"I'm different from everyone else."
If there was one thing that everyone had in common, it would be that they either faintly or directly believed that they were different from everyone else, that they were special.
Indeed, talent, education, and experiences were all different. But while this difference would make the world and each individual much more colorful, it wasn't necessarily a good thing.
When an individual was too focused on their sense of self, it was only natural that they wouldn't be able to see the truth of others.
"I'm different. I was born to be above everyone else. The lives of those commoners aren't as valuable as mine. They should give everything to me."
Nobles, royalty, and religious figures all had this type of expectation. Just a small amount would make them more willing to carry out their duties, but too much would make them no longer see other people as humans. Even the cruelest and most evil actions would be taken as a matter of course.
"I've been blessed by the God of Luck. Next time, the next time, I'm definitely going to make a comeback!"
From a certain standpoint, gamblers and ambitious people were the same type of people. Gamblers would always believe that they would be able to make a comeback, which would make them never satisfied with what they currently had. They would constantly take risks and gamble, and in the end, they would either lose their lives and chips, or win everything.
Everyone had this type of "blind self-awareness." This was a part of human nature. There was no right or wrong in and of itself. In fact, it would even have a positive effect on a person's growth. But as one grew older and experienced more, this type of "blind self-awareness" would often be ground away by harsh reality.
"So, I … am just an ordinary person, a member of the general public. There's nothing special about me."
Ordinary people understood their own limits, which was why they could only helplessly give up on the wild fantasies they had when they were young. Abilities, talent, and status — these seemingly mundane things — would ultimately determine how far a person could go. But some people just happened to know from the very start where they were supposed to be, but they were still unwilling to spend their hard-to-come-by lives here.
Orloss Milan was the child that his family and friends called the "Jinx" Orloss. But not long after he was born, he learned of his current position and his fated future — a puppet.
Orloss was the seventeenth most powerful member of the royal family, but that didn't mean that he didn't have the right to inherit the throne. In fact, it was quite the opposite. Since he had a Grand Duke as his uncle, he was one of the top three most likely to inherit the throne.
But when Orloss was young, his mother brought him to meet this uncle of his. This uncle looked at him abnormally coldly, as if he was a relative meeting for the first time. The way he looked at Orloss was as if he was looking at an object, as if he was looking at a tool that he could use at any time. And the way he treated Orloss and his mother afterwards was as rough as if they were goods that had already been sold for a loss.
"Remember, listen to me, and your life will be better. Otherwise, I can make you ascend to the throne, but I can also make you fall."
For a child who longed for family love, he could not see his busy father many times, but he always heard his mother say how good his uncle was. When he first met him, this kind of situation was self-evident. But soon, he adjusted.
"… You're just using me as a tool and puppet. Is there any difference from before? As long as I play this role well and satisfy everyone, Orloss will be a good child. "
The ironic part was that Orloss's uncle was far too arrogant and domineering, which angered everyone. This uncle of his was the first to be eliminated from the throne, and Orloss himself ended up being killed by his own brother. He was about to die on the streets.
Just as Orloss was about to die, reinforcements arrived from another dimension, allowing him to survive this calamity. Unfortunately, this assistance came with a price. From that moment onward, he learned that his country had been targeted by the undead in the shadows for over a hundred years already. In fact, the undead had already infiltrated the country to the point that it was riddled with holes.
As for him …
"What can I do? I'm still nothing more than a puppet. I've simply changed masters. "
From a certain standpoint, Orloss was quite enlightened. He was enlightened to the point where others would think that he was an idiot. Actually, to use what his teacher later said, it was because he saw things too clearly. And it was precisely because he saw things too clearly that no matter what he did, he wouldn't be able to change things. Naturally, he became quite cold and slow.
"In this world, which one of us isn't just a puppet that goes with the flow? Valuable or worthless chess pieces in the hands of the powerful?"
When Orloss first ascended to the throne, he was called the most wooden emperor in all of history. That was because he didn't do anything at all. Whatever his officials said, he would do. Whatever foreign officials said, as long as they had enough power behind them, Orloss would still do the same. It was as if he was nothing more than a rubber stamp that did nothing.
But actually, Orloss only quietly watched over this world and its residents. He watched as these ordinary people unknowingly became chess pieces for the powerful.
But what Orloss loved the most was to go on vacation in his own private residence and chat with his neighbors who didn't know who he was. Orloss felt that those ordinary people were more alive than he was.
"For farmers, disaster years are much better. That's because the domain lords' harshest tax officials will let the farmers live. And in times like this, the church's priests won't go to every town to preach. Farmers won't have to give up their family's wealth just so that they won't fall into the River Styx and enter the Divine Kingdom."
"For ordinary mercenaries and rangers, although the priests' divine arts are 'free' to them, if they don't make up for it in time, nobody will save them even if they die on the streets of the Holy Church. In contrast, for ordinary people, the potions of alchemists and herbalists are the most reliable existences. The most basic healing potions don't cost much, but they're more than enough to treat ordinary people's external injuries. But for those who 'steal business,' it's quite easy for the church to turn them into 'witches and mages with unfathomable intentions.' That's why most pharmacists won't do things that don't make money and also offend people. The buff potions that adventurers need, the fitness potions that important people need, and the life-saving potions are the ones that make the most money. "
"So it turns out that my citizens don't even know which emperor has succeeded the throne. They're only worried about whether or not a natural disaster will descend, whether or not the nobles' tax officials will leave behind some money to save their lives, and whether or not the gold coins that they've secretly saved up will be enough to satisfy the priests and give them a blessing so that their souls can go to heaven and reincarnate into a good life in their next life."
The powerful were also happy to see that the puppet emperor didn't do any proper work and just strolled around. But unknowingly, this allowed him to accumulate enough knowledge and wisdom among the common people. In fact, he even managed to form a faction of his own from the slums.
And now that he had power in his hands, he felt somewhat ashamed as he looked at the commoners who were struggling to live. Since he had ascended to this position, he felt that he should do something.
"Perhaps I won't be able to change everything, but I can make everyone's lives a bit better."
And so, the puppet emperor chose to make a deal. However, he wasn't only dealing with the undead lurking in the shadows. He was also dealing with the high and mighty dragons and dragon knights. And the only bargaining chip he could make was a puppet that was more obedient and useful. This was nothing more than a verbal promise.
The secret assistance from the two powerful factions was quite effective. With the help of the powerful individuals who remained anonymous, the royal faction began to rise again. Then, the royal faction obtained victory in a cruel and bloody battle against the local domain lords. Orloss gradually regained his royal authority and became the emperor who wielded real power. At least on the surface, the local domain lords still seemed to respect him.
But …
"Life? Isn't life still the same? I think I heard that the new domain lord is a handsome young man. I heard that he's even the king's Knight. Hmph, he charged double the tax the moment he arrived. That little bastard probably wants to change his castle. "
"Old man, don't get angry and ruin your health. Nobles have always been the same for thousands of years. It's all because he was born into a good family."
Orloss angrily returned to his palace. He wanted to hang that imposter who had ruined his reputation on the streets, but he didn't expect that …
"What? It's Kaiser Knight? Isn't he my most trusted warrior?"
Orloss's officials told him that the local domain lords were the only masters in their own domain. Kaiser Knight's actions were completely legal. Orloss was actually quite merciful. However, the other new Knight domain lords had gone even more overboard. After all …
"Apart from decorating their own homes, they also have to prepare a congratulatory gift for your victory. They also have to donate as much money to the royal family as the previous emperor … Your Majesty, what's the matter?"
"Is it my fault? Did I allow all of this to happen? "
Right before he fainted, Orloss felt that it would be better for him to be a puppet that didn't need to do anything.
"After everything, it's all my fault for trying to change the world. Perhaps it's best to not do anything at all. No, I can't be so pessimistic. There must be another way. "
He had tried to use war to obtain spoils of war to feed the greedy domain lords, but the end result was a new cycle. The greedy domain lords had conscripted the commoners as free cannon fodder in exchange for so-called glory and military achievements. At that moment, Orloss truly felt that he had done something wrong.
For the first time, he deeply considered what went wrong with this world. Why was it that no matter what he tried to change, he would always return to the beginning?
He thought that the wise mages might have an answer, so he used a Shadow Warrior as a substitute and hid his identity to study in the Cloud Tower. He was fortunate enough to meet archmage Seylius, who was the most knowledgeable in this field, and became his disciple.
For the first time, Orloss learned that domain lords weren't the only social system in the world. Elves, dwarves, and other species all had their own systems of survival that were more suitable for them. But in this damned world, it was the most suitable for humans to live in.
The strong would protect the weak, and the weak would give everything to the strong. The desire to become strong and receive special treatment caused countless new powerful individuals to emerge.
Only now did Orloss learn that Bardi was already quite a powerful country. The domain lords were even more excessive in remote mountainous areas that faced powerful threats. However, the commoners who wanted to survive had to endure.
"So it wasn't us who chose such a social system. Rather, such a world determined such a social system."
This wasn't a problem that could be easily solved. However, Orloss just so happened to find a way to solve this problem … Yep, that was to centralize all the powerful individuals in the Bardi Empire. At the very least, after so many years, Orloss had successfully implemented his idea in the Bardi Empire.
Let's not consider whether his methods were right or wrong. After all, this could only be verified by time. However, his studies in the Cloud Tower didn't get rid of his old frustrations, only new frustrations arrived. He was able to learn the truth from the mages, Dragons, and undead, even if the truth was unacceptable.
"The Holy War? The Cycle of Reincarnation? What a joke! What are we humans? Wheat in the fields? Cows and sheep waiting to be slaughtered? "
From that moment onward, Orloss abandoned his so-called faith and the possibility of going to Heaven. He began to hate the Gods that were high up above yet still did nothing.
"You say that you're protecting the world? That your priests are also the world's servants? But I only see your priests collecting donations everywhere. Your churches are extravagant, but your 'servants' never do any work. Every day, all they do is chant your name and praise you. Since they're all your servants, why aren't you the ones taking care of these pigs? Do you know that Old John worked so hard for his entire life, even donating his final home, all so that his son could be blessed by your priests so that he could have good luck and live two more years without any illnesses or disasters, so that he could go to your so-called Heaven after death?! "
"A beautiful Divine Kingdom in Heaven? I don't see that. I only see this inferno before me! Since you're unable to protect the world as you promised, then don't act like parents and interfere with this world and mortals that have nothing to do with you. Or perhaps you're just a bunch of swindlers who only promise and never give back. Or perhaps you're just shameless parasites who even swindles your so-called servants! "
All the nobles in the capital anxiously stood in front of that gigantic door. They had just been informed that this was the Bardi Kingdom's final trump card, a teleportation portal to the Dragon World. And now, the old emperor had summoned them to discuss some important matters.
After waiting for a long time, the old emperor finally arrived. But the moment he arrived, he glanced at the extravagantly dressed crowd and smiled.
From a certain standpoint, the Bardi people were already living better lives. However, this wasn't because they were relying on the high and mighty Gods. Rather, it was because they were a puppet emperor who struggled against the many factions in the Bardi Kingdom.
He used ten years to restore peace to this chaotic country. He made the local domain lords disband most of their private armies and made the domain lords stop fighting against each other.
He used nearly thirty years to make the Holy Church and other Gods' churches withdraw from Bardi with the help of the undead and Dragons.
He secretly began to spread the teachings of pure Holy Light, even though this would anger the undead.
That's right, undead mages were capable of controlling their own undead creations. Even though Aso's half-dead curse (blessing) had only been effective when he saved Orloss's life in order to prevent him from revealing any flaws, Aso could still take away Orloss's life at any time, but he wouldn't be able to do anything else. After all, the emperor now had the super archmage Seylius, who even Aso didn't have any confidence in.
The undead had a terrible reputation for operating in the shadows. They were unable to operate under the sun, which would directly affect the Bardi Kingdom. The Dragons were high and mighty. As long as the undead didn't affect their interests, they couldn't be bothered to do anything.
In order to escape from Aso's control, Orloss, who was half-dead, secretly put on a cursed God artifact — the Crown of Thorns.
This God artifact was incredibly powerful. The Crown of Thorns forcibly transformed a half-dead into a living person. Unfortunately, this living person no longer had any sense of taste or pain.
From then on, the unconscious Orloss enjoyed the most delicious food, yet tasteless. He lived in the most extravagant palace, yet he didn't feel comfortable at all. No matter how extravagant his clothing was, he couldn't feel warmth or coldness. However, this also gave him an endless amount of energy to make this country better.
From a certain standpoint, Roland had helped Orloss greatly by eliminating Aso. But even without Roland's appearance, it was likely that it would only have been a matter of time before Orloss and Aso became enemies. And if you looked at "history", at the very least, Aso hadn't won.
As a "mortal" who understood his own bottlenecks, Orloss's most proficient skills were patience, borrowing power, and adapting to the situation. This was how it was in history, and it was also how it was now.
Unfortunately, ideals couldn't be used to make a meal. Some things were impossible to change.
Right now, even though Orloss hadn't died yet, the domain lords were getting restless. They desired a new war. They refused to allow the free citizens to migrate and abolish slavery. They were still the emperors of their own territories.
Even though the Gods' churches no longer existed, their believers would still travel thousands of kilometers to find priests and scammers who claimed to be priests. They would exchange their blood, sweat, and tears for the words "Child, the Gods shall bless you."
At this point, Orloss was unable to obtain an answer from anyone else. However, a new religion and a pamphlet from the Underground attracted his attention.
"No churches? No contribution fees? Then how are their priests and holy warriors supposed to survive? Acting as judges and collecting intermediary fees? Providing commercial services? They don't even need to chant the name of a God? Is this still a True God's church? "
If the Church of Law attracted his attention, then the teachings and God's laws within it gave him hope.
"Those who willfully take the lives of others for their own selfish desires shall be judged harshly by the God of Law. Even after death, they shall be punished by mountains of blades and seas of fire. — 'Thirteen Sins of God'. "
"I've finally met someone who intends to manage things …"
That was Orloss's first thought, but then he felt that something wasn't quite right.
"If sinners have to be judged after death, isn't that different from the True God's church's way of persuading people? Clearly, as long as they receive a priest's blessing and donate enough wealth, they'll be able to enter a True God's Divine Kingdom after death. "
Obviously, Wumianzhe's teachings were far beyond what Orloss, who was only a Low God at the time, was capable of. In that case, either Wumianzhe was spouting nonsense without caring about the consequences, or he had other intentions.
"Sending all sinners to Hell to be punished? Although this is indeed enough to make villains fearful, this teaching is so powerful that it'll offend all the True Gods. Just why is he doing this? "
When Orloss discovered that the Church of Law was connected to the legendary Roland, he obtained Roland's notes and manuscripts from the Church of Pure Holy Light. After communicating with Roland, Orloss finally decided to participate in Roland's insane plan.
"The heavens and earth are heartless, and fate has no eyes. The Gods only wish to harvest faith and souls. Why would they care about how mortals live? Sinners and villains can obtain things that poor people can't even buy with their entire lives just by spending some money and praising a God's name. What need is there to believe in such a God? We mortals can only rely on ourselves … "
Orloss's body trembled as he stood on the stage. Behind him was the wide-open Dimensional Door. As he looked at the dense crowd before him, he couldn't help but recall his discussion with Roland.
"Roland, actually, I've always liked what you said in the Southern Sect's teachings. 'This world belongs to mortals, and those high up Gods are nothing more than hypocritical fanatics. They're worshipped by mortals, but they're bound by their own Concepts. They've been restricted by the rules of Order, becoming slaves in a different sense. That's why I've never counted on them from the very start.'"
Orloss paused for a moment. He had read that sloppily written script far too many times, and he could already recite it by heart. However, what he looked forward to was what followed. He wanted to hear Roland's choice and thoughts after the passage of time.
At the time, Roland had laughed as well. He could faintly see a shadow of himself in this old emperor. People of the same kind would always be able to easily communicate with each other.
And so, Roland got straight to the point.
"The only people we can count on are ourselves. Since there's no such thing as kindness, righteousness, or morality in this world, we'll create inferior Divine Laws and Human Laws. Since the wicked and sinners of this world won't be judged or punished, then let's create a Hell that sinners will fear. "
"Even if this means becoming enemies with all the Gods? Even if we become the world's public enemy? "
"Of course. But we're not the world's public enemy. Won't you become my companion?"
"No, since this is a criminal conspiracy with the ultimate goal of the world's Order as our goal, I should say that we're accomplices."
From then on, all the participants and executors of this plan — Roland, Orloss, and Evelyn — all referred to each other as accomplices. It seemed that in their eyes, this was a term more trustworthy than allies.
And as Orloss chatted with his aunt, he understood even more about Lilith's stubbornness.
"Lilith … Sister, you said that if our goal is achieved and a new Cycle of Reincarnation replaces the old one, that sinners will be punished in Hell, and that kind-hearted people will be able to live in a beautiful paradise and truly obtain a better afterlife. In that case, people like us can directly ascend to Heaven, right?"
To everyone's surprise, Lilith shook her head.
"No, that person said himself that he's already left a place for himself in Hell. It's said that he hasn't even forgotten where his cat is. With how he's doing things, and considering what you've done, it's likely that you'll be neighbors with him for a very long time."
"Ha, that's really good news to be happy about."
Orloss could still remember laughing so hard at that moment. This was the first time in so many years that he'd been so happy. Perhaps this was because this was the first time he'd heard that a criminal who had committed so many crimes was going to be punished in Hell, even if that criminal was himself.
"Accomplices? Perhaps we'll even be prison mates in the future. "
Orloss's self-mockery came to an end. He knew that his time had come to an end.
"Perhaps, starting tomorrow, I'll become the most foolish person in the world in the eyes of the world. Still, it's not like nobody remembers me … Heh heh, accomplices, I'll be leaving first. I'll be waiting for you in Hell. "
When the old man gently tore open the crown of thorns, the entire world was destined to be changed.
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