One is to immediately admit defeat, and then gain sympathy by begging for mercy, confessing, pretending to be pitiful, etc., so as to quickly calm the public anger and minimize one's own losses; the other is to continue to be stubborn, and through sophistry, distorting right and wrong, shirking responsibility, dragging more people into the water, etc., to make the situation a mess, causing the besiegers to fall into internal disputes and unable to concentrate their firepower to deal with themselves.
But the problem is that Xirik's current mental state is obviously not "normal".
He regards himself as the only true God in the whole of Toril, and other gods as false gods inferior to himself, so he would definitely not do the first thing of bowing his head and admitting defeat.
As for being stubborn, quibbling, shirking responsibility, and dragging more people into the water, perhaps he could have done it before he went crazy.
After all, lies, deception, and stirring up disputes are what Xirik is best at.
If the goddess of night, Shar, gave a push from behind, the loose alliance that Zuo Si had worked so hard to put together might fall apart in a minute.
You have to know that conflicts in factions and priesthoods are fundamental contradictions that cannot be avoided or compromised for creatures like gods.
Even a god with the best temper will never look at a good face when facing a hostile god whose duties and ideas conflict with his own.
This can be seen from the irreconcilable tension between Shar and Sulen, who have been hostile to each other since the beginning of the world.
Therefore, what Zuo Si is most worried about at the moment is that before the "big trouble" of the Prince of Lies is resolved, the conflict within the alliance will break out first.
But Xirik's next move completely put his mind at ease.
This madman did not flinch in the face of public criticism. Instead, he unleashed all his divine power and roared in an almost hysterical voice, "How dare you, these lowly false gods, try to judge me, the only true God? Don't dream!
No one is qualified to judge the great king of lies!
Even the so-called God above Gods, Io, cannot be above me!
Just watch, all the mortals in the world will fall at my feet!
And the heads of you false gods will become the best decorations on the Supreme Throne! Today, I declare war on all of you.
If you are not afraid of death, come and challenge me!
Hahahahaha…"
As the last word came out of his mouth, the shrill laughter echoed in the ears of every god and mortal around.
Immediately afterwards, Xirik's incarnation began to swell and grow rapidly, and the disturbing black divine power spread in all directions as if it was out of control.
When the magic goddess Midnight saw this scene, her face immediately changed drastically, and she quickly warned: "Be careful! This madman is trying to detonate his own incarnation!"
"Damn it! Back off!"
Musk, the god of thieves, immediately thought of escaping.
Because of his priesthood and personality, he would never confront the enemy head-on, let alone face the self-destruction of such a powerful incarnation of divine power.
Yes!
After losing a series of priesthoods including strife, tyranny, hatred, fear, death, murder, the dead, decay, corruption, fatigue, dusk, and autumn, Xirik still did not fall out of the category of powerful divine power.
Based on this point alone, it is not difficult to see how terrifying the ancient god of death, Jaeger, was.
Although many of these priesthoods are related subsidiaries evolved by the Three Gods of Death based on their own understanding, the original roots can be clearly found if we trace them back.
"No! We can't retreat! There are innocent people in the city behind us who need to be protected!"
At the critical moment, the god of justice Tyr stood up and led the god of suffering Ilmater and the god of loyalty and courage Torm, and tried their best to release divine power to hold up a barrier to protect the residents of Zhentil Castle behind them.
Although this is the main source of faith for Bane, the god of tyranny.
But as long as there is one kind-hearted person left, they will never sit idly by and watch it be destroyed.
After all, the good gods of Faerun are all "genuinely" kind, and are willing to make selfless contributions and sacrifices.
During the Time of Troubles, Torm had once challenged Bane to a one-on-one duel in order to stop him.
In the end, he sacrificed himself and died together with the dark king who was many times more powerful than himself.
Later, Io, the god above gods, resurrected him because he had faithfully fulfilled his duties.
This shows that the good gods are absolutely trustworthy in this regard.
However, the Triune Alliance is not the only god protecting Zhentil Keep. Other neutral or good-leaning gods such as the God of Knowledge, the Goddess of Magic, the Goddess of Wealth, the new God of Death have also joined them. Even the long-despised Lord of Dawn is no exception.
Bane, the god of tyranny, even used his most powerful ability to wrap the entire Zhentil Keep in his divine power.
Some of them did so with good intentions, some because of their clergy duties, and some wanted to show their strength in front of their believers. In any case, none of them wanted such an important city to be wiped off the map.
Oghma, the god of knowledge, protects the city's libraries and scholars, Waukeen, the goddess of wealth, protects an important trade hub and market, and the Dark Lord protects his own holy place of faith.
In short, with the cooperation of these gods, although the streets and alleys of the city are mired in chaos and unable to extricate themselves, some residents who have suffered from the war have ignited hope.
Among them was a female warrior wearing heavy armor and the insignia of a Zhentil Keep officer. She was stepping on the corpses of Cyric's followers and looking up at Tyr standing in the sky, her face full of longing and admiration.
Her name is Celul, and she is one of the few paladins in this evil city.
As a true outlier, she hated the environment and the cruel and evil slavery here, and longed to lead the oppressed lower classes and slaves to rebel against the ruthless ruling class and eradicate the Zhentarim that spread unrest and tyranny.
But today, the holy war launched by Xirik and his followers completely shattered Selul's beautiful and naive fantasy.
Because she realized for the first time that the oppressed lower classes and slaves were not as kind as she had imagined.
Just the opposite!
After gaining the strength to fight, they will vent their anger like wild beasts out of control, returning double the pain originally inflicted on themselves to the abuser.
This obviously has nothing to do with the word "justice".
In particular, the crimes that were happening in the streets against nobles, merchants, and wealthy civilian women had already far exceeded the limits of what the paladins could tolerate.
For this reason, Selul even had to swing the sword in his hand to kill those companions who had fought side by side with him before.
The pain that cannot be described in words is torturing and devouring the heart of this young woman who is full of a sense of justice.
At this moment, the armor of the paladin had been stained red with blood, and his helmet had long disappeared. His short golden hair was mixed with blood plasma, sticking to his scalp and neck. The sword in his hand was bent and broken because he had killed too many people. His eyes were full of confusion and helplessness.
She desperately wanted to get guidance from Tyr, the god of justice, and wanted to find out why the uprising she led against tyranny ended up like this.
But just when Selul focused all his attention on Tyr, the god of justice, he suddenly saw a huge crack in the sky.
Immediately afterwards, a chain flew out from Zuo Si's hand and handcuffed directly to the feet of Xirik's incarnation, and then forcibly dragged it into a space filled with darkness, chaos, distortion, and nothingness.
The next second...
Boom!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Along with a deafening roar and a violent tremor that seemed to shatter the entire world, a large amount of indescribable strange matter gushed out from the cracks, accompanied by a surge of chaotic energy.
The effect of the two mixed together was so great that the nearby magic net completely lost control, and even the magic goddess Midnight herself was unable to repair it in a short period of time.
In addition, the original and extremely unstable ether also quickly reacted with other surrounding substances, creating an incomparably magnificent and majestic scene.
At first glance, the entire sky looks like a shimmering colorful cover.
而那些云层和空气，则因为融入和乙太物质变得仿佛有生命一样，在这个巨大的罩子内不断变化外形，并在月光照射下呈现出紫红色的亮彩。
正当诸神和地上的凡人都被这变化深深吸引时，左思举着一个被压缩成网球大小神力核心，从巨大的裂隙中缓缓走出，胸口火花闪烁着太阳般明亮刺眼的光芒。
不用问也知道，为避免希瑞克的化身自爆对脚下这片大陆造成太过严重的伤害，他刚才利用战神坦帕斯送给自己的神器——【战争锁链】，将前者拉进黑暗虚空之中进行“无害化”处理。
由于黑暗虚空扭曲、混乱和虚无的本质，使得类似神明这种纯粹精神体的生命进入后，立刻便会因为自身存在逻辑出现问题而自我崩溃。
甚至都不需要那些危险无比的熵力与随处可见的混乱法术力出手。
左思之所以知晓这一点，还是多亏了上次风暴之神和战神派遣化身进入黑暗虚空时，被他碰巧观察到的结果。
当然，换成平时，仅凭他现如今火花的力量，想要拉动一个强大神力的化身基本上是不可能做到的事情。
但希瑞克自己作死，放弃了对化身的控制，同时还让内部存储的神力急速膨胀，最终产生威力惊人的爆炸。
这也就意味着，该化身是处在一种完全失控的状态下，所以才会被轻易的拖进黑暗虚空。
至于左思手上拿着的黑色神力核心，正是搜集刚才爆炸产生的神力碎片汇聚而成。
千万不要小看了这玩意。
再怎么说也是一位强大神力战斗化身自爆后遗留下来的部分力量。
也许仅有原本化身的二分之一、三分之一乃至五分之一，其余部分都被黑暗虚空迅速吞噬，根本来不及全部搜集起来，但也足以打造一件可以用来弑神、爆星的超级神器。
就算不用来打造神器，作为一个强大稳定的能量源也是不错的。
要知道神力核心可不是【密瑟拉之核】、【暗影能核】这种需要不停从魔网或阴影魔网中抽取能量的炼金物品，其本身就是一个取之不尽用之不竭的能量源。
作为神明自身力量的一部分，只要希瑞克还没有躺尸星界，继续维持着在物质世界最低限度的信仰，那么这玩意就能源源不断的获得补充。
“感谢你慷慨的馈赠，亲爱的谎言王子。”
左思翘起嘴角，用略带戏谑的语气向某位自称“唯一真神”的家伙表达了感谢。
因为希瑞克疯狂的行为不仅把自己“众神之敌”这个身份给坐实了，同时还留下了一件相当重量级的礼物。
要知道这玩意如果交给一个凡人，可以使其瞬间摆脱濒死状态，成为一名神力等级为零、没有任何神职、但却已经获得不朽跟永生的准神。
尤其是无视自身处境向诸神公然宣战的举动，让左思竟然产生了一种莫名的熟悉感。
就是不知道他被胖揍一顿之后，是不是也会快速滑跪，签下一大堆丧权辱神的协议。
随着危机的解除，降下化身的诸神很快便收回神力停止了对散提尔堡的庇护。
正义之神提尔更是愤愤不平的说道：“希瑞克做的越来越过火了！
如果说之前还仅仅是不履行自己神圣的职责，那么现在就是公开违反我们之间的潜规则，以神明之身对凡人下手。
如此严重的罪行，绝对不可饶恕。
他必须要受到审判和惩罚！”
“召集所有强大神力和其余诸神开会吧。
谎言之王是时候要为他的愚蠢跟狂妄付出代价了。
如果他不接受，那么我们唯有发动一场神战来打消他不切实际的野心与幻想。”
战争之神坦帕斯眼睛里闪烁着骇人的红光。
毫无疑问，身为战神他最喜欢看到的就是在诸神之间爆发大规模的战争。
而这次针对希瑞克的审判就是最好的机会。
魔法女神午夜也跟着附和道：“我也赞同！ 疯狂的希瑞克和他的追随者已经给这个世界造成了太多的动荡、混乱、冲突和伤害。
尤其是狂妄宣称自己是唯一真神的行为，已经侵犯到了我们每一个人的底线，更触犯了艾欧陛下制定的规则。
否则诸神之间的默契，还有好不容易才建立起来的秩序都将荡然无存。
不过我暂时对发动神战持保留意见。”
“死神克兰沃，你怎么说？”
坦帕斯把目光投向了这个浑身上下散发着战士气息的新神。
尽管才刚刚封神还不到十几分钟，可作为整个晶壁内死亡规则的掌控者，死神从诞生的那一刻就必然是强大神力，这是毋庸置疑的事情。
所以即便是身为最古老、最强大的战神，他也表达出了足够的敬意。
克兰沃低着头沉思了片刻，很快回应道：“原则上我支持发起一场针对希瑞克的审判。不过具体要怎么操作，我想先回去请教一下最古老死神耶格前辈再做决定。”
“那你呢，刚刚战胜死亡归来的黑暗君主？”
坦帕斯继续向在场另外一位强大神力询问道。
班恩咧开嘴露出两颗锋利的犬齿，满脸都是狰狞的笑容：“这还用问吗？
我当然是站在你这一边，伟大的战争之王。
如果有必要的话，我甚至会与你并肩作战，一起杀进这个狂妄无知小人的国度。
把他从王座上拉下来，聆听其临死前发出的痛苦哀嚎。”
“哈哈哈哈！我就知道你不会让我失望的。”
坦帕斯顿时发出一阵开心的大笑。
在询问了一圈在场所有强大神力的意见后，他最终郑重其事的宣布道：“既然大家都不反对，那么我就正式宣布一周之后，将于万神殿召开会议商讨审判希瑞克的具体事宜。届时我希望所有神明都能到场，通过投票来决定采取什么样的行动。”
“没问题！不过我希望索斯到时候也能出现。因为这件事情原本就跟他有着非常密切的关系。”
欧格玛趁此机会提出了附加条件。
战神立刻不加思索的回应道：“当然没问题。索斯原本就被艾欧陛下赋予了与诸神同等的权力与地位，而且刚才还阻止了希瑞克的疯狂举动，理所当然可以出席并发表意见。”
“那就这么说定了。一周之后，我们在万神殿见。”
“希望这次能达成一致，让诸神联合起来给希瑞克一个终身难忘的教训！”
“国度内唯一的真神？真亏他说得出口。”
……
一时之间，诸神的化身纷纷化作流光返回了自己的国度。
唯有午夜和克兰沃还在深情的对视，完全无视了周围还有其他人，仿佛眼中只有彼此。
就在气氛变得越来越暧昧时，左思用一声咳嗽打断了他们的二人世界。
“咳咳——两位，我觉得这里不太适合叙旧，也许你们应该考虑换个比较幽静的地方。”
瞬间！
身为魔法女神的午夜脸上浮现出一丝红晕，同时用没好气的目光瞪了这个自己亲手赐予银火的年轻选民一眼，随后开口说道：“这件事情你干的很不错，甚至可以用漂亮来形容。希瑞克那个疯狂的蠢货完全被你玩弄于股掌之上。除了你和知识之王故意背着我隐瞒了关于新死神的部分。”
左思一脸无辜的耸了耸肩膀：“这可不能怨我，而是欧格玛担心您残留的凡人情感会在得知真相后做出不理智的举动。从现在的状况来看，他的担忧不无道理。”
“所以在你们看来，我就是个会为了爱情而冲昏头脑的凡人女子？”午夜故意摆出一副严厉的样子质问道。
“好了，我亲爱的魔法之母，您就不要再故作威严，还是好好去享受久别重逢的喜悦吧。”左思嗤笑着调侃道。
他又不是那些不明真相的吃瓜群众，非常清楚这位第三代魔法女神对克兰沃的感情。
只可惜，两人注定是有缘无分。
无论午夜多么渴望能够将情侣的关系维持下去，两位神明之间神职的差异决定了他们之间的矛盾只会越来越多。
其中魔法女神的职责是鼓励和保护魔法发明，自然包括一些残忍、邪恶的死灵系魔法。
但新的死神克兰沃却对这种打乱死亡循环的做法充满了厌恶，甚至可以说是憎恨。
所以也许刚开始的时候矛盾还不会很严重，但随着时间的推移两位神的分歧会越来越大，最终导致彻底分道扬镳。
在左思看来，趁着现在彼此之间还没有发生分歧的时候，多重温一下过去的美好岁月，品尝回味那些甜蜜、美妙的滋味才是最重要的。
不然等有了分歧的时候在想要做这些事情，一切就都太迟了。
Unfortunately, Midnight hadn't realized this yet and thought Zuo Si was making fun of him, so he rolled his eyes coquettishly again and took out a sealed box from the belt that symbolized the magic net and threw it over.
"Thank you very much. I have just finished reading the first chapter, and it is time to continue reading and studying the rest in depth."
Zuo Si hurriedly took it and carefully put it into the shoulder bag he was carrying.
You should know that with the completion of reading the first major chapter, the total arcane spellcasting level of his mage part has reached LV25, that is, LV6 mage, LV10 mystic, LV5 archmage, and LV4 rainbow apprentice.
Moreover, after finishing reading the entire part on the basic theory of magic, he was much better than other legendary wizards of the same level in terms of magic identification and confrontation.
Take spell identification as an example. Generally, a legendary wizard must hear at least a few spells chanted by the opponent with accurate pronunciation, as well as one or two obvious casting actions, before he can determine the type, function and name of the spell.
But what about Zuo Si?
He even only needed to use his magical vision to take a quick look at the changes in the magic network energy around the target to instantly determine the spell the other party was casting.
Such is the empowerment that comes from reading a Netherese scroll.
In addition, this theory is not only applicable to the continent of Faerun or even the universe where the planet Toril is located. The part that involves the most primitive magic is also applicable to other magic systems.
If nothing unexpected happens, the remaining four chapters should be about [Advanced Creation], which is about the techniques of making various constructs, golems, etc. After reading it, you can make your own creations stronger, more powerful, and more durable than those who have not read it; [The Method of Creation], which records the manufacturing principles of countless magic items, scrolls, and potions. It is said that the mana consumed by the great arcanists to make magic items is only a quarter of that of modern wizards;
[Realm Mechanics], as the name suggests, is definitely about the magical knowledge of conjuration such as teleportation and summoning. A great arcanist who is proficient in this field can even place himself in the gap between planes to avoid being harmed by the harsh environment of certain planes;
[Artifact Creation] teaches spellcasters how to create all kinds of powerful artifacts, including the Core of Misera.
Of course, as the Deep Demonic Network was closed by the Magic Goddess, many things cannot be made just by knowing the production methods.
However, for planeswalkers, this knowledge is still very valuable, and they can try to make it in other worlds, or draw their own mana to replace the function of the Deep Magic Network.
After handing the remaining forty scrolls to Zuo Si, Midnight immediately disappeared into the night sky with Clemvor.
As for where they will go on their date and what they will do during the date, it is unknown.
Anyway, Zuo Si was not interested in the private lives of these two gods.
Just when he was about to call back the succubus Lolita who had gone crazy with killing and the robbed Wilmes who had his hands full, he suddenly saw Talona waving at him with a sweet smile on her face, like a girl in love.
I don’t know if it was because of special preparation or because the camp and the priesthood are changing, but the goddess actually changed into a hollow and translucent long dress today.
The shoes and socks below the knees are black, which symbolizes death, but begin to fade above the knees, and are completely white above the chest. There is a flower in the hair, representing life, and two green leaves are dotted next to the flower.
On the whole, it gives people a mysterious and quiet feeling.
Perhaps it won't be long before she completely transforms into a god of nature.
Among these, the spore priesthood can be said to have played a crucial role.
"What do you want to ask me?"
Zuo Si walked straight up and asked in an uncertain tone.
"Why, can't I care about my own voters and the Sons of Plague?"
Talona smiled and stretched out her hands to hold Zuo Si's cheeks. She first kissed his forehead, then kissed his lips, and then hugged him in her arms. After a long time, she reluctantly let go.
"I think your concern seems a bit excessive..."
Zuo Si took a deep breath and forced himself to calm down.
He had obviously become accustomed to the goddess's overly intimate behavior.
What's more, under the influence of divine power and silver fire, he doesn't need to breathe to maintain his life, so he is not afraid of being suffocated by the "weapon".
The only problem now is that as his body matures, he will have physiological reactions when exposed to external stimuli.
But Talona obviously liked Zuo Si's reaction just now. She stuck out her tongue and licked her lips in a seductive manner, saying meaningfully: "You don't have to suppress your desires at all. After all, it is very common for gods to have something happen with their chosen people in the continent of Faerun. If you don't object, I am even willing to give birth to a few sons of God for you."
"No, thank you. I have no plans to have children for the time being. If you have anything to say, please tell me. I still have a lot of work to do in order to defeat Xirik once and for all."
Zuo Si rejected the goddess' invitation without hesitation.
Because he knows that there is only a difference between zero times and countless times.
Once I let go, who knows what kind of trouble this person in front of me will cause.
The most important thing is that Zuo Si was really afraid that a few years or even more than ten years later, a strange child would suddenly come to his house and call him father.
The scene is chilling just thinking about it.
In addition, as a person with a strong tendency towards lawfulness, what he hates most are those scumbags who mess around in the name of "pursuing true love" and then neither raise nor educate the children they accidentally give birth to.
Although this phenomenon can be said to be quite common in the continent of Faerun, even Elminster himself has an illegitimate daughter that he doesn't know about.
Talona sighed with regret: "Alas - why are you always so boring and unromantic.
As far as I know, you haven't had a single lover yet, and you spend all your time every day studying, researching, and advancing your plans.
This ascetic life is not healthy.
Sometimes you need to relax and vent a little to feel the beauty of life.
Forget it, since you don't want to talk about this topic, let's talk about business.
You know that the goddess of torture, Lovita, has become my servant, right? "
"Yes, I know. What happened to her?" Zuo Si asked with a slightly curious tone.
"She now wants to obtain the priesthoods of wear and tear, decay, and exhaustion, which were rejected by the new god of death. Do you have any solution?"
Talona directly stated the real purpose of her waiting here.
There is no doubt that after witnessing the transformation and improvement of the Goddess of Poison and Disease, who was once on the same level as herself, the Goddess of Abuse could no longer sit still.
Moreover, the priesthoods of loss, decay, and exhaustion are very close to her current priesthoods of pain, injury, suffering, torment, misery, and torture.
With a little bit of organization and integration, a new priesthood that is more powerful and can more easily influence mortals can be derived.
Zuo Si stroked his chin and pondered for a moment, then quickly raised his head and asked, "The Abuse Goddess should know that obtaining these priesthoods may arouse the jealousy and resentment of other evil gods, right?"
Talona nodded without hesitation: "Yes, she is obviously very clear about it and has considered the possible consequences."
“In that case, I will go talk to Jaeger later and see if this ancient god of death agrees.
But I don't think it's a big problem.
After all, loss, decay, and fatigue all have certain evil tendencies, and the new god of death, Clemvor, certainly wouldn't want them.
Since it would be a waste to leave it alone, I think he wouldn't mind taking it out and making a deal."
As he said this, Zuo Si's eyes flickered with an extremely deep light.
He planned to use this opportunity to test what Jaeger wanted to do and what kind of demands and exchange conditions he would put forward.
"Don't force yourself. If the cost is too great, you can always choose to give up."
After saying that, Talona kissed Zuo Si on the cheek again, and then returned to her own country.
After watching the goddess leave, the latter immediately said to the natural servant waiting on the side: "Let's go, Nimidona, it's time for us to complete the second part of the plan and eliminate the leader of the Zhentarim and Zhentil Fort - Manshoon."
"Father, I have locked on his location. Shall we take action immediately?" Nimidona asked expressionlessly, with a flash of emerald green light in her eyes.
"No, no hurry. I have to go say hello to Fuzzol Chamberlain first."
As the last word came out of his mouth, Zuo Si directly cast a short-distance teleportation magic and appeared next to the Chosen One of the God of Tyranny.
As luck would have it, Bane was here too.
"Ah! Soth, my dear friend, you came just in time. You know what? The great dark lord just mentioned you."
Fuzzol Chamberlain immediately opened his arms with joy on his face to welcome him.
"Talking about me? I'm really flattered."
Zuo Si placed one hand on his chest and bowed to Bane who was standing on the altar.
Apart from anything else, just based on the fact that the God of Tyranny knocked Xirik to the ground twice today, he had to express his respect to the other party.
Especially the punch to the face at the end, it was so exciting to watch.
The God of Tyranny looked at Zuo Si with interest. After half a minute, he asked, "I heard from Fu Zuoer that you are planning to take control of the entire west coast of Furen and build an unprecedentedly large empire?"
"I guess so. But this matter was not planned by me. It was mainly the idea of Sean VII.
He wanted to restore the former glory of the Shane Empire, but he didn't want to be trapped on the throne of the emperor.
So he planned to let me take care of the north, while he would take care of the south.
Eventually, through marriage, the originally scattered lands were combined into one country.
If nothing unexpected happens, it will be in the last few years.”
Zuo Si did not hide anything and told the truth openly.
Because there is no need to hide it at all.
As the god of tyranny, Bane originally supported this expansionist behavior.
The larger the empire, the more coercive measures it needs to suppress separatist tendencies in various places.
This kind of suppression is itself a form of tyranny, and it is also what the church under his command likes to do most.
"Then how do you plan to rule such a huge empire?" Bane continued to ask with a smile.
Zuo Si calmly asked back, "You mean you want to know from me whether the newly established empire intends to implement good governance or tyranny, whether it is peaceful or has a strong tendency to expand outward, right?"
"You are indeed as sharp and smart as the rumors say. Yes, that's what I want to know."
Bane gave a very straightforward affirmative answer.
He needed to confirm whether the young man in front of him was a nearly perfect tyrant as Fuzzol Chamberlain described.
"That depends on how you define tyranny."
A confident smile appeared on Zuo Si's face.
Bane was stunned for a moment, then burst into laughter: "Hahahaha! Tell me, what do you think tyranny is? And what is a tyrant?"
“In my understanding, a tyrant is a monarch who uses coercion to force others to obey his will.
No matter how powerful and prosperous a country this monarch created, and no matter how wise and powerful he was described by scholars.
Tyranny is prevalent in almost all forms of order.
Its essence is class antagonism, exploitation and oppression, and it is also the inevitable result of the process of power distribution.
As long as there are classes and a process of power distribution, tyranny can never be eliminated.
Under the feudal system, tyranny is the exploitation of the lower classes by monarchs and nobles; under the parliamentary system dominated by merchants, tyranny is the objectification of ordinary people by the capitalist class that holds huge wealth; under the slave system, tyranny is the cruel exploitation of slaves by slave owners; even the enlightened electoral system of Silvermoon City, isn’t it also the oppression of the people by the bureaucratic system?
So tyranny is actually everywhere in this world and even in the entire universe.
Paradise Mountain, with its strict hierarchy and order, is a tyranny!
The mechanical realm that represents the ultimate order is tyranny! The rule of the devils in hell is also tyranny! Even the faith relationship between gods and mortals can be classified as a kind of tyranny.
Think about it, when a person decides to believe in a certain god, he not only has to practice the god's philosophy while he is alive, but also has to continue to serve the god as a petitioner after he dies. There is no chance to refuse or make a new choice.
Isn’t this, in a way, the ultimate form of exploitation and oppression? Therefore, it is also tyranny!”
Zuo Si expressed his understanding of the concept of "tyranny" in a cold tone.
When Fuzzol Chamberlain heard such "outrageous remarks" for the first time, he opened his mouth in disbelief, his face full of shock.
He simply couldn't imagine what a terrible storm would be caused if these words were spread.
Likewise, the power and influence of Bane, the god of tyranny, will grow exponentially.
Most importantly, it dealt a heavy blow to the theory of the so-called "perfect society" that lawful good gods tried to create.
If the existence of classes and power distribution in a society is equivalent to tyranny, then what they are building now will become like a castle on the beach, which will collapse with a slight impact.
excited!
Excitement! Fear!
For the first time, Fu Zuoer Chamberlain realized how horrifying the thoughts in Zuo Si's mind were, and he looked at him as if he was looking at a monster in human skin.
Compared to his panic, Bane's eyes were flashing with a green light, and his hands were clenched into fists. After a long time, he grinned and praised in an excited tone: "You are good! Very good! Ten thousand times better than I thought! Especially your understanding of tyranny and tyrants, which opened a new door for me and even raised it to an unprecedented height.
Fuzor is right! You are the perfect tyrant I have been looking for! No wonder Asmodeus values you so much that he even went out of his way to recruit you to join the Hell camp.
Now I'm beginning to see what kind of empire you'll build."
"Thank you for the compliment. The above are just my shallow insights and are not worthy of your praise." Zuo Si smiled very humbly.
“No, this is not some superficial insight, but a redefinition of the concepts of tyranny and tyrants.
Obviously, you prefer to use more subtle ways to make others obey you rather than pure violence.
But in essence, this is still practicing an invisible tyranny, and is less likely to arouse strong resistance from the oppressed.
As a reward, I solemnly declare that from today on, you are my chosen one, the most perfect tyrant in the world.
I give you the crown, which represents supreme power! I give you the gloves, which represent powerful strength that can be used to suppress all resistance and rebellion!
I give you the scepter, which represents absolute obedience!"
Along with the sonorous and powerful voice of Bane, the God of Tyranny, three artifacts flashing with dazzling light appeared above Zuo Si's head, in his right hand, and in his left hand.
Their names are [Tyrant's Crown], [Tyrant's Iron Fist] and [Tyrant's Scepter], collectively known as the Tyrant Three-Piece Set.
The effect of the first is to create a tyrant aura that instills a strong feeling of awe in all who come within range.
If it is an enemy, then their will may be defeated in an instant and they may fall to the feet of the wearer and become his loyal slave.
The more land, armies, and people the wearer controls, the more dramatic the effect of the halo will be.
The second effect is that all effects, damage, and destruction caused by all attacks, whether physical or magical, will automatically reach the maximum limit.
The third effect is that after hitting the target, it ignores all exemptions except for divine power and quasi-divine power, and directly controls the opponent's thinking and will.
And the effect of this control is permanent and there is no upper limit on the quantity.
Unless you use the Nine Rings Wish Spell or Miracle Spell, it cannot be removed.
In addition, it is a +6 scepter that can cast some high-level spells.
When all three pieces of the Tyrant suit are worn at the same time, you will also gain the Death Stare ability. As long as you look at the target, the opponent may be killed instantly.
(End of this chapter)