The ghetto, the temple of Irmat, the god of suffering.

A middle-aged man in his forties, with almost all the hair on his head, looking like he was in his fifties or sixties, was kneeling in front of the humble altar and leading a group of believers in a pious prayer.

Although the rapid expansion of the new sect of Talona, the goddess of poison and disease, to a certain extent, robbed many believers who originally belonged to Ilmat, and even squeezed the living space of the church, he did not seem to be in a hurry at all, and he did not want to compete with the opponent.

For the teachings of the God of Suffering themselves do not encourage strife, but rather hope that all people can live in peace and help each other.

Therefore, his priests and priests rarely have conflicts with the churches of other gods, and even if they are bullied and suppressed, they often choose to endure in silence.

Moreover, the doctrine of the Protestant sect of Talona is to make the people aware of the nature of poison and disease, and to avoid making the poor who are not rich in the first place sick or poisoned, which is equivalent to reducing the suffering of this world.

This is in line with the ideas advocated by Ilmat.

As a result, a very strange phenomenon appeared in the places where the poor gathered in the major cities of Am.

That is, the rapid expansion of Talona's new sect continues to erode the fundamentals of the belief in the god of suffering.

But the latter not only did not mean to fight back, but also put on a submissive appearance to live in peace with him.

When members of the two churches met on weekdays, they would greet each other with smiles, and there was no hint of hostility at all.

If you don't know, you think these two gods are allies with each other.

But in fact, anyone with a modicum of religious and theological knowledge knows that Ilmat and Talona have been bitter rivals for thousands of years.

Whatever Talona wants to achieve, Ilmat will stop at all costs.

But now, their relationship is beginning to become complicated and tend to ease.

Of course, God's way of thinking is clearly beyond the comprehension of ordinary mortals.

Therefore, the priest did not dare to speculate, but simply wanted to do his part to help the poor who needed help, to provide children who had lost their parents with at least one hot meal a day, and a shelter from the wind and rain.

But this is obviously not an easy thing to do.

Although he had received a number of donations from the Bernard Chamber of Commerce and the Mage Tower in Zoth, he was still a drop in the bucket for the sheer number of poor people.

On this point, you can get a glimpse of this still dilapidated and impoverished temple, and the sacrificial sackcloth that has been sewn up an unknown number of times.

Even with a huge amount of tens of thousands of gold coins in his hand, he did not want to take out a copper plate to decorate the temple, or buy himself a decent clothes and shoes, but carefully used all the money to help the poor who really needed help.

This is also why, Zuo Si never hesitated to donate to the Ilmat Temple, and as soon as he made a move, he was tens of thousands of gold coins.

Only they know which families in the slums are in real need.

Since the god of suffering did not emphasize elaborate and solemn rituals, but rather practiced the teachings, the prayer ended in just a few minutes.

When the priest stood up from the shrine, the devotees immediately followed suit, staring at the cauldron set up outside with extremely eager eyes, and kept swallowing their saliva.

The stuff in the pot is also very simple, just a hot soup of potatoes, onions, cabbage, garlic, animal offal and some meatless bones.

To make the soup look thicker and thicker, it is sprinkled with a lot of bread crumbs and crumbs.

Whether it's bones, offal, or bread crumbs, they all come from Zuo Si's high-end restaurant in the city gate district.

The former is the leftover part of the kitchen cooking haute cuisine, while the latter is the bread that the guests have eaten and did not take away is dried and crushed.

Although in the eyes of the rich, these things are worthless at all, they are just garbage that can be discarded.

But for the poor at the bottom who have lost their ability to work and work in the slums, it is a rare delicacy.

At the very least, it's much cleaner and more hygienic than picking up food from a garbage dump, picking up food from a sewer, or simply catching rats to satisfy your hunger, and you don't have to worry about contracting the dreaded disease after eating.

Seeing these disabled people who had their hands or feet, or who were blind and deaf, as well as those children who were too young to work, a look of pity appeared on the priest's face, and he said in the voice that was as gentle as possible: "Let's eat!" Come, you're welcome, I've prepared enough bread and hot soup today. ”

"Praise be to the merciful weeping God! It was you who gave us the courage to continue living! ”

The middle-aged man, who had only one arm left, raised the wooden bowl in his hand and shouted loudly, then walked over to the soup pot and took the initiative to take on the responsibility of distributing food to others.

The rest of the people did not appear to scramble, but lined up in an orderly manner.

Children, the elderly, and women were at the front of the line, while adult men were very conscious of standing at the back.

It wasn't until everyone had eaten that the one-armed middle-aged man poured the remaining soup from the bottom of the pot into his bowl, picked up a piece of hard black bread, and held it in front of the priest with one hand: "Glory, you can also eat a little." ”

But the priest shook his head with a smile and refused: "No, I'm not hungry, you better keep it for yourself." ”

"But you haven't eaten all day today, and you won't be able to hold on like this." A strong sense of concern appeared on the one-armed man's face.

For he knew that there was no other god or church in the whole of Ascatra except for the temple of Irmat, the god of suffering, who cared for a poor and disabled person like himself.

If there is any accident with this noble priest in front of him, and there happens to be no second person to take over, the group of people behind him who are completely dependent on relief will starve to death and become a corpse lying on the side of the road and ignored.

Although Amn's merchants like to show their wealth and social status through charitable donations, their money is generally taken by those who occupy the downtown area, called "beggars", but are actually liars, ruffians, and hooligans.

This group of men was often strong and carried murder weapons such as daggers, and controlled the areas where nobles and wealthy merchants often passed.

As soon as other beggars approached, they would threaten, intimidate, beat, and even kill.

Therefore, beggars in slums who really do not have enough food and clothes are not able to get so-called charitable donations.

Of course, the aristocrats and wealthy merchants didn't really care who their money was donated to.

It's just a way to show off your wealth and gain a reputation for generosity.

Just when the priest was about to refuse again, he suddenly found that the believers who had been eating suddenly stopped eating at some point, and stood up one after another, evening out the soup in their bowls and pouring it into another empty bowl next to them.

It didn't take long for the bowl to fill with hot soup.

A lame old woman carefully lifted the bowl and brought it to the sacrificer, barely squeezed out a smile and said, "Honorable Glory, the God of Suffering teaches us to bear pain, endure suffering, and help one another. You have been selflessly helping us in the past, and now allow us to pay you a little tribute in our own way. Eat it, if you don't eat it, how can we people eat it? ”

"Thank you!"

This time, the priest did not refuse, but a smile of relief appeared, and he took the soup bowl and squatted at the door of the humble temple with all the believers to eat.

Under his influence, these disabled people and children, who are very poor and hungry, bring out the best in their humanity.

Even if they have nothing and don't know where the next meal will be after eating this meal, they are still willing to share the food they have and struggle to survive in this cruel world.

There is no doubt that this act of pure kindness, without any distractions, quickly caught Ilmat's attention.

Seeing a flash of golden brilliance in the shrine, the priest was suddenly surprised to find that his priest level had actually increased, and hurriedly expressed his gratitude to the gods he served in his heart.

Sadly, however, the god of suffering did not respond.

Because he was standing on the third-floor roof of a brick and stone building not far away, looking condescendingly at the entire slum, it took a full minute before he asked, "What do you think of the heartfelt kindness of those people just now?" ”

"Well, it's very impressive, but I don't like it." Zuo Si said his thoughts bluntly.

"Oh? Why? ”

Ilmat turned around with a puzzled expression.

Zuo Si smiled and explained: "Because in my opinion, problems caused by food scarcity like this can actually be solved in other ways. A sacrifice like this one would rather be hungry than have someone else fed, which is a very noble act, but it ignores the most important and crucial part. ”

Ilmat seemed to understand something, and immediately nodded slightly: "I understand." Rather than the process, you actually value the change, the result, and the answer. ”

"That's right! I have never denied the greatness of selflessness, dedication, and self-sacrifice.

But these alone will not change the current situation at the root.

Look at this priest, although he is doing his best to help others, has he changed anything in the end?

No, he has not been able to change anything, only to prolong the lives of these poor people a little bit, to alleviate the suffering they are suffering.

As soon as the income from the temple and donations from outside sources decrease, some of these disabled people and children will inevitably die as a result.

After all, their fate has never been in their own hands, but in the hands of others. ”

When he said this, there was no emotion in Zuo Si's tone, as if he was talking about something that had nothing to do with him.

"What would you do if you were the priest of this temple?"

A hint of curiosity flashed in Ilmat's eyes.

Zuo Si raised his hand and stretched out his index and middle fingers: "Two ways."

First, find a way to find some work for these disabled people, preferably to build a tavern, inn or small workshop.

In this way, they can not only earn enough to support themselves by working, but also add an income to the temple so that they can help more people.

To put it simply, it is to abandon the original way of giving without asking for anything in return, and organize these people to create value.

While this approach doesn't address the root cause either, it's at least much better than leaving your fate completely at the mercy of someone else.

The second method is to expose the greed and sin of the aristocracy and wealthy merchants, provoke the anger of the poor at the bottom, and completely intensify social contradictions.

Through demonstrations and strikes, the merchant and aristocratic classes were constantly forced to compromise and make concessions, so as to attract more people from the lower classes to join.

At the same time, it is necessary to secretly develop an army, use the corrupt City Guard to obtain weapons and equipment, and prepare for a head-on confrontation with the Shadow Thieves Guild.

When the time comes, it will directly set off a riot that will sweep through the whole of Askatra, overthrow the rule of the Council of Six, and establish a new municipal council with the church at its core.

Finally, land and wealth are redistributed to make the whole society relatively fair.

That's what really solves the problem. ”

"I can't believe I can hear such remarks from the mouth of you, a senior Am." Ilmat was visibly taken aback, but soon sighed involuntarily. "Alas - if the second method is followed to solve the problem at the root, the city will be a river of blood, and many people will die as a result."

Zuo Si shrugged his shoulders and responded, "That's also something that can't be helped."

Radical change at the societal level requires the overthrow of existing vested ruling groups.

And as far as I know, no vested interest group would willingly hand over everything they had so hard to gain.

Therefore, the use of violence is almost one of the necessary means of success.

That's why I emphasize that it's hard for a really good person to be a good ruler.

Because no matter what the decision is, it is often doomed to sacrifice the interests of some people to satisfy the interests of others.

When to sacrifice the people at the bottom, and when to sacrifice the nobility and merchants, it takes an extremely rational and calculating mind to do it.

In addition, I dare to say this because I know that with your character and philosophy, you will never be able to support such a bloody and violent social change. ”

When Ilmat heard this, he immediately couldn't help but laugh: "Yes, I will never be able to support these actions that can obviously lead to violence and death. Not only me, but also the gods of justice, loyalty, and courage. Tell me, what is the matter with you coming to me this time? ”

"I'd like to tell you a little bit about the Kallinf."

Zuo Si did not hide anything, and directly stated his intentions.

"Kalinfir?" Irmat subconsciously frowned.

Although he had the largest number of believers due to slavery, he did not like the country at all.

Zuo Si nodded seriously: "Yes, Kalinshan." Not long ago, I struck a pact with Sean VII to help restore the Shaun dynasty by working on the Entangled Talisman and Ivy Kolasagran's "Sharp Teeth". ”

"Sean VII? He's alive! ”

The god of suffering was visibly surprised.

After all, Sean VII disappeared through suspended animation for nearly a thousand years, and unlike the goddess of magic, who could instantly discover the identity of the caster who accessed the magic net, he didn't know anything about it.

"Hmm. Not only is he alive, but he has transformed himself into a lich. Since the Kalinfir is the place with the largest number of believers, I would like to ask you about your attitude on this matter. Zuosi raised his head and looked into Ilmat's eyes.

The God of Suffering lowered his head and thought for a moment, and immediately replied, "Order is better than chaos. Now that the Kalinshan is under the control of the Entangled Talisman and the countless Thieves' Guilds, it can't be worse, so I'm not opposed to letting Shane VII be restored. ”

"I'm relieved to hear you say that. Oh yes, and Sean VII also promised to abolish slavery once he regained his country, as a reward for your support of him. ”

Zuo Si appropriately delivered the final assist.

"Abolish slavery? I'm afraid this is not what Sean VII thought, but your proposal, right? ”

Ilmat's face suddenly showed undisguised joy.

You don't have to ask, you know, in his eyes, this is a hundred times more important than the restoration of the Shane dynasty.

"Does it make a difference?" Zuo Si smiled and spread his hands.

The god of suffering laughed as well: "If you are result-oriented, it really makes no difference. Soth, you have not disappointed me, and you are bringing about good change in this afflicted world. Go and tell Sean VII that I and the Church of the Righteous God will recognize and uphold his rightful dominion over Kalinshan. ”

"As you wish......"

Zuo Si touched his chest with one hand and owed slightly.

Ilmat nodded in response with a smile on her face, then vanished into a golden light.

"What a god you can't help but be awe-inspiring, isn't it?" The diary suddenly sighed.

"Yes! If there is one god in Faeron who can represent true goodness, it must be the god of suffering. It's a pity that his teachings determine that he will never be able to promote powerful divine power, and he may even decline because the whole world is developing in a good direction. Maybe it's the so-called good people who don't have good rewards. ”

With that, Zuo Si ignored the diary and walked towards the stronghold of the Protestant sect of Talona not far away.

As the representative of the gods in the material world, he was not hindered by the elect and went directly to the huge statue of the goddess.

Before a few of the apprentice priests who were cleaning could react, the sect leader, Ilze, rushed in from another room and drove everyone out of the hall, including himself.

When the scene was cleared, a graceful young woman appeared directly below the statue out of thin air.

You don't have to ask to know that she is the incarnation of Talona.

Different from the previous outfit, the goddess changed into a translucent low-cut sexy black gauze dress today, walked to the front with elegant and seductive steps, and held Zuo Si's cheeks with both hands and kissed it without saying a word.

When they were separated, Zuo Si didn't even bother to wipe the saliva on his lips, and was shocked to find that his priest level had actually increased by ten levels, from LV5 to LV15.

Counting the LV10 of the [Mystic] class, the total cast level of the magic has reached LV25.

And that's not all!

He also gained three Ten Rings Divine Skill Positions and four Legendary Divine Skill Positions, as well as a unique Legendary Divine Skill - [Summoning the Incarnation of Talona].

Yes!

The goddess of poison and disease has generously bestowed upon the elect spells that can summon them whenever and wherever they want.

It is estimated that throughout the history of Pheron, no other god's chosen people have ever received this honor.

For God, the elect exist to carry out dangerous tasks against enemies who are inconvenient for them to come face to themselves.

If you give voters the power to summon their own avatars, it is better to shoot them directly.

"Well, are you satisfied with this gift?" Talona curled the corners of her mouth into a playful smile.

"What more can I say? Of course, I couldn't be more satisfied. ”

Zuo Si gave an affirmative answer without pretentiousness.

Although he knew that by inadvertently helping him to rise from a weak level to a medium level of divine power, the goddess would definitely give himself a great reward.

But I never expected that the return would be so amazing.

Needless to say, it is needless to say that it is very rare to directly raise the level of ten priests, which is very rare in any church of gods.

In particular, Zuosi didn't have the slightest belief in Talona.

But compared to giving three Ten Ring Divine Skill Positions and four Legendary Divine Skill Positions, just ten priest levels are nothing at all.

As for the final [Summoning Talona's Incarnation], it is far beyond the scope of ordinary legendary magic.

So after a short surprise, Zuo Si also took out his own return gift, a small box shrouded in a powerful magic seal.

"What is this?" The goddess asked in a tone of slight surprise and joy.

"A key that can help you advance to great divine power before you get the priesthood of death." Zuo Si replied quietly.

"Oh?!"

A look of ecstasy instantly appeared on Talona's face, and she raised her hand and tore the lid directly.

Next Second......

Something that could not be observed by the naked eye at all, but which radiated a dazzling brilliance, lay quietly in the middle of the box.

It looked so fragile and small, as if it could collapse at any moment.

Priesthood!

As a goddess, Talona recognized at a glance that this gadget was something that countless gods were crazy about and longed for.

Especially those demigods who have not yet attained the priesthood are willing to pay any price even to get the most obscure priesthood.

Without any hesitation!

Talona stretched out her hand and carefully picked up the little thing and held it high above her head, feeling the complex rules contained in it, and after about ten minutes, she couldn't help but laugh out loud: "Hahahaha! It's a spores! It's actually a spore priesthood!

No wonder you would say it's a key to great divine power.

With this, I was able to slowly develop the priesthood of fungus, and compete with the fungus lady Zugmoi for the belief of the mushrooms.

What's more, I can isolate viruses and bacteria from the priesthood of disease and form an integral part of the natural cycle of degradation along with fungi.

Once that happens, there will be no one who can stop me from becoming one of the mighty gods.

Soth, you've been a huge surprise to me this time. ”

"It's all thanks to Shar, the goddess of the night. It was she who used her divine blood and the mycelium left in the material world by Lady Fungus to help Angel Poison Core become the god of spores. As for this priesthood, it was one of the trophies I had slaughtered Angel Poisoncore, and the only one I didn't need. Zuo Si shrugged his shoulders nonchalantly.

"But for me, it's priceless. Seemingly...... I'll have to give you more in return. ”

With that, Talona immediately absorbed the Spore Priesthood, and then opened her arms to give her voters a hug, and by the way, let them feel the soft and broad "heart".

Seeing this, Zuo Si hurriedly dodged and refused: "If it's this kind of return, forget it, I'm not ready for this, and I can't stand such stimulation." ”

"Hehe, don't be shy, everything has a first time. Just a simple hug, I promise. ”

As the last word blurted out, Talona instantly stepped forward at lightning speed, hugged Zuo Si's head tightly in her arms, and her whole face involuntarily fell into it.

After about ten seconds, she let go of her hand and admired her voter's slightly embarrassed appearance with a slightly playful look.

There's no way not to be embarrassed!

You must know that Zuo Si's body has entered puberty, which is the age when physiological impulses are most likely to occur, where can he withstand such stimulation.

So it took him a long time to calm down the restless hormones in his body, and he said with great annoyance: "If you do this again, I won't come next time." ”

"Don't be angry, I promise I'll ask you for your opinion in advance next time." There was a hint of cunning in Talona's eyes.

You don't have to ask to know that the goddess obviously enjoys this kind of intimacy with a little ambiguity in it.

Zuo Si shook his head helplessly, and took out the [Talona Favor] he was carrying: "Here, here is the soul of Angel Poison Core, I think you should have an account with him that needs to be settled." ”

"Ahh If you don't say it, I'll forget. Come, let me see what this perfidious man has to say. ”

Talona reached out a finger and tapped lightly on the scepter.

Moment!

The soul that had been captured and imprisoned came out of it.

The moment he saw the goddess of poison and disease, Angel Poisoncore's face changed drastically, and he turned around and wanted to flee through the roof.

It's a pity that with only his soul left, how could he escape the control of a true god.

Before he could fly far, he was forcibly pulled back by a huge force.

"My favorite believer, where do you want to go? Am I just that terrifying to you? Talona sneered.

"Great Goddess! Goddess of mercy! Please spare me! I swear that when I am resurrected, I will serve you as Lord again. ”

Angel Poisoncore knelt on the ground and pleaded undisciplinedly.

Having briefly become a spore god, he knew better than any mortal what a god could do to a soul that had no resistance.

Especially in the hands of a goddess like Talona, it is better to be directly scattered.

"Humph! Spare you? Stop dreaming! I'm going to drain all the potential of your soul! Let you be punished in eternal pain and despair! ”

Suddenly a cloud of divine power containing powerful curse power was released from Talona's palm, which poured directly into Angel Poisoncore's soul.

The latter didn't resist for even a second, and immediately let out a heart-rending wail, and slowly grew a large number of parasite-like things that made people's scalps tingle from the depths of their souls.

As they gnaw on Angel Poisoncore's soul, they release energy that can repair broken souls, allowing wounds to heal and tear back and forth......

(End of chapter)