Preparation

There is no snow in the north today, it is cloudy and windless.

The holy city is covered in silver all year round. The people living here are just like the holy city itself, solemn, peaceful, pious and dignified. The silver-haired young man walked among them without looking out of place. But among all the people, he stood out so much.

Whenever someone sees him, they will immediately greet him. Although this Son of God has often left the Holy City in the past six months, his position in the hearts of the people is still unshakable.

The distant sound of bells floats from afar, symbolizing that it is three o'clock in the afternoon. Every time when worshippers ring the golden bells on the church, the bells envelop the entire holy city and bring people inner peace.

Canaan stopped at the sound of the bell and looked up at the sky.

The endless golden thread was wrapped around everyone, and also around him, like a regular heartbeat, or like the umbilical cord between a mother and her fetus, conveying warm blood.

As the curse awakened further, Canaan's blessing became stronger. He could even sense that these golden threads were welcoming him, looking forward to his merging with them.

[Don’t become a god! ]

The Poseidon's reminder was still ringing in his ears. Staring at the golden thread in front of him, he had some guesses about the Lord of All Things and All Powers. But if he wanted to prove whether it was true, he had to do the opposite and verify his guess.

The young man withdrew his gaze and walked into the most magnificent building in the Holy City. The guards in the corridor all bowed their heads and saluted, watching the Son of God step into the main hall.

"Long time no see."

After not seeing each other for half a year, the Pope looked younger. He smiled lovingly at Canaan and motioned him to come to his side.

The silver-haired young man walked onto the steps. The faceless statue looked down upon the world, and the broken parts of the chains became more and more serious. A large amount of golden threads flowed out of it. Vague and holy hymns rose without wind, and the whole church seemed to "come alive".

"All of you please leave."

Following the Pope's order, the remaining clergy bowed and left. The child looked at Canaan with a look of relief that was not in keeping with his age.

"It seems that sending you to the south was the right decision. The divine light in you has become even brighter."

Canaan nodded, not showing much awe, and said in an equal manner: "I came here this time hoping to get assistance from the church. I promised Viscount Mason to open up the central area of ​​the Black Mist Border, and I need a certain number of priests to accompany him."

The black fog is not suitable for human habitation and must be purified by the church. Although Canaan can do it himself, it will be a long process for him to maintain the purification, and he cannot stay in the middle forever.

This did not seem to be beyond the Pope's expectations. The Church has always been very sensitive. He smiled and nodded: "So what benefits can the Church get?"

"I plan to get promoted once this is over."

The Pope was slightly startled, with an expression of indescribable surprise on his face. He stood up suddenly, with a golden glow in his eyes.

'The terrifying gaze has the same power as the golden thread, wanting to see through everything. The embryo in Canaan's body moved slightly, directly dispersing it.

The temptation was dispelled, and the smile on the Pope's face became even more intense. He took a deep breath, suppressed his restlessness, and chattered like an old father.

"Don't rush to carry out the ceremony. Before that, we still need to prepare some things. If there is anything you need, you can just tell Santo to do it."

Speaking of this, the young man suddenly remembered something: "I still owe the library a little."

"I understand. This matter will be handled by the church. You will ask a group of priests to go west with you. Everything should be done to protect yourself. Do not let the Lord of Monsters find you."

At the end, the Pope's expression became very serious. Once Canaan becomes a god, the monster power will definitely take action. The church must be prepared in advance. During this period, the power of the church will inevitably weaken. If Canaan has any problems during this period, it will be a loss.

After repeated confirmation, Canaan was finally able to escape after repeated assurances. The Pope's enthusiasm was rare, which made him feel uncomfortable.

After the silver-haired young man left the church, the Pope looked up at the tall statue and prayed with his eyes closed.

"Great Lord of all things and all powers, you are the creator of the universe and the giver of life. May your grace fill the heavens and the earth, and may your will be done in all things. May your kingdom come, and may your will be done on earth as it is in heaven..."

"Great Lord of all things, please guide us in the right direction, and give us courage and strength..."

As he murmured his prayers, the light of the statue became brighter. The quiet light spread in the hall, and faintly, the seal on the faceless statue broke a little more.

......

Mason briefly checked the progress of all parties and was very satisfied with the current situation.

But it's too early to be happy, there is still a big mountain to climb. Mason knows exactly what he wants.

In order to become an earl, the first thing he considered was merit. As for who would manage the territory, it was secondary. He only needed to ensure his dominance over the territory.

To achieve this goal, he must obtain the recognition of the local nobles.

The head of the Siren family had already sent visiting cards to the three major families in advance and established relationships for Mason.

The linen-haired boy sat at the negotiation table of the Western Family. He wore a fox fur cape today, with the furry collar covering half of his face, making him look more elegant and calm. After learning about his purpose, the people from the three major families exchanged ideas with each other.

The representative politely replied: "Sorry, we cannot agree to that. Based on your request, we do not see the need to agree to that."

The other party invited the big families in the west to send people to manage the territory for him. On the other hand, he did not allow the big families to intervene in the management system, which was equivalent to asking them to make contributions but not giving them corresponding rewards. Isn't this just working for nothing?

"Yes, I hope you can work for me. In return, I can give you benefits beyond your imagination."

The boy spoke calmly with a relaxed smile on his face, and he didn't seem to worry that they would refuse.

"After deducting the cost of operating the territory, the remaining one-third of the tax revenue will be shared by you. If you dare to compete with the Mechanical City and the Church, you can also try to get the remaining half."

"My request is very simple. All matters in the territory must be done according to my instructions. If someone does something behind my back, don't blame me for being rude."

This request was quite generous, which made the other party a little doubtful. At this time, the red-haired young man standing next to the boy laughed and spoke with a bit of joking.

"If you are not willing, the Luo family will be happy to take over this big pie."

A family member frowned and said, "You'd better know what you're talking about. The West is not a place where anyone can run wild."

Aurelius shrugged his shoulders, his face full of innocence: "I would like to, but Partington and the South are too far away."

Yes, that's the biggest problem.

Even if the Luo family can eat this piece of cake, the long distance is enough to become the biggest hidden danger for both parties. Once any problem occurs, it is difficult to provide timely support. But the Western family is different. If we get their help, it will undoubtedly be twice the result with half the effort.

Both sides wanted to gain the most benefits for themselves, and they argued fiercely with each other, trying their best to cover up their bottom lines. After arguing again and again and almost rolling up their sleeves to fight, they finally reached an agreement reluctantly.

Mason is responsible for developing the territory and has the right to formulate all regulations within the territory. The three major families in the west will send bloodlines to manage the territory and be responsible for related business matters. In return, they will enjoy the right to control one-third of the territory's taxes and enjoy preferential treatment in matters such as trade, residence, and resource development.

After deciding on the last rule, both parties breathed a sigh of relief. The young man stood up and extended his hand to them with a smile.

“It’s been a pleasure working with you.”

The nobles shook hands with him one by one, and returned to their smiling faces after the negotiation.

"You are indeed an excellent young man. Please take care of me in the future. By the way, the purification method you gave me last time was very useful. I wonder how many people Viscount Mason has under his command? The West is in great need of such talents."

The boy shook their hands and answered sincerely, "Of course, you guys from the West and I will always be allies."

"......"

It was not until he returned to his room that Mason finally relaxed. Discussing things with this group of cunning people was really a torture, and he could not afford to relax at all.

He poured himself a cup of tea and drank it while waiting for something. Soon, there was a knock on the door. Mason commanded Oleus to open the door, and the androids standing outside the door entered one by one and saluted him.

Led by No. 2, these androids looked more lively than before, just like real people. The biggest change was No. 2, who was almost indistinguishable from an ordinary person.

"Nice to see you again, you seem to be doing well."

"Thank you for your kindness."

Number Two said something that he would never have said before. Mason smiled and waved his hand: "Don't flatter me. Tell me about the intelligence and changes you have discovered in the past six months."

The androids began to report in an orderly manner.

"Over the past six months, the situation in the west has become increasingly tense. Due to the death of two SSS-level monsters, the situation in the black fog has undergone new changes, and the road to the depths is filled with fog."

"In addition, as casualties in the West increased, pollution became more and more serious. We gained the trust of the Western nobles and completely purified several mutants."

This was also the key to gaining the trust of the western nobles. The church could only suppress the mutation but could not completely restore it. After this, the androids were treated as honored guests.

After briefly explaining what he knew, No. 2 added, "It is very important to have opinions. As we absorb more crystals, we become more and more like humans."

If the androids themselves have blank souls, and all instructions are defined by the maker, then after being injected with black crystals, they gradually learn to doubt and be selfish.

This sounds like a bad thing, but for the androids, it is the beginning of their journey towards becoming human. Machines do not feel anger, hatred, resentment or jealousy, and they do not doubt any instructions from their creators, but in the process of absorbing, these androids obviously began to change.

They hesitate and question like humans, but also retain the calmness of machines. Although they can no longer perform their tasks wholeheartedly, they gain more possibilities.

They learned to think.

Mason couldn't help but think of the story he had read in his previous life. The snake tempted Adam and Eve to eat the forbidden fruit, and they were expelled from paradise, and thus gained their own selves and thoughts.

"Since it's working, I will send another batch of androids. You will be responsible for teaching them, and try to make sure that all the androids that come out of the mirror have the ability to think."

After that, he looked at No. 2 and said, "I have had people research a group of ordinary androids. I need you to lead them in combat testing. Record all the data that needs to be improved. There will be people of ordinary blood participating in this activity. I don't want them to sense anything unusual. Remember to handle it well."

Number Two nodded and accepted the order. This was quite easy for them. They didn't need to go on the field themselves, they just needed to transmit the order.

Mason asked some other questions and gave instructions in an orderly manner. No. 2 and other androids agreed one by one. They will stay in the West for a long time. After Mason conquers the territory, they will also follow the local bloodline people to enter the new territory for construction.

With the support of the major families and the Chamber of Commerce, it is not difficult to build an army. Moreover, this is to test the latest mechanical beasts and artificial humans. The bloodline is only because of the regulations. According to the requirements of the Noble Association, the team going to the black fog must have a certain number of bloodline, which is to prevent the machine from getting out of control and using ordinary people as cannon fodder. Overall, it takes the longest time to wait for bloodline from all over the world to gather.

The branch of the Merchant Guild had already prepared sufficient supplies, and everyone, whether bloodline or ordinary people, could get their own share. Everyone was divided into two teams, one stayed in the camp, and the other was sent into the black fog.

It was a blessing to be able to stay and not have to go out and fight monsters. The people in the first team were all secretly delighted until they saw their team leader.

Everyone was slightly shocked. They didn't expect that the leader was actually an ordinary woman.

Are those nobles crazy? They can easily kill ordinary people like this who are not even bloodline members. How can they want to lead them?

Facing countless suspicious looks, the tired woman stood at the highest point without even raising her eyelids.

"You just stay back there."

Before she finished her words, she was interrupted by someone below. A wandering bloodline person spat fiercely. He had two horns on his head and a violent expression. This was not uncommon among wandering bloodlines.

"Are you kidding me? Who are you to command us? I am a Class A bloodline!"

The mechanic gave him a cold look. Wandering Bloodlines lacked resources to advance and were easily affected by pollution, so there were many mutations. Before this, most mutants were like street rats, and dared not let anyone find them. But after the Partington Mutation, these mutants were gradually accepted by people and were able to reappear in front of the public.

Even so, he still had all the bad qualities he should have. He had a bad temper, was easily affected by pollution, and was likely to mutate into a monster. These were all vividly displayed in this bloodline. The woman glanced at him and said indifferently, "If you don't like it, you can just leave."

Others quickly advised:

"Forget it, big brother, just be patient. Our next resources depend on this mission."

The man suppressed his dissatisfaction, glared at the mechanic viciously, and sat down in frustration.

"Anyone else have any comments?"

No one said anything else, and the mechanic continued talking to himself.

"Very good, it seems that you are all happy to listen to my command. Your mission this time is very simple, just stay behind and make sure the monsters you missed don't break through the defense line, and the rest will be handled by others."

This was quite rude to the wandering bloodline people. However, not many people had any objections. They were just here to get a reward, so it was not worth risking their lives for this. Only those bloodline people who were quite powerful and wanted to make achievements were either cold-eyed or disdainful, and looked quite unhappy. Among them was the A-level bloodline person who had just provoked him. He snorted coldly and whispered, "You are not even a bloodline person. You just rely on your status to shit on my head. Who do you think you are?"

His voice was very low, but the other party actually looked straight at him. Her eyes were very calm, and the A-level bloodline person stiffened his neck and was unwilling to lower his head. But the other party withdrew his gaze without any fluctuation, which made the A-level bloodline person feel depressed and choked in his heart.

Damn it, why are you pretending!

He cursed in his heart, but had to lower his head.

Seeing this, the woman raised her lips slightly. She looked sleepy at first, but now her smile was breathtakingly beautiful. It was like a dusty painting that had the dust wiped off, revealing the ingenious brushwork and colors, giving people a strong visual stimulation.

"I know many of you have opinions about me, and I acknowledge that some of you are strong-willed."

The slightly low, hoarse female voice was lazy and had a strong appeal. The pair of eyes without a smile scanned everyone's face, and those who saw it subconsciously shuddered and avoided looking at each other. Including the A-level blood, they didn't know why they felt so guilty, they just felt that the other person's gaze was piercing, and they didn't dare to look at each other at all.

The woman with the ponytail snorted and laughed. It wasn't meant to be sarcastic, but it made people unable to raise their heads.

She said slowly.

"But I don't care about all this. You just need to follow orders, stay behind and guard the camp. If you can't even do this--"

"Then I have to consider whether you are really waste."