Four-Armed Divine Emperor

If the investigation had not been launched, there would have been no place in the hall or in the secret room where Artasis could sleep peacefully. Afterwards, the emperor did regret that he should not have attacked and expanded the case rashly. However, the clear evidence and ironclad cases made him feel fortunate that he had arrested these people in advance. Otherwise, it was possible that one day he would close his eyes and never open them again.

But the result was that, although it seemed that every step the emperor took was in his best interest, the entire situation was plummeting rapidly into the abyss.

until now.

Artasis was horrified to discover:

I am almost becoming a "Satrap" who can only command one province!

This province is naturally Iskhanfa, the best place.

A large number of local officials and dignitaries, apart from still submitting to the central government on the surface, everyone knows that this is only temporary.

In fact, they no longer obeyed orders, even those from the emperor himself, that would harm or threaten them.

For example, if the Ishaanfa ordered the bureaucrats in a certain place near the northern rebel front to form an army to resist the rebels, they would most likely expand the army legally and rationally to strengthen their own power. Then, as long as the rebels were not looking for trouble, they would turn a blind eye even if they passed by under their noses. But if the rebels targeted them...

Then they could also declare their rebellion without hesitation and join the rebel forces.

Even the court mages serving the emperor had become demoralized in this critical moment. Many of them quietly left their reasons for resignation to the court, while others simply announced that they had to do XXX because of XXX and simply packed up and ran away. Two of the advisors who were revered as "Dharma Kings" also ran away. However, the Dharma King himself, an eight-ringed Shaper system legendary mage with the power to destroy a city by himself, still guarded the palace like a stabilizing force.

But even the Dharma King had revealed it privately to Shafasha:

The situation was critical, and the emperor had long considered a way out;

I have a seat in Garden City, which can ensure that I and my family will have a worry-free future.

Advise him to be prepared to give up power, the throne, and his family's rule in Alan.

Chapter 140: Cannot Retreat

There is nothing more difficult than getting a person in power to give up power, whether voluntarily or forced, especially in a civilization like the Zoroastrians, which has a tradition of brutal internal strife. There has never been a saying that "one step back will open up a new world" and "forgive others when you can" does not exist.

Like the rebellious provinces in the north,

Chapter 280

The unspoken rule of "exile ground" for the losers in the power struggle within the Lan Empire to recuperate and form half a shelter is also because the earliest loser groups united together and successfully resisted the eradication of their enemies. Coupled with the common trait of "the death of a rabbit makes the fox mourn", it gradually formed an imperceptible "tradition".

If the first group of knowledgeable and capable losers had not united, then such a "refuge" would obviously not exist.

Most of the historical stories, biographical legends and other influential stories in Zoroastrian culture have a distinct "vendetta" tone.

For example, in the most widely circulated "Prince's Revenge", which is well-known among Zoroastrians and widely circulated on the continent of Tartarus, the protagonists are a pair of siblings who were the only ones killed by a rival family. Then, they completed their revenge in a series of wonderful struggles, and finally married their sister, successfully revived the family's glory and bloodline.

After the protagonist has accumulated strength, the series of revenge actions he launches against his enemies is the climax of the whole story. The process of the struggle is considered to be a very realistic description of the internal conflicts among Zoroastrians.

The feuds between families and power groups can even last for hundreds of years or nearly ten generations. It means that one cannot live a life of comfort and enjoyment. If you find an opponent and fight with him for fun, can you still produce elite offspring by the survival of the fittest?

.......

The reason for mentioning this is that if the emperor himself, or the royal family, loses the unparalleled cloak of "imperial power", then they themselves are just a family with a heritage that is not even at the top level. It was only because of "chance" and the right time that they "luckily" won the civil strife two hundred years ago and seized the throne.

Chapter 127: Ardabil (60)

In essence, it is just a Zoroastrian family that "holds imperial power."

Of course there will be enemies.

In the Western stereotype, an "orthodox" Zoroastrian noble must be:

Arrogant, cruel, cunning and greedy, he is either surrounded by a large group of voluptuous naked slaves, or whispering with the sneaky eunuch chief, discussing various conspiracies;

He worries about his family's numerous enemies (who haven't been eliminated yet); he's also proud that his family has stood tall despite so many blood feuds; and he spends his time, even when he's enjoying himself, plotting various schemes against his enemies...

Although this is a stereotypical and negative impression, it does reveal some of the underlying color of Zoroastrian civilization.

In order to clean up the government and root out what he considered to be a "conspiracy group", Artasis IX conducted a large-scale search in Iskhanfa. However, under the influence of some "invisible hands", the situation became more serious. In the eyes of those forces suppressed by Shafasha, this was a cruel measure adopted by the emperor in order to monopolize power and dominate the country alone - it was almost stupid.

Which of the famous families that can take root in the imperial capital of Iskandha is easy to deal with? All of them have influence throughout the court and the country. They have disciples and old officials in the local areas, and have branch bases. In other words, the ones in Iskandha are the branch bases, and the tigers in the local provinces are the main families.

Artasis's mess caused chaos in the world, and everything that happened afterwards was natural. It was not anyone's fault, only his desire to seize power. His reasons were good, but his methods were too stupid.

Those whose roots were not clean were dug out. Originally, they did not expect that the emperor would kill them (of course, the emperor did not think about it either). Such things can be discussed. What can't be discussed? It's nothing more than an exchange of interests and a secret deal. But the result is that they are nervously receiving the emperor's guards, while the slave soldiers who are only loyal to the emperor himself start to attack directly. What else can be said? Once or twice, perhaps we can investigate whether someone is secretly making trouble and causing conflicts between the emperor and the court officials. But after so many times, it can't be that all the slave guards of you, Artasis, who are guarding the Forbidden Palace and have a clean background (only accepting royal slaves) have been bribed and used, right?

Do you think we are fools?

Even if the power of the court prevails in the imperial capital, even if it can encompass all the hostile forces in Beijing, so what? Even a cunning rabbit has three burrows, let alone the Zoroastrians who have been tempered and fought in a culture of fighting.

The greater the "victory" Artasis achieved in the imperial capital, the more hostility he encountered in other places. During the great purge, at least one-third of the family forces in the entire Iskhanfa that were worthy of being called "noble" were purged. It was an unprecedented shock and bloody purge.

By the middle of the period, even Artasis realized that the development of things had far exceeded his expectations, but the bitter fruit had already been reaped and he could not turn back time. He could only slam on the brakes. However, the rebellious act of "actively" attacking the Imperial Guards could not be left unpunished. If the Imperial Guards, who represented and protected the authority of the court, were besieged by others in the capital of the empire, and the emperor did not punish them, the consequences would be something Artasis could not bear.

In the end, the emperor seemed to have the upper hand at the cost of directly killing at least 40,000 people in Iskhanfa, and the number in local areas was difficult to count. There were also several times that number of people who were exiled, tortured, and imprisoned. However, he actually forced the court to a point where everyone was "humble" and looked down with cold eyes.

The emperor could retreat, but he would also have to pay a price:

At the cost of being nailed to the pillar of shame in the history of the empire, the family, and the individual, in exchange for the peace of one person and one family.

The protection of the Great Dharma King’s escape route was limited to the direct royal family, that is, the blood relatives of Shafasha, and a few close relatives in the royal family.

Chapter 281

But the royal family is a very large clan, and perhaps in order to preserve the flame in case of an emergency, or for unknown historical reasons, the current Alan royal family has also split off many small branches after taking the throne...

If Artasis gave up power and fled, voluntarily relinquished authority, and left the empire to be fought over by a pack of wolves, then these vested interests of the old order, the royal relatives of the previous dynasty, would inevitably be attacked by the crowd and become the first targets of liquidation and division.

Even the most cold-blooded person would hesitate when he thought about how many people his actions would cause, a conservative estimate being 70,000 to 80,000 relatives or at least clan members who share the same ancestral blood, to be wiped out by the enemy.

The investigation of the imperial capital created too many enemies for the court. The emperor abdicated and fled to the wizard's garden city, a paradise beyond the mortal world, to live out his life in peace, regardless of the flood. As for the shocked A Lan, whether the country will be called by this name in the future is still a question. The feud with the Zoroastrian nobles cannot be let go just like that, right?

It's impossible for a noble family with a distinguished family history to seek revenge on a group of slaves and servants who just do their orders, right?

That would be a huge loss of points.

It is necessary to find the original royal family to settle accounts.

Moreover, the protection provided by the Dharma King cannot be said to be absolute. Although Garden City has the dual protection of the elves and the White Tower, bloody incidents have occurred there, especially when the person who took refuge there was the former emperor of one of the three empires who had "left office".

When Artasis sat on the throne, countless people wanted him to be overthrown and wanted him dead. His enemies were everywhere, both in the court and abroad. But when he stepped down, many people began to "miss" him. At that time, the new ruler became the challenged...

Therefore, as long as he is still alive, there is a possibility of restoration, and the new winner will want him dead at all costs to eradicate the problem.

He can't retreat.

I'm stuck...

rt, uncomfortable, I will update a chapter about the male lead later...

141: Holy Conception Ceremony

Alan Empire.

Mashhad Province.

An area located northeast of Iskhanfa, adjacent to the eastern province that had already "mutually protected the border" and become independent during the turmoil, but was previously barely under the "influence" of Iskhanfa.

Today, a week after Shafasha Artasis received the "good advice" of the Grand Dharma King and was ready to give up his power and become a sojourner - although this proposal seemed too naive to the emperor, just as mortals sometimes could not understand the extraordinary people's cold attitude towards life like gods in the clouds looking down on ants, and mages sometimes could not understand the cruelty of political struggles and "mortal games", he still did not deny this retreat that was not a retreat in person. After all, there was still a slim chance.

In the province of Mashhad, several powerful families in the province united to elect a general with a background in border defense to power, exiled the governor originally appointed by the Iskhanfa, and the general appointed himself "Yadasatrap", which means acting governor.

This marked the end of another province's control over the central government and dealt another heavy blow to the imperial power.

And in Noord, the capital of Mashhad province.

The magnificent municipal palace is controlled by a nobleman with the title of "Shah", which is equivalent to the king's title.

A grand event to celebrate "jointly participating in a great event" has just ended. The slaves are serving the tired and drunken dignitaries to leave and rest. Of course, there is still a second half, and the banquet will never stop.

This gathering, representing the convergence of Mashhad Province's political, economic, military, and "public opinion," and the achievement of a cooperative relationship, was secretly held by the core participants in another part of the palace, a secret and blasphemous ceremony...

------------------

A group of dignitaries, wearing white robes with gold threads, crossed their hands in front of their chests, and their foreheads and cheeks were smeared with two marks on the left and right with a red substance that looked like blood or paint.

"Bless you! Bless you! Most Holy and Most Exalted Father! Bless you! Bless you! Most Holy and Most Exalted Lord, have mercy on your flock on earth and bathe them in glory!"

They stood solemnly around an octagonal altar, led by a priest-like figure wearing a red robe and with a very eye-catching bald head and a prominent bulge between his eyebrows, who looked very strange. They lowered their heads and chanted hymns to the altar.

On the altar, there was an obsidian coffin that looked like an open coffin, covered with swan feathers, cashmere, and flower petals. A tall and beautiful woman with a slender figure and firm breasts was lying flat in it, completely naked. Her hands were crossed on her chest, just pressing down on two red cherries. She was looking at the sky with a dazed look, and a glass lamp was emitting a gentle yet dizzying white light.

The woman's body was flushed, her eyes were blurred, and she made slight "hmm" sounds from time to time, as if she had entered some kind of hallucination.

The sarcophagus is at least two meters long, from which we can roughly judge that the naked woman is at least about 1.7 or 1.8 meters tall, which makes her tall.

"Bless her and give birth to her! Most Holy and Most Exalted Father! Bless her and give birth to her! May her mortal body be blessed with this glory and give birth to the Son of God!"

"Pregnancy~ Pregnancy~!"

They chanted strange prayers and performed strange and unfamiliar things, but they were definitely not in the traditional religion of Alan.

Chapter 282

The ceremony in the field was so profane that even two participants in the crowd, who were also wearing white robes with gold thread, but whose slender curves beneath the robes showed that they were women, trembled uncontrollably.

The bald priest who presided over the sacrifice seemed unaware of this scene and was still concentrating on leading everyone in the incomprehensible ceremony.

......

"I offer my blood and my soul to my Supreme Father, my One and Only Lord; the scars are the proof! I have been branded as His!!"

Amidst everyone's prayers, the ceremony reached its climax as the believers all spread out their hands and raised them up. Under the influence of some mysterious power, two blood marks gradually appeared on the palms of all those who showed their hands!

Among the people present, even if some people took off all accessories and defensive props related to supernatural powers, or the supernatural powers of mages, in order to express their faith in the "Father" and the "Old Ones", not everyone would take off these small things that were related to their own safety. But at this moment, the mysterious power of the ritual ignored all magical defenses, and acted incredibly on their bodies, causing scars and leaving "brands".

The pain in their palms made the believers even more fanatical. Many dignitaries who may have never shed blood twice in their lives raised their heads proudly, as if to show the scars on their palms to the people: "I have been branded with His mark!!!"

Chapter 127: Ardabil (61)

"Holy~! The Most Holy and Supreme One!"

"Seiya~!"

And then, something even more bizarre happened. On the altar in the middle where everyone was gathered, the obsidian coffin where a naked beauty was lying suddenly cracked and completely collapsed in a few breaths. Petals and down flew all over the sky.

And among the rubble, the tall and bright beauty stood with her head held high. She was still naked, except for the petals and feathers covering her chest and the forest valley to protect her privacy.

All the people present were prominent and powerful people. They had no shortage of women, and they did not have the slightest lustful thoughts towards the woman on the altar. On the contrary, they knelt down in front of the woman who was "one of them" not long ago.

"Blessed Father, have mercy on us!"

"Since I have been given the divine fetus, it will come into the world through your body!"

When lying down, the woman's lower abdomen was flat, and even her abdominal muscles were faintly visible. At this time, it was visible to the naked eye that her belly was growing and bulging at a rapid speed.

The woman proudly showed off her belly, which had become visible in just a quarter of an hour, and announced to the believers that she had successfully received the blessing of the "Holy Father" and had obtained a fetus with "God's blood" for her and her family.

No one dared to look at the woman who had become the "Holy Mother". The believers all bowed their heads and paid the utmost respect to the woman who brought them the power of blessing.

Soon, the pregnant woman was taken in by the maids, and soon she would have a sacred delivery, giving birth to a child with divine power for the family. Then, accompanied by the servants, she would go north to that unspeakable sacred place to formally fulfill her lofty mission as the "mother".

Her family will not grieve over the loss of a daughter or woman, because through her dedication, they will gain only unimaginable more!

With the woman successfully conceiving, the Father God, who was in an unknown "dimension", blessed her with a fetus with his immense divine power. The ceremony officially came to an end, but it was not over yet because of one, no, "two" little incidents...

After the pregnant woman was taken away, the bald priest suddenly turned around, pointed his finger at the group of believers, and shouted, "Believers of a false god!"

A powerful force immediately separated the crowd, leaving only two white-robed believers standing together in the gap.

It was the two female believers who had reacted nervously before.

The power of psychic energy removed its hood, revealing two beautiful faces, one young and tender, the other dignified and mature.

"Ms. Catherine of the Shahre family... and Miss Dolores."

A believer identified the two women.

At this moment, the young Miss Dolores was so frightened that she almost pressed her entire body against the mature Catherine, but her body was still shaking uncontrollably. Her pretty face turned pale with fear, her teeth were chattering, and she couldn't utter a word.

On the other hand, the lady named Catherine was trying to remain calm and said:

"We have come here because of your reputation. No intention to offend you, sir. We..." "!"

The bald priest didn't make any movement, but Catherine's lips were suddenly closed by a force, and she couldn't speak.

He glanced at the believers on both sides and said calmly, "Mashhad still has four more 'Holy Pregnancy' ceremonies. I've already told you to select qualified candidates as soon as possible, but you're too slow."

The words of the priest made some dignitaries' faces freeze and their hearts go cold. They had already guessed what the other party was going to do. They wanted to argue, but they didn't dare to speak after witnessing all kinds of extraordinary things. They could only swallow their words dejectedly.

"For the next two times, we'll use them as 'mother bodies'."

When the bald priest said this, Catherine was shocked and tried to escape from the secret room by pulling Dolores, but was imprisoned by an invisible force.