Don’t raise unruly people in extreme cold weather

Chapter 882

After receiving the material support from the North and the gifts personally given by the Queen, a complex emotion flashed in Perfecto's ice-blue eyes.

However, after a moment of reflection, the young alchemist quickly regained his usual calm and self-composure and returned to his heavy daily work.

The New God Project is progressing as smoothly as expected, and all key nodes are ready.

What remains is just some detail work that requires patience and polishing.

Perfect was not in a hurry to achieve success, but instead methodically dispatched a floating fleet carrying carefully selected missionaries to return to the old world through the biting cold wind.

These messengers will carry out missionary activities in survivor settlements in France and other countries, bringing the gospel of the new God to people struggling in the severe cold.

In order to increase the appeal of her missionary work, Perfect developed an extremely tempting policy: any community that converted to the new god's faith would receive support from energy towers and other survival supplies designed by her personally.

In this apocalypse shrouded in eternal winter, these precious resources mean being able to carve out a warm shelter in the ice and snow, allowing believers to continue their lives.

Perfect knew very well that this missionary method based on material exchange would hardly lead to the birth of a new god in the short term.

Not to mention how devout these believers who convert for profit can be, and how weak the power of faith they provide is.

However, this move undoubtedly touched the sensitive nerves of the old gods.

Although Perfect did not force believers to give up their original beliefs, she even deliberately relaxed restrictions to allow believers of the new god to continue to worship other gods after conversion.

This tolerant policy may seem mild, but it actually hides a sharp edge.

Faced with the cruel reality of the raging winter, people suffering from hunger and cold do not need any guidance at all and will instinctively make the choice that is most conducive to survival.

On one side is the generous faith of the new god. As long as one prays devoutly, one can obtain warm energy towers and shelters, a stable supply of food, and survival supplies provided by alchemists.

On the other side are the increasingly greedy Old Gods, whose priests still demand precious sacrifices and even require believers to offer living people as sacrifices.

In such a sharp contrast, it is almost impossible to think about what choices those ordinary people who are shivering in the cold wind and struggling on the brink of starvation will make.

Perfect was well aware that this way of preaching was tantamount to a direct challenge to the authority of the old gods.

However, she wanted to use this almost humiliating method to stimulate them and force them to react.

However, after she arrived at the Desert Kingdom, the attacks from the gods seemed to have stopped, which made Perfect feel that something was not right.

The gods' servants and subordinate gods that had appeared frequently before, and the armies from the gods...all disappeared.

It was as if they didn't want to continue fighting with Perfectoct, so they unilaterally ended the war.

"Are the old gods... scared?" Perfect shook his head slightly, denying this naive idea.

Those old rulers who once ruled the entire world would never be afraid because of previous losses.

So, are they planning something more sinister? That's a very real possibility.

Her intuition pointed to another possibility - perhaps, this seemingly desolate desert itself concealed some taboo that even the gods feared.

You know, according to the ancient book fragments and secret legends collected by Perfecto during this period, the last time the "White Star" descended, it fell into the depths of this endless sea of ​​sand.

That catastrophe directly ended the glorious mythological era. Countless powerful gods perished in the disaster, and the survivors degenerated into twisted evil gods.

If there is anything that can make those arrogant old gods feel fear, it must be related to this desert where the gods are buried.

"So... is there some unknown secret buried under this land?" She didn't know the exact answer, but her intuition told her that under this seemingly dead yellow sand, there must be a truth more shocking than the doomsday prophecy.

Perhaps, the archaeological excavation work that was temporarily suspended due to the discovery of the doomsday prophecy...it's time to restart it.

"Send the order and gather the best exploration teams and archaeologists. I want to thoroughly investigate the secrets of this desert, especially the exact location where the White Star fell." Perfect turned and said to the attendant behind him, "If the gods are afraid of this place, then we should know what they are afraid of."
-
The floating fleet left the desert kingdom and returned to the old world with Perfecto's orders and a floating city module that joined them.

Their first stop was the core area of ​​the old Romulus Empire, which was very close to the Desert Kingdom.

Although the former Empire of Romulus had a vast territory, covering the entire inland sea coast and incorporating countless city-states into its territory, in that era when transportation and communications were extremely primitive, such a huge empire was destined to be difficult to achieve true centralized rule.

The provinces on the empire's borders were often only nominally subject, but were actually governed autonomously by local governors.

Only this core area where the empire originated is the core territory directly ruled by the Romulus Empire.

Even after experiencing the ravages of the doomsday winter and the disasters caused by the return of the old gods, this land still maintains an amazing vitality.

The biting cold wind whistled through the broken walls, but it could not completely extinguish the fire of life that was burning tenaciously on this land.

Looking down from the sky, the imperial roads carefully paved by ancient skilled craftsmen are still clearly visible, crisscrossing like the blood vessels of the earth.

These roads paved with huge stones connect the scattered ruins of towns, and on some sections you can even see caravans traveling in the wind and snow.

Around several larger settlements, wisps of smoke rose stubbornly toward the lead-gray sky, adding a bit of vitality to this frozen world.

"According to the navigation chart, the famous 'City of Seven Hills' ruins are thirty miles ahead." The fleet commander stood in front of the porthole, tapping the frosted glass with his fingers, and said to the accompanying missionary group.

Behind him, several navigators were checking the differences between the ancient parchment map and modern surveying data.

"Although most of the main urban area is covered with ice and snow," the commander continued, with admiration in his tone, "but according to detection, there are still a lot of signs of life activities underground in this city.

It seems that the survivors are very smart. They hid in the underground city left by their ancestors. "

If Perfectocte's bold plan is to be implemented, there is no better starting point than this area with a large population base and deep cultural soil.

The head missionary stood silently beside the commander, his wrinkled fingers gently stroking the holy book he carried with him.

His deep gaze passed through the porthole, as if he had seen the future: on this ancient land, they were about to sow a seed that could change the fate of the world, and this seed would eventually take root and sprout on this vicissitudes of life, and grow into a towering tree. "Please prepare for landing and the first missionary mission, Your Excellency the Commander," said the head of the missionary group.
-
The ruins of the City of Seven Hills looked particularly desolate under the leaden sky.

The biting cold wind blew fine snow particles, whimpering through the collapsed marble columns.

Sixteen-year-old Eric tightened his layers of clothes - this was the "armor" he pieced together with rags, animal skins and old curtains he found in the ruins. It was also the only thing he could find to keep warm.

He hunched his body and moved quickly among the ruins like a vigilant wild cat, stopping from time to time to listen to the movements around him.

This once glorious eternal city is now only a fragment of its glory.

The first wave of cold weather in the doomsday winter destroyed two-thirds of the city’s buildings, and the subsequent sacrifices to the old gods took away the lives of half of the survivors.

Eric still remembers that bloody full-moon night when fanatical believers pushed innocent people into the blazing sacred fire, claiming that this was a necessary sacrifice to please the gods.

But life always finds a way out in the cruelest of circumstances.

Now, thousands of survivors live like gophers beneath the city—in a network of sewers carefully constructed by ancient engineers.

This is part of the water diversion project built by their ancestors, and even after thousands of years, it is still largely intact.

Before the doomsday winter, the local government had made some repairs to it to maintain the city's water supply.

This system has continued to provide drinking water to the entire city for thousands of years, which makes people admire the wisdom of ancient craftsmen and the reliability of these projects.

Today, this system has become the last shelter for survivors from the wind and snow.

Although it was also cold inside, it was better than being blown by the cold wind on the ground.

Eric was crouching under a half-collapsed arch, carefully gathering food from the fallen ruins.

This is the main source of food for the survivors.

Suddenly, a shadow enveloped him.

At first he thought it was snowing, but the shadow expanded at an alarming rate—covering the entire ruins in a blink of an eye.

He looked up in confusion, then froze in place.

A huge floating battleship was slowly passing through the clouds, its steel-made hull glowing with a cold metallic luster under the weak winter sunlight.

There are several smaller airships around it, which together form a fleet that is so large that it is breathtaking.

But the most breathtaking thing was the behemoth suspended in the center of the fleet: a floating city module that was half the size of a city, with countless lights and alchemical runes flashing at the bottom, flickering like stars.

"Allfather..." Eric fell to his knees unconsciously, and the food he had finally found in his hands scattered all over the floor.

His throat was tight and his heart was beating wildly in his chest.

He didn't recognize these things, but he instinctively knew that these things would bring great changes to the City of Seven Hills!
The shadow cast by the floating city module grew deeper and deeper. Eric could clearly see the complex mechanical structure at the bottom: rotating gear sets, telescopic hydraulic rods, pipes spewing white steam...

A low and regular roar began to shake the earth, and the snow on the ruins fell down.

Eric's legs were shaking uncontrollably, and his instinct made him turn around and run away immediately.

The shadow cast by the huge monster in the sky that obscured half of the city seemed to weigh on his shoulders. The cold metallic luster was faintly visible among the clouds, emitting a suffocating feeling of oppression.

His heart was beating wildly in his chest and his ears were filled with the roar of blood rushing - this was the most primitive fear reaction of human beings when facing unknown threats.

But just as he was about to take a step forward, a stronger curiosity grabbed him like an iron clamp.

What are these steel behemoths suspended in the air? Where do they come from? Are they new messengers sent by the gods? Or... some kind of existence beyond the gods?

Perhaps these flying objects represent a kind of hope? In this world ravaged by winter and the old gods, perhaps there is finally a turning point?

Just as he was struggling with his mind and body, a humming sound of machinery came from above his head. An airship about the size of a house broke away from the belly of the main ship and landed on the ruins as lightly as a feather, only a dozen steps away from the broken wall where Eric was hiding.

The heat waves emitted from the bottom of the airship melted the surrounding snow, and the hatch slid open silently in the steaming white mist.

Eric held his breath and subconsciously shrank into the shadows.

But it was too late, three robed figures were already approaching him, escorted by a group of huge armored knights.

Eric had never seen such burly knights. They looked like the Typhon in mythology.

This made Eric very nervous, he even thought they were men sent by the gods.

It was not until one of them spoke to him that Eric realized that the other person was from Victoria, an island country far away from the Old World continent and isolated overseas.

"Hello, young man! We are from Victoria. Following the orders of the Imperial Regent, we are providing rescue and assistance to various countries." The leading missionary showed Eric a friendly smile and handed him some food from under his robe: "Are there other survivors in the City of Seven Hills? Can you take us to find them?"

Eric felt his throat tighten, he swallowed mechanically, his dry lips trembling slightly.

The entrance to the underground passage was not far away, but at this moment it seemed so out of reach.

And overhead, the shadow of the floating city module still covered the entire ruins, and the slowly rotating mechanical structures emitted a low hum, like the breathing of some ancient giant beast.

The gears of fate began to turn at this moment. Eric took one last look at the entrance to the underground community, then looked up at the strangers coming from the sky.

Will they bring destruction or salvation? No one knows the answer.

But after a long hesitation, Eric nodded slowly, reached out to take the food handed over by the missionary, and took the first step to change the fate of the City of Seven Hills.

(End of this chapter)