Azure Scepter

Page 146

—Although he has been a god for nearly a thousand years, Saint Seir has never seen the radiance in the myths. He suddenly said this only to seize control of the conversation.

Saint-Sel slowly raised his eyelids and glanced at Trier.

To his disappointment, Trier remained expressionless, as if he hadn't heard him at all.

“Through divine revelation, I learned some truths.” Saint Seir glanced at Lady Bloodthorn.

Although the two sides were at loggerheads just hours ago, at this moment, Ms. Bloodthorn gave a very tacit assist: "For example?"

“Take Trier, for example. He’s neither an ancient lich nor a paladin.” Saint Seir’s dark eyes were fixed on Trier.

At this point, Saint-Sel's tone suddenly changed, and he asked rather mockingly, "So, Lord Trier, what exactly are you? And why did you choose to occupy the body of my descendant?"

As a seasoned gambler, Saint-Sel knew all too well that this seemingly mundane negotiation was actually extremely dangerous. In this ruthless world, which resembled a gambling table, any exposed weakness or fear would invite destruction.

Especially since he was seriously injured at the moment, he absolutely could not show weakness. He had to show that he was fearless in order to have a certain chance of subduing the wolves surrounding him.

Of course, if one acts too aggressively, it will arouse suspicion and expose one's weakness. Therefore, the key to this negotiation is to keep the balance between bluster and composure within a reasonable range.

Therefore, the first thing to do is to use one's divine status to raise the banner of radiance, thereby creating a certain deterrent effect on the opponents; at the same time, one should also try to put a playful shell on the test, in order to gain some room for maneuver.

At this moment, although Saint-Sel's face was relaxed, he was extremely tense inside. He stared intently at Trier, hoping to read the slightest change in his expression.

Can I fool Trier?

May I?

——The answer is of course no.

Hearing Saint-Sel's seemingly profound words, Trier maintained a calm demeanor on the surface, but inwardly he was starting to feel uneasy.

Saint Seir's words are utterly absurd. It's common knowledge that the Radiance is not a personal god; it's more of a natural phenomenon than a deity. Saint Seir's attempt to use the Radiance to create a superior image for himself is simply ridiculous...

While posturing can be very effective when information is monopolized, the problem is that Saint-Sérèse simply cannot monopolize information.

Trier watched Saint-Sel's energetic performance with mixed feelings, then his gaze steadily shifted to Lady Bloodthorn's face.

At this moment, the succubus was looking at Saint Seir with a half-smile, but her eyes were constantly glancing at Trier out of the corner of her eye; while the crowd became increasingly silent, and the different faces in the fireball appeared extremely restrained.

Trier took in everyone's reactions and then spoke for the first time.

“To be efficient, let’s not beat around the bush,” Trier said in a low, flat voice.

He slowly raised his right hand and then extended three fingers: "Let me state my conditions first: Losevie has three divine offices, I only want one of them, and you two can share the other two equally; and after the blood plague ends, we will release the sealed beings together."

"And I also have three needs."

"First, I need you to provide divine protection, which will grant the protected person immunity from the life and death control of Losevie and Fusada and the cessation of time."

"Secondly, I need you to provide enough skilled personnel, preferably those of legendary rank or above."

Trier's gaze shifted slightly, slowly turning towards Saint-Sel.

"Finally, I need you to provide troops—there are still many Asmo troops who massacred the city, and they should act under my command."

Chapter 284 The Evil Alliance (End)

Trier's voice was not loud, almost a whisper, but when he spoke for the first time, the entire circular space fell into a brief silence.

Cool light poured down from above, and sparkling, crystalline particles of light shimmered in the air. A dazzling array of colors echoed outside the circular wall, and at that moment, an unusual and turbulent atmosphere of oppression permeated the entire space.

Although Lady Bloodthorn was always extremely skilled at acting, at this moment, she could no longer maintain her composure, and she even lost her composure for a moment.

The reason is simple: the terms Trier offered were far too generous! They were so generous that it was hard to believe—Trier now had the upper hand, so what was his motivation for choosing to share the priesthood that was so close at hand?

After all, that wasn't some vulgar wealth or laughable worldly power; it was a divine office symbolizing supreme power! A divine office even more precious than divinity!

She took a deep breath, suppressing the boiling greed in her heart, and tried her best to calm herself down.

“Trier, you really didn’t need to offer such generous terms.”

"I don't know," said Ms. Bloodthorn in a steady voice. Without realizing it, she even subconsciously changed how she addressed Trier.

At this point, she slowly raised her head and looked at Trier: "These terms are too good to be true, almost frighteningly so—you didn't never intend to honor them, did you?"

Trier sat upright, his index finger knuckles tapping lightly and rhythmically on the table. Although his expression remained unchanged, he was startled.

—Ms. Bloodthorn is right, he never intended to honor the contract in the first place.

According to Trier, a promise and a contract are completely different; the former comes from the heart, while the latter is merely a legally binding agreement. The consequence of breaking a contract is the damage to one's reputation, but if the stakes are high enough to be a clergy position, then reputation can certainly be used as a bargaining chip.

Absorbing divine authority requires the physical body to descend to the prime material plane. Therefore, once Loseweave is completely dealt with, whoever descends to the prime material plane can be killed directly and their divine status seized. If this plan succeeds, then one will directly gather divine status, divinity, and divine authority, thus achieving godhood in one step and rising to power completely.

Trier always believed in planning before acting. Although he was somewhat surprised by the succubus's keen intuition, he was well prepared for her questioning.

“I always keep my promises,” Trier said in a deep voice, his tone completely flat. “Moreover, I am a paladin, and in that respect, we are fundamentally different.”

As he spoke, he glanced across the table.

Lady Bloodthorn remained hesitant, while the Fireball Clan remained silent, except for Saint Seir, who was glancing at Lady Bloodthorn with considerable displeasure.

“Clerics are certainly valuable, but not that valuable.” Saint Seir’s scarred handsome face revealed a faint smile. “As long as a certain idea is continuously practiced, even an ordinary mortal may be able to form the prototype of a cleric.”

Lady Bloodthorn stared in surprise, and the aura around everyone who was shrinking in fear suddenly brightened. Even Trier, who was usually so composed that he was almost expressionless, couldn't hold back when he heard Saint-Sel's words.

Saint-Sel's words are utterly absurd...

"If priesthood can be obtained this way, then why are you plotting against Loseweg?" the crowd couldn't help but ask.

Saint-Sel stood up and said quite seriously, "Of course, it's to protect the people of the Southern Duchy!"

Trier calmly observed Saint-Sel's strange behavior, but suddenly he vaguely understood the other's motives.

—Since Saint Seir was able to achieve the feat of turning a mortal into a god, then logically speaking, the other party couldn't possibly be that stupid.

The reason behind the other party's actions is then clear. His current behavior is less due to his own stupidity in treating others as fools, and more a desperate gamble after being driven to a dead end.

An overly straightforward bait might scare away someone like Lady Bloodthorn who has a way out, but someone like Saint Seal who has no way out can only grasp at this last hope, which is why He uttered such nonsense in order to share the divine office.

Saint Seir closed his eyes, rubbed the bridge of his nose, and after a moment, he seemed to realize something and suddenly let out a cold laugh.

"Ha, Trier, your terms are quite generous, but what guarantees do you have?"

Trier slowly uttered his third sentence: "I swear by my own paladin's oath, do the three of you need to introduce a more binding contract?"

As Trier finished speaking, the entire space fell into complete silence. Lady Bloodthorn, Saint Seir, and everyone else stared blankly at Trier.

This is entirely a unilateral constraint on Trier!

Lady Bloodthorn looked at Trier with a complicated expression. She carefully recalled Trier's information—Trier had always attached great importance to promises, and seemed to have reached a certain obsessive level in fulfilling them. But what exactly were Trier's considerations in doing so?

From the start of the negotiations, Trier only said three sentences, but he firmly controlled the entire process of the negotiations and completely suppressed everyone. Such a person must have some hidden, sticky malice behind his words. But where exactly is the trap?

Even if he plans to break his vow and betray his opponent, can his power after violating the Paladin's oath really be enough to deal with three powerful demigods?

At this moment, unable to understand Trier's behavior at all, Lady Bloodthorn felt increasingly uneasy, and she even had a faint thought of retreating.

After a moment, Saint-Ser broke the silence, saying with great confidence, "Of course, we don't need a higher-level contract. We all believe in your promise."

Trier nodded slightly. At that moment, he fully understood what the other party was thinking—Saint-Sel also wanted to betray him at the last moment.

Eventually, someone took the bait.

"Then I suggest we shake hands to mark the start of our cooperation?" Saint-Ser stood up and proposed with a smile.

Amidst warm and sincere handshakes, four villains, each with their own ulterior motives and completely different intentions, formally formed a temporary alliance that could break down at any moment. At this instant, the circular space seemed to slowly pull back in slow motion, and everything was frozen on people's smiling faces.

Trier still wore an ambiguous smile, while Saint-Sel had a smug smile like a hunter catching his prey. Lady Bloodthorn managed a forced, almost insincere smile, while the others showed no sign of smiling at all.

After all, you can't see the expression on someone's face behind a giant fireball.

Take a long vacation

As the title suggests, I am currently facing graduation, and my energy and abilities are very limited. Although I have tried, it is indeed impossible to juggle three things at the same time: a graduation thesis, job hunting, and writing. Due to various practical reasons, I have to temporarily put my novel writing on hold. Here, I would like to bow to all my readers.

This time it might take quite a while. If my selection process goes smoothly, I should be able to resume updates before the end of the year; if things don't go so well, it might be until June of the following year; and if things go extremely badly, it might be until the end of the following year...

I actually wanted to take this opportunity to summarize my writing experience, but considering the word count, I decided against it. Anyway, thank you very much for your understanding, dear readers. QWQ

—Your sincere lying down and mixing

IV. Parricide

Chapter 285 Wilt

In early August, Trier suddenly received a message that surprised him.

As dusk fell, the crimson rays of the setting sun shone through the gray window frames into the castle's hall. Led by a servant, a ragged messenger staggered into the hall, thick, almost black blood dripping from beneath his tattered black cloak.

Although he reeked of an unbearable stench of leather, the messenger himself seemed completely oblivious.

“I have important news from Wilt,” the letter said in a rough, unpleasant voice. “I must deliver this message to Trier personally; it bears the Duke’s seal.”

Finally, the messenger met Trier in the castle's basement.

The magically powered lights emitted a faint blue glow, casting a soft luminescence on the stone walls. In the center of the room stood a workbench made entirely of mithril, inscribed with intricate and dazzling ritual arrays. At the heart of these complex rituals, a scepter inlaid with a giant sapphire hummed softly.

As the messenger entered the basement, a sense of oppression, like the calm before a storm, slowly emanated from the scepter.

The next moment, a hand slowly grasped the scepter, and the oppressive feeling of impending storm instantly vanished.

Trier tapped the sapphire on the scepter hard, then looked at the strangely-looking messenger.

"Lord Trier, I bring you extremely important news." The messenger's tone was not respectful; he raised his head, revealing a grayish-blue face beneath his cloak.

He didn't keep them in suspense, but directly delivered the important news: "Your Excellency, your grandfather, who had been in a coma due to a serious illness, has recently recovered and awakened! He wishes you and Earl Cohen to travel to Wilt immediately."

Trier did not respond, but his previously casual gaze seemed to carry a scrutinizing quality.

The messenger remained calm, meeting Trier's gaze with composure. However, a moment later, a woman's voice came from beside him.

"The Duke is awake?" The elf Fythia emerged silently from the shadows of the magical lamp, blinking in surprise. "But wasn't he already..."

Princess Edith gently tugged at her best friend, then took the initiative to ask a completely unrelated question.

Did you encounter an accident on the road?

The messenger had to look away from Trier and turned to Edith with a displeased expression: “There was an accident, so the journey was delayed. There are a lot of undead and bizarre dream monsters around the city of Wilt. It’s not easy to get from there to Eraf—you see, I’m seriously injured.”

He reached out and grabbed the neck brace, pulling it down to reveal a scabbed, gruesome, penetrating wound.

This was clearly a fatal flaw—the messenger before them was not a living person, and the messenger did not seem to conceal this fact.

After making this move, the messenger looked at Trier with great anticipation, hoping to see shock in his eyes. However, to his surprise, Trier remained calm, as calm as the abyss at the bottom of the sea.

"So, what message do you bring?" Trier spoke for the first time.

"The Duke has woken up."

“I’m talking about real news,” Trier repeated.

"I do not understand--"

Trier immediately waved his hand to interrupt, his tone turning somber: "You are not the Duke's messenger, you are merely a soul possessing the messenger's corpse—messenger of the Sunset Sage. Speak plainly, my patience is limited."

The messenger was taken aback. He looked up abruptly and met the other person's deep black eyes.

As a half-chosen one of the Sages of the Sunset, the messenger suddenly felt a chill, and an indescribable and irresistible pressure swept over him like a tidal wave. At this moment, he felt as if his soul had fallen into a trench thousands of meters deep, and the omnipresent sense of death surged out from the bottom of his heart like the pressure of surging water.

Although he was already a legend, at this moment, the messenger felt that Trier in front of him was like a god, and he had no chance of resisting at all.

He forcefully suppressed his confusion and fear, and then uttered a message filled with viscous murderous intent: "Someone is plotting to murder you!"

"My lord instructed me to entrust you with the life-saving box under all circumstances, otherwise, you will be doomed!"

Trier has always been very clear about his greatest strength.

Being in the background, not in the public eye, means that no one knows me or is targeting me. Conversely, I am well aware of future history, so I can remain in the shadows and calmly plan and guide the course of events.

However, now that he is gradually coming into the open, his influence and power are increasing day by day, but he is also gradually losing his secrecy. Meanwhile, the powerful figures from history can plot against him.

His intelligence advantage and the conditions for operating covertly are gradually disappearing; and the risks he faces are increasing day by day.

Trier wasn't worried, because such things were inevitable. Since he had already chosen the path of killing Loseweg, seizing her divine status and position, and then ascending to godhood, he was naturally prepared for this.

Mental preparation is one thing, but actual operation is another.

In fact, after he killed Lorseville's avatar with the Holy Slash and won over three allies with ulterior motives to form the anti-Lorseville alliance, Trier did not rest for a minute. The next morning, he immediately began a series of intensive actions, including reorganizing the remaining Asmo army, preparing supplies, locating and calculating the spatial coordinates of the underground city of Wilt, preparing a large number of blood candles, and searching for legendary mercenaries and allies.

After all, Trier was well aware that he didn't have much time left to execute his plan in peace, and the longer he delayed, the more uncontrollable factors would arise. Even without considering that Lorraine, as a lich, would resurrect in a month, just waiting for other gods or demigods to gather enough manpower and information, or for new outsiders to reach an agreement, would still pose a huge risk to him.

This is a huge gamble. If he can kill Lorse before the fuse burns out, he can ascend to godhood in one step. But if he is slow or encounters a lot of unexpected events, his situation after the "divine descent" will probably be quite bad.

According to Trier's estimate, the golden window of opportunity left for him will not exceed 30 days at most.

—The reorganization of the Asmo army went quite smoothly. With Saint Seil’s reluctant support, Trier used the mercenaries of Seres, as well as the local nobles and soldiers of Eraf, and the remaining friars of Vercingetorie, to successfully disperse and dilute the Asmos into an army of nearly 10,000 men. After a series of trials, executions, intimidation, promotions, rewards and promises, Trier was finally able to barely command this Asmo army with a fairly high average professional level.

To be fair, in an era before the Azure Laws were broken, gods and saints could not roam the mortal realm. Even disregarding his demigod-like combat prowess, Trier possessed enough power to roam freely in the Prime Material Plane with just this formidable army. However, if it came to exploring the underground city beneath Velt, a labyrinthine abyss, this powerful army would merely be necessary cannon fodder.