Ch.268Chapter 268 – The Beginning of Fanaticism

People living in the endless tunnels always begin their day with a cup of water.

Drinking this cup of water symbolizes washing away the exhausting memories of yesterday, allowing them to embrace a new day.

There’s a reason why the first thing they attend to when starting their day is a cup of water.

What could be most precious to those who live in a massive sinkhole-shaped terrain hundreds of meters below the surface?

Water can be found throughout the enormous sinkhole that reaches hundreds of meters deep, but ironically, the water available in the endless tunnels was only suitable for work or farming.

In other words, there was a severe shortage of drinking water, the most crucial element for human survival.

For the people living in this place hundreds of meters deep, drinking water is considered a vital resource alongside food.

The water they drink is all drawn from a large river that passes near the endless tunnels. This water is stored in large tanks and sent down underground.

These water supply facilities were built by dwarves who came here searching for minerals available below the surface rather than those found in mountain ranges.

Aren’t dwarves known for their love of alcohol?

This place had many cool spots suitable for brewing the kind of alcohol dwarves enjoy.

Since sunlight couldn’t penetrate deeply, the temperature naturally dropped.

However, good alcohol requires water, so the dwarves built drinking water facilities to supply the water needed for brewing.

Initially, they charged for drinking water supply, but now water is distributed as an essential survival necessity to everyone in the endless tunnels.

The costs of operating this system are entirely covered by taxes, meaning the people living here essentially drink water paid for by the taxes from their own labor.

However, the only water supply to this area came from purification facilities built near the river connected to the water supply system.

Since this was the only source of water for the region, both facilities were staffed daily with personnel who maintained and guarded them.

Any problem with these facilities could pose a major threat to the lives of almost everyone living in the endless tunnels.

This also meant that anyone with malicious intent could poison the water source and kill all the people living below.

Fortunately, opening the water tanks required the presence of an administrator, and even then, they could only be opened for about two minutes for water quality testing.

But the person managing the water tanks here was a secret devotee of the demon cult.

He guided Leon, a bishop of Oberon, to the water tanks and helped him release the potion of fanaticism into them.

This was possible because at the time the potion was released, there was only one administrator managing the facility.

Meticulously, the administrator and Leon retreated to quarters next to the water supply facility, which were unaffected by the potion of fanaticism.

This was because these quarters received water from a different tank than the one supplying the endless tunnels.

The potion of fanaticism that Leon released into the water tanks flowed down to the endless tunnels through the pipes that the dwarves had built to prevent water quality deterioration.

All water in the endless tunnels was designed to circulate continuously to prevent stagnation and decay.

This helped the water containing the potion of fanaticism spread throughout the entire endless tunnels.

“Hmm? The water tastes different today.”

Some people noticed the subtle change in the taste of the morning cup of water they drank upon waking.

“What do you mean?”

“Look, the water tastes a bit different from yesterday.”

“They probably cleaned the tanks recently.”

“I guess so.”

But they nodded and accepted their roommate’s suggestion that it was due to cleaning, as the water taste occasionally changed after cleaning.

So people dismissed it lightly, assuming the water tanks had been cleaned.

And gradually, the effects of exposure to the potion of fanaticism began to manifest among the people of the endless tunnels.

“Something’s missing…”

“Nothing feels satisfying anymore…”

People who drank the water containing the potion of fanaticism gradually began to suffer from an endless thirst.

Since the water tanks containing the potion had been emptied and replaced with fresh water, their thirst wouldn’t subside even when they drank water.

But since everyone living in the endless tunnels had already been exposed to the potion of fanaticism, there was no one who could provide a clear solution to relieve their thirst.

“Oh God! Please quench our thirst!”

People began seeking divine intervention. They looked up to the sky, pleading for relief from their endless thirst.

But was it because the endless tunnels were hundreds of meters underground? The gods did not answer their voices.

Or more precisely, they were sending people to answer their calls, but the southern continent traditionally had a weak presence of the Pantheon’s clergy, making it difficult for priests to reach the endless tunnels.

As people were suffering through painful days, parched with endless thirst, Leon appeared.

“Is everyone alright?”

After a week had passed, Leon finally revealed himself in the endless tunnels.

At first, the people were unwelcoming to the appearance of a strange outsider. This was due to the community spirit developed over the long time spent in the endless caves.

But they soon dropped their guard and accepted Leon.

“I see you’re suffering from endless thirst. I shall give you a small comfort.”

Leon approached those who had drunk the potion of fanaticism, placed his hands on their heads as if performing a baptism, and infused them with a small amount of his energy.

“Oh, what?”

“The thirst is gone?”

Then something amazing happened. The faces of those suffering from endless thirst became peaceful.

“Ah, you’re a priest! Thank you so much! Thanks to you, my thirst is completely gone!”

“Don’t thank me, but thank the one who sent me here.”

Leon began his full-fledged missionary work to those who tried to direct their gratitude to him.

“Who sent you here?”

“I am a servant sent by Lord Enceladus. He took pity on all of you who suddenly began suffering from endless thirst and sent me here.”

Enceladus. This was the true name of the demon god worshipped by the demon cult and demon folk.

Most beings don’t mention Enceladus’s name because he had thoroughly concealed it.

Even the great goddess Epitrina couldn’t properly pronounce his name, so how many would know the name of the demon god who stands diametrically opposed to Epitrina?

But Leon exploited precisely this point. Not a god who wouldn’t properly reveal their name, but a god who would share his name.

He simply spread knowledge of this god. Leon didn’t ask them to believe in him. He merely told them to find peace through his help.

The people of the endless tunnels gradually became influenced by Leon, whose approach differed from the priests they had met before.

This was due to the effect of the potion of fanaticism.

Leon had infused his energy into the potion of fanaticism. The energy he breathed into the potion caused people to develop an endless thirst for the energy he possessed.

Unless his energy was replenished, people would continuously seek something to replace his energy, but that was impossible.

They were under a curse where only his energy could quench their thirst.

And in the process, people would do anything just to receive a share of his energy, and they would believe whatever he said without question.

It was essentially a forbidden substance that forcibly clouded people’s minds and prevented them from making proper judgments.

Naturally, even the Pantheon’s clergy knew of the existence of this potion, but they didn’t know how to make it, so they couldn’t have dreamed that people were suffering from the potion of fanaticism.

Leon began relieving people’s thirst while revealing the demon god’s name to them, and people came to believe anything Leon said, no matter how absurd.

“Everyone, other gods did not extend their hands to your suffering. But Lord Enceladus sent me here to embrace you warmly.”

“Glory to Lord Enceladus! Blessings to his saint, Leon!”

“Glory to Lord Enceladus! Blessings to his saint, Leon!”

This happened just four days after Leon revealed himself in the endless tunnels.