Chapter 132: Conspiracy Theory
2014-12-18
Author: Floating Tower
Soren walked forward in the cold wind.
Although he was certain the Phantom Circus held some secrets, he had little interest in getting involved; trouble often comes from one’s own curiosity, and he had to learn to control his overactive curiosity. The other members of the Phantom Circus were easier to understand, but the one he couldn’t see through was the elven girl and the woman who remained hidden in the carriage. The thin ice on the edge of the carriage left a deep impression on Soren, as it seemed to contain a power that was difficult to control.
Among all spellcasting professionists, wizards had the best control over their spell power.
Next were priests and druids; their power, although stemming from deities and faith, was also mastered with ease. The most uncontrollable power belonged to sorcerers, which was why Gloria was concerned that Vivian could cause great destruction. The Arendelle Kingdom they were heading to was about to be ruled by a princess who was also a dangerous sorceress. The more powerful and gifted a sorceress was, the more dangerous she could be, as it would take them a long time to learn to control their powers.
The person inside was definitely not a wizard.
Thus, the likelihood of her being a sorceress exceeded 50%, and additionally, she was a powerful sorceress unable to fully control her power.
In contrast!
Vivian was much better at controlling her power; she had almost none of the energy rampage period that other sorcerers had to endure.
The solitary nature of sorcerers often resulted from the early manifestations of energy rampages; sometimes, they even harmed those close to them due to their uncontrollable powers.
Snowflakes fell from the sky.
The snowfall wasn’t heavy, but Soren was still covered with a layer of snow, which he shook off his cloak, dropping it to the ground. The sky was already approaching afternoon, and he passed through an area covered with a thick layer of snow in the coniferous forest. The road ahead gradually widened, indicating he was nearing areas of human activity. The Frozen Kingdom had few goblins. The climate here was simply too cold, yet they had the thick-furred bear goblins, a creature even more dangerous than werewolves.
That creature might be called a goblin, but their size and appearance varied greatly. It was possible they did have some partial bloodline divergence.
Subspecies are prone to bloodline mutations!
Soren walked about ten kilometers or so and vaguely heard the sound of music, seemingly a melancholic tune. He frowned and listened for a moment before heading toward the source of the music. Camping outdoors in the Frozen Kingdom was very unpleasant due to the extreme cold; sometimes one would wake up with their body frozen stiff, as the temperature was consistently below zero. Soren planned to find a human town to rest and recover, while also replenishing his spells.
Ahead appeared the figures of a group of people.
They were mostly dressed in fur coats, which were the most important possessions of human families in the Frozen Kingdom. Their hair was somewhat lush, and their faces resembled those of Northern Europeans, lacking the diversity found in the southern regions. In this world, people with black pupils and black hair were very common (including elves), with some deities taking on similar appearances; however, north of the continental shelf, the population tended to feature more European traits. Closer to desert regions, these traits became even more distinct. Experienced people could use this to determine where others came from.
Soren had clear Southern features; his hair was a dark blonde, his pupils close to dark brown. He had a mix of human and elven bloodlines. So when the group saw Soren, they immediately recognized he was not a native of the Frozen Kingdom, but an outsider adventurer.
An elderly Northern man stepped forward; he glanced at Soren and slowly said, “Outsider. Where are you planning to go? Recently, outsiders are not welcome here.”
Soren slightly bowed and glanced at the corpses surrounded by the crowd. They were holding a funeral. He replied, “I am a traveling adventurer. I wish to stay in a nearby town for a while.”
He looked at the center, where three corpses lay on the ground, all adult male bodies, which made him furrow his brow. He slowly said, “May their souls find peace. What exactly happened? Why are you not welcoming outsiders?”
Something had definitely occurred.
Three adult males wouldn’t suddenly drop dead, judging by the scale of their funeral. The deceased seemed to have had some status.
The elder hesitated for a moment and exchanged glances with the others, then slowly said, “Recently, a group of evil deviants entered the Frozen Kingdom. Among them are terrible witches who used spells to confuse many people, resulting in numerous casualties. Our town is also under threat; the constable has sealed the town, and outsiders are not allowed to approach.”
“Maybe you should try elsewhere!”
Soren frowned and stepped forward; obviously, a strong man stood up with his hand on his weapon. The elderly elder raised his hand to stop them, as his vast experience told him that solitary adventurers were not easy to deal with, so there was no need to directly provoke them. That was why he politely refused; otherwise, they could have simply expelled him directly. With a string of recent deaths occurring in the town, outsiders were already denied entry.
Soren seemed to notice something and turned his head, saying, “Can I take a look at these corpses? Perhaps I can help.”
The elderly elder hesitated, then gently nodded.
Someone among the others clearly wanted to say something, seeming to disapprove of this act of disrespecting the dead since the funeral had already started, but they were stopped by the elderly man.
“Make way.”
Soren pushed through the crowd in front of him and saw a woman with red eyes, holding two children beside her, having lost the pillar of her household. Her upcoming days would be very difficult. Without substantial wealth, she would have to remarry; otherwise, it would be hard for a woman to support two children. Soren noted the wounds on the neck of the corpse, opened the deceased’s eyes, and then pressed his finger against the corpse’s forehead.
The three corpses bore some resemblance; they were all adult and strong males.
Their expressions were somewhat twisted, suggesting they had died in great pain. Yet among the agony was a hint of strange amusement; a Gind coin rested on their lips. This was a tradition near the northern regions, wherein a certain deity of d*ath was said to favor wealth, and placing this coin on the lips served as a toll for them.
The wealthy would place a Gind; the common folk a Silver; and the impoverished would place a Copper.
Northern traditions believed the deceased’s soul was first taken by the deity of d*ath before it was determined whether they would belong to the realm of the deities or enter reincarnation in the River of Underworld.
The first receiver of the soul would certainly be the deity of d*ath. Their innate powers were very strong, and the God of d*ath System was one of the few to have once existed in the pantheon of deities with [Great Divine Power]. In ancient times, the deities of d*ath, the King of the Dead, the King of All Ends, and the Recorder of d*ath still existed in some corner of the River of Underworld.
They had once been rulers of the Underworld, although now they had retreated.
This immensely powerful ancient deity of d*ath was the only one who had once possessed great divine power and had not fallen.
They had existed for an unknowable amount of time, said to be waiting for the moment of all things’ end!
Awaiting the end of the universe, recording the final d*ath. Completing their final mission.
……………
Regarding the deity of [Great Divine Power] of a ruler level, they were also the only one with a clear measurable standard, as they personally separated their own power and bestowed the divine profession of d*ath unto three deities. This ancient deity of d*ath, considered the standard of great divine power, created three d*ath deities of [Strong Divine Power] from the scattered divine power while also stripping away the divine profession that enveloped the multiverse’s God of d*ath System.
How powerful was this ancient deity of d*ath?
Soren’s collected information was not very clear, the only thing he could ascertain was that a period of turmoil had also occurred in the past, although it only affected the celestial realm and did not reach down to the Abyss or Hell. The scope of the turmoil was quite small, concentrated in the material plane, and did not extend to the elemental deities or certain ancient deities. That was a small-scale turmoil period during which the three main deities of d*ath had teamed up to take on nearly half of the main deities of the higher planes. Although they ultimately failed, the consequences from that turmoil still have effects today.
The template of the Son of Slaughter was said to be a bloodline descendant of the God of Slaughter among the three d*ath Deities.
And not even a direct bloodline!
Much information has already been lost, especially after the rise of the Arcane Empire. There is a very long gap in time, with over three thousand years of blank records in the literature.
……………
There was a conspiracy theory that had been quite prevalent in Soren’s memory.
The destruction of the Arcane Empire coincided with the disappearance of Great Divine Power, and after the fall of the Arcane Empire, Great Divine Power had not appeared again. Some speculated that one of the deities of Great Divine Power had lost in this contest. The Arcane Empire had also been defeated, while the gods of the heavenly realm continued to exist.
Otherwise, there would be no explanation for why the Arcane Empire researched element annihilation materials and terrifying entities like neutron star golems!
Moreover, the previous small-scale turmoil was due to a deity of Great Divine Power forcibly taking divine professions from other celestial deities. Conspirators believed this was enough to provoke other deities into rebellion or even considerations to k*ll the deity with Great Divine Power. They also cited information indicating that the Arcane Empire had the capability to help k*ll the deity with Great Divine Power, as someone had been to the [Clockwork Nirvana Mechanical Mirror] (Challenge Level 25).
The conspirators also attempted to speculate the truth of this period of turmoil.
Unfortunately, no useful information surfaced, as this time, not only the celestial deities but also the ancient deities of the Abyss, Hell, and elemental planes all lost their divine power.
This time was clearly not something that could be handled by Great Divine Power, for no deity was spared!
The ancient god of d*ath, who had sacrificed most of their divine power, was said to have been cast down.
……………
Soren lifted the clothes off one of the corpses, an act that drew furious glares from the others and even some wanted to take action, as he continued to directly strip the deceased of their clothing.
Clang!
Soren drew his curved blade and pointed it at those who wanted to attack him, making them instinctively take a step back. He frowned as he examined the wounds on the corpse, which were covered with grotesque and horrifying injuries.
Soren’s expression darkened as he separated the mangled flesh with his finger, murmuring, “Snakehead Whip!?”
……………… (To be continued ~^~)
