The Spirit Cult..."
A glint of enlightenment flashed in Fors's azure eyes as he made a meaningless remark.
Recently, the Empire's forces have won one victory after another on the high ground battlefield. The heavy hammer of iron and blood has been relentless, smashing the colonial edifice that the northern continent's countries have spent a hundred years building in the Western Bairan and Star Plateau regions to pieces.
As the future collapse of the highlands becomes a reality, the chaotic and terrifying old night era quietly returns. The people of the high and mighty Northern Continent civilization are forced to put their calculations about their escape routes and their future meager lives on the table, squeezing out their already limited leisure time and giving the big shots a reason to worry.
Once the Star Plateau was completely taken over by the Second Empire of Trensust, the former territory of the Highland Kingdom fell into the embrace of the true Creator, and the shattered West Bayron became the last shred of the colonial powers.
While maintaining their precarious alliance and scheming against each other, they will also painstakingly spare some of their remaining energy to deal with their allies and start a new contest on the land of West Bairan.
At that time, the "Spiritual Order," which they had long ignored and which had been defined as "not a threat" decades ago, and the massive Bilang Zionist group, will once again take center stage in history, becoming an object that all parties are eager to either win over or deal with.
Just as the Creator once made a desperate move, carrying the remains of Terensost and the severely damaged Aurora Society across the ocean, he supported the puppet empire against the siege of traitors and enemies, stabilizing the situation amidst a pack of wolves.
This time, the Northern Continent will also resort to the same trick, relying on the Creator's scraps to survive.
Before the Age of Exploration, they chose to support the Highlands Kingdom as a bridgehead against the Creator, and today, they will repeat the same tactic.
"Justice" Audrey noticed the complex emotions in the "magician's" sigh beside her.
She was somewhat puzzled. As a former sheltered young lady who was not very worldly, she did not know much about the intricacies of the world outside Backlund. When she first stepped into the new world outside the window, everything was still so confusing to her. Everything, whether dangerous or beneficial, was new and difficult to understand.
Klein patiently explained, manipulating "the world".
"'The Spirit Cult' is not a unified entity."
"They might have been when Death first fell, but with the establishment of the Highlands and the fall of the Byron Empire, the remnants of the Byron Empire suffered from colonization generation after generation, leading to internal divisions."
"Some of them still hold fast to their devout faith in 'death,' some attempt to establish their own sect, some were originally members of the royal family and hope to restore their former glory, and some are desperately searching for a way for most of the Byron people to live well."
"Those who attempt to establish their own sect may be recruited. The last group, which has in a sense betrayed 'death' and no longer regards eternal sleep after death and self-sacrifice as the highest honor, also has value in being recruited."
"Of course, many of them don't have a good impression of the people of the North Continent. They are considered extremists and are more likely to be guarded against and targeted."
Alger, the "Hanged Man" who listened quietly, learned for the first time so clearly about the intricacies within the "Cult of Spirits." He was not so surprised to find that the people on the other continent across the sea faced problems that were actually very similar to those of the natives living on the island.
Despite its vast territory, West Bayran was no different from the inhabitants of a fragmented, small island.
Therefore, he quickly understood why the "world" would make such a request.
His Excellency Tristan casually mentioned that the "Death Archon" was the teacher of the "World" and had a close relationship with him...
The attention given to the "Spiritual Order" is probably the "world's" own idea... Although Alger made this judgment, in his view, whether the "world" is acting out of self-interest or for the sake of justice, it doesn't really make much difference.
After all, Mr. V, Gehrman Sparrow, himself represents a part of the will of Mr. Fool and the Creator. The "Death Archon" posed the Byron question to Mr. V under the guise of being a teacher and student, which was a subtle way of expressing his willingness to get closer to the Creator.
If Byron were to be reborn in the future, would the compromise faction come to power, standing on the side of the Northern Continent represented by Rune; or would the radical faction come to power, stubbornly heading towards self-destruction; or would he be led by the "Death Consul," learning from Emperor Orsono of the Second Empire...?
At present, both seem to be possible.
However, Alger himself would certainly be willing to witness the last possibility come true, since that was the choice he had made.
"Mr. World, I… understand what you mean."
Audrey imagined the future that "the world" depicted for her and couldn't help but shudder.
Losing her naivety, she easily detected the strong, unmistakable scent of blood brewing behind several possibilities.
The stench of blood filled the air, making Audrey dizzy and disoriented.
But she agreed anyway, knowing that even if she refused, "the world" could still find other ways to handle this matter.
Instead of worrying about so-called stances and tarnishing one's own angelic and hypocritical wings with self-righteous indignation, it's better to step down from the high platform, measure the real world with your hands and feet, immerse yourself in it, and see things clearly from an independent perspective before making judgments.
Moreover... the situation is becoming increasingly turbulent. I will continue to improve my sequence. In the future... even if something terrible really happens, I will be able to protect my parents instead of being a burden... Audrey encouraged herself by clenching her fist under the table and shaking it a couple of times.
"Mr. 'World', I will pay attention to the views and attitudes of the senior members of the Rune organization toward the 'Spiritual Order'."
"Okay, after the party, I will ask Mr. Fool to help me give you the properties and recipe."
Klein, standing behind the gray fog at the very top, chuckled softly, his slight emotional fluctuation going unnoticed by anyone.
After the deal was completed, the group chatted about a few trivial matters. When it was almost time, Klein called a halt to the gathering.
"Alright, that's all for today's gathering."
...
That concludes today's gathering.
Yassin Mohart picked up the scattered newspapers and maps from the table and stood up, saying...
Beside the old wooden table, several other men with similar attire to Yasin, all dressed in long black robes, nodded haphazardly, said goodbye, and familiarly headed in different directions, leaving through the various exits of the house.
After the last attendee left, Yasin Mohart, the organizer of the meeting and the underground liaison for the "Byrone Brotherhood," also quietly left the restaurant that was temporarily serving as the meeting room. He avoided the living room where children were playing and limped along a narrow path to the underground.
The candlelight was dim, and the dark, damp environment bred a large number of snakes and insects, creating a desolate and lonely scene.
The snakes and insects that should have been active and arrogant were now huddled in a corner of the basement, trembling with fear. Only a few bolder pythons with exaggeratedly large bodies peeked out when Yasin knocked on the wooden door.
"Mr. Eggers".
Yasin looked at the man who was writing at the table with his back to him, his tone neither warm nor cold.
"As you predicted, after the Rothschild incident, envoys from the 'Royal Faction' visited several former nobles of Uttar Pradesh who were serving in the puppet government, mainly branches of the Palenque family."
"They hope to unite these branches related to the Eggers family by blood in the name of the 'Pale Queen' and plot to launch an uprising in the Kukwa region when the Star Plateau has been completely conquered by the Ternsosts and the Northern Continent army is at its weakest and most vulnerable."
"As for Heitel, his 'Artificial Death Faction' has also set its sights on this opportunity. They are trying to bypass the Pass River Valley and reach Tetnik before the war ends, and to control the situation there to some extent, so as to continue to fish in troubled waters during the chaos of the war, and to separate the edge of the ancient forest, which has never been valued by Trensost, from the territory of the Second Trensost Empire."
"They want to appease the real creator by abandoning Siberian and in exchange for a certain degree of autonomy to continue the 'artificial death god' project, which is still nowhere in sight."
At this point, Yasin paused deliberately, anticipating the man's reaction by the desk and hoping to hear his words and receive some signal.
Time passed slowly, until even the python that had cast its gaze upon the candlelight between the two grew weary, sullenly lowering its head and curling up to feign sleep. Yasin still hadn't received a response from the man.
He could not help but sigh, but showed no sign of anger.
Although he prided himself on progress, resisting the poisonous influence of the Byron Empire, the Church of Death, colonialism, and royal supremacy on the Byron people, and harboring a burning hatred for these mountains that made life increasingly difficult for the Byron people, when he faced the man before him, when he faced this living Eggers, he, like his ancestors, trembled from soul to body and mind, instinctively choosing to submit.
So he had no choice but to continue.
"Those who adhere to the principle of moderation also have their own ideas. They believe that it is not a good idea to join forces with the Northern Continent to continue establishing a pseudo-regime or to pretend to be acquainted with the real Creator. Therefore, they took the initiative to contact the 'Rose School'. Recently, a group of young people have joined the resistance army organized by the 'Rose School'."
"We analyzed several points of their cooperation. This group of people is completely out of their minds. They want to break free from the control of the Byron royal family and the Church of Death, but they are completely unaware that they have found themselves an even more terrifying and brutal master, and have actively pushed themselves and their relatives and compatriots into an abyss."
"Although their slogans are loud and they want to establish a Byron that belongs to the Byron people, and their real idea, which only circulates among themselves, seems good—to put the royal family on a pedestal and reform the faith—it seems to me that there is no possibility of it being realized."
"However, regardless of how likely it is that the ideas of these three factions will come true, in the time to come we will inevitably face the most chaotic and dangerous environment and have to make choices..."
Yasin suddenly fell silent. His agitation affected his surroundings. The aura of the underworld emanating from the "gatekeeper" slowly spread outwards. The enormous pythons sensed the danger, and their keen animal instincts drove them to retreat into darker corners.
He looked at the man who was still writing something on the table and suddenly asked.
"Mr. Eggers, are you still listening?"
"I am here, I have always been here, Yassin."
Despite the relatively friendly tone, when this casual reply reached Yassin's ears, the "gatekeeper," who had experienced brutal battles and political persecution, couldn't help but twitch his limping leg.
"Yasin." The man called his name and finally left the table. "I was thinking, reflecting on why you chose that special, or rather, incomprehensible path, unlike their choices where motives are easily discernible?"
"As a Byron, whether you choose independence, compromise, or even absolute loyalty to your faith, you are willing to use all sorts of methods and pay all sorts of prices to welcome the return of 'Death,' which I think is all understandable."
"But you, you all, you choose to pledge allegiance to the true Creator and believe that you can relinquish certain sovereignty if necessary. Your ultimate goal is to turn West Bayran into an autonomous province of the Second Empire of Trensost in the future."
Why did you make this choice?
Choosing… Yaen hesitated slightly. He was somewhat suspicious of the motives of the man with the special identity in front of him who asked this question, and he realized that his answer might have a significant impact.
No, it should be said that it will have a huge impact, affecting all the surviving Byron people...
He raised his head slightly, his gaze quickly sweeping across the man's body below his shoulders, and noticed that what the man had just been writing looked like a letter.
Almost in the blink of an eye, Yassin had come up with an answer.
"Because of hatred."
"Hatred?"
"Yes, Mr. Eggers, I, we, we chose this path because of hatred."
"Whose hatred is it?" The man pondered for a moment, intrigued, before pressing for an answer.
"The Rune, the Fusac, the Intis, the Fennepot, the Remburg and Massi, the Highlanders of the divided empire, the Trensost, and…" Yasin raised his head fully, staring straight at the man's face, and said, word by word, "and the culprit of all, the root of all, the Byron royal family."
"You know I'm an Eggers," the man asked calmly, without getting angry.
"Of course, my lord!" Yasin practically spat out the title he had rarely used in his life. "Of course I remember your surname is Aegis, but I am not afraid that you will punish me or kill me for such a trivial matter."
"You won't send me to the Grim Reaper, to be judged by our rotten god, for I am an unfaithful apostate. Otherwise, we would be nothing but a pile of bones by the time you see us."
"That's how it is." The man's tone remained indifferent.
"But there are many kinds of hatred. I still hope you can explain it to me in detail. Since you also have hatred for the people of Trensost, why did you choose to pledge allegiance to the true Creator and want to lead the Byron people to become His servants?"
"And it sounds like the people you hate the most are actually the Eggers family?"
Why did you choose to suppress these feelings and agree to do things for me?
"You already knew the answer, you understood my motives perfectly well, so why are you still forcing me!" Yassin cried out in his heart.
His expression changed several times, his facial muscles contorted slightly, but he finally managed to suppress the urge to question and complain.
"Because I know that we have nothing and nothing to rely on."
"We have no choice but to sell ourselves out and pick an acceptable villain to be our master."
"All the gods desire the fertile land of Byron, but we, who have lived here for generations, have not been granted its rights. Compared to the colonists of the northern continent, the true creator who has ruled our Eastern Byron compatriots for nearly a thousand years seems more humane. At least our compatriots there live quite well, like they are in paradise compared to us..."
"To pledge allegiance to the true Creator, aside from completely abandoning the long-gone Byron Empire and relinquishing the ancestral glory that is irrelevant to most Byrons, we will not actually suffer much loss."
With that, Yassin took a step forward.
"In fact, I'm more curious about your thoughts than your doubts."
"When a son of death came to me, the most legitimate heir of the empire, upon seeing the heretic in my filthy eyes, did not kill me, but instead asked me to serve him so that I could continue my own career, my doubts are probably beyond your imagination."
Why did you make the same choice as me?
"The offspring of a noble death are treated the same as the son of a commoner like me?"
With vacant eyes and a sallow complexion, he questioned the man before him, Azik Eggers, the former "Death Consul" of the Byron Empire.
"Your Highness, what made you choose to betray Bailang?"