Alice in the Land of Steam

Chapter 1131 From an unexpected person?
They followed because of their piety and betrayed because of their disappointment, but it is still unknown who betrayed whom.

Carson Borg may just be venting his emotions, feeling disappointed and ironic about his irrational first half of life, when he chose to devote his faith to the gods purely out of family honor and ancestral inheritance. But strictly speaking, this sentence can even be applied to all gods. From ancient times to the present, from the East to the West, the essence of those who are worshipped is the same, and it is nothing more than the evil result of human nature's blind pursuit of divinity. Even the imagined gods are no exception. In the complex power of faith, how much desire and greed of mortals are mixed in, which makes them lose themselves and exist only for the kingdom of God desired by believers?

What exactly is the so-called divinity? Everyone just has a feeling, and can never give a specific definition. The false gods who are not favored by fate look down on the humble figures of believers from the supreme altar, while the people who are truly blessed by the gods fall into the trap called humanity. They fight for their own ideals and beliefs, and swear to take back what they have lost. Some of them call themselves the Queen of Girls, some call themselves witches, and some even think that they are just powerless weaklings who can do nothing and cannot change anything.

What is the definition of God and man? How to distinguish them? The scriptures of the Spiritual Prayer Society mention that all things have spirits, cheering for the birth of saints and crying for the departure of saints. But if so, why didn't the stars cry for that girl when she closed her eyes in the distant and lonely universe, and no raindrops fell on any planet with water, while the spirits on the mirror star are still fighting endlessly and meaninglessly?

Perhaps only by tracing back the time to the beginning of the universe can we witness the scene of the stars and the universe silently paying tribute to the eternal sleep of the same soul? That is to say, there is only one god in the universe, and everyone else is mortal.

Carson Borg realized belatedly that he was in an ancient church, under the gaze of a priest and a great will, but he kept saying words that denied God, which was a bit disrespectful. He subconsciously glanced at the statue of the goddess on the altar, and instinctively bowed his head slightly to express his apology.

"It doesn't matter." Ling Ge said, "Her Majesty the Goddess won't care about such words. Besides, what you said makes sense."

Is this something a pastor can say?

Carson Borg suddenly heard a chuckle in his ear. He was startled and looked up, but the statue of the goddess was still standing silently on the altar, as if the laughter he just heard was just an illusion. But the Grayhill Eagle never believed in illusions. He was more certain in his heart that this young man was definitely not an ordinary priest. The god he served was definitely related to the force that secretly supported the "Assyrian Jihad" a hundred years ago. Perhaps this was the reason why he and his companions traveled thousands of miles to a foreign country?

He turned around and found that the young man was looking at him with a gaze that was deeper and calmer than the dark forest in the eternal night. He spoke softly and asked, "How does it feel to betray God, Mr. Carson Borg, who was once a defender of the faith?"

Under his gaze, Carson Borg seemed to be attracted by some force and couldn't help but speak out his truest thoughts: "It feels... now, I am truly alive..."

He clenched his palms, then slowly loosened them, gently pressing them on his left chest, feeling the surging heartbeat in his chest, beating again and again, like thunder and drumbeats. Since losing his faith and hometown and becoming a lonely gray eagle in the Black Forest, in countless sleepless nights, Carson Borg has asked himself, is it right to abandon the glory of his ancestors? Is it selfish to lead everyone on this hopeless road? Is it against his original intention to let his companions embark on a battlefield with no return for his ideals?

He actually knew the answer long ago, but even if he knew the answer, he still had to ask himself again and again, which is human nature. However, for some people, this self-questioning is a torture to the heart and an endless torment; while those with a truly strong will regard it as a test, like a furnace tempering ore, washing away all impurities and dirt, and finally, as the mountain dwarfs say: Only after a thousand temperings can you get a heart of iron!
"Really alive...?"

The young man didn't know what he was thinking of, and his eyes looked a little sad. Maybe for some people, dying at the most appropriate time is also a way to truly live. He smiled and said, "I see that you have found your faith again, Mr. Carson Borg."

Before the man could react, he changed the subject: "It's getting late. I'm sure you're in a hurry to go back and check on your companions. In that case, please allow me to ask one last question and then end this conversation."

Carson Borg's face became serious. He was ready to hear from Lingge about the "Assyrian Holy War". He only had a superficial understanding of the uprising war that swept across the entire Atorica Province and affected the situation of the entire Yalas Empire, plus some hearsay. But he believed that this was enough. After all, Pastor Lingge and his companions were not from the East Continent. When they knew nothing, suddenly getting too much information would only disrupt their position. Carson Borg's perspective, which was purely based on the standpoint of an observer, might be what they needed...

"You knew from the beginning that we are not from the East Continent, right?"

Ling suddenly asked, "Maybe it's because I didn't handle the details well enough, such as I'm not very proficient in the common language. But I didn't think of hiding anything from the beginning. I just made some psychological preparations on how to gain your trust as a person from the Western Continent. But your reaction makes all my preparations meaningless, Mr. Carson Borg. I want to believe that you are an upright and rational person, but after all, I come from the continent across the sea, and the Western Continent countries are the culprits who invaded your hometown. Even if you don't vent your anger on me, you should at least show a little indifference and vigilance. But from the beginning, you seemed to trust me very much and didn't even ask about the origins of me and my companions. Can I ask why?"

He looked at the man in front of him, his warm, bright golden eyes clear and reflecting Carson Borg's surprised expression.

Grayhill Eagle should have been surprised, for he had not expected that Pastor Ling would ask such an insignificant matter with the last question. But he was relieved immediately, because there were some things that he knew clearly, but perhaps Mr. Ling and his companions were still in the dark.

He then responded, “Because I’ve seen you, Pastor Ling.”

... "Have you seen me?"

Linger frowned: "Excuse me, I have no memory of this."

Half a month ago, with the help of Themis in the celestial world, Cloud Whale Sky Island successfully escaped the ambush of the Witch Society, but on the way back, it unexpectedly encountered an unprecedented interstellar storm. Although under the control of Yieta, there were not many casualties, Cloud Whale Sky Island also lost its way under the influence of the storm and turbulence, and eventually fell into the Evernight Forest. Due to unfamiliarity with the terrain and environment here, coupled with some special reasons, the group hid in the Evernight Forest for a while, patiently waiting for the opportunity, until the arrival of the Ash Guerrilla, it was considered to have reconnected with the outside world.

If that’s the case, where did Carson Borg meet Linger?

Carson Borg explained, "It may be presumptuous to say that I have met you. The truth is that I have only heard about your deeds unilaterally, Pastor Linger. It can be traced back to about half a year ago. Due to the lack of supplies, the Ash Guerrillas reached a cooperative relationship with some chambers of commerce in private, smuggling necessities through their channels, and also learned some information about the outside world from them. The news about Pastor Linger was learned from one of the chambers of commerce. They said that a church appeared in the Western Continent that dared to fight against the "Religious Decree", united with the cult, and even achieved brilliant results. Although their leader was young, he was very decisive. On the premise that organizations such as the Fertile Soil Sect, the Holy Spring Monks, and the Silver Moon had failed one after another, they repeatedly thwarted the conspiracy of the cult. It is said that the cult has regarded it as the most dangerous enemy and even dispatched constructed mechas to encircle and suppress it, but ultimately failed..."

The more Linger listened, the deeper his frown deepened. Every word Carson Borg said sounded outrageous, but it seemed to be subtly in line with the facts. It was true that the Holy Goddess Church and the Order were united as enemies; it was true that the Order regarded the Holy Goddess Church as the most dangerous enemy; it was even true that they dispatched the Constructed Mecha to encircle and suppress them, but the Earth Witch Scarlet Night Gate was not coming for them, and the Alien Philosopher Dyson Sphere was far away in the universe and unknown. The most controversial part was probably the so-called "brilliant results". Considering that the counterexamples of the Fertile Soil Sect, the Holy Spring Monks, and the Silver Moon, the final outcome was either displacement or annihilation, then the Holy Goddess Church, which was able to repeatedly escape the encirclement and suppression of the Order and make them return empty-handed, could indeed be regarded as a brilliant result.

However, this rumor seemed to have intentionally or unintentionally raised Lingge and his group to a very high position, and even said that all those who resisted the tyranny of the cult in the Western Continent should regard Lingge as a spiritual leader. Whether he had such ability or not was not discussed for the time being. If there was no one secretly pushing it, such an outrageous rumor would never have spread on a large scale, and even spread across the ocean to another continent on the other side of the sea, which deeply encouraged Carson Borg, who was also the leader of the resistance army. Under the influence of this rumor, he even gave great trust to Lingge and his group whom he met for the first time.

The person who spreads the rumors must be an important person, otherwise it would not have achieved such an effect.

Linger spoke again, getting straight to the point: "Where did this rumor first spread? Or, who spread it?"

Carson Borg hesitated and shook his head slowly. "I'm not sure about this either. After all, it's just hearsay. Even the Chamber of Commerce that told me the news might have heard it from somewhere else. The rumor has spread too widely, and I can no longer tell where it came from."

So, he had inexplicably gained a lot of reputation before he came to the East Continent? Ling Ge didn't think this was a good thing. He changed his mind and asked from another direction: "So, among all the people who believed and spread this rumor, who is the person with the highest status, the strongest power, or the most reputation?"

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This time, Carson Borg’s answer was unhesitating: “Solomon.”

"Solomon?"

"That's right, Solomon, the writer of the Thirteen Hermits, the recorder of the Truth Society, and the father of magic." Grayhill Eagle showed reverence. It seems that Solomon's reputation in the East Continent is not low. "Although he is from the West Continent, he has maintained good and close relations with Helmer, the 'Sky Speaker' of the Nordon Holy Kingdom, and the royal family of the Yalas Empire. He was the first to see through the harm brought by colonial trade, and like a bell ringer, he reminded everyone to beware of the fangs and ambitions of the united religious groups. It was under his continuous advocacy and promotion that the Holy Kingdoms, the Yalas Empire, the Billingsman Kingdom, the Spirit Prayer Society, the Druids, and even the Dawn of Disaster were able to put aside their past grudges and jointly establish a holy alliance. It can be said that without his warnings and appeals, half of the land on this continent would have fallen into the flames of war since the colonial war."

"And it is said," Carson Borg changed the subject and stared at Linge, "Sir Solomon thinks highly of you and has given you a lot of praise. He even thinks you can be his next."

Become the next Solomon?

When Lingge heard this, the image that emerged in his mind was not a calm and wise old magician, but the two old wolves in the virtual root swamp who fought desperately when they were desperate, and the scene of countless aliens wailing and dying in the fire. Although the initiator was the cult union, and the people who took the initiative to throw themselves into the trap were Gundaruf and Linsas, the person who really planned this scene was Solomon. He instigated Gundaruf to lure the greedy swamp aliens with the teeth of immortality, and at the same time attracted the attention of the cult union to test the strength comparison between the two sides. However, he never appeared on the battlefield from beginning to end, not even showing his face.

Because he is afraid of death.

Without much explanation, Linger directly identified this reason and believed that it was the only correct reason. It's okay to be afraid of death. Who doesn't fear death? Even the knights of the Gustave family were afraid of the coming of death and were unwilling to pick up the sword to kill. But Solomon's fear of death was definitely the most shameful.

Give me some meow