Deadmeat Saga

Chapter 41 – Statue of Conquest.

Several minutes after Gerhart finished evolving his talent, he checked himself with a polished steel mirror under the dim light of a crystal, trying to find differences in his physique.

"My muscles are a bit bigger, and my face is a bit more well-defined, but I don't find anything different. At least, for now." Gerhart muttered.

He then checked his new and evolved talent.

{Unique Talent - Goliath Physique(Evolvable): The ideal physique of a heavy warrior. Significantly enhances physical might, defense, stamina, and affinity to related physical arts. Can evolve.}

The explanation was simple, but the effects were likely immense, worlds apart from Pack Mule. After all, it was a superior talent comparable to a Perfect Talent in terms of pricing.

"I haven't tested it yet, but how much did my strength improve? It should be at least a third, right?" Gerhart muttered, eager to test it.

But then he remembered that he wanted to massage some of the women tomorrow.

"Right... Damn. It would be harmful to massage them if I can't control my strength. I will have to continue relying on Havre, then." Gerhart decided.

Although it was a minor setback, it wasn't a big deal, just a minor inconvenience.

He then looked at his bloodline. It was still awakening, with no end in sight. "How long does it take to awaken, anyways?" Gerhart wondered and decided to try and see if he could accelerate the process. However, he was surprised by the relic's reply.

Awakening Completion of Tyrant Bloodline - Suggested Methods:
Waiting: The process would naturally finish within 21,916 days.
Stimulus.
Improve Base Stats.
Evolve Unique Talent - Goliath Physique.
Absorb and improve other physical talents.

"It didn't even suggest using energy. Does it see it as a waste? But yeah, waiting sixty years is out of the question. As for evolving Goliath's Physique..." Gerhart muttered and looked at the pricing.

Talent Evolution - Goliath Physique -> Giant's Might: 500,000. Suggested Requirements: Strength, Endurance, Vitality A-grade. All base stats are C-grade or above. Level 50(Complete)

"That won't happen any time soon," Gerhart murmured.

Deciding to ignore it, he put on his clothes and walked outside, where Hope and Havre were waiting by the dining table while playing chess. Noticing Gerhart came out, they both turned to him.

"Gerhart, how is it?" Hope asked.

"It is okay. But I accidentally awakened my bloodline." Gerhart warily said.

"You don't seem too happy about it, my lord." Havre tilted her head.

"I'm not. I only pray that it wouldn't cause me any trouble." Gerhart helplessly said.

"I am sure it would be fine, Gerhart." Hope comforted.

"Thanks. By the way, I want to check your bloodline. Can you give me your hand for a moment?" Gerhart requested.

"Sure." Hope smiled, extending her furry hand.

Gerhart grabbed it and checked the methods suggested by the relic.

Development of Unknown Chronomantic Bloodline. Suggested Methods:
Waiting: The process will finish after 99,999 days, halting at 1% Blood Concentration.
Stimulus.
Evolve Perfect Intuitive Precognition.
Grant other divination or time-related talents and affinities.

It was clear at a glance that this bloodline had a direct link with Hope's talent.

"Hah... Well, your bloodline won't develop any time soon." Gerhart sighed, letting go of her hand.

"I don't mind. Having a bloodline develop is merely an unexpected bonus for me." Hope smiled, retracting her hand.

"Do Sword Saints also develop a bloodline?" Havre asked, pointing at herself.

"I apologize, but I am not too well-versed in bloodlines to know about this." Hope shook her head.

"We will know once we fix your talent, so there is no point thinking about it," Gerhart said.

"Yes." Havre nodded.

"Changing the subject, what are the plans for tomorrow?" Gerhart asked.

"Tomorrow is the weekend feast. After we have breakfast, I will be busy massaging the villagers. I also requested my father to allow me to massage the villagers in this house instead of the massage room, and he permitted it under the condition you agree." Havre said.

"That is good. But speaking of massages, I am unsure I can give any. I can't control my strength at the moment." Gerhart made a bitter face.

"Understood, my lord. Then I request permission to build a Statue of Conquest." Havre said.

"To make enthralling more convenient?" Gerhart asked.

"Yes," Havre said.

"Do you need particular materials?" Gerhart asked.

"Wood is sufficient for a Grade 1 statue. But it would require periodic replenishment of energy so it could function." Havre said.

"Will it be conspicuous?" Gerhart worriedly asked.

"Aside from its life-sized size, no. It would appear as any other statue to the naked eye. However, those blessed by the gods or those with supernatural senses or instincts might sense something. But even that would require them to be nearby or touch it." Hope said from the side.

"We only have a few low-tier priests in the village, far from reaching the level of a blessed one. As for supernatural senses and instincts- none of them are here." Havre reassured.

"That is indeed a good thing." Gerhart nodded. "How long would it take to make? What raw materials do you need?"

"I only require firewood. We have enough over there." Havre pointed at a firewood rack next to the fireplace. "As for making it- you will see." She mysteriously smiled.

"Hah... Okay." Gerhart nodded.

"Then I shall make it. May I construct it in the living room, my lord?" Havre asked.

"Go ahead." Gerhart gave his permission.

"Okay. My lord, Hope, please help me move the wood." Havre said and stood up.

"No problem." Gerhart readily agreed.

"Sure." Hope also got up.

The trio moved the wood in the firewood rack, creating a person-sized pile next to a wall. By the end, only a tenth of the firewood remained.

"This should be enough." Havre patted her hands.

"But how are you planning on making a statue out of... this?" Gerhart asked, pointing at the pile of cut firewood. "Wood isn't clay. You can't make a statue out of cut-off pieces."

"With this." Havre smiled and walked to the pile, touching it.

And then, under Gerhart's astonished eyes, black energy visibly crawled on the separate pieces as they began to merge like clay.

"What the..." Gerhart widened his eyes.

"It is a power vested in us as your Envoys, Gerhart. Each Envoy may create one grade 1 Statue of Conquest connected to us, which we can control. Only one can be built at a time. Also, if we die or build another statue, the statue loses its power and collapses. If the statue gets destroyed by others, we also receive a backlash and cannot make another one until our energy replenishes." Hope explained.

"Can you do this on other materials? Can you control the shape?" Gerhart pointed at the mound of material taking shape.

"We can use other low-grade materials, but not magical ones. At least, not yet. However, we do have some control over the shape, but it is merely related to our perception of Conquest. One Envoy might think Conquest is a fist, and another would see it as a galloping horse. In Havre's case, it should relate to swords." Hope explained.

"I see... How long will this take?" Gerhart asked.

"It depends on the strength of the Envoy. Although Havre's base stats are low, her level is 50. She should be able to make it within two hours." Hope said.

"That is acceptable." Gerhart nodded.

"Shall we play some chess in the meantime?" Hope asked.

"Sure." Gerhart nodded.

They then went to the table and started playing while Farus was sleeping, bored. However, it was soon apparent that Hope was far superior.

"Checkmate."

"Checkmate."

"Checkmate."

"Checkmate."

"Checkmate."

"Checkmate."

"Kuk..." Gerhart felt his face twitch after losing six games in a row. It was quickly apparent that Hope saw several steps ahead of him.

"Don't worry, Gerhart. I am sure you will get better with more practice." Hope smiled.

"I will try to improve..." Gerhart helplessly said.

Suddenly, Gerhart felt something. He felt a connection to an object.

Envoy - Havre Elkington's Statue of Conquest(Grade 1) construction is complete.

"My lord, I am done," Havre said from the side.

"Oh?" Gerhart and Hope looked over.

Gerhart saw the statue of a lightly clothed muscular man standing straight, leaning on a longsword stuck to the ground. The details were fine, and Gerhart could almost see the arrogance and superiority of the man as he stared forward with a determined look. But somehow, the statue had a striking resemblance to someone he knew.

"Why does it look like myself?" Gerhart pursed his lips.

"I envision my lord as my idol of worship, using a sword as a tool for victory," Havre said, an idolizing look in her eyes as she looked at Gerhart.

"It does look good," Hope commented, rubbing her chin as she seriously evaluated the artistic nature of the statue.

"I feel as flattered as I am disturbed..." Gerhart had a complicated look.

"Right... Do we have anything to cover it with? We should avoid showing it to others." Gerhart said.

"We have a heavy cloth for the winter. Please wait a moment." Havre said and walked to her room.

Moments later, Havre brought a large roughspun cloth and covered the statue. "It is a shame to hide it, but drastic times call for drastic measures." Havre shook her head.

"How much energy can it store?" Gerhart asked.

"The material is poor, and the size is at the bare minimum. A grade 1 Statue of Conquest has a theoretical upper limit of 100,000 points, but this one is merely 1,200. I can use this energy to heal others and bless them and, of course, thrall them." Havre explained.

"How is the energy replenished, however?" Gerhart asked.

"The statue can absorb offerings, and it can store the energy. Also, the enthralled can offer tithes." Havre said.

"Tithes?" Gerhart raised an eyebrow.

"Havre means that we can give part of our passively generated energy. The default setting is that any connected Thrall gives his excess energy to the statue through a link when in range. Although this statue is poor quality, it can cover a third of the village." Hope explained.

"But how much energy can someone generate? Rather, what counts as energy?" Gerhart skeptically asked.

"The energy could be anything- Life force, mana, aura, mental energy, and even soul energy. Everything gets converted to points. When taking the excess energy, the output is weak but consistent. Although it changes from individual to individual, an adult with F-grade stats and level 1 can passively generate anywhere from 0-0.2 points daily. If he has the talent and level of the average villager here, I guess he would generate ten times as much. Of course, if he actively absorbs energy for recovery, he might generate a far higher amount. I believe thralling the whole village can safely generate anywhere from 100 to 1,000 points a day from the villagers living here. They can also bring offerings, such as dead monsters and Magic Stones." Hope explained.

"That is a decent amount... But we should first conquer this village before thinking of such things." Gerhart shook his head.

So far, if he included Havre, only seven were under his control. It was still a long way from taking over the 700-strong village.

"I am sure things will go faster from now on." Hope smiled.

"Hua... I don't know about you, but I must sleep now. I need to work tomorrow." Havre yawned.

"Agreed. Good night." Gerhart said.

With that, the trio went to sleep.

.

.

.

The following day, after breakfast, the trio went to pray at the local temple with Asher's family while listening to a sermon.

Gerhart found that the gods worshipped in the village were Kaggyn, followed by Brigva. They favored Kaggyn since she was the goddess of the hunt and forest, and they adored Brigva because they cherished family bonds and childbirth.

Despite gaining the relic and Deadmeat's horrible memories, Gerhart still believed in Brigva, his patron deity, so he was glad he could worship her. It gave him that bit of inner peace.

After the sermon was over, the feast started. In the village square, next to a large hall, the villagers sat by long tables under fabric canopies, drinking beer and eating good food, chatting, laughing, dancing, and playing. 

During the long feast, Gerhart and Hope stayed with Asher, meeting the villagers one after another(Mostly the young women wanting a kid). And, of course, Gerhart had a lot of food and drink. It was mainly because the women kept bringing him more as an excuse, many inviting him to dance.

Several villagers also approached Hope, but it was primarily out of curiosity rather than romantic interests. In this village, you don't see a beastkin often, if at all. It was especially true for children(Which, to her dismay, wanted to touch her ears and tail).

Farus, however, had to stay in the kennels, passing the time by eating or breeding the female wolf.

After a long day of being introduced to everyone, Gerhart, Asher, Thomas, and Jull sat with two other men. One was a wizened man older than Asher, and the other was a tired-looking middle-aged man.

"So, Gerhart, what do you think? Did anyone strike your fancy?" Asher jokingly asked while rubbing his leg as if massaging it.

"I won't lie. The women here are better quality from what I see in the city." Gerhart sincerely said.

"Haha, I agree. I also find it great I can have three wives." Thomas grinned.

"They call it Life Partner here." Jull corrected.

"Who cares? Same shit." Thomas shrugged and chugged his beer.

"But you know, looks are not everything. Personality is also important." The wizened man said.

"Elder Hannes, does personality matter when you only want to bang?" The middle-aged man asked.

"And that is why you are naive, Lars. Personality is like the spice that makes a bland meal delicious. Without it, how is it different than humping a dead fish?" Elder Hannes gave a toothy grin, showing his surprisingly pearly teeth.

Elder Hannes was the oldest man in the village and a retired soldier, while Lars was the previous hunting squad captain.

"Can't argue with that!" Gerhart also grinned.

"Excuse me. I'm going to take a leak." Asher frowned and got up while rubbing his hips.

"Sure, take your time," Thomas said.

"Is Asher okay? It is his eleventh time in a row, right? He barely drank two pints. And I noticed he kept massaging the same spots." Gerhart worriedly asked.

Previously, he didn't notice these small details, perhaps because he didn't want to show them. But after staying with him for the entire day, these symptoms were apparent.

"He started having a weak bladder well before you came, lad. About eight years, I think." Elder Hannes said.

"The leg-rubbing thing is newer, though. About two years ago?" Lars said while rubbing his chin. 

"Now that you mention it, he also grew thinner. He wasn't muscular to begin with, being an agile swordsman. But now, even that is gone. He looks no different from your average old man and frequently gets tired." Thomas commented.

"..." Jull remained silent, calmly drinking his beer.

"Well... That doesn't sound good." Gerhart thought.

While thinking that, he suddenly received a message, one of ten he received during the feast.

Kerry Elkington has converted successfully.

"Oh, wow. Havre brought down that strong watchwoman. That aphrodisiac sure does wonders." Gerhart tried hiding his astonishment.

He gave the Statue of Conquest a thousand points, and Irene finished her aphrodisiac, giving it to Havre, and it seemed like Havre was using them to the fullest.

After about ten minutes, Asher returned, but his expression was unpleasant.

However, the rest of the men tactfully didn't ask anything or make jokes about it.

Taking this opportunity, Gerhart checked Asher's health.

Name: Asher Elkington
Race: Human
Age: 65
Sex: Male
Level: 47

Status: Busted knee caps(Both legs), Stage 4 Prostate Cancer(Approximately 100-120 days to live), Fatigue, Slight(Severe) Chronic Pain(Using pain medication), Drugged(Pain Relievers), Lack Of Sleep, Frustration.

"Oh..."