Marinda was taken aback.
Suddenly appearing, those shouting "God of the Inland River" had clearly come prepared.
Simply put, according to their plan, they were supposed to use the just now 13 ships to attack the "Oriental," or even simply ram the "Oriental" and sink it.
Then, to have the "God of the Inland River" judge South Los's "Spirit Medium."
Of course, it had to be under the guise of a charlatan, someone who offended the Divine Spirits.
Marinda was all too familiar with these guys' tactics.
But unexpectedly, the 13 ships were swallowed up by a whirlpool that had formed suddenly.
This scene was clearly beyond the expectations of those guys.
But what was more unexpected to those guys were the actions of their subordinates.
To be precise, the Believers.
Some Believers who, because of too many misfortunes, had been deceived into it, believing they had found a spiritual reliance, only to see their destinies become even more miserable after witnessing the miraculous scene just now, directly believed that the "God of the Inland River" they worshipped had shown a miracle.
Naturally, faith was unbeatable.
They just ran out carelessly, exposing themselves.
Almost instantly, Marinda figured out the other party's arrangements.
And, having figured out these guys' arrangements, Marinda had a good idea of why Arthur did what he did.
Arthur, that bad guy, was no Mr. Nice Guy. He had been bullied all the way to his doorstep, so of course, he wanted revenge. And what better way to retaliate than to off those guys?
That would naturally be...
Insulting the "God of the Inland River" those guys had crafted!
You all want the "God of the Inland River" to judge South Los's "Spirit Medium."
Then, be prepared for South Los's "Spirit Medium" to step over the "God of the Inland River" and rise up a level.
"Not only to insult the other party, but also to kill and dishearten them.
And by the way, lure the snake out of its hole.
Marinda's azure eyes sparkled with a hint of brightness.
The words at the bottom of her heart were almost like a compliment.
Without any hesitation, Marinda did as Arthur had said.
Of course, Marinda slightly adjusted the wording.
The next moment, those among the crowd who were Marinda's subordinates started to shout out—
"The 'God of the Inland River' has hosted a unique farewell ceremony for the departure of its master, South Los's 'Spirit Medium'!"
"The 'God of the Inland River' has hosted a unique farewell ceremony for the departure of its master, South Los's 'Spirit Medium'!"
One call followed another.
One call outdid another.
Compared with those obviously inexperienced 'God of the Inland River' believers, Marinda's subordinates were professionals.
Also, while shouting, they were looking around under the indication of their leader Urs, staring down anyone who had dissent on their face.
Naturally, they took advantage of the chaos to bag them.
As the Head Hunter personally selected by Marinda, Urs might have been a bit frank, but his vision was definitely outstanding. So, when he saw the younger brother of the boss's confidant, Wiggins, shuttling through the crowd with a group of young lads, he was completely stunned—
Hughes was moving through the crowd with a group of youths, but as they passed a man who was quietly cursing the boss, a cold gleam began to shimmer in the youths' eyes.
As they brushed past, an arm was raised, and a blade swept across the man's neck.
The man looked on in shock, his eyes widening as he instinctively clutched his neck.
But before the Fresh Blood could spray out, a youth rushed over, supporting the man.
"Father, the Doctor told you before, you can't get worked up in crowded places, I will take you away from here right now."
The words spoken dispelled the doubts of the surrounding people.
Especially since someone else chimed in to help.
"Your father fainted from excitement at the 'Swordsmanship Competition' last time. Why didn't you persuade him more?"
The young companion, incessantly babbling, then shielded more of the view with his body.
Urs had seen plenty of murders.
But slitting throats with a blade hidden between fingers was not common.
To use that tiny blade to slit someone's throat required skills not acquired in just three or five days, and what concerned Urs most was not this murder technique, but the ruthlessness of these youngsters.
...their seamless coordination.
One dragged the body.
One concealed the act.
Their method, their speed, it was all done in one fluid motion.
Clearly, this wasn't their first time doing this.
Especially when Hughes sharply sensed someone observing, he casually looked them over, quickly locked onto the target, and the indifference and intent to kill that appeared in his eyes made even Urs's scalp tingle.
Urs felt a surge of alarm inside him.
But when Hughes realized it was one of his own, he immediately retracted the killing intent, and a smile characteristic of youth sprang to his face.
He nodded slightly at Urs and then slipped back into the crowd, vanishing from sight.
'Are all the boss's subordinates such monsters?'
Urs inwardly exclaimed.
Then, he quickly adjusted himself.
If the boss's subordinates were performing so remarkably, he, as the boss's trusted aide, couldn't fall behind.
Right away, the Head Hunter selected by Marinda herself began locking onto targets with even greater speed.
His methods became slightly more aggressive than before.
But Marinda didn't care.
Arthur was her intimate and seamless partner, so if anyone wished to climb over Arthur to rise up, they'd better be prepared to be crushed by her.
So, the lady gently exhaled a puff of smoke, and with a lifted hand, she wrote down —
For these believers to be present at the docks was proof enough of their fanaticism.
And to interrogate religious fanatics?
No one could extract any information from the mouth of a fanatic unless...
... their worshipped Divine Spirits came personally.
But how is that possible?
The gods had long departed before the Golden Age.
So, Marinda boldly adjusted her rhetoric.
As for whether it would disrupt Arthur's plan to draw the snake out of its hole?
The believers in the 'God of the Inland River' would jump out even more crazily.
Of course, Marinda knew that Arthur's target was definitely not these small fries; what Arthur wanted was the puppeteer behind this 'God of the Inland River'.
And as long as she slaughtered enough believers of the 'God of the Inland River', those people would certainly reveal flaws.
After all, even cannon fodder couldn't be wasted
Thinking this, Marinda glanced at the Crow in front of her.
The black Crow spoke the human language —
Marinda's lips curled into a smile as she picked up her pipe.
The Smoke then rose, enveloping and deepening the black Crow feathers beneath it, as if indeed like the Child of Misfortune of legend.
When the Crow caws, the time of foreboding omen and Calamity is upon us.
Priest Toran of the 'God of the Inland River', hiding in the crowd, felt as though he had plunged into an ice cellar.