Fire, light and heat. In some mythology, it was stolen by the gods of charity. But Luo Jia knew that this was just a delusion of the barbarians. He's just a kid, but his brain and knowledge are enough to help him break through this trap.

But...... It didn't help ease his mood. As the people cheered the queen and the priests, they threw firewood and grass at the fire at his feet. Luo Jia was almost in tears. He understands this as joy, and they will understand, and they will soon understand.

He lowered his eyes and met the red-haired girl. Her dark green eyes were wide open, her face was red with anger, and she had completely lost the shadow of her beauty. He didn't know that hatred could turn a beautiful woman into a beast, and that neither innate, nor nurture-taught knowledge included this.

The original body silently wrote it down, he didn't like to see such a face, so he had to remember how to avoid it.

The first flames licked his drooping feet. It felt warm, and it seemed to be more comforting than the growing whistling of the people. He watched the crowd expectantly, and shook his body, letting the wooden thorns dig deeper into his back. Blood trickled down from between the skin and the torture rack.

Luo Jia's violet eyes widened, reflecting the crowd that had gradually fallen silent. The red-haired girl's face was hesitant, the red of her face faded, and she took a step back.

I'm going to be calm, calm. He said to himself. Shelley and they were right behind him, which made him even more nervous. It's a pity that the original body's neck is also tightly tied to the torture rack, leaving only a little room to breathe. Although this will not suffocate him, it will not be easy to turn back.

Luo Jia thought about the possibility of breaking free of the rope, but decided to wait for someone to help him untie it. It seemed more like an epic, he thought, I'm too vain, that's not good.

He looked back at the pairs of eyes, making sure everyone saw the fact. I'm safe and sound in the fire! I'm not a madman or a hypocritical prophet as you call me, think about what I'm saying, think about it! Then you will find out that you are wrong, and we can solve this mistake together!

Someone started crying, it was the red-haired girl. She cried like a child who had been robbed of a toy. Luo Jia could hear the heartfelt grievances in his voice. But I didn't do anything. He thought blankly. I'm just talking about things that you might have overlooked.

John walked up to the little proto, and he was so close that the hem of his clothes was set on fire, but he didn't care at all. The priest stretched out his hand, held his cheek, and whispered to his forehead.

"You see, young king, these people do not want to hear it, so why can't they let them rejoice foolishly?"

"I want the truth." Luo Jia glared at the priest stubbornly, "They should know the truth, too. ”

John smiled, his dark green pupils flickering, and his tongue slowly slid out of his mouth, lightly touching the cheek of the little primordial. Luo Jia leaned back in disgust, but the cold, sticky feeling lingered.

"It's stupid." He said in an indistinguishable voice. "But who has made my lord so favored with you? If you want the truth, just watch it. ”

It was as if his feet had been cut by a knife, and the flesh shrunk and rolled out, and then he realized that it was the illusion of blackened and tightened fabric. The burning pain of the numbness in the dermis intensified as time subsided, and the fabric stuck to the heat because of the heat.

His calves were blistering and strangely chilled, perhaps the illusion of losing too much bodily fluid.

"How great." The original heard John say hypocritically. "That's the real sacrifice. Don't you think that only pain can show determination, and it is too hypocritical to just roast your feet with a fire in comparison. ”

Luo Jia thinks it makes sense. He realized that he was now feeling the pain of burning at the stake as much as a mortal. But what hurt him the most was the surprise when he finally started to burn, and then it quickly turned into cheers. They began to cheer that the Primordial had finally given in to the flames.

This is no ordinary fire ...... Luo Jia realized that it was a trap, and he was the fish who had been lured by the bait. And the viciousness of this hook is that he can't break free. For the priest was still hissing and whispering, "Aren't you going to enlighten these foolish people?" Let me tell you, these flames are the embodiment of the pain they wish to escape. You go through it first, and then you are ashamed to say something to face reality. ”

Luo Jia nodded. He tried to raise his burning throat and get Narek not to interfere. Helry Ben told Shelley to let go of his hand, and he could already hear it clearly here.

The priest's serpentine forked tongue came back to him, licking the little primordial's eyes, his cornea hissing with acidic saliva. The venom snaked its way across his face, corroding the delicate skin and into his mouth. Roga tasted piety, despair, and depravity, and then he knew......

"Ulaya." He said softly, "You are Uleia of the Thunderstone Church. ”

The praise of the crowd has reached the sky. They shouted for the child they didn't know to be burned, sobbed in praise of the name of the Insatiable Queen, and some were even incontinent on the spot in their frenzy.

"I've forgotten the name for a long, long time." The priest replied that there were no human features left on his face. "Now I am John, the chosen John who leads the people to joy. Just give you to my queen and I will be truly promoted to her palace. ”

"I know." Luo Jia said weakly, "I know what they promised you...... I also know what you've done to the people here. Your soul wanders through the void, and when you discover the similarities between the gods worshipped in this city and the ancient spirits, you realize that this drama may please your Lord, right? ”

Uraiya's voice couldn't hide its pleasantness: "Not bad at all. It's a wonderful planet, and all beliefs reflect some kind of light of truth, but their ignorance stops there. ”

"This city ...... Lilith: What they say is also your lie. ”

"Ah, I used to be a pastor, and telling them was probably a kind of sermon. Love the myth of the Skull-building Cities? I knitted it with my own hands and put it into the minds of the citizens of this city and your wandering knights. I found him alone in the highest heavens, standing alone and having nothing. But I realized that there was a subtle connection between him and the son of my great enemy, and that he was suitable to lure him into my trap. ”

"You called him an enemy, but you worshipped him and lived by him." Luo Jia asked puzzled.

For the first time, anger appeared in Uraya's eyes, the fuel in which the eyes were too blazing to be understood by the young heart of the primordial.

"Not after he deprived me of a mercy that could have been easily given, but the Prince of Darkness gave me the favor I had lost, and told me that it was all my reward! Your father is a tyrant, bastard, dictator who forces people to wake up in the dark! He spoke eloquently about the darkness of faith, but it was warm and bright! ”

Uraiya opened his arms with his back to the sun, his face melting like wax, revealing the scaly face behind him. Now he was more of a radiated reptile than a human, with a snake's tail swaying under his robes.

"Let me tell you the rest of the story. When I discovered the city, it took me a century to pour truth into the hearts of their priests and people, mimicking a Spiritfall at the right time—though much inferior to its original form. The voice of the living weeps unto me, and it is sweet. ”

His blackened tongue skimmed his bright red teeth, and bright green venom dripped from the corners of his mouth. "Then I gave people the choice of whether to let the souls of their fellow citizens suffer instead of them, or whether they would come on their own." Disgusting laughter burst out of his throat. "You should know what they picked because you already feel it."

Uleia did not wait for Luo Jia's reply. He said to himself, "So I told them a ritual that would be enough to bind the souls of the dead and burn them, so that the eternal suffering of the dead would be the nourishment of the city. As long as their souls have not been consumed, they can continue to enjoy themselves. I even very kindly weaved all the usual lies for them to talk about and masturbate. As for the out-of-town guys you see...... It's just an unexpectedly escaped soul. It broke part of my plan, but it ended up luring you here. ”

Helriben let out an angry whistling sound from behind, closer to the beast's roar. It was difficult for her to accept this truth, and Luo Jia understood it very well. The banshee's long-standing goals and redemption came to naught, and even she herself was just a pale ghost.

"So......" Uraiyah leaned over, his sharp, scaly fingers lightly scratching a bloody streak on the original body's throat. What kind of way do you prefer? ”

"Is that all?" Luo Jia suddenly calmed down. "You said you were going to give me a taste of the pain they were escaping, and if that's all you squeezed out of the dead, how did you sustain the city?"

His tone was tinged with contempt. "Whoever succumbs to this pain is of no value."

Uraiya's expression twisted angrily at the primordial's questioning. "Just as heartless as your father...... Do you think that's enough to keep the city in shape? He paused, smiling a twisted smile. Ah, you inspired me. Maybe I should connect you to the basic rituals of this city, and let you die with all the pain she sucks...... This method of sacrifice must also be appreciated by our lord. ”

The non-human, non-snake thing slowly slipped its arm open, spilling green blood into the fire at Luo Jia's feet. Flames rose into the sky, enveloping the tiny human figure within. Then he threw up his hands to the crowd's almost relieved cheers. With tears in her eyes, the red-haired girl crawled over and kissed his snaketail.

"You saved us all." She sobbed.

Helliben was firmly held in place, her uncontrolled facial nerves lit only resentment, and a pair of eyes stared at the leisurely Shelley. Narek obeyed Roga's instructions and stood quietly, his eyes reflecting the light of fire.

High in the sky, among the white clouds, the tech priest looked at the hologram and used an appendage firmly wrapped around Forgrim, who was lying on the hatch and scratching frantically. Victor sat down in another chair and added another sugar cube to the boiling hot water, his voice unwavering: "Don't think about it, you can't jump in and save your little one." ”

"I can't breathe!" Fogham grabbed his hair hysterically, "Let go of me, Mary Shelley!" I'm going to shove this old thing's tail down his throat and roast him to eight maturity with all the bullshit sutras he's ever read! ”

"You can watch Luo Jia get roasted to eight ripe here." Shelley shoves salted cream popcorn into her mouth.

And being burned to death by the angry emperor who found out that his son had died was also a creative way to die. Genius thoughts, Shelley. The Midnight Lord added.

"Don't force your expectations on me."

"And what do you expect to soothe the old fellow's anger, whose son is baked crispy?"

"Nope." Shelley said firmly, "Roga is his son, and he won't die here." ”

Victor paused, and commented at Fogham's piercing scratching and screaming, "Mad woman." ”

Shelley looked expressionless and shoved the oily roasted wings from the grill into his mouth.