Shrouded Seascape

Chapter 877: The Old Ways

When the exit doors opened, Anna's lips curled into a faint smile as she gazed upon the bustling crowd in the main hall. "What do you think are we going to do here? We're going to do something big. You must remember that the faster I progress on my end, the faster you'll obtain that god-like power."

Wang Sheng's expression shifted slightly before he clenched his teeth with determination. "All right! I'll get right on it."

Wang Sheng felt that this investment of his would yield far greater returns than any of his father's business ventures so far.

"Don't be too hasty. First, we need a secluded enough location, and then we'll need enough people."

The group rented a few cars and headed toward the city center of this nation. A cloud of dust was kicked up before them as their cars rolled down the streets; the roads were riddled with potholes, so the cars would bounce from time to time.

Clearly, the roads weren't being maintained often. The situation didn't improve much as they approached the city center. In fact, there were many homeless people outside moving stiffly as if they were in a trance.

The entire city was like a giant zombie; it was still moving, but it was lifeless.

Anna revealed a satisfied smile. She liked this atmosphere, and it was the country that she had chosen as well. Things would be really convenient for her here.

"Do you see those people? They have no faith in their hearts, and there's no difference between living and dying in their eyes. However, people like them are the most useful for me."

"Don't worry. Even the worst countries have wealthy people. We can take our time choosing a location."

Just then, Li Long noticed something outside. There was a woman holding a child, and she was coaxing the child while the man before her was counting money. "Look at that. What are they doing?"

"It's just selling a child. I heard that there's a growing industry for that here. How should I say it? Hm, selling children is as common as snorting coke and smoking here," Wang Sheng replied.

The ridiculous sight outside made Li Long feel as if his worldview was being challenged in real time. He couldn't believe that there was still such a place in the world.

"I didn't know there were so many poor people abroad. Were they lying when they said that foreigners are entitled to some money even if they're unemployed?" Li Long asked.

Anna stretched lazily and said, "I like this kind of place. Only souls that have experienced hardship will know what they truly need."

A blood-red magic array was drawn on the floor of a basement somewhere, and men and women were sprawled out in the middle of the array. The majority of them were caucasian; only a few of them were natives of this country.

Regardless of their identity, their eyes were filled with extreme fear, and some had even wet themselves.

Anna, who stood at the edge of the array, raised her right hand slowly. Without even glancing at their unsightly state, she walked up the stairs guarded by guards clad in all black.

When she stepped out of the dim basement, the dazzling sunlight outside made her instinctively squint. She had been here for a while, but she still couldn't quite get used to that star in the sky.

Anna heard footsteps on her side, but she didn't even turn as she said, "Wang Sheng, go and pick out the useful ones down there. Use the religious incantation that I gave you."

"Understood," Wang Sheng said, nodding. Then, he strode into the basement.

Soon, his sonorous voice echoed from the basement.

The prepared Li Long stepped forward and respectfully presented her with a white coat using both hands.

Li Long quickly realized that he had made the right bet by following Anna overseas. With the help of one tiny diamond after another and Wang Sheng's help, they gained a firm foothold in this unfamiliar place.

The stacks of US dollars in Li Long's hands made his hands go numb, and it made him feel like he could finally have whatever he wanted to obtain.

It was a beautiful life, but an existential crisis struck Li Long upon realizing that more and more talents were gathering around Anna.

Anna lacked nothing when it came to subordinates, and he was just an ignorant and uneducated small-time thief. He had to prove that he wasn't a useless waste, or he might get kicked out of the group.

He had a murder case hanging over his head back in his home country. If he were kicked out of the group, he'd have no way to go but into the abyss.

Li Long's thoughts were visible all over his face, and Anna saw through his thoughts at a single glance. Of course, she didn't say anything about it. She knew that people with a penchant for wearing their hearts on their sleeves could be useful in certain circumstances.

Anna's high heels clicked as she walked slowly through the massive villa. She was no longer wearing a mask and had become more confident in revealing her exquisite features.

The men around her dared not have even the slightest lustful thought at the sight of her. Their gaze toward her was filled with nothing but respect, and it was all because the woman before them was the only High Priestess capable of communicating with God Fhtagn.

The majority of the people on the surface world weren't exactly religious, and they only cared about money most of the time. When the unimaginable happened before their eyes, however, they were the quickest people to fall for it.

The desires of the humans in the Subterranean Sea and the desires of the humans on the surface world were similar. Anna was an expert when it came to taking advantage of those desires.

Sweeping her gaze at them, Anna muttered to herself, "Sure enough, no matter how many times I try, the old ways are still the best. Hehe, things are surely going to get interesting if I end up reviving the annihilated Fhtagn Covenant."

Despite that, Anna didn't really care whether the surface world was plunged into chaos or not. If she weren't afraid of attracting the attention of the Foundation, she would be much bolder than now.

Just as Anna was about to stroll into the garden, an office lady holding a tablet rushed out from the villa behind her. "High Priestess! Someone has bought your 240-carat black diamond at the highest price that you've listed online!"

Anna raised her right hand and looked at the diamond ring on her ring finger. All the tiny diamonds on it had been pried off, leaving only the center stone. If one wanted to do something, one needed money to do it, and Anna's cause was no exception.

Of course, she could have her followers make donations, but it would be too slow, and they didn't have that much money to donate.

The last remaining diamond was carefully removed and placed in a safe to be transported. The ring on Anna's hand now had nothing but its skeletal frame. The platinum ring looked quite unsightly, as it had holes of varying sizes.

Anna held up the empty ring and examined it carefully. Then, she turned to Li Long next to her and asked, "Is it pretty?"

Li Long didn't even look at it and immediately nodded. "It's pretty! It's pretty! Everything looks good on you!"

Anna chuckled and put the finger back on her fair, slender finger.

"High Priestess, didn't Wang Sheng cash out several tens of millions of dollars? Why did you decide to sell that?"

"What I'm about to buy costs more than that."

"What kind of item is so expensive? That's way too expensive."

"I'm going to buy a ship—an ocean liner."