Chapter 128: Research on Faith, an Overwhelmingly Powerful Talent

Dawn City, third floor of the City Hall. Li De summoned Emi while he had some free time. He was quite confused about how Oli became his Zealot. Logically speaking, only deities could have believers. Since he hadn’t preached, how did he end up with a believer, and not just any believer but one of the most devoted Zealots? He had countless questions he wanted to ask this Shadow High Priest who bore the title of Blasphemer. Emi, dressed in a gray priest’s robe, arrived at the office full of vigor. The current him was leagues apart from his initial appearance as a decrepit old man. Clutching his chest and bowing deeply, he greeted. “Good day, Lord Progenitor.” Emi originally thought Li De had called him to discuss matters regarding the Mage Tower, but the first sentence out of Li De's mouth left him stunned. The only thought in his mind was, "What in the world?" "Emi, I’ve gained a Zealot." "A Zealot?" Emi was dumbfounded by Li De’s sudden statement and hesitantly asked, "Lord Progenitor, are you sure it's a Zealot and not just a regular believer?" It wasn't that he doubted Li De, but the implications of being a Zealot were completely different from those of a regular believer. Before becoming a vampire, Emi had been a high-ranking priest in the Temple of the Knight God. Despite centuries of preaching in Green City, not a single Zealot existed within the temple under the protection of the Knight God. Yes, not even one. Granted, the Knight God's reputation wasn't particularly grand, being a lesser deity, but even a god acknowledged by many others failed to acquire a Zealot after hundreds of years of preaching in Green City. This alone spoke volumes. How difficult was it to become a Zealot? A believer must regard their faith as everything, willing to sacrifice anything, even their soul, without hesitation. Only those with such fervor and indescribable devotion could become Zealots. Believers were categorized into non-believers, casual believers, believers, devout believers, and Zealots, with Zealots being the rarest of them all. Each Zealot was a precious asset to any deity. To put it frankly, one Zealot could generate as much faith energy as ten thousand casual believers. Even the Temple of the Knight God in Green City didn’t have a Zealot, yet Li De, who was merely Level 11, claimed to have one. How could Emi not be shocked? "That’s right, a Zealot. During the Hero Selection Tournament, a young man named Oli suddenly became my Zealot. I can feel his thoughts in my Mental Sea and even responded to him when he was lost." Emi’s expression of shock wouldn’t dissipate, his face full of disbelief. "You can sense his thoughts? By the Goddess of Night, this... this..." After struggling for half a minute, Emi couldn’t find the words and finally sighed, looking at Li De, who seemed completely oblivious to the difficulty of the matter. "Perhaps you truly have received the Creator’s blessing and the favor of the Goddess of Luck. Lord Progenitor, you may not realize what having a Zealot signifies." Li De wasn’t a priest, and his understanding of deities came solely from the memories of the Vampire Progenitor. Having had no contact with temples recently, he naturally didn’t comprehend the significance of having a Zealot. "This means you can establish your own temple to spread your faith!! By the Goddess, it’s incredible, and you’re only Level 11!!" Emi nearly went mad. Ever since entering the divine realm of the Knight God, he'd dreamed of ascending to godhood, but he knew how difficult it was, so he always kept a level head. But now, a mere Level 11 Advanced Mage possessed faith energy, something that belonged exclusively to the domain of deities. This drove him crazy—it was simply unbelievable. Upon hearing this, Li De narrowed his eyes slightly, becoming more interested. "Establish a temple? Spread faith? What’s the use?" Emi almost spat blood. Li De was like someone holding a model for learning a forbidden spell but had no idea of its value. It made Emi frustrated. "After spreading faith, you can gain more believers, condense more faith energy, and eventually, even bestow this power upon your believers. The power of temple priests is granted by the gods. From what I learned in the divine realm of the Knight God, a deity’s power comes from their believers—the more believers, the stronger the deity. As long as you have enough believers, your power will grow immensely! You might even ascend to godhood in the end!" Emi became ecstatic. As someone bearing the title of Blasphemer, he wasn’t timid; studying how to become a god was his ultimate dream. Now, here was an example giving him hope—how could he not be excited? A thoughtful gleam flashed across Li De’s eyes. So, the source of a deity’s power was faith energy? This was the first time Emi had mentioned this to him. Before, Li De hadn’t bothered to inquire about powers far beyond his current level—he wasn’t that curious. But now, he had the key to peek into higher-level powers—a Zealot named Oli. This piqued his interest significantly. "Emi, I currently only have one Zealot, and the faith energy doesn’t even compare to one ten-thousandth of my mana. How can I achieve what you described—gaining enough power to feedback to my believers?" If he could bestow faith energy onto his believers like a god, would that mean Dawn City could see the emergence of the profession he’d long yearned for—priests? "Lord Progenitor, only by having a large number of believers can you obtain sufficient faith energy. Faith energy, like mana, is a form of energy. The difference is that faith energy is rarer than mana and has unique applications, provided only by believers. These believers are akin to Magic Crystals providing you with energy—the more you have, the more energy you receive. Once you accumulate enough faith energy, you can begin to harness it. Eventually, you might even condense faith energy into divine power and ignite your divine flame." After Emi’s unique explanation, Li De had an epiphany. In other words, both mana and faith energy were forms of energy. However, faith energy was a more advanced type of energy, exclusive to believers. To gain substantial faith energy, one needed to expand the source—namely, the number of believers. "Why do I have a Zealot while others don’t? Can anyone gain a Zealot, even a powerless commoner?" Although Li De understood the principle of faith energy, he remained curious about this question. Emi’s expression turned extremely serious. "No, Lord Progenitor, commoners cannot gain the power of faith, and even most Transcendent Professionals cannot obtain faith energy, let alone Zealots. Because they can’t sense the prayers of believers." "All of this stems from your innate affinity with mana—or rather, your affinity with energy." "If your mental strength or mana affinity isn’t sufficient, you won’t be able to sense the faith energy of believers. Faith energy is also a form of energy, though more advanced. Only those with heightened sensitivity and an affinity for energy can perceive it. Without such extraordinary affinity, even if someone fervently believes in another person, nothing will happen. Because their affinity with mana or energy isn’t strong enough, they can’t perceive that energy, allowing it to dissipate." Li De’s face took on a strange expression. Mana affinity? Wasn’t this hitting a sore spot? Among his three Innate Talents was an exceptionally powerful one—Mana Affinity. Mana Affinity (Extreme): Your affinity with mana has reached its limit, allowing you to manipulate mana at will. After Li De shared this basic information about his talent with Emi, the Level 15 Blasphemer’s face displayed an indescribable look. His eyes brimmed with naked envy and longing. "Lord Progenitor, perhaps we can build a new temple in Dawn City. A temple entirely devoted to you. From now on, all residents of Dawn City will worship you—the great leader of the Saintlight Vampires, the Lord of Dawn, Lord Li De Kachar."