## Chapter 54: Dio Begins to Enragingly Draw Hatred!
In the City of Mysteries, a celebratory atmosphere continued to spread. In front of everyone’s astonished eyes, their invincible Empress had, once again, defeated a formidable enemy and protected the City of Mysteries!
“This War Goddess, who was so huge, and Your Majesty the Empress just took out a small green whip, and *bang*, guess what? The Goddess was gone!” The bard’s vivid narration explained the battle that occurred at dusk to the citizens who had missed the “Empress Defeats Goddess” match.
“Long live the Empress!” This was followed by a wave of heartfelt roars from the empire’s subjects, inciting those around them to join in. That day, the City of Mysteries felt like a wolf’s den, with countless people shouting until their voices were hoarse. The Amti Chamber of Commerce, with its pre-stocked cough drops, had likely become the biggest winner.
It had to be said, this was a beautifully mistaken assumption. In the final moments, both sides had reached their peak of power. The sky was so silent that not even a bird could be heard, with only the Empress of Eternal Night and the War Goddess confronting each other. Then, the War Goddess simply ceased to be, evaporated. Clearly, the Empress of Eternal Night had shattered the War Goddess with a mere glance! Thus, in the eyes of the empire’s people, the War Goddess was no longer a goddess but a weapon for the empire’s studs!
In mid-air, the Empress of Eternal Night struck a pose, as if to say, “Just a minor move, don’t be surprised,” with a transcendent expression that conveyed everything was under her control, appeasing the empire’s fervor. Internally, she was quite bewildered. What had just happened? Even though she knew she couldn’t win, she felt a sense of regret, as if they had agreed to a decisive battle until dawn, only for her opponent to suddenly experience a power outage. She wasn’t a Bulbasaur; she couldn’t learn Vine Whip. Clearly, that wasn’t her doing the damage! Besides, she was just a novice who could barely scratch the gods. The path to god-slaying was long and arduous; how could she possibly have instantly annihilated the War Goddess’s Incarnation?
She instinctively looked at Roger. Unbeknownst to her, the Empress had developed a habit of “when in doubt, get a freebie from Roger.” And indeed, the young man was gazing at the sky, lost in thought, as he began to analyze the current situation:
[Hmm, this line… it confirms it. The War Goddess really angered the God of Nature, which is why even the logs couldn’t help but step in and stab her in the back.]
[The War Goddess suffered a huge loss in this round. She spent a lot of Faith Power, didn’t defeat Her Majesty, failed to establish her prestige, and was even plotted against by the God of Nature. That little hoe must be fuming!]
[Although the Seven Gods are a faction, the God of Nature might be very interested in plotting against the War Goddess now. Perhaps there’s an opportunity for cooperation?]
The Empress of Eternal Night benefited from Roger’s analysis, secretly nodding. Well, she had solved the mystery too. Ah, this feeling of not having to strain her brain was truly wonderful! She’d arrange for Margaret to secretly contact the God of Nature later and see if there were any opportunities for cooperation! That’s how wise and mighty she was!
Unintentionally, the Empress of Eternal Night had also changed. In the past, even if she didn’t publicly declare Roger’s plan, she would have secretly rewarded him. But upon discovering that this guy was an ungrateful viper who wouldn’t appreciate even the best rewards and only wanted to slack off, she began to feel no psychological pressure in taking advantage of him. Emperors bestow rewards to gain the loyalty of their vassals. However, this one’s loyalty was locked, he had no sense of honor, and his lazy bones were only filled with lust… What could the Empress do? She couldn’t transform into a Bodhisattva and hand out benefits every day, could she? So, she had also figured it out: the soft approach didn’t work, huh? Fine, then she’d hold him tightly by his weaknesses, giving him no chance to escape!
The Empress of Eternal Night, enduring her fatigue, handled the aftermath. Finally, she sent a telepathic message to Roger: “Be careful of the War Goddess’s Believers.” Roger didn’t have the ability to transmit messages directly, and shouting through a crowd wasn’t appropriate, so he could only pretend to scratch his leg and touch the characters in his message: “Understood.” The Empress of Eternal Night nodded slightly and, without further delay, teleported back to the Maple Spirit Moonlight Palace, announcing that she would temporarily refuse all visitors.
Roger watched the Empress of Eternal Night disappear into the air and realized something. The War Goddess was, after all, an ancient deity. The Empress of Eternal Night had just clashed with her projection. While she appeared calm on the surface, she had likely suffered considerable losses in secret… Thinking of this, he couldn’t help but feel a sense of admiration. The War Goddess remained unfazed even when subjected to pigs, and the Empress of Eternal Night bore her severe injuries with a normal expression… Why were these women all such good actors? Compared to them, wearing stockings on a freezing winter street, wearing a hat all day because you didn’t wash your hair, or stuffing 150 pounds of flesh into an XS-sized outfit were all basic operations, right? Roger felt that his role as a “Cabinet Rogue” had already exhausted his entire energy, while these women had integrated performance into their daily lives. They maintained their image, schemed against each other, employing all sorts of methods, practically to any extreme! They were all incredibly cunning!
Fortunately, Dio’s identity was about to undergo a rebirth. He would soon escape this vortex of scheming. A gentleman does not stand under a dangerous wall. For an honest person like himself to be constantly exposed to these scheming women was too dangerous. To ensure the War Goddess’s Believers would target him viciously, Roger prepared to personally draw a wave of hatred. After all, the Believers had infiltrated and their numbers were limited. This time, the super divine pigs had performed exceptionally well. To overshadow them and ensure the Believers prioritized killing him, the Chief of the City Defense, he needed to do some extra maneuvering. Simply acting with the pigs wasn’t enough to guarantee his demise. With Roger’s cautious nature, he felt it was at least necessary to let the Believers know that he was the mastermind behind this grand performance. This was in case the Believers were incompetent and didn’t know who to target first.
At this point, the studs were also exhausted, leaving streaks of dirt on the statue. Panting, they leaned weakly against the War Goddess’s statue, looking reluctant to leave. In the limited memories of the pigs, this was a particularly satisfying and happy release. The feeling of becoming super divine was wonderful; the pigs wanted to become super divine again!
Roger walked onto the raised platform in the center of the small square and called out to the dispersing citizens: “Everyone, seizing this opportunity of Her Majesty’s great victory, I, Dio Brando, have a tremendous piece of good news to announce!” He wore the uniform of the Chief of the City Defense, with a large star on his shoulder shining brightly. Although the City Defense Army of the City of Mysteries was a unit that often took the blame, it was responsible for maintaining the security of the imperial capital and held a significant position. Roger, despite being newly appointed, was given the appropriate treatment, with a star adorning his epaulet, signifying a general.
Such a young general, and so handsome that people couldn’t look away, immediately made many stop in their tracks, curious to hear what this young man wanted to announce. While he didn’t want to admit it was a world that judged by looks, a handsome young man or a beautiful woman appearing in front of everyone always garnered more attention. Furthermore, the name Dio Brando sounded so familiar. Soon, someone remembered; wasn’t he the upright historian who compiled the imperial history? Although Dio only compiled the tenth volume, because all five predecessors had fled and were not qualified to be named in the imperial history, naturally, the citizens of the empire only remembered Dio. This was the proportional relationship between risk and reward. Dio risked losing his position or even his head to compile the imperial history, and naturally, the merits of those cowardly predecessors went to him.
Roger saw the crowd stopping and showed a satisfied smile. The more people who stayed, the faster the news would spread. The more heated the discussions, the more the War Goddess’s Believers would hate him. The plan was in motion! Roger began by revealing his role: “I, the Chief of the City Defense, on my first day in charge of the City Defense Army, am grateful that everyone enjoyed the little show I arranged, and my hard work in carefully selecting the pigs was not in vain.” The citizens burst into laughter. These studs were found by him? “Lord Brando, you’re amazing!” “Please, make sure to do it again! We haven’t seen enough!” “I’ll donate military funds to the City Defense Army right away and buy more pigs!” “Donate military funds to buy pigs? Please, be a human being and let the War Goddess rest for a bit.” “Charge! Charge! Charge towards the War Goddess’s backside!” The citizens burst into laughter. Roger smiled with satisfaction. Now everyone should remember me as the mastermind of the pig ravings, discussing it well and helping to spread it to all the Believer brothers! Of course, this was not the end.
Roger took out a magic scroll, opened it, and projected a new icon, designed by Sophie and the Amti Chamber of Commerce, onto the square: a shining golden shield with a simple drawing of the War Goddess. However, her charming head had been replaced by a pig’s head. The style was simple yet expressive, inexplicably humorous, but uniquely recognizable, making people remember it at a glance and think of the untold stories between the War Goddess and the pigs… Don’t underestimate this simple icon; Roger was swindled out of five hundred gold coins by Sophie to hire a Master painter to achieve this effect. It proved that the only downside to expensive things was their expense.
The citizens present had all witnessed the spectacular scene of the pig charge in the square and couldn’t help but smile knowingly. However, they were still a bit confused about what this young man intended to do. Was he just drawing an icon to mock the War Goddess? Selling souvenirs for this event? He wasn’t really trying to make a quick buck off of sentimentality, was he, my lord? Seeing their curious gazes, Roger finally stopped playing coy and explained with a smile: “This time, we thank the War Goddess for her cooperation. Everyone has fully realized how strong our pigs’ bodies are and how enduring their stamina is. Later, we will cooperate with the Amti Chamber of Commerce to invest in the construction of the St. Taibella Pig Farm, allowing more imperial citizens to share the fruits of this victory!”
St. Taibella… Pig Farm? The citizens in the square paused for a moment, then burst into laughter. Brilliant! The War Goddess’s divine name was Taibella! And you named a pig farm “Saint”? The War Goddess’s Believers would go mad! Sharing the fruits of victory meant eating the divine pig or its offspring? This… this was interesting! “Lord Brando, you’re amazing!” “For the parents who died in the Blood Night of the City of Mysteries, I will only eat St. Taibella pork from now on!” “If I eat this pork, will I also be as enduring as the pigs? Oh, I have to buy a ton for my husband!” The citizens roared with laughter again, the atmosphere even more fervent than before. Lord Dio Brando’s ideas were a bit unconventional, a bit vulgar… But they loved these unconventional and vulgar things!
Dio felt the rising emotions of the crowd and showed a charming smile, saying passionately: “I guarantee everyone that the St. Taibella Pig Farm is established for the empire to fight against the gods. After deducting the expenses for daily operations, all profits will be donated to the imperial military!” “Lord Brando, you’re amazing!” “I guarantee everyone that every piece of pork sold at the St. Taibella Pig Farm will be the offspring of today’s super divine pigs!” “Lord Brando, you’re amazing!” “I guarantee everyone that the studs at the St. Taibella Pig Farm must continuously charge the War Goddess for over an hour to be considered qualified, and this standard will never be lowered!” “Lord Brando, you’re amazing!” “I recommend a dish: Shrimp and Pig Heart. It’s the essence of the super divine pigs! Thank you, Goddess, for offering us your heart!” “Lord Brando, amazing! Amazing! Amazing!” The imperial people were practically roaring with laughter. As everyone knew, the core slogan of the War Goddess’s Believers was “Give your heart to the Goddess.” But now the imperial people were eating the pig hearts you offered, what do you Believers think? Arrogant? But since Empress of Eternal Night defeated your Goddess, she could be this arrogant!
At this moment, the imperial people in the square, including the soldiers of the City Defense Army and the employees of the Amti Chamber of Commerce, felt that Lord Dio was truly charismatic. They would name him the number one entertainer in the City of Mysteries! Who would have thought that the Goddess, whom they couldn’t afford to offend before, would now be reduced to a weapon for the empire’s studs, the golden standard for testing professional capability! When the pork from St. Taibella hit the market, it wouldn’t be a delicacy, but plates upon plates of War Goddess jokes! Even those imperial people who didn’t like pork felt they could buy some and enjoy the fun.
Roger saw that the situation was ripe and ordered his subordinates to dress the pigs in bright red ceremonial robes, wear large red flowers on their chests, and affix the St. Taibella Pig Farm logo on their hindquarters before loading them onto flatbed carts. The mages had secretly restored their stamina with magic, and now they looked majestic and imposing, surely to produce the best piglets! Although it was getting late, the City Defense Army soldiers stood nearby holding magic crystal lamps, and the military band played the wedding march, making the pigs shine even brighter, visible to the entire city! Roger announced loudly: “Although the wedding night has been moved up, the City Defense Army is willing to hold a ceremony for the grooms, parading through the entire city so everyone can celebrate Her Majesty’s victory!!!” After boasting about the pigs for so long, Roger finally attributed the honor back to the Empress, further igniting the imperial people’s enthusiasm! Although the pig squad had made a great contribution today, the Empress was the MVP, the tank-level mage with 99% output share. How could they not praise the Empress and still be considered imperial people?
As the pig parade advanced, Roger naturally followed. He dispersed the City Defense Army, setting up an impenetrable cage formation that covered every angle, providing comprehensive protection for the pig parade. No one doubted this order. Everyone understood the true purpose of today’s operation: to lure out the War Goddess’s Believers, with the super divine pigs as bait. With the formation spread out, parading through the entire city, they were actively creating an environment convenient for the fanatic Believers to act. Could they possibly endure it? As for the reduction of protection around Lord Dio… the ordinary soldiers were too excited and hadn’t truly considered it. And all of this was within Roger’s calculations. He voluntarily stepped forward to draw hatred, wanting the War Goddess’s Believers to hate him to death. Schemes can fail, but Dio must die! As the creator of the St. Taibella Pig Farm, he hoped the fanatic Believers would be merciful and spare him. Please, grant him a swift end and end this sinful life. Otherwise, he would definitely open St. Taibella Pig Farms throughout the entire empire, and the War Goddess’s statues wouldn’t be enough! And the fanatic Believers, just as he had predicted, had set their sights on this procession.
In a residential house, a handsome and robust youth with a large body and a disproportionately small head frowned and spoke: “Haven’t Jonathans been contacted yet?” “All the agreed divine art circuits are not working,” the man in fine clothing replied with a bitter smile. The delicate youth slammed the table: “We can’t wait any longer. Let’s kill that Dio Brando first. He’s the one who makes all those nasty jokes about the Goddess; he has the worst intentions!” Moreover, he dared to be more handsome than me! Such a person, can he be allowed to live? Soon, more than a dozen Believers, ranging from high-level mages to legendary powerhouses, melted into the darkness, ambushing the pigs’ parade route.
