Rose Empire

The Delmes worshipped God to an incredible degree.

Let me give you a simple example: Four years ago, the Aiye Alliance launched an attack on the Delme Alliance. The invaded city-states hurriedly sent a message to the Delme city-state for help. The Delme city-state told its allies: "You fight first, I'll be there soon."

So, the allies deployed their troops and fought against the coalition forces of the Ai Ye Alliance. As a result, the army of the Delme city-state was delayed in arriving. The allies hurried to Delme city-state to urge them, only to find that Delme city-state was celebrating the annual Holy Grace Festival!

Holy Grace Day, this is so important!

The city-state of Delme will celebrate this for seven days and seven nights!

We Delmers would rather not fight than miss the opportunity to bathe in divine grace.

No matter how the allies urged, the Delme city-state refused to end their lengthy worship process early and send troops to rescue their allies as soon as possible.

In this way, the Delmer Alliance suffered an inexplicable defeat.

The city-states that fought against the Aiye Alliance suffered heavy losses, and therefore had many complaints against the Delme city-state, and these city-states were involved in the rebellion that had just been quelled.

It can be said that in order to celebrate a Holy Grace Festival, the city-state of Delmer fought wars for at least three more years.

Therefore, even though Westom believed that he had a great chance of conquering Fife this time, before sending out his troops, he still had to worship Ig and ask the Lord for an oracle of good fortune.

The place where Westom's army was stationed was not far from the Archangel Cathedral, so Westom simply chose the Archangel Cathedral as the venue for this worship service.

The Archangel Cathedral belongs to the church and has always remained neutral politically, not interfering in the war between the Aiye Alliance and the Delmer Alliance. However, in terms of territory, the Archangel Cathedral is located within the Aiye Alliance. Even though the Archangel Cathedral remains neutral, the Delmer people have only dared to come to worship occasionally during short truces in the past hundred years. Important figures like the Delmer Twin Kings dare not even set foot in this ancient temple during the truce period.

Leading more than a thousand generals and soldiers along the mountain path all the way to the gate of the Archangel Cathedral, Westom was stopped by two priests.

"Your Majesty," one of the priests saluted, "This is where the messenger of God has descended. We must not allow too many people to disturb it."

Wisdom stopped and turned to the guard leader beside him and said, "Take your men and wait outside for me to come out."

"Yes!" replied the guard commander.

After arranging the guards, the two priests still showed no intention of giving way. Westom asked curiously, "Any other questions?"

"Weapons stained with blood cannot be brought into the cathedral," said another priest.

The Delmer generals who were about to follow Westrom into the cathedral looked at each other in bewilderment. They all carried weapons with them.

This is normal. This is enemy territory. We can never be too vigilant.

But the two priests blocked the door tightly, with a stubborn attitude that said, "We won't let you in unless you put down your weapons."

Finally, one of the generals couldn't help but say: "You..."

"Cruz!" Westom blew his breath at his trusted general, then slowly took off the sword from his waist.

"Your Majesty, you..." The general called Cruz tried to dissuade him.

Wisdom said in a deep voice: "I believe that where God is watching, there won't be any conspiracy, right?"

The priest looked at Wisdom for a moment, lowered his head, and said, "Yes."

Westom took the lead in taking off his sword, and other generals followed suit one after another.

Only Cruz was still very dissatisfied with this. He stiffened his neck and argued, "My sword is new. I have never killed anyone, not even a chicken. I want to bring it in!"

The priest did not argue with Cruz. He bowed his head slightly and said, "You said it was not stained with blood, so take it in. But God will know everything in the end."

Cruz was a little surprised at first, but then he couldn't help but shrink his neck. Obviously, as a Delmer, he couldn't ignore the threat of God.

Delmo and his group were finally able to enter the Archangel Cathedral. The moment they stepped over the threshold, Westom's breathing couldn't help but become heavier.

He was the first king from the two royal families of Delmer to enter the Archangel Cathedral in more than a hundred years! What a great honor!

Every statue, every decoration, and every mural in the Archangel Cathedral seemed both strange and familiar to Westrom.

It was strange naturally because Westom had never been here before, but it was familiar because from childhood to adulthood, Westom had known about this cathedral from countless people, countless drawings, and countless travel notes. This was a holy place for all the believers of God on the Sokya Peninsula, and it was also a holy place in the hearts of the Delmer people.

Westom's father and grandfather had always wanted to come to this cathedral to listen to God's teachings, but they had never succeeded.

So I did it myself!

How could Westom not be excited about this?

Led by two priests, Westom and more than a hundred of his generals came to a magnificent auditorium.

The hall is golden from the ceiling to the walls, the statue of Ig to the floor tiles. On the golden wall is painted a scene of an angel descending to the earth and stopping in front of a clear spring...

In the center of this golden auditorium, there is a pool made of pebbles. In the center of the pool, there is a spring, bubbling with water.

It is said that when the angels came to the Sokya Peninsula, they saw a spring with clear water on this mountain and bathed in it. Later, the church built a small house with gold to cover the spring, and built the Angel Cathedral around the small house. The murals around here record similar stories.

However, at this moment, there was no tall and handsome angel with a pair of wings on his back next to the spring, but only a white-haired old man and a fat man with a big belly.

After looking at the white-haired old man for a moment, Westom took the initiative to nod and greet him: "Archbishop Merck, Inquisitor Borodin, we meet again."

Merck Servani, Archbishop of the Archangel Cathedral, and Borodin, Judge of the Archangel Cathedral. This was not the first time that Westom had seen these two people, especially Merck Servani. When Westom was crowned, his crown was put on by Merck Servani.

Moreover, according to the records of the Delmer royal family, Westom's father and grandfather were crowned by Merc Sevani.

"It is a pleasure to see you again, Your Majesty," Merc Servani bowed to Wisdom and said, "The last time I saw the king of Delmer City-State in the Archangel Cathedral was more than a hundred years ago. I am very happy that before I die, I can see the next Delmer King come to the Archangel Cathedral."

"Yes, it has been more than a hundred years, but..." Westom's eyes suddenly became sharp, "It won't be the case in the future. We are about to take over Feidi. After this battle, the Aiye Alliance will no longer exist."

Merck Servani nodded, as if he didn't care at all about what Westom said, which was enough to stir up the situation on the peninsula.

Wisdom could not see anything unusual on Merc Sevani's face, so he continued, "I came here for the war. I want to beg God for my warriors' blessing and ask God to give us an oracle to guide us in the direction of progress. I hope you can give me some help."

"This is what I should do," Merck Servani motioned to Westrom to kneel down in the spring.

Westom knew some of the procedures for the highest level of worship in the Archangel Cathedral. He asked his adjutant to help him take off all his clothes, pants, and shoes, and then walked into the spring naked.

Kneeling on the pebbles that formed the spring was really uncomfortable, but Westom knelt down anyway without any hesitation.

The Delmo generals also knelt down, but they knelt on the golden tiles outside the spring. Even if they wanted to kneel on the cobblestones and suffer, they did not have the qualifications.

Archbishop Servani prayed to the statue for a while, then took a cane from the altar, walked to Westrom, raised the cane and whipped Westrom on the back, muttering something and reciting scriptures in a low voice.

Archbishop Servani was old and frail, with limited arm strength, so the first whip on his back did not hurt much, but he wanted more than one whip.

Archbishop Sewani whipped Wisdom almost every time he read a scripture, and soon his back was torn. Wisdom gritted his teeth and endured it. He knew that Sewani was not deliberately making things difficult for him. Sewani's route was to use this kind of self-abuse method to feel the existence of God and listen to God's teachings.

Suddenly, a vast, brilliant force spread out in this magnificent room, and it felt like the warm sun in winter when it poured down on people.

Delmo's generals all looked up in confusion, and then saw that the golden statue was emitting a faint golden light.

“God, God…”

The generals were in an uproar.

Archbishop Servani glared at them, and the generals immediately shut their mouths again and knelt down to pray, but their expressions became more excited and fanatical.

Archbishop Sevani also knelt down before the statue and listened attentively to the teachings of God's church. His expression was solemn, serious, enlightened, and as if he was facing a great enemy...

Wisdom watched from the sidelines with his heart in turmoil. It was not until Archbishop Sewani calmed down and opened his eyes again that Wisdom could not wait to ask, "Archbishop Sewani, what kind of revelation did God give us?"

Archbishop Sevanni looked at Westom, then glanced at the elite soldiers behind him, then suddenly gritted his teeth and said, "The oracle says that Delme should not attack Feidi."

"What!" Westom was shocked to hear such an oracle.

Delme's generals were also stunned. They didn't understand why God would give such an oracle.

The two kings of Delme are more like bishops and priests than kings. The administrative power of the city-state is controlled by the Council of Elders and law enforcement officers, and the two kings are the spokespersons of God.

During the time when Westom led the army, he had to pray before almost every battle, begging for God's blessing and oracle. He himself was the one who presided over the prayer ceremony. And every time, Westom could give everyone a beautiful oracle, saying that everyone would win the first battle and return triumphantly.

This is the first time that everyone has heard of an oracle that directly says "We should not attack Philippines".

"We are about to attack Fidelity! You gave me this oracle? Did you accept money from the Fidelity people?"

Wisdom grabbed Servani, clenched his fists, stared into the other's eyes and questioned.

"Your Majesty, Your Majesty!"

"Calm down, Your Majesty!"

"This is the Cathedral..."

The generals quickly pulled Westom away and persuaded him not to be impulsive.

Archbishop Servani, who was almost beaten, remained calm: "You should not attack Feidi. This is the oracle."

"What if I insist on attacking Feidi?" Westom asked with a sneer.

"If you want to do that, then do it. In the end, God will know everything." said Servani.

Westom wanted to make a few more sarcastic remarks, but before he opened his mouth, he noticed that his generals all looked hesitant. He hesitated and finally left.

"His Majesty!"

Cruz and other generals hurriedly chased after him.

Following Westom out of the Archangel Cathedral, Cruz couldn't help but say, "I'm sorry, Your Majesty!"

Wisdom looked gloomy, but after hearing what Cruz said, he still asked curiously, "What are you sorry for?"

"I have killed many people with this knife. Maybe I have angered the Lord God." Cruz said with great apology.

Westom stopped and stared at Cruz for a while. He found that the apologetic look on his face did not seem fake. He sighed, shook his head, and continued to go down the mountain.

Volume 148: Chapter 135 Chapter The Tradition of the Wolf Squadron

The two kings of Delme were themselves bishops or priests of the city-state. Westom thought he knew very well what the so-called "oracle" was.

Before every expedition or desperate charge, Westom would basically announce to his subordinates that he had received an oracle during his prayers - God said we will win this battle or something like that. The Delmer citizen militia always believed this without a doubt, and their fighting spirit was high, and their battle winning rate increased by at least 20 percentage points.

However, those oracles were all compiled by Westom himself.

Westom knew of the existence of God, and he had prayed to God sincerely countless times, but God never paid any attention to him.

During these decades of wars, Westom fabricated countless "oracles" in Yig's name, and Yig never punished him.

Gradually, Westom came up with a terrible idea - God doesn't care about the world at all!

For a native Delmer like Westom, or the indigenous people of this world, this idea is too horrifying.

There is a myth about the world view circulating among the people of the Eagle Continent. It is said that this world is actually a crystal ball. Humans and other races live in the crystal ball, and this crystal ball is held in Yig's right hand.

This myth may not be credible, but it is enough to show that in the minds of the Westoms, Yig is both the creator and the protector, and human beings and all living things in this world rely on Yig's mercy to survive.

Just imagine, if Yig, who is holding the crystal ball, does not care about the world, then He might throw it away when He feels bored, which would be a disaster for the people in the crystal ball.

Iger didn't want to destroy the world, he just wanted to exercise his right hand. This idea made Westom, who was always brave and fearless on the battlefield, shudder.

Although Westom quickly suppressed that thought and didn't tell anyone, the seed of doubt still took root in his heart.

Westom believed that he was talking nonsense, and that the priests of the church were also talking nonsense most of the time. The only real oracle the church had received in recent years was probably the "Demon Hunt", because everyone saw the red moon hanging high in the sky.

Therefore, Westom felt that Archbishop Sewanee was also making up stories.

Now that the Delmer Alliance has the upper hand, before going to the Archangel Cathedral to worship, Westom even had a box of treasures delivered to the cathedral. However, Merck Servani still uttered such ridiculous oracle that "you should not attack Fidelity".

How many gifts did the damn Filipinos give to the Archangel Cathedral!

However, although he felt that the oracle was false, Westom could not say it openly.

The status of the two kings of Delme is based on divine authority. If Westom admits that oracles can be falsified, the foundation of the existence of the two kings will inevitably be shaken.

In fact, after Westom questioned Archbishop Sewani in the Cathedral of Angels whether he had accepted the money, he regretted it a little. It was undoubtedly irrational to say this in front of so many generals. At the same time, he couldn't help but feel fortunate that his guards were blocked outside the Cathedral, and he only brought some trusted generals into the Cathedral.

These generals' loyalty to Westom will not be easily shaken, but judging from the reaction of their trusted and beloved general Cruz, even these generals do not have the courage to disobey the orders from God.

Westom was unwilling to retreat, so he stayed at Bronze Pass with his troops for two days, wanting to talk to the generals one by one to boost morale and continue the advance.

However, the oracle of the Archangel Cathedral spread quickly in the army, and the morale of the Delmite Alliance's coalition forces was shaken. The most shaken were the backbone of the army, the Delmite citizen militia who believed in Yig the most.

"Retreat, Your Majesty." An old man in a black robe and a short beard advised.

The old man's name is Harun, and he is one of the five law enforcement officers of the city-state of Delmer.

The system of the Delmian city-state is rather special. They have four governing bodies: two kings, law enforcers, the Senate and the Citizens' Assembly.

Although the two kings are called kings in name, they have little power and are more like priests in normal times. They will temporarily serve as the commander of the army when going to war. All citizens of Delme are considered members of the Citizens' Assembly. Citizens over the age of 60 can be elected to the Council of Elders. Once they enter the Council of Elders, they will serve for life, which is similar to other city-states.

What really makes the Delmer city-state different from other Sokya city-states is their five law enforcement officers.

The law enforcers were elected by the Citizens' Assembly, and their power was above that of the king. They had the power to convene the Senate and the Citizens' Assembly. Almost all routine government affairs in the Delme City-State were handled by the five law enforcers, who were almost the most powerful positions in the entire Delme. The concentration of power made the Delme City-State have a decision-making efficiency far superior to other city-states, which was undoubtedly great news for a military group.

Harun had a good relationship with Westom, otherwise he would not have been persuading but commanding.

"We've already reached this point!" Westom glared at Harlan with red eyes and said in a hoarse voice, "Why don't we continue fighting? Just relying on that damn oracle..."

Bang!