Chapter 180: Florida Man Inherits Notorious Scam Company from Ancestor, Convinces Young Granny He's the Reincarnation of a Renowned Prophet, and Steals a Religion

After consuming an expired age-reduction pill, Felix's physical age reverted to his early 20s. He put on a new set of clothes and flew back to Balicano City.

Upon returning, Felix found paladins everywhere, knocking on doors and visiting the surviving local population. They gathered every able person to help locate elders, women, and children who were still hiding within the fortress.

Meanwhile, logistic forces of the Cornelia Army arrived at the south gate. Taylor and Hammer also arrived with the group, helping the troops protect the convoy.

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Hammer and Taylor both saw Carn while they entered the city. However, they couldn't recognize him. Both father and son continued with their transport tasks.

Felix, on the other hand, had no interest in the army's movements. He walked over to Cornelia, who stood in the middle of the city plaza, overseeing the restoration of the fortress city.

He talked to her, "General… what was your name again? I've finished my preparations. I'm here to help you restore and repair the city."

Cornelia nodded at Felix and pointed at the citadel, which Diana and the mysterious robot troops had destroyed.

"This city is supposed to be a fortress and the last line of defense against the Crimson Desert's barbarians from the sea. I don't know how you destroyed it, but do you think you can repair… that?"

Felix gazed over at the destroyed citadel.

Before Felix sent Diana to that structure, it was roughly 20 meters tall and over 100 meters wide. Its four stone watchtowers connected to the city walls allowed the local garrisoning soldiers to mobilize everywhere on the walls, relying on the large structure as their headquarters.

But now, it had collapsed. White smoke still leaked from the bricks and extinguished burnt furniture within. This didn't include an unknown number of corpses within the building.

Felix pursed his lips, wondering what the reinforcement troops had done to the citadel.

But since Cornelia wanted it, he might as well spend one charge to restore the entire building.

"Alright. Wait here. It will be done in a few breaths."

"…A few breathes?" Cornelia frowned. She thought Felix was messing around, "Benefactor, I know that you mean well and you wish for the best of us, but this is not the time for a joke. Please treat this restoration project properly. A hundred thousand lives are on the line here. If this city falls to the hands of the barbarians, countless slave traders from overseas will flood the mainland and enslave us all!"

Felix ignored the complaints and put on his trusty jetpack. But he paused for a moment, recalling that he could have traveled without a jetpack with this distance.

Testing his new physical prowess, Felix allocated a drop of essence to enhance his legs. Exerting his leg strength, he leaped forward.

Felix jumped 30 meters in the air and traveled forward at the speed of 200 km/h, overshooting across the city.

"Oh, shit."

Felix activated his jetpack to correct his speed and flight path. He came to a stop in midair before he flew backward, returning to the ruin. Upon landing, Felix pulled out a handkerchief and wiped the sweat drops off his face.

"Shieeeet. I guess I'm strong now."

The sensation of flying without using a gadget felt amazing. His heart pounded, excited by the new prospect in life.

Cornelia's sharp eyes didn't miss Felix's sudden move. She felt the surge of energy and turned just in time to see him launch into the sky.

Felix, a supposed mage, was using a mobility technique with explosive force and without drawing on any mana. As a paladin, skilled in movement arts and aura-based abilities, Cornelia was taken aback.

Curious, she followed him.

Meanwhile, Felix didn't notice the stalker. As he was in a good mood, Felix activated a philosopher stone and made a wish.

"RESTORE EVERYTHING, I MEAN BUILDINGS AND MATERIAL STRUCTURES ONLY! Don't resurrect anybody, though. It's a waste."

The philosopher stone in his hand shone in gold light, beaming its power at the citadel, nearby city walls, and watchtowers. The bricks moved as if they came to life, stacking on top of each other and reconstructing the entire fortress.

*RUMBLE*

The reconstruction phenomenon caused a tremor in the city. Everybody stopped working and turned to look at the flying bricks reconstructing the castle.

Although paladins and priestesses had seen many spells and magic, they had never seen such a grand miracle before. Moreover, Felix, who hovered in the sky in his jetpack, was glowing in gold light. A light beacon pierced through the night sky, shining upon him and the newly constructed citadel.

He looked angelic.

…

Meanwhile, some of the priestesses and civilians looked up and fell on their knees, mistaking him for an angel. One of the devout priestesses praised him.

"An angel! He must be the divine messenger of Eleanor!"

Carnelia overheard that and paused to think. She looked at her skin and her face through the reflection of her sword again.

No magus or priestess could revert age. At best, they could delay the aging or preserve their youthful self with temporary disguise spells. Even those who claimed to have inherited Eleanor's bloodline couldn't erase scars and restore their youthful look.

Combined with the miracle ahead of her, Cornelia gazed at Felix and unsheathed her sword. She slowly knelt and prayed.

"Your Holiness Eleanor, if this man is indeed your messenger, please show me a sign. If he is, I shall devote my life and soul to him and fight for his cause. But if he isn't-"

Cornelia thought about killing Felix if he was not a messenger, but the thought of betraying her benefactor disgusted her. She shook her head, discarding the intrusive thoughts.

But as Cornelia was in the middle of her train of thought, she heard a female voice. A mysterious entity spoke directly to her mind.

<Devout follower, you can rest assured. Follow that man.>

Cornelia widened her eyes in shock. She looked around, searching for the origins of the voice. However, she couldn't find anybody suspicious.

<I am Esen, daughter of Eleanor. I am sending you messages in her stead. Follower of my mother, you may put your faith in that man.>

Cornelia looked up, gazing at Felix who was still hovered in the sky, basking in the golden light. She asked the mysterious entity.

"…He, who is he?"

<That man, Felix Ariel, is the descendant of the Great Ruler of this universe, and he is fated to bring peace and prosperity to your world. Support him.>

"B-But I'm a servant of Goddess Eleanor… I can't follow a man-"

As words weren't enough to convince Cornelia, the mysterious entity showed her a miracle. A shining figure manifested in front of Cornelia. When the light faded, a mature woman in a white evening dress stood firm with her arms crossed. Sёarch* The NôᴠelFirё.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

Her gold long hair, pointy long ears extending to the side, a pretty face, and a perfect healthy figure of a youthful elfen maiden looked the same as the church's records and statues at home.

Cornelia looked up at her face. Unable to control her emotions, tears leaked from her eyes. She muttered in awe.

"Goddess Eleanor?! I-Is that really you?!"

The elf, Esen, sighed deeply and shook her head. She turned around and looked at Felix.

Cornelia followed her gaze. At that moment, she realized the anomaly.

As soon as Esen manifested, everything in this world froze in time. Cornelia's subordinates all posed as if they were in the middle of a motion. Some pointed at Felix. A panicking dog was suspended in motion, hovering over the road. An elderly woman with a shocked expression looked at a kind paladin, who passed a handful of gold coins to her, but both stopped moving.

The same applied to Felix. He floated still, unaware of the true miracle.

Esen's gaze fell on Felix as she explained, "Child, are you still doubting me?"

Cornelia gulped. She prostrated to the ground, regretting her stubbornness. Her voice got louder, "I WOULDN'T DARE! PLEASE FORGIVE ME, GODDESS!"

Esen turned around and smiled at Cornelia. She leaned over and patted her head, "It's alright. Ignorance is not a sin."

"…T-Thank you… goddess."

Cornelia looked up. Her mind was in chaos, unable to think straight. Like a devoted priest witnessing a miracle for the first time, she couldn't stop crying.

Esen touched Cornelia's face and wiped the tears. She whispered, "Here is my request. Support him. Protect him. Do whatever it takes to make his dream come true, for slavery will be abolished. Criminals will be hunted down. The world shall be freed from sinners and heretics. And the land will enter the golden age of freedom and liberty."

Tears kept flowing out. Cornelia got on her knees and kissed Esen's hand. She looked at her and vowed, "Dear goddess. I promise. His dream is my dream. His enemies are my enemies. I shall pave his path and make his dream a reality! I shall devote my heart, my body, and my soul to him!"

Esen wryly smiled when Cornelia mentioned 'her body'. She shook her head and patted her head.

"My time here is up. I'll leave him to you."

"YOU CAN COUNT ON ME, YOUR HOLINESS!"

Esen facepalmed and faded to nothingness. A minute later, the time flow resumed.

Cornelia came back to her senses. She got back on her feet and gazed at Felix with her eyes full of passion and determination. She exhaled deeply and gathered all her strength in her lungs. She then bellowed.

"GATHER UP! I HAVE A NEW ORDER TO ALL PALADINS!"

…

At a distant place, the elf goddess, Esen, returned to her grand palace's garden.

The cloudy sky provided perfect shades for an outdoor tea party. The breezy wind carried fresh cold wind from the north, maintaining the temperature at 22 Celsius.

The palace, furniture, and decorated stones in the garden were all polished fate crystals, soul stones, and rare materials unique to this world. As for the garden, all the flowers produced life force, filling the air with a rich aroma. Just by sitting in the garden, one's lifespan would rise by 100 years every second.

Upon arrival, Esen scratched her head. She cringed so hard that she wanted to scream.

After taking a deep breath, Esen relaxed. She sat on a marble chair and rested her elbows on the garden table.

A servant in a maid outfit pushed a dessert cart over and poured medicinal tea for her mistress. She smiled at Esen.

"How was the visit, ancestor?"

Esen glanced at the maid. Then, she sighed, "I won't help you again. We're even."

The maid, Katrina of the Iridescence Phoenix, nodded and bowed, "Thank you for helping me return the favor, ancestor."

Katrina was the self-proclaimed relative of Felix, whom he gifted an earth fate crystal. Her soul was rescued, and she now lived together with Esen, serving as her private maid.

"Of all people, why did you lose your fate crystal? You could have died in the lower world if I didn't pull you up." Esen grumbled, complaining about the previous incident that Katrina almost died permanently.

"…Well, I run into an accident. You know… that vile man."

"Ah… That bastard."

Being reminded of an unpleasant individual that her husband had punished, Esen's expression turned ugly. She complained, "I wish my husband were more ruthless. I still can't believe that he sent THAT man down there. I'm so sorry, Katrina. I should have gone down there to fetch you myself. I guess it's partly my fault for not cleaning up my husband's mess."

Esen inclined her chair, thinking of the chaos that a certain demon god would bring to the lower world.