Carl's theft caused quite a stir in the Dragon King Chamber of Commerce, after all, he held a high position.
The Grand Elder of the Chamber of Commerce.
Stronger than the Chamber of Commerce leader Shurula.
There are even rumors that he is the best master in Rapid City!
If it happened to someone else, the theft might be just a trivial matter not worth mentioning, but in Carl's case, the supervisor in charge of inspections had to come forward to review it.
"Don't worry, Elder. I will arrange for people to strengthen the patrols here and will never let anyone sneak in again."
The head of the Chamber of Commerce said sternly, "If anyone steals again, I will kill them on the spot!"
"Um."
Karl nodded, expressionless: "Be more careful next time, forget it this time."
"Go down!"
He waved his hand.
"yes!"
The Chamber of Commerce director nodded his head and stepped out of the room.
Stolen,
Of course, Karl was being self-indulgent.
"I wonder if Quincy can hold back. As a great knight, there is no one who doesn't want to become a legend, right?"
'During this period, I intentionally or unintentionally revealed that I had used external forces to improve my strength, and I hid the things, which created opportunities for him to discover them inadvertently.'
"Since Quincy dares to steal, he will probably try it, but just in case, we need to choose a few more targets."
Carl sat down at the dining table, thoughtful.
Now that he has figured out a way for the fragments of the divine realm to connect with the outside world, of course he has to find someone to conduct the experiment.
By the way,
See if you can become a legend through this method.
Quincy was one of his chosen targets, but in fact Poseidon Hawke or Connie would be more suitable.
However, Hawke is steady and Connie is cautious, and they would not trust a book about evil gods so easily.
Especially Connie.
With his knowledge of occult knowledge and various gods, he might be able to see through the forgery of the 'book'.
As for the Paladins Brown and Lula.
One of them believes in the Moon Goddess, and the other has been a great knight for too short a time, so neither of them meets the requirements.
Caviar is a popular food among the upper class in Freeport.
Paired with soft bread, delicious snacks and a glass of charming plaice wine, it is an exquisite breakfast.
“Elder.”
Beilin arranged the food, bowed and stepped back:
"It was because we didn't take good care of our home that someone stole things from the study. Elder, please punish us."
She was the cook and logistics worker of this courtyard, and was also one of the people who escaped from the Black City to the Free Port.
Hired by Aya to come and work.
"It has nothing to do with you." Carl picked up the bread, spread caviar on it, and tasted it slowly in his mouth:
"Aya is a very careful girl. This theft was just an accident. You don't have to take it to heart."
"Everything should be as it is now."
“Hmm…”
He paused and continued:
"Speaking of which, it seems like I haven't seen Aya for a while. What is she busy with now?"
"There are many things to do in building the city, and Aya also has a lot to deal with, so I'm quite busy recently." Beilin said, "It will be fine after a while."
Hmm? Although her tone was steady and her expression was natural, it seemed that she was just answering a normal question.
But the perception of a senior wizard apprentice can not only see a person's external appearance, but also detect the emotional fluctuations in his heart.
Panic!
disturbed!
…
"clatter!"
Karl frowned and put down the bread in his hand:
"I don't like people lying to me. For the sake of the past, I'll give you another chance to answer."
"Where's Aya?"
His voice was also calm, but the blood instinct of the abyss creatures carried with it an invisible pressure.
Aura of fear!
“Plop!”
Beilin's face turned pale, her knees softened and she fell to the ground. She was so frightened that her eyes were blank and her mind went blank.
“Elder.”
She was shaking and her voice was hoarse: "Aya... Aya... She has water slavery!"
Hmm? Karl's face changed.
…………
"squeak……"
The door opened.
In the dark room, there was a huge wooden barrel filled with water, and Aya, with lifeless eyes, was soaking in the water.
She leaned against the barrel, her long hair floating on the water, and she didn't react at all even when she heard the sound.
It's like losing the vitality.
"Aya."
"?"
The familiar voice made Aya tremble, and she twisted her stiff neck to look at the approaching figure.
Tears welled up in my eyes.
"Uncle!"
"Yeah." Karl walked closer and reached out to gently stroke Aya's head.
Water service!
And it’s already in the middle and late stages.
This means that this girl had known that she was suffering from water poisoning at least ten days ago, but she never told me.
Do you want to leave quietly?
“Uncle…”
Aya lowered her head, her voice choked with sobs: "I'm not afraid of death."
"I just think about not seeing you again and not knowing everything, and I'm still scared."
"It's okay, it's okay." Karl bent down, held her gently in his arms, and whispered to comfort her:
"It'll be fine."
“Woo…”
Aya burst into tears.
She was not afraid of death, she just couldn't bear to die.
Live,
There is so much beauty.
And death means losing everything.
The person in front of you will never be seen again, the familiar voice will never be heard again, and even the memory will be lost.
Ever since I found out that I was suffering from water poisoning, all the anxiety that I had been suppressing in my heart was released at this moment with my crying.
a long time.
Karl took out a book from his pocket and thought for a moment before placing it next to Aya:
"When you calm down, try the method above. Remember not to tell anyone else."
Aya looked up.
A hint of hope quietly emerged in the empty, dead eyes.
…………
pray!
ceremony?
Aya has always been with Carl and has learned all kinds of knowledge, so she certainly knows what this means.
Evil god!
For hundreds of years, the only ones who could give feedback to believers were evil gods, which meant that sacrifices and prayers became forbidden techniques.
"The uncle will definitely not harm me. I have already been convicted of water service and will die anyway, so I might as well give it a try."
"Even if you are targeted by the evil god, you will die!"
With this mindset, Aya gathered herself together and composed herself.
Due to lack of water, her body became very shriveled, and her skin and flesh became loose soon after she left the water bucket.
Step one: prepare the offerings.
The more valuable the sacrifice, the easier it is to get in touch with the gods. It seems that even the "gods" value benefits.
Aya prepared two things, one was her own blood, and the other was ten God's Grace Coins.
This is the simplest and most direct thing recorded in the book, and the blood of the praying person is indispensable.
Step 2: Purify your body and mind.
This step requires specific rituals to purify the body and mind in order to eliminate distracting thoughts and interference in the mind, so that the person offering the sacrifice can be in the best condition to welcome the gods.
Bathing, changing clothes, burning incense, chanting scriptures...
All these means are aimed at achieving this goal.
Step 3: Perform the ritual.
Depending on the faith, they draw intricate patterns, chant the names of the gods, pray or dance...
These are all to attract the attention of the gods.
Step 4: Wait for a response.
After the ceremony, believers need to wait for the response of the gods.
Some will respond on the spot, while others will use dreams, hallucinations or other means to convey information and bestow blessings.
Or, fulfill the wishes of believers.
According to Aya's previous limited understanding, the rituals of worshiping and praying to gods are often quite complicated, and some even require hundreds or thousands of people to prepare, just for a person of high status to feel the touch of god.
There are many steps involved, and no step can go wrong.
But the steps recorded in the book Carl gave her were very simple, so simple that they seemed a little casual.
The only requirement is piety.
"Pious?"
"Awe?"
Aya's complexion is complicated:
"Can a person like me really make the gods feel pious?"
She does not believe in God, and has even complained about the gods because of the hardships of her life. Now she is praying to the gods to save her. Will this temporary belief be responded to?
Aya didn't hold out much hope for this.
However, her instinct for survival made her truly desire the salvation of the gods, which was indeed sincere in a way.
Putting aside her distracting thoughts, she carved a complex pattern on the floor of the room stroke by stroke, and placed God's Grace Coins and drops of blood on the two points of the Tai Chi diagram.
As all this.
Aya clasped her hands together, knelt down in the middle of the pattern, closed her eyes and chanted: "Lord of the Source!"
"The King of All Aspects!"
"The Lord of Fear!"
"Taiwei Jade Emperor!"
After reciting the 'holy name' of the deity, she continued:
"Great God, your loyal believer prays for your blessing to heal my wounds."
After saying all this, Aya knelt on the ground in confusion. There was dead silence all around her, without any sound coming from her.
a long time.
Her legs were so weak that she could hardly support herself.
Alas! It doesn't look like it will work.
A feeling of frustration surged in her heart. Aya smiled bitterly, slowly opened her eyes, and stopped her movements.
The next moment.
A terrifying, vast, and boundless pressure emerged silently, and the extreme fear made her body stiffen.
Fear reigns!
Reply... responded?
Aya's eyes were wide open, her heart was beating wildly, and extreme fear and surprise were churning in her heart.
…………
Carl didn't expect that the first test subject was not Quincy, whom he had planned for a long time, but Aya beside him.
After leaving Aya's residence, he returned to the fragment of the divine domain and waited quietly.
Not long.
A familiar voice came into his 'heart' through the pattern carved in the center of the divine domain fragment.
"Lord of the Source!"
"The King of All Aspects!"
"The Lord of Fear!"
"Taiwei Jade Emperor!"
"Great God, your loyal believer prays for your blessing and healing of my wounds."
The voice was haggard and hoarse, and it sounded familiar yet strange.
Aya!
Carl's eyes flickered.
It was the first time he heard someone else's voice in the fragment of the divine domain.
More than just sound!
As the sound rang out, a cloud of mist spread in the center of the pattern, revealing the figure of Aya kneeling on the ground and bowing.
The figure swayed, and many fragments of memory flashed rapidly.
The ignorance in childhood, the desperate struggle for life in adolescence, and the despair after learning that he was suffering from water confinement...
There are also different figures and many complex emotions.
Sadness, joy, nostalgia...
Everything! Everything that Aya had experienced since she was born, including all her privacy, appeared in Carl’s perception.
Is this possible?
Carl had a complicated look on his face.
He could feel Aya's special feelings for him.
There was also a sudden realization that he could control Aya, who was kneeling on the ground, at will.
Let her live! Let her die! Modify her memory, distort her feelings...
certainly.
"Um?"
While he was deep in thought, Aya's expression made Karl's eyes move slightly, and he even noticed the panic in the other person's heart.
If not stopped, Aya's sanity will be completely destroyed and she will become a lunatic.
"Aya should be feeling the fear aura at this moment. How can my fear aura be so powerful here?"
"Could it be that because it has lost the restraints of its physical body, the fear aura now shows the power of a second-level creature?"
As her thoughts turned, the power of the fear aura shrank, and Aya's expression became slightly calmer.
After thinking for a while, Carl spoke slowly: "Interesting human."
"I am willing to bless you!"
…………
"Interesting human being."
Aya was so panicked that her eyes went blank and her consciousness became blurred until a distant voice sounded.
It seems to be in the sky, in the ears, and even more like echoing in the heart.
The strange thing is,
This voice was inexplicably familiar.
"I am willing to bless you!"
“Buzz!”
The panic receded.
A warm and gentle force slowly enveloped her body and seeped into her interior.
Bang! It was as if something was crushed and dispersed, and Aya's mind was suddenly shaken.
Look down.
The blood and divine coins on the ground have disappeared, and the patterns have also been wiped out by an invisible force.
Did the gods respond to her? Aya blinked, as if she remembered something, and suddenly raised her hand to look at her arm.
The skin is dry and wrinkled due to severe lack of water.
But, "Not wet?"
Aya stammered, "No... no water?"
It goes without saying what it means for a person suffering from water poisoning to have no water excreted from the body.
"alright!"
"I'm fine!"
“Plop!”
Aya's face was filled with ecstasy. She stood up suddenly, but she fell to the ground because of her weakness. The pain did not make her cry, but made her laugh.
"Ha ha……"
"I don't have to die! I don't have to die!"
After laughing wildly for a while, she propped herself up, pushed open the door, and ran out.
Of course, you should tell the most important people in your life about this good news as soon as possible.
"so……"
Carl had already returned from the fragment of the divine realm. After seeing Aya, he asked someone to prepare some food and send it over.
Looking at Aya who was eating and drinking with big mouthfuls, he said slowly:
"Is your water service ready?"
"Yeah." Aya stuffed the bread in her mouth, her cheeks puffed up, and nodded heavily:
"alright!"
"It seems to be effective." Carl sighed, "It's a pity that we found out about this method too late, otherwise Xiaonan wouldn't have died."
Aya paused, lowered her head, slowed down her chewing, and felt that the sweet and soft bread had lost its taste.
"never mind."
Carl waved his hand:
"Let the past be the past."
"But you must remember not to try to contact that god again, not even once."
Aya looked up, a dazed look flashed across her eyes, and then she nodded:
"yes!"
Although the god cured the water slavery, the story of the evil god was deeply rooted in people's minds, and she was still afraid of it.
and……
The aura leaked by the god at that time almost cost me my life, and I will definitely not contact him again.
I’m afraid the other party will contact me.
In various stories about evil gods, once you become connected to a certain evil god, you can never get rid of it.
"besides."
Carl continued, "Don't tell anyone else about this. Even those who know you have water poisoning should find an excuse to cover it up."
"This..." Aya thought for a moment:
“That’s right!”
"If people knew that my water service could heal, I would definitely be in a lot of trouble in the future."
Carl nodded.
He rubbed his forehead, looking tired.
"Receiving messages from outsiders through the fragments of the divine realm is such a torture to the mind."
"I can't stand Aya alone, but if there are more people..."
'I'm afraid I'll have to change my contact information!'
The moment Aya's prayer was answered, Aya's life experience was directly stuffed into Carl's mind.
Talking about understanding Aya.
Karl knew it better than she did at this moment.
Although his body's instinct blocked many memory fragments, it still made him dizzy.
Rules of the divine domain: Gods can control everything about their believers, not only their lives, but also their memories and souls.
Second:
He can use the fragments of the divine realm to respond to the prayers of believers and fulfill their wishes, but this will consume the power of the divine realm.
The greater the desire to achieve, the greater the cost.
Third:
Currently, the fragments of the divine domain can only passively receive messages, and as long as someone draws a pattern or recites the correct holy name, you cannot listen to what is said even if you don't want to.
This is also one of the reasons why Karl asked Aya to keep it a secret.
If several people contact you at the same time, it is like several people whispering in your ear.
How did the other gods ignore it? Those righteous gods received countless prayers and blessings from people every day, how could they remain unmoved?
* * * Time passes.
Carl unveiled the secret of the gods, and life in both worlds returned to normal.
The other world is waiting for news from the Grand Duke, while the main world is waiting for the star gate to open.
at the same time.
The physical fitness value is getting closer and closer to perfection.
4.96!
4.97!
After experimenting on Aya, Carl has gained some understanding of how to harness the power of the fragments of the divine realm.
But to be on the safe side, we still need to find a great knight to give it a try.
He is not in a hurry.
After all, my physical condition is not yet truly perfect.
This day.
A visitor arrived on the island.
bach!
A bloodline wizard apprentice and one of Carl's few acquaintances in the Swamp Alliance.
"You came at the perfect time."
Carl stood up from the field and greeted enthusiastically, "The sweet potatoes are just ripe. The variety I have here has been improved by wizards, and it tastes much better than those grown by ordinary people."
"Make some sweet potato salad later so you can taste my cooking."
"Good!" Bach was very happy today, his face flushed, and he smiled: "I came here to tell you a piece of news."
"What news?"
"My mentor is dead!"
“…”
Karl opened his mouth, wanting to say something comforting, but seeing the other person's cheerful expression, it seemed that he didn't need comfort.
“Good death!”
Bach grinned:
"Now that he's dead, all his things will be mine, including the corpse of the legendary creature that he spent a lot of money to buy."
"Uh..." Karl said dryly, "Congratulations!"
"Although it may be a little immoral to say this, I'm not lying to you. I'm really happy." Bach shrugged:
"My mentor Jin died while participating in a mandatory mission. He had chosen an easier target, but who would have thought that he would still lose his life."
Carl nodded.
In recent times, many wizard apprentices have lost their lives while performing missions, so he doesn't find it strange.
"Where are you?"
He immediately asked casually:
"Has the mission been completed?"
"It's done." Bach said, "I know a friend who is good at disguise. We teamed up to assassinate a great knight of Cologne."
Disguise? It was also part of blood magic, so it was normal for them to know each other.
"In a few days, I will hold my mentor's funeral at the cemetery in the Swamp Alliance." Bach said:
"You must come."
"Of course." Carl nodded: "I will definitely be there."
"By the way, what's the situation in Cologne now? The coalition forces on the front line should have taken over the upper position, right?"
"No!" Bach shrugged.
"On the contrary, the speed of the coalition's defeat has accelerated."
"Huh?" Carl looked surprised: "How could this happen?"
Although he was not optimistic about the coalition forces, with the participation of wizard apprentices in the assassination, they should have the advantage in the short term.
"It seems that it is because Cologne has reformed its army." Bach said, "I have to say that the king of Cologne is indeed quite capable. In the past few decades since he became the monarch, he has increased Cologne's strength many times. One country is fighting against several countries, and it can still hold the upper hand."
"This reform has weakened the power of the nobles. As long as ordinary people have military merits, they can also be promoted to generals."
"If the head of a region is assassinated, his subordinates will continue to take over and everything will continue as usual. This will make our assassination efforts less useful and may even allow some truly capable people to come to the fore."
"well!"
"But these have nothing to do with us anymore."
Military reform?
The king of the Kingdom of Cologne is becoming more and more like a time traveler, and this situation can be turned around.
…………
Deep in the Black Swamp.
Several official wizards gathered.
Marian is the only disciple of the Grey Wizard. She entered the wizarding world seventy years ago. Now she is nearly eighty years old, but she still looks young and beautiful.
"tutor."
She looked curious: "Is this the Star Gate?"
The star gate is not a door, but a palm-sized ring with densely packed runes engraved on it.
If you take out a magnifying glass and look closely, you will find that the runes are like gears, meshing with each other to form a whole.
Complex to the extreme.
However, there was a deep crack on the ring, and it was obviously a damaged item.
"yes."
The gray-robed wizard Addison had a complicated look in his eyes: "It's the Star Gate!"
"The Lord of Dawn has a good idea. In order to open the star gate and keep it running, a second-level creature must be sacrificed. The star gate can also be used to suppress the power of the Godfall in the Black Swamp. He also asked us to help him deal with Cologne. It really kills two birds with one stone."
Kill the gray-robed wizard!
The power of God's fall that suppresses the Black Swamp!
Against Cologne!
The price was just a broken magical weapon.
But the Swamp Alliance had no choice but to accept this deal.
"tutor."
Marianne's expression changed: "Does it have to be like this?"
"Yes." Gray-robed wizard Addison nodded slowly, holding the Star Gate in his hand:
"The energy required to open it is too huge, and maintaining its operation requires even greater mental strength."
"No one can do it except me."
"Respected Gray Wizard." A man below said, "Perhaps... we don't need a star gate. We can just analyze its structure and build it ourselves."
"Or fix it!"
"It's not that easy." Gray-robed wizard Addison shook his head:
"The Star Gate is a third-order product, but the knowledge involved is fourth-order or even fifth-order, which is beyond our current understanding."
"We have no other choice."
"Oh……"
He chuckled softly, "There's no need for you to be depressed. It's my lifelong wish to go to the wizarding world. Even if I can't go, it's good for you to go in my place."
"Besides, I don't have much time anyway."
Speaking of.
Look up and look not far away.
There, a tree more than a hundred meters tall swayed gently in the wind.
“Boom…”
With a deafening roar, the giant tree rose from the ground, revealing several withered roots underneath.
The wizards looked surprised.
They knew very well what this situation represented. Although the giant tree appeared to be thriving on the surface, it had actually begun to wither.
"In order to become a second-ring wizard, I overdrawn my life. I wasn't going to live long anyway."
The gray-robed wizard Addison murmured, "If you put your soul into the star gate, maybe you can hold on for a while longer."
"so……"
“Let’s get started!”
Please give me a monthly ticket!!! (End of this chapter)