"What does it mean to be difficult to cultivate demigods in an age when a true God is in charge of the country, angels walk on the earth, saints grovel on their knees, and there are so many demigods?"

"It means that the name of the family will be drowned in the long river of history, the emblem of the family will be rusted into a piece of scrap metal with an indistinguishable texture, the people will be reduced to commoners and slaves, and those who hold the divine power can destroy them with a look and a gesture - they will no longer control their own destiny, and their fate will not be worth mentioning."

"Under the divine war, it was only a matter of a moment for the Eastern Continent, which was once known as the 'center of the world', to fall into hell on earth, and those people living in the Eastern Continent did not pray? Didn't you plead? But how did the gods and angels ever pay attention to them? ”

"The glory is gone, and we, the contenders, realize what a terrible thing it is to not be able to control our destiny."

"It is better to let yourself be in charge of divine power than to seek the mercy of the gods."

The first time André heard his ancestors talk about this was at the age of seventeen, three months after the enactment of the Land Conservation Act and the withdrawal of the Tudor family, but the family still had not recovered from the doldrums. The old people are afraid that the young people will be shaken and confused, so they choose to keep silent, but they are like ashes after a flame has been burned, and they can no longer shine with uplifting light, and the young people have no guidance, so they also become mediocre and muddy. André sensed this trend, but was powerless to change the situation, he became agitated, began to indulge in alcohol, promiscuity, picking quarrels and provoking trouble, and vaguely expected to beat a guy from a large family into a pig's head.

It was in this debauched form that the Ancestors found him. At that time, there was a prostitute lying next to him, with her breasts exposed.

Surrounded by cheap perfumes, inferior liquor, the smell of sweat and powder, the ancestors told him about the old past, and a wonderful sense of solemnity rose from the bottom of his heart, followed by a sense of shame.

André realizes that the Ancestors should be the ones who are most stressed.

Under the pressure of the high-ranking people in the adjacent path, the ancestor did not get the emperor's respect, and while others who had seen the desecration of the slate had either become gods or angels—or at least future generations had become angels, he was still stuck in the position of Sequence 3, always shrouded in the fear of "not being able to control his fate", the shadow of death and aging hovering at his feet, but his expression was calm, as if he were talking about a majestic and treacherous mountain, but he firmly believed that he could reach the top.

"With the promulgation of the Land Protection Act, there are three ways for the latecomers of the family to be promoted to demigods, one is to go to the remote places of the Northern Continent, the second is to go to the Southern Continent, and the third is to go to the adjacent path."

The remote lands of the Northern Continent are inhabited by six gods, who are enemies of each other and in constant conflict; The Southern Continent is the territory of the Emperor of Hades, worshipping death and reproduction, and the lonely Northern Continent people are easy to directly charge the living sacrifices; As for the transfer to the adjacent route...... Andre quickly analyzed, and quickly understood what the ancestor had in mind.

"Ancestor, what do you need me to do?"

"I need you to pretend to be obedient to the Hidden Sage, and get the high-level potion recipe and promotion ceremony of the Hermit Path from within his school."

"It's going to be a lonely long-term mission, and you could lose your life at any time."

————————————————

"You could lose your life at any moment."

In the past five years, this sentence has always appeared in André Stiano's mind, and the person in the same position is close at hand, he is like meat on a chopping board, but when he meditates on this sentence, he unexpectedly calms down - since I have already realized it, why should I be afraid of death?

The Veil of Concealment was gently lifted by a hand, revealing his already battered body, and the eyeballed roses emitted a rotten scent that reminded him of his own death—would the Hidden Sage leave him a corpse?

Or will he cut off his head as a warning to those who come after him?

"Gadgets from the 'Bound' path." Thoth observed the texture of the gown, "From the point of view of being able to conceal the form, it should correspond to the 'resentful spirit' of sequence 5...... This is the problem of xenomorphs, the body and soul are as if they are bound, and it is difficult for divination and psychic to obtain effective information. ”

But you have found me anyway, André thought to himself, I should have thought that your knowledge was both a blessing and a curse, and when I took the gift, the shackles were put around my neck.

"You...... Ahem......" He tried to make a sound, but spat out a mouthful of blood.

"It's clear that you don't really believe in me, but you still have to use honorifics, aren't you tired?"

The natural enemy of the Stiano family, the sinister and cunning courtier in the mouth of the elder, the tone of the hidden sage was calm and usual, like a teacher ordering the next generation, and just listening to the voice, André could imagine his gentle and tranquil appearance.

"If you still have the strength, put your head up." Thoth sighed softly, "I won't say things like 'you can open the net', the wrongdoer, the dishonest, the violator, the penalty for the fine, the rod for the blame, the beheading for the behead—if I break the rules I have made, then no one will trust my authority." ”

"You broke your oath and deserved to be put to death, but since you are unwilling, you should die with your head held high."

André looked up, and Thoth was able to reduce the mental damage caused by looking directly at the mythical creature by restraining the "message", so he could see his appearance very clearly.

The Hidden Sage is notoriously fond of lounging at banquets, so the first time Andrei had a close encounter with the Hidden Sage was not at Vanity Fair in the imperial capital, but five years ago, on the day he first arrived in the North, in a snowy square.

He and his people shivered, partly because of the cold weather, partly because of the instinctive awe of the high-ranking people in the adjacent path, and Andre, who had a secret mission, was even more afraid of their body search, so that the "invisible veil" could not be hidden.

Andrei glanced up quietly, but met the purple eyes - even if it was only for a moment, he had the feeling that he had been seen through from the inside out.

He had heard a rumor that the hidden sage's eyes were hiding the mysteries of the universe.

"When you're settled, take them to the tailor and measure them."

When he was stunned, the hidden sage had already turned his head to order his dependents, but the dependents didn't react a little, and he was stunned, "Ah? "Yes.

"Make winter clothes." He patiently explained, "It's not even the coldest time to freeze like this, and after a while you're going to get sick, and the cold will spread quickly, you know?" ”

"Oh! You're right, I'll do it right away! ”

In front of the hidden sage, many people will be ashamed of their lack of understanding, but they will rarely be afraid because they are not groveling enough.

"So, you ...... early in the morning"

Five years ago coincided with the present, and Andrei remembered the glimpse that seemed to see everything.

Thoth smiled slightly, "I'm not a spectator, I don't have the ability to read minds, I just don't trust everyone equally - whether you have the surname Stiano or not." ”

Andrei shuddered, and a terrible thought took shape in his mind.

"All the 'occultists' of the school have ...... the 'ancient secrets' they have received from you"

Can you fight back against them when they betray?

"Shh

Thoth pressed his index finger to his lips, the corners of his mouth slightly curled. When he was a teacher, he would subconsciously smile appreciatively at students who raised their hands and answered questions correctly, a habit that has continued to this day, and Andre immediately realized that the second half of his unspoken sentence was completely correct.

In fact, as the apex of the Late Second Age, he had enough time to make his mark on "knowledge" that would become a talisman if someone betrayed it.

This is probably another sense: "Whatever is said, it will be known."

"Don't you think ......," Andre tried not to show himself, "does this chill those who believe in you?" ”

Thoth gave a smirk, "If you have a friend who has been eaten by the gods, you will understand how unreliable the so-called 'piety' is in the face of the aggregate instinct. ”

Andre was stunned for a moment, and his spiritual intuition was crazy warning.

Thoth's voice had a demagogic tone, and André couldn't resist hearing every word he spoke...... Just like a traveler in the desert, he knows that the sweet spring is mixed with poison, and he can't help but drink it all.

The death penalty has begun, and the noose is slowly tightening.

"The sailor, the hymn, the reader, the spectator, and the prayer are adjacent to each other, and they are collectively called the 'Five Ways of Omniscience.'" Thoth said unhurriedly, "And the true Creator, the 'Hanged Man' as you call it, had another name before the second blasphemous tablet appeared. ”

"The All-Knowing and All-Powerful Creator."

One eye after another opened on Andrei's body, he could realize these dangerous changes, but he still couldn't help but think about it - since death is already a doomed end, why not use the last strength to open a corner of history?

Since he is not even afraid of death, why should he be afraid to look directly at the crazy nature of this world?

"So, it's the three who share the ......"

The knowledge he had learned was beyond the limits of his personality, and André could no longer stand, and he fell to the ground, his limbs beginning to twist and melt, but his eyes were still wide open, looking at the deep night sky.

As a former "astronomer", he found the location of the North Star at a glance.

"Yes, and before they became the 'Eternal Sun', the 'Lord of the Storms,' the 'Gods of Knowledge and Wisdom,' they were called 'Pure White Angels,' 'Wind Angels,' and 'Angels of Wisdom.'"

"At every great feast, the pure white angels put on a crown of ivy, and held a scepter with ears of wheat and lantern fruits, and led twelve of the best singers to sing to the Creator, who likened him to the dawn that pierced the night, to a lighthouse that guides the way, and who celebrates the greatness and immortality of the Creator, and who says that his faith will be as eternal as the kingdom of the Lord."

"The Wind Angel is the opposite of Him, and though he is the 'Singer of the Seas,' he is so capable of singing that he is not flattering, 'the roar of the beast is more rhythmic than his singing,' so the Red Angel says, and they will fight, and the waves will evaporate, and the flames will be extinguished, but in the end they will often end up in the mellow aroma of wine."

"But the amount of wine of the angels is often measured in 'barrels' compared to 'cups,' and they can drink one or two barrels of Ormere wine in one sitting."

"And at such times, the wise angel must hide in the library of the kingdom of God, and he has always liked to be quiet, and I sit on the left side of the long table to write down the history of my hometown, and he sits on the right side to sort out the files presented by the various churches, and often sit for an afternoon. We don't like to talk when we're doing things, but he occasionally complains to himself that the reports of the people below him are messy, that they don't get to the point, and that they catch a lot of good words. ”

"So I suggested that He make a form, when, who, and what he did, at a glance."

Andrei felt the snow sink gently, and the hidden sage sat beside him, telling those picturesque days in a clear voice, and death seemed to have become a process of relaxation.

He thought he must be crazy, otherwise why would he be fascinated by it the more he listened?

He even asked a few questions.

"Are the other ocean singers singing as ugly as the wind angels?"

"It's just a few people, and there is no shortage of ocean singers who can sing at the festival."

"The sons of God were already born at that time?"

"Yes, their birth is a sign of the beginning of a glorious age."

"So the Eastern Continent is indeed the 'center of the world' that it once was?"

"This is actually a reference to a temple in the Eastern Continent where people would go to ask for divine revelation before making major decisions, such as merchants entering new industries, pioneers establishing sub-states, and politicians running for office......"

As soon as he asked and answered, the sky began to turn white, but his mind became more and more dizzy, and the North Star in his field of vision was nowhere to be found.

It's cold. Andrei thought that I would rather die by the fire of a forged steel than in the snow.

Rather than grasping the invisible and untouchable "fate", he wanted to grasp the hammer and hammer the metal into a standard shape again and again.

"I'm sorry, Ancestor...... I'm just a craftsman after all. ”

In the light of the sun, the remnants of his spirituality began to dissolve, and extraordinary properties precipitated on his horrific corpse, sparkling like gems.

"Work done?"

Amon appeared in the form of a silent observer.

"I also have to remind Olivia, remember to pay Andrea Stiano's wife and children a pension."

Thoth stood up and moved his muscles against the rising sun.

"Well, my robe is wet, can you dry it for me?"

God knows why he just sat on his ass on the snow and told a doomed spy about so many yes and nos.

Amon suddenly felt like a book that never ended, and every time he thought he was almost finished, a new chapter popped up.