Marvel Magic Case Files

Chapter 1558 The Lunar War (Seventy-One)

The Emperor had discussed the distribution of religious beliefs with the monk Hamil. Even in the Puritan-founded United States, there were differences in religious beliefs between cities and rural areas. On the surface, there was Catholicism, which followed the doctrines of the Roman Catholic Church; the Orthodox Church, which was followed by Eastern European immigrants; and the mainstream Protestant denominations with Calvinist and Baptist backgrounds. Due to the unique ideals of Protestantism, Methodists, Lutherans, Anglicans, Quakers, and even non-denominational Evangelical denominations expanded rapidly across the Christian world, to the point that one in four Christians was an Evangelical. This was based on a rigorous social survey. The Emperor excluded Judaism, which was seen as a ticket to entry for wealthy individuals, and then obtained relevant data from various polling agencies and think tanks in the United States, using it as evidence to persuade the monk Hamil. He claimed that if we set aside sectarian conflicts caused by racial differences—such as the prevalence of white evangelicals in the rust belt and black evangelicals in urban slums who believe that God is black—the reasons for the emergence of extreme anti-intellectual sects such as white evangelicals with Christian nationalism at their core are nothing more than extreme wealth disparity, class disparity, and class barriers deliberately maintained by the ruling class.

These believers are often poorly educated and lack the wisdom to explain life's phenomena, resorting instead to conspiracy theories and the Bible—interpretations within their limited understanding. This concept can be extended further: the poorer and less educated the working class, the more prevalent religious superstition becomes. The wealthy classes in these areas strive to maintain religious faith, as exemplified by the famous Dutton ape lawsuit of 1926, where a young professor teaching evolution was fined. Without proper ideological guidance, the ruling class must allow religion to become a spiritual poison, threatening the working class with apocalyptic theories and concepts of heaven and hell, forcing them to endure worldly exploitation and believe in an afterlife. The best example is the Indian subcontinent, where Hinduism and the caste system are prevalent.

The Emperor told the sorcerer Hamil that since there was an extreme wealth gap among the Attilan Inhumans, cults must be prevalent. Even if the rulers didn't deliberately promote them, the Attilan clan court monopolized most of the social resources. The common people, unable to resist due to the absolute military power of the clan court, could only console themselves in another way—this was the reason why the upper classes of the various Attilan clans monopolized mutant materials. To some extent, the distribution of mutant materials among the Attilan Inhumans was related to social status, wealth gap, and education level. Genetically modified warriors on the front lines claimed that their squad discovered handmade statues of Kree Xenomorphs during their advance; the statues were rough in appearance but clearly very old.

"This is the religion of the Kree Empire," the mage Hamil sighed deeply.

He couldn't find any reason to persuade the emperor not to carry out the massacre of the Attilan Inhumans.

As a definitively identified artificial species, the Kree have ceased evolving at the genetic level. Even with the existence of the quantum psionic computer "Supreme Intelligence" capable of controlling society, they cannot escape the worship of deities, such as the worship of "Supreme Intelligence," the worship of being reborn as "Aether," and the worship of the "Progenitors," the advanced intelligences that genetically engineered the Kree.

Worse still, every Kree is a product of ancient genetic engineering, possessing psionic potential that any Kamar-Taj apprentice seeking to pass the test will understand. Regardless of their beliefs, their latent psionic power belongs to the Aetheric Sea.

"This means that cults are thriving, and those behind the scenes will set their sights on this world."

Maximus had heard of certain folk sects when he was still a prince.

Compared to Black Bolt, who had lived in isolation for a hundred years, Maximus understood the commoner clans far better, even after Black Bolt ascended the throne. This was because the person on the throne could only see what the royal family wanted him to see. Maximus knew that the commoners in the slums, who hadn't experienced much of the Terrigen Mist mutation, mostly worshipped the Kree and their creators, the Progenitors. Some so-called holy books described the Progenitors as the gods who created the Kree, while the Kree were the gods who created the Inhumans, who possessed divine blood. Maximus found the hidden locations and rituals of these cults in the memories of the deserters around him. Most of the people around him had participated in these Kree cult rituals, some even treating them as a daily routine.

It was in those memories that Maximus found what he was looking for.

He had deliberately brought these armed men along, fearing that the religious followers wouldn't be so easy to talk to, after all, he was going to take away their sacred artifacts. It was a magnificent greatsword, said to be older than Attilan itself, its silver blade gleaming in the firelight. Maximus's intuition told him that this was the weapon that would lead him to his ideal. Surprisingly, when Maximus, guided by the armed men, arrived at the so-called temple hidden deep in the slums, accessible only through the sewers, a priestess dressed only in a dark blue robe, her body adorned with intricate patterns drawn with an unknown liquid, was already standing at the entrance. Upon seeing him, she immediately knelt and prostrated herself at his feet. In this filthy environment, both the temple and its priestess maintained a remarkably high level of cleanliness; any insects, mold, or even stench that might have festered in the darkness vanished the moment one stepped into the temple grounds. Even more surprisingly, the runes Maximus drew for his followers based on intuition were almost identical to the pattern on the priestess's chest and abdomen.

Maximus felt his skin grow colder, while those standing beside him felt his body temperature was almost burning up. He felt he remained conscious, silently accepting the priestess's worship. He didn't care what this cult worshipped; he only wanted the greatsword. However, the armed men around him thought differently. They were all extremely excited, especially seeing Maximus accept the priestess's worship.

"You will have your wish." The priestess raised her head, her bright eyes looking humbly into Maximus's. "This is your eternal power, and I will guide you to obtain it." Only then did Maximus notice the astonishing beauty of the priestess, whose face and body were covered by numerous body paint-like runes. She had clear, deep purple eyes, and her long, dark hair, coated with ointment and tied up, revealed her slender, beautiful neck. Maximus found it hard to believe that such a beautiful woman could be born in this filthy land. The priestess slowly stood up, her loose, deep blue robes fluttering in a gentle breeze.

"Come with me, King of Attilan." She reached out and gently grasped Maximus's arm. "You have a ceremony to attend. Only then can you formally ascend the throne."

"I want the throne of Attilan, not the throne in the temple." Maximus didn't struggle. "Who are you?"

"I am the High Priestess of this temple, your Holy Marriage, Peryl," the priestess said with a smile, leading Maximus by the arm and surrounded by several priests. "The throne of Attilan, the throne of the temple—both are destined to belong to you, so what difference does it make?"

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(End of this chapter)