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"Start with a small goal."

"To further activate the City of Calamity, it is best to induce it to contact the River of Eternal Darkness, although the end of the universe has not yet arrived, and now they meet and either cannot merge, or merge but repel each other and finally separate, or become a pseudo-fourth pillar, forcibly hastening the demise of the universe."

Of course, essentia will not be as insane as the original Grim Reaper, and essentia will only clash with each other to a certain extent.

To put it more bluntly, just like two experimental reagents with conflicting properties, when there is only a small amount, there will only be a small rejection (just like the Grim Reaper who is crazy about himself), and if the two sides continue to increase the amount of input, there will be a qualitative mutuality, and finally explode.

"Then we should call them 'them', right? They are also compatriots, and they should all have their own ideas, of course, if not better...... At the moment, it seems that the River of Eternal Darkness is not reacting, but the activation level of the City of Calamity is already very high. ”

"But that's not what I want, what I want them to react together on this side of the seal, to quickly weaken the barrier in order to approach the person of the fourth pillar......"

The weakening of the barrier should be something that everyone likes to see, but everyone has their own ideas about how to weaken it.

The Demon of Knowledge has now taken in the most benefits, so he wants to wait for the end to come as normal, or let Crane or Bethel help him before the end is near. In the process, while he was rebuilding the community of believers and selecting geniuses, he even had the spare energy to challenge the god of thunder with the two people he had already built a good relationship with, and planned to tear off at least a piece of flesh from each other's bodies.

The source fortress does not need to take a stand against the barrier, God's attitude seems to be unclear, he is secretly fighting with the source fortress, and the end and the barrier are nothing to him and are not worth caring about.

The idea of half of his body should be similar to that of the demon of knowledge.

As for the God of Thunder, it seems that he doesn't want to touch the essentia, because anyone can see that he has not touched the essentia as if God has opened an eye in his body, and if he does contact it, he may become an incarnation of God outside the body on the spot.

Since everyone wants to either go with the flow or leave it alone, Edward is going to seize the opportunity to stuff something into it.

"On the side of the demon of knowledge, what has been given out should be multi-insured."

If necessary, it can also be used as a stone to hinder His footsteps—the Mother Goddess and God's related objects.

Anyway, whoever keeps Adam is pulling hatred, but at present, it seems that the demon of knowledge has not begun to write his own zeitgeist? Or is it that the trend of the times he wants is now, where everyone engages in academics, engages in scientific research, and finally flies into the universe at the end of the world?

“…… So the first thing I have to do is to maximize the world-wide disasters on the North and South Continents, and further activate the City of Calamity conceptually, after all, it is only temporarily sealed in Bansey, Calderon who moved the island and threw it into the spirit world can only take away a small part of the pollution, and the source will remain in the sea water to be further sealed by the God of Thunder, and it is too obvious to do so. ”

Motionless for too long, Edward leaned back in his chair and continued to be in a daze.

"It's a good choice to let the Medici fight the war on the surface, to cause disasters and wars, and a world war is always more in line with the symbol of the city of calamity than for me to kill people and set fires. Of course, I can also let my actions be part of the disaster. ”

I had brought some of Bansey's pollution out before, but it was still connected to the City of Calamity in the depths, and I could use the pollution at hand to "adapt" Medici in advance...... However, Medici's subjective initiative is still too strong, and the city of calamity can also choose to abandon this polluted individual, and perhaps should find a way to channel the "river of eternal darkness" from Calderón.

If the river does not correspond in reality, dig one out.

Speaking of death...... Edward recalled the immediate aftermath of the Wars, when Calderon was sealed away by Bethel Abraham to ensure that no one or other spirit creatures who shouldn't have been here would accidentally enter the city.

And looking inside from the edge of the city, the River of Eternal Darkness still seems to be lying at the bottom, even if it swallows up the extraordinary characteristics of the multiple high sequences of the two corresponding paths, and even includes the uniqueness of the two parts, it still does not seem to be rising.

"Byron should be trying to pray to the Grim Reaper during this time, right?"

"I shouldn't get a response, unless the Grim Reaper can continue to speak in the River of Eternal Darkness, and I'm not sure, after all, he's the second entry."

Edward decided to go back and investigate at Byron as well.

Although on the surface they originally believed in death, the premise of those who worshipped death was that their god was the god of death, and gave them a more definite destiny than the so-called kingdom of God. The vast majority of human beings are like this, they will be uneasy and painful when they are confused, but once there is a clear and visible end point ahead, or they are clear about the path they want to take, they will immediately be freed from those difficulties, and they will devote several times more energy to trying to move forward.

Now even death is swallowed up by a deeper "nothingness".

In the event of a disconnection with the gods, the people of Byron are expected to fall into a deeper confusion again, or simply choose to follow the gods—martyrdom is commendable in any country, and if a pious person leads a group martyrdom in a country that is ruined, even the infidels will have to wipe away their tears. And in Byron, this behavior is very marketable.

They merely ran towards death in a more pious and fanatical way, before time came to proclaim, and this act was so noble and free that even the Archon of Death himself ordered that suicide should not be completely prevented.

Edward was noncommittal about such behavior, and over the course of 1,400 years, he had seen something like this happen more than once.

In a previous war that broke out because of faith, there were no extraordinary people dying in the church of a small town, and finally the old civilian priest took the people to hide in the church and pray for shelter, which was useless - sometimes Edward would wonder why the things that were useless in the old era are still useless in the present era, and there are only two options to think about: "God can't protect himself" and "God doesn't want to care". If God wants to, there are countless ways He can save believers who ask for help.

Neither the miracle nor the refuge of the gods came, the door of the chapel was finally slammed open, the old priest and all the inhabitants were killed by the victors, who had fallen into a frenzy, and the town became part of the victors' borders.

What's more interesting is that a hundred or two hundred years later, the people who lived here archaeology what happened at that time. They sincerely mourned for the tragic death of the people at that time, and the war was also in the canon of the two gods, so there is an additional myth: in that story, the old priest took the people to hide in the church, and then the miracle came, and the people became the frescoes of the church, and there was no need to fear death, and the fallen angel kissed the priest on the cheek, and he became a marble statue, forever watching over the people he wanted to shelter.

…… I always feel that miracles are just like funerals, they are for the living, and they have little to do with the participants.

"The Southern Continent is definitely going to go, it doesn't matter if they are all dead, no one accepts the faith of the Southern Continent, and I happen to keep the sequence one of these two paths in my hand, if the River of Eternal Darkness does not respond, then I can respond in the name of the Grim Reaper."

Edward touched his chin and thought:

"When the time comes, I can mobilize the people of Bailang to help me dig out the corresponding area of the River of Eternal Darkness in reality, and then as long as I break Calderon's seal, the River of Eternal Darkness will be able to infiltrate on its own, and then use these two sequences as bait to establish coordinates, and it should not be difficult to lure them over."

The river of eternal darkness infiltrates the real world, with a high potential to cause a large number of deaths.

No, a lot of it should be an optimistic estimate, and it should be dying in pieces by then, right?

However, mortals without gods are destined to die, and this is not exactly in line with the expectations of the people of Byron for the future and the end of their lives - the invisible river of white mist flows silently, and the will of the gods is hidden in it, as long as you close your eyes, you can sleep in the same place as your own gods - it is a bit romantic to think about, Edward thinks this is a very good idea.

If you can flood the high ground by the way, it will be a lore, but unfortunately you can't really flood there in terms of terrain.

Thinking about it, Edward got up from his chair, ignored the demons that were still kneeling like stone statues around him, and slipped outside.

He glanced at the towering and increasingly sacred Cathedral of the Holy Wind in the distance.

"You can also bring the River of Eternal Darkness into the sea, so that they can come into contact with each other more easily...... After all, the river will eventually flow into the sea, and I can't control where it flows as a essena, right? ”

The Grim Reaper thought about doing the same, but didn't do it.

With that to end his thoughts, Edward continued to wander the streets. Of course, the demon in Sequence 0 is able to control his thoughts perfectly and not let his thoughts and desires leak out at all, so that he will not produce any symbols in the spirit world that will affect the "prophecy" and "analysis" of certain beings. But who would have nothing to do and think about putting together the two essentia elements that symbolize the fourth pillar?

Slipping out into the street, Beckland had a good day in the weather.

A gentle breeze swirls continuously across the sky, carrying away the heavy stuffed clouds, the smell of the iconic industrial fuel, and the morning fog.

There weren't many people coming and going, and occasionally one or two priests from the Thunder Church could be seen walking by.

From a distance, St. Samuel's Cathedral in the North End is wrapped in a major makeover. Horse-drawn carriages and people parked below are transporting some of the church's furnishings one after another, the stained-glass windows are being dismantled and wrapped separately, some people are repainting the church, and others seem to be using some means to reshape the masonry of the church, intending to use the centuries-old church directly to welcome other gods.

The renovation of the church has made the square in front of the church particularly lively, and the pigeons that inhabit it do not dare to land, or wander far away, or stand on the surrounding roofs, stretching their necks to watch humans change the surrounding environment.

Edward looked around, and there were no white doves with black circles, no gray doves with white circles, and no crows.

He was about to take a walk in a different place when he heard a slow, heavy footstep slowly stop at his feet, and then someone whispered, "...... Sir, do you want to buy some cereals? ”

Edward turned his head to see a peasant.

Well, a peasant who couldn't have been more obvious, just like Frank, with the same reddened skin as the farmer of Fenerport, with a small cart in his hand, and a straw hat all year round. Beckland's "Grain Bill" and the enclosure of the aristocracy had long forced the farmers to abandon their fields and go to the city to work, and it was almost impossible to see such pure peasants in the city.

It was probably the demonic temperament that made the other party relax his vigilance, and the expression on his face, which looked particularly old due to his work, was a little calmer, and the wrinkles were no longer nervously huddled together, revealing cloudy and expectant eyes.

He was a little cramped, probably realizing that he had found the wrong customer, who clearly did not look like someone who needed to buy cheap grain.

But he had not eaten for a day and a night, and he had no money to go to the mill and grind the grain in his hand into flour.

"Hello." Edward nodded kindly, then looked at the pocket in the small cart in front of the other party, reached out and grabbed a handful with familiar movements, twisted it in his hand, and praised, "These corns are in pretty good condition, old man, you are from Fenerport, right?" ”

The elderly peasant had not had time to smile at the compliment, so he nervously grabbed the corner of his shirt in the second sentence.

He saw a flash of contempt in the other party's eyes, and realized that he had been silent for a long time, and had been taken as acquiescence.

"With such good corn kernels, there should be a lot of grain shops to buy them now." Edward asked again, "Old man, why did you come out to sell alone?" You're all a handful of old people, why did you come to Beckland alone, your family? ”

The Church of Thunder did bring in some civilians and extraordinaries who were good at farming to Beckland, trying to reclaim the wasteland outside the city to the point where it could be recultivated. This act was clearly intended to allow Beckland to re-produce food himself, to prevent the belief of Mother Earth and Fenepot's grain from taking up too much of the market - this was a semi-forced conscription, and it was needless to say that it would be sent.

Coming by airship? So fast.

Because he is old, he has no worries about his hometown, and he has no connections and money, so after coming to Beckland, he unfortunately did not get a share of the land? Edward didn't bother to divinate the other party's background, so he just aimlessly guessed and observed the other party's reaction.

Seeing that the old peasant's expression was already very ugly, Edward also found some anger and dissatisfaction in the other man's body, and after a few seconds of silence, he sighed like every empathetic gentleman, and after skillfully apologizing for his spying just now, he turned to ask the price of the bag of corn on the cart.

The old peasants quoted a very low price, but it was still nearly half the purchase price in the current grain store.

"You need money urgently?" Edward nodded understandingly, "Do you usually do any other work?" ”

The other party pursed his lips: "I will use this cart to help transport goods." After speaking, as if he was afraid that the gentleman in front of him, who seemed to be quite talkative, would not buy it, he took the initiative to lower the price for himself: "Five syles are enough, and the goods can be transported, and you can give as many as you want." ”

After hearing this, Edward took out a gold coin from his bosom and placed it on the corn pocket.

"I've got it all. It is indeed not easy for you to come from Fenerport to help us with the farming......" said the gentleman in a meaningful tone, and then, under his gaze, the other man grabbed a handful of corn and threw it directly to the ground.

Handful after handful, a large number of plump orange-yellow corn kernels were spread on the ground in a short time, and the pigeons on the roof and in the distant clearing were attracted to it.

These gray and white birds scrambled to land in front of them, scrambling for the corn.

For a moment, shock, bewilderment, anger and sadness flashed through the peasant's heart, but the glittering gold coin was still on his cart, and he carefully picked it up, wiped it clean with his sleeve, put it in his breast pocket and patted it.

The hateful Rune...... He gritted his teeth powerlessly.

……

A cold touch flowed through his forehead.

- Water.

Audrey tried to open her eyes but couldn't, she felt like she was lying in the river, the water filling her body. The pressure of the water pressed down on her limbs and arms, and the water flowed into her ears, making it impossible for her to hear the voice of the bishop who had baptized her.

"How sweet is the amazing grace;"

"My sins have been forgiven. I was lost, but now I am found. ”

The choir's voice sounded more and more clearly, as if it had appeared directly in Audrey's head. Vaguely and strangely, she began to wonder why the baptism of holy water brushing her forehead had made her feel like she was being swallowed up by water, which was still rising, long past the tip of her nose, and her eyes were closed, so that there was darkness before her, and she could hear nothing but the ancient hymns sung by the choir.

"I was blind, but now I see;"

"Such grace reveres me, and comforts my heart."

No...... No, I have never been separated, I have never been blind, I have never believed in God, but I have only bowed down before the emblem of the goddess with reverence.

Audrey subconsciously refuted the content of the hymn one by one, but it seemed that every time she denied it, her body became heavy. As if she had been punished for lying in front of the gods, she gradually felt that her breathing was starting to be difficult.

She felt terrified, feeling as if she had fallen into some kind of trap, and wondered from the bottom of her heart why the Church of the Creator was doing something to her little demigod, and if she didn't live more useful to them than an extraordinary trait?

At this moment, the pressure also seemed to reach a limit, and the water was heavy on her chest, and Audrey found herself really out of breath.

How can it be...... ...... am I supposed to be standing?

And the next moment, a lifting force suddenly appeared behind her, pushing her from the deep black water to the real world.

"When you first believe, you will be blessed;"

"How precious."

It's that extremely familiar feeling.

The feeling of "divine revelation" - Audrey suddenly opened her eyes and saw countless indescribable images, like a peaceful morning in a city clothed in golden light; It was an old man who didn't have to worry about starving to death waking up in a soft bed and stretching; It was the chroniclers who hurriedly turned the page of the "Celebration of the Millennium of Peace"; It was a child who ran around and was scolded by the teachers and brought back to school...... It was a prayer of countless people and races gathered under the same cross, as if all strife and gap were cut off.

Audrey's body shook violently, and the heavenly picture disappeared like a mirror, and her heart suddenly swelled with loss and pain that could not be concealed.

"God ......"

She was still standing. Somewhat unbalanced, one hand grasped the table in front of her where the ritual supplies were kept, and the priest drew a cross on her forehead with holy water.

At this moment, the holy water slowly slid down, passing by the corner of her eye, as if it was a tear.

TBC

——————

The "mythical" part of the text is inspired by The Byzantine Empire, which is the time of the fall of Constantinople. The memory may be skewed, but the first time I read this book, I was shocked by the last paragraph, and here are my thoughts.

That passage impressed me even more deeply than the death of Jun Shi himself: after the city was breached and the empire was buried, the descendants of the murderers wrote the stories of those who died in the church hundreds of years later as miracles, the slaughtered people became the lucky ones who were taken away by the gods to immortality, and the powerless bishops became saints, even though their bones were already trampled by the hooves of your ancestors.