In the living room of Mayor Kessel's house, several people sat in a circle on the couch, and Titus stood in front of them, with a blackboard behind him.

"Again, I don't want anyone who still has a choice to take this bloody path." Titus emphasized the word "gore".

After speaking, he looked at Shang Luo.

"What do you mean?"

"Karma. I'm not talking about karma in the occult sense, it's physical karma. The King of the Forest will die under the blade, and this is the way every King of the Forest dies, because this is the essence of the ritual of breaking branches. Break the branches, then stab the previous king with the blade and you will become the new king. I thought, Mayor Keso might have said something to you? He's going to say it. ”

The reason is self-explanatory. Karin is already "broken", and seems to be more "damaged" than before. It's impossible not to worry Mayor Kesso.

Shang Luo nodded, which was confirmed.

"I understand his frustration, but I still have to tell you that the current plan is optimized. We've tried to have trusted guards carry the karma of the Golden Bough, but without exception, they've all died. Several, even at the hands of their teammates. The temptation to become the King of the Forests is too great, and he is one of the few witch kings that has survived to this day, possessing mystical powers from the ancient times of mankind. He is the true master of the land, and even the earth must obey his commands. ”

"And now this is."

"It's the silhouette. We tied the golden branch to the silhouette of a forest king from classical times, and each time we only broke the branch, not crowned it. This will ensure that the authority of the King of the Forest does not overflow, and does not cause karma and calamity to the agents who bear the king's power. The King of the Forest, he will die under the blade, it is only a matter of time. Because people will die eventually, unless you wait, you are a Qi practitioner of Aurora, right? ”

"In principle, the amount can be calculated."

"That is, you have hope of not dying? Oh, it's really enviable. He shook his head, "This is a realm that the Romans would not dare to hope for in any way." So if you don't die, will you age? ”

"No, it won't. It's easier not to age than to not die, and it's actually very close. ”

"Okay." Titus sighed, "The immortal Aurora Monk is indeed the most suitable person to bear the Golden Branch Karma, but let me explain to you first, the agreement between us never mentioned that we would crown you the King of the Forest. However, the coronation itself is just a gesture, and you can be crowned directly after you take the golden branch. So it's totally a political issue, because according to the Aurora proverb, you call it 'you can't eat and walk around'. You were invited to dinner, and you moved the restaurant with you. ”

"Is this in line with Zhou Li, then?"

"Uh," Titus sighed again, "yes." That's why I say it's just a matter of secular politics, not magic. But I'll also talk to you from a secular point of view: being crowned king of the forest is a very cost-effective option for you. Because you don't practice magic, you're an Aurora monk. Taking the golden branch to refine medicine is the best option for you, and carrying those additional karma will not outweigh the losses. You have planted a bad fate, which is not auspicious. ”

"Hmm." Shang Luo nodded, "I'll consider your opinion." Whether or not to be crowned when the time comes, I will judge for myself. ”

Shang Luo felt that he had to look at the actual situation - the main thing was that he didn't know what he could get by being crowned the Forest King. If you have to stay and watch the forest, wouldn't you have traveled thousands of miles to apply for a security guard?

"Well, I respect your opinion. It's not a bad thing for us to let you carry it, just think it through yourself. Titus turned to the blackboard and began to write.

"So in order for you to make a more comprehensive judgment, the first half of this Introduction to Occult class focuses on the history of the occult."

His pen stopped, and two symbols appeared on the blackboard.

The sun, and wine glasses.

"The god of the sun and the god of wine were the starting point of all magic in Rome. Like the culture of Rome itself, they all originated in Greece. And the origin of the origin is a prophecy: the god-king of the Olympian god race will die at the hands of the son of God. The first generation of god king Ouranos, the second generation of god king Kronos, and the third generation of god king Zeus, all the inheritances between them are king-killing and father-killing. And what about the fourth generation? Who is the 4th generation of God-King? Once again, the myth is divided. The duality of the sun god and the god of wine arises here. ”

He first pointed to the sun: "The sun god refers to the sun god Apollo, who symbolizes the beautiful fantasy of the dream world. Dionysus refers to Dilnisus, which represents pain and life force, in other words, the desire for immortality - the ritual of breaking branches you see, the power of Dionysus's side. Just as the rituals of the sun god all consist of prophecies, revelations, and dreams, the rituals of Dionysus all have one thing in common: blood. Wine is a cup full of blood, and blood is wine in the veins. The ritual of the god of wine is to see blood. ”

"That is, to assassinate the king of the forest?"

"That's right. However, this has nothing to do with the myth of Dionysus, because the sacred grove of Lake Nemi is actually mythologically originated, the moon god Diana. However, if it is divided by the duality of the god of the sun and the god of wine, then the god of the moon, as the opposite of the god of the sun, naturally belongs to the mythology of the god of wine. Diana's mythology is often associated with bloody killings, but it is more tranquil than true Dionysian worship. ”

"Is there anything else that isn't quiet?"

"True Dionysian worship is not about killing with a knife. Ancient texts record that in some rituals a person is torn alive. Because Dionysus, the god of wine, was born three times, from which true immortality was born. Of course, in modern rituals we will not tear people anymore, now we are tearing bulls, with mouths. ”

"Huh?" Shang Luo didn't expect that there would be such an exciting project in modern Rome. It's just so exciting.

"Ah, but don't worry, no bull will feel pain in the ritual because of the anesthetic. And judging from the constitution of modern people, I doubt that the sacrifice of Dionysian can be performed normally without anesthetic. I'm afraid that I haven't tore the bull open with my mouth yet, and I will be killed by the bull with its horns first. In some places, it has been changed to a bullfight in the arena, which is a very popular event. This belief also extended to the military, and also coexisted with the worship of the sun god. For example, although the Roman legions believed in Mithras Helios, the legion's call sign was still Io Triumphe (for victory). We are shouting His glory in the name of Dionysus and cutting off His blood. Therefore, there will also be a lot of hints of red blood in this branch breaking ceremony, such as the red apple you ate last night, and the fact that you are about to cut off the forest king and make him bleed red blood. I hope you're lucky, because the mad Bacchus doesn't care whose blood is sacrificed. ”

(End of chapter)