Shadow of the Evil God

When it comes down to it, of course, these so-called industry secrets can make them richer and more socially prominent.

As for whether Earl Sean was willing to pay more, that was none of his business.

Cesar racked his brains to list the formulas needed to predict the trajectory of the ballistic ball, including trigonometric functions, differential integration, the impact of air resistance on the trajectory of the ballistic ...

It wasn't because he couldn't calculate, but because he wasn't good at math to begin with, and therefore didn't want to. He wasn't here to be a mathematician or physicist. Listing equations was exhausting enough, and wrestling with differential and integral equations in front of a crowd of people was killing him. He might as well have pushed it all onto the Faceless One.

Anyway, it would only take a few breaths for the Faceless One to calculate these things.

After pushing the task of filling in the results for the formula out, Cesar finally breathed a sigh of relief, sat down in the corner of the tower and began to pour water down his throat. While the artillery captains were discussing the chart, a door on the side opened.

"Excuse me for a moment, sir?"

Cesar grunted, feeling he didn't want to speak. The voice on the other side of the door was old and deep, something he had never heard before. If he wasn't familiar with it, then he couldn't possibly recognize it. If he really wanted to do anything right now, it would be to rest his head on his teaching assistant's lap and relieve his stress, not deal with a visitor who had come from nowhere.

"This will only take a moment, my lord." This time it was the engineer's voice from yesterday.

Cesar turned to look at the strange middle-aged man at the door. "Who are you?" His voice was a little hoarse. "Where are the guards? Why did they let someone in without permission?"

The engineer coughed. "This is the caravan leader from Auridan," he said, hinting, "They'll sell us some war supplies for a low cost."

Olidan? Why Olidan? A battle broke out at the border fortress of the Kingdom of Dominion, yet a mysterious caravan emerged from Olidan, offering war supplies to Noien, charging only a minimal cost.

Thinking of this, Cesar couldn't help but wonder if there might be some kind of shameful contract between the old count and Ollandan.

While states in this era lacked clear boundaries, and it was common for lords of border cities to change kings, the feud between Olidan and Dominion was long-standing, with centuries of conflict and war. The old man might have had his reasons for joining the Olidan Kingdom, but what about him? Where would he go after leaving the city?

This fictitious aristocratic identity gave him many conveniences, but it also brought him more and more troubles.

Seeing Cesar nod in agreement, the caravan leader walked over to him and slowly sat down. This man was a sturdy man with a strong face, blond hair, blue eyes, and traces of swords on his hands. Cesar certainly didn't believe he was the caravan leader. He was most likely a noble from the Kingdom of Olidan, under orders from the royal palace to inspect the Noien territory and the old earl himself.

First, make some initial investment using the name of the caravan, and then make subsequent decisions based on the results of the siege?

The man pulled out a sheaf of manuscripts and flipped to a page. "There are several difficult problems in this manuscript that I've been unable to solve. Can you understand? I've tried to list each parameter as accurately as possible. For example, here..." The man ran a stubby finger across a line of logical symbols. "If you can give me some advice, I can offer more concessions on the price of this batch of supplies."

Cesar's expression faltered. What did he know? He had never considered himself a mathematician. Reading from a prepared textbook was one thing, but actually doing research was another.

If he had this talent for mathematics, would he engage in humanities research and folklore investigation?

Seeing that Gouzi had finally finished filling out the chart, Cesar, like a long-awaited rain, grabbed her hand and pulled her to him. "Untie this," he said, then tentatively asked, "Just use the method in our manuscript, okay?"

The Faceless One took the manuscript from the person and scanned the pages without a pause. Then, she picked up a quill and quickly sketched out a few equations and curves. After about ten seconds, she had filled the entire page and returned the manuscript to the person. As expected, she was writing about definite integrals, which seemed like incomprehensible language to those who didn't understand.

There was a moment of complete silence. After a moment, the man who claimed to be the leader of the caravan spoke up, "If you'd like to travel far after the war, I'd like to invite you to visit the Kingdom Academy of Sciences in Olidan."

He would rather follow Ceshia in a knight tournament, charging at others with a lance, than go to the Academy of Sciences to discuss differential calculus with others.

Cesar gave an ambiguous answer.

"It depends. I have a lot of places to go... maybe Iris will come first," he said.

The middle-aged man nodded. "Okay, but I hope Your Excellency will remember that the Kingdom Academy of Sciences will reserve a place for you. Don't mind.

If so, could you please let me know how long you will be staying in Itris? If all goes well, I hope to keep in touch with you by letter. As for the specific calculation method... "

"I dreamed it," Cesar said.

There was another silence. "You are quite a joker, sir," he said.

Since he wouldn't believe the truth, Cesar had to make up a more plausible excuse. "It's actually a manuscript I found in the mines," he shrugged. "Perhaps it's the wisdom of our ancestors, predating the Kuna Empire, I suspect. I'm not an expert in these subjects myself; I simply translated the manuscript for my own use."

"Okay, I'll write this down." The middle-aged man sighed. "Anyway, thank you for the formula. Since the opening of the Academy of Sciences, the results have been dwindling, while the real estate and property have been growing year by year..."

Cesar could only smile at the man. What was he going to say? Advise him to be more discreet? This man was either a loose cannon or simply wasn't afraid to say it, so his advice was useless. The name of the Academy of Sciences sounded appealing, but in reality it was a combination of emerging aristocratic factions and academic cliques, much like the military academies of the era. The political maneuvering and connections within it far outweighed the nominal power.

After the man and the engineer left, Cesar rose and left the tower, wandering around the outer wall with his dog, trying to figure out how to breach the city from the enemy's perspective. Compared to the towering inner walls, the outer walls were narrow and low, making it difficult to be reassured. At the top, they were barely two and a half meters wide, making it difficult for people to stand in a row, and the space for movement was extremely limited. But he had already accepted this unfortunate job and had to worry about this place.

The most troublesome thing was that he could only consider the worldly preparations, but those non-worldly ones... Cesar touched the wolf claw ornament in his pocket and couldn't help but feel a headache.

Chapter 67 You Hurt Me a Little

The unknown, Cesar thought, was the most troublesome factor.

......

At the tent on the hilltop, Musali heard Monuk's voice. "The shaman said the main force will arrive soon," he said, "but they didn't catch Askrid. He escaped."

Musali squinted his eyes, lowered his head, and held back his flowing hair with his hand, feeling the strong wind from the mountaintop. It was already winter, and the heavy snow would soon arrive. Since the main force would arrive soon, they should start building fortifications closer to the city walls.

He knew that the siege would not last long, even with Noien's artillery.

The known information is that the gunners there are useless people who just want to get by on a meager salary. They are better at scheming and cheating than operating artillery. Otherwise, they would not come to Noien to guard the city defense artillery that will not be used for decades.

The city walls themselves were older, shorter, and lacked bastions. Even without considering the inherent fragility of the walls, the defensive artillery would have numerous blind spots. As long as they could advance through trenches, bunkers, and makeshift forts to the city walls, they could easily set up climbing equipment. The moat diverted from the Joshua River was a problem, but they had already made preparations to drain the water.

These measures were, on paper, siege tactics, but overall, they were merely feints and covert operations. The tribes could not afford the casualties of attacking the city solely through these means, nor could they afford a prolonged confrontation lasting a month. Therefore, they needed something beyond the mundane to disrupt the situation and secure a decisive victory.

The Domini royal family's promised spies have been lurking for a long time, ready to collaborate with the sword dancers dispatched by the various tribes to raid the towers and city gates, launching a decapitation attack from within. The shamans have also used numerous sacrifices and rituals to build sufficient strength for the evil creature lurking underground. As long as they can occupy the entire outer city area and build fortifications to besiege the inner city, subsequent negotiations can proceed in an orderly manner.

However, the guy who went out of town to investigate...

"We got all the information about Askrid's movements from the spies, but we couldn't catch him?" asked Musari.

"We chased Askrid all the way, driving him north along the Sanctuary Abyss, killing all the soldiers who followed him, but he still escaped," said Monuk.

"Didn't they disperse and round up him?"

"The Frankish soldiers who followed Askrid were all dead, leaving him alone. However, several search parties were subsequently attacked at night, with no survivors. The bodies were horrific, their faces etched with agony, suggesting he had suffered extreme torture before his death. The shaman believed Askrid carried an ominous omen and that pursuing him to the end was not advisable."

"Is Ouldan to the north of the Sanctuary Abyss..." Musali said thoughtfully, "At least Askrid won't be able to return to Noien anytime soon. Without the army's commander-in-chief, our advantage can be further expanded."

"So what now?"

He waved his hand, "Don't worry about Askrid, and start building fortifications under the city of Noien. Also, remember to prepare an extra assault team to deal with our new city defense commander, and take action when the siege is at its most stalemate. The recent operations against Cesar have not been successful. I don't care, but Domini's people are very impatient.

annoyed. "

"What about those rumors about him?"

“It won’t affect the overall situation.”

......

As the threat from outside the secular world suddenly intensified, Cesar became more and more concerned about the battlefield intelligence given by the wounded soldiers.

He had hoped to minimize the amount of folklore in the intelligence, but now, he wanted to hear more seemingly absurd stories. He had already heard many stories about the mysterious disappearance of military mages, so today, Cesar wanted the monk to tell him about the soldiers who were ambushed while crossing the river.

Compared to the previous days, the temple accommodated fewer disabled soldiers, but the number of other patients had increased. The temple was no longer as noisy, with only dimly lit braziers and a drowsy smell everywhere.

Sister Kallen, still dressed in her dark blue robes, walked the hallways dispensing medicine and changing bandages. Although she was caring for the sick, Cesar felt she was indescribably frail, looking more like a patient. The shadow of her eyelashes cast a dull shadow over her pale cheeks, and her eyes were lifeless. Her silver hair curled into small, curled circles, cascading from her thin neck to her chest and back. The skin on the back of her hands was like transparent petals, and even from a distance, her blue veins were visible.

After distributing the medicine, the monk finally looked at him. Her eyelids twitched, but without any emotion, she simply said, "The soldiers' story has spread everywhere, and I don't need to tell you."

"You have to find something different to do," Cesar said.

"Don't you have anything else to do?"

"You seem to have a lot of opinions about me."

"I already know you have no faith, Master Cesar," Kallen said calmly. "What you said the other day was simply relying on your knowledge to deny a monk like me who has never read the classics of theology. I'm illiterate and rarely leave the house, so I don't have the ability to refute you. Therefore, I won't answer your ill-intentioned questions. If you need anything, please seek out other Knights Templar who have cared for the sick."

Cesar changed his tone. "When people tell other people's stories, they always bring their own opinions and attitudes, but when I hear you tell it, it feels like I'm hearing it from their own mouths," he said.

"If one explanation doesn't work, you switch to another? Your words change faster than the pages of a book."

Seeing she wouldn't budge, Cesar had no choice but to change his story. "It's too much trouble to find another credible narrator," he said. "Besides, I was telling the truth, but in this context it sounds like flattery."

Kallen nodded slightly, looking him straight in the eye. "It's not hard to exchange stories with you, but when I talk to you outside of this, I have two voices in my heart. One tells me to tolerate you, to live in harmony with you, to forgive you instead of rejecting you. The other tells me to forgive my enemies, but not the enemies of our teachings. I can't tolerate you. Even though my knowledge and power are inferior to yours, I can still curse you."

"I promise I won't make any more judgments about your personal beliefs."

"You don't seem to fully understand, Master Cesar," she said softly. "I don't want to exchange stories with you, and not just because you deny my personal beliefs."

"Yes, I do, Brother Kallen, and I will also ensure that I do not use knowledge as a tool to gain an advantage in conversation."

"Rather than calling it a tool, it's more like hiding a knife in your sleeve. You're pretending to shake hands with a smile, but you're actually looking for an opportunity to stab someone," Karen commented.

“You kind of stabbed me,” Cesar said.

"I can see you're upset. Can't you accept someone speaking so bluntly? You have power and influence, so you don't have to resort to hurtful rhetoric."

"People have some habits that are difficult to correct. I can only pay as much attention as possible." Cesar said embarrassedly.

Kallen turned aside, collecting bottles and jars of medication near the cabinet. "I'm not against you or asking you to change. I just don't want someone to pretend to be communicating when they're clearly exercising authority. Most people have an instinct to exercise authority, and in your case, this instinct is expressed through words. It seems more sophisticated than simply using power and force, but it's still exercising authority. So if you still want to exercise authority in conversation, don't pretend to exchange stories with me."

Cesar couldn't help but have some associations, so he asked, "Rejecting power is your attitude towards power?"

"I've never been in contact with, nor have I ever possessed, power. I don't know how to deal with it. However, after talking with you these past few days, I believe that you desire the power to dominate others, but you're being subtle and don't want to display it in a way that's obvious to others. You should be very clear about this yourself."

"I suppose so," he said.

"And I think those who are too obvious are less dangerous than those who are more subtle like you." Kallen glanced at him as she packed up her medicine. "You think the authority you possess must be more special than those who enjoy worldly force and power."

Hearing this, Cesar felt unusually pleased, perhaps because he believed she was right. He might have been a little mad lately, and he knew where it came from: the insecurity and panic that had accumulated since he accepted the Tao. This self-proclaimed authority and subtle psychological changes might have emerged to overcome these.

In any case, at this moment, he felt that this monk was really magical.

Although she was illiterate and had never traveled far, she was able to possess such insight, digging through his skin and seeing his very bones. These words coincided with the opinions of the beastmen who had appeared in the Crimson Realm a few days ago, perhaps explaining not only him, but also Sean and Garcia.

It illustrates the authority that many people who believe they don't care about worldly power believe they hold.

Brother Kallen couldn't see the thoughts that were going through his mind, but he frowned slightly. "So, what do you want to ask tonight?"

“The stories of the Sassulei people who had runes carved all over their bodies,” Cesar said.

.......

When Cesar woke up from the Scarlet Realm again, he felt a little dazed, as if his hands were some kind of abnormal gathering, as if they could open like a flower. He struggled to hold back and sat up, supporting himself with the pillow.

“If you want to try it,” Fils said, “you can also follow your cravings.”

"Why not?" Gou Zi also responded.

Phils looked at his hands, showing neither panic nor surprise. It seemed they both knew that things were destined to move forward, step by step. Gouzi was no exception. Although the two of them were clearly distinct from each other, Cesar had a feeling that they represented the same attitude. This wasn't obvious when they were alone, but when Ceshia's attitude was added to the mix, it became clear.

If we take into account the temple monk who has many opinions about him, the matter becomes even more obvious.

"Do you remember the story I just told you about the temple, Fei?" he asked.

"Power?"

"It's power."

Firth muttered and shook her head. "I don't quite understand it, but I don't think the power over others is worth worrying about. I just want the power over myself."

Chapter 68: The First Born

Cesar thought again of the conversation that night. "Is this why you escaped from the castle?" he asked.

"Yes, and another reason is freedom. But now I think it would be better to say it's the power to dominate oneself. The word freedom sounds too nice, and I'm not that... "

As she spoke, Fils shuddered and leaned against the headboard, falling silent. But Cesar could still tell that when she traded her freedom for the power to control herself, she was signaling her willingness to commit cruel acts. She didn't love others, nor did she care about their freedom. If he hadn't discussed this so often, she wouldn't have realized it, much less cared.

"What about loving yourself?" Cesar asked her.

She twirled the strands of hair that fell to the tip of her nose. "I wish I could love myself and others, but most of the time it's the other way around. I hate myself and I hate others."

"You're not passive when you take action."

"I'm just trying to overcome it," Firth said. "First, I have to overcome my aversion to death. Otherwise, I'll be afraid to do anything and trapped in a castle of fear, unable to leave. Then I have to overcome my aversion to living, because living is more terrifying than death. If I can't overcome that, death is the best solution."

She whispered, turning toward the window and hugging her knees. Outside, the night sky was as black as a deep pool, a crescent moon slowly drifting in it, suddenly appearing for a moment. A few gloomy beams of light streamed into the room, casting a pale, translucent hue on her cheeks, her lips quivering with a faint bluish hue, like a ghostly figure in the depths of a dark alley. The sky was overcast tonight, and he looked elsewhere, but saw no other moonlight.

Could the gloomy moonlight in front of her appear because she was looking out the window?

Everything in the world he lived in in his previous life was in order, and such things were naturally imaginary, but now he was in a strange world where the structure and order of reality became sparse and fragile.

As his soul wandered the Crimson Realm, Cesar witnessed those crazy and bizarre scenes. It felt like peeling off a layer of skin and seeing a more real world - everything is disordered and changes randomly. Those scenes seemed evil and seemed to blaspheme people's souls and wills, but in fact, they revealed the hidden truth.

A longing stirred within him, and his soul sighed. The sound was inaudible to humans, yet the Faceless Ones were disturbed. They slinked closer like snakes, their pupils fixed on him. Mist gradually rose from the shadows at his feet, a dark crimson like snow drifting in the sky under a blood moon. Forked shadows swayed across the room, stretching to the floor, walls, and ceiling, becoming narrow and sharp, like thorns tied to the room with countless threads.

The Faceless One's body split apart, blossoming like a flower. The shadow chasing him grew taller, so fast it seemed like the blink of an eye. Her figure gradually tapered until it became a canine-like creature crawling on all fours, its head split open and blood-red, its back covered in dancing limbs.

The dog's gesture was like a long drought, a gentle rain, slithering around him like a snake. Unprecedented joy emanated from her heart, permeating him like a wave of longing, calling on him to open his heart to change. They both seemed trapped in the same matrix, cut off from everything outside, from everything past and future.

Cesar gradually realized that the transformation was indeed unstoppable. All he could do was either control the direction of the transformation himself or let his soul be distorted. Otherwise, he could only strangle himself and let his body and soul rot together to stop it all.

Now all this was a strange vision that came out of his contemplation of the two faces of the world. As long as he considered it in his mind and accepted it to a certain extent, it would seep into his heart bit by bit and change his existence.

Even if he only accepted a little bit.

Cesar felt

The world was melting, the dark night sky slowly surging and wriggling, engulfed in a viscous darkness that gradually sank, as if to drown everything. He didn't know how to describe this scene; he could only see a vast chaos surging down, flooding the window. Countless cracks, large and small, seemed to appear in the walls that should have been solid, unable to stop them in the slightest.

The chaotic darkness seeped into the room from the cracks, flooding his feet and slowly flowing up his legs. If he hadn't prepared himself for so long, he would have gone crazy on the spot.

Everything he perceived melted away, leaving only the dog standing between his perception and reality, like a swirling mist around him. Through this mist, he seemed to be able to see something, but he could see nothing clearly.