Shadow of the Evil God

The dog's saliva mixed with his secretions flowed out from her lips in streams, and each strand was licked clean by her snake-like tongue, further soaking her hot mouth.

His breath was hot and the muscles in his arms were tense. He wanted to find something to hold on to but couldn't find it, so he grasped her swollen breasts and held on tightly.

Although he was looking at a flawless fruit, Cesar had little energy to distract himself. He tensed his arm muscles, his fingers gradually tightening as he watched her neck swell and contract, feeling his own snake crawling back and forth within the entanglement of her little snake, and finally, with a strong sense of intoxication, he crawled all the way to the deepest part of the snake cave.

This should have been a brief ending, but in her mouth it felt far too long. He felt her throat tighten, and the snake's body tightened as well, squeezing him simultaneously, from its tail to its head, first in waves, then just as it showed signs of fatigue, another wave, instantly sending it into a frenzy of excitement again. This feeling lasted for over half a minute, its excitement refusing to subside, like a lacerated wound bleeding.

Cesar saw her twisting her body, her round buttocks and slender waist turning over, her long golden-red hair cascading from her shoulders, making her look like a seductive water snake. She reached out, one hand gently patting his buttocks, and with the other hand, her index finger pressing on his abdomen, as if to guide the flow of blood, further exacerbating its bleeding and surge.

He felt dizzy, and it seemed to him that even the bleeding after a leg was severed couldn't be this severe. She raised her smooth, crystal-clear, blurry face and looked him in the eyes. Then, not only did he feel dizzy, but a sense of intoxication welled up in his chest, as if he were immersed in a wine vat from head to toe and about to drown.

After a long time, Cesar finally breathed a sigh of relief, covered his forehead and sat back on the bed. Gouzi sat on his knees, first asked him for a long kiss, then moved closer to him, hugged his neck and rubbed his cheek. "You really smell better than before.

Even better," she said in his ear with her still childish voice, "you can definitely hold me longer in the future, right?"

"How long is longer?"

"One day?" The dog raised his index finger first, as if

She felt it was too little, and then raised all her fingers, "Many days?" After Cesar thought her words were bizarre enough, she simply gave up pointing with her fingers, "Or so long that time has no meaning? That's best." Her face was radiant and she looked like a child.

She was half-dressed, leaning on his shoulder, humming in his ear and caressing his chest with her white fingers. Cesar lifted the sheet behind them to cover them both. In the warmth of the fireplace, he felt the warmth of the person's skin in his arms, and the breath from her lips made his ears soft and his body numb, as if he was half-anesthetized, either intoxicated by her soft voice or exhausted by her behavior.

He hugged her tighter and took a deep breath into her shoulder.

He felt that if he had just woken up in this situation at the altar, he might have forgotten all the hunger and confusion, all the darkness and terror, and would have just collapsed under her support for a day, many days, or even so long that time would no longer have any meaning. The long intoxication would continue until he turned into a pile of bones, and then everything would be completely meaningless.

This kind of love and intoxication that completely suppresses reason is not something humans can endure.

Cesar forced himself to focus. "So, what changes do you feel?"

"I don't quite understand." Her eyes were confused. "Everyone I eat doesn't understand either, but isn't it all right if we just immerse ourselves in endless intoxication and dizziness together? This is where we're headed."

"I mean..." Cesar recalled their experience in the wilderness. "In the Kuna people's creation myth, a real dragon fell to the earth and transformed this desolate world into mountains, land, oceans, and clouds. Even though what just happened was just a tiny breath, did you feel any difference? You said there was a strange smell."

"Perhaps I can't save the phantom of nothingness?" Gouzi said to him, "I was born for this purpose, but what she needs are the homeless souls scattered in the wilderness."

"You understand very quickly."

"I'm already very familiar with your roundabout way of speaking."

"Well," Cesar said, "what do you know about the wasteland? We still have some time before the morning meeting at the Duke's Palace."

"The wilderness...it's a place that can fascinate people."

Cesar stroked her half-exposed shoulder. Upon hearing this, he couldn't help but look at her sideways. "I don't think you'd be mesmerized... Whose memory is this?"

"It's the one who gave birth to me," the Faceless One said. She raised her eyes, leaned close to his cheek, and touched his lips. "I can make myself more like her, completely become her, or even be her, and let her speak to you. — Will you use her to satisfy your desires, Master?" she asked, her voice as soft as a breeze, delicately brushing against skin, threatening to seep into one's heart. Her bright red eyes, like a pool of blood, reflected his shadow, drawing the gazer deeper into them.

Cesar remembered their meeting at the Gonzales Governorate, and that they were the noble scholars of the Casal Empire.

He shook his head.

"No, forget it. Let the dead rest in peace. You continue your story."

"Hmm... okay." The dog suddenly became harmless again. "As creatures spend more and more time in the wilderness, their thinking will change. Perhaps they are adapting to the wilderness environment, or perhaps the wilderness is influencing their consciousness. Unenlightened beasts will be enlightened, and they will develop desires beyond hunting. Rural farmers will also be corrupted, and become wizards with ever-changing desires and pursuits. Often, it's not that they are originally that way, but that the wilderness has changed them."

"Where's the mage?"

"School mages all possess soul protection. However, the number of creatures who stray into the wasteland in their dreams is actually much greater than the number of school mages. A popular theory in the Empire these days is that creatures are drawn to the wasteland, like a baby returning to its mother's womb. The chaos and disorder of the wasteland is the original origin of the world, and order and reality only emerged later."

"But some people who take the initiative to learn can only learn a few small tricks," said Cesar.

"People say that as the world's order becomes increasingly stable, more and more creatures are losing their inextricable connection with the wasteland. However, there are always some creatures who cannot lose their ancient perception. Suddenly, they have a dream at night and step into the boundless wasteland, their consciousness and desires becoming increasingly distorted... Beastmen are more aware of the wasteland's existence than other creatures, or at least have a vague sense of it."

Chapter 167 What friendship can there be between me and you?

"What if someone wants to find another person in the wilderness?" Cesar asked her.

"That's hard to say. It depends on how well the pursuer knows the wasteland itself and what means they have. The wasteland environment is very strange. If a person walks a few steps and then turns around, the place he saw before may no longer exist. Some people think that they can find a safe place and live in peace, but that place may suddenly move and carry them around like a lonely boat on the sea. He himself does not realize it, but when he falls asleep again, he is already deeply trapped in a life-or-death zone without knowing it.

I know.

"It seems I won't be able to sleep well."

Gouzi's fingers touched his shoulder lightly. "But you can replace the intoxication of the dream with the intoxication of waking up." She said, "Would you like to hug me again in the quilt?"

"Can,"

Cesar brushed the hair away from her ears and bent down to kiss her. "But let's do it in a normal way."

......

The conference room in the Duke's Palace had a cool palette, yet it was far more luxurious than the seemingly glittering Governor's Palace in Gonzales. The fireplace featured an intricate mosaic, creating a vivid mountain vista. The ceiling was carved by a renowned sculptor and covered in silver ornamentation, while the walls were wallpapered with gilded leather. The conference table and benches were made of fine ebony. On the long table lay several angular glass inkwells, several sheets of white paper for recording meetings, and an open book. Diana was perched in a chair at the conference table, intently reading the book.

Cesar initially thought it was a classic history book, but when she looked closer, she saw the title "The Events of Anglan" on the cover. The content she was reading described various anecdotes that had recently reached the capital of Olidan, including the military and political changes in Gonzales.

He thought of the newspaper. "How often does a new edition of this book come out?" Cesare asked a crucial question. Urbino had sent servants to greet the guests, so the conference room was still empty, with no one else in sight.

"Weekly batches, printed regularly," Diana said, slowly turning the page. Her answer confirmed Cesar's suspicions. "This week's issue hasn't been published yet, but I got it first," she added.

"Uh, why did you get it first?"

"The printer works for my father." She continued to flip through the book without looking up. "He stumbled upon this while meeting his lover in Anglan. He thought the book was so interesting that he bought both the printer and his shop. Initially, it was just gossip, but my father used him as a backer. Using his name, he included all sorts of military and political news that other printers wouldn't dare to include."

The Duke of Urbino is a truly remarkable man, Cesare thought.

"I was wondering why the Gonzalez story spread so quickly."

Diana raised her eyes from the page. "You're going to bring charges against the printer?"

"I'd rather find you and ask you to punish me."

She frowned at Cesar, understanding his meaning without him needing to elaborate. "Even little Ferrieres is my ancestor," Diana sighed. "You can't... never mind. At least you can't have excessive sexual intercourse with her in my house. I admit this is related to your Dao curse, but your behavior led me to observe her last time, during an early morning intercourse that lasted over an hour. This was accompanied by sleep deprivation, dizziness, tachycardia, rapid breathing, and other mental disturbances. In short, you've severely disrupted her ability to read the ciphertext. Because this is my home, I get to decide who lives where, but she can't live with you."

It's okay for this person to meddle in other things, but why does he even want to interfere in other people's sex lives?

"Your speech is too academic," Cesar complained.

"If you can't come up with a rebuttal, you don't have to say anything, Cesar."

"At least her lack of sleep has nothing to do with me," he pointed out.

"Just realize you can't refute my other questions."

Cesar heard footsteps echoing down the hallway, and he drummed his fingers on the table, ending his questioning. "Grand Duke Urbino has been very busy these past few days, so I haven't had a chance to speak with him privately," he said. "Speaking of this meeting, what attitude do you intend to demonstrate?"

"My father wouldn't go to the battlefield unless there was a major defeat," Diana said.

"If a major defeat really occurs, I don't think the Grand Duke will be able to turn the tide."

"No one could have predicted what would happen next," she said. "What's important is that Count Villars has vowed with great confidence to quell the rebellion. The entire kingdom's knightly order and its most elite border guards will serve him. Add to that the generous support offered by the Kingdom of Dominion, and my father has no reason to go to war at all."

"But he is still in charge of the distribution of the kingdom's military supplies," Cesar said.

"You'll need to take a large portion of the supplies from him," Diana said thoughtfully. "Even if your promise is true, there's still a long way to go before you can truly provide logistics and military supplies on your own. Before that, you'll need to discuss the distribution of supplies with others."

"That's what I wanted to ask you."

"Ask my father if he will support you more? Is that even a question?"

"Political decision-making and personal friendship are two different things."

"Are you serious? That's..."

Cesar motioned her to stop. "His friendship with Everard IV couldn't be called an ordinary personal one," he pointed out. "Besides, juniors who've only met briefly shouldn't be confused with close friends and classmates. You can't impose your friendship on your father. The Grand Duke of Urbino and the heir to the Yestren School are two different people, not even from the same world. And I heard that Count Villars was also his former classmate. Is that true?"

"What kind of relationship can there be between me and you..." Diana paused and closed the book with a snap. "Tsk, you're right. My father and you really don't have much friendship. It's very likely that

He's just a young man with some achievements. Try your best to get as much as you can. I'll also help you at the meeting. For the rest, you might have to go back to the Chamber of Commerce I know about with Iris.

"Actually, I want to go to Itris too," said Cesar.

"You're going with the army."

"Phils wants to go too."

"I can just take her with me, but you can't go. Anyway, I'm her observer now."

"Tsk."

Diana frowned. "Hasn't this word been popping up too often lately? Anyway, Cesar, you should focus on your own path first. I don't want the Grand Master of some school to notice you. Even the temple adheres to its rules and is wary of worldly influences, but the mages of Istria won't care about that in their own territory. If you vanished in the middle of the night and turned up in the dungeon of some unknown school, I wouldn't be able to get you out."

At that moment, the door opened, and a solemn-looking old gentleman entered the meeting room first, clearly accustomed to taking the initiative. He was dressed in a solemn black military uniform, his brow furrowed, his lips tightly pursed. Behind him were not the servants common among nobles, but a long line of young officers, as if he were not here to visit old friends, but to hold a battlefield meeting.

When he saw Diana, the man who was suspected to be Count Villars relaxed his brows, "It's been many years, niece Diana." He said, "You look more energetic than when you were a child. I remember many years ago, when you were still young, I solemnly promised you the idea of ​​funding and supporting the Kingdom Knights in your father's garden. Do you still remember it?" He paused for a moment and said, "Although I heard that you have been in close contact with a group of refugees recently, I think the seat in the Kingdom Knights will always be open for you." The old guy was so insidious in his words.

"Uncle Villar, my joining the Kingdom Knights is just icing on the cake." Diana said politely, "It's not like helping someone in need."

Cesar couldn't really say if she was just providing timely help. After all, the initial charcoal was provided by Urbino himself, and the subsequent charcoal was fully funded by Artinia. As for Diana's popularity, he couldn't have imagined it. If her best friend Artinia hadn't recognized him as a teacher and abducted him, there was no telling where he would have ended up.

Chapter 168: The old guy lets his dog bite people

"This man must be Urbino's most valued courtier," Count Villars said, turning to Cesare. "Nice to meet you. The young Borgias' nighttime raid on the Governor's Palace is indeed very much like General Garcia. But I would have liked to see a more regular army, rather than a band of refugees driven by necessity."

Cesar stood up and saluted him according to standard etiquette. "I would rather donate the money that Governor Vermeer has to Your Majesty than use it for private cavalry recruitment," he said.

These words immediately drew the attention of a young officer behind Count Villars, whose expression and gaze betrayed a strange sense of hostility. The young man even snorted before adding, "The executioner's methods might not be excessive in the north, but this is Olidan. If you act like your cousin, you'll inevitably lose everyone's support."

When Count Villars took his seat, Cesar also sat back down, without any intention of greeting anyone else. "I am more concerned about your Majesty's difficulties," he said leisurely.

The young officer remained standing. "That's a good point. But I'm afraid you have more strategy than courage. The philosopher said words are sharper than swords, but I learned one thing in the north: strategy can never replace a sword."

Hearing this, Cesar glanced sideways at Diana, who was casually flipping through the newspaper. He knew without hesitation that the mercenary army he had assembled would, at best, be dismissed, not evoked such intense hostility. As for the source of this hostility, considering the uncle-nephew relationship between Count Villars and the eldest daughter of the Duke, and the striking resemblance between the young officer and Villars, the reason was self-evident. It was like a peacock spreading its feathers to attract a mate.

It's bad enough that the old man speaks maliciously, but he also lets his dog bite people. He is really immoral.

"Who is this?" Cesar asked.

The other man raised his chin, trying to appear graceful, but there was a hint of arrogance in his voice. Count Villars spoke at the right moment, clearly aiming to take sides: "My child, Guilder, has fought with me for so long, and he's inevitably got a bit of youthful energy in him."

After receiving his father's praise, the guy was in high spirits and looked tall and majestic.

"Indeed," César said calmly, "compared to the young men who are supposed to be hot-blooded, the prudent General Villars has remained calm in all situations. Compared to your prudence, my conspiracy to surprise the Governor's Palace at night is simply shameful." He glanced into the room. "I wonder what results your prudence has achieved?"

Count Villars's eyebrows twitched.

"I noticed your uniform is missing many medals of honor," Cesar continued, his expression becoming more exaggerated. "Perhaps due to military budget constraints, they haven't had time to cast them yet? Don't worry, the money I found in the Governor's Palace at Vermeer can produce enough medals to decorate an entire ship. If you feel your uniform isn't patched enough, you can also plaster the officers behind you with medals. Don't worry about the quality; they'll be more than enough to serve as armor."

A burst of suppressed laughter rang out from all over the conference room, even including the other visitors who were walking towards the conference room. Gilder glared at him angrily: "Guarding the border does not require honor and glory.

chapter."

Cesar tilted his head and glanced at the young officer. "Boys who haven't grown up yet like to talk about war and play the role of brave knights and boast about swords and roses." He said, "But, in real combat,

"Before you express your opinion, you should first look at your own gnashing teeth and consider whether you want to share His Majesty's worries or to challenge others to a duel at the meeting."

“What qualifications do you have…?”

Diana coughed and lowered her hand. Cesar realized she had been covering her mouth with her hand. Although her eyes and expression remained calm, as if she were simply lost in thought over the newspaper, her facial muscles showed that she had barely managed to maintain her expression, and had only covered her mouth to prevent herself from bursting into laughter.

This guy cares a lot about appearances, but he's not very good at maintaining them.

"The current situation," she said, "is that since Governor Vermeer's rebellious identity was discovered, Cesar has not asked Your Majesty for any supplies. Not only that, he has also provided a large amount of military aid to compensate for the kingdom's losses. Your Majesty has appointed him as the new Governor of Gonzales and expects him to govern the entire Gonzales territory and handle relations along the border between Gonzales and Dominica. The rebels originally planned to attack from three directions, encircling and severing Anglan's supply routes, but after this battle, they have lost Gonzales territory, putting them on the defensive."

Gilder continued to shake his head in anger, but Villar just smiled. "If he only needed to defend Gonzales' territory, why would he visit Urbino and station so many caravans in the outskirts of Anglan? He wants a lot, doesn't he, my dear niece?"

"Because I was worried about the war itself," Cesar took over. "I could have stayed in the barracks and argued endlessly with Vermeer, reporting some random information to Grand Duke Urbino, and declared the matter over. But I didn't. I rose early and worked late every day, hoping to thoroughly investigate the suspicious aspects of this whole matter. For months, I set ambushes and interrogated prisoners. Once I got the intelligence, I marched through most of Gonzales, attacking the rebels' smuggling routes at night, not letting any trivial matters interfere. After clearing up their misunderstanding at Domini's camp, I quickly returned to the fortress to drive out the traitors and achieve victory in one fell swoop. Can you guess why? Because I was truly desperate to get on the road, instead of defending the fortress and considering this as my only achievement."

"What do you mean?" Gilder asked loudly, his face even uglier than the other officers.

"What do I mean?" Cesar spread his hands. "I'm describing how I won, expressing the strategy I hope to continue. What can I mean? I certainly won't rely on Gonzales being easy to defend and defend to the death, nor will I consider it my honor to delay the enemy's attack."

Cesar leaned forward slightly, resting his elbows on the table, and glanced sideways at Gilder. "Given your youth, I should tell you clearly, Gilder, that holding onto a hard-to-defend area is a waste of time. After all, if you just sit there like a coward, no one will attack you. I don't want to do that. I will dispatch my troops, seek out the rebels' weak points, and attack them proactively. Even if they want to counterattack, they won't attack Anglan to threaten His Majesty, but will attack Gonzales to deal with me first."

Anyone with a discerning eye could see his sarcasm. But honestly, hiding one's strength and biding one's time is often bullshit. Being a coward and staying in a remote area is also pointless. No one will attack him, but no one will care about him either. Once he's taken care of other areas, his seemingly solid shell won't need to be breached; the inside will rot from lack of support.

Even old Thane had to ask Ollandan for help.

The excited young knight could no longer suppress his desire to duel. "There's no comparison between these two things. You're insulting our brave warriors who died in the north!"

It seemed that Villar was determined to unleash his own evil on one of his sons. Old-school nobles like Olidan and the Domini Kingdom had their own unique ways of pampering their children.

"I don't think your opinion is worth referring to," Cesar said sharply.

"what?"

He could see that the man's pride was severely wounded, and he was furious. He had long been unable to contain his anger, and he didn't want to draw his sword just yet, only because of the location. However, he had plenty of ways to make him forget where he was.

"No matter what," Cesar said, "the soldiers who died fighting for the North were all General Villar's soldiers. You speak in their name. Do you think you are the general, or do you think you are actually the soldier who died fighting for the North?"

Gilder's face flushed and then turned pale. "If you still have any courage left, take up your sword and wash away the insult with your blood."

"If you ever realized that some people have nothing else to say and can only talk about courage, you wouldn't talk to me like this." Cesar glanced at Diana and began to choose his words, dragging her into the dirty puddle for the responsibility she should bear.

The eldest daughter of the Duke's family didn't react at first. It was only when she realized his gaze that she realized something was wrong, but it was too late.

"I guess when you were little, you also thought you could win love with sword and courage," Cesar said, staring at Gilder. Halfway through, he turned his gaze back to Diana, who covered her forehead and began to sigh. "More than ten years have passed, and you have returned wearing exquisite knight armor and full of courage. So, what do you imagine the love of your life to be?"