Ember Dragon

Chapter 722: Scorching Sun Notes
Three days later, August.

Cassius was still entrenched on the original mountain, consolidating his realm, feeling the power he had gained from his promotion, and studying the core of hell that was cut out from Zariel's chest.

Suddenly, an urgent communication interrupted his experiment.

"Your Majesty, we found some unusual things in the Tower of the Sun God." Trump's magic image appeared in front of Cassius.

At this moment, a rare tension and excitement appeared on the ugly face of the ogre. As Trump's superior for many years, just from that expression, Cassius could probably guess what he had found.

gods.

Nowadays, only things related to gods can make the current Chief Minister of the Empire lose his composure so much and even contact him urgently.

"I'll be right there." Cassius's answer was exceptionally brief.

The surface of the red dragon's scales flickered with a faint light, and its huge body shrank rapidly and turned into billowing white smoke. A tall human figure emerged from the white smoke.

The smoke gradually dissipated, and in just a few seconds, the red dragon that was as huge as a mountain turned into a young man with noble temperament, red hair and golden eyes - this was Cassius in human form.

"It's better to be careful. It's no exaggeration to say that August City is the center of everyone's attention nowadays. I don't know how many eyes are watching there in secret." Cassius shook his head and smiled self-deprecatingly.

In order not to attract attention, he deliberately transformed into a human form. This magic has not been used for a long time, and even he is a little unfamiliar with it.

A light flashed across the light golden pupils, and the space instantly twisted. A flaming portal appeared in front of Cassius, and he stepped in without hesitation.

"Shh-"

The next moment, Cassius had arrived at the top of the Eternal Sun God's Tower, above the sun disk.

The surroundings are decorated luxuriously and magnificently, but seem a little empty because there is no one else here except Trump, and Trump is holding a golden scroll tightly in his hand.

"Master, you are finally here!"

Seeing the emperor coming, Trump hurriedly went up to him with an excited expression and knelt respectfully at his feet.

Because Cassius was much shorter than the ogre after transforming into a human, Trump also used the shrinking spell on himself to make himself less than two meters tall.

Cassius glanced at him calmly and ordered, "Get up. This thing should not have been seen by anyone, right?"

Rump hurriedly stood up, carefully handed over the scroll, and replied: "Master, I have sent away all the idlers, and even the guards are not left by my side. I also used magic to create a prophecy fog, which even the nine-ring prophecy spell cannot easily penetrate.

In addition, I swear on my soul that I have only read the first part of this scroll and I have absolutely no desire to covet it."

"Yes, you put your heart into it."

Cassius nodded slightly and took the scroll.

Trump immediately retreated wisely and said, "Master, please rest assured. I have already issued a death order to the guards stationed nearby. Anyone who dares to trespass will be killed without mercy!"

After Trump left, Cassius unfolded the scroll. The first sentence that caught his eyes surprised him, and he finally understood why Trump called him over in a hurry.

"Scorching Sun Notes"

—Aragon I, King of Fadland

New Calendar Year 1753, Night of the Falling Star
I had a big argument with the Patriarch, who thought we shouldn't use the power given by the sun god to expand our territory.

But I question that we, the Fadlans, are born as the people of the sun, and all the light in this world should belong to us.

The Patriarch and I parted on bad terms.

New Year 1759, Starless Night
The army we sent out brought back an ancient book of Netheril from the ruins, and from that book, I discovered an astonishing secret.

It turns out that gods are not born as gods. Even the sun god who is high above and admired by millions of people was once a mortal, no different from us.

An idea that could be considered presumptuous emerged in my mind—could I take his place and become a god?
New Calendar Year 1762: The Month of Dry Wheat

The Far North scout brought the stone tablet left by Karsas, and from there, I saw the truth about the death of the first generation magic goddess and the collapse of the magic network.

But this gave me a more important piece of information - it turns out that gods can also die. Although it is as difficult as ascending to heaven, gods can also be killed by mortals.

"God is not eternal, but a thief of time."

New calendar year 1773, dry season, no clouds

After more than ten years of searching, the chief mage of the Arcane Legion brought me the last piece of Karsus Stone, allowing me to complete the Ascension.

But the Patriarch of the Church of Amaunator came to see me and reminded me not to be blinded by power.

It's ridiculous that the gods imprisoned mortals in the material plane and greedily occupied the unparalleled power, but these stupid loyal dogs are still protecting their so-called gods.
So, a few months later, I killed him, cut out his heart, and used Karsus's secret method to blind the eyes of the sun god.

Sure enough, I have proved one thing again - God is not omniscient and omnipotent.

New calendar year 1778, full moon night
I will not be like Karsus, the "Momentary God", who enjoyed the power of gods for a short time and then died. That would be too stupid.

I will become an eternal god, and my empire will also become an eternal and immortal kingdom.

I will build three high towers of the Sun God. The foolish Sun God Church will think that I have finally converted to their faith, but they don’t know that these will become the anchor of my faith and the stepping stone on my way to becoming a god.

New calendar year 1785, Frost Moon
The sacrifice is about to begin and I am fully prepared.

I made the Patriarch's heart into a sacred artifact. I believe my dear god will like this "sacrifice" very much.

I dug out the left eyes of a thousand blind people born at dawn and made them into "Eclipse Crowns" to complete this blasphemous ritual against the sun.

However, when I ordered a nationwide search for the blind man who was born at sunrise, the commander of the Guards, whom I valued very much, hesitated, so I chopped off his head.

Sure enough, this group of mortals cannot understand my great ideals.

New calendar year 1786, the time of the scorching sun
(The handwriting is frantic, with traces of burns)

I'm ready for everything!
He couldn't win.

He said that the godslayer would eventually become a decaying tombstone, that the night was but the moment when He closed His eyes, and that my name was being written in His blood on the back of every star.
Impossible, this is another lie He has told to deceive mortals! I will be immortal!
Today, I can’t turn back.

(The last line was repeatedly smeared, and the words "I am the sun" can be vaguely seen)
“Sure enough, this is the old emperor’s obsession—to replace Amaunator and become the eternal sun god.

It's a pity that his life was too short. After a hundred years of struggle, he was no match for the accumulation of thousands of years by others. In the end, he became a 'momentary god'. "

After reading the letter carefully, Cassius sighed and felt quite emotional.

But he soon collected the key information recorded in the scroll and sorted it out one by one - this was not a diary, but a complete "Instructions for Killing God". In just a moment, Cassius got the following points:
1. To be deified one needs to seize the spark of divinity.

2. You need at least devout believers and three holy places to maintain your godhood, which serves as an anchor for your faith. Otherwise, you will collapse like Karsus.

3. There needs to be a suitable container of laws to carry the power of the new god, otherwise it is likely to explode on the spot like Aragorn I.

4. To deify a deity, three holy places must hold ceremonies simultaneously, using the power of faith to lift oneself up and ignite the sacred fire.

At the same time, the altar should be watered with profane blood, supplemented by the spell in the Karsus slate, and engraved with the name of the true God, so as to seize the target's priesthood.

Looking at the information he had sorted out, Cassius fell into deep thought, "This ceremony is not too strict, and for me, the other conditions can still be met.

However, the incantation for ascension to the godhood was divided into three parts, which were stored in three towers of the sun god respectively. The complete incantation for ascension to the godhood is likely to be buried in the "holy city" of Fadlan. "

Only by unifying the entire Fadlan can the complete method of deification be obtained. This should also be the backup plan left by the old emperor - only his most outstanding descendants can inherit his will.

Unfortunately, things did not go as planned. The old emperor, who had already lost his soul, would never have thought that a red dragon would appear halfway and directly intercept his inheritance.

"Haha, no wonder these three kings are fighting for the holy city at all costs. It turns out that they have seen the hope of becoming a god." Cassius smiled slightly sarcastically.

At the same time, Cassius also keenly observed that seizing the throne of God also comes with a corresponding price.

The first price is the pollution of divinity. The loser is likely to disappear on the spot or even be deformed into a divine evil.

Aragon I's mad and delirious state before the ceremony was probably due to the contamination of divinity.

The second risk is the backlash of the law, where the divine fire will flow back and burn the host, causing his soul to be shattered.

The third risk is the encirclement and suppression by the gods. Almost every newly born god will suffer from the war of the gods, not to mention a powerful god like the Sun God. There must be countless gods coveting this precious position.

Cassius carefully put away the golden scroll, then stood on the top of the Sun Tower and looked down at the vast earth.

"But, even if it means a life-or-death situation, I will not let this opportunity go easily."

He clenched his hands, his pale golden eyes sparkling in the sun, "Everything of the Fadlan Empire will belong to the Burning Empire."

"Master, someone wants to see you."

Under the tower of the sun god, Trump had been waiting for a long time and handed over a piece of parchment.

Cassius was still recalling the letter left by the old emperor. He didn't even raise his head, but just asked casually: "Who is it?"

"do not know."

"Even you can't tell his identity?" Cassius then showed some seriousness and looked up at the parchment in Trump's hand.

The parchment was yellowed and old, and seemed to have mottled bloodstains, but the strange thing was - there was not a single word on it.

"He looks like an ordinary mortal. There is nothing special about him. Even the result of the prophecy spell shows that he is just an ordinary mortal."

"Haha, the magic web can deceive people. As long as the spellcasting ability is strong enough, it is easy to weave lies."

Cassius then became interested. He stroked his chin and asked, "What else did that person tell you? He couldn't just leave a piece of paper and run away."

"Of course, but."

The ogre lowered his head, emotions such as shame, humiliation, and anger intertwined on that ugly face. Cassius rarely saw such rich expressions on his face.

After a moment of silence, Trump gritted his teeth and said angrily: "Master, that audacious guy claims to be your future boss.

"He also said that if you don't come, he will make you pay a heavy price." At the end, Trump's tone was full of murderous intent, and he wished he could bite his teeth into pieces and swallow them.

"Oh?"

"Is there such a thing?"

Cassius' eyes flickered, and he finally became interested.

Trump knelt on the ground with a plop and growled in embarrassment, "Master, this is an insult to you! It is also my fault that I allowed such a thing to happen right under my nose.

Please rest assured, I will thoroughly investigate his identity overnight and make him feel that the dignity of the empire is inviolable!"

"Future Boss"

Cassius lowered his eyes, lost in thought.

Such titles, such means, and such recklessness treat Trump, a legendary strong man, as a stupid and weak plaything.

In just a moment, Cassius had probably guessed the identity of the visitor, and his heart sank.

Thinking of this, Cassius waved his hand and said, "Go away. There is no need to investigate further."

Trump thought the emperor was angry, and begged: "Master, please give me another chance, I will..."

Cassius took the parchment from Trump's hand and said calmly, "If I'm not mistaken, given that person's identity, as long as he intends to hide, I'm afraid even I won't be able to find him."

"Even you..."

Hearing what Cassius said, Trump was shocked and looked astonished, and dared not say anything more.

Cassius unfolded the scroll, and indeed, words written in blood appeared on it. No one else could see it except him.

【Withered Rose Tavern】

The Withered Rose tavern is located in the Empire, in a remote corner of Blackstone Castle. It is famous for the erotic dances of the drow dancers in the tavern and is a favorite of bards.

The business here has always been booming, not only local residents, but many people come from far away just to appreciate the beautiful dance of the drow elves.

"Well, you dance well!"

"One more!"

Under the influence of alcohol, people's faces became rosy and excited, their voices were particularly excited, and they wished they could lift up the roof, and banknotes fell everywhere.

At this moment, no one noticed that a thin man with a goatee appeared in the corner of the tavern.

He found a random spot and sat down quietly, using his black cane to support himself on the ground. His posture was particularly lazy, as if he was waiting for something. His dark eyes were particularly deep, revealing a faint light in the darkness.

(End of this chapter)