Witch, Fireball and Steam Evil God

Chapter 486 This is a good thing!
News of Grave's assassination while distributing medicine spread quickly, and all signs pointed to the desperate upper-class nobles. Although the enraged commoners were not about to take up arms and storm into the upper city to start a riot, they did begin to organize marches, demanding that the prisoner be dragged out and paraded through the streets.

Suppressed hatred and anger were reignited, making this a clearly targeted assassination.

Greave serves as a bridge between the people of the Lower Town and the Upper Town, and has consistently worked to persuade residents to take a longer-term view and resolve disputes in a more rational manner.

Most of the residents of the lower city of Oasis did not understand the consequences of the collapse of laws and rules. Grave gathered them together and patiently explained the pros and cons to them. With his patient explanation, more and more people returned to rationality and were willing to return the weapons given to them by the "Goddess" to the management of the Papacy.

This is another explanation for "canine disease".

Many civilians in the lower city still believed that this was not a disease, but rather the weapons they had obtained. The potion that Grave brought back was seen by these people as weapons confiscated from them.

After Grave was shot, the civilians in the lower city whom he had finally persuaded changed their minds. With some people stirring things up, they decided to keep their weapons in hand and set a time limit. If the people in the upper city could not give them an explanation, they were ready to riot at any time.

"There are bad people among the masses!"

The following morning, after learning about the situation in the lower city, Mary sighed deeply and also felt a deep regret for Grave's death. People like Grave and Leon were important cornerstones for the restoration of light in the far west.

Mary did not believe that the shooting was committed by the officials or nobles of the upper town. They were all under arrest warrants and preoccupied with their own problems. Killing an old man who was distributing potions to the common people of the lower town would only increase people's hatred towards them.

Graves' death, however, had a direct impact on many people in the downtown area.

For example, Larry, who called for setting the entire Upper Town ablaze, once again became the opinion leader of the common people, and spared no effort in conveying to them that those who compromised would only follow in Grave's footsteps. This was a war that determined life and death, and they had to keep fighting until every official and merchant in the Upper Town was wiped out.

As long as these people exist, the filth of this world cannot be cleansed.

"Moriko, give me some advice."

Mary rested her chin on her hands. She had heard that Ethan's progress was not going well either. His double agent identity had been seen through by Bazarian at a glance. Judging from his dejected state today, Mary guessed that Ethan might have gotten into a fight with Bazarian because of this, which would have severely damaged his strength.

But right now, she desperately needs advice.

"what?"

Ethan raised his head, looking dazed and absent-minded.

"Grave is dead. The killer mingled in the crowd and shot him."

The bullet struck his heart, and he was pronounced dead when he was brought to the doctors.

"That's a good thing."

???

Mary's eyes nearly popped out of their sockets. She knew that Moriko always had profound insights when he spoke, but this time his insights were so profound that they were beyond human comprehension. She couldn't help but wonder if Ethan had drunk too much last night and been summoned to the city hall early this morning, which was why he was talking nonsense.

"It's Grave, not Larry."

She reminded Ethan, "It's that old detective who studied at the Institute of Truth, and he's always been dedicated to resolving the disputes in Oasis City peacefully."

Ethan actually said that it was a good thing that the hardworking old detective was shot.

In Mary's view, the one who should really be shot was Larry, who was constantly inciting civilians to riot.

“I know who Grave is.”

Ethan sat up straight. "Lizi, look, let me analyze it for you. What does it mean that Grave was shot while distributing potions to civilians in the lower city? Doesn't it mean that your way of resolving the conflict hit Bazalian's sore spot, so His chosen people had no choice but to get rid of Grave in this way? This means you chose the right path."

"Let's talk about Bazarian again. Who do you think Bazarian is? With her abilities, if she really wanted to throw Oasis City into chaos, would she need to send a gunman to shoot Grave in the crowd? The plague is much more efficient than inciting civilians. This shows that Bazarian is a person who abides by the rules. She agreed to run for mayor, so she lets the believers resolve their own issues. That's a good thing."

Mary sat frozen in her chair, her mouth agape, unable to utter a single word for a long time.

Compared to the shooting in the downtown area, a more urgent thought came to her mind—she wanted to open Ethan's head first and see what was inside.
Unfortunately, she wasn't good at debating and had always preferred to resolve disputes simply and efficiently with force. After Ethan rattled off a long string of profound principles, she was speechless for a moment.

"You wait first."

She gestured to pause, her mind racing, her golden hair spinning like a propeller, and a wisp of smoke rose from the top of her forehead.

"I mean, Greave was shot in the downtown area."

"Yes."

"Being shot means that he was shot in the chest and died on the way to the clinic."

"Ah."

"Grave is dead, is that a good thing?"

"Yes, it's a good thing."

"What's so good about it? May I ask?"

Before dealing with Larry, Mary discovers that there seems to be an even bigger problem at the city hall that needs to be addressed.

“Reiko, this is the far west, right? What is the most important thing in the far west? It’s not law, nor reason, but faith. This belief is deeply rooted in this land. Grave’s two-hour meetings with them every day are not as effective as a casual remark from the goddess’s representative.”

Ethan said, "So Grave's disadvantage lies in his identity. He's not even a believer in the Goddess of Life. The reputation of the Society of Truth is far less effective than that of the Church in Oasis City. Now he's dead, the kind of person several doctors couldn't save. But isn't there you? If Grave were to suddenly come back to life at this moment, wouldn't he suddenly have a sense of holiness, as if his contributions had been recognized by the goddess, who specially brought him back to life?"

Mary was completely taken aback and even let out a "whoosh" in agreement with Ethan's words.

"Then let's see, if Grave miraculously comes back to life and encounters someone like Larry nagging among the common people, can we ask Larry, 'Brother, who are you?'"

Grave was someone who was personally escorted back by the goddess after being shot; he had the entire God of life backing him up.

"Huh?"

Mary suddenly understood. "That makes some sense, but there's still a problem."

"You said."

“I am not the goddess of life. Even if I revive Grave, he cannot represent the goddess’s will.”

She knew very well that the Holy Maiden of the Papacy was at best a more powerful representative in people's minds, and her status was vastly different from that of the true Goddess of Life.

"Then let me give you a piece of advice," Ethan said. "Are kings and nobles born with a special destiny?"

If the goddess of life, Bazalian, can compete for this position, then why can't Mary, who has also comprehended the power of Bazathoth, compete for it?

“Reiko, don’t forget, you have an extra tuft of hair compared to Bazalian, which is an advantage that cannot be ignored in the election.”

Although Mary didn't fully understand Ethan's meaning, she was deeply impressed. She had to admit she was convinced, and after reviewing Ethan's train of thought, she found his theory impeccable.

Therefore, it was actually a good thing that Greave was shot.

But... I still feel like something's off.

Mary scratched her head.

Damn it, she had a feeling that something was invading her brain!
"Then let's do it."

Mary decided to stop thinking and start acting. Grave had only been dead for a short time, and his soul had not completely dissipated. After she understood the powers of Bazartos, she realized that she could bring Grave back to life.

Before leaving the city hall office, she suddenly stopped.

"Moriko, how's Bazalian? Is she difficult to deal with?"

This was their first direct confrontation with Bazarian since arriving in Oasis City. She wanted to probe Ethan's strength, because even a powerful figure like Ethan was now as weak as a candle in the wind after his brief encounter with Bazarian. She guessed that Winter had probably also participated in that battle, because the white ragdoll cat perched on Ethan's shoulder looked rather listless.

In a two-on-one situation, they found themselves in such a passive position.

The power of this Bazalian is terrifying!
"do not know."

"You don't know? Didn't you fight her before?"

"No ah."

Mary was taken aback. "Then what's wrong with you today? And where did you get that red collar on your cat's neck? Is its neck injured?"

The Ragdoll cat squinted its eyes a crack.

Ethan glanced at Mary, whose eyes were pure and innocent, and waved his hand. "Alright, that's all for you."

So, when Reiko instigated her cat to attack him, she had no idea what Rindou was really going to do.

With that thought in mind, Ethan felt relieved.

He suddenly remembered that, according to reliable records in the Holy Scriptures, Saint Mary remained a bachelor her entire life.

..............................

That evening, Larry personally presided over Grave's burial ceremony.

The firelight illuminated the faces of the people in the lower town, and he used highly inflammatory words to direct his attack on the officials in the upper town. Larry held a torch high and spoke with great passion.

This is a war that concerns everyone.

Retreat and appeasement will not solve any problems. The changes Mary brings are only temporary and not permanent. Once she leaves Oasis City, the situation will deteriorate rapidly. The officials will intensify their efforts and launch an unprecedented purge, in which no one will be spared.

From the very beginning, there was only one path before them.

That is to fight to the last moment, until every official in Oasis City and even the far west is killed.

The firelight reddened Larry's face; he was very satisfied with his speech today.

However, after the announcement of the impending war, the crowd fell into a deathly silence.

This was somewhat different from what he had imagined.

Logically, the residents of the lower city should be immersed in grief over Graves' death, which is the moment when their hatred and anger are most easily ignited.

Larry quickly noticed the strange looks people were giving him; their gazes weren't on him, the speaker, but rather past him and towards what was behind him.

After the deathly silence came surprise, and even exhilaration.

"Mr. Grave!"

Larry turned his head and looked over. When he saw the old man sitting up from the fire, he, like everyone else present, froze in place.

How can this be?

They clearly shot Grave at close range, ensuring his death!

The old man's eyes were initially somewhat blank, but then, as if recalling something, he looked down at his chest. The old tuxedo on his chest still bore traces of blood, and a bullet had pierced through it, yet his body, which should have been pierced, had somehow healed completely.

This scene made Larry clench his fists so tightly that he almost ground his teeth to powder.

The miraculous resurrection also proves something else—this is the power of the goddess of life. Does it also mean that the goddess's scales are tilting toward these despicable people who claim to be rational?

For both the old man and Larry, this "performance" of resurrection was filled with a sense of illusion and delusion. The joy people felt at the arrival of the miracle seemed irrelevant to them. Their eyes met, and it was as if only the two of them remained at the funeral.

"Laris".

Grave's dry lips moved slightly.

Before being shot and falling to the ground in the city center square, he had never directly questioned Larry, but Grave could sense that Larry's hatred for the upper city surpassed that of anyone else, so intense that he wanted to kill everyone indiscriminately, even those from the lower city who had served as servants in the homes of nobles and officials.

Greif knows the downtown area and everyone there.

Over the past few years, many of them had suffered persecution in the Upper Town, and many had even lost their homes and families, except for Larry…

In Grave's memory, Larry and his companions had been hanging out in the taverns of the downtown area since they were young.

Grave investigated, but could not find out their origins.

Most of them were orphans who had no one to take them in, and it was very difficult to find out their background in a place like Oasis City.

Graves stared intently at Larrys with his deep gaze. "Tell me, Larrys, what exactly did the people of the Upper Town do to you?"

"No."

Grave clearly saw Larry suddenly smile. The young man was still holding a torch, and his eyes seemed to burn with the karmic fire of hell. His smile was twisted and ferocious, which made Grave shudder.

Grave felt as if he were staring into the eyes of a demon from hell.

"They didn't do anything to me."

(End of this chapter)