“Couldn’t we have stumbled into something… *extraordinarily* powerful?”

Thuke hastily turned to Roland—but even asking him was pointless. Roland clearly had no clue either…

*Become a Deity within ten years…*

Ten years might sound long, but under the premise of godhood? It’d vanish in the blink of an eye.

No one—not even Agnes—had expected this young lady they’d just met to say something like that.

“Miss… are you serious?” Agnes asked again, seeking confirmation. Tina, however, looked genuinely puzzled.

“Dead serious,” Tina replied calmly. “For us, ten years is more than enough to ascend.”

*Heh heh heh…*

Autumnwater lowered her head with a faint, knowing smile.

“Miss Tina, if you truly believe that, I’m afraid you’ll be disappointed. Yes, history records a Deity ascending at age three—but compared to *that* existence? I’m merely a speck. At the very least… we understand our limits far better than your confidence suggests.”

Xue Die remained silent, though doubt flickered in her eyes.

Roland and Sasha? Even more skeptical.

They knew they could grow stronger—but becoming a Deity in ten years? Pure fantasy.

For a moment, every skeptical glance in the room locked onto Tina.

Even Agnes showed she couldn’t fully defend her.

“As long as you stay here,” Tina stated, “success is guaranteed.”

“Then… where’s the proof?” Thuke spread his hands.

“Everything needs evidence. Empty words won’t convince anyone. I may be arrogant, but I *know* whether I can become a Deity in ten years.”

“Faith Power. Have any of you heard of it?”

Tina’s words hushed the room once more.

Autumnwater responded first:

“You mean the power Deities draw from believers’ worship? Said to be a core combat energy—and the symbol of their immortality?”

“Exactly.” Tina nodded. “Faith Power is the hallmark of divinity. Through offerings, devotion—even mere admiration or appreciation—followers generate traces of it.”

This was new to Sasha. Master Gudao had mentioned Faith Power as a Deity’s primary energy source, but she never imagined its source could be so… simple.

Thuke stroked his chin. “So… I deeply admire Knight-Captain Renard. He’s a Deity. Does he receive Faith Power from me?”

“Quantified: a devoted believer might generate 100 points. Admiration like yours? Two… maybe three.”

Thuke bristled. “I respect Knight-Captain Renard immensely! Even without full devotion, it should be *at least* fifty!”

“A true believer,” Tina explained patiently, “recognizes the Deity as their spiritual anchor. Only through daily reverence—until the Faith Thread forms—can substantial power flow. Without that connection? Negligible.”

She elaborated further; the mechanics were nuanced. But clearly, details only relevant *after* ascension.

Roland, curiosity burning, finally spoke: “Miss Tina… what does Faith Power have to do with *us*?”

The silver-haired girl met his gaze. A faint smile touched her lips.

“Because I can grant you a power exclusive to Deities… the ability to *absorb* Faith.”

“Huh?!” Thuke’s voice cracked—startled.

Agnes, standing closest, widened her eyes and whispered:

“So *that’s* what she meant…”

“Yes.”

Tina raised her hand. A pair of glasses materialized from her Spatial Storage Ring.

Red-framed, lightweight, plastic-like—utterly ordinary.

“This pseudo-divine artifact was crafted by the Imperial Sage himself. Named the ‘Faithhunter Goggles.’ Wear them… and you absorb *all* Faith Power.”

“The Imperial Sage… the legendary God of War, Lord Liu Hong?!” Thuke paled. Others stirred in recognition.

Only Sasha and Roland looked utterly lost—though they sensed this was a monumental figure.

“Correct,” Tina confirmed. “And there are only *seven* pairs. Unreplicable.”

“Then why give them to *us*?” Autumnwater countered sharply. “Shouldn’t they go to more influential figures?”

*If gathering Faith Power was the goal… wouldn’t established influencers be far more effective?*

“Logically, yes. But the Goggles only sync with those under thirty—*and* exceptionally gifted. The Empire has no influential figures under thirty. And those who *are* gifted? They don’t *need* the Goggles.”

“So… we were selected *specifically* for compatibility?” Roland summarized.

Silence swallowed the vast library. A single footstep would echo.

“Theoretically… yes.”

…

Roland didn’t know what others felt. But one question burned in his mercenary mind:

*How much will we be paid?*

Without Agnes’s generous offer, he’d never have joined this mystery. Two mercenaries… told to become Deities in ten years… test subjects for the Imperial Sage’s artifact? Absurd.

Sasha and he would’ve walked away already.

And he knew—he wasn’t alone.

“Don’t rush to refuse, everyone,” Tina said gently. “We’ve only just met.”

Her words froze several faces. She’d read their doubts perfectly.

“I agree with Thuke. Talk is cheap. Let’s *experience* it.”

“Experience?”

“Put on the Faithhunter Goggles… and hunt a bounty target.”

She produced six more pairs from her ring.

Sasha hesitated…

*Accepting now feels like boarding a pirate ship. Better wait. Watch others choose first.*