Chapter 82: The God in the Heart

Dressed in a pitch-black robe trimmed with red piping, a crown on his head, and a necklace full of rubies, King Naboland looked like a moving treasure shelf. He stood on the high altar and looked down at the prostrate worshippers, his eyes unconsciously filled with contempt, and he was obviously not satisfied with the current situation. The identity of "the supreme messenger of the lizard god" is gradually unable to satisfy his vanity, and he wants to enjoy the worship of the world forever like a real god.

Over the years, Naboland has continued to increase its military strength and the demand for armaments has increased, while its mineral deposits have long since been depleted. The long-term destruction of the environment has led to a sharp decline in land productivity, which in turn has led to famines, and the looting activities of soldiers have become more rampant. If this continues, not only will it be difficult to maintain military supplies, but I am afraid that the entire country will collapse. Since its founding, the ambitious Naboland has encouraged breeding in order to increase its military strength, resulting in a population that has rapidly outstripped the burden of the environment, and now the barren land is no longer able to support such a large population. As a result, King Naboland had to constantly expand outwards and plunder more land resources in order to maintain the existence of the state and satisfy his own ambitions. Even if the country is plunged into a vicious cycle of population expansion, environmental degradation, and constant war, he is unwilling to give up his desire for power.

Looking at the trembling cultists below, and seeing that although they were more fearful, they were not fanatical enough, King Naboland was a little disappointed. But it doesn't matter, huh!" he sneered to himself, they would be hot in no time. Because he was a strategic leader, who knew his subjects well, he knew how to quickly create a fanatical, destructive army—the very purpose of the state religion. So, he began to give his speech in a condescending and impassioned manner.

"O people of the lizard, you must understand that the fact that we are able to exist today and live in this vast land is due to the blessings of the great God of Mercy, who created all this. However, the demons who are specifically fighting against the lizard gods have sent more infidels and unbelieving fanatics who maliciously blaspheme the lizard gods in order to rob us of our land. The hunger and poverty we feel today is precisely because the infidels and fanatics have taken possession of vast amounts of rich land, possessions, and food, which were originally given by the lizard god to his faithful followers—our subsistence resources. So what reason do we have to cower in a barren corner, and let the land that should be our own rich be spoiled by the infidels and fanatics?"

"That's right! All the land, wealth, and food belong to the people of the lizard god, to the great motherland led by the invincible Majesty, Naboland, and to us!" Infected by King Nabolander's impassioned speech, the believers under the Holy Altar echoed loudly, and the excitement instantly infected all the believers present, and this group of impoverished followers was soon dominated by "the wealth and food that should have belonged to them".

A clever demagogue can easily convince thousands of people, even if it is just the most ridiculous statement. King Naboland was evident in his knowledge of this, and while the iron was hot, he continued to shout: "Therefore, as the people of the dragon gods, we ought to fight bravely! to destroy the wicked heretics and the fanatics without faith, and to take back all that is ours! Of course, if they are willing to change their ways, we will help them convert to the holy God of mercy and continue to carry forward the glory of the army of the dragon gods under the power of the dragon gods......"

King Naboland repeated these simple remarks not because he was exhausted, but because he knew his followers well and knew how to strike at their desires and arouse their fantasies, so as to unite the people and gather strength for the purpose of conquering the world. The best proof of his leadership is the enthusiastic cheers of the congregation.

"For the sake of the holy lizard god, for the great motherland, for the sake of His Majesty the King!" the believers clasped their hands and shouted in unison, convinced that they could conquer the world with their divine power.

This was what King Naboland was hoping to achieve, and he finally nodded in satisfaction, then added, "But, before that, we have one more important thing to do, and we must punish those traitors who blaspheme the lizard gods. Protected by the lizard god and taking away the food that the lizard god had given to the people, they ruthlessly betrayed the lizard god, causing the faithful and good believers to suffer more from hunger. They have no gratitude for the kindness of the lizard god, and we will not tolerate such shameful people, so punish them now! ”

"Kill them! Kill those shameful traitors......"

Hundreds of thousands of believers instantly boiled, angry and scolded one after another, scrambling to reprimand the "traitors" who had taken their food, and eager to rush to the execution platform and eat the prisoners alive. They are convinced that they are heroes who punish evil and promote good, and now they will not hesitate to fight in the field of blood and carry forward the glory of the lizard god at the command of King Naborland.

The rising emotions of the cultists greatly satisfied the vanity of King Nabolander, who pointed to the table on the right and exclaimed, "Those are the traitors we are going to punish today, first of all the lowly man who sold himself to the devil. ”

Following his orders, two soldiers dragged the bound Kama to the front of the torture platform, and the enraged cultists continued to throw rubbish and stones at her. Instinctively, Kama dodged sideways, accidentally tripped his foot, and his eyes happened to meet King Naborand on the high platform, thinking of the unintentional act of the previous night, he only felt angry and ridiculous, and he couldn't help but sympathize with the fanatical believers.

But the smile on her face immediately angered King Naborland, who was suffering from a hidden illness. I thought that the lowly man would be so frightened that he would cry and humbly kneel down and beg for his forgiveness, which would provoke the disciples to another angry orgasm. However, things didn't go in the direction he envisioned.

Despite his inner irritation, in order to successfully perform the image of "magnanimity and mercy" in front of the believers, King Napoleand had to suppress his arrogance and continue to say duplicity: "The lizard god is a great god of mercy, and as the messenger of the lizard god, we should not be murderous. For those ignorant who are bewitched by the devil for the first time, we should forgive their sins and give them a chance to atone for their sins, as long as they know their mistakes and vowed to be loyal to the lizard god forever. ”

"Your Majesty is indeed the closest saint to the gods, merciful and loyal, and we are willing to follow Your Majesty's guidance and carry forward the virtue of the lizard god......" The believers knelt down in admiration and flattery, convinced of King Naborland's words.

King Naboland waved his hand triumphantly, signaled the believers to be quiet, looked at the torture platform again, and asked compassionately: "O ignorant one who has been bewitched by the devil, do you know how pathetic it is for those who have no faith?"

Kama laughed instead of being angry: "You're right! People without faith are really miserable......

Hearing this, King Naboland could not help but feel secretly proud, and was about to open his mouth to answer, but Kama continued in a louder voice: "But are not those who deceive the world by the name of God to deceive the people?"

Kama's voice almost spread throughout the square, she knew that she might not be able to escape death today, but instead of dying aggrieved, it was better to speak freely and then die, just because she didn't want that deceitful and famous thief to continue to be proud.

"You ......" King Naboland was immediately annoyed, he was not only the king of this country, but also the future lord of the world, how could he allow others to flout his authority. "Hmph, you dare to lie and confuse the people, you are really an ignorant and despicable person! If you don't go astray, the most severe punishment awaits you! On behalf of the God of Mercy, I will give you one last chance, are you willing to change your evil and believe in the Lizard God?"

"Heh, I don't think I'm evil, and I don't see where your justice is. But what you want to believe in is your freedom, why do you have to force others to believe in your so-called 'truth'?

King Naboland was furious, but fortunately he remembered that he was the supreme messenger of the God of Mercy and could not get carried away in front of the believers, so he had to continue to maintain that compassionate demeanor, shaking his head and sighing: "How pathetic it is for those who have no faith!"

Hearing this, Kama couldn't help but laugh out loud and retorted, "Who said I don't have faith? In my heart, there is already a great god who lives. From the moment I gained life, my God has been with me and is my only faith. Even if you burn me to ashes and chop me into meat sauce today, the god in me will still stand. It is because of my devotion to him that I can keep my eyes clear, my heart pure, and not afraid of any evil temptation, and no one can take away my faith!"

"Nonsense! The lizard god is the only god in the world! All the other gods are fake, fake!" King Naboland was furious.

At last he cried out his heart, and Kama suddenly felt a joy in his chest, as if he had suddenly gained some kind of strength, and he could no longer be afraid. The king who defended his brutality in the name of religion was hateful, but so was the people who supported him, and the whole country was immersed in those foolish values. Feeling that she had had enough, Kama looked away from the angry king in disgust, swept over the fanatical crowd of believers in the square, and finally looked up at the vast sky, and said calmly, "If there is a god in this world, he must be the embodiment of all good and peace." He will certainly teach people what kindness is and what fraternity is, not endless killing and hatred. I believe that the true gods cannot be the self-deceiving appearance that you say. I only hate that my eyes don't grow on the top of my head, and how I wish I could always stare at the vast expanse of the sky, instead of you abominable narrow-minded people. ”

"Hmph, the merciful lizard god has already given you two chances, but you are not evil......"

King Naboland lost all patience, believing that he had done his best enough, while the lowly man had been standing against him in public, and had swept away his majesty. After thinking about it, he only felt that all this was a conspiracy of the Hérault family and the Madi family, and he would never spare them. The two nobles, Hero and Madi, had always been a thorn in his side, but he was also a little jealous of their growing power, so he planned to hunt them all down when everything was ready and guaranteed. However, in the current situation, it is clear that the two families have no regard for him as a king, otherwise how could they be so bold to deceive him?

King Naboland thought to himself that it would be better to take this opportunity to announce the crimes of the Hérau and Madi in public, and to clean them up with the lowly man, so as not to have too many nights.