Sword of Dawn

Page 132

Gawain listened in a daze, and at the end he hurriedly stopped Tire: "Hey, you should be careful! Don't talk about this with others when you come out of here, especially don't say it to the group of believers. The content is too blasphemous, if people listen to it, you will easily be grilled into a grilled fish on a pile of firewood..."

"Don't worry, of course I know," Tyre rolled his eyes, "And the Kraken is not afraid of being roasted by fire. At worst, it will be roasted into water vapor. We will come back after a wave of cold air..."

Gao Wen felt as if he had heard some great racial talent, but at the moment he was more concerned about the changing image of gods: "According to what you said just now, are the images of gods of other sects also constantly changing?"

"Yeah, your Goddess of Magic in this season was still a male God of Magic in the last season, and last season was called 'Kamandor the Dragon of Ten Thousand Magics', and your God of War in this season was a thorn with four heads in the last season. Horned lion, but last season was actually a big-breasted woman," Till said shaking his head, "and not only the image will change, sometimes the gods will merge or disappear-for example, in ancient times, blood God and God of War are actually the same belief, and they were called the "God of Slaughter" at that time, and the god of commerce you believe in now should actually be divided into the god of commerce and the god of contract in a certain season of civilization..."

Gawain was stupefied by the pile of ancient secrets that came out of Tire. After scratching the formula in his mind for a long time, he found that it was impossible for him to give the changes and corresponding relationships of this pile of gods. To be clear, at least not in a short period of time, so he directly gave up these details, and instead summed up the most simple and easy-to-understand conclusion:

Season after season, although mortal civilizations each believe in specific gods and idols, on the whole, what mortals believe in is not a definite, unchanging god, but a unified, The "concept product" that will almost inevitably appear in the process!

Mortals are afraid of fire, so they have the belief in fire; mortals yearn for light and justice, so they have the belief in holy light; mortals need trade and fairness, so they have the belief in commerce; the worship of war and blood gives birth to the belief in war and blood Faith, the awe of the night gave birth to shadows and dark beliefs...

Their beliefs all point to a certain concept at the beginning, and the exact image of the gods should be the product after that.

That's why Tyre said that no matter how many generations the civilizations on land have changed, they all worship "similar gods", but the images of gods in civilizations vary greatly from season to season!

Gao Wen couldn't help but think of the primitive god worship on Earth—in ancient times, people on Earth also experienced similar things. First, they were in awe of a certain phenomenon in the natural world, and then a relatively vague and conceptual awe was born from this vague, conceptual awe. A definite god, but unlike the earth, in this world...

The gods and their powers are real.

Those gods whose images are constantly changing... If they really existed from ancient times, and they all have the same human characteristics as preached by various religions, will they allow the mortal civilization from season to season to shape their images at will?

Obviously, it is impossible. After all, even if a few syllables are wrong when reciting the prayer in the Holy Light Sect, it is possible to be "divinely punished" by the Holy Light to death. Those gods are not so tolerant to mortals.

So there is only one conclusion: in the religious system of civilization every season, the gods really change...at least, their image really changes.

An extremely bold question could not help but pop up in Gao Wen's mind: Did God create man, or did man create God?

He continued to think along this bold line of thought, but encountered a new problem: If it is true that "man-made gods", then the suspected God of Storm who died in the deep sea, the God of Nature who died in the Shadow Realm... How to explain the real flesh and blood body?

In addition, there is another problem. The sea monsters began to dig "big squid" in extremely ancient times. During this process, there must have been more than one round of belief in the "God of Storms" on land. During this process, the God of Storms Who is sitting on the "seat" of God?

You must know that the power of the God of Storms has always existed. Before the sons of the storm fell into blackness, their priests could pray to the God of Storms in exchange for the "response of the sea", so as to sail in the chaotic endless sea. It is impossible for such a great power to come out of thin air. Could it be that the Storm God, who has been gnawed and dug by the Krakens, still finds time to return news to the believers in his busy schedule? !

If this is the case, then the degree of dedication of the God of Storms can impress Gao Wen.

Gao Wen's face was uncertain, and finally he only said leisurely: "The relationship between gods and mortals... how are they connected..."

Tyre shrugged his shoulders (and the tip of his tail): "This involves my blind spot of knowledge. After all, we sea monsters don't believe in gods at all. The response of the gods. Your 'magic' system is completely incomprehensible in our eyes, just like you cannot understand the elemental technology of the sea monster."

"It's a ghost that you can get a response from the gods." Gao Wen couldn't help but squint at the salted fish spirit, "Look at your recipes—the group of gods responded to you, could it be that they are rushing to serve you as sashimi?"

Tyr licked his upper lip: "I'm really a little greedy when I talk about this, but I can go and take a bite of that big white deer..."

Gao Wen didn't even think about it: "No."

"Why..." Miss Sea Demon was obviously shocked, "Anyway, you don't need the big white deer, you don't burn or eat it, what a waste of such a big piece of meat..."

"The situation of the giant deer Amorn is different from that of the 'big squid'." Gawain glanced at the guy who had begun to drool and shook the tip of his tail vigorously, "The giant deer Amorn relied on the pile of ancient weapon remains The resulting force field was sealed, didn't Kamel say? It's in a very delicate balance now, God knows what will happen if you take a bite in the past. Besides, the gate to the Shadow Realm is built on In terms of ancient Gondor technology, those ancient technologies may go wrong at any time now, what if the gate is closed when you go in to take a bite? How do you get out of the Shadow Realm? You rely on your sea caterpillar-like way to get out of it Does it come out?"

Tyr: "..."

Seeing that Miss Siren was speechless, Gawain exhaled, turned around and looked at Cecil City, which was flourishing under the bright winter sun.

"Let's continue to bask in the sun."

Tier curled her lips helplessly, the long snake tail gradually melted and transformed into a snake tail, then she twisted her body and lay down like a salted fish without motivation: "So greedy..."

At the same time, Santis finally set foot on the land of this ancient royal capital again in the city of Saint-Sunil.

He raised his head and watched the sun shining on the row upon row of roofs in Saint-Sunil City, on the colorful windows of the church, and on the mottled old city walls and towers.

After nearly a year, he finally came back.

Chapter 0318

Three carriages with the emblem of the Cecil family were driving on the streets of the royal capital. In the leading carriage, the witch Jibri opened the cover on the window, looking at the place with a trace of curiosity but cautiously. city.

She was born and raised in the poor and backward southern region, until she met the "big sister" Amber, her whole world was made up of dark and dirty sewer corners, low and dilapidated poor streets and rotten and smelly garbage in the small town But like most Ansu people, she also had the opportunity to hear stories related to this great royal city - from the occasional bard passing by, the boastful adventurer, and the cunning and vigilant merchant. , She sketched the imaginary appearance of the city, she imagined the tall and majestic city walls, the magnificent church, the extraordinary noble mansion, and the "Silver Fort" covered with silver foils where His Majesty the King lived. ".

In the days when she was wandering in the gutters and alleys as a liar and a witch, she knew that it was impossible to visit the capital with her own status and ability, not to mention visiting the capital, as long as she dared to step into a larger city, it was possible Will be caught and whipped by the lord, but fate is so wonderful sometimes-this sentence she always used to fool those adventurers when she was wearing a hood and a divination deck, but at this time she wanted to Tell yourself—under the wonderful arrangement of fate, she has become a decent person, a person who is loyal to the great nobles, and this royal capital, which used to only exist in imagination, is now in front of her eyes.

It is as majestic and magnificent as bards and adventurers say it is.

But it is old and dirty everywhere.

Jibri frowned, and saw that the streets of the capital were full of filth, and there were dilapidated poor streets and alleys inside the tall city walls. Along the way, she still saw poor people in ragged clothes and "untouchables" driven by soldiers. She felt that her beautiful imagination of the royal capital had collapsed a little bit.

This is indeed a magnificent ancient capital. In terms of heritage and scale, it deserves to be the first in Ansu, but Jibri found that she prefers the clean and tidy streets and the orderly city of Cecilland, and prefers the vitality there. Prosperous people and law-abiding officials.

But she kept in mind the task she received before leaving, so all the emotional changes were well hidden by her. With an elegant and decent smile, she put down the cover of the carriage and turned her head to look at the The young arcanist opposite him: "Mr. Santis, shall we go directly to the Duke's mansion?"

Santis was a little restless, and after hesitating for a moment, he still said, "I want...to go home first."

Immediately afterwards, he quickly added: "Of course, the Duke's mission is more important. If you feel inappropriate, we will go to No. [-] Crown Street first..."

"There is no need to be so restrained, Mr. Santis," the witch Jibri smiled, just like a real mage apprentice who came from a small nobleman or a wealthy merchant family, "according to the Duke's order, you are the leader of this operation , Pierce and I will only provide you with necessary advice and assistance. You only need to act according to the plan you think is reasonable."

"Okay...Okay," Santis nodded a little unaccustomed to it, and looked away a little guilty, trying not to be with the long flaxen hair, wearing a long black dress, and a pretty face opposite him. The charming "witch" looked at each other, "Then let's... go to Cross Street first. By the way, the remaining two carriages can go to No. [-] Crown Street first, and there is no need to follow them together - Cross Street is very narrow."

The tall and thin man sitting next to him interjected: "Mr. Santis, if our carriage can enter the cross street, then the other two must be able to, I suggest that two accompanying carriages follow--you are here Going home should be as high-profile as possible, it's a gesture."

Santis froze for a moment, then nodded: "Ah, yes, Mr. Pierce."

"Fast Legs" Pierce, who served as the guard, knocked on the wooden board at the front of the carriage, and shouted to the driving guide sitting outside: "Cross Street!"

The three carriages turned a corner on the street and turned towards the civilian area of ​​the capital.

Santis felt his heart "float" during this process, and a feeling of nowhere haunted him. He took a few deep breaths, and a burst of cold air mixed with a strong fishy smell penetrated his nostrils : The carriage is passing Sturgeon Street, where the smell of fish can even overwhelm the stench of defecation at the corner of the street.

Even though it was winter, the stench of decay was sickening because it had soaked every brick in the street.

He couldn't help opening the window cover and looking at the street scene outside.

The familiar street scene came into his eyes.

The low, messy and crowded dwellings are piled up under the city wall like layers of moss. Due to the cold weather, there are only a few scattered vendors on the street, and there are very few pedestrians. A few faces are occasionally seen They are full of numbness, and those numb people are shaking on the street like walking dead. It seems that the cold winter and the malnourished diet have made these people lose all the changes in their expressions, but they also suddenly "live" sometimes ——When the carriage with the insignia of the nobility drove through the street, these poor people with numb expressions would almost immediately prostrate on the ground, their foreheads pressed tightly to the ground, and their reactions were so fast, as if this was their relationship with them. The innate instinct is normal.

Santis frowned slightly, and at this moment the carriage had driven through the short Sturgeon Street and entered the slightly better "Cross Street District".

Cross Street is the place where middle-class "citizens" live. People with a little status and wealth will live here. Compared with Sturgeon Street, which belongs to the poor neighborhood, the houses here are obviously taller, and those who walk on the road are also obviously Be more spiritual.

When they see a noble carriage, they don't have to crawl to the ground immediately, but they must immediately hide on both sides of the street, and bend their waists to be absolutely lower than the height of the carriage windows - civilians must do this, this is to prevent them from using dirty Dirty eye gaze on nobles who might be looking out of the car window.

Only in the more advanced neighborhoods where baptized wealthy citizens live together, those "respectable people" who have received the blessing of the church do not need to do this. They only need to stand on both sides of the street and bow down to pay respects.

In the royal capital, there are naturally more rules than in those wild places on the border.

Santis, who was born in Cross Street and promoted to a second-level arcanist, is the "most promising kid" in this block. His mage level is also the highest achievement that people living in this area can achieve so far. In the past, even No matter how unsatisfactory Santis was in the mage society, no matter how he was excluded, he returned to the block with pride, but now, seeing those neighbors who bowed their heads deeply on both sides of the street, his heart But only bouts of boredom.

Nothing has changed here, just as it was when he left.

Last year's Shizijie was like this, it was like this ten years ago, and it was still like this 100 years ago!

But in Cecilland, one year is enough to build a city, enough for a group of illiterate children to learn to write the names of themselves and their parents and family members, enough to beat back those monsters from the wasteland of Gondor twice!

Santis thought dully, and then suddenly saw a little girl staring blankly at the corner of the street.

The little girl was wearing a neat but old dress with only one patch on it. She had two neat ponytails, her face was flushed red in the cold wind, and she was holding a bulging cloth bag in her hands.

She seemed to have just walked out of a certain street corner, so she didn't have time to bow and salute to the noble carriage, but looked at this side a little unresponsively.

Santis froze for a moment, then shouted: "Pepe!"

However, the little girl ran away suddenly before he spoke, as if she didn't hear what he said next.

"Who is that?" Jibril, who was sitting opposite, asked curiously.

"My sister," Santis said in a strange tone, "why did she run?"

The little girl quickly ran across the street, ran to a house that looked a little newer than the surrounding buildings, hurriedly opened the door and ran in, a middle-aged man in an old cotton coat and an old apron was grinding herbs in the middle of the room The young woman raised her head when she heard the movement, and looked at her little daughter in surprise: "Pepe? Why did you come back so soon? Did you give the herbs to Mr. Wayne?"

Then she saw the cloth bag in the little girl's hand, and she couldn't help frowning, but before she could reprimand, the little girl stammered out of nervousness: "Mom...Mom! Three cars came outside. A big carriage! It belongs to a nobleman! On the carriage... there is an emblem hanging on it, just like the one drawn on the letter paper when my brother sent a letter back last time!"

The middle-aged woman was stunned for a moment, then suddenly her hands trembled, and the mallet used for grinding herbs fell to the ground.

She didn't care to pick it up, so she stood up immediately and stared into her little daughter's eyes: "Did you see it clearly? Is it really that emblem? The emblem of the sword and the plow?"

The little girl grabbed the cloth bag in her hand, a little nervous and scared: "See clearly..."

"That's the emblem of the Cecil family... It's someone sent by the Duke of Cecil... Do you see anything else on the carriage? Is there a death chrysanthemum on the driver's hat or clothes? On the horses driving the carriage A strip of cloth with white petals on it?"

The little girl seemed to be frightened by her mother, she was so nervous that she couldn't speak for a while, but the door to the back room opened at this moment, and the male owner of the house heard the movement and came out: "What's the matter? I heard a lot of noise outside."

"My dear, Duke Cecil's people, three carriages are here..." The mistress of the house wrung her hands, "Is something wrong with Santis? I told him earlier that the Dark Mountains are a very dangerous place." Let him be very careful, but he always said in the letter..."

"Calm down," said the middle-aged man, "Santis is only a second-level arcanist, it is impossible for the Duke to send three carriages to notify..."

At this moment, there was a knock on the door suddenly.

The man and the woman straightened their bodies almost immediately, they stopped breathing for a moment, and stared in the direction of the door, while the little girl standing closest to the door almost jumped up.

The knock on the door was still ringing, the little girl froze for a moment in a daze, then subconsciously walked towards the door.

"Wait a minute, I'll drive."

While talking, the middle-aged man passed his wife and daughter to the door.

He opened the door, and the cold wind was blowing in his face, and a tall and thin figure stood there.

The little girl stood behind her father and shouted happily: "It's brother!"

Chapter 0319 Santis' Home

The little girl poked her head out of the door, looking nervously and curiously at the three carriages parked at the door—the large carriages with the emblems of nobles hanging on them looked out of place in this neighborhood, but it was better than parking on Sturgeon Street. It's much better. Some people who live in Cross Street have already been attracted and watched from a distance, but no one dares to get too close: mighty soldiers in black steel light armor and dark blue medal robes Standing next to the car, the black steel swords with peculiar triggers and runes on their waists are daunting. For the residents of Crossroads, such soldiers must not be provoked.

From inside came the mother's cry: "Pepe! Don't leave the door open! Come back!"

The little girl gave a last reluctant look at the soldier standing near the door of the house. The brave soldier in sharp clothes noticed the little girl's gaze and nodded to her with a kind smile.

The little girl exclaimed in a low voice, then quickly turned around and ran back home.

"The Duke ordered me to return to the capital to recruit a group of mages," Santis explained to his parents the reason for his sudden return home in the main room, "I'm not staying at home, and I'm going to the Duke's mansion on Crown Street."

The middle-aged couple has already figured out what happened, and their moods have calmed down, but they still look at Santis in a finely woven robe in disbelief, as if they can't believe that this energetic young man is their one who went to the dark Shanshan, the son who was supposed to suffer outside, their eyes could not help but focus on the people around Santis, and the mother said: "They are..."

"Hello, ma'am, I'm Jibri, a mage apprentice who is loyal to the Cecil family, and I'm serving as Mr. Santis' assistant according to the Duke's order."

"Pierce, a bodyguard."

The two operators who graduated from the Military Security Intelligence Agency introduced themselves according to their identities and personality settings, but Santis, who was caught in the middle, obviously didn't quite adapt to this atmosphere, and the young arcanist hurriedly broke a little Stiff situation: "Where is Miles?"

Miles is his younger brother and the second child of the family.

"Miles has gone to the tanner," said the father. "There is nothing to do in winter. He has found a job tanning leather for a nobleman."

Santis nodded—although in places other than Cecil Territory, it is almost impossible for civilians to find a job in winter, but this is the capital of the king after all, and the nobles will need some servants to do things for them in winter. These scattered jobs are a great reward to the civilians who are struggling to survive, so even if these jobs can get little pay, everyone is rushing to do them.

It's just that as his gaze swept across the main room at home, the young arcanist frowned slightly.

"Didn't I send money home three times?" He frowned and said, "Even if it's not enough to move to the Filton neighborhood with a better environment, you should repair the doors and windows, and expand the stove...Why is it still like this? ?”

Santis' father was a cook in a noble family, and his mother was a herbalist. This family already belonged to the wealthy class among the common people. The whole family actually had the opportunity to move to a better "upper-class neighborhood" many years ago, just to move Santis was sent to the Mage Association, and the family spent all their savings, so they lost the opportunity to move and "promote", and this is what Santis felt owed the most to his family after failing to attack the third-level mage, so he After Cecil settled down and gained a stable income, the first thing he did was to save money and send it home—according to his estimation, with the generosity of Duke Gawain, he only needed to save two or three years to make the The family moved to Filton Street, where the conditions were better, but at this moment when he went home and took a look, he found that the house was still in the dilapidated appearance, and his parents were still wearing patched clothes at home, and his father's only good clothes , I am afraid that it is still the "chef's uniform" that I wear when I go to a noble's house to work.

What about the money sent home?

Hearing the son's question, the middle-aged couple looked at each other sadly. After two or three seconds of embarrassing silence, the father said, "The conditions at home were about to improve...but before winter, your brother gave birth. A sickness."

The mother went on to say: "Herbal medicine can't cure him, so we took him to the Church of the Holy Light. The pastor of the church said that he was cursed by the heretics. It was because he was not firm in his belief in the Lord that he could not resist those evil forces." ...

"The pastor performed an exorcism ceremony on him, sprinkled holy water, and finally healed Miles, but because your father believed in the god of business, the pastor of the Holy Light Church said that someone in the family believed in alien gods and was punished by cultists. Cursing is a sin, so you have to pay a 'ransom' to get your brother back.

The father shook his head, as if he was full of guilt for causing his family to suffer because of his "wrong beliefs": "The atonement originally required paying one-third to one-half of the family property. All the belongings in the house were taken away, but fortunately, Earl Taut, whom I served, came forward and said a few good words, and you are still registered in the Mages Association, so the church reduced part of the ransom money... But it was originally reserved to repair the house before winter The money is gone."

Santis' face gradually darkened.

He clenched his fists. He, who never knew how to be angry, felt anger for the first time.

Pierce and Jibri, standing behind him, exchanged glances calmly.

The two operators silently recorded everything they saw and heard in their hearts, then Jibri took a step forward and whispered in Santis' ear: "Don't forget the purpose of our coming here, Mr. Santis ——Your Excellency the Duke will remember everything that happened here for you."

Santis took a deep breath and looked at his parents firmly: "I'm here to pick you up to Cecil."

"To the Dark Mountains?" Mother was taken aback.

"It's Cecil Land," Santis corrected earnestly, "The Dark Mountain Range is just a place, and Cecil Land is a piece of paradise there. Father, mother, don't believe those superstitious rumors about the Dark Mountain Range. It is indeed desolate, but Duke Cecil has built it into a safe, rich, and stable home. The houses there are stronger and warmer than the king's capital. Every inch of land there is watered with druid potions. The fertile and Holy Spirit Plains Like the best land, Cecil's powerful army makes the entire territory extremely safe - you will definitely have a better life there than in the king's capital."

"We've read your description in the letter, and it's all true?" Mother looked into Santis' eyes in disbelief, and then said, "But the king's capital..."

"This city is not worthy of nostalgia, it has never regarded its people as its people," Santis felt his tongue suddenly become easy to use, "We have no land here, even if there is a house, the church is always You can find a reason to take it away. Why don’t the whole family go to Cecil with me. I’m already an advisor to the lord, and the lord also let me teach in the academy he established. Mother, you can go to the alchemy factory after you go, There is a need for a herbalist who can identify various herbal ingredients. Father, you can go to the lord's mansion, where a chef is needed. A wise master craftsman to learn how to make machines... Our whole family can live a decent life there."

The couple look at me and I look at you. It is obviously a very difficult decision for them to make up their minds to leave the place where they have lived for half their lives, but Santis’ words still have something to tempt them. Santis saw this , Immediately continued: "I am coming back this time to recruit a group of scholars to build the territory according to the order of the lord. In addition, I also want to take over the family members of the group of craftsmen who went to Cecil to lead together - those craftsmen have long been I made up my mind to take my family with me, so I am not the only one who made this decision.”