After he thought about the impact of his new quest, Rohan shifted his focus to another matter.
'So David and his crew had already done their part on the other side… what an efficient guy. '
He then froze for a moment when he realized just how far he had come, and not even a day had passed since he got the system.
'I have thirty followers and shrines...'
'I will also have a church... and in thirty days, I'll need a thousand followers if I don't want to be punished.'
At such thoughts, Rohan began to feel uneasy. "How could I manage so many people in the future? If they cause trouble and somehow become hostile with the orthodox churches, there will be war, and my religion would most likely be considered a cult."
He then stared at the new quest's reward. 'Perhaps if I get more fragments of the Storm God's authority, I will have more options on how to manage my followers.'
After a brief moment, Rohan shook his head and refocused.
He first instructed David to stop building new shrines and concentrate solely on converting people and strengthening their faith in the Storm God.
Then, he extended his awareness to nearly all of his followers.
With the growing number of believers under him, their prayers reached him from time to time. Thankfully, his authority allowed him to silence those who made absurd requests.
There was no way he could concentrate while listening to followers begging for beautiful wives or wealthy husbands.
'I'm not a cupid, you idiots! Does Storm God sound like a Love God to you?!'
After venting his frustration, he refocused on his followers, searching for capable individuals to form a team to complete the emergency quest.
For obvious reasons, David was a must. Rohan knew how insane he was, but he also could not deny how efficient he was.
For the second one, Rohan picked a man named Edmund. He seemed to be about the same age as David, a man in his early twenties.
After observing Edmund for over two hours, Rohan had already noticed several traits in this particular follower of his.
'He is a clerk at a Magical Trade House. Unlike David, this man does not act on impulse. He is always calm and controlled, and I assume he is always thinking ahead.'
'More importantly, he wants power. That was his only reason for swearing his faith to the storm god earlier tonight.'
'And this man also manipulates people subtly.'
'Of course, he will become dangerous if I ever give him power, but at least he is more controlled compared to David.'
With his decision made, Rohan instructed David to meet two other followers at the city gate at 6 AM the next morning. He later gave Edmund the same instructions before passing him the ring using the authority to bestow items to his followers.
After finishing his preparations, Rohan finally turned his attention to the reward he had obtained for building ten shrines.
The Divine Steel of Storm
Unlike any item he had received before, it wasn't meant for combat, nor was it something he could simply hand to his followers.
Its purpose was far more significant. It could enhance any item he possessed, including those already bestowed upon his followers.
The only drawback was that he had only one Divine Steel of Storm.
That meant he had to choose. Either strengthen his followers by upgrading the Rings of Storms or strengthen himself by enhancing Lightbringer or the Armor of Asgard.
...
Almost at the same time, within the city…
The Magical Trade House was quiet at this hour, its interior dimly lit by enchanted lanterns.
Even past midnight, a faint trace of magic lingered in the air, as if the artifacts within refused to rest.
Inside the house, Edmund was momentarily stunned when he suddenly heard a majestic voice inside his mind just a few moments ago.
After composing himself, he then shifted his focus to the silver-blue ring in his hand.
'Giving my faith to the Storm God truly brings benefits.'
In his search for power because he was unable to upgrade his Soul Essence from Violet to Blue, Edmund had prayed to multiple deities such as the Sun God, the Dragon God, the God of Distance, the God of Conquest, and many more. Yet he had never received a single response.
'But because it's real, it means either the Storm God is genuine, or pretending to be one.'
'Either way, it doesn't matter. Power is power.'
'But I'll have to figure out how this works. Can I keep this power forever? Can the Storm God take it away at any time?'
'And what exactly does this particular deity want? And is he even a real deity? What if he's just a very powerful mage?'
Countless questions immediately swarmed Edmund's mind. But he wasn't overwhelmed. For him, thinking and analyzing were second nature.
As he continued thinking of possible answers to his many questions, the voice suddenly returned, deeper this time, carrying a faint rumble like distant thunder.
"Together with two other followers I have chosen, find and eliminate three influential members of the Shadow Cult."
"The reward is power."
Edmund let out a long breath, less stunned this time as another question surfaced in his mind.
'Why would a god give such an order? Is it a test? And why the Shadow Cult in particular? Are the Storm God and the Shadow God hostile toward each other?'
As for the fact that members of the Shadow God Cult existed within the city, Edmund wasn't surprised. He was more intrigued by the mission and the two other followers chosen by the Storm God.
'I'll need to observe them carefully. Strength… behavior… and how useful they are.'
'If they're incompetent, they'll only slow me down.'
Without further delay, Edmund put on the ring on his index finger. As faint sparks of lightning slithered across his skin, another thought surfaced in his mind.
'Perhaps… this mission is a way to see how we interact.'
'To test who is worth keeping.'