After announcing the strategy of besieging but not attacking Lotus Port, Euron Greyjoy's figure vanished from the suffocating frontline below the city.
Euron did not remain with the army but quietly arrived with Lisa at Tall Trees Town, located in the interior of Walano.
This town seemed nestled beneath a green canopy woven from giant tree crowns.
Talking Trees.
Sunlight was filtered by layers of broad, cloud-like branches and leaves, casting dappled, swaying spots of light, shrouding the entire town in a tranquil, mysterious glimmer even during the day.
Tall Trees Town was named after the ancient giant trees known as "Talking Trees" growing within its borders.
The trunks of these giant trees were gnarled and vigorous, requiring dozens of people to encircle them. Their bark was not ordinary; successive generations of priestesses in feathered robes had used special carving knives to engrave the entire history of the Summer Islanders, ancient songs, legends of heroes, commandments of the gods, and ancient laws governing the behavior and lifestyle of the archipelago's people.
Walking among them felt like strolling through living, breathing stone history books.
The air was filled with a mix of soil, humus, and some unknown spice, deep and ancient.
Distributed throughout the town were over twenty temples of varying sizes. They were not magnificent stone structures but mostly cleverly built relying on the giant roots or branches of the Talking Trees, blending seamlessly with the forest. These temples enshrined the local gods of the Summer Isles. The scent of incense curled out from deep within the temples, adding a sense of sanctity and transcendence.
Euron walked among these silent "history books," his fingertips occasionally brushing over the deep, ancient carvings. Lisa followed quietly by his side, her gaze lingering more on the temples and the priests passing by, pondering what impact this place of spiritual faith would have on future rule.
While the Talking Trees engraved with a thousand years of history were interesting and the knowledge contained within beneficial for ruling this archipelago, they were not Euron's core purpose for venturing deep into this place. His gaze moved past these living history books to the older existences hidden among the roots and leaves of the giant trees—the twenty-plus temples scattered throughout Tall Trees Town.
These temples were Euron's true target.
[Bloodline: Grey King Bloodline]
1. Ocean Perception Extension: Consciousness can spread like a jellyfish into the surrounding sea. Without visual contact, perceive subtle changes in currents, movements of fish schools, and even the approach of large creatures (like seals, sharks) within miles. Especially strong in stormy weather, able to "read" the anger and rhythm of the waves.
2. Awe of the Deep: Large creatures in the ocean will instinctively feel awe or curiosity towards you rather than attacking actively. You can even command legendary sea beasts.
3. Deep Sea Body: Strength and endurance significantly amplified in water; swimming speed comparable to the fastest dolphins. Body can better resist water pressure and cold, diving to depths far beyond ordinary humans, maintaining core body temperature and mobility in freezing water.
4. Bloodline Majesty: Ironborn who believe in the Drowned God will feel an awe and obedience originating from deep within their bloodline.
5. Divine Power Devour: Can absorb the power of deities, converting it into your own strength.
6. Unknown...
Deep within the Greyjoy bloodline, originating from the legendary Grey King's inheritance, lay a forbidden and terrifying ability—Divine Power Devour. This was a power sufficient to blaspheme gods and steal fundamental authority, forcibly stripping and absorbing power belonging to deities, converting it into sustenance for his own growth.
Euron first used this ability at the Twins. There, House Frey secretly worshipped an evil deity known as "Life Loan" (Chapter 266). That devouring gave him his first taste of the sweetness of divine power—not just a massive influx of energy, but also the accumulation of huge "points" and "soul energy," significantly enhancing his own base attributes.
From that moment on, systematically and purposefully devouring divine power had become a crucial and alluring part of Euron's grand plan. This was not just an accumulation of strength, but a plunder and reconstruction of the world's essential rules.
Now, this holy city with over twenty temples enshrining the local gods of the Summer Isles was no longer just a center of faith in his eyes, but a sumptuous feast of divine power waiting for him to enjoy. He strolled through it like a diner evaluating delicacies at a banquet, calmly selecting the first object to "taste."
In the quiet depths of Tall Trees Town, over twenty temples were scattered like stars under the shade of the Talking Trees, each enshrining a deity governing a certain aspect of life in the Summer Isles. They were not only repositories of faith but concrete incarnations of this land's soul. Now, they became lambs to the slaughter in Euron Greyjoy's eyes.
Avora — Goddess of Love and Lust
She possessed the grandest temple, with an open dome and colonnades entwined with never-fading exotic flowers. Here, physical union was not shameful but a path to the sacred, an art worth perfecting over a lifetime. Believers practiced briefly here, sublimating primal desires into offerings to the deity. Those recognized as possessing supreme beauty, fiery passion, and superb skills would remain to become highly respected priests; their very existence was the best hymn to Avora.
Meria — Goddess of Fertility
Her temple was full of heavy life aura, walls carved with prolific beasts and lush plants. Prayers here were not for personal pleasure but for the continuation of the clan, the power of bloodlines extending stubbornly like vines.
Meridia — Goddess of Beauty and Art
Every line of the temple pursued ultimate harmony; the air drifted with the scent of pigments and spices. She was the protector of all painters, dancers, and poets, governing all forms and colors that could touch the soul.
Serafina — Goddess of Production and Harvest
Her altar was always piled with newly harvested grain and plump fruits. Believers prayed here for the land's generosity and successful labor. She was the gentle and powerful force supporting the material foundation of the Summer Isles.
Lila — Goddess of Pearls and Trade
The temple floor was paved with polished shells, as if on the seabed. She guarded wealth harvested from the deep sea and merchant ships shuttling between islands, a symbol of prosperity and exchange.
Marco — Guardian of Forests and Hunting
His temple was built of unhewn giant logs, filled with the smell of leather and green leaves. He was the guide for hunters and the guardian of all forest creatures.
Carolos — God of Volcanoes and Earth
The temple was built of black volcanic rock, with the earth's warmth faintly transmitting from the ground. He represented both destructive eruptions and the fertile soil nurturing all things; his personality was as violent and deep as underground fire.
Severia — Goddess of the Ocean and Fishing
Her temple resembled an overturned giant ship, the sound of waves echoing between the walls. She gave fishermen harvests but also controlled storms and tides; she was the mother and master of all who lived by the sea.
Ocalion — God of Beauty and Inspiration
He shared the pursuit of beauty with Meridia, but his domain focused more on momentary inspiration and masculine beauty, the spiritual source for sculptors and architects.
Lilith — Goddess of Gardens and Horticulture
Her domain was carefully tended flower beds and herb gardens. The temple itself was like a miniature Eden, full of the beauty of order and cultivation.
Thaddeus — God of Sea Breezes and Navigation
His temple always had windows open to the sea, sail-shaped curtains billowing in the wind. He gave sailors fair winds and guided lost ships; he was the hope of adventure and homecoming.
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Euron walked among them, feeling these distinct yet equally powerful fluctuations of divine power, like evaluating delicacies on a menu. He needed to choose which deity's power would become the first main course at his "feast."
The situation was completely different from when he devoured the "Life Loan" deity of House Frey at the Twins.
That time, he could directly devour the evil god largely because only House Frey knew of its existence. After one battle, almost all Freys were dead, the thread of faith maintaining its existence was thoroughly broken, and the deity itself became like duckweed without roots, easily uprooted and devoured completely by him.
But here, in the Summer Isles, the situation was entirely different.
The essence of a deity is closely linked to faith.
As long as living beings sincerely believed and worshipped, the deity possessed an inexhaustible source, difficult to be completely annihilated.
The Summer Isles gods enshrined in these twenty-plus temples in Tall Trees Town, whether major or minor, whether governing the ocean, the sun, or fertility, possessed a broad and deep foundation of faith among the archipelago's people. The prayers and dedication of countless believers were like countless tough threads firmly anchoring them to this world.
Therefore, trying to completely "devour" these local deities and erase their existence like the Frey evil god was almost impossible under current conditions.
Unless he killed all their believers—slaughtering all the people of the Summer Isles.
For Euron, "unable to devour completely" did not mean "powerless."
The beauty of his forbidden ability from the Grey King lay in its flexibility. He couldn't uproot the entire "Tree of Faith," but Euron could become a vine parasitic upon it, forcibly extracting the tree's sap and nutrients.
He couldn't destroy these deities, but he could... siphon their divine power to strengthen himself.
This was more like a sustained plunder, a theft of sacred essence. Standing in the temple, feeling the divine power surging and filling with thousands of beliefs, was like facing an ocean he couldn't monopolize but could scoop from to his heart's content. Every extraction increased his power by a fraction, and while the deity itself might weaken from this continuous blood loss, as long as faith did not extinguish, they would not truly perish.
For Euron, this was enough. A long and efficient harvest had begun.
[You absorbed part of the divine power of Lilith — Goddess of Gardens and Horticulture. Gained 20,000 Soul Points, gained 12,000 System Points. Your Spirit +2, Charm +1.]
[You absorbed part of the divine power of Carolos — God of Volcanoes and Earth. Gained 10,000 Soul Points, gained 8,000 System Points. Your Strength +1, Stamina +2.]
...
There were a full twenty-eight gods worshipped in the Summer Isles.
The main goddess, the Goddess of Love and Lust, was the final grand meal.
[You absorbed part of the divine power of Avora — Goddess of Love and Lust. Gained 60,000 Soul Points, gained 50,000 System Points. Your Stamina +5, Spirit +5, Charm towards the opposite sex +5.]
Because he didn't thoroughly devour the deities, Euron didn't gain the domain powers those deities possessed, but the skyrocketing attributes alone were a huge harvest.
[One Piece System Bound Host: Euron Greyjoy]
Strength: 52
Agility: 60
Stamina: 58
Spirit: 66
Leadership: 22
Charm: 19 (Opposite sex +5)
Currently, Euron's attributes were almost impeccable; every stat was much higher than the highest human he had ever seen.
The accumulated points and soul points were massive.
Soul Points: 560,000
System Points: 330,000
Euron felt incredibly powerful right now, powerful enough to slaughter an entire army alone.
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