Demon Bible

Chapter 108: Persecuting Lesser Demons

Nemus had obtained the Divinity Count that belonged to the God of Precepts. Its internal functions also pertained to the concept of Precepts. Under normal circumstances, it could only absorb Faith related to Precepts.

The issue lay in the disproportionate ratio of the Divinity Count held by Nemus compared to the God of Precepts. Moreover, the God of Precepts had existed for countless years. Through subtle influence over such a long period, whenever the word Precept was mentioned, people would inevitably think of the God of Precepts.

As a result, Nemus couldn't gather any of the corresponding Faith at all.

Therefore, Nemus had no choice but to differentiate himself regarding the concept of Precepts.

He used the Construct Protocol to replace traditional Precepts, substituting the rigid, inflexible commandments imposed on everyone with personal, individualized Pact Rules.

He then wove in elements of Multiform Unity to increase its appeal.

This effectively incorporated Nemus's current personal characteristics into the system.

Perhaps it was actually a good thing that Nemus only possessed one-fifth of the Divinity Count.

The restrictions of the Divinity were not as overwhelming as one might have imagined.

When he spoke the name of the Fictional God, and when the doctrines of the Fictional God surfaced in the minds of others, creating Cognition and inevitably generating a trace of Faith...Nemus had already established the connection between his Divinity and the Believers.

At this very moment, he could feel the Faith of numerous Believers converging upon him.

During this process, Nemus could clearly sense that the Divinity was undergoing a Change.

However, because the volume was so minuscule, this Change was not yet obvious.

'It also has to do with the fact that the vast majority of them aren't even Nominal Believers.' Under the Construct Protocol, Nemus secretly constrained his followers, but this restriction merely nudged their thought processes to lean more easily toward the Construct Protocol.

It acted similarly to a long-term, soft psychological suggestion.

It did not mean that simply because the Construct Protocol existed, they would mindlessly place their Faith in the Fictional God.

'Overall, I can only say the future is promising.' Nemus was quite satisfied with this.

'Next up is to further research the power of Whale-ification, distributing it as a reward to elevate the strength of the followers. This will amplify the allure of the Construct Protocol, thereby developing an even larger base of followers.'

'Moreover, relying solely on the Construct Protocol as an attraction isn't enough.'

Nemus realized that the problem with a single product was that once people obtained it, their sense of satisfaction would drastically diminish their motivation.

Although Nemus could divide Whale-ification into different tiers to reap benefits layer by layer, the homogenization of such a power was too severe.

Once obtained, even without further modifications, a person could rely on their own inherent strength to gradually adapt to it and grow stronger.

'Therefore, Whale-ification is best served as a reward for devout followers, acting as a meaty bone dangled in front of the ordinary ones.'

'Before that, I still need some lower-end powers or resources to draw them in.'

At this thought, Downs immediately came to Nemus's mind.

Downs could be considered somewhat of a talent; his endurance was quite good.

Previously, he and Krog had worked together to deceive a group of Lesser Demons, extracting enough power from them.

Although it wasn't enough to trigger an Advancement in their species rank, it still vastly elevated Downs's baseline Attribute Value even after that Temporary Power had faded.

'So, the plan to scam Lesser Demons must continue!' Nemus's eyes lit up.

'We'll summon Lesser Demons in bulk. Although we won't have the oppressive presence brought by Lao Mushi this time, we can use environmental setups to threaten them. We won't extort ninety percent—just thirty percent will do.'

'Once those Lesser Demons fall for the trick, most of them will simply accept their bad luck.'

'That Demonic Accumulation can be sealed with arts and sold entirely as Consumables,' he calculated. 'This will allow those thirsting for power to gain Temporary Power, enabling them to change their current circumstances while ensuring they can never escape the grasp of the Construct Protocol.'

Nemus's train of thought was instantly cleared.

This was a multiple-win scenario. The people at the bottom gained power and the opportunity to change their Fate, while the Construct Protocol acquired numerous potential followers, cultivating a massive number of Nominal Believers while simultaneously scouting out true talent.

The only ones suffering would probably be Nemus's fellow compatriots from the abyss.

However, letting the Lesser Demons suffer a bit was fine, and Krog would be the one bearing the infamy anyway!

With his plan formulated, Nemus rapidly began arranging for its execution.

Three days later.

The faint Skywhale's Call echoed through the air as a brisk breeze drifted past.

'Is summer almost over?' Nemus wondered, getting out of bed.

Right on time, Krew arrived, delivering his breakfast and toiletries with his usual punctuality.

Once Nemus finished freshening up, a Document from the Church arrived, containing information regarding a suspected new heretical cult: the Construct Protocol.

"Those three who previously investigated the Dung Path, the ones who want to advance to official Holy Knights—are they just about fully healed?" Nemus asked, looking toward Krew.

"Yes, they fully recovered a few days ago." When it came to internal Church affairs, Krew was thoroughly informed.

"Their failure in exterminating the Whale Dung Beetles was largely due to human interference. It wasn't their fault, so let's give them another chance. Have them investigate the truth behind this Construct Protocol as their new Divine Trial," Nemus said with a smile, writing down his decision.

Krew pushed up his glasses, a smile spreading across his face.

"Understood, my lord." As one of Nemus's kind, he had naturally become a member of the Construct Protocol the very day it was formed.

Even now, his Double Demon Avatar would occasionally split off and head to the Construct Protocol's temporary base established in the South District's clock tower.

Currently, the internal structure of the Construct Protocol had been clearly delineated.

At the very top sat the Fictional God, followed by Angel A, who existed as a Multiform Unity with the deity.

Beneath Angel A were several major Zhu Jiao.

Krew's Demon Avatar served as one of these Zhu Jiao.

Sending a few Intern Holy Knights to investigate had a very clear purpose: to control the scope of the incident's impact.

Previously in Tail Fin Town, aside from the Floating World Society, all sorts of various factions would pop up.

They could be gangs, Religious Orders, or any other bizarre organizations.

This wasn't surprising; after all, Tail Fin Town had opportunities to come into contact with other Whales once or twice every year.

Trendy new concepts and items flowed in far too easily.

However, these minor factions basically never amounted to anything. Most merely scraped by in the South District, competing in the same ecological niche as the local gangs.

In the past, the Church had known about the Floating World Society but simply considered them a minor nuisance. As long as they didn't cause too much trouble, the Church couldn't be bothered to delve deep into the South District to arrest them.

It was only later, through Lao Mushi, that they realized the Floating World Society had massive underlying issues.

"I will give them exactly what they're looking for, thereby buying enough time for the Church's development." Krew had understood Nemus's intentions almost the moment he spoke, immediately making the corresponding preparations.

Following the issuance of the Document signed by Nemus, the three Intern Holy Knights who had just recovered from their injuries and reported back to the Cathedral received their orders.

Meanwhile, over the past few days, a number of changes had been quietly taking place in the South District.