Chapter 241: Tiberia Unknowingly Walks Far Away
Roger was in charge of looking after the child today, constantly paying attention to Shana’s emotions and analyzing her psychological fluctuations.
When Shana stopped, he also slowed his pace. He was a little surprised by her request, but after thinking about it carefully, he felt he could understand.
The Little Angel was also happy about the Empire’s victory. She didn’t have a good impression of Tiberia, but she couldn’t say she disliked her either.
In Nariner’s memories, Tiberia was one of the greedy and foolish gods, completely bound by Faith Power. Whether she was a little bit smarter or a bit more cunning, it didn’t matter. In the end, it all came down to resorting to any means necessary to gain Believers.
Whether it was the current Seven Gods or the gods who were ruthlessly hunted in the Astral Plane in the past, most of them were like this.
Faith was like poison. In this cold, lonely, and dangerous World, even a little bit of strength brought great security. The pure and quick numerical increase brought by faith was one of the fastest ways in the Universe. It was simple, brutal, and very effective.
The few gods Nariner had seen who could escape the shackles of Faith Power were the God of Knowledge and the God King, who was rumored to be constantly exploring unknown realms.
The Empire was making plans to kill Tiberia. No matter how much they looked down on gods and thought of them as parasites of the Universe, they couldn’t deny their power. The Azurevine Empire’s plan was one of the few paths that could lead to ultimate success.
When the Seven Gods killed those ancient and powerful gods in their early years, they had to start by targeting their Believers, dismantling their foundation of faith, finding their Divine Kingdoms, and blocking their escape routes. The entire plan was carried out over millennia and tens of thousands of years.
The clean Universe, with only seven gods left, wasn’t like this from the start. It was the result of countless gods fighting hard with all their means.
Fortunately, because of the conflict of faith, the gods were not incompatible with each other. Therefore, the powerful beings in the Pantheon at that time were at their limit. Eradicating enemy factions was simpler than ruling all the Planes in the Universe and redeploying them according to the God King’s needs.
So, even knowing that there might be innocent people like Hard in the Holy See, and that unsuspecting Believers might be affected, Shana had no burden. Instead, she was happy for the Empire. Everyone was diligently working hard, taking one step closer to truly defeating the Seven Gods and eradicating the Eternal Night World’s demons that hindered Mortals’ potential.
War was always ugly and terrifying, but it was the ultimate means of survival, unavoidable.
Those who are eager for war will perish, and those who forget war will face danger.
Shana also played a part in the Azurevine Empire’s First Fleet’s crushing victory over the natives of this World.
The warships flying in the sky had been upgraded from Magic Crystal energy to the more stable Divine Power energy.
After all, this was a super battery that only required the Divine Body or Incarnation to operate stably for hundreds of years and could be recharged. The output was more stable, saving the trouble of repeatedly unloading Magic Crystal ore.
The Virtual Divine Law System was also her brainchild, and she had contributed countless intellectual components to it, including cooperation projects with organizations like the Chapter of Imbalance.
She deserved a share of the military merits. She even planned to command a fleet to roam the endless ocean of Planes once the second and third fleets, centered around the Godslayer, were completed.
Nariner possessed immense power, but as a Shepherd of Time and manager of many Planes, she had never directly appeared on a large battlefield, always acting as a logistician.
Shana was younger and more active than Nariner, and having been influenced by the Empress of Eternal Night, she also had a martial spirit.
When Roger asked her to travel the World with the Empire’s expeditionary force, she readily agreed, intending to first learn the command art of the Empress, the God of War, and then find an opportunity to become a general.
Roger saw through this idea and even mentioned it to the Empress of Eternal Night. Although she preferred the Little Angel to use her administrative talents and continue in logistics, she had no reason to object if she truly wanted to experience war.
Anyway, the churches in this other World were weaklings. With the Empire’s current equipment advantage, she was capable of leading a fleet with an experienced Adjutant.
As a result, as soon as they left the Eternal Night World, Shana proposed to stop and spend more time in this place where the war mission had already been completed.
Roger looked at Shana’s conflicted and lost expression and asked seriously, “The war here is over. The Empire has many more targets to conquer, and it’s impossible to provide the strength to support what you want to do. You might end up just looking around here.”
“I know… but I still want to see. It doesn’t have to be about achieving anything,” Shana pouted, hating the feeling of being doused with cold water. She looked at Roger pleadingly, “Is that okay?”
“Of course, it is. You don’t even need to ask me this question. The Empire has never commanded you to do anything, right?”
“Heh, there were no commands… but there were inducements and suggestions!”
“Oh, that’s something Jostar does. What does it have to do with me, Roger…”
Shana sneered and remained silent. She had long understood this guy’s shamelessness and how he could say any irresponsible thing.
Fortunately, she had never expected him to take responsibility!
“Then that’s settled. I’ll be temporarily leaving the team. The Virtual Divine Law Project will be on expedition maintenance. Contact me anytime for new developments…” Shana had made up her mind.
Roger examined her for a long time. Such a serious explanation indicated that she had indeed thought it through, and it wasn’t an impulsive act.
So, he said with a tone of relief,
“That’s good too. I wish you a clear view of this world, and may you still love it.”
Shana couldn’t help but glare at him fiercely.
What was this tone of an old father whose daughter had grown up and become sensible?
“Thanks.”
But she still said it, as it was a rare moment of seriousness from that guy.
Roger returned to the Eternal Night. He wasn’t as idle as Shana. Once the second fleet belonging to the Godslayer was built, he would certainly hold the rank of Marshal.
Moreover, the recent events needed to be reported to Her Majesty.
Shana hesitated and looked at Hard Pandit.
The former Paladin, now a Magic Knight, was watching as the Empire’s Soldiers hung all the Big Shots of the God of War’s Holy See on the magnificent cathedral, covering the walls adorned with stained glass.
There were no streetlights in this World. The Empire’s Soldiers showed no mercy to these lackeys of the gods who were in league with devils and rats and had schemed against the natives of their World. They were treated like the nobles Roger had judged, and they were happy to see them suffer humiliation and then slowly die in the sun and wind and snow.
“Hello, my name is Shana. I’m just a traveler who hitched a ride… I saw some of the things you’ve been through and I’m curious to know what you’ll do next?”
Hard sized up Shana. Although she wasn’t wearing a military uniform, her clothes, demeanor, equipment, and powerful aura were all identical to those of the invading Empire people. She was clearly from the same World and the same country.
She might even be a young lady of considerable status.
If he had been his past self, upon encountering someone suspected of being an enemy, he would have immediately used Detect Evil and decided whether to draw his sword based on the color.
However, after experiencing today’s events, his perspective on the World was changing.
Not everyone not of the righteous alignment was a good person, and not all invaders were demons.
What malice did this person who approached him have? He needed to judge with his own eyes.
“I will prioritize gathering a force, then observing the changes in this region, and doing what I can.”
Hard told her truthfully, as there was nothing shameful about it.
Shana couldn’t help but chuckle, finding that he was just like her.
They had some direction, but it seemed they both needed to observe before making decisions.
“I happen to have nothing to do here either, and I want to join your team.”
“…Okay.” Hard felt he must be crazy to team up with an invader.
But since he had decided to change, he would no longer cling to attributes like identity, allegiance, or faith, but judge solely by actions.
Shana was quite happy, feeling that staying here might be the right choice. She felt there was something this uncle lacked, something she might have been searching for all along.
It was called the direction of life.
Sometimes she was jealous of lazy people like Roger. They were lazy all day, yet they knew clearly what they wanted to do and achieve, as if there was an end goal in their hearts, and they moved forward unhurriedly.
After gaining “the past” from Nariner, Shana no longer felt so adrift, but she didn’t know where her future lay.
From the people of the Empire, she had learned a simple truth:
Even if the end of the World was tomorrow, one should live today well and not waste the time one currently possessed.
To make this World meaningful, she had to find a direction, a cause she truly wanted to reach and accomplish.
She had read many books but still didn’t understand how to live. So now she decided to look at the real World from a different perspective.
Following the Empire’s army to witness brilliant victories was certainly good, but upon seeing Hard, she suddenly wanted to change her perspective, believing it would yield greater rewards.
He was a pitiful person who had been deceived, yet his heart always held an unwavering belief, a desire to protect others, judge evil, and uphold justice.
Although his sense of good and evil had been distorted by his brother Louis in the past, after countless years of wandering the World, experiencing battles, betrayals, life, and death, he had formed his own standards of good and evil.
The Empress of Eternal Night had told him to judge so-called good and evil with his own heart. This Knight had truly taken it to heart and was prepared to continue to practice this belief.
Therefore, after his faith collapsed, he did not fall into becoming a dark knight, but became a non-believer, drawing new power from the fundamental rules of the void of the Universe, creating a unique profession for himself, similar to that of a Magic Knight.
Shana wanted to see how far he could go, and what kind of person he would eventually transform into.
Moreover, by following him, she could see a more realistic aspect of this Universe and the relationship between gods and mortals that had deeply touched Nariner.
The Empire’s Soldiers worked quickly, and soon all the prisoners from the Holy See were hung up. Their screams and curses echoed in the wind, some begging for mercy, others demanding a quick end.
But no one responded. The Soldiers returned to their warships, and the Empire’s First Fleet disappeared into the sky.
Hard watched all of this silently and walked towards the ordinary church members who had been captured but did not deserve to be hung.
There were Soldiers, Knights, Ascetics, and Priests, but they were all in a state of great confusion.
Hard wanted to give them direction, a direction he didn’t know if it was right or wrong, but one he wanted to practice.
He simply explained his thoughts to Shana, this girl from another World who had inexplicably come to help him. His intuition told him that she would understand.
Shana listened intently, as expected.
Hard believed that after the destruction of the God of War’s Holy See, the nations in these regions would soon welcome new missionaries who would then divide the region.
Those heretics… oh, no, the clergy of other churches might be better than the God of War’s Holy See, or they might be far worse. Hard didn’t want to make a judgment before seeing it.
He wanted to see with his own eyes, feel with his own heart, and then help the nations and people he vowed to protect embrace a better life.
“Just like your soldiers, you can see that the calluses on many hands are not from holding swords or practicing martial arts, but from performing heavy farm work. Yet, the confidence in their eyes is like that of the sons and daughters of Great Nobles.”
Shana asked doubtfully, “They are just ordinary soldiers of the Empire, free citizens, receiving education, playing in simulations. How are they nobles?”
“Their hearts.”
There was genuine envy in Hard’s eyes.
Even ordinary people of the Empire were well-fed, well-educated, and lived in a relatively fair World full of infinite possibilities.
The improvement in living standards brought about by national strength was only one aspect. The most important thing was that these Commoners believed they could create infinite possibilities.
Because of the educational foundation established by Roger, although he hadn’t directly written slogans like “Are royalty and nobility destined from birth?” which might have led to his head being chopped off by the Empress of Eternal Night, he had indeed told the people of the Empire that if they were ever dissatisfied with those above, they could overthrow them with their own strength and establish a new order.
Such an idea could not be seen in people ruled by divine authority and nobility.
No amount of material wealth could simply create such citizens. It required all-round reform, leading them forward from top to bottom, creating countless miracles to shape such citizens.
Shana didn’t understand Hard’s envy, but she wasn’t in a hurry.
She still had plenty of time to stay in this World and the opportunity to see firsthand what kind of people Hard wanted to protect.
…
…
In the Sea God’s Divine Kingdom, several gods were celebrating their victory. They had successfully occupied one hundred new Planes.
The God of Knowledge had designated some for virtualization according to needs. The rest were divided among them, creating new faith farms.
However, Tiberia’s expression remained gloomy.
She felt her luck had been terrible lately.
