Loren spoke without avoiding anyone, and those who heard his words included not only the Scarecrows but also the ordinary people kneeling on both sides of the road.
They were already very close to the Royal Capital, and Loren wanted something from the Royal Capital too. Looking at the hungry people around him, Loren's plan had already formed clearly in his mind. His earlier words weren't just meant for Naclis to hear.
"Distribute some food to them."
Loren walked up to the lead Scarecrow and spoke.
Some food wasn't important to Loren—he could give it away without concern, especially since Loren had deeper schemes in mind.
The Scarecrow seemed somewhat dissatisfied with this decision:
"It's precisely because you people give out food that someone always blocks the road. Only when we beat them until they're afraid will this kind of thing stop happening."
As these words were spoken, many hateful gazes turned toward the Scarecrow, but the Scarecrow merely glared at them, and those people quickly averted their eyes.
Loren was quite satisfied with their hatred.
"My snacks can all go to you..."
While Loren was negotiating with the Scarecrow, Anna suddenly stuffed her entire sack of food into the hands of a little girl by the roadside. Instantly, countless pairs of eyes glowing with green light locked onto her. Anna realized this too and began to wonder if she had done something wrong.
"Madness is the true nature of this world..."
Loren sighed with emotion. In the end, he still distributed some food. The moment Loren and his group left, these people immediately began fighting over the food. Eventually, the local church stepped in to stop them and distributed the food properly.
Even though the church now appeared merciful and fair, Loren's earlier words had already planted seeds of hatred in their hearts.
During the scramble, someone who could read found a small note among the food with a line of tiny writing:
"God of Hatred Ligoss..."
The moment he read this name aloud, he felt something watching him.
...
The God of Hatred was an Outer God. Most deities whose authority related to emotions were Outer Gods. Outer Gods didn't seek material benefits—when Loren made sacrifices to the God of Greed, it was merely to demonstrate His authority of greed.
As long as one harbored intense hatred in their heart, they could receive Ligoss's blessing. The emotion of hatred itself was the best offering.
Loren had lifted a corner of the heavenly curtain for them, and now that they had gained power, what they would do next went without saying.
Even if Loren hadn't spoken, they could still sense the injustice—working hard to grow crops yet not even keeping ten percent for themselves. Loren had simply stated it more directly.
However, the final choice remained theirs alone. Loren had merely added an option for those who previously had none.
Having witnessed the earlier scene, both Naclis and Anna became emotionally downcast. Loren noticed this:
"This world is just like that. In the eyes of gods, ordinary people are merely numbers. But fortunately, we can change all this someday."
If the gods were willing, They could easily create a utopia. They wouldn't even need all the gods—just the God of Bountiful Harvest and the God of Plague working together could create a world without hunger or disease. It would be that simple.
The main storyline of Finale was deicide. As for the Outer Gods, they were just background elements—killing all the gods meant clearing the game.
Of course, how one played the game was a matter of freedom. When playing, one could also serve as the gods' lackeys. But now, for the sake of Naclis and the others, Loren had naturally positioned himself opposite the gods.
"I believe in you."
Naclis showed a smile. Perhaps in this world, only Loren could truly fulfill this promise.
The rest of the journey passed without incident, and everyone smoothly arrived at the Royal Capital. Entering the capital required thorough searches, and many people were stuck at the gates, but Loren's group entered without any trouble.
Some were blocked outside the city for carrying kitchen knives, while Loren brought an entire case of Enchanted Bullets and entered the Royal Capital smoothly. During the two days waiting for his arm to heal, Loren hadn't forgotten to continue enchanting bullets.
"We've arrived, Master Mentor. Please disembark."
The moment Loren got out of the carriage, people arranged by the King came to welcome them to the palace. The King had already prepared special guest rooms for Loren's group within the palace—many major nobles didn't receive this treatment. Only high officials from other powerful nations were worthy of staying in such places when they visited.
"Very well, thank you."
After getting out, Loren drew the symbol of the God of Bountiful Harvest over his chest, paying respects to the people the King had arranged.
Loren had already sown seeds of hatred earlier. Now he needed to appear as amiable as possible, otherwise someone might actually try to take him out on the street.
"His Majesty is currently occupied but will appear at the evening banquet. We request your presence then—without your music, no matter how luxurious the banquet, it would feel dull."
The attendant spoke with Loren as they advanced. When they stepped into the palace, all the servants stood in two rows, solemnly bowing to Loren.
"Naturally."
One doesn't strike a smiling face. From inviting Loren to the palace until now, the King had consistently shown goodwill toward Loren, and Loren naturally wouldn't disappoint his kindness, even though he knew the King wasn't a good person either.
The attendant brought Loren to his room door and opened it for him. After other attendants set down Loren's luggage, Loren appropriately took out a small bag of gold coins from his robe and handed it to the attendant:
"Thank you for your assistance. This is what you deserve. However, we're accustomed to handling things ourselves and don't require too much care."
"Thank you for your generosity."
The attendant accepted the money bag. Tips were normal, but this amount was unusual. Having reached this position, his ability to read situations wasn't weak, and he immediately understood Loren's meaning.
"The Master Mentor prefers not to be disturbed too much," the attendant said while distributing the gold coins to the others. "Everyone, go attend to other matters."
Only after they left did Mirrorheart speak. She knew Loren wouldn't act without purpose—since he proactively distributed wealth, it definitely served some goal:
"What plans do you have?"
"The Gedlan Royal Magic Academy has something I want that will be useful for my later plans, so I intend to create some chaos."
Loren spoke with a smile, as if everything was under his control:
"All the coins I gave out have the God of Hatred's name written on them. Anyone who sees this name will receive the God of Hatred's gaze and might gain power from Him."
While Loren and Mirrorheart were talking, Naclis had been listening nearby. However, Anna sat quietly by the window looking outside—this was the first time Anna hadn't clamored for food.
"At least the ordinary people in the Royal Capital aren't starving."
Seeing she was still worried about these people, Loren walked to her side to comfort her:
"This is the Royal Capital, the face of a kingdom. Making sure ordinary people are fed isn't that difficult—it's just that many aren't willing to pay even this small price."