silver. Now, the elite team moved through the city streets, a metropolis that felt like a living but diseased organism, where the air did not circulate but instead crawled with a heavy scent of saltpeter and metal.

"We need a place where we aren’t watched as much as we are now," Thorne whispered. "This place... the air is even heavier, Boss."

"It’s the harbor," Kai replied. "We’re in the port district."

Finally, after weaving through alleys where bioluminescent jellyfish lamps emitted a dying light, they reached an inn that Lint had recommended. It was a three-story building constructed from shipwreck timber that had been treated to resist the kingdom’s corrosive humidity. There were no bright signs or music drifting from within, only a heavy oak door and the sound of waves crashing against the docks a few meters away.

Upon entering, the group was greeted by a deathly silence. The few patrons sat in dark corners, drinking from mugs of beer without exchanging a word. The innkeeper rented them four rooms on the upper floor without asking any questions. Once settled in the main room, which served as a hub between the others, Kai closed the door and turned to his team. The violet light of the Terminus sunset filtered through the window, bathing their faces in an ethereal gloom.

Lyla sat on the edge of the bed, sighing. "Syon and Vyr... they are the ones I suspect most. Vyr has always been obsessed with her strange creations. And it wouldn’t surprise me if Syon has let her use his seas to experiment."

Kai thought for several seconds before speaking.

"That’s why we’re going to split up. Allice, I want you to move through the rooftops and alleys near the headquarters of the Church of Syon. Look for any sign of communication with the outside or with the Church of Vyr."

Allice nodded, leaping out the window with great agility.

"Mira," Kai continued. "I need you to find the highest point near the heavy cargo docks. Watch the ships. Lint said none dare to leave, but I want to know if any enter. If these creatures are patrolling, there must be a pattern, a zone where they don’t attack."

"Consider it done," she replied, adjusting her compound bow before stepping out with a light gait.

"Thorne, you have the hardest task for your patience. Go to the stevedores’ taverns. Drink, but stay sober. Listen to what they say when they think no one important is listening. Fear usually loosens tongues after the third mug. Look for stories of sightings, not of the monsters, but of who saw them first."

Thorne grunted, amused. "Listening to the grumbles of drunken sailors... that’s one of the best things you could’ve asked of me, boss."

"Roshia, stay here with Lyla. I need you both to watch the rooms just in case; I don’t trust this place much. It honestly gives me a bad feeling."

When everyone had left for their tasks, Kai remained alone with Lyla for a moment. She approached and took his hands. They were cold.

"And you, Kai? What are you going to do?"

"I’m going down to the docks," he replied.

Kai left the inn wrapped in a dark cloak. The Port District at night was a labyrinth of shadows and dampness. The city of Terminus operated under a rather peculiar decree: after sunset, any unnecessary noise was considered a sacrilege against Syon. Because of this, Kai had to be extremely careful.

Reaching the edge of the main pier, he hid behind a mooring post. The sea was unusually calm, but it wasn’t a peaceful calm. It was the stillness of a predator waiting. What he saw, or rather, what he felt, chilled his blood.

About ten meters below the surface, attached to the stone pillars of the harbor, were things that looked like large sacs of pulsating flesh. They weren’t part of the structure. They were creations. They were connected by filaments extending toward the seabed, forming a network that enveloped the capital’s entire bay.

Suddenly, the sound of a splash drew his attention to a nearby landing ramp. A patrol from the Church of Vyr was unloading something from a small barge that had just docked in absolute silence. They carried large glass containers filled with a glowing, viscous substance. A group of citizens, ragged and with hollow stares, approached the ramp. The Collectors began distributing bowls of a grayish pottage.

Kai watched a young woman take a bowl. Her hands trembled, but as soon as the first bite touched her lips, her face was transformed. The fear vanished, replaced by a fanatical and empty euphoria. Her eyes turned glassy, reflecting the violet light of the sea with an unnatural intensity.

"Vyr provides," the woman whispered, and her voice sounded multiplied, as if others were saying it in unison miles away. "The Sea is the way."

Kai felt a deep nausea. It wasn’t just food; it was a tool for direct control. They were feeding the population something that nullified their will, turning their terror of the sea into a forced devotion. He retreated from the shadows of the dock before the patrol of Collectors could detect him.

He needed to gather the information from the others. Upon returning, he found Thorne already back, sitting at the room’s table with a grim expression.

"I’ve heard things, Boss," Thorne said without preamble. "An old drunk, a former captain who lost everything, swore to me he saw one of those giant beasts emerge near a Church ship... and it didn’t attack. It stayed there, like a dog waiting for a pat, while the priests threw something into the water."

Allice entered the room cautiously. "Syon and Vyr are working together, Kai. I’ve seen high priests from both churches entering a discreet building near a cathedral. Their doctrines are supposed to be opposites, but they are sharing information."

Kai nodded, processing it all. The puzzle pieces were beginning to fit, though the final image was more twisted than he had imagined.

"Listen to me, everyone," Kai said, sitting before them. "Terminus isn’t a kingdom under attack by natural monsters. It’s an open air laboratory. Syon has turned his sea into a sanctuary of silence, a place where no one can look without his permission. And he has asked Vyr for help to create these aberrations."

"But why?" Roshia asked. "Why create so much terror?"

"Faith," Lyla responded, her voice filled with a bitterness only a fallen goddess could feel. "If people believe the sea is hell, they will cling to any god who promises them a raft. Syon and Vyr have created the danger to sell themselves as the only salvation. It’s basically the same thing they did with the Demon King for years."

Kai struck the table with his fist, but softly, respecting the city’s silence.

"It’s not just control. It’s a faith farm. It’s a mutual collaboration between the two to harvest as much faith as possible through fear. Plus, they’re giving them some kind of strange food, something that looked like they were controlling them beyond what they could do without interfering directly. That is very dangerous."

Mira entered the room at that moment, her breathing heavy.

"Kai, I’ve seen something in the northern port. A ship from the Church of Vyr is preparing to set sail. It’s the only naval movement in the whole city. They say it’s a normal expedition, but they’re carrying cages, Kai. Very large, empty cages."

"They’re going to collect more samples or release a new brood," Kai concluded. "This is the start of our investigation. We can’t attack head-on yet; Syon would detect any massive disturbance in his silence. We have to be surgical."

He approached the window, overlooking the capital of Terminus.

"Tomorrow, we start following those ships. We are going to document every monster, every connection between the churches, and every biological experiment. And when we have enough evidence that even the most fanatical in this kingdom cannot deny... we will break the faith in Syon once and for all."

He paused for a moment.

"It will be risky, but this will be our first strike to weaken the gods. He will be the first god to fall, and no one will be able to prevent it."

"Do you plan to lead the first attack?" Lyla asked with a hint of concern.

"Yes. It’s the perfect time to weaken Syon. If everyone realizes what kind of bastard he is, no one will follow him. He’ll lose power, and that’s when we’ll take the opportunity to kill him. It’ll be difficult, he’ll have subordinates like the others, but I trust we will manage to end him. The other gods won’t know who did it, but they’ll be put on alert. Especially Malk, who should have realized by now that Qaxy is dead. From here on out, my true vengeance begins. This is where the path starts toward a world that is free and without the oppression of gods who only want more power and to watch people suffer more and more."