By the time Eysan's body parts dropped onto the ground, Konrad had already straightened his back. In a twister of purple flames, Man-Breaker vanished from his hand, leaving the gruesome mess on the ground, and the blood drenching him to remind the onlooker of his clash's brutality.
His eyes fell on Eysan's left arm. Around it hanged an emerald bracelet which after analysis turned out to be a space treasure.
"As they say, to the victor the spoil."
Within the Holy Continent's secular world, a Rising Saint equipped with a mid-grade Holy Artifact was a ridiculous thought. Even the Holy Flame Empire that stood at the helm of the secular world couldn't equip its Rising Saints with such treasures.
Artifacts were classified through star levels, one to three was the low-grade, four to six the mid-grade, and seventh to nine the high-grade.
Eysan's sword was a four-star Holy Artifact. At full strength, comparable to a Fate Wrestling Saint in might. Although with his cultivation level, he clearly couldn't make full use of it, it still greatly empowered him.
House Serkar's profound wealth was thus evident.
Who knew what wondrous things hid in that bracelet? Even if Konrad had no use for them, the same couldn't be said for his ladies. With a grasping motion, the emerald space bracelet flew toward him and landed within his left palm.
Konrad swept its insides through his transcendent sense and was pleased to see Eysan's inheritance substantial.
"This good cousin really didn't come empty-handed. One person carrying six-hundred thousand holy crystals. Let's not even mention the imperial family. Whether the church still possesses this much in reserves is a matter of debate."
Konrad sighed, in terms of holy crystals alone, Eysan, a Rising Saint, was wealthier than the entire imperial family. If the news spread, Olrich would certainly spit blood.
Besides crystals, there still was six low-grade Holy Artifacts, and two of the mid-grade. As for pills and elixirs, there weren't many. After all, besides restorative pills and elixirs, the rest were meant for consumption, not storage.
Still, several Holy Rank pills and elixirs stood within the lot. Konrad didn't know whether to laugh or cry. Eysan was clearly a walking state treasury. Compared to him, he really was a poor devil.
After resolving to plunder other countries to fill his pockets, Konrad placed a drop of blood onto the bracelet, marking its ownership, then turned toward Yvonne who eyed him with an amused look.
With a step, he appeared before her.
"How did you find the show, my lady?"
Konrad asked in a joking tone.
"Imposing…almost arousing. You didn't lose your face as number one scoundrel under the heavens. I liked."
Yvonne replied in the same manner, and Konrad "graced her with a theatrical bow."
"At your service, my lady. The good man even saw fit to fund your dower. In the future, when I officially ask father-in-law for your hand, I will have more confidence."
Seeing the pair acting as if only the two of them remained, Diyana frowned. Although she'd been introduced as his prime consort, from the beginning, Konrad barely spared her a glance.
Granted, she still remained cloaked, but with her natural aura and charm, who could disregard her so?
Meanwhile, Gulistan inwardly cursed Eysan's uselessness. Besides the lineage weapon and cultivation method, he couldn't bring out anything from Konrad. Forget about his True Demon Form, he couldn't even force him to release the power of his physiques.
How then could she complete her assessment?
"What a deplorable sight. That waste lost all the family's face. Oh well, I suppose he can't be blamed. Even I didn't expect such prowess. In any case, the stronger, the better."
Dismissing her dismay, Gulistan waved her hand, bringing the group back into her "business quarters."
Her gaze then fell upon Konrad, and with another wave of her hand, she vaporized the blood drenching him. Her lips then curled into a contented smile.
"Congratulations on your victory. Your foundation is already unparalleled in this world's history. That much is a fact. Perhaps you could even surpass the Infernal Cult Founder in his youth.
However, at the end of the day, all this is merely potential. You can crush low-level Saints, but what about Tribulation Stage Saints? What about Star Taming Stage Saints?
Even in this country, there are still several that can effortlessly take your life. Your cultivation is still low."
Konrad didn't disagree. If he truly went all-out, relying on his physiques, his True Demon Form and Man-Breaker, he was now confident that he could face Olrich in battle. However, victory and defeat were hard to estimate. And that was only if he didn't use his Holy Flame Seal.
But even Olrich still had several individuals to be wary of within the empire. People like the head exarch Gerhard, the dowager, Amalia, the eldest of house von Jurgen Adalwin, and the winged serpent lord, Hubert could behead him without much effort.
Still, Konrad had no doubt that long before he achieved sainthood, he would surpass them all.
Seeing his unfazed look, Gulistan carried on.
"Also, you call me an expendable house slave. That is correct. But don't forget, I'm Talroth's expendable house slave. He can look down on me, but you're still far from having that right.
Moreover, the rules to achieve godhood in the Mortal Realm are different from the higher realms. Here, talent and resources are secondary. Before even mentioning all the requirements in foundation, we need to speak of the unbreakable rule.
And considering that I only discovered it from your father, I assume you don't know it either."
As Gulistan spoke, Yvonne, Diyana, and the butler's eyes shone with expectations. Even Konrad's curiosity was piqued. After all, although he could gain that information from Krann or the system, he was too far from godhood to bother researching such specifics.
For now, establishing the most perfect of foundations was his priority. Of course, he didn't say no to free enlightenment.
Satisfied with their reactions, Gulistan carried on.
"In the Celestial or Infernal Realm, relying on talent, foundation, and resources, you can freely cultivate to godhood. However, in the Mortal Realm, no matter how gifted, you can never become a God unless you master the entirety of your world's faith power.
No matter how small, or big it might be, you first need to become the sole worshipped existence within your world to have a shot at godhood.
For that reason, otherworldly talents such as the Infernal and Celestial Founders for whom godhood should have just been the beginning could never become deities after falling into the Ancient Crystal World.
As soon as Gulistan's words ended, Konrad, Yvonne, Diyana and the butler saw their eyes widening in disbelief.
"That's…impossible!"
The butler stammered before anyone else could comment. And even Yvonne found his words hard to argue with. Although she possessed boundless confidence in Konrad, the concept of monotheism was something she couldn't fathom.
Since the dawn of times, from the earliest civilizations, the Ancient Crystal World had always been split in two great faiths, each with their own pantheon.
The Celestial Church primarily worshipped the Five Cardinal Lords while the Infernal Cult prioritized the Four Kings of Hell. But besides those, there still were many worshipped deities.
How could they possibly uproot all those faiths?
