Section 88 Agreement

"Protection, do I need someone else's protection?" Astiana asked in a deep voice after a few seconds. "Who gave you this stupid idea?"

"Honestly, it's you. ”

Astiana was silent and did not speak for a long time.

"On the way here, I heard the story of the Chaos Lord Astiana, and they all said that Astiana was a fierce and warlike leader. But when I came here, I saw the gates closed—I don't believe your scouts are so incompetent as to judge the number of my men. This gesture that you have come out of...... It's not like the posture of the overlord who dominates Dangerous Peak City. Then I was surprised to find out...... It's been five years since you last started a war. So I can't help but wonder if you have some special situation. What can happen to a Chaos Lord? The only answer is easy to guess and hard to guess......"

"You're bold!" interrupted Astiana. "If I were you, based on this guess alone, I would never dare to go to someone else's base camp with such a big grin. ”

"Of course I had another reason, but it was just speculation before, but after I saw you, I confirmed it. ”

"What is confirmed?"

"Your Excellency Astiana, I'm afraid your days here ...... It's not as good as others think. You see, when we're having a conversation like this, you're worried about being heard. Even the people around you can't be trusted......"

"That's enough!" Astiana snorted. "What do you want, young man?"

"As I said, I need soldiers and supplies, and intelligence - information about the Chaos tribes in the east, who worship the Father of the Plague. In return, I will make an alliance with you, and this covenant will protect you......"

"Why do you think I'm going to accede to such a ridiculous request?"

"Just by the hesitation in your heart at the moment. Ashrufat said. "Your hesitation betrays you. I guess you're wearing a helmet to cover it up, but it's too obvious for a helmet to cover up. I think your men are eyeing you right now, waiting to replace you. ”

Although the helmet did hide most of his expression, Ashrufat's last sentence had a noticeable effect. Astiana's gaze was mixed with an indescribable frustration, or to put it simply, despair.

"Birth, old age, sickness and death are inevitable for mortals. Ashrufat said softly. "The decay of the flesh is inevitable, and the fierce generals who used to be on the battlefield cannot move freely even when they are old, even if they are only wearing armor. You may have been able to scare the hearts and guts of a warrior, but now you are just an old man who has difficulty moving and is afraid that his subordinates will rebel. ”

"What do you know...... Boy!" Astiana's gaze became fierce. He reached over his head and slowly removed his helmet. Under the helmet, there is the face of an old man. Baldness, white beard, deep-set eyes, and wrinkled face. The marks left by the years are so obvious that a scar on the cheek that should have been quite conspicuous is completely obscured by the wrinkles. But if we ignore these characteristics of physical aging, we can see that this person reveals a sense of superiority and contempt for all beings—a temperament that can only be cultivated by a person who is accustomed to giving orders.

However, even though he was already old, Ashruphat could still see that the Chaos Lord was still quite powerful. Those conversations just now can be said to be half-truths and half-truths. If Ashrufat really thinks that the other party is too old to move, then he is wrong. But to say that the other party still retains the power of the peak moment is naturally stupid. In fact, the effects of aging on the human body are difficult to estimate – and in this regard, talent varies greatly from person to person. Even if they looked at each other face to face, Ashrufat couldn't be sure of the other party's physical condition. He could only think that Astiana was healthy—from the point of view of an old man.

It is probably precisely because of this factor that the current pattern in the city is guided. No one knew how weakened the Chaos Lord Astiana was, so he could only try, but he didn't dare to rebel openly. On the other hand, Astiana could not go out of the city to face Ashrufat, because whether he won or lost, he would be seen through.

"I wasn't much older than you when I became the Chaos Lord......! Don't look at you now full of self-confidence, willing to go on an expedition for the glory of Tzeentch. Thirty years from now, forty years from now, at most, my present will be what your future will look like!"

"It's a pity. Ashrufat shrugged. "I have been blessed by the Lord of Decision to have an immortal body. ”

The blow of "what ......" was like thunder and lightning, so that Astiana was stunned for a short time, and he couldn't make a sound. "I have served the Lord of Deceit for decades and have won so much glory for him...... You...... How long have you been with him?"

"I didn't do anything for him. The Lord of Deceit treats all believers as pawns, and what he needs is not our worship, but our values. Ashrufat said directly. "Obviously, I'm worth a lot. ”

This sentence became a fatal blow. Astiana's look of despair was pitiful even for Ashrufat.

At this point, that kind of hostile negotiation seems to have become unnecessary. The two sides had already had a showdown, and Ashruphat was a harmless existence for Dangerous Peak, not only harmless, but also beneficial to Astiana - because he could take away the restless elements of Dangerous Peak. The only real price Astiana had to pay was to provide food supplies—something he could easily do.

Then the two quickly came to an agreement. Both sides take what they need. Eshurufat will take away all the restless elements in the city, which will greatly increase his strength, and he will also be able to obtain a stable logistics base. How reasonable and legal is Astiana to solve the hidden dangers in the city (more importantly, not afraid of the counterattack of the other party), and let his children and grandchildren become his successors.

The discussion was not too divisive and ended quickly.

"Your Excellency Astiana," Ashrufat asked seemingly casually after the agreement was reached. "Do you think that God is omniscient and omnipotent, or is Tzeentch really omniscient?"

Astiana's eyes widened, as if surprised by such a blasphemous question from Eshurufat.

"Are you really a follower of the Lord of Trickery?" his gaze rested on the Tzeentch insignia on Ashrufat's Chaos armor. "Don't you understand...... The gods are always watching you?"

"Maybe. But as I said, the Lord of Deceit doesn't really care about the worship of believers, he cares about the value of believers. Ashrufat smiled. "So I'm pretty sure the Lord of Deceit doesn't mind me asking these questions. I think that you have much more experience than I do in this area and may be able to give me some answers. ”

"At least to the best of my knowledge, the Lord of Deceit knows everything. Astiana replied.

"In other words, he may know everything, but there are some things that he still can't control?"

"Why do you say that?"

"A simple example, have you heard about the failure of the southern invasion?" Ashrufat had inquired before, and there were also many people in Dangerous Peak City who participated in the Chaos Legion of the Southern Expedition, and now Astiana should have known the news of the defeat of the Chaos Legion for a long time. "If the gods are omnipotent, how can the Chaos Legion fail?conquer new territories, expand the realm of Chaos, and attract more believers...... Isn't this what the gods eagerly await, and how could the gods allow such failure if they are omnipotent?"

"That's because ......," Astiana hesitated. "Maybe the gods don't really care about this kind of thing. It's just that we mortal believers think they care. ”

"Don't care?" said Ashrufat, chuckling. "If they really don't care, then why are those who take the lead in organizing the southern expedition publicly blessed by the gods every time?" he looked at Astiana, and from the other party's hesitation, he saw the answer.

"Please don't care, Your Excellency. I'm just asking. Ashrufat said. "But then again, whether or not the gods are truly omniscient and omnipotent, it is very simple for them to manipulate mortals. By the way, about your neighbors to the east......"

To the east of the city was a swamp that Ashrufat had known for a long time. Like the city of Dangerous Peaks, this swamp also benefits from the shelter of the mountains. Winter reigns on the swamp for a relatively short period of time (relatively speaking). However, it is only in winter that a large team is possible to pass through the guò swamp.

The swamp was also a dividing line, and from here to the east, the mixed faith tribes were scarce, and only the followers of the Father of Plague lived there. Along the way, he also deliberately inquired about information related to this swamp, which is said to be a distorted and terrifying area of this world. Giant trees covered in lumps of lumps were planted in the rotting swamp, and the trees were interspersed with suffocating rattans. Abandoned ancient ruins are often seen in the swamps - and it is these ruins that attract the greedy who are hungry for treasure.

"Neighbor to the east?" said Astianna, with a rare laugh. "Ever since I became Lord of Dangerous Peak, I've spent half my time fighting them. Sometimes I go into battle myself, and sometimes I support others to attack. Sue me, how much do you know about there?"

"Almost nothing. I just tried to get some news from people who claimed to have been to the swamp. According to those who have been there, the swamp is covered with fog for two-thirds of the year, with messy and ugly tree branches tangling and stretching in the thick fog. The drooping branches resemble countless arms struggling in pain, dripping viscous and slippery liquid at any moment. In the mist and shadows of the swamp live tribes that worship the Father of the Plague, and have little contact with outsiders. It's hard to imagine what kind of life people live in such a ghost place. Only the blessing of the Father of the Plague can make people live in such a place. Something indescribable and disgusting lived in the swamp, wriggling and crawling in the festering and foul-smelling dirt. To put it mildly, legend has it that this swamp can be understood as a projection of the garden in the physical world where the father of the plague lived. No one but the followers of the Father of Plague can live in this swamp. ”