Chapter 242: Spade K
As a completely ordinary Player, Spade K knew that everything he had now was entirely due to good luck.
His real name was Lin Kai, and in Reality, he was an extremely ordinary office worker, commuting to work from nine to five, enduring the subway, and earning a meager salary. It wasn’t until the Game “World Tree: Origin” unexpectedly appeared that he found a chance to turn his life around in the virtual world.
In the early days of the Game’s launch, he accidentally discovered that the NPCs in the Game would actually react to the Players’ “resurrection,” showing expressions of panic or shock. Based on this, a bold idea took shape in his mind – could he use this to do something?
This crazy notion took root and sprouted in Spade K’s heart. He first conducted small-scale experiments, committing suicide in several remote villages in a visually shocking manner and then resurrecting on the spot, intending to deter the villagers this way, so they would do his bidding. However, the ignorant NPCs were first scared, and then they all considered Spade K a Monster, a familiar of a Witch, and picked up Pitchforks to kill him.
Then he learned his lesson and tried a different approach. Noticing that religious faith elements were ubiquitous in the Game, he decided to focus on this aspect.
Spade K first referenced religions in Reality, extracting some relatively ordinary content as doctrine to preach in the countryside. He then demonstrated his resurrection ability to them again, packaging it as a “Miracle,” and quickly gathered the first batch of fanatical believers.
He originally just intended to cheat these foolish NPCs out of all their assets and then run away. He didn’t expect that more and more people would hear about the “Miracle,” and they would all bow down to Spade K’s doctrine, not for anything else, but to share in this “resurrection” Miracle.
Spade K naturally accepted everyone who came. He even spent money on a Game trading website to hire some people as stooges, nipping the thoughts of some suspicious individuals in the bud. As his influence gradually expanded, he realized the need for a more systematic organizational structure, so he founded the “Divine Cult of Eternal Blessing” by referencing the religious systems in Reality.
Port Beren became the base he chose. This burgeoning port city was a mix of people, the Glorious Church’s influence was weak, and the Kingdom’s Disciplinary Bureau had not yet established a branch, making it a breeding ground for secret cults. He used the Game Forum to obtain intelligence, disguised himself as an “omniscient and almighty” prophet, and purchased rare items through offline transactions to enhance his persuasiveness. He quickly gained a firm foothold in Port Beren. Not everyone would believe his doctrine, but Spade K was smart; he didn’t need everyone to believe, he wanted this doctrine to bring benefits to everyone.
This way, they would spontaneously maintain this doctrine, whether it was true or false.
At the same time, Spade K collected as many local Players in Port Beren as possible. Those unwilling to join the Church were driven away by various means, thus easily keeping the secret of resurrection firmly in his hands.
The Divine Cult of Eternal Blessing brought Spade K unimaginable wealth, not just in the Game, but also in Reality. The proceeds from selling in-game currency alone far exceeded what Spade K could have earned in a lifetime of working.
But soon, Spade K was no longer satisfied with this.
It all stemmed from the Twin-tailed Mermaid Statue he discovered in a certain underground cave in Port Beren. The gears of fate began to turn quietly from then on. The whispers from the statue kept him sleepless, and the babbling about underwater ruins, ancient seals, and eternal power coiled around his sanity like venomous snakes.
Why couldn’t it be him?
Once this thought sprouted, it spread wildly in Spade K’s mind like a tenacious ulcer.
In Reality, Lin Kai was an extremely ordinary person, but in the Game, “Spade K” held the identity of “Cult Leader of the Divine Cult of Eternal Blessing.” This allowed him to taste the ultimate sweetness of power and wealth. The wealth of Port Beren, the adoration of his followers, the awe of NPCs, the flattery of Players… all of this made him feel elated, as if he had truly become some kind of transcendent existence.
Gradually, he found that the “Eternal Life” scam was no longer enough for him. He needed true power of his own, enough to make everyone truly believe in him, to truly establish himself in this world, and even… to rise above it!
Spade K stood in the deepest secret chamber of the Shipyard, his fingertip unconsciously rubbing the cross ring inlaid with rubies. The whale oil lamps hanging on the four walls of the secret chamber cast his shadow onto the damp stone walls, distorting it into a monstrous, claw-flashing shape. Through the half-open iron door, the sounds of explosions and shouting from the distance were like they were filtered through frosted glass, blurry and remote.
“Cult Leader, the Disciplinary Bureau has broken through the outer defensive line,” a believer wearing gray and white Robes knelt at the door, his voice trembling uncontrollably. “Lord Nu Yan he…”
“Dead?” Spade K asked without looking back, his tone as calm as if he were discussing the weather.
Actually, he felt a pang of regret. After all, there weren’t many non-Player Transcendent individuals who listened to him, even within the Church. Nu Yan was a Stage Three, stronger than everyone under him. If he had been rented out to those wealthy Players as a tool, he could have brought Spade K over six figures in revenue every month.
The believer’s forehead touched the ground. “Y-yes. Lord Heart A also…”
Spade K suddenly let out a light laugh. He had seen discussions about the Disciplinary Bureau on the Game Forum long ago. Those Players described these Kingdom enforcers as “mad dogs.” He hadn’t had the chance to confront them before, and now it seemed they were just like that.
“Quickly notify Joker,” he turned and walked towards a wooden chest on the other side of the secret chamber. The hem of his Robes swept across the floor, stirring up tiny particles of dust. “As per the original plan, we set sail punctually at midnight.”
The believer hesitated. “But they’ve already killed their way towards the shipyards. Our ships…”
“Do you think I only have this one ship?” Spade K pulled open the wooden chest and took out a brand-new Sea Chart that glowed with a blue light. The parchment slowly unfurled in his hand, revealing shipping routes marked in dark red ink. He had never prepared only one contingency plan. “Go notify everyone who can still move. Those willing to follow me, gather at West Sea Mouth at midnight.”
Cold sweat beaded on the believer’s forehead, and his fingers unconsciously clutched the hem of his Robes. He opened his mouth as if to say something, but swallowed it back under Spade K’s icy gaze.
“Any other questions?” Spade K’s voice was gentle to the point of being dangerous.
“N-no!” The believer hastily scrambled up and stumbled out of the secret chamber. The moment the iron door closed, Spade K heard the sounds of fierce fighting coming from the direction of the shipyards.
The smile on his lips deepened. Those Disciplinary Bureau dogs would never understand that the sailing plan they were desperately trying to stop was merely an elaborate disguise.
The real ships were already prepared. And at midnight, when the tide reached its highest point, he would personally uncover the secret that had been sealed at the bottom of the sea for a hundred years.
