Shadow of the Evil God

Aya had many opinions, but the Snake Walker didn't care. She didn't understand the humans of later generations. As long as there was an opportunity, she would accept it no matter what it was.

The original snake-walker ancestor was still transforming into a snake-dragon, and a new generation of snake-walkers was also multiplying. If she could gain a foothold in the human world, she would be able to take advantage of the first step, and then continue to take advantage. Once the original ancestor died, she could attack the entire snake-walker clan and seize the position of leader.

Even if she cannot seize it, she will occupy a crucial position and influence every move of the entire tribe.

"Fish soup?" The green snake stared at the dish. "The river here is filthy, filled with corruption and filth. How can we eat the fish here? If you insist, my master, then you can eat it. I only need to drink some of your blood. Although I can't see where the filth is hidden, if I eat this, a lot of disgusting things will accumulate in my flesh and blood. The sight of your river makes me want to vomit."

Aya whistled, picked up her fork and stuffed a large piece of fish into her mouth, chewing and spitting out the bones, just like a cat. Of course, she grew up in a port city, so it's not surprising that she is good at eating fish.

The green snake stared at the mute girl, "This is the first time you've scared me, Frank."

"This was shipped from who knows how many hundreds of miles away. Just eat it," Cesar said. "It's impossible for anyone to transport fresh fish from hundreds of miles away, but with so many dignitaries and people from the temple coming and going, it's only natural. The merchant selling aristocratic clothing must have seen the opportunity here and traveled thousands of miles, but it's a pity that he met you along the way."

The green snake continued to eye the fish soup with suspicion, clearly establishing a connection between the river, saturated with factory wastewater, and the local fish. Although a beastman, this creature was quite picky about what he ate, and it seemed there were differences even between their species. He'd been around so many ghouls lately that he'd almost assumed they were just like rats, eating whatever they could get their hands on.

She speared the fish, examined it for a moment, and finally gave up. "But I don't know how to be a merchant, my lord," she said. "Where should I take this cargo, and to whom should I sell it?"

Cesar thought about it and didn't want to do it himself, so he let the dog pick off the fish meat.

She fed him the bones and served him some cooled fish soup.

After pondering for a long moment under Aya's disdainful gaze, he remembered that the Alderman family of Gonzales was well-versed in commerce. However, by the time they occupied Gonzales, the Alderman family had already been wiped out, and it was Altinia who had done the deed. Their only family line, the Correra, although they ran the local guild, had shifted course under Altinia's forceful tactics and began specializing in arms.

Involved in the arms trade, and with the background of the Gural Fortress, this meant that Corella couldn't travel to hostile areas as a merchant, let alone act as a spy or informant. Of course, given Corella's background, expecting him to be a merchant or spy was unrealistic.

His beloved princess always acted on her own, and he himself was too busy to handle everything. He couldn't blame her for forcibly taking the people he had assigned to the merchant team for military purposes.

Cesar looked at Gouzi, feeling he'd have to rely on her for a shortcut again. "I can help you through the first trade route and establish your first caravans," he said to Qingshe. "But I hope your caravans won't be associated with my forces. In the future, I might..."

"Perhaps you'll instruct me to spy for you under the guise of a merchant?" The green snake leaned forward and lowered its voice. "You're really good at assigning me tasks, my master? Isn't what we're discussing about helping me gain a foothold in the human world?"

Cesar pondered for a moment. "I'm indeed helping you gain a foothold in human society, and I'm helping you leap into the rising class of nouveau riche. The power of merchants and bankers is becoming increasingly staggering. If you manage it right, you could even lead the charge against the old order and stir up strife within the human world. Not only will your own kind not understand what you've done, they'll also mistakenly believe you've provoked bloodshed and unrest in the human world, viewing you as greater than Nauzog."

"Your promise," the green snake said, "carries with it an incomprehensible sense of strangeness. What exactly do you want to do? What good will the strife of the human world bring you?"

"Bloody conflict can bring about great change," Cesar said only, "if you can see the thread of change, you will..."

"You mean you've seen the trajectory of change and know how to maximize your benefits?"

"Not exactly," Cesar said. "I know change is happening, but I don't know if it's fast or slow, and I don't know if it's coming soon enough."

The green snake stared at him for a long time. "You mean to push, instigate, instigate, guide, and make some things that are still lingering happen earlier? If there is no fire, you light it, and if there is no oil, you pour it?"

"You're right," Cesar said. "I wouldn't say anything so harsh, but you're right."

"Well, my prophetic master. If you are a prophet, then use your foresight to lead me up. Also, do you mind if I eat something I really want to eat? I don't want fish from sewage."

"There will be mutton later," said Cesar.

The green snake moved closer until its chest completely wrapped around his arm and its lips were pressed against his ear. "Give me a little blood, my great master. How can these earthly pieces of flesh compare to your blood? Just give me a little. I will use it as spice and even eat the weeds on the ground. I never lie."

The waiter, head bowed throughout, served the grilled lamb chops, then left without a backward glance, closing the door behind him. He seemed completely accustomed to the high-ranking officials and dignitaries messing around inside. This guy hissed and spat out his green snake tongue, his pupils suddenly darkening, clearly looking for an excuse to eat someone. Seeing the man running so fast, he had no choice but to cling to his arm again, demanding blood under Aya's glare.

Honestly, no matter how the green snake pinched its throat, it was fake. The only real thing was its desire to eat fresh flesh and blood. It was a venomous snake in human skin that was the perfect description. But Cesar didn't mind responding to her teasing, because she could really make him lose his temper and feel his body soften. A snake tail that appeared out of nowhere would always peel off his clothes, snaking up along his waist and abdomen, wrapping around and around.

"Do you have to wait for me to bite your ears until they're limp and my tail to tease you until you're breathing heavily before you answer?" The green snake breathed into his ear, its scaly tail wrapping around his waist, tightening, then snaking around his chest, the tip of its tail teasing the sensitive area under his armpits like a feather. "Honestly," she said in a seductive voice, "you're making me feel a bit overreaching. I'm doing this just to get some blood. What should I do if I need more from you later?"

"If you can really stand higher than I imagined, maybe I will be the one begging you." Cesar glanced at her.

"Really?"

"You don't have to be so hasty to doubt me. Take a trip to the human world first and see clearly what you couldn't see before."

"I'll have to wait until I see clearly before I tell you." The green snake imitated the dog and picked up a piece of mutton and fed it to him. Her voice was almost coquettish. "Now I am full of panic and anxiety, but I can't treat the world rationally. Now I just need you, everything. The reason I didn't ask others is because your methods are different from others. But I still want blood, my respected master, give your poor servant some blood.

If you leave me like this any longer, I will lose my human form and become entangled in you, unable to get off."

Cesar devoured the meat, biting down to the tip of her slender finger. He placed the tip of his tongue on the pad of her finger, letting her gently play with it for a long time before withdrawing his tongue. He withdrew his finger, scraping his saliva a few times on his long, turquoise nails, and finally, unable to resist, took it into his mouth and licked it. The snake's tail wrapped around him tighter and tighter, the tip of its tail rubbing against his chest.

"If you were not a prophet," she hissed, her gentle voice vanishing in an instant, "the tip of my tail would be stuck in your chest. I would rip your heart out and bite it off piece by piece, like fruit from a tree. That's how I devoured those traveling merchants, taking only the tenderest parts."

Cesar glanced at her and said, "The little mute who followed you has caused more casualties than you have. If you talk about what she has seen, it's even more."

"That's very kind, my beloved master." The green snake blinked and gave him a cruel smile, his lips almost splitting. "Thanks to the war years, thanks to your expertise in killing each other, I can appear to be kinder than your compatriots."

"Me too." Cesar let her hold his arm. "Honestly, without the war years to back me up, I would have been labeled an unforgivable criminal for many of the things I did. But it's precisely because the war is in full swing that I can appear like a human being. If you want my blood, I can give it to you, but I don't need you to act like a pet and act like a spoiled child."

"Then what do you want?"

"Give me some of your blood."

"My blood? Whatever you want," the green snake said. "I know you want to give it to your wizard servant, but I don't care. As long as you think our blood is truly worth exchanging."

"Very good, but before that, you have to accompany me for a while, Green Snake. There are some things I want to show you in this place." Cesar said.

"Worldly matters?"

"There are both secular and temple aspects."

Her pupils darkened, then cleared in an instant. "I heard from Milava that you supported the separatist faction in the temple of Sagaros. You claimed that you could use this to call upon the Eye of the Forge."

"Yes." Cesar opened his mouth and took a piece of fish from the dog's hand, then bit off a piece of boned mutton from the snake walker's fingers. He chewed it for a while, then swallowed it. "I support a faction that seems insignificant now. But I believe that as long as the secular changes accelerate further, this faction will replace the main faction of the Great Temple of Sagaros, and even the Chosen One..."

"Can you also compete with him?"

"No," said Cesar, "it's to make him bow down to us."

"Your promises are becoming increasingly outlandish, my lord," said the green snake, "but they all sound like mere promises."

Chapter 502: Snake Blood Wine

Cesar felt a bit overconfident, but the green snake's waist was incredibly slender, twisting slowly and gently, as snakes do, with a strange rhythm. It felt so smooth to the touch that his fingers practically sank into it. The feeling was intoxicating, as if it weren't him holding her waist, but hers, wrapped around his, unable to let go. As they caressed her, not only did he find it hard to let go of his right arm, but his left arm also wanted something to hold onto, so he placed his hand on Gouzi's shoulder.

Aya stared at him as she bit a piece of hard bone, making a heavy crunching sound.

Cesar coughed and said, "If it weren't for the promise, this wouldn't have happened to you."

The green snake smiled at him, its lips slightly parted, revealing two shallow cracks. "You mean, there are already a lot of ripe fruits?"

"Everyone's fruit was originally promised, and it also has their own blood shed," Cesar replied, "and your fruit is the same. Of course, I am not the kind of person who makes a promise and then leaves it alone. I will guide you through the initial part of the journey, and after that, you can also come to me to solve many problems and open up many connections. Between us..."

"I don't understand worldly promises." The green snake said expressionlessly, "I want something other than worldly things. I'll come to you to ask for it after I've assessed the value of my contribution."

Cesar bit off a piece of fish from Gouzi's hand. "I'll be waiting anytime," he said. "By the way, why did you kill an entire caravan? Just to eat some tender, fresh hearts? Or was it mainly to change clothes and satisfy your hunger?"

Having said this, Aya suddenly turned her head, looked out the window, and whistled as if nothing had happened.

"You, my mute servant, overreacted." The green snake flicked its tongue at her. "A human had just placed his hand on her shoulder when, the next second, he was impaled in the chest by a tree branch a few meters away. He died instantly, and blood spurted over a meter high. I was looking for an opportunity to understand the human world, but after that, I had no choice but to kill everyone in the caravan."

"Hmm." Cesar muttered, swallowing the fish soup that the dog had fed him. He opened his mouth and bit off another piece of pear from the green snake's emerald nails. Because Aya was guilty, no one showed contempt for his behavior.

"The way of the warrior that Aya has learned," he said thoughtfully, "put her status in the religious order of the Kuna people second only to that of the temple priests. I've heard that the Kuna dynasty has clear class distinctions, even reflected in the physique of the royal family and nobles. If someone considered lowly puts their hand on a warrior's shoulder, it would be considered an offense and disrespect. This girl claims to have received guidance from Jiralo, but in reality, the wise man is personally training her. There are many subtle things that even Sefula and I find difficult to explain. Sefula is regarded as a princess of the Kuna people, and she treats Aya as a servant, which is fine, but for others..."

"I still remember Queen Fran trying to get close to the real dragon, but she unexpectedly knocked me away," said the green snake. "I barely got within two steps of her along the way. Later, when I saw that poor creature, my suspicions were confirmed."

Cesar frowned, chewing the mutton that the green snake had torn off bit by bit with its slender fingers, thinking as he did so. On the way to the tomb, Aya had been mostly alone with Jiralo, Sefera, and Ajeh. Jiralo and Sefera were certainly not to be mentioned, and Ajeh wouldn't be afraid of her sudden attack. But now that they were out of the tomb and back in reality, this guy's sudden behavior could be very troublesome.

Even though this was Sevra's problem, not his, he still had to find a solution. Aya would only attack those who approached her unexpectedly, but those who stayed with her were different. This time, it was a green snake in human skin that slaughtered the entire caravan, and next time it would be Sevra, with her blood debts etched on her shoulders. It wasn't long before tales of horror spread.

"I don't have any good ideas," he said. "How about we start by changing her clothes? It just so happens that the tailor shop here just opened a while ago. Changing her clothes and getting some new women's clothing will at least soften her temperament a little."

Aya glared at him immediately.

"Don't stare at me like that." Cesar spread his hands and said, "Although there are some differences between Sevra and me, I also consider you my family. Before you fully understand the changes in yourself, it will always be helpful to start with your outward appearance and temperament. You can wear whatever you want in the wilderness, but when you arrive in town, I personally hope that you will wear something less murderous."

Aya's eyes widened. If she could speak, she would have shouted back, but she couldn't. Instead, she pursed her lips, seemingly planning to wait until she saw Sevra to redeem herself.

"So what did you do to the Temple of Sagaros?" the green snake asked him, "and how did you start to think that the faction you supported could defeat the Grand Temple?"

"From the essence of the gods." Cesar smiled. "Of course, I'm not saying I understand the essence of the gods. I just—you have a strange expression right now. Do you have a mirror? It's like the blood you want is right in front of you, but you can't touch it. You can only wait for it to slowly flow into your mouth."

The green snake's tail was almost unbearably wrapped around his neck, struggling in the urge to suffocate him. With the anxious hissing of her snake tongue, her blue-black snake tail slowly tightened and then slightly relaxed.

, like breathing hard.

"Your metaphors cause me great pain, Prophet." She leaned sideways into his arms, one hand caressing his back while the other supported his chest. Her hands were white and smooth, while her long, emerald nails slowly caressed his back and chest, a dagger-like sharpness that would surely pierce through his heart. Her full, lush lips pressed against his cheek, appearing intimate and alluring, but in reality, they were slitted to the sides of her ears, as if she wanted to devour his head and the thoughts within it.

"Being a businessman requires patience, Green Snake," Cesar said simply. "You can't lose control of your emotions and want to swallow someone whole after just a few words."

"I've shown enough restraint by not biting or gouging out its heart, Lord Prophet. Even when taming a pet, you still need to soothe its emotions. I hope you still remember the giant lizard that brought you all this way..."

The green snake sighed deeply, its entire body collapsing backwards as if its bones had been broken. It was as if her upper body were merely a pile of clothes hanging on a rack, silk on the outside, human skin on the inside, and nothing deeper. A single push would snap it in half. Then, wrapping her tail around his waist, she pulled herself up again, leaning against him.

Cesar fetched the wine glass, added a drop of blood to the wine, and shook it gently to disperse it. He watched the snake walker approach the wine glass, but he didn't offer it to her. "Use your venom to make me some wine, too," he said. "That's a deal, don't you think?"

"My venom is deadly, and it doesn't taste good."

"Then make it less deadly, and find a way to improve the taste."

"I do my best, my dear master," she complained.

Cesar gripped the green snake's slender waist, watching as she lifted a glass of wine and, with a frown, fumbled with her fangs and secretions. Honestly, it was a strange sight. Aya stared at the snake walker with wide eyes, watching her first become disoriented, then seeing Cesar's gaze drift to her, she immediately clenched her fist at him.

He grinned at her. "Let's get back to the temple. The essence of faith in the gods is that each deity represents a metaphysical concept. Creatures of the world chant the gods' names and act in accordance with their ideals, and they receive responses. I don't know the deeper theories, but I do know that the Pantheon simply gained an advantage through long-term research and exploration, just like mages who explored magic first formed schools and sealed off their knowledge."

"Schools of magic that sealed off knowledge wove countless brilliant spells, but ultimately, due to this knowledge blockade, nothing remained. Generation after generation of the old knowledge vanished into thin air, and new generations of true knowledge and magic groped their way up from the bottom, following the paths already taken by their predecessors. This hopeless cycle repeats itself... If what you say is true, what is the difference between a temple and a school of magic?"

"The mages are exploring an endless labyrinth, but the direction of the temple is always there, just like you beastmen following Analik. They will not get lost and are destined to get closer and closer to the gods."

The green snake studied the wine in her hand, which was gradually stained with green venom, shook it gently, and then licked it with its tongue. "Then why do you think a branch faction can be closer to Sagaros than the Grand Temple?" she asked.

"Change is a very special concept," Cesar said. "Excluding some temples that still haven't figured out what gods they worship, such as the lost demon Xiel, most temples are always getting closer and closer to the truth of the gods during their exploration. As they gradually consolidate their orthodox beliefs, they will not tolerate any branch sects competing for orthodoxy. However, Sagaros is different."

"Self-contradiction?"

"Yes, it's self-contradictory." He smiled. "Changing this concept is in itself in conflict with stable orthodoxy. The more the Grand Temple of Sagaros insists on their orthodoxy, the more they go against Sagaros's divine authority. Now they are seizing on the rebellion of the nobles and the decline of royal power, and even turning to the Empire for this. Don't you think it's like a drowning man grasping at a lifeline? In my opinion, there should be no orthodoxy or Grand Temple for Sagaros's followers."

"But they did catch it," said the green snake.

Cesar shook his head. "This lifeline is just a phase of change," he said. "What you should see is not that they're clinging to a lifeline, but that they lack the ability to create change themselves. They're a group of people whose vision isn't short-sighted, but they're also not very mature. Especially since their chosen ones don't seem very bright and are destined to maintain the past. As long as you can promote more radical change, their lifeline will become a rootless piece of driftwood, swept away by the current in the blink of an eye."

"Let's assume you're wiser than the Chosen One." The Snake Walker stared at the wine glass for a long moment, finally slicing his palm with his fingernail and squeezing out a stream of blood. "After all, it was you who fooled old Milawa and stole little Milawa's heart. I'm still here calling you Master because all your predictions have come true so far. I hope you'll continue to do so."

"You really never forget your threats."

"I thought you liked this tone," the green snake handed him the cup overflowing with green wine. "Here, snake blood wine, mixed with some inhumane things. I don't want to say what they are, my master. But, to appease this homeless green snake, can you drink it without changing your expression?"

The snake was completely wrapped around him, its tail tangled around his waist, chest, and neck. Its body, stained with a mixture of green scales, slumped softly in his embrace, exuding a sweet, wine-like aroma. Her body was naturally light and supple, and the waist within his arms was boneless. As she lifted the wine glass to his lips, the weight of her chest between her arms strained against his chest, as if she were about to break free from her clothes.

The wine, mixed with venom and blood, exuded a strange sweet aroma. When you sipped it, your tongue felt numb and slightly stinging. Cesar held the wine in his mouth and moved his tongue around, but felt something was missing. So he lowered his head, kissed her lips, and passed the wine to her.

Cesar held the enchanting green snake tightly in his arms, feeling her twist her waist and tighten her tail around his neck. He breathed in the scent between her lips and teeth, kissed her soft lips deeply, his chest enjoying her heavy pressure, his waist and abdomen also enjoying the tight entanglement of her snake body.

The green snake's eyes narrowed slightly as their lips deepened, as he used the tip of his tongue to stir the saliva and wine in her mouth, teasing her sweet tongue. Before long, her slender, smooth snake tongue was firmly entwined with his. As their lips and tongues met, he felt a stream of secretions oozing from her mouth, mixing with the wine. Only then did a numbing pleasure spread through his body, making him feel intoxicated and dizzy, and he could hardly tell where he was.

Cesar sucked on her lips bit by bit, savoring the snake-blood wine she offered him. He noticed she had secretly swallowed some of the wine herself, blinking slightly, as if she found it excellent. After swallowing the wine, her delicate body felt slightly warm, her breathing quickened, and she bit his lips lightly, letting out soft, charming gasps.

After a long moment, their lips finally parted. The green snake pursed her lips, her fingers gently stroking her slender neck. Her cheeks flushed, and strands of snake scales appeared and disappeared, making her look lazy and seductive. "It's different," she said with a smile. "Venom loses its flavor quickly after leaving its owner." Then she picked up Cesar's blood wine, scooped it up, and drank it all in one gulp, her cheeks flushing again. "Also, your blood isn't suitable for adding to wine. It's better to bite directly and suck from the veins."

"What should I do if I want to try it in the future?" Cesar asked her.

"Of course, take it from my lips, my respected master." The green snake rested its chin on his shoulder and whispered softly, its tone charming. "Once the secretions leave my fangs, they lose that intoxicating feeling. Of course, next time you come to me for it, remember to find a vein for me to bite. Otherwise, my bad mood will affect the quality of the secretions, and the taste of the wine will not be so wonderful."

Cesar shrugged. "Well, that was a good discussion. Now follow me on my way. Also, the fish soup is delicious. It would be a shame if you didn't try it. If you don't want to try it, then follow me out the back door."

"I've drunk your blood and the wine I mixed myself. These worldly things are no longer worth my attention." The green snake glanced at Aya and a playful smile appeared on his face. "Would you like to try it, little maid? Try something much more wonderful than this fish soup?"

The latter shook his head vigorously.

Chapter 503: Subversion of Order

......

"To be honest," after a tense silence, Cesar had to open the document he had written not long ago, "If you count the experience of the time fork, I have reached an agreement with the branch sect of Sagaros for hundreds or thousands of years. But if you don't count it, I actually just signed the agreement yesterday."

"I anticipated your promise." The green snake leaned lazily against him. "If this is truly a seed of special significance, I will be honored to take it over and help it bear fruit. Although I can't get emotionally involved, as long as you tell me the logic behind how things work, I can set the stage."

"You don't need to get emotionally involved," Cesar said, holding her slender waist as they walked through the streets outside the workshop. "Many generations from now, perhaps someone will get emotionally involved, but not now. However, if there's enough bloodshed, some things might happen sooner."

The green snake yawned and stretched, her shirt gradually straightening and barely covering her upper body. It was obvious that she didn't care about the changes in human society, especially the secular aspects.

"What are you showing me?" she asked. "The drainage canal that carries filth and decay into the river? Or the building where the slaves forge their weapons? Beyond the irritating sounds and smells, I don't see the point of this place."

Cesar glanced at the filthy river and said, "No, this place is exactly what it means."

"Perhaps. You're a prophet, and your foresight always makes sense. But to be honest, it's becoming increasingly difficult to understand. At first, I thought it was the human world that confused me, but then I realized the human world isn't difficult to understand; it's you who's confusing me."

"Are you dissatisfied?"

"I want to peel off your scalp and study your brain." The green snake narrowed his eyes.

"Many people have said so." Cesar said as he turned sideways and raised his hand to pull the veil on the green snake's face tightly. On the one hand, this guy was a spy merchant, so it was not suitable for him to reveal his true appearance. On the other hand, his lips were too prone to splitting and his snake tongue was constantly spitting out. Covering the lower half of her face was the best way for her.

Of course, the blue veil also enhances her mystery to a certain extent, just don't be afraid of grinning too much after taking it off.

"Can you give some introductions first?" The green snake gestured to the workshop beside the river.

"I think so," Cesar said. "But since you think all these houses are slaves' quarters, that means you already understand their living conditions, right?"