In this world, what could frighten the gods like Amoun and Mirmina?
It was not the war between the churches, the tide of disobedience, or even the fall of the gods themselves, but the birth of a divine general.
The birth of every god meant that the relationship between human beings and the gods was further locked, and the more locked the relationship was, the more the human civilization would lean toward the latter in the path of 'humanity' and 'divinity'. When this trend developed to a certain extent, even the gods like them, who had left the divine throne, could be pulled back into the ranks of the gods by the mortals who had fallen into religious fanaticism at any time. This was undoubtedly a terrifying thing for Amoun and Mirmina, who had paid a huge price to finally obtain limited freedom.
For a moment, there was silence in the Courtyard of Disobedience. Gwen and Mirmina did not speak, but the hazy light on Amoun's body fluctuated unsteadily, as if indicating that the God of Nature was not calm. After a while, Gwen spoke again. "We may have speculated too far."
"Indeed, everything is just speculation. Without evidence, everything is just an extension of the conspiracy theory." Mirmina sighed softly. "But according to what the Violet Kingdom has done in the past six hundred years and the logic behind the operation of the gods, these black boxes do have the hidden danger of creating 'artificial miracles'."
"But in fact, magic is not miraculous, is it?" Amoun's voice came from the side. "These black boxes have been around for six hundred years. Magic is still magic, and sorcerers are still the people with the least faith in the world. Ordinary people are deeply in awe of magic and spellcasters, but it is still the reverence of mortals for mortals. No one will really treat magic as a miracle. Even the ignorant country bumpkins know that the lightning and fireballs are man-made."
"So this is where our speculations are not valid." Gwen nodded. "The 'black boxes' are only one of the possible factors that make ordinary people see magic as a miracle, but it is neither necessary nor sufficient. It is indeed too arbitrary to think that the Violet Kingdom is trying to 'create a god.' Besides, there is another fact that is very puzzling, and that is their attitude of 'isolating' the existing belief in the Goddess of Magic."
"That's true," Amoun agreed. "They have tried their best to exclude the belief of the Goddess of Magic from the kingdom, but they have also exported the black box magic system that may be regarded as a miracle. It is too contradictory to say that they are trying to create a belief in the realm of magic. Of course, there is also a possibility that they feel that the Goddess of Magic is unreliable, so they have decided to create a more reliable one —"
Before Amoun's voice trailed off, Mirmina had already glared at him. "Let's talk about the problem. Don't escalate it into a divinity attack."
"I'm just making an inference based on the existing conditions. Can you think of a more reasonable explanation?" Amoun said with a straight face (he was always expressionless). "Do you really think you are qualified to be a god?"
"Okay, okay, that's not the point." Gwen saw that the situation was not right and quickly interrupted the two gods who were getting more and more off-topic. "Let's pay more attention to the Violet Kingdom. Now this country is giving me a stronger sense of uneasiness …"
"We won't get anything out of this discussion." Mirmina's tone became serious. She looked down at Gwen and said, "That land is a dark place for me. I don't know much more than you. If you want to figure out what those mysterious' Violet Mages' are doing, you still have to find a way to infiltrate them."
"We have already tried that, but the results are minimal." Gwen shook his head regretfully. "Of course, we will continue to work hard. At the same time, we will continue to try to establish a direct dialogue with the upper echelons of the Violet Kingdom through official channels. They have not yet responded to the invitation from the Alliance, but at least in private letters with Cecil or Typhon, the 'Prince of Secrets' is not a 'hermit' who completely refuses to communicate."
Hao Ren thought for a moment and replaced the phrase "does not speak human language" with the more peaceful phrase "refuses to communicate."
At this moment, Amoun suddenly spoke. "Actually, I'm suddenly a little curious … Is there no belief in the Goddess of Magic and the God of Nature in the Violet Kingdom, or … is there no belief in other gods?"
Gwen was stunned. This was a direction he had never thought of before. Now that Amoun reminded him, he suddenly realized … there seemed to be a reason behind it.
"If the Violet Kingdom only rejects the belief in the Goddess of Magic, then things can be more or less in the direction of a conspiracy. They may want to usurp the throne of the gods, just like the 'artificial gods' of the All Things End back then. Their goal may be to seize the position occupied by Mirmina. But if they reject all gods internally, this matter becomes subtle," Amoun said slowly. "A country with no people of faith is promoting black-box technology that can easily lead to 'miracles.' This behavior is a bit … schizophrenic."
"Schizophrenia …" Gawain's eyebrows twitched involuntarily. Ah Mo 'en's choice of words was rather surprising, but he soon felt that this description was very apt. It accurately described the feeling that the Violet Kingdom had always given him — schizophrenia.
"I'll continue to investigate this matter." Finally, Gwen let out a long sigh. This time he did not get the clues he wanted from Mirmina, but he had an unexpected gain. The new information that emerged needed to be carefully considered. As for now, it was time to leave. "If the two of you have any new ideas or discoveries, you can also contact me immediately."
Mirmina lowered her head, and there seemed to be a smile in her eyes hidden in the mysterious mist. "Of course, I'd be happy to."
Gwen nodded, but before he turned to leave, his eyes suddenly fell on Amoun again. "By the way, there's one more thing."
Amoun's voice came immediately. "Seems like it has something to do with me?"
"Bersetia sent a message. She has contacted those … ancient Druil priests who are still 'adhering to tradition'. These priests may soon set off from the Silver Empire. She hopes that you … can be prepared."
Amoun the Giant Deer was silent. He did not speak for the next half a minute. Gwen did not rush him. He just stood aside and waited silently until the former God of Nature finally broke the silence. "Reply to the little queen … Let them come. I've prepared here for three thousand years, and now there's nothing more to prepare. "
…
At the southernmost tip of the Loren Continent, the vast and boundless jungle sealed off the home of the elves for generations. Flourishing tropical plants covered the main island of the Silver Empire and the vast expanse of land beside the Flowback Coast. The lush forest connected the eastern and western borders of the Augulay Tribal Kingdom and the Typhon Empire respectively. The north extended into the territory of the Kingdom of Kaolin, and the south extended all the way to the southern coast of the main island.
The high coverage of the jungle made most of the land of the Silver Empire look like a primitive state waiting to be developed. Many residents of the surrounding countries had the wrong impression of the elves' territory. They thought that the Elven Empire was a traditional and old-fashioned country that had maintained a low-development state for thousands of years. They thought that the Elven Empire was a country that had advanced ancestral technology but was unwilling to actively change its living environment. The more backward the information spread, the more wrong the impression of the Elven Empire was. This was because in the countryside taverns and streets, the poems of the bards were still dominant. In the bards' stories, the "primitive, natural, peaceful, and elegant elves" were much friendlier than the "advanced, disciplined, and warlike people".
However, in reality, the Silver Empire was not as gentle and harmless as the stories described. Hidden in the depths of the primitive jungle was an advanced and powerful ancient empire. It was the legacy of countless ancestors that the Silver Elves had painstakingly settled on this land after the "Great Split" in ancient times.
In the depths of the vast jungle, there were extraction factories and gas transmission stations with tens of thousands of years of history. Under the solid ground were countless production facilities and energy distribution nodes. Hidden in the towering ancient trees were transceivers that could directly communicate with the sky fortress in real-time. Between every river and the source of magic power, there were sensors and interference devices with a long history.
These things condensed a thick history spanned thousands of years, and together they maintained the operation of a huge empire. The elves, out of their own sense of beauty and nature, had cleverly hidden all of these things between the mountains and valleys of their homeland. As a result, there were only three places in the entire Silver Empire that stood out from the primeval forests, displaying their own advanced existence in a high profile manner.
The first was undoubtedly the sky fortress, the Starry Temple, which floated in the sky and never fell. It was also the control node of the Sentry Tower system. The second was the prosperous capital standing in the heart of the empire. The real residence of the Silver Queen, the Elven Palace, was located in the center of the royal city. The third was the magnificent bridge that connected the main island of the empire to the Loren Continent, known as the Bridge of Homecoming, one of the "ancient wonders".
On the north side of the main island of the Silver Empire, on a quiet mountain near the Return Coast, the pale golden sunset was sprinkling the last light of the day on the horizon. In the gradually darkening sky, a huge ancient tree standing on the mountaintop was rustling in the wind.
At the foot of the giant tree, an oak hut was built next to the tree. The hut was surrounded by a quiet flower field and a wooden fence that seemed to have grown directly from the earth. A primitive aura of nature filled this quiet and secluded place. An old elf with a hunched back walked out of the hut and came to the edge of the mountain peak, looking into the distance in a daze.
The Silver Elves had a long lifespan, and for most of their lives, they maintained their appearance between youth and middle-age. Although the elves could accurately judge the approximate age of their compatriots from their appearance, at least in the eyes of outsiders, more than 90% of the Silver Elves were "young and beautiful". To be able to show an old appearance that was particularly obvious in the eyes of outsiders, it could only mean that the Silver Elves had lived for too long and had experienced a long history that was far beyond the imagination of humans.
In the middle of summer, the country near the equator was shrouded in the scorching heat. Even though dusk was approaching, the heat in the air did not dissipate at all. However, the wind on the mountaintop was more or less cooler. When a slight wind mixed with the fragrance of the earth blew in their faces, the old elf with a hunched back and a head of pale blonde hair smiled slightly and looked to the north with narrowed eyes.
At the edge of the forest, at the end of the main island, the giant miracle, the Bridge of the Homers, built of ancient alloys and enchanted boulders, was bathing in the setting sun. The surface of this giant bridge connecting the Loren Continent had a texture that was somewhere between metal and rock. The unusually wide bridge was overflowing with light and color. Magic "light boats" used to transport goods and mechanical golems responsible for maintaining the bridge's diversion facilities shuttled back and forth on the bridge like a shoal of fish in the river, busy.
The bridge was the most important lifeline of the Silver Empire, the artery that connected the main island of the empire to the Loren Continent. The ancestors of the ancient times built it with technology that could not be replicated today and named it the "Homers". Later generations of elves were not quite sure why their ancestors chose such a name, but they still gave the bridge a fitting meaning in this era: elves who went out to train had to pass through the bridge to leave the main island. When they returned, they had to pass through the bridge. The giant bridge connecting the Loren Continent was like a refuge for the traveling elves, a refuge for them to return home.
The old elf narrowed his eyes slightly. The sunset reflected by the Bridge of the Homers gradually blurred in his vision.
Soon, when I cross the bridge … will there be a day when I return home?
Suddenly, a sound of footsteps came from behind. The old elf did not look back. He had already identified the person from the familiar breath. "Karl, have you sent Her Majesty to the foot of the mountain?"
"Yes, teacher." The young Druil apprentice stood behind the old elf and answered respectfully. "I sent the Silver Queen to the foot of the mountain and watched her reunite with the soldiers and servants waiting at the foot of the mountain before I returned."
The old elf nodded and slowly turned around while speaking in a low voice, "That's good … But you still have to be careful. You should address her as' Your Majesty 'and not call her by her title."
The young Druil apprentice called Karl looked a little hesitant, but at last, he nodded. "I understand, teacher."
The old elf had a satisfied look on his face. He smiled and said slowly, "Come and accompany me to see the scenery, Karl."
The apprentice's expression was troubled again, but he did not disobey his teacher. Instead, he stepped up to the old elf. It was not until half a minute later that he finally spoke. "Teacher, are you really going to accept the Silver … Her Majesty's invitation to go to the distant Northern Empire?"
"Karl, this matter has been decided." The old elf smiled gently and shook his head. "What's the point of discussing it now?"
Seeing his teacher's indifferent attitude, the apprentice finally stopped suppressing his emotions. He raised his voice. "But don't you think this invitation is a trap? What if there — "
"Carl." The old elf smiled gently, interrupting the apprentice's agitated words with a soft voice. "I don't think it's a trap. But there's one thing I know for sure. Whether it's a trap or not, I probably won't be coming back after this."
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