Compared to other supernatural professions, there are many records of bards in the New Chronicle. The reason for this is that one of the origins of this profession originated in the North and had many contacts with the Kingdom of Athens.
According to the records in the book, the real [Bard] is a typical all-purpose profession, with both clergy and non-clergy versions.
It is called a panacea because most bards are proficient in both swordsmanship and wilderness survival and trap setting. Their attainments in spirit and soul may not be very high, but they are enough to cast some low-level spells. The latter refers to the unique spellcasting system they have.
The bards on the clergy side can perform special magic or rituals by singing poems or performing dramas. It is rumored that these abilities originally came from one of the evil gods worshipped by the northern barbarians and are a manifestation of his authority. As for those on the non-clergy side...it is said that many of them have some connection with the source of witchcraft in the south, the legendary Silver Moon City.
According to historical records, there are also god-like beings there who hold powers such as [poetry] and [music], but the 'New Calendar' does not go into detail.
Of course, there were also some bards who came later and believed in Apollo, the sun god. They often carried lyres with them and used beautiful music to boost morale. But I don't know what the origin of the lyre is now that Hermes has disappeared from the original track.
"Andre...it seems that after being stabbed in the back, you have learned something. But our relationship has ended. What happens in the future has nothing to do with me."
"As for the other so-called 'evil gods', I don't know how many of them have established kingdoms of God and become true gods of faith by relying on those humanistic godhoods. With their efforts, the [Civilization Slate] should be improved faster and faster."
Relevant information flashed through his mind, and Ryan packed up the things around him.
Soon, the third floor of the attic was bright again.
In the empty hall, Ryan silently sensed his current state.
"The ability of the bard of the 'Hell Lord Special Edition'..."
"Well, first of all, it's the third-ring level of divine spellcasting authority. Normally, the bard profession has a discount in spellcasting. Even if they reach the pinnacle of the first level (black iron), they can only access two layers of the magic network. But the special edition is no different from a real priest in this respect."
"Then there is the enhancement of the senses...extremely good reaction ability, suitable for using some dexterous weapons, and enhanced intuition. Is this a manifestation of divination ability?"
"at last..."
Ryan hummed a little tune softly, and the melodious and soothing tune came out of the window, making a flying bird fall asleep immediately, and then fell to the ground with a snap.
Since they are all called bards, they must be good at singing and dancing. And the special version of hell's "singing and dancing" is undoubtedly the kind of notes that make living beings fall asleep.
…
After completing the extremely simple inauguration ceremony, there was nothing worth mentioning about Ryan's subsequent days.
Relying on the free sponsorship from enthusiastic people, he went in and out of the Museum every day to absorb the changes in the world over thousands of years.
Anyway, the clergy system does not require much practice. Others may need to pray day and night to strengthen their faith in order to obtain the blessings of the gods, but Ryan obviously does not need to do this.
He just had to wait until his body adapted to the holy power of this stage and then find precious enough materials to arrange the next ceremony.
Materials of this level may be found in Thuringia, but it is likely that contact with the real rulers of this city will be required... For now, Ryan is not willing to do so.
He planned to go directly to Athens after getting a general understanding of the situation of this era. There was no such thing as this border town, where many things could be easily bought.
He also wanted to try to meet the great alchemist named Hermes to find out what had happened.
In later myths, Hermes was even once known as the "Alchemical God". Although this was somewhat exaggerated, such as mixing up gods from different mythological systems, his talent in alchemy was undoubtedly evident.
…
Afternoon.
I took a bite of the Thuringian red sausage and found that this local specialty tasted quite good.
For a moment, Ryan recalled the past. Before coming to this world, he had eaten another kind of 'Thuringian red sausage'.
Bang--
"ah--"
Ryan felt a collision on his shoulder and resisted the urge to dodge.
He looked back and saw a graceful woman exuding a mature aura covering her arm, as if she had accidentally bumped into him.
"I am so sorry, sir."
The woman bent slightly with an apologetic smile.
"…It's okay."
Smiling and nodding, Ryan indicated that he didn't care.
"Thank you for your understanding."
After thanking him again, the visitor smiled and left in a hurry. She seemed to be in a hurry, which was why she bumped into Ryan just now.
"Hmm? What's wrong?"
Across the long table, Jace noticed Ryan's movements and couldn't help but look over.
"Oh, is that Mrs. Sewell?"
"It was just an accident. It seems you know the lady just now?"
Ryan asked with a smile, his eyes unclear.
Jace was none other than the young man who had met by chance a few days ago. He had often come to chat with Ryan these days, and had inadvertently revealed a lot of information that ordinary people didn't know.
"Oh, of course... That's Mrs. Sewell. Her husband was once a famous multinational businessman. It is said that he once traveled as far as Argos, but unfortunately he died in an accident."
"All his remaining wealth fell into the hands of Mrs. Sewell. Plus, she is beautiful, so many people want to be with her... What, is Mr. Irving also tempted?"
With a smile on his face, Jace couldn't help but look at Ryan.
It has to be said that gossip is timeless, or rather, in ancient times when the entertainment industry was not well developed, people were more interested in this kind of thing.
"...I'm just a little curious. It seems that Mrs. Sewell has been very busy recently...Speaking of which, I heard that a team of holy warriors came to the city recently. Do you know what they are here for?"
Changing the subject, Ryan smiled.
"Why are you asking that? Holy Knight, they are not easy to deal with." His expression changed slightly. As soon as the word came out, Weiss immediately had no time to pay attention to Mrs. Sevier: "But you do need to be careful... I'm telling you, don't tell anyone else."
"According to my father, this is a team led by a high-ranking holy warrior who came to investigate an incident related to the evil cult [Resurrection Sect]. Their leader is said to be a guy who once participated in the Demon Sealing War thirty years ago. He is not an easy character to deal with."
The Demon Sealing War, Ryan had heard this name recently. It was not a well-known event on the continent, and there were even countless battles with the same name. However, for the residents of Thuringia, this often only referred to one thing.
That was the war of pioneering the port city of Heligoland, a little north of Thuringia, several decades ago. The pioneering team sent by the kingdom at that time went north along the Werra River and found an outlet suitable for building a port city. But no one expected that halfway through the construction of the city, a descendant of the [Ancient Evil] would emerge from the ground there.
In order to seal it, the high priest of the Church of Knowledge in Athens took action personally to put an end to this disaster.
"I see. But what kind of evil cult is this? Is it a cult that advocates the resurrection of the dead? Or does it advocate blood sacrifice or even human sacrifice?"
He was sure that there was no such name in the historical knowledge he had learned - this was normal. Few people would write a cult with ill intentions into a history book for the public. That would be a completely free way to help the other party increase its popularity. In response to Ryan's doubts, Jace gave him an answer that surprised him.
"That's not the case. The Resurrection Sect...actually, I don't think it can be considered a cult."
After hesitating for a moment, Jace continued:
"Their main claim is that believing in the 'Mother of Resurrection' can restore youth and allow people to have more children. They haven't done anything bloody... They were labeled a cult mainly because they were hostile to the church. In terms of the methods they used to deal with members of the Church of Knowledge, they can really be considered a 'cult.'"
"Perhaps these holy warriors are here for this reason. It is very likely that they have done something unforgivable to the Goddess's church. You must not get involved in such things... Those holy warriors don't care who you are. They are not afraid of death at all. They will kill you if they say so."
"...Of course, there is no way I could be involved with a cult."
He nodded and changed the subject. However, Ryan secretly made a note of this incident in his heart.
He simply reached out and touched a slightly warm metal object inside his lapel... and then acted as if nothing had happened.
…
evening.
In the rented attic.
Sitting back in his chair, Ryan held a cup of hot tea in his left hand.
This drink, which came from the south, became popular around the world more than three hundred years ago, and in recent years it has even gradually become as popular as alcoholic beverages.
Especially in the upper class, although many nobles call them pagans or evil wizards, they are often more enthusiastic about the various creations coming from there than anyone else.
Of course, Ryan was not tasting this kind of black tea which was said to be high-end but was actually not that good.
At this moment, he was looking at a metal badge in his right palm. It was exquisitely crafted and looked like it was not something that ordinary people could afford.
The base was made of silver alloy, and the surface was decorated with an olive leaf emblem in platinum... Ryan had never seen a badge of this style, but its owner was probably an important member of the Church of Knowledge.
However, in Ryan's palm, the badge was stained with a trace of blood, and even under spiritual vision, one could see a layer of extraordinary spiritual light lingering on it.
"It makes people subconsciously ignore its existence and always carry it with them... Is this a diversion? No, even though I have just taken office, I am only a mortal now, but my control is not enough for beings below Legend to discover the traces of holy power in my body."
"An unexpected contact is impossible. If you just want to find a target to attract the attention of the pursuers, the first choice should be the West District or the North District. So this is a very targeted target... But it's normal. A strange descendant of a noble from outside, a guy who has no connections in the local area but may have some status, is the most suitable person to temporarily attract the attention of the holy knight. It's just that luck is not good, and I happened to be chosen."
During the day, the reason why Ryan took a second look at Mrs. Seville was certainly not because he was attracted by her so-called wealthy identity, but because when they passed by each other, he found that she had put something in his clothes.
It was just for some reason that Ryan did not expose or stop this behavior at the time.
The bloodstained church emblem and the mysterious whereabouts made him look like an unlikely person. Adding to what he had heard from Jace, the situation seemed clear enough.
The cult is here, but the key point is... Is this resurrection sect really a cult?
"The divine power of gods often has different characteristics, and the diluted and downgraded holy power also inherits this to a certain extent... That woman is not a clergyman, but she should have been baptized by divine arts, but this aura..."
Ryan was not very sure. After all, his perception ability was not as sharp as before and could not reach the root cause, so he decided to go and see it himself.
Anyway, he didn't plan to stay in this city for long. He would leave sooner or later, so it didn't matter what he did. Besides, one of the problems of going to Athens was that he needed money again.
Even if he was reincarnated as a human, Ryan did not intend to really pretend to be a member of the lower class. That would not only be troublesome, but also not in line with his ideas. Fortunately, the accumulation of a branch of a cult should be enough for him to squander for quite a long time.
What's more, if you're lucky, you might be able to find some materials suitable for high-level rituals, which would be killing two birds with one stone.
"So now... let's do some divination first."
Ryan casually took out a silver coin with Athena's portrait printed on it and prepared to test the divination ability of his new profession.
Divining the past is not the same as predicting the future. The former and the latter are not at all difficult or costly. What Ryan wants to divine is the strength of this resurrection sect.
Divination also requires clues and connections. Divination out of thin air has a high probability of failure. The badge in front of Ryan happens to be the most useful medium for divination.
"Pah—"
The silver coin flew in the air and finally landed on the table, with the side with the head facing upwards, confirming the result of the divination.
"As expected, the cult's branch is far less powerful than the holy warriors. I am just preventing someone from hiding behind the scenes and trying to fish for fish."
Nodding slightly, Ryan no longer hesitated.
Unlike others, he might fail in divination due to lack of power, but it is basically impossible for him to make wrong divination results, at least for things that happened in the past or the power comparison of objective reality.
So speed is of the essence. The Resurrection Cult didn't know that this attention-grabbing guy had already concealed the aura on the badge and could not attract the attention of the Holy Knights at all... If they went too late, who knows what would happen.
Besides, he was really a little curious about this strange sect.
Chapter 315 Contradiction
Midnight.
No. 29, Rhine Avenue, South City District.
Perhaps because of the history of the diversion, this era that should have been primitive and backward is now mixed with things that should not have appeared.
Just like this house number with a strong later flavor, such an arrangement would absolutely not have existed in the original ancient Greek city-state.
Under the cover of night, Ryan was dressed in black, but his face had changed at some point.
This is a universal divine spell of the Hell system [Disguise] - the so-called universal divine spell is a divine spell that has no restrictions on the object of belief, and any clergyman who believes in the devil can obtain the right to use it through prayer.
For example, the most famous healing spells of the clergy, the first-level [Cure Minor Injuries], the third-level [Cure Moderate Injuries], etc., are general magics of the Order Department. As long as the object of your faith is not a chaotic monster or something like that, you can use this kind of magic.
As for the effect of [Disguise], it is to be able to change the appearance of the recipient within half an hour, and the duration and extent of the change in appearance can be extended depending on the caster's skills and professional rank.
Therefore, in the eyes of outsiders, the figure walking in the shadows of South City at this moment is a middle-aged man with a face full of stories. He seems to be integrated with the shadows, and it is difficult for ordinary people to discover his whereabouts.
Tap--
The sound of footsteps rang around Ryan, but did not reach the outside world. Shadows suppressed all the movement along the rows of single-family buildings, he climbed over the fence and entered the garden of No. 29.
The house in the distance was pitch black, no sound of breathing could be heard, only some servants and guards cleaning around, it looked like they had come to the wrong place.
'Very alert, but worse than nothing.'
Under spiritual vision, extraordinary powers will leave traces that will slowly dissipate over time, but fixed realm marks will not.
Like now, Ryan can clearly see that there should be a basement in the house, and there are magic traps set up at the entrance and exit.
And in the basement...
"…That's a little arbitrary, but there are some precautions. If a normal person looks directly at the statue from a supernatural perspective, I'm afraid the outcome will not be good."
Ryan quickly corrected his judgment and realized something.
In this era, although many extraordinary professions have various means of detecting mysterious fluctuations, most people do not dare to use them. Only high-level clergy dare to relax the standards.
After all, there are many things that may not cause any damage when left there, but that doesn't mean you can just look at them randomly, such as statues of gods.
'Let's deal with these people who are in the way first.'
After identifying the wind direction and finding a position upwind, Ryan released the restrictions of the divine magic, and some sounds came out.
He searched through his distant memories for those beautiful tunes and notes, and finally he found a suitable option and hummed the tune of "The Goldberg Variations" with his voice.
Under the influence of the extraordinary power, the music not only did not arouse vigilance, but silently aroused the servants' sleepiness... After a while, feeling that the time was about right, Ryan pushed open the door and walked in openly.
The servants on duty on the floors had all fallen asleep, and they probably had no idea what their mistress did.
Following the direction guided by the magical light, Ryan easily found the entrance to the basement.
"It will take time to dismantle it... let's just use violence to solve it."
The best solution to this kind of magic trap is to let it trigger a few more times. Anyway, judging from the aura, the energy it contains is not that great.
Bang--
Bang--
Bang--
…
There were three muffled sounds, but the sound was not violent. After all, this was a cult member's basement, and she probably didn't want the things she had set up to cause too much noise. After all, this thing couldn't handle any real pursuers. It was not used to guard against enemies, but to guard against thieves who accidentally broke in.
The fourth falling object landed smoothly with a sound, and seeing that the trap was not triggered again, Ryan rolled over and entered.
Going down the stairs...as expected, he saw a small prayer room decorated luxuriously.
Mrs. Summer, who had just been seen during the day, was fainting in the middle of the prayer room. As a first-level professional who tended to be more agile, she was hit without any surprise.
Ignoring her for the moment, Ryan strode forward and took a look at the statue in the center - an unfamiliar image, a faceless woman with a peacock pattern on her head.
Peacock...Confirming his guess again, Ryan walked up to Mrs. Summer and stabbed her without hesitation.
"ah--"
It was a simple and rough way of waking up. With a scream, Mrs. Summer was immediately awakened from her coma.
The pain in her arm made her want to struggle subconsciously, but the coldness in her neck froze her there. She opened her eyes and saw a middle-aged man in black looking at her coldly.
"Very good. You are mentally strong enough not to do anything irrational due to fear and accidents. This will at least allow you to live a little longer."
He nodded slightly and under the effect of a universal divine spell [Illusion Sound], the sound produced came from all directions, but Ryan himself did not speak at all.
This was originally a trick to divert attention, but it is quite appropriate to use it here.
"…What are you going to do—hiss…You'd better calm down. You probably don't even know who we are."
Despite the sudden change and the bleeding wound, Mrs. Summer quickly faced the reality.
She looked at the middle-aged man in front of her and tried her best to put on a charming smile.
Although due to the pain in his arm, this smile actually doesn't look good at all.
"You are not here to hunt us down, are you? Otherwise, you wouldn't give me a chance to speak. The Church of Knowledge has a way to dig out secrets from my memory. This is their unique skill... You can see that I am a servant of God. I mean, have we had any conflicts before?"
"If so, I can apologize to you and make compensation... If you come here purely for wealth, we can give you what you want, and we can even cooperate—"
"Cooperation, with whom?"
Interrupting Mrs. Summer's words, Ryan asked calmly.
"Of course it's with our Resurrection Sect. We are a sect protected by the true God, not those totem spirits."
The reaction was quick, but Mrs. Summer couldn't help cursing in her heart.
You've come to my door, why are you still asking such a question... But the next moment, the smile she was trying to maintain could no longer be maintained.
"Really? The Resurrection Sect." Ryan, standing opposite, nodded with a smile: "This is really strange."
"I thought the partner you were talking about was the Argos Kingdom that believed in the Queen of Heaven."
…
Argos, like Athens to Athena, is the earthly sanctuary of the Queen of Heaven. It is said that there are giants with a hundred eyes living there, which is why Ryan finds the whole thing very interesting.
The Queen of Olympus gave herself a vest of "Mother of Resurrection", and then the church under her was transformed into a cult within the sphere of influence of Athens.
Their target was not even someone else, but the Church of Knowledge that believed in Athena.
In comparison, the so-called ability of the 'Mother of Resurrection' to restore people's youth and reproduce seems so normal. The latter naturally comes from the [fertility] authority of the Queen Hera, and the former is not so strange. After all, in mythology, Hera would bathe in the spring of Karnassus every spring. This spring can wash away anxiety, fatigue and aging, and even make people return to virginity and restore youth...
"Tell me what you are here for, or what you have done."
Facing Mrs. Summer's horrified gaze, Ryan remained expressionless.
Unlike the two farmers before, the members of the church believe in gods, so it is difficult for them to read memories directly, unless they are in the temple of another god.
So if possible, Ryan still hopes that the other party can explain something himself.
"Who are you? Even in the Church of Knowledge, only high-ranking priests and above know our identities!"
The irrelevant answer brought Mrs. Summer back to her senses.
She stared at the middle-aged man in front of her, as if she didn't care at all about her life or death at the moment.
"...So they are still enemies who know each other's identities. That's right. Since I can see the tendency of the traces of holy power, there is no reason why Athena can't see it..."
Her expression was calm, but Ryan could clearly see Mrs. Summer's pupils suddenly dilate.
Apparently, Ryan calling Athena by her first name horrified her.
Even if they are enemies, these believers will show respect to each other's gods. After all, strictly speaking, they are all members of the Olympian pantheon.
"The devout believers are still troublesome. It seems that I have to go to your lair... Don't look at me like that. You will show me the way."
Instead of answering the questions of a dying person, Ryan simply killed this beautiful believer and then crushed her soul into crystal.
Then in this prayer room, Ryan used Mrs. Summer's body as a medium and performed another simple divination.
But unlike before, this time the divination seemed to be disturbed by something, and only pointed out a general direction. Ryan silently took note, then picked up the statue in the center of the prayer room and turned to leave the basement.
'Tomorrow the people here will find out that their master is missing, but they probably won't find this place right away. After all, from a normal angle, this place is well hidden.'
'But it's getting more and more interesting. Hera's followers came to Athena's territory to cause trouble, and Athena's high-ranking clergy even knew about it. Athens and Argos have always had trade relations, and there is no trace of hostility at all... Haha, as expected, war is inevitable. It is just the result of accumulated contradictions under the guidance of interests, but it does not mean that there was no conflict before the war came, it was just hidden underwater. '
'Just because you can't see it doesn't mean it doesn't exist. It was like this in the past, it is like this now, and it will be like this in the future.'
After walking out of this room, Ryan determined the direction. The result of the divination just now pointed to the North City District, which was indeed more suitable for an organization that acted in secret to develop its power.
I just don't know what's going on there, or to be more precise, if it's just an open and secret fight between two sects of gods, then why would the paladin get involved?
"Anyway, I'm now a member of the Resurrection Sect, a subordinate of Madam Summer."
After rubbing his face and changing his expression again, Ryan looked at the statue in his hand.
"It's a cult, how can it work without an evil god?"
"Hera obviously won't start a cult. The name 'Mother of Resurrection' doesn't sound good. I think it would be better to change her name to 'Great Mother of Reproduction'."
With a strange look in his eyes, Ryan's figure disappeared into the shadows again. This night is still very long.
······
Olympus, Golden Palace.
Thousands of years later, there are no traces of the battle left. The original ruins have long disappeared, leaving only the magnificent buildings.
Modeled after the ruins in Asgard, the king of gods Zeus built another "Golden Palace" on this sacred mountain that supports the sky.
This building, which combines the artistic styles of two divine systems, is indeed solemn and magnificent, so much so that many gods often stay here temporarily.
But at this moment, in the Queen's bedroom, Hera's expression was not very good.
"Hebe, my daughter... Tell me, what did the King of Athens do?"
With a bit of gnashing of teeth, Hera looked at her daughter, Hebe, the goddess of youth and cupbearer of the gods.
Now that the boy that Zeus loved the most had not been born yet, there was naturally no chance for him to replace her. The goddess of youth, who was born at the same time as the god of aging in the underworld, was still holding a golden cup and pouring wine for the gods. Of course, she would occasionally play the role of a maid to her mother goddess.
Yes, as a new god with weak power, her status is almost at the bottom among the gods. In the original trajectory, she would be married by Zeus to his famous mortal son, and this would be one of her rare highlights as a god.
"…It's like this, Mother Goddess. Half a month ago, the King of Athens went to the sea, defeated the incarnation of the sea god Nereus, and then led his army to clear the waterway to the south. His reason was that he was missing…"
"That's enough!"
Interrupting, Hera took a deep breath, her chest rising and falling violently.
She didn't care about the reason. She just knew that this human being whom she disliked had done something big again, and she had no way to deal with him.
"If it had been a thousand, no, two thousand years ago, I would have hung his body on Mount Olympus and let his soul suffer the same punishment as Tantalus!"
"…Mother Goddess, Tantalus deceived the gods and even made the goddess of agriculture eat the flesh and blood of the descendants of the God King, but Athens belongs to the goddess of wisdom…"
"Whose daughter are you?!"
Hera shouted angrily, looking at Hebe who had quieted down, but she knew that what the other party said was right.
Even if we don't consider the restrictions on the gods in the human world today, she couldn't openly kill the king of Athens, after all, that was Athena's territory. And although she didn't want to admit it, she couldn't beat Athena at all.
Of course, now she was even less able to defeat the King of Athens—she had not tried it herself, but she had let others try more than once.
"Huh...but at least there is some good news."
Glancing at her useless daughter and thinking of her useless son, Hera realized that she still had to rely on herself.
And the accusation made by the King of Athens was actually quite correct.
Chapter 316: Living Sacrifice
, North of Thuringia.
The night grew darker, the clouds obscured the moon, and the northern city without magic lamps became even darker.
It was midsummer and few people would light a fire at night. After all, this place was close to the north, but not that far north, so it inherited the dryness of the north and also had the heat of summer.
Just one spark could probably burn down an entire city block, so after suffering losses in the first few years of the city's establishment, the locals stopped doing such things.
Bang, bang, bang——
There was a brief knock on the door, and with a creaky sound, the door of the warehouse opened a crack.
brush--
"Who are you!"
The burly man in black, with the sword pointed at the neck of the newcomer, had no idea that he was walking on the line between life and death.
He just looked at the strange young man outside with caution. No one should come here at this time. If it weren't for the statue in the other party's hand, he would probably chop it down without hesitation.
"Mrs. Savile sent me here - huh - I mean, can you let me in first? It may not be safe outside now - it will be even more unsafe if you stab me with a sword."
The voice of the person who came was short and urgent, as if there was a knife behind him ready to chop him down at any moment. The big man in black hesitated for a moment, but still let the other person in.
Just like Mrs. Summer's previous judgment, the black-clad man also thought that if it was the church and the holy warriors who came, they would just attack directly, and there was no need to pretend to be friendly with them by holding the statue. As for the non-church forces, what reason would they have to come to trouble them?
To put it bluntly, their current targets were limited to the royal family and the church of the goddess of wisdom. Apart from that, even many of the great nobles in Athens turned a deaf ear to their actions.
"Tell me, what happened? Who are you, Mrs. Summer? Why are you and the statue the only ones here?"
Although he already had a bad premonition, the burly man in black still asked.
"I don't know," the young man looked a little sad. "Madam noticed something was wrong, but she said it was too late for her to leave. Others would not let her go, but few people know me... She asked me to bring the statue here and asked you to finish your business here and then withdraw from Thuringia."
"What are you going to do? Is there anything I can do to help?"
"…No need, just give the statue to me, Lachi, keep an eye on him."
He waved to the back, and no one knew whether he believed it or not. The sturdy man in black took the statue and walked inside.
Another man in black came over, scimitar in hand, staring at the young man's every move at the door.
"Got it. I'll keep an eye on him... Boy, if the news you brought is true, then maybe you have a chance to receive God's blessing with us. You're really lucky."
"But you're not going to verify my identity again? I mean, is it that simple?"
The young man looked at the burly man in black walking away and asked with a little surprise.
"No need... As for why, you will understand once you become one of us."
The tall and thin man in black called Laci obviously had no intention of explaining. He just stared at the young man who came unexpectedly, making sure he didn't make any unusual movements.
According to the original plan, they were going to offer sacrifices two days later, on the birthday of the Queen of Heaven in the mortal calendar - although the eternal gods did not care much about birthdays, believers needed to care.
This is also the reason why they have not left even though they know someone is chasing them.
But two days earlier is better than two days earlier... No matter if this person is a real apprentice or a person with other intentions, since he has returned the holy statue of the gods, there will be no problem.
The sacrifice will be performed, and after that, even if they all die here, they will surely gain eternal life in the kingdom of the Queen of Heaven.
Moreover, as long as they obtain God's grace, they may not die.
…
Deep in the warehouse, there is a temporary ceremony hall.
Lying on the cold stone platform, Andrea could clearly hear her own heartbeat.
'Andrea', translated as 'manly, elegant and beautiful' in Greek, was what her father had always expected of her. But since the premeditated sea attack, until she woke up from the coma six days ago, she had come to this warehouse in an unknown place.
The holy power from the goddess was firmly locked inside the body by another servant of the god, so that she couldn't even resist the cold.
She knew what she was facing, and she knew why it was happening—at least part of it.
'Two more days.'
Andrea thought to herself, her soft golden hair scattered on the stone platform.
This date was heard from the conversations of the people around her, and they did not avoid her. In fact, these other gods' clergy did not do anything to her, nor did they dare to do anything, because her identity was so important.
Unfortunately, what makes her important is not who she was, but who she is about to be—as a living sacrifice to God.
"In the rituals established by Olympus, human sacrifice is clearly not allowed. Only the primitive natural spirits in the north and the believers in the lower world have done such things. Now, in order to target Athens, the Queen of Heaven's sect is willing to violate the ban of the King of Gods?"
She couldn't understand it, but Andrea couldn't even speak. She could only stay on the cold stone platform, looking at the dome of this remote warehouse.
Tap tap tap…
The quiet environment was broken, footsteps were heard from a distance, and then Andrea heard the conversations of people around her.
They encountered a problem, it seemed like they were discovered, and were preparing to perform the ceremony ahead of schedule...but if you think about it, it's about time they were discovered.
The team that attacked her was divided into eight and fled in different directions. No one expected that such a weak team would be responsible for escorting her.
Being inconspicuous certainly wouldn't attract the kingdom's attention, but it also meant that they would probably not even be able to deal with the normal clearing teams. Their only way to survive was to obtain the gods' blessing after completing the sacrifice.
Then pray that you will not be caught up by the angry king of Athens, otherwise no blessing will work.
'I still hope he can calm down.'
The thought flashed through her mind, and Andrea, who was tied up and unable to move, felt a little sad.
My father should still be looking for me... Her death is bound to intensify the conflict. If my father does something irrational in anger - he will definitely do so, then no one knows what will happen.
Perhaps Athens, which had just prospered for less than a hundred years, would be engulfed in war, but they were not sure of defeating their opponents now.
"What are you thinking about, little princess?"
The sound came from far away and soon, Andrea saw the leader of this team, an old man who looked to be in his seventies.
He looked down at her, and Andrea, speechless, chose to glare back with wide eyes.
"Oh, you have inherited your father's courage, little princess, even though you are only twelve years old - but unfortunately, you do not have his strength."
With a dry smile, the old man in sacrificial robes placed a statue next to Andrea, or rather, in the middle of the stone platform.
"The Great Mother of Resurrection will be pleased by this, and it would be even better if the King of Athens chose to raise an army to the West."
"Okay, let's start the ceremony. Although midnight is not the time that God prefers, we can't care about that now. May God protect us."
"Yes."
The sound of scattered footsteps was heard in the warehouse. The framework of the ceremony had already been arranged here, and now it was just a matter of taking out those extraordinary materials with a shorter effective time.
The air was filled with the fragrance of lilies and pomegranates, the essential oils extracted from these two plants. The Queen of Heaven loved these two plants the most, as they symbolized "nurturing" and "fertility" respectively.
The faint candlelight was lit, and the believers below the stage were dressed neatly. For a moment, this storehouse used for living sacrifices seemed to become holy, as if songs were spreading in the air.
Then the next moment, Andrea saw the statue beside her light up slightly, and the sounds of sacrifice from the people below resounded at the same time.
Their expressions were serious and solemn, and their voices were in unison, but for some reason, Andrea felt as if she was hallucinating.
It seemed as if more than one voice was speaking, and something was not right about the prayers she heard.
"...share the power equally...Sir"
"…"
"Here... sacrifice..."
"…"
The voice went from silent recitation to a high pitch, and as he lay on the platform, a feeling of detachment surged through his body.
This is a sign of the soul leaving the body and also the process of the sacrificial ceremony... However, at this moment, Andrea felt as if she heard two sounds, one from below and one from the statue next to her.
The former was like a poem, in fact, reporting to the gods their own achievements and the objects of sacrifice. As for the latter... Andrea closed her eyes after listening to it.
It was like a chorus, a hymn to destruction.
"…"
"The leader of billions of demons."
"The source of the fall of the heavens."
"The mother tree of flesh and blood that devours all worlds."
"I ask for your hearing, for your attention, and for you to open the door to the kingdom."
…
At the warehouse door.
Perhaps it was the faint sounds of sacrifice coming from inside that made the tall and thin man in black, who had been on guard the whole time, relax a little.
Once the ritual begins, it is almost impossible to interrupt it. The only difference is whether the effect is good or very good.
"Speaking of which, fellow believer."
With a curious look on his face, Ryan looked in the direction inside.
"I have never come across this kind of thing before, and I don't know what the general response process is - but if I use the rituals of worshipping righteous gods to worship evil gods, will there be any bad consequences?"
"Your question is very dangerous... Never mind. It's not like someone has done this before. You'd better learn from it. If you host a sacrificial ceremony yourself in the future, don't make any mistakes in the arrangement."
So far, there has been no problem, and the man in black has also believed the identity of this unexpected visitor. He thought for a moment and warned seriously:
"If the object of the sacrifice is a righteous god, but you use the wrong ritual, the situation depends on the mood of the god - but if you are worshiping the statue of an evil god, there will basically be no other outcome."
"Since the ritual is not correct, generally speaking, it will not attract the power of the object of sacrifice - but only in terms of power, not spirit. You should know that during the sacrifice process, the believer's spirit is highly unified with the ritual. Only in this way can they communicate with God."
"I see. Thanks for the reminder."
Ryan nodded politely, feeling that he had learned some new-age knowledge.
He actually wanted to carve the name of the Midgard Serpent into the statue, but considering Hera's authority and style, he changed it to another one.
Of course, this kind of operation is impossible for ordinary people to do. Even Ryan can only perform this trick on this temporary little statue.
"But then again, why didn't I know that Theseus, who was raised by Poseidon's followers, had a daughter? In later myths, the four children of this Athenian king and his three wives seemed to be princes, right?"
"And from the documents I read before... he doesn't seem to have a very good relationship with the Sea God."
He always felt that something might have gone wrong here, but Ryan didn't dwell on it too much.
The little princess who was almost sacrificed is in there, we can ask her later. Moreover, Theseus is different from other heroes in mythology. Although he has the common problem of heroes, he suddenly wants to do something big, such as kidnapping a foreign princess, or even going deep into the underworld to kidnap Persephone, but he is still very capable of internal politics.
In the original trajectory, he abolished the town councils in various places, unified them into the city-state council of Athens, ceded some rights to the nobles, and thereby improved the status of citizens... and in this changed history, he probably strengthened the control of the city of Athens over its subordinate cities, balanced the contradictions between the divine-blood nobles and the citizen class, and was a more or less intelligent ruler.
In comparison, Hercules might be able to beat him in combat, but his brains were not enough, at least politically.
While he was thinking, the prayers deep in the warehouse stopped abruptly, and then a sound like the howling of a wild beast came from inside.
The tall and thin man in black was startled. He didn't know what happened inside, but this was definitely not the flow that a priest should have...
Whoosh——
A dagger shot towards the man in black from Ryan's direction like an arrow. He recognized at a glance that this was the effect of the second-ring universal magic [Archery].
Most low-level divine spells have no direct killing power. The effect of [Archery] is no different from shooting a long arrow.
He could have dodged it by simply turning sideways, but the man in black then saw a finger pointing at him.
The third-ring universal divine art of the Hell system, [Fear]!
In an instant, fear emerged from the bottom of his heart, and the tall and thin man in black turned around and ran subconsciously. Then the next moment, the dagger pierced his chest directly from behind.
"When rookies fight each other, the key is to strike first."
He took two steps forward and pulled out the dagger.
Ryan wiped the blood with the other person's clothes and walked into the warehouse.
The next step is to get rid of this group of mentally traumatized lunatics and obtain some materials, plus an Athenian princess who was somehow captured as a sacrifice.
Chapter 317: Unyielding and Moses' Revelation
On the cold altar, Andrea, who was only twelve years old, closed her eyes.
Starting from the sudden change in the prayer words just now, she tried her best to reduce her awareness of the surrounding environment and block out the influence of the sound on herself through a meditation-like method.
Although her past knowledge of occultism told her that this incorrectly performed ritual would not actually attract the evil god's real power, Andrea was still a little scared.
God says that death is just another beginning, but some deaths can become the end directly.
"ah--"
"…"
"roar--"
"…"
With her eyes closed, Andrea seemed to hear a female shout that went straight to her soul, followed by a continuous low roar.
The warehouse in this remote city seemed to have turned into an abyss that could imprison gods, and the believers who were just talking turned into monsters, threatening to attack them.
"Goddess... I won't be afraid!"
Andrea spoke to herself silently in her heart and was ready to face death.
She didn't even notice that the divine chains that bound her had become ineffective due to the madness of their master. She just subconsciously curled up into a small ball and buried her face between her knees like an ostrich.
...Bang!
...laugh...
Tear!
In the warehouse, all the crazy people who blocked the way were dealt with one by one. This was what Ryan saw.
Under the dim candlelight, patterns for the sacrifice of living souls were laid out on the ground. On the central altar, a blond, childish figure shrank into a ball and shivered.
A lot of gold, silver and materials were piled up on the side, and the dead believers fell to the ground. They originally had a lot of tricky abilities, but after their souls transformed, none of them could be used. Even before Ryan had time to take action, they were already killing each other.
It's true cannibalism, they kill and eat at the same time, and they don't even notice when their stomachs are burst.
"His influence on the outside world has become even stronger. It seems that this trick can't be used casually... When the ritual is wrong, even though the power has not really descended, it can still achieve its goal in another way."
"A bloody feast is held, allowing these twisted lives to devour each other. The one that is left will undergo further physical deformation during the process of cannibalism. It will absorb a certain power that is overflowing in the world, and eventually become a being similar to an 'evil creature'."
With a slightly solemn expression, Ryan had to admit that in the entire Chaos world, the mother tree was truly an existence that was completely beyond his plan.
On the one hand, He has no so-called "mythical trajectory" to compare with, on the other hand, He possesses the most powerful force besides the world itself, and most importantly, Ryan cannot really understand His thinking.
Unlike those gods who were born powerful but were affected by their priesthood and essence, the Mother Tree was special. You know, even Ryan himself would gradually develop a divine side, but He probably wouldn't.
After all, madmen are naturally not afraid of mental deviation, and no one can tell whether He has become a little crazier. Fortunately, He has been blocked... Otherwise, this world would have long become a drama of many primitive gods fighting against foreign gods.
"Then it's your turn next."
After packing up the scattered items one by one, Ryan looked at the figure still huddled on the altar.
The little princess, who had closed her senses to the outside world, probably didn't know what was happening yet. She looked extremely fragile and beautiful. Then Ryan unceremoniously pulled away the other person's hands that were hugging her knees, and looked into the eyes of the girl who had opened her eyes in panic.
"This... little princess, right? Please introduce yourself. How did you get here? What's your name? What can you do? What are you going to do?"
"After all, you are my prisoner from now on. As a princess of a kingdom, you should have a deeper understanding of this world."
"No! I won't tell you anything! Ugh... don't think I'll surrender to you, you lackey of the evil god, just give up!"
The tears in the corners of her eyes had not yet dried, and her voice was trembling. Andrea tried to raise her head and spoke righteously to the stranger in front of her.
"Oh my god, did the ritual just now really summon the followers of the evil god? He even killed them all, but this is not mysticism... No, Andrea, you have to be strong. The goddess's chosen people will not bow to the evil followers, let alone the craziest one among the evil followers."
Andrea secretly encouraged herself, but she was very panicked.
There are almost no sects in this world that directly point to the Mother Tree of Flesh and Blood. Most of them believe in the ancient evil creatures that split from it or something else. Even the few exceptions were either quickly eliminated or gradually turned into evil creatures.
But as for prayers, experienced people can tell what kind of existence is being described just by listening to them... So knowing how terrifying the Outer Gods are, Andrea felt like she had just escaped from a wolf's mouth, only to fall into a tiger's den again.
"So you are 'non-violent non-cooperation'?"
"Yes - violence doesn't cooperate either!"
Obviously Andrea misunderstood this sentence. 'Non-violent non-cooperation' does not mean 'I will not cooperate unless you use violence', but it must be said that she still said it with great momentum - if you ignore her eyes that seemed like she was about to cry and her calves that kept kicking backwards.
Ryan was helpless in the face of this situation. He was in no mood to comfort the little girl, so he had to use the most direct method to make the little princess realize the "cruelness" of reality.
······
Two hours later, outside the city of Thuringia.
After pulling the last box of silver onto the carriage, Ryan looked up at the sky.
It was still a while before dawn, but we could set off. Although the dirt roads of this era were quite rubbish, at least within a certain distance of the city, the roads were still very smooth, and even if we only relied on torches for lighting, we would not fall into any big pits.
As for waiting until tomorrow morning, that was not an option. Whether it was the dead believers or the overthrown city gate guards, they would probably be discovered by daylight.
"We can set off now... Hey, come here, can you drive a carriage?"
Ryan waved his hand and pointed to the front of the luxurious carriage, then got in without any hesitation. In the direction he waved, Andrea, who was not tall, was standing next to the carriage, biting her lip.
She didn't look tall, her waist just reached the floor of the carriage.
"Head south, aiming for the Acropolis in Athens. Going home should be a very exciting thing, right? So don't just stand there, act quickly, and remember to call me if there is any accident on the way."
Sitting on the soft cashmere cushion, Ryan took out a box of tea from the secret compartment.
This luxurious carriage was originally an escape tool prepared by the cultists of the Resurrection Sect for themselves. After thousands of years of development and iteration, the current frame can fully combine the advantages of practicality and comfort. The only flaw is that alchemical methods were used in many places, so the cost may be a bit high.
But if it is used directly, then this disadvantage does not exist. Only those who pay will care about the price, and users will not care.
"But I can't!... Well, I know a little bit, I've seen other people drive it, but I've never driven it myself!"
Andrea spoke hesitantly, looking at the big horse that was half her height, she was a little dumbfounded.
Having just accepted the fact that she was rescued in the face of a 'cruel' reality, Andrea was in a state of emotional ups and downs, and all she wanted to do was take a good rest.
She believed that the city's administrator would do this, but she didn't expect that the guy who saved her rejected her suggestion, took her out of the city overnight, and asked her to drive the carriage.
She didn't think there was anything wrong with a princess driving a carriage, after all, Andrea's father had never lived the life of a prince in his early years. The current King of Athens, Theseus, was born as the illegitimate son of the previous king. Even until he came of age, he had never met his father and had never been to Athens.
Therefore, when it comes to educating his children, he has discarded a lot of useless things.
"I am the princess of Athens and a high-ranking priestess of the goddess. You just need to take me to the church in Thuringia and remove the blockade on me. I can take you back - no, they will escort us back to Athens. By then, my father will definitely be grateful to you for saving me..."
"But I don't really want to meet your father who is said to have killed more than one incarnation of God. After all, I am an evil cultist, am I not, 'unyielding' little princess."
Laying emphasis on the word 'unyielding', Ryan said calmly: "This is what cultists do. You are my prisoner now. In fact, if you were not used as a sacrifice, but simply killed by the other side, I would not have thought of saving you. After all, disputes between faiths are common."
"You! I-I'm not crying!"
Her face flushed instantly. The conversation between the two parties was completely on different channels. Andrea's attention was immediately focused on another thing.
"Of course I won't give in to the cultists. Every Athenian royal family won't give in to the cultists - and won't be scared to tears! Don't slander me!"
"...Yes, you didn't. So, little princess, hurry up and get this carriage moving. The journey from here to Athens is measured in months - it's a vast country, and it's not primitive at all."
"The most important thing is that there are actually dragons on this road. Dragons, dragons that don't snatch princesses always feel like something is missing. Or, are princesses that have never been snatched away by dragons also a little undervalued?"
Ryan said something that confused Andrea, and looked back at the city at night.
Half of the place was brightly lit, and the other half was dotted with stars, showing the disparity in class. It was much earlier than expected to leave, but there was nothing we could do about it. We couldn't stay here for long.
After all, no one had met her in person, so who would have thought that an Athenian princess who was not recorded in mythology would suddenly appear in such a remote place. The result of this was that whether Andrea died here or was rescued here, she would definitely attract the attention of the king of Athens and the gods.
Let the pursuing paladins and clergy think that this is another cannon fodder to cover up the princess's true whereabouts. That's what they thought anyway. After all, Ryan doesn't want to be noticed now, especially by the guy who can't beat him without deleting his account and starting over.
So he made a prompt decision and decided to run away, heading south, ready to experience Athens of that period and the existence of alchemy.
"Now, let's go, Andrea, and use your intelligence."
With a smile on his face, Ryan opened a book that he had found on a corpse in the carriage. Then he thought for a moment and handed out a package of food that had been packed in advance.
"I'm sure you'll be able to master driving quickly—and besides, this is your breakfast."
"I guess no one's going to feed the prisoners, so fill your bellies and get moving."
"…"
Andrea took it silently and tried to climb onto the driving seat of the carriage. Holding the warm food, she recalled the way she remembered driving, and then tried to get the carriage moving.
The dark clouds still blocked the moonlight, and even became thicker and thicker, and it looked like a heavy rain was about to fall. After the rain, all traces left here would be washed away by the water.
······
The other side of the endless void world.
The outskirts of the Hemenu world.
Coldness and deathly silence are still the main themes here, and perhaps it is a coincidence, perhaps it is destined, just before and after Ryan's human incarnation was completely born, in the darkness, a certain consciousness became agile from being rigid.
Since the power of the world was withdrawn and the gods left one after another, the world of Hemenu became quiet again, with only one god left. When the god lost most of his humanity, he no longer felt bored or lonely, and he would not care about the length of time.
Time flows like water, but He just exists here, just like the world itself, for thousands of years, until today, when He was awakened.
It was not because of the human incarnation on the other side of time and space. He just noticed that a strange wave came from the darkness in front of him. Something seemed to be about to be completed, and this long-awaited change also meant that he should take action.
"… Pallas… Moses… Faith…"
The whisper echoed in the void, and then that vast and boundless consciousness instantly condensed.
A trace of time and space power that was barely detectable but essentially extraordinary suddenly emerged, and then without any warning stabbed towards the darkness in front of it.
The void was still quiet, but unimaginable collisions took place thousands of times in an instant. However, the result was inevitable. Even though the power of the world had dropped again compared to before, He still successfully repelled the outsider who tried to invade His body.
However, the power was repelled, but some kind of information transmitted between spirits was not. It flowed in through the fleeting gap. Then, attracted by some kind of connection, it flowed towards a certain place in the world.
It landed on a mountain, and there were shepherds in the wilderness below the mountain. It was a manifestation of spirituality, so it was the initial manifestation of spirit in the elemental realm - it was a ball of fire, but it would not burn the body of a living being.
The shepherd named Moses, or Musa, was leading his flock and was the first to see this amazing sight from heaven, a sight he had never seen before.
"What's this?"
The old shepherd looked stunned and at a loss. But for some reason, a call from the soul emerged from his heart.