Witch, Fireball and Steam Evil God

Chapter 272 The Golden Law
Ethan didn't choose 11 PM the following night randomly; he came prepared.

On his first day in Oak City, he saw a notice posted in the center of the square. The city hall was announcing the crimes of the followers of Caesars, the Father of War, describing them as the most extreme and evil beings in the world, lurking in the shadows, attempting to overthrow the peace of the Golden Kingdom.

They turned the scholars of the Golden Kingdom against them and took away the kingdom's third princess—one of the most legitimate heirs of the Garog bloodline.

The crimes of this group of rebels are too numerous to count, and they deserve to be executed. However, the King of Gold is merciful and magnanimous. He believes that these lost sheep have only been blinded by evil gods and deserve a chance to repent.

According to the laws of the Golden Kingdom, their sins will be cleansed in a purification ritual, after which they will be reborn and live as residents of the Golden Kingdom.

In response, Ethan, a concerned citizen, commented that Oakwood City Hall's actions were somewhat unnecessary and pointless.

Most of the residents still living in West Valantin have been brainwashed by the golden radiation. Even if you define them as followers of an evil god, and the city hall issues a notice saying that they have captured a group of Cybertronians, the residents of Oak City will believe it without a doubt.

Although the Golden Kingdom did not establish a religion, its methods of controlling people's hearts were no different from those of the most extreme religions. It was just a pity that everyone's bad friend, Pope Julius, died young and did not get to witness the "golden age" under the rule of the Golden King. This was the scene that Julius and his mentor dreamed of seeing.

But for the King of Gold, he could easily do all this simply by ringing the bell.

Ethan could somewhat understand the King of Gold's feelings; it was a delicate matter.

It's like a player who has reached the highest level and acquired a large number of powerful artifacts. Gradually, all enemies lose their threat, and with a "ding," they can easily achieve their desires. After that brief sense of satisfaction, they are replaced by a strong feeling of emptiness.

As a long-time user of Wind Spirit Moon Shadow, Ethan knows this feeling all too well.

When this feeling becomes unbearable, it signifies the end of a game's lifespan.

Perhaps his opponent this time is also a personal disciple of the old Wind Spirit Moon Shadow Sect?
"What are you thinking?"

A small yellow potato popped out from under Ethan's feet, craning its neck to look at him.

When Ethan invited her to "become a phantom thief," she inexplicably agreed. All her previous wariness and mental preparation vanished. They were destined to be together, to become each other's shared destiny.

The trip to Sivarantin excited her so much that she couldn't sleep. So before dawn, she sneaked into the city hall and stole a golden scepter she had never seen before.

The only thing that puzzled Earth Elemental was how Ethan knew that she had wanted to become a phantom thief for a long time.
The arrival of the Golden King made her life difficult. First, people outside the empire became like zombies, turning a blind eye to anything that was missing from their homes, which greatly reduced the satisfaction of being a phantom thief. Second, the ubiquitous golden light was blinding, and even the geology of many areas changed.

She didn't like the King of Gold.

Her way of expressing dislike is usually very simple—be careful with your safe, and if you're so capable, don't go out, or your valuables will disappear.

"I'm wondering what the purpose of the city hall posting the notice is."

Ethan said.

According to Cynthia, the inhabitants of the Golden Kingdom have a more efficient way of communicating. The golden masks allow them to understand each other's intentions instantly. They can convey the Golden King's will to everyone without meeting or holding meetings.

But in Ethan's view, that was the result of castration.

Once they put on the golden mask, their material and emotional needs are reduced to a minimum. The will of the Golden King will transform them into tireless tools. They no longer need to understand overly complex languages; they only need to obey the orders of the Council of Six to live a "happy" life.

“According to Cynthia, the Council of Six could have simply conveyed the announcement to everyone through the golden mask, without having to gather them in the square.”

They don't need to establish their authority through such means; it would severely slow down Oak City's military production.

They are too bound by tradition, or perhaps...

This purification ceremony was not intended for the residents under control.

Vivian-Galog's escape made the Council of Six realize that there were far more rebels among the people than they had imagined, and that they had already infiltrated every city in Sivarantin.

If we view this purification ritual as a large-scale purge, everything becomes clear.

"So you're planning to deliver yourself to their doorstep?"

The little yellow potato has inverted oval eyes and a cute, triangular mouth. She looks younger than the wind element junior, and her chubby face and expression make her a walking, talking chibi emoji.

"Assessment complete. You are actually a warmonger, which is why you granted Feng such dangerous powers!"

Even his speech was delivered in a monotone tone, "You've corrupted her!"

The best friend in her memory wasn't the kind of fiery girl who constantly threatened to send others flying.

Ethan stared at the little yellow potato on the ground for a long time, suppressing the excitement in his heart—he really wanted to pull the little potato out of the ground to see its full appearance.

His chubby face made it hard for him not to suspect that the person buried under the soil had a perfect three-head-tall proportion.

But there's plenty of time in the future.

He refused to believe that the little potato could stay underground forever and never come out.

"Little Potato, you don't want everyone to have to live wearing strange masks in the future, do you?"

Ethan felt there was a deep misunderstanding between him and the Earth Elemental. In fact, those who knew him knew that he had always been a pacifist who advocated resolving issues through peaceful diplomacy.

Upon reflection, he realized he had only known Little Potato for a few days and hadn't yet exchanged any information with her about the King of Gold.

Now everyone's in the same boat. In legal terms, it's like a large-scale theft gang; once caught, they all go to jail.

This "little potato" is the leader of the Phantom Thieves group, and meets the sentencing standard of "extremely heinous nature, subject to severe punishment".

"Don't call me Little Potato!"

The little yellow potato stared wide-eyed, trying her best to make a fierce expression, but her chubby little face made it hard to be intimidating. "I'm not unfashionable at all, I'm very fashionable!"

"How about... little potatoes?"

Little Potato craned his neck and thought for a long time before accepting the new nickname, "That's more like it!"

"You probably haven't heard about the Council of Six. They are the best chosen by the Golden King from the planes he has conquered."

These are Cynthia's exact words.

Some of them were rulers of nations, others were renowned warriors; only such individuals met the Golden King's criteria for "specialness." His methods of conquering his subjects were always simple and brutal: he would unleash the tolling of bells and the radiation of gold, imprinting his will upon their hearts like a steel stamp.

They all tried to rebel, but ultimately failed.

The King of Gold gradually became an inescapable shadow looming over their hearts, until all that remained in their hearts was obedience.

As long as you obey the King of Gold, things will not go as badly as they could have.

"After that, the Golden King will transfer some of his powers to these tamed subjects, allowing them to carry out their will."

As for the King of Gold himself, he seemed more like a hands-off manager. He had no interest in management and left these trivial matters to his subjects who would never disobey him.

"That Golden King is definitely no good!"

The little yellow potato was filled with righteous indignation. You could see her slightly open triangular mouth clenching her teeth, and even a "#" wrinkle appeared on the left side of her forehead.

Good heavens, how could there be such an evil person as the King of Gold?
Potato's reaction was exactly as Ethan had predicted. He enjoyed interacting with the elements of nature. Although they had very different personalities, they both shared a simple sense of justice. They felt sorry for good people suffering, and they hated beings like the King of Gold with a passion.

Little Potato suddenly realized something and asked, "So, according to you, the members of the Council of Six are actually all pitiful people?"

He could easily imagine them living carefree lives in their homeland, and then one day, the King of Gold descended from the sky, turning their relatives and friends into mindless and emotionless zombies, and forcing them to serve him.

"You can understand it that way."

Ethan felt that the little yellow potato was too young and didn't intend to explain more complicated issues to her.

In reality, the pitiful people of the past have become perpetrators. Their will to resist has been worn down by fear. Over a long period of time, they have begun to submit to the will of the King of Gold and become perpetrators, even going so far as to intensify their actions. It seems that only by witnessing the suffering of others can they smooth out their inner resentment and depravity.

"The man we met yesterday was named Charman. He was once a wise king. Under his rule, the kingdom prospered and the people lived in peace and contentment. He advocated doing everything personally, and it was for this reason that the King of Gold recognized his talent and believed that the Golden Kingdom needed such a wise minister to become his right-hand man."

Ethan paused, "And so Charman's kingdom was destroyed, branded with the mark of the Golden King, and became the mineral reserves of the Golden Kingdom. His people became tireless miners. As a reward, the Golden King bestowed upon Charman a scepter. Even the most resolute person could not resist the power of the scepter, which could transform all rebels against the Golden King into the most loyal citizens of the Golden Kingdom."

These are all stories told by Cynthia.

In fact, each member of the Council of Six has their own legendary experience. Countless people respect and admire them, making them "special" beings despite their human bodies.

Ethan suspects that the "next-generation" golden mask is a product of that scepter.

Once the skin is pierced by the six barbs on the mask, even the mark of the Old Gods will be erased.

It is also one of the artifacts that the King of Gold found in many planes, possessing the power to rewrite the rules.

"Wait a minute, what's with that expression?"

As the story came to an end, Ethan immediately noticed Little Potato's awkward and hesitant demeanor.

This little potato was clearly not good at lying. When faced with Ethan's question, she turned her head away guiltily, almost exactly like when Winter was caught.

"……hey-hey."

When someone looks at you and smiles at you awkwardly, you know they must be up to no good.

"Tell me, what bad thing have you done?"

"Is the scepter you're talking about the one that's golden and has a ruby ​​at the top?"

"Little potato".

Ethan's face hardened. "Did you steal something?"

"Don't put it so harshly. They were the ones who provoked us first, and I was the one who picked it up. The thing fell on the ground, and I just picked it up!"

Little Potato's cheeks flushed red as he argued.

She is the element of earth, and the earth is her domain, meaning that anything that falls to the ground can belong to her.

So strictly speaking, this doesn't count as theft at all!

"Take it out and let me see it."

"Then you have to believe that I found it!"

The little potato stubbornly haggled over the price.

"Okay, I believe you picked it up."

She nodded in satisfaction. The next moment, the soil around Ethan's feet churned up, and a golden scepter burst forth from the ground. Even though it had been buried underground for a long time, it was not covered in a speck of dust.

The shimmering ruby ​​seemed to beckon Ethan, enticing him to grasp the scepter that symbolized supreme power.

The Golden Law.

This was the name Cynthia had mentioned. The moment Ethan saw the scepter, he knew it was one of the artifacts Cynthia had mentioned.

Charman has always used this scepter to carry out the will of the Golden King and spread his will throughout all planes.

The only question is, can such a magical artifact really be found casually on the ground?

Ethan couldn't help but look at Little Potato with suspicion. How could he feel that this seemingly harmless Little Potato was actually a criminal no less than a literary girl?
"Tell me in detail how you found it?"

"I picked it up as soon as it fell on the ground, what's there to say?"

"Then why did it fall to the ground?"

"Because, because..."

Little Potato blushed and tried to argue, "Because the person holding it tripped and fell, so of course it fell to the ground!"

The eleven chimes saved the little potato from its predicament, signifying the arrival of time.

It was already 11 p.m., but the outside world was still bright as ever. The golden light had stolen the night from Sivarantin and made the people living there lose their sense of time.

On the other side of the city, a man wearing a sorrowful mask donned a red cloak and descended the steps of the mansion.

The figure downstairs made him stop in his tracks.

The figure wearing an angry mask scrutinized him, or more accurately, his empty right hand.

On the eve of the purification ritual, he did not wear the scepter that symbolized his identity.

"Charman".

He could hear his companion's cold greeting through the mask, and he also knew why the other person had come.

Just last night, a rumor spread like wildfire.

A thief broke into his mansion and stole his scepter.

Their eyes met, and under the perception of the golden mask, their true thoughts were laid bare.

As the laws of the Golden Kingdom state state, there should be no lies between them.

"It seems you've made your decision."

The sound penetrated his eardrums and reached Charman's mind.

After leaving those words, the figure wearing the mask of anger turned around and disappeared into the shadows, vanishing without a trace in the blink of an eye.

(End of this chapter)