773

Cathedral of Light, Trier, Intis.

In a room with dark curtains drawn, Boutis, the "Sage of Secrets", sat at a table, the crystal ball in front of him emitting a faint light.

With his eyes closed, his palms and crystal balls at a short distance, he rubbed in mid-air, and as the results of the divination were presented, Boutis's eyebrows furrowed slightly, showing a little confusion.

After a few moments, he finished his divination, and the dim light source inside the crystal ball faded away, but the room slowly brightened. Boutis took off the hood on his head, and covered the crystal ball with a piece of opaque fabric at hand, and after a set of actions, the aura of the magic stick weakened a lot.

"It's incredible, why is that Miss Audrey Hall in the Southern Continent now?"

That's what puzzled him.

Butis had finally found time out of his schedule to pick up Miss Audrey before the Dark Sage urged him.

During this time, he was having a headache because of the Abraham family's contact with the Church of the Mysterious God next door, so he temporarily put aside the task given to him by the Aurora Society.

As a traitor to the Abrahamic family, Boutis knew that the family that had been passed down from the Quaternary to the present day was still an emaciated camel bigger than a horse, and that the old guys possessed secret knowledge and extraordinary items that were enough for the Abrahamic family to be protected by the god of mysteries. He tried to harass, obstruct, and even assassinate during this time, but he didn't get any results, and even almost revealed his identity during the assassination, if he took a slow step, he might be caught red-handed by the saint sent by the Church of the God of Mysteries to protect!

If he had been caught assassinating members of Abraham's family, Bhutis could not have assured that the Church of the Creator would be determined to bring him back - involving both churches, it would be a lot of forgiveness to spare his life.

However, the only assassins who can transfer so quickly are the apprentices, except for the assassins and the corpse collectors who are proficient in spiritual walking.

And how he became the "Secret Sage" is not a secret in the Aurora Society, and the Abraham family will not let go of this opportunity to get to the bottom of it, Bottis suspects that the Sage has guessed his identity.

…… It's annoying! He shouldn't have kept so much alive in the first place!

The more Bettis thought about it, the more angry he became, thinking of the former Mr. X Louis, who was suspected of being killed by someone hired by the Abraham family, and he was inevitably anxious.

He desperately needed to do something to distract him.

"A noble lady of this age, and a remaining member of the Rune Psychological Alchemy Society, shouldn't she stay at home and enjoy afternoon tea?"

"Is there any omission in the information that His Excellency the Dark Sage gave me? And, why does divination show that it is now appropriate to pick her up? ”

Boutis looked at the crystal ball, looking at the two divination results of "It's suitable to pick it up now" and "There will be a huge danger if you go to the Southern Continent now", and he was in trouble for a while.

He got up and opened the curtains, and saw that the weather was clear above Trier's head, but far ahead, it seemed that clouds were gathering.

"It seems that this young lady should be going through some danger in the Southern Continent, maybe she may die, it is my chance to send charcoal in the snow......"

"But is it necessary for me to take such a risk to help?"

……

"Judging by His choice, the 'White Tower' accommodates quite well."

"The economic crisis within the country, the shortage of relief food, the fierce contradictions, the imperial system left by the children of chaos, and the sailors and people who lost their jobs due to international tensions." The Demon of Knowledge said, "Everything can be solved by retaking the colonies." ”

The God of Thunder now has perhaps the largest number of anchors among the gods, fear and strength are the most primitive yearning of man, if according to the division of anchors by human gods - in addition to believers, non-believers who have a certain impression of the gods can also serve as anchors - then even in Intis, countless survivors of traumatic psychological disorders caused by the Great Flood are also considered anchors of the God of Thunder.

However, as the country of faith of the god of thunder, Rune's situation is extremely poor, and it can even be said that it is an internal and external trouble, and the demon of all kinds of defective knowledge does not even have the idea of elaborating, because even the people with a little social experience can see the fatigue.

But this time the God of Thunder shot at the high ground was a stroke of genius.

There was no food, which could be obtained from the colonies;

There are no precious metals and spices, which can be mined from the colonies;

There was no distant-water fishing and no cross-border shipping trade, which could be reopened after the return of the colonies.

As for jobs, as long as the colonies are properly cleared, a large number of people can be drawn from the country to clear the wasteland. It can not only solve the problems of colonial independence and resistance forces, but also create a large number of jobs at once.

Today, Rune is a semi-religious country, and the church's political participation and extraordinary ability to influence society are almost no longer hidden. Under the premise that Emperor Rune is also Gad II, the god of thunder, and the "tyrant", as long as Leodro's actions go well, he can improve the decline in Rune in one fell swoop, regain the hearts of the people of the church of the god of thunder, and weaken the influence of the centralized order of the children of chaos.

As for the labor force of the colonies...... Does that kind of thing matter?

There will be no shortage of mineral deposits, forestry and cultivation can be restored, and the indigenous people in the colonies, isn't it always as little as possible, and it is better to exterminate?

"The countermeasures are also very simple."

Edward said while swallowing melon seeds: "You go to Rune now and release the Children of Chaos, even if the God of Thunder has successfully captured the high ground at this time, it will be difficult to compete with Emperor George III, who has released bold words and resonated with the people before." ”

"Other than that, don't you think the North Continent is beautiful now?"

Edward said to himself:

"I'd like to compare it to the time of Russell, but at least when the nations were scorching in the flames of war, Intis became the hegemon of the continent. And now? Fursack tried to cause a war, but he had to retreat in a hurry because he was afraid of the god of thunder, and Fenepot's whole country left, leaving the corpse on the border and retreating back to the country, and the domestic contradictions became more and more intense; Lesser states such as Lemburg perished; Intis was originally favored by the Creator, but before he could re-emerge, he was quickly lost, and was drowned by the waters of the five seas, and is now an empty shell called a nation. ”

"The countries of the North Continent are almost completely disconnected from each other, cross-border trade cannot be carried out, and all countries are in economic crisis at the same time."

"Even Rune, who was ostensibly the victor, experienced two major events: the bombing of airships and the death of the emperor, and the submission of small countries such as Lemburg only boosted morale, but after the war, peace and happiness did not come, and despair and confusion became the main theme of the northern continent."

The gods who lost both, the humans who did not get happiness and victory.

The extraordinary power that could no longer be suppressed, and the fact that the gods were the masters of the country were no longer concealed, as if slowly returning to the Quaternary.

"It's incredible...... It's wonderful. ”

"The heights too, so does Byron, oh, the nature of death dooms Byron's people not to fear or even welcome death, his country is destined to die slowly sooner or later from the day of his return, and he is more suitable to be the emperor of the underworld than to establish a nation. And the highlands, which seem to have gained new hope and become an independent country, are toddlers trying to move towards a future of their own, but they can also perish at any time, and it exists only because the storm has not come. ”

"I love the faint spark and look forward to its demise."

Involving the different powers and instincts of different gods, the demon of knowledge did not answer, but looked back at him and said curiously:

"I think there are a lot of your followers up there, are you really not going to move your throne?"

"Does half of the people up there believe me?" Edward couldn't hold back his smile, "Even if there is, I don't care, let them die." ”

The demon of knowledge thought for a moment and nodded, "That's what you said. Even if the High Ground is my kingdom of believers, it seems to me that only some people are worth saving. However, my nature dictates that I will not sit idly by and watch Richard Ernst die. It doesn't matter if it will flourish or fall, but I can't understand you in this aspect alone, your choice is too extravagant, and it is simply tyrannical. ”

"Anyway, He's good enough to do something, but you can really watch Him die."

"Death is the best end for Him, and there is no happiness in this world that He wants."

The demon of knowledge said no more, and after a few seconds, he asked another question:

"The All-Knowing Almighty is half-asleep, so what can you do when He is dead? What do you want to do? ”

Edward gave him a strange look:

"I've found that many people have a misconception that I am extremely malicious towards humanity and want to destroy this planet and destroy all humans by the way - when did I ever have such a plan? If you don't say God, just you, would you want me to kill all your believers? ”

"Why do you think of me like this, I am very concerned about the ecology of the universe. We all have authority related to history, and it's a shame that a genocidal civilization with different choices declines, isn't it? ”

"After comparing the two versions of humanity, I just think that humans are better suited to survive in worlds that don't have the extraordinary, or that there are extraordinary, but there are no extraordinary hidden. In this way, they can walk the stars on their own, and they can also open up an extraordinary national system. ”

"So, my goal is actually ......"

Edward stretched out his hand and gestured a small circle in the air:

"Wipe out more than 80 percent of the human race except for the sheep you and God need, cut off their history, deprive them of extraordinary abilities, forcibly let their society retreat to the tribal era, and then take them away, go to the universe to find a planet with an environment similar to the earth, transform an environment suitable for human survival, let them go, and restart civilization."

"I think that's the best thing to do. Even if those humans are destroyed, there will still be a human race in the universe. ”

"And if they don't perish, perhaps, in another thousand years, you and I will be attracted by those human civilizations."

The Demon of Knowledge's eyes lit up, and he was slightly intrigued by this description. Humans who are taken away by God will become sheep, and humans who are taken away by themselves will leave only the most elite group after being screened layer by layer, and will the humans who are released to other environments by the decaying king create a new history and create a new knowledge system? He was looking forward to it.

"Like, now—"

"I'm looking forward to Richard's death, and I can't wait to enjoy the breath of decay and crush the continent into my belly."

……

With the gradual reduction in the number of seriously ill patients in the hospital, a room was set aside on the second floor for a temporary rest and office for Ms. Letty Orr, a specially appointed psychiatrist.

Audrey took the little girl from the southern continent next to her to close the door and walked along the corridor to the stairs not far away.

When passing by the window, Audrey habitually raised her hand to block the sun, but found that the window was not shining brightly, but cloudy, and the dark clouds in the sky were very thick, and it seemed that a heavy rain was about to strike.

Thanks to the blessing of this puppet container, although Audrey's spirit body still has a sense of the outside world, it will not feel hot to the point of sweating, nor will it feel cold and stiff hands and feet, and the puppet container has always been kept in a relatively good state.

However, working as a psychiatrist for a member of the Rose School is extremely dangerous.

There have also been several doctor-patient accidents before, and the indulgent members who were being treated suddenly fell into a manic frenzy, but fortunately, the forces and sequences of the attackers were under the control of Tawfik and Audrey themselves. Although it is inevitable to receive some damage, fortunately, Audrey herself is an excellent psychiatrist, and she will not leave any psychological shadows, and she only needs to adjust her emotions before she can continue to work.

"It's going to rain."

Audrey's side, a girl named Ana also poked her head out to look at the cloudy sky outside, and smiled: "It would be nice if it was a heavy rain, the wasteland reclaimed on the hillside and on the outskirts of the city has been short of water, and everyone who has reclaimed the wasteland has to walk several kilometers to fetch water from the well in the town." ”

"That's right......" Audrey nodded slightly.

"I thought that the southern continent had always been fertile land with abundant rain and no worries about planting."

Ana smiled and looked at Letty Orr's side face, and said without any other emotion:

"Miss Orr, you grew up in the Northern Continent, right? In fact, the farmers in the southern continent almost rely on the weather for food, if the rain is too heavy, the crops will be flooded, and if the sun is sunny all the time, the crops will all be welded to death. But now the church will let extraordinary people help us farm, and those extraordinary people can carry dozens of bags of seeds at a time, and they will not get tired from turning over dozens of acres of land, which is really amazing. ”

"Applying extraordinary capabilities over productivity is something I can't imagine."

Thinking back to the sight of those living corpses cultivating and resentful souls building houses, although I have seen more now, the surprise has not diminished much.

Audrey couldn't help but think of the things in the Northern Continent - extraordinary power has gradually surfaced, infiltrating people's lives from all corners, Audrey thought it was already incredible, but she didn't expect that the Southern Continent would directly let the extraordinary people work, and even farm.

She nodded slightly, thinking of one thing:

"Mr. Richard also told me a story that said that a long, long time ago there was a belief in the Southern Continent, different from the god of bondage or death, in that belief that the god of creation was a madman."

“…… He said that at that time, the southern continent depended on the weather for food, and the climate was humid and suitable for plant growth, so the road was opened this year, and it will be overgrown with plants tomorrow. There are no roads, so there are no cars, there are no cars, so the tribes are very closed to each other, and productivity is very low. It was believed that the impermanence of the weather was the temper of the gods, and that war and human sacrifice were not only a way to please the gods, but also a way to reduce the population. ”

Richard's myth is clueless and has no correspondence in any history, and Audrey guesses that it was from the Quaternary Age or even longer.

"The death of a good man who did good deeds and his own death due to unfair treatment is something that cannot be explained in any myth. Either God does not exist, or God has no need to believe, or God is blind. ”

While busy, Richard said to her:

"But it happened in the Southern Continent at that time, and this is not a strange thing, because God is a capricious madman, a psychopath, and it is not strange that anything incomprehensible in this land is incomprehensible."

Either God doesn't exist, or he's crazy, or he's blind......

Audrey thought for a moment and interrupted the story.

Now that the Heights had been helped by extraordinary powers, it was not good to say bad things about the gods and angels, so she changed the subject:

"Ana, how is your mother's condition?"

Ana, who was suddenly asked, quickly came back to her senses and said, "Mom's illness has improved somewhat, and I can scrape together the money for medicine." ”

Audrey asked, "You went to work?" But your studies are ......."

"Me, I'm helping out at the hospital."

Ana's voice lowered: "I have classes three days a week, and I have to work the rest of the time, and my mother can't go to the ground yet." ”

Audrey was silent for a while—there were too many people to help, and her meager salary had already been used to subsidize others—and she couldn't say anything more, and the atmosphere that was supposed to be good suddenly became heavy.

"My power is still limited, but I can only have a little heat and a little ......light," Audrey whispered.

Alas, I should have found an opportunity to consult His Highness Richard...... Audrey wanted to make a generous request to talk about what she had done recently, as well as the difficulties she had encountered, and she was confused in her heart, but she was worried that the angels of the Southern Continent would be dismissive of the troubles of the noble girl in the Northern Continent: "...... I can't come up with any more money, and I'm about to be sent to Intis, how can I make life better for the people of Beckland before I leave? ”

As for thoroughly helping people get jobs and regain their lives, although she really wanted to, she knew that she didn't have the ability to do so.

At the same time, she also understands that even the powerful and mysterious Mr. "World" cannot do this kind of thing.

It is probably necessary for a god like Mr. "Fool" to do it himself, so that he can fundamentally change the country and change the lives of the people.

"Although the 'audience' approach has to be behind the scenes as much as possible, although I always keep in mind the words 'cautious' and 'careful' in everything I do, and try not to put myself in a dangerous situation......"

Thinking of this, "Justice" Audrey subconsciously replied two sentences in her heart:

"But in this world, it is impossible to solve everything easily and simply, without taking risks...... However, sometimes, when I do something, I should think that I might die. ”

For example, when treating those members of the Indulgence faction who are higher than themselves, even if there is a demigod to protect them, it is inevitable that there will be death or even disability - it is true that even if the doll's body is destroyed, it will only allow the spirit to return to the body, but if one's soul is eaten by those "resentful spirits" who have devoured souls, there is no power to return to heaven.

Audrey's muttering stopped, and she was silent for a while.

"The most feasible, least risky, and most helpful thing for the people of Beckland at the moment is to find a way to get more food."

But from whose hands do you take it?

The Church of the God of Thunder has been distributing relief food for a long time, and it can be said that if it were not for the church itself, but any company or grain merchant, it would have gone bankrupt a long time ago.

Hypnotize someone close to you to provide some help? But...... Recalling the scene when she persuaded her relatives to donate money but repeatedly hit a wall, Audrey really found it difficult to raise her mood and lobby again. She has invested too much money in the charitable foundation, and she also knows that the current economic recession and the unstable situation in the northern continent are difficult to persuade again, and she will soon be sent to Intis, and even the control of the foundation will be lost.

"Actually...... I always had a vague sense of unease. ”

In addition to seeing and hearing in the Highland Republic, Audrey also noticed that the social composition of the place was completely different from that of the Northern Continent, or any other country.

There is no nobility in the highlands.

Well...... Probably because Mr. Richard, as the leader, was not a nobleman, and because the nobles of the highlands had long lost their identity in the destruction of the country, and they rebelled bloodily and fled to the Northern Continent with their lives. Not only did the royal family not be restored, but there was not a single nobleman in the current Highland Republic! Only the relatively wealthy, but restricted by the state, are the local wealthy businessmen.

At the same time, there is currently no decent church in the Highlands, and even a considerable number of important members of the Rose School are receiving irregular psychotherapy...... If someone had told Audrey before that a state could be established without the operation of the church and the aristocracy, she would never believe it, but now this strange state has really appeared.

"Like...... The believer is the anchor of the gods, a believer is an anchor, and in this respect there is no difference between a nobleman and a pauper, no one is nobler, no one is lower. ”

"Normally, aristocrats and merchants can use their status, power, wealth and influence to help the church maintain the system and spread the faith, so they are more valued, but in the absence of the church, who is more important with thousands of anchors or hundreds of thousands of anchors?"

Audrey suddenly thought of a terrifying possibility.

"The state of Rune is already very bad, and if the people really don't have anything to eat, then the next step will be to attack the grain merchants and nobles...... And the number of commoners is far greater than that of the nobles and the rich......"

Faced with the truth that ripped off the veil of warmth, the "righteous" Audrey was speechless for a short time.

"Yikes."

Just when she was thinking about her own affairs and walked downstairs step by step, a birthday song was already in her ears.

Audrey glanced up, and Martha, the nurse who had been worn out by life for more than ten years, was waving at her, beckoning her to hurry over in the lingua franca of the Southern Continent. Doctors and nurses who are now unemployed in the hospital are standing nearby, and children without parents are bouncing around Ms. Martha, looking at the buttercake with longing eyes.

She pulled herself together and smiled. was about to pass, but saw Ana beside him forget to glance out the window, and let out an exclamation:

"It's thundering."

Thundered...... She followed and looked out the window, and with these words fell, and the whole world suddenly turned silver.

The light came first, and then the loud noise.

The loud roar almost shattered Audrey's eardrums, and her doll's body was affected by the sudden spiritual fluctuations, and the whole world fell silent. The intense flash affected her senses, and she shifted a few times in a daze, only to find herself on the ground.

As if her limbs were out of control, she struggled to prop up her upper body with the struggle of waving her arms and legs with difficulty.

She saw that the hospital, which had been happy just now, became dead and silent in an instant, and she saw that the hospital had collapsed in half, the structure was completely destroyed, and the steel bars poked their heads out dangerously from every corner. And a huge, grotesque doll propped up above the hospital, on all fours, propping up the half that didn't collapse.

“————”

She recognized the doll, and she recognized the scar on the puppet's face.

“————！！”

She shouted loudly, thinking she was calling the other person's name, but in fact it was just a few twisted syllables coming out of her throat.

The crowd that was celebrating his birthday just now was under him, some of them were crying, some were already fainting, some were covered in blood, some were pierced by steel bars, and they were wailing, but Audrey couldn't hear anything.

The butter cake that Sole could only buy slipped out of Ms. Martha's hand, and her child was crying loudly in her arms.

It was supposed to be his birthday.

It was supposed to be a joyful celebration.

She stared at the scene in front of her in amazement, as if watching hell play out silently before her eyes.

TBC

——————

"The Supreme God is a moody madman, so it's not strange what happens in the world" - the main god of South America "Smoke Mirror". (End of chapter)