From God of Lies to Lord of All Worlds

Chapter 106: Florida Raises No Idlers

Let me ask you a question: which country in the world has the most cults?

The answer: America!

This nation was home to countless sects operating in the name of Christ, along with an even greater number of bizarre, obscure denominations. The sheer variety of cults was too numerous to count, creating an incredibly diverse and chaotic landscape.

And in Florida, these sects were scattered like stars across the state, becoming a unique hallmark of this region known for its simple folk customs.

The cult leaders and sect heads would often use phrases like "Apocalypse" or "ghost crises" to deceive the locals and gather the followers they desired.

They spread massive amounts of rumors and even went out of their way to fabricate Divine Miracles or doomsday prophecies.

Because this region was so incredibly Endowed with Outstanding Talents, the eccentric behavior of many locals often ended up corroborating these wild prophecies. Naturally, this only caused the local cults to become increasingly active.

It was not just the cults that were active. In fact, even some non-cult figures mingled among them, leveraging their status as members of the "orthodox faith" to stir up action.

Take, for example, the current situation: a bishop was holding a public "sermon" right in the middle of a famous tourist city in Florida.

"Angels and demons have already descended, and The Lord's Chastisement is upon us! When that time comes, all who are guilty of Sin will be punished. Wicked deeds will no longer be tolerated by The Lord!"He was actually talking about the Supernatural events that had been causing an uproar across all of America recently.

The incidents in Luo City, the events in New York, and even the occurrences in Illinois had all been leaked to the public, thanks to the Government's completely porous and incompetent secrecy agencies.

Even though the White House Spokesperson was still making solemn vows to Golden Hair, guaranteeing the security of their intelligence, it did not stop their subordinates from leaking what was supposed to be top-secret information absolutely everywhere.

With these rumors spreading, the Media was naturally more than happy to fan the flames of panic. They publicized all sorts of details, including but not limited to the Divine War in Luo City and the apocalyptic volcano in New York.

Profiting from Misfortune was not only satisfying and thrilling, but it was also incredibly lucrative!

Riding this favorable wind, Yujin Freize, the Auxiliary Archbishop of Miami, seized the opportunity. Not only did he conduct public preachings, but he also launched a rather shameless operation: "selling Indulgences"!

After a round of fear-mongering and grand preaching, Yujin held up the item in his hand. "You do not need to worry about falling into Hell! Ever since the Middle Ages, The Church has maintained a complete and perfect procedure for atonement!"

"These are Indulgences! No matter how many Sins you have committed, it does not matter. By purchasing an Indulgence, you will be absolved! Even if The Lord sends down Heavenly Fire, you shall be deemed Righteous and will not suffer Divine Retribution!"

"For just two hundred dollars, you can obtain an Indulgence! The more you buy, the faster you will secure your place on the ark of salvation!"

Most people would scoff dismissively at such a scene, yet there were still many whose hearts were swayed enough to actually buy them.

Florida had no shortage of these types of people. Some bought them enthusiastically, while even more wanted to buy them but simply lacked the money, choosing instead to join the bustling crowd and watch the spectacle.

Among this crowd stood one particular man who watched the bishop's antics with a look of deep thought and serious contemplation.

He wondered, 'If this guy can collect money using Indulgences, couldn't I do the exact same thing?'

The justification was incredibly simple: "absolute pardon for crimes!"

'As long as I fabricate a decent-sounding God, claim that they are the one about to destroy the world, and declare myself as their Saintly Figure, wouldn't I be able to use this exact method to rake in cash?'

Having reached this conclusion, the highly pragmatic Florida native, He Sai, made up his mind and immediately set his plan into motion.

He began preaching along the beaches and in the Slums of Miami. Using the money he earned from stealing Yujin's Indulgences and selling them at half price, he printed his very own "Redemption Coins".

He peddled them to tourists, convincing them that these were a special local souvenir of Miami. He handed out free Redemption Coins and marijuana to drug addicts, making them believe the coins could be exchanged for more drugs. He even told Undocumented Immigrants that these coins were officially recognized by the government and could be traded for legal status.

These were, of course, terribly clumsy Lies that many people could see through at a single glance.

But this was Florida—a place where psychedelic delusions and reality intertwined. Surprisingly, quite a few people actually bought into his nonsense!

In a mere three days, He Sai had elevated himself to the position of Archbishop of the Solomon Cult, amassing hundreds of The Faithful and securing a building to serve as their gathering "Church"!

Now, he stood there, continuing to hawk his Redemption Coins to his believers. "Beneath God are the Angels, and beneath the Angels are often the Demon Gods!"

"The Archangel of Judgment, Crown Raziel, once sealed away the seventy-two Demon Gods! They will be the ones spearheading the Divine Retribution!"

"The Church's Indulgences can only help you escape the Heavenly Fire, but my Redemption Coins come from King Solomon himself! They can even grant you the assistance of the Demon Gods!" He proclaimed loudly. "The Demon Gods only recognize these coins! With these in hand, you can command the Demon Gods and make them do absolutely anything for you!"

Atonement was not something these believers cared about in the slightest. But the moment they heard they could control Demon Gods, their interest was instantly piqued.

They were already brainstorming ways to exploit the Demon Gods. They wanted to order the Demon Gods to crush their rivals, to help them make money, to race sharks in the ocean to see who was faster, or even to challenge a Demon God to a drug-taking contest to see who could get higher...

The sheer chaos of these people and the explosive surge of their bizarre faith left Bai Yang, who had followed the informational trails here, thoroughly amused and exasperated.

In truth, Bai Yang had originally been looking around The South for a suitable location to deploy a Demon God. To do this, he had tried searching for information to find where the most fanatical Demon God believers might be gathered.

This was his favorite tactic: acting as the Cormorant Occupying a Magpie's Nest. He loved usurping an already established foundation, using his own methods to hijack the devout faith meant for others.

But he never expected that by coming to such a chaotic and disorderly place, he would stumble upon such highly entertaining amusement.

This man named He Sai had somehow pulled together a massive group of followers, all of whom were placing their faith in Demon Gods!

"These people have some incredibly strong personal initiative!" Bai Yang muttered sarcastically.

He knew that currently, in Luo City and New York, all sorts of criminal and religious activities were being carried out under the guise of The Church, Angels, Demons, and other mystical entities.

He had noticed back then that the minds of the people in America were almost a little too sharp. They might be terrible at doing good deeds, but when it came to doing evil, their enthusiasm was absolutely unmatched.

This kind of subjective initiative could often play a crucial role at certain times. For instance, right now, Bai Yang felt that this man was simply too perfect for his plans.

A manic yet sharp-witted man who claimed to be the modern-day inheritor of King Solomon's legacy—everything about this felt as though it had been tailor-made specifically for him.

"They are already capable of providing Wish Power, Crown!" Alvin exclaimed in shock. "They are providing you with Wish Power, yet you clearly haven't given them anything in return! This... this is simply unbelievable!"

Bai Yang also found it unbelievable. 'Is there something fundamentally wrong with how the people in this place think?'

These people scrambling to buy Redemption Coins were already thoroughly convinced by the words of He Sai, the massive fraud. They were even starting to apply this Worldview to discuss the mundane events happening around them.

Take this guy, for example: "My next-door neighbor is always making these weird howling noises, but he doesn't even do drugs! I seriously suspect he's an Evil Spirit in human flesh!"

"My neighbor is way more messed up. He hangs his socks out in the sun every single day, but he never actually washes them! He just sun-dries them, and he sniffs them the whole time!"

"I guess my neighbor is relatively normal, then. He just likes sleeping naked in his front yard. The only weird part is that he knocks himself unconscious with a hammer before he goes to sleep."

Hearing the crowd's bizarre discussions, He Sai immediately capitalized on it, shouting loudly, "Yes, exactly! These actions are the omens of the impending Divine Retribution! If you cannot avoid this heavenly wrath, you will end up exactly like them!"

"Is that it? Well, I think sleeping naked isn't really a big deal..." Some of these people had thought processes so wildly erratic that even He Sai was left stunned. He immediately ignored that particular weirdo and pivoted directly to another side of the crowd.

"Right now, it only costs twenty-two dollars! That's right, for just twenty-two dollars, you can buy a pardon ticket for the Apocalypse! Just twenty-two dollars, and when the end of the world arrives, you can ascend into the Heavenly Kingdom alongside the Righteous and the saints!"

"And if you spend more money, you will earn the chance to meet a Demon God! What are you all waiting for? The opportunity of a lifetime is right in front of your eyes!"

His Redemption Coins were selling like wildfire. Bai Yang watched the spectacle with great amusement. Chuckling softly, he clapped his hands, allowing his Wish Power to flood the entire space.

In a mere instant, everyone present fell into a deep slumber, becoming the subjects of a Dreamscape entirely under his control.

"Since you want a Demon God so badly, I'll give you a Demon God! A clash between an emissary of the Demon Gods and a Saintly Figure of The Church sounds incredibly entertaining, doesn't it?"

Bai Yang remarked casually. With a raise of his hand, he entered their dreams, drawing Miami—this "City of Magic and Illusions"—into his domain as an echoing ground for his Wish Power!