Shadow of the Evil God

"You'll understand at a glance," said the green snake. "Of course, it's definitely not as good as someone like you who uses them as an introduction. I think you want me to start the conversation and then comment on my opening remarks. You prophets all like this."

"Okay, let's be frank." Cesar arrived at the dock and beckoned the officer over. He looked surprised—the local lord had made a promise the day before, and yet he was visiting again the next day. It was unbelievable. "Although you consider them the same as slaves," he said, "in my opinion, universal morality is constantly being reshaped, and they are already very different from slaves."

"What's the difference between them and slaves?" Green Snake said, glancing at the officer. "I don't see any difference."

"This is..." The believers of the branch sect of Sagaros were a little confused.

"A merchant from the prairies," Cesar said, without thinking. "I was talking to her about your affairs."

"Why?"

"Remember I told you to choose an area to gather workers for a secret meeting?" Cesar said, "You'll need a team to accompany you, and this foreign merchant is just the right person for that. However, in order for her to understand what you're doing, I need to explain a few things first."

The officer paused for a moment, and Cesar turned back. "Speaking of these workers, it seems they're still exercising the morality of slaves. If you think they're no different than slaves, I understand. You've seen enough pathogenic and even lethal working conditions along the way, so I don't need to elaborate. However, unlike slaves, these people trade dangerous physical labor for monetary compensation, and then use this compensation solely to support their own survival."

"A peasant?"

"It's still different," Cesar continued, taking the notes Gouzi had copied from her. "The peasants are almost all tied to the nobles' land, or huddled in their own villages. They only raise pitchforks to protect their villages and lands, and it's almost impossible for them to go any further. These people are like ghosts trapped in the fields. You can only control them if you actually occupy the territory. There's no reason to control them first and then the territory."

The green snake tilted its head and it was obvious that it wanted to spit out its tongue, but it held back.

"As you said," the steward said, "the workers in the workshop can go anywhere. I promise so."

"It's not that absolute," Cesar said, "but you're right. Obviously, the nobles are building workshops on a large scale, but they haven't yet realized that from the local craftsmen of the early years to the weapons workshops of recent years, the living environment and the population structure of the workshops have changed dramatically. First, the scale of production in the workshops is increasing every year, but the workshop environment is deteriorating every year. Deafness caused by noise, lung disease and blindness caused by dust, and high temperatures that make people unable to stop drinking the waste water used for quenching. The various diseases and disabilities are alarming.

, and will not be compensated at all.”

"What does this mean?" The green snake still tilted its head, as if she would break in half if he continued talking like that. Cesar pinched her waist, asking her to listen carefully, and the guy immediately strangled his waist with his snake tail.

Cesar sighed. "What I mean by slave morality," he said, gripping the man's slender waist to help him focus his thoughts, "is that the workshop workers of this period were accustomed to this. They were accustomed to the illness, disability, and death caused by the workshops. They were accustomed to standing in long lines under the scorching sun all day to demand their wages, not only being insulted but also sometimes not even getting paid. These habitual abuses make these people extremely dull. From what I've observed, they become withdrawn, fearful, and passive in everything. Even without masters, these itinerant workers still feel like slaves of some mysterious entity, convinced that they cannot do anything wrong. Do you understand?"

Green Snake tilted his head even more. "Does this mean their slave morality is actually fake? Because they're no longer like they used to be, and there aren't any real slave owners?"

The officer's eyes widened, and Cesar raised his hand to silence him. "Although I haven't been here much, I've spoken with the workers I've met along the way. I approached a few men working odd jobs in the armory and asked them what they thought about the rate of attrition among their colleagues, and what they'd do if they were attrited themselves. As you know, the heat and noise levels in the armory are terrible. I tried to...provoke them."

"Are you instigating a riot in your own territory?" The green snake almost turned its face in front of him.

"I've considered that approach," Cesar said nonchalantly, "but unfortunately, it's not that simple. No matter what I say, these workers are convinced that there's an omnipotent authority that will defeat them. I asked them what that authority was, but they couldn't say. Anyway, there must be some kind of authority, and it must be omnipotent. As for illness and disability, they haven't gotten sick or disabled yet, and they can still make a living with their wages, so they can just endure it and get through it. There's no need to take any risks."

"A non-existent master that I imagined? How amazing." said the green snake.

"Corresponding to this morality," Cesar pondered, "if you look at royalty and nobles, at the monks of the temple, at bankers and merchants who are gaining status, you will find that they believe that their wishes should be satisfied whenever possible."

Having said that, he glanced at the official, who was actually the temple monk he was talking about.

The officer looked nervous, as if Cesar was exposing him. "These people aren't more capable than others," Cesar said. "Many of these nobles haven't even received a good education, but they're accustomed to being obeyed and giving orders. It's not even courage, it's habit. Generally speaking, even when the former are oppressed, it's always the latter who rise up and call for resistance. Thus, you see similar scenes repeating themselves throughout history, with some always being slaves and others always being masters."

"It's a bit of a cycle." The green snake leaned its head directly on his shoulder, looking quite lazy. "So how do you want to end this cycle and make things different?"

"I dare not claim that I can make things different," Cesar said, "and it's not that simple. But precisely because of this cycle, the changes that come from it are the most thorough. Whether it's the royal family or the nobles, whether it's the nobles or the merchants, in the final analysis, it's those who are accustomed to being the masters who are the masters, and the general morality is still there, exactly the same as before. For Sagaros, can this be considered a considerable change?"

The monk from the Sagaros branch of the sect's fingers twitched, and he looked like he was going crazy. The snake walkers also noticed their young monk and realized his fanaticism.

"I understand what you mean." She rested her arm on his shoulder. "When it comes to change, the Great Temple of Sagaros is not only too conservative, but also lacks some insight. Compared to those who truly have masters, these people in the workshop, who still believe they have masters even though they have lost them, are the best opportunity... to reshape morality."

"Even more fortunately," Cesar said, "these people in the workshops haven't realized how important they are yet. Not only do they not realize it, but neither do the nobles who are building the various workshops. If they could voluntarily migrate to my territory, the ensuing war might bring many dramatic scenes. In some places, workshops and important facilities would be destroyed in the riots, and the workers who keep the workshops running would flee with their families. At the same time, the supply of materials in other places would become increasingly smooth. In the current war situation, these things are more important than military strength."

"Where would you like to begin, my lord?" the steward bowed to him.

Cesar pondered for a moment. "No matter what I said, from a practical perspective, war is still the top priority. The focus of the upcoming conflict will be on the north and south of Olidan. There are several important towns bordering our territory with the king. Before the war begins, you should take your people and follow the caravan, traveling to various places under the guise of traveling merchants. The most appropriate..."

"We also need to consider those clothes, Master." The dog suddenly said, "Have you thought about who you're going to sell them to?"

"Then follow these important towns

"It's common for merchants selling goods to stop at towns along the way. Publicly, they're investigating the sales of goods, and privately, they're investigating workshops. However, formal rebellion can be planned after the caravan passes."

At the very beginning of all this, the nobles and royal families were building workshops and recruiting workers to prepare for the intensifying war, unaware of the changes that would unfold. However, precisely because everything was just beginning, the ideals of a more distant future seemed unrealistic. Adding Sagaros's promise to practical interests, and giving those who still believed in slavery a gentle nudge, things would actually work out just right. As for what would happen in the distant future, honestly, he couldn't imagine.

He could only think about the present.

"I will do my best to distance myself from the caravan," the officer said.

"I personally trust your abilities. After all, you come from a temple." Cesar looked at the monks of the Sagaros branch sect. "However, whether you can overturn the orthodoxy of the Sagaros Grand Temple depends on the extent to which you can reshape the old moral order. As I said, from one master to another, this is not a complete change, and the same is not true for the orthodoxy of one Grand Temple to another. If you want to overthrow the orthodoxy and change the order, you can even change the cornerstone of the temples of the gods and make the Sagaros Temple different from other temples."

"The devil's whisper." The green snake kissed his ear and whispered, "You are really good at instigating, my master."

Cesar shook his head. "If you ask me, this is exactly what Sagaros's philosophy and beliefs are. Facts have proven that the Great Temple that has oppressed you for so long has been too obsessed with its past glory and has completely forgotten the promises of God. Now they're seizing on the rebellion of the nobles, but it's just a panicked grab at straws. In fact, they're already drowning, don't you think? They don't have the ability or vision to make real changes, but you do. Not only can you change the moral order of masters and slaves, but you can also overturn the way the temples are accustomed to operating. Look at the believers of Xiel; even they are more radical and demand change than Sagaros's Great Temple."

The believer laughed, seemingly genuinely, and Cesar noticed this and was pleased with his reaction. Of course, convening a secret meeting and starting a riot was inherently dangerous, and he had no hope that this guy would survive, or even that the first group of branch sects would survive.

Because of this, he needed a subtle banner, and the Snake Walker was the perfect choice. As long as she was still there, the members of the branch sects that secretly followed her would increase in number, and even the sect itself would fall into their hands.

"I'll arrange a date and prepare everything the caravan needs, and it will be done within five days at the earliest," Cesar said. "I hope you'll gather your men as well, believer. This journey is much longer than you might imagine."

Chapter 504 You are truly my ideal teacher

......

Just as he sent away the Snake Walker and the followers of Sagaros and told them to retrieve the merchants' goods and to gather the men, it was already dusk. Cesar was about to find a tailor shop for Aya, who was holding a sword, when he saw a little girl leaning out of the window of a slowly passing carriage.

"Dad's here!"

Although he'd never seen her before, Cesar could guess who she was by the color of her hair and eyes. Then, catching sight of the black and red uniform on the inside of the car window, it was undoubtedly Altinya, patrolling the territory with her children. He wondered what kind of teacher she wanted to be.

Before he could even say he wanted to hug his daughter, she had already floated down like a gust of wind and pounced on him. Her posture was very similar to that of Ajiehe when she was little, a little wolf. However, she didn't have any wild characteristics either. Perhaps his genes and Ajiehe's intertwined, neutralizing many things.

By the time they were in the carriage, the daughter had searched every possible place on his body for something to hold something. It was easy to guess that she was looking for something interesting. First, she slid down from his arm and took the small bag on his belt, then climbed up on his back, looking through his pockets, and finally she sat directly on his shoulders, stretched her hands towards the sky, and screamed in a shrill voice: "I can overlook the street!"

Before Cesar could sit down, her head fell down with her hair on her forehead. "Is there anything fun?"

He frowned, unable to think of anything he'd brought. He glanced around, his gaze pausing as he saw Aya clutching the sword. Before he could speak, his daughter slipped from his arms again and lunged at her, only to be lifted up by the collar the next moment.

Cesar took a deep breath and sat down next to Altinya. Then he leaned over to Aya and patted her head. The girl raised her hands. "Is this the cloth that contains this amazing thing?"

"It's a magnificent longsword, there's no other like it in the world," he thought for a moment and said, "But until you've mastered the art of swordsmanship, you can only use a wooden sword."

"I see. Since Dad says so, then let's just take it as it is. But, we can only use wooden swords, so what should we do?"

"Will you practice hard to wield many different swords?" Cesar asked. "The better you practice, the more you'll be able to wield."

"That's right! That's it!" She leaped into Altinya's arms again and snatched up a small wooden sword from her lap. It looked like the sword the princess had prepared for her cat. "Who will practice with me then? The teacher? Or Dad?"

Cesar glanced at Aya, who suddenly clutched the unholy longsword in her arms, as if ready to use the blade to fend them all off. Then he looked at the dog beside her. He had to admit, no one was more suitable. Although she was a terrifying faceless spy in Kuna legend, she was indeed perfect as a companion.

"First try to see if your wooden sword can pass over her hand." Cesar patted his daughter's head, and then she swung the wooden sword, and Gouzi raised his hand and brushed it away, like blowing away a feather.

"Amazing! Watch me break through your shield!"

Altinya smiled helplessly, and Cesar noticed that she was actually somewhat helpless, which was rare. The carriage continued to move, and the little girl sat in the princess's arms and brandished the wooden sword, but each one was lightly brushed away by the dog.

"That's a rare emotion from you," Cesar said. "I thought the cat taught you how to raise a child."

"My cat is very focused and will strictly follow the direction and goal I set," said Altinia. "But your daughter seems to be very focused, but once she loses interest, she will throw things aside without even looking at them. It's really annoying. This wooden sword is the thing she cares about most all day."

"Perhaps the kitten you picked up is just too well-behaved. You were a bit of a jerk as a kid, weren't you? Since you want to be a teacher, you should think about how you'd get along with your student if you were your own," Cesar said, looking out the window. The carriage quickly passed a field of workshops and arrived at the market. Compared to when they first arrived in Gonzales, the market was already bustling and prosperous. There were even booksellers setting up stalls, a rare sight in ordinary towns.

Altinya hummed, sounding even more helpless. "I can't imagine my younger self being the teacher I am now. It must have been painful. But why did you come to Gonzales? I thought you'd come to see your daughter first."

"Have you ever noticed the workshops along the way?" Cesar asked her.

"It's a problem," Altinia said. "I read the records you wrote last night, but processes that cause disability and illness are difficult to change. All changes have different consequences. First, it will affect the normal operation of the process, and second, it will greatly increase our expenses. In fact, just a few days ago, our warehouse received a batch of breastplates that failed inspection. There was a problem in the polishing process. Later, it was discovered that the worker we hired to perform the polishing was taken away by the temple and was already in the hands of the Shawl Society when he was discovered."

"The Shawl Club?"

"It's actually the temple's hospital. It's supposed to treat illnesses, but it uses the slowest method. They want to delay as long as they want. The process in the workshop is not difficult, but the executors are all under the control of the hospital.

It is difficult to replace trained workers in a short period of time," said Altiniya.

"The alderman's family is gone, but the workshop's foreman and the temple's hospital are starting to trip each other up..." Cesar was slightly shocked. "Secular medical care hasn't made any progress yet. You should try to make some adjustments to the workshop first. After a while, I'll be able to fill the gap in professional staff, and perhaps we can open more workshops."

"There's another thing. You've had two encounters with the person I'm dealing with." Altinia's tone was hard for him to understand. "The Shawl Society's ability to find vacancies in the workshop and take away the workers we desperately need is closely related to the officer's skills."

"Do you know his true identity?"

"spy?"

"A branch sect of the Temple of Sagaros. This sect is seeking change and subverting the order of the Grand Temple. Their targets are these workshops and workers."

Altinya fell into deep thought. As they passed the market, the crowds gradually thinned out, and the carriage continued its usual slow pace. "You sound very confident in this branch sect," she said. "You're convinced they have the power to overturn the order of the Grand Temple of Sagaros and change their hostility towards us, right? As far as I know, in over a thousand years, none of these branch sects have ever altered the order of the Grand Temples."

"Let them start the struggle within the temple themselves and prove themselves to us." Cesar smiled. "But I think since they can bring workers to the Shawl Society, they can also transfer skilled workers from other territories to our side. What do you think?"

"People who pass through the Temple's hands will inevitably change their thinking, especially those of low status," said Altinia. "The migration you speak of is simply a form of inducement?"

"I want them to destroy the workshops where they work."

"Then it's not just bribery. What about the scale and scope?"

“The impact is very wide.”

"If what you say is true, they can indeed influence the course of the war," Altinia said, observing Cesar's reaction. "The shortage of military supplies will inevitably affect the enemy's operations, and General Garcia's support alone will hardly fill the gap. Even if the Kingdom of Doñimi agrees to provide military supplies, the transportation routes spanning east and west will open up many possibilities." She stared at Cesar. "But why do you dare to say that the impact is so widespread? What are you relying on? Those workshop workers who are no different from slaves?"

"The branch sect of the Temple of Sagaros, or rather, the ideological changes they will provide."

Artinia leaned a little closer to him, her face close, carefully observing his face and expression. In fact, based on the history of the predecessor of the Casar Empire and her familiarity with the past, Cesar already knew that she was close to the truth.

"It depends on what those masterless slaves choose to believe, doesn't it?" She suddenly smiled. "When the Kasar Empire wasn't yet the Kasar Empire, many organizations did similar things, and they were all mage organizations. Many years later, I discovered that behind them all was the same dark shadow: the library master, the immature true dragon. So many terrifying ruling structures and so many terrifying social collapses, as well as unimaginable bloodshed, riots, chaos, conflicts, and difficult reconstructions—this is the seed of thought sown by Zavulon and everything it created. In the end, we survivors chose to embrace the oldest and most stable past—the Empire, the Kasar Empire. In this regard, you are somewhat self-taught, teacher."

"So what do you think?"

"If this seed of thought is only planted among the working class, then I believe they have no right to shake my rule," Altinya said. "As for a hundred years after my death or abdication, honestly, I don't want to consider such long-term events. There are too many threats right here and right now. I would catch even a rope thrown by the devil, let alone a seed of thought."

"Undercurrent..."

"Indeed," the princess replied calmly, "However, this time it was you who came up with the idea, so you can't lecture me like you did last time. Guiding the riots and relocating the workers—these plots require a lot of espionage and bribery to pull off. If you can offer a shortcut that spares me the spies and money, even if it's a double-edged sword, I'll take it. But—"

"but?"

Altinya leaned closer, and although he was still holding his daughter and letting her practice with the sword, his attention was completely on him.

"If, many years from now, I were to deal with them my way, what would you say and do? Based on your reaction and decision, I would also respond in my own way. If you insist on supporting them but make a wrong move, you will have to bear the responsibility of being the loser." She straightened up with her usual elegant smile. "In a sense, you are the best inspiration I have found in my life full of struggles. If teachers always stand on the same path as students, I would find it a bit boring."

The carriage passed another workshop and a strong fragrance poured into the window. Cesar and Altinya didn't pay attention. Aya held the sword and said nothing. Gouzi didn't care either, but his daughter didn't care about the atmosphere and shouted out.

"teacher!"

"What's wrong, little one?" asked Altinya.

she was.

"Teacher, will you give me a piece of freshly baked bread?" she asked.

Altinya ordered the servants to bring bread through the window, and everyone in the carriage took a piece. Cesar pushed Aya's piece to her. Although her face darkened when she saw him approaching, she took the bread in her hands and took a bite at the smell.

"Diana once told me," the princess took a bite of her bread, "that she wanted to build a few more bakeries in the fortress and have them bake bread at different times. That way, she could get fresh bread consistently at all times."

"What about you?" Cesar glanced at her.

"I think this actually misses the most crucial element of fun," she said. "If you can satisfy yourself anytime, anywhere, without a long carriage ride or the exact moment it's freshly baked, where's the anticipation, where's the satisfaction?"

"Diana preferred stability and longevity," Cesar said.

"Yes, that's why. When I share my experiences today with her during a meal, you can look forward to her reaction." The princess smiled. "Let's not talk about Anne for now. Teacher Cesar, if the bread in your hand represents those workshop workers, and I were to pierce the center of the bread with a sword, how would you protect it? How do you want to protect it? It's worth thinking about."

"Are you already imagining me kneeling in your bedroom, trying to beg you to let this bread go?"

Altinya took out a handkerchief and wiped the crumbs from her daughter's mouth. "Of course, I've always been looking forward to something like this, to prove myself," she said. "In that sense, you're my ideal teacher."

.......

"Your wife and student have gone to dine alone." Brother Mira said from the city wall, "You look a little nervous, Cesar. Is it because of something you did? The princess doesn't seem to know you have a new student yet. I hope she can accept this. It's hard for someone like her to accept that she's not the only one."

Cesar smacked his lips and didn't reply. Considering each of them harbored a secret that the other couldn't bear, the discomfort they felt dining alone was understandable. But the fact that they were dining alone meant something even more disturbing.

"Where's my bedroom?" he asked, glancing behind him at Aya. She was still dressed in her guard uniform, clutching her sword tightly. Because Altinya had appeared so suddenly and taken them all back in a carriage, his plan to change her clothes had failed.

Sister Mira glanced down. "The Firstborn has left to visit the remnant of Firil's memory," she said. "However, since you gave Firil such a thing, I can't say for sure whether she will still have remnants of memory in the future. She hasn't woken up yet, but..."

"Is Ajeh alone with Sephora?" Cesar asked her.

"Yes," the monk said, as calm as ever. "Do you think there will be a bloody conflict between the two of them?"

Cesar shook his head. "The last time these two clashed, they tore a library apart, leaving it all piled high with rotten wood and flying paper. I can't say what will happen this time."

"Library..." Sister Mira frowned and stared at the direction of the test site under the city wall. It seemed that for the first time, she showed obvious emotion. "If these two people do something similar again, I will definitely punish them and teach them that there are some things they shouldn't do."

"Uh, monk?"

Chapter 505: Teacher and Husband

......

The place where Artinya ate had a strong smell of sour vegetable soup. This guy had vegetable soup for lunch, and also for dinner. Tonight, it was sour vegetable soup. Every time Diana and her ate, they almost always ate separately.

When she first arrived at Gural Fortress, the restaurant's layout was quite consistent with Diana's perception. Now, after renovations, a special area has been created for the princess's use. The layout and furnishings in this area are unlike those in the southern kingdoms, or even those in the present-day northern empire. It's clear that the style is very ancient, a design that Altinia discovered from the empire's past.

There was a window directly into the kitchen, and dishes were delivered directly from the window, very quickly and efficiently, because the princess did not like to spend too much time on eating. She loved to explore any food she had never tried, and had no taboos, and the same was true for wine, she would try every type.