Hyperdimensional Player

Chapter 11 Theocracy Changes
hiss!pain!
Duncan was clearly gritting his teeth in pain, but he said nothing, like a cold-blooded warrior.

The witch removed the arrow from his back, wiped the blood, and bandaged it with herbs.

Her movements were very gentle and skillful, and she paused for a moment as her slender fingers gently brushed across Duncan's strong and broad back.

Duncan sat by the campfire and asked with a hint of surprise, "You also know medicine?"

Triss, the Raven Queen, lifted her long golden hair, added some dry wood to the fire, and smiled, "I serve Diana, the goddess of the moon and oak trees, and the Roman goddess of the forest."

"Healing and herbal medicine are compulsory courses for every priest, although we are not as proficient as druids."

Duncan pricked up his ears when he heard this and asked, "Do all priests have magical powers like you?"

He found that there were still very few people here who possessed supernatural powers.

The Raven Queen, Triss, shook her head slightly and said, "No."

"Only those with unique talents or those blessed by the gods can possess the ability to perform witchcraft."

It turned out to be the case.

I knew it, they cast spells more like sorceresses, obviously not like mages.

Duncan, having a rare opportunity to establish a close relationship with this witch, wanted to learn more about her supernatural powers, so he curiously asked, "Where does your power come from? Is it a gift? Or is it divine protection?"

The Raven Queen, Triss, looked up, her azure eyes fixed on him for a moment, and she whispered, "Both."

"I was born a witch."

"A long time ago, I was chosen by the Trivia sect to be the chief priestess, but the sect was disbanded not long after, and many people died in the turmoil."

"The Romans abandoned their gods."

"Our power has also been taken back."

Trivia?

Her power was taken back? Does that mean she was stronger before?
Duncan asked doubtfully, "The Trivian sect? I've never heard of it."

The Raven Queen, Triss, spoke with a hint of sadness in her voice. "Trivia refers to the great Greek goddess Hecate. After the Empire conquered Greece, the goddess Diana incorporated Hecate's beliefs."

"The sect's origins lie in the Greek peninsula. Before the empire was born, the priests served the goddess Hecate."

Will secular wars also affect the gods?

Obviously, the Roman Empire won in the end, so Diana merged with Hecate. If Greek civilization won, Hecate would have merged with Diana.

The Romans abandoned their gods.

When Raven Queen Triss said this, her voice was filled with complicated emotions.

Duncan thought for a moment and said hesitantly, "Have you ever thought about resisting?"

Since he possesses supernatural powers, he won't just sit there and wait for death.

Triss, the Raven Queen, smiled bitterly and shook her head, "Resist? How?"

"We are facing..."

Having said that, the Raven Queen Triss looked up at the sky.

Duncan shut up instantly.

If gods truly existed, or if a similar concept existed, then the Roman gods were indeed not on the same level as them. On the secular side, since the Edict of Milan, the church had grown at an astonishing rate, and to some extent had begun to influence secular power.

The power of the church would only grow stronger as time went on. After entering the Middle Ages, the church could even influence the change of royal power.

Warning of excommunication.

Duncan raised his spark and said to the witch beside him, "Tell me about the history of your sect."

Triss, the Raven Queen, stiffened for a moment when she heard this. She said quietly, "Do you know the story of the Golden Fleece?"

Duncan thought for a moment and said, "I know a little."

Raven Queen Triss sighed and said, "Our sect originated from one of the characters in this story."

"Witch-Medea."

Duncan suddenly thought of something.

Triss, the Raven Queen, said slowly, "Medea is the daughter of King Aeetes of Colchis and the Ocean nymph Idia, niece of the Aeaean sorceress Circe, sister of Absyrtus, granddaughter of the sun god Helios and the Ocean nymph Perse, and priestess of Hecate, the goddess of the dark moon."

"She was the first high priestess of the sect."

An era where humans and gods coexist.

It seems that in the mythological era, this land was very lively.

Triss, the Raven Queen, recounted the origins of their sect. Originally, they were priests serving Greek gods. After the rise and conquest of Greece by Rome, the gods merged, and the priests merged, eventually forming a new branch of the sect. The only figure not significantly affected was Apollo, the sun god. He was both one of the Greek and Roman sun gods, and thus the priests of the temples merged seamlessly.

Of course, no one knows whether it is a fusion of gods or gods betting on both sides.

Because the Raven Queen Triss had never seen a true god, or in the sect's records, no priest had ever seen the true form of a god. The guidance and oracles of the gods only appeared in the mythological era.

The closest mortals ever came to the gods was hundreds of years ago, when the Son of God walked the mortal world.

The night is getting darker.

Duncan looked at the witch lying on her side, pretending to sleep, and could feel that she was very desperate. The Romans had abandoned their gods, and they, the priests, had also been abandoned by the gods. The power of the church had crushed their faith that had been passed down for thousands of years. The dark Middle Ages was about to come, and this land was becoming less and less able to accommodate them.

After the Olympic flame was extinguished, all the Roman gods and Greek gods became history.

Duncan suddenly thought of a piece of history that he had read at some unknown time. Before the siege of Rome, Attila the Scourge of God met with Pope Leo I. Legend has it that he gave up the attack because of this, and Pope Leo I was also given the name "Defender of Rome".

There is even a picture left behind of St. Peter and St. Paul protecting the Pope and warning the barbarians not to invade the "Eternal City" of Rome.

After the fall of the Roman Empire, the power of the church began to grow explosively.

This period was basically the process of unifying theocracy. All the gods of the Age of Gods were swept into the garbage dump of history, and sacrifices were gradually banned. Although the gods of the Germanic barbarians died out later, the European continent would eventually usher in the unification of faith.

"I always feel like there's a lot of water here!"

For Duncan, if there is no supernatural power, then the change of divine authority is more of a secular choice, but if there is supernatural power, then all of this is very intriguing.

"never mind."

"I'd better go to Britain."

"It's a good opportunity to consider helping the Irish, Welsh, and Scottish fight the Anglo-Saxons, and brush up on their legend rank while doing so."

"Don't waste your first human body."

"I always feel that the final achievement of my human body will affect everything I do in the dimensional space."

The legend of King Arthur is only about the Lady of the Lake and at most involves the misty Avalon, but it does not touch upon those terrifying existences.

Duncan still knows his own weight.

The Romans themselves have abandoned their own gods, so why should he, a foreigner, join in the fun?

It would be better to kill more legendary monsters and see if you can seize the monsters' abilities and become a supernatural and powerful being yourself.

——"Master Archer [Marksman Title]: Your archery skills have reached perfection, earning you the reputation of a marksman. Enhance your rapid fire, intimidate enemies, and significantly increase your accuracy."

——"Mastery of Riding: Your riding skills are no less than those of the elite riders of the nomadic tribes. When riding, you can almost achieve the state of becoming one with your horse."

——"Horse Archery Mastery: Your horse archery skills are so profound that they rival the elite Hun horse archers. This greatly enhances your horse archery accuracy, allowing you to perform other foot archery skills while riding, including but not limited to continuous shooting, multiple shots, sniping, etc."

Duncan glanced at the witch by the fire, his gaze lingering on her round, perky buttocks. He swallowed and took out his notebook to count. — "Day 22: heads."

The witch can fight and heal, and she is very big.

No wonder in the future deduced by the law of causality, the human body is so fascinated by it. If the fairy in the lake had not appeared at the end and intervened, it might have been a beautiful love story.

Medea.

Duncan also knew about this mythical figure, a very powerful love-brained witch who turned evil on the spot because she was betrayed and abandoned by her husband and launched a series of revenge.

Overall, Medea does have the reputation of being a witch, but she is ultimately a tragic character.

………………

the Alps.

Duncan didn't know where the two of them were, but it felt like they were near Munich because they could directly see the snow-covered mountains from here.

After entering Inner Gaul, it was the Raven Queen - Triss who led the way. The two avoided densely populated areas and walked along the mountain trails for a day and a night, finally entering the lush and dense forest.

"It's really inconvenient to travel in this era."

Because it rained heavily yesterday, Duncan's feet were now covered in mud. The Raven Queen, Triss, was not much better off. Her face was covered in dust and she no longer had the graceful and beautiful look she had at the beginning.

This person still has to rely on clothes, otherwise even if she is a beautiful woman with a stunning appearance, she will still be a country woman after rolling in the mud.

Duncan can now be sure that the Raven Queen - Triss has the physical fitness of an ordinary person, at most slightly stronger, because she fell when entering the Alps. If Duncan had not been quick to catch her, Triss would probably have suffered minor injuries.

But her clothes were still covered in mud, and her long golden hair was soaked by the mud and rain, with strands of hair stuck to her forehead, revealing a smooth forehead.

"The guide you're talking about doesn't live in the mountains, does he?"

It was still drizzling at the moment, and people felt a little cold after being soaked through. Duncan was slightly better off, as he had the "strong" talent he stole from the barbarians, but Triss's lips were slightly white from the cold.

The witch looked rather embarrassed and said, "It should be around here."

Duncan didn't even bother to admire the witch's curves after her clothes were soaked. He took off the coat he had taken from the dead man and threw it to her, saying, "Put this on first."

"There's a place to shelter from the rain ahead. Let's rest for a while before looking for it."

There is a slope more than a hundred meters away, at a forty-five-degree angle. It can't even be called a cave, but it can barely accommodate two people huddled underneath to avoid the rain.

I don’t know if it’s because he took away the barbarian warrior’s talent, but Duncan’s injuries healed faster than expected. It may also be because of the herbs collected by the witch, and it is not ruled out that she cast some magic on him.

"Witches are mortal too."

Looking at the embarrassed witch, Duncan asked her to sit in the inner seat. He was tall and could block the wind.

Unable to find dry firewood nearby, Duncan glanced at the witch and said, "Rest here for a while. I'll go look over there."

God's perspective.

open!

Duncan found a place with a wide view. After a short meditation, his consciousness entered the dimensional space, and soon a large map was projected in front of him.

"Can you expand the map?"

As his mind moved, a topographic map of an area of more than ten miles appeared before his eyes. He found the mark of a village, and then discovered a wooden house several miles away from them.

"It looks like that's where it is."

It is impossible for a druid to live in seclusion away from human society. After all, he still needs to eat, drink, defecate and urinate, and the most basic necessities of life must be supplied nearby.

"Why is there a red mark?"

Duncan noticed that a red dot flashed on the border of the map, but it disappeared before he could switch his perspective to observe it.

Human or monster?
He returned to the place where he had come from and called the witch, and the two of them hurried towards the wooden house over there, one step deep and one step shallow.

There was no one in the cabin.

But there were some basic necessities inside, so Duncan didn't hesitate to find some firewood and light it. The two of them gathered around the fire to keep warm. Duncan used his sword to skewer some dried meat and roasted it over the fire. When it was sizzling and oily, he handed a piece to the witch.

The witch took it carefully and said softly, "Thank you."

Duncan picked up a piece of dried meat and put it in his mouth to chew. The Northern War Bow was placed on his right side, ready to fight at any time. He had not eaten any decent food along the way, and the meal in the hotel was just barely ok.

If I get a chance, I'll have to get some wild game to satisfy my hunger.

This should be the druid's secluded place, because there are many mysterious symbols in the wooden house, as well as some strange animal bone artifacts, which may be props for sacrificial ceremonies.

I don’t know how long it took.

There was a slight sound of footsteps outside, and the witch immediately turned her head to look at him. Duncan also picked up his bow and stood behind the door.

——Druid (two stars) [Neutral]!
Outside the door was a man with thick hair and beard like tree roots. He was burly, covered in animal skins and a deershorn helmet on his head. He held an oak shield in one hand and a one-handed hammer in the other, with a dagger hanging from his waist. His leg seemed to be injured, with blood oozing out faintly.

Duncan sniffed and seemed to smell a distinct stench of decay.

The witch signaled to Duncan that it was all right, then walked out of the cabin and said, "Severus, are you hurt?"

The druid approached the cabin with a wary expression. However, upon seeing the witch clearly, he relaxed and bowed, saying, "High Priestess Triss."

After the Empire conquered Gaul, the worship of forest gods was transferred to the sect serving Diana.

Although the two sides are not in a subordinate relationship, they have a different origin, and druids also appeared in the sect serving Diana in the later period.

A two-star unit, but not a silver-grey marking.

Not as dangerous as The Condor Heroes.

It's probably not an elite monster.

Duncan has currently met two people with different marks, one is the Witcher George, with three shining gold stars, and the other is the Archer, with two silver-gray stars.

The witch murmured, "What happened?"

The burly druid put down his oaken shield, put his one-handed hammer on his waist, took a breath and said, "Ghoul."

"This thing used to be mostly found in Mesopotamia. I don't know why it's also found near the Alps."

Is there a monster?

Duncan's ears pricked up immediately after hearing this, and he was already a little eager to make a move.

Upon hearing this, the witch frowned and asked, "Did you solve it?"

The druid shook his head and said, "Let it get away."

"The village down the mountain asked me to find the monster digging graves. I tracked it for many days, but unexpectedly, it escaped."

After saying that, the druid drew out his dagger, dug out the rotten flesh from the wound, and then wrapped it with herbs.

He said in a deep voice: "I have received favors from the village."

"Lady Triss, I'm afraid your matter will have to wait until I deal with this monster."

At this moment, Duncan, who had been silent all this time, suddenly spoke up: "We'll help you solve it."

Monsters are much rarer than humans.

He had to be proactive this time. Duncan also wanted to know if he could gain any abilities by killing monsters.

………………

(End of this chapter)