Chapter 727 "I'm fine as a mortal"
Hughes instructed the people present to arrange the evacuation for the next ceremony, and then went to his office with the prince.
Blood Harbor was fully guarded, and Hughes had to pass through the layers of security before arriving at the building where he worked.
Along the way, he also secretly observed the prince - it was obvious that he was quite different from the previous "prince".
Isabella's temperament and various small movements were completely different from the person in front of him, and there was no need to distinguish them specifically.
And judging from his appearance, he didn't seem to be trying to hide it.
Xiu Si wanted to test it, but then he thought, what's the point of testing, just ask directly.
If no explanation is given to this critical issue, there is no need for the two sides to be allies.
With this thought in mind, Xius opened the office door, gestured for him to come in, and went in and sat down at the desk.
The old butler Connor served the two of them a cup of hot tea, then turned and left the room.
Although Connor left the room, Ash did not leave. She just stood in front of the desk and stared at the prince, not hiding her wariness of him at all.
"Tell me what's going on."
The prince opposite nodded and began to narrate.
"You should know Isabella, right? That was her just now."
The prince was frank and immediately laid the result in front of Hughes.
Hughes narrowed his eyes and was about to say something, but the prince's next words stunned him.
"I'll let her tell you."
She? Who is she?
——Who else could it be?
Xius felt very bad and it was really hard for him to believe.
The prince slowly lowered his head - this action was quite familiar to Zeus. Damn, isn't this how he looks when he returns to the Golden Throne?
Without making Zeus wait too long, the prince, who had just lowered his head, immediately raised it again, looked at Zeus, and grinned.
Hughes: “.”
It was such a magical feeling. Even though the other party didn't say a word, he could feel that the familiar "prince" had returned.
".Weren't you in the furnace? How did you get out?!"
"Of course I can get out. If I can't get out, I won't go in. I can't go to jail for Bazel, right?"
"Isn't he one of your followers?"
Isabella curled her lips and said, "A piece of trash is not worthy of being my follower. He played a good hand of cards badly. Keeping him will only cause trouble. It's better to put him in the furnace and make use of his residual heat."
The corner of Xius's eye twitched. This was really a way to make use of his remaining energy.
"Let's be honest and speak frankly. What is going on here?"
"It's simple. I faked my own death during the prince's assassination attempt and escaped, then came to the Principality of Tis to start over. You should have guessed that."
Xius nodded. This was easy to guess. The other party didn't try to hide it much. It was already a tacit understanding between both sides.
"A ritual related to the supernatural?"
"Yes, the royal family controls secular power and is almost never allowed to possess supernatural powers. This is a restriction of the Vatican and has been the royal family's choice for hundreds of years."
"So the only useless path you have is [Knight]?"
"The Knights aren't useless! It's just that firearms have reduced the combat effectiveness of this path a little. A lot." Isabella sighed helplessly. "Besides, we only gained the loyalty of the Knights. The previous rulers were not extraordinary people."
This is easy to understand. First, most of the extraordinary resources are monopolized by the Holy See. Second, intervening in the extraordinary is to compete with the Holy See for territory, which is bound to lead to direct conflict. Therefore, not touching the extraordinary is almost the best choice for the royal family.
"But the royal family is not completely without extraordinary power. The Vatican's infiltration of the empire is too severe, and successive emperors have tried to break this bondage. This ritual was born from this."
"For resurrection?"
"No, it's used to become a god."
The room fell silent. Hughes blinked, unsure if this was a joke or not.
However, Isabella put away her smile and looked serious.
"The royal family didn't know much about the transcendental, and the Knight path didn't have much potential to tap into. So, they chose a foolish solution to resolve all this—by sacrificing their own followers, slowly becoming stronger, and ultimately becoming a god."
"The requirements of this ceremony are very strict. It requires extreme affection and voluntary sacrifice. There can be no compromise at all. It should be difficult to achieve."
"But you see, I am the Queen."
The Queen has no shortage of followers, nor does she lack loyal warriors. Being able to sacrifice them will make the Queen stronger, which is a good deal no matter how you look at it.
Xius knocked on the table and stared at Isabella across from him. After a long moment, he slowly spoke, "Why tell me?"
Isabella could clearly conceal the true purpose of this ceremony. After all, Zeus only thought it was a resurrection ceremony.
But she chose to be honest.
Why? Was it because she was kind? This arrogant queen didn't seem to be that kind of person.
"Why are you telling me this?"
"Not only can I tell you, I can even give you the ritual. You shouldn't lack willing followers. Look, Miss Ash is probably willing to help you become a god."
"So, you want to become a god?"
Hughes shook his head without hesitation.
He has made this decision many times, each time more resolute than the last, and he will never waver.
Isabella shrugged. "I don't want to either."
She stood up, walked to the window, and pulled open the heavy curtains. The bright sunlight of Blood Harbor immediately filled the room.
The lighting ceremony was over, and the soldiers, carrying guns, directed traffic.
People who watched the ceremony walked down the street, talking excitedly. The airship in the sky retracted its machine guns and hung up new banners. Combined with the specially painted red skin, it looked joyous.
Workers went to factories, students went to schools, and those who had taken leave went to fried fish stalls with happy faces, injecting endless vitality into this steel forest.
At the dock farther away, the cargo ship reeled in its anchor chain and slowly sailed away with the sound of its whistle.
This is a scene that can be seen every day in Blood Harbor. It is nothing special, but in this era, it is a miracle.
"Look, how beautiful it is."
Isabella looked out the window, unable to take her eyes away, her eyes full of love.
"There are so many churches and various faiths in this world, but a thousand years have passed, and the steam engines still look the same as they did a thousand years ago, and the same problems they had a thousand years ago still exist today."
"I think there are some things that gods can't do, but mortals can."
Isabella turned her head and looked at Xius with a sharp gaze: "I'm fine as a mortal."
(End of this chapter)
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