Chapter 180 Ubiquitous Corrosion
In the camp outside Beifeng City, in the snow-covered forest, more than thirty caravans formed a circle, and the guards and employees of the Sokodo Chamber of Commerce were camped in the middle.
It has been a full day since their boss entered the camp at the foot of Beifeng Mountain.
In the past day, everyone's hearts were filled with anxiety and uneasiness.
In front of a fire somewhere in the camp, the guards sitting together were whispering.
"...I didn't dare to say it yesterday. Guess what I saw then? A demon! The kind with horns on its head and wings on its back!"
Everyone around took a breath and looked at each other, exchanging the shock and fear in their eyes.
"Devil?!"
h "Didn't the rumor say...that guy is a necromancer?! Why is it related to the devil?"
h "It's actually not surprising, the mine in Beifeng Mountain is a maze after all. One of the entrances... is just a relatively unpopular one. "
"You mean..."
"Yes, that guy's identity might be..."
The Demon King!
That title that only existed in legend shocked the hearts of everyone present.
Afraid of all the prestige in the rumors, they did not even dare to say that word.
After all, they are right under the devil's nose.
Looking up from here to the north, you can see beyond the layers of pine tips, and you can even vaguely see the cave on Beifeng Mountain!
They are afraid that if they speak louder, they will attract the attention of the person who cannot be named.
· Panic spreads quietly, and the increasingly outrageous rumors are often the best breeding ground for Chaos Corruption.
It’s a pity that there is no divine choice of the Fog of Deception, otherwise an army of mad whisperers could be drawn out from the spot.
Of course, this is just a joke.
Wanting to please Nowell cannot be achieved by spreading a few gossips, at least to the extent that the people of a city are in panic all day long.
Listening to the whispers in the camp, the leader of the caravan guard couldn't stand it anymore and couldn't help shouting.
"Shut up, you guys, can't you expect anything better? If that guy dies, will you pay me wages?"
As soon as he heard this, the people who were whispering suddenly fell silent, closed their mouths, and stopped talking.
Indeed.
If Sokoto dies, the entire chamber of commerce will basically be disbanded. The most they can do is divide the goods in the caravan. However, given their experience and eloquence in doing business, there is a question mark as to how much of the cost they can recover.
Most of the business organizations in the Lion Kingdom are so sloppy, but they are not sloppy in terms of money.
More than two hundred years ago, banks in the Kingdom of Lane were able to make cross-regional withdrawals throughout the territory, and since then, caravans doing domestic business rarely carry too much cash with them.
On the one hand, this can prevent thieves on the road from worrying about you, and on the other hand, it can also prevent moles.
If the caravan escorts cannot safely deliver the target they are escorting to the next town, then no one will get the money, and the past few months will be regarded as wasted.
It was precisely for this reason that he had opposed Sokoto's risk of contacting the settlement at the foot of the mountain from the beginning. However, it seemed too late to say this now, and he could only pray that his boss would come back safely.
Just at this moment, two figures riding horses came up from the snow in the distance.
The musketeer standing on sentry on the top of the caravan saw the two men walking from a distance. His face suddenly showed an expression of surprise, and he shouted towards the camp behind him.
"It's the boss!!"
The captain of the guard was slightly startled, and immediately walked towards the direction of the sound, climbed up the ladder and climbed to the roof of the caravan.
Sure enough!
One of them is his boss!
Just when he saw Suokeduo, the latter also saw him standing on the roof of the caravan.
After saying something polite to the man accompanying him, Sokoto dismounted and returned the rein in his hand to the man.
The man on the horse stepped on the stirrup without saying any unnecessary words, and led the other horse back towards the way he came.
Sokduo walked towards the camp, waving and shouting with a smile.
"It's me! Stan! Haha, the rumors are indeed true, it's such a great place there! We found a treasure!"
The excited expression was like discovering a new world.
Seeing that his boss was safe and sound, Stan, who was standing on the roof of the caravan, finally breathed a sigh of relief and shouted to the guards who were waiting behind him.
"Move the caravan!"
Several guards worked together to push the caravan that was surrounded like a wall open a crack.
Looking at the boss who stepped in through the gap, the guard captain named Stan asked immediately.
"What's going on there?"
He is not the only one concerned about this issue.
The surrounding guards were equally concerned, and they all looked at their leader curiously.
Sockedo grinned, but did not satisfy their curiosity. He just waved his hand and said.
"I won't be able to finish talking for a while, you will know when you go in with me later."
He believed that the shock brought by words was far less powerful than that brought by seeing it with his own eyes.
Instead of describing what they saw, it is better to let these guys see for themselves.
They will be able to see it soon anyway.
However, after hearing the boss's words, Stan and the guards around him were stunned for a moment.
"Let's... go in together?"
"That's right, I have obtained the right to do business locally!"
Socdo looked at his men with a proud expression and continued.
"The respected Lord Demon King said that as long as I pay taxes according to the rules and abide by local laws, I can do any business I want to do in Beifeng City without asking for his advice!"
"It's incredible, I have been doing business for so many years and this is the first time I have seen such generosity. Generous master! You don’t need to spend money to buy the operating rights! "
"I plan to open a food processing factory there, and the skeletons there told me that they have a way to keep the freshly baked bread from going bad for a whole year! If this is true, we can even sell the bread produced on the northeastern coast of the Whirlpool Sea to the North Sea coast!"
While Sokoto was chattering excitedly, the surrounding guards couldn't help but change their expressions, and the eyes looking at him gradually turned into horror.
"Wait... the Demon King?" Stan looked at him with a slightly changed expression. He had not heard the rest of what he was saying. He swallowed and said hurriedly, "That Necromancer...is it really the Demon King?"
"I know you may be surprised, or even think I'm crazy. In fact, I was just like you at the beginning...until I actually met that gentleman! I immediately understood why the refugees who came here from the Twilight Province trusted and even respected him so much!"
"But he is the Demon King..." Stan looked at his boss nervously and said in a trembling voice, "Do you know what you are talking about?" My feelings are actually no different from those of humans... In fact, he is more polite and speaks more appropriately than most of the lords I have seen!"
Sock's eyes were full of reverence, and his voice was even a little forgetful.
He even subconsciously forgot that he was standing on the land ruled by the Church of Saint Sith, and even subconsciously forgot his original belief.
Or perhaps, his belief was not that pious to begin with, but he had not realized this until now.
"...If that guy is the Demon King, there is nothing wrong with being ruled by the Demon King. At least I think those people are living a good life! Don't look at me like that, I am serious... As long as you have met him, you will know why I said this!"
Stan can no longer listen to these blasphemous words.
Saint Sis is above.
If it weren’t for the years of friendship and the fact that he still relied on this guy’s salary to support his family, he would definitely tie this guy up, twist him, and send him to a nearby church!
Hand on——
Maybe this is the right thing to do!
Stan suddenly thought of a possibility. His boss seemed to have become like this after meeting the devil!
"Maybe it's the charm technique!" A guard looked at him nervously, swallowed, and whispered, "I remember seeing little devils there... They are best at spiritual spells! By the way, since it is the territory of the Demon King, maybe there are succubi there..."
Succubi!
After hearing this word, everyone's expressions changed instantly, and the looks they looked at their boss became unusual.
"Listen, calm down first," looking at the boss who was talking endlessly, Stan reached out and held his shoulder, and continued in a serious voice, "I know this may be a little difficult for you to accept, but the way you are now...it seems like you have been under a charm spell."
Sockedo was stunned for a moment, then raised his eyebrows and said angrily.
"Charming?! Are you crazy?! You are simply insulting that adult! What reason does he have for doing this?"
"Who knows...how can I know what the devil is thinking? Maybe for money?" Stan avoided his eyes and couldn't really tell a suitable reason.
"If it's for money! He can obviously rob him! Our manpower is not enough for him to squeeze into his teeth!" Sokedo's face turned red with anger, and he shouted loudly, "And I have told you, he is human! He has no horns on his head, and he is a man!"
"I heard that demons with strong magic can hide their horns and tails, and... I heard that succubi are not all female, there are also males." Stan hesitated, then looked at the other guards beside him, and said in a choked voice, "What are you waiting for? Hurry up and get the rope!"
Everyone who was watching the excitement suddenly came to their senses, ran to the caravan on the side, and took out a hemp rope from it.
Looking at the people approaching him with ropes, Suokeduo suddenly panicked and shouted loudly while retreating.
"What are you going to do?! I am your boss, do you want to rebel?!"
"We don't mean that, we just want to help you, you will thank us... I'm offended!"
Stan put his hands on Sodok's arms to prevent him from escaping, and cooperated with his men to tie him up and throw him into the caravan.
Looking at the crowd closing the curtains of the caravan, Sockdo, who was tied up like an earthworm, shouted angrily.
“Let me go! You bunch of traitors! Let me go now. I can still pretend that nothing has happened! Otherwise, I’ll have some good fruit from you until we get to Thunder City!”
Stan turned over and mounted his horse, and then gave orders to everyone in the camp.
"Pack up our things and break camp, we have to go to a nearby town! We should find the priest there!"
A suppressed roar came from the caravan.
"I'm not sick! You crazy people!"
Ignoring the roar, Stan looked at the people who were stunned and didn't know what to do, and continued to shout.
"What are you waiting for! Why don't you pack your things quickly!"
Seeing what the guard captain said, everyone finally stopped hesitating and extinguished the fire on the ground, picked up the things back to the caravan, and drove the packhorse to the south of the Silver Pine Forest along the way they came. ……
…
“…Dear Mr. Pastor, how is the situation of our boss? Is he feeling better?”
In the church of Silver Pine Town, a dark group of people stood in front of the statue of Saint Sis.
Looking at the priest who was using the Holy Light spell, Stan nervously asked about the results of the treatment.
After leaving Silver Pine Forest, he immediately brought his boss here.
turned off the Hades flashlight in his hand, and the expressionless Father Matt was silent for a long time, then sighed slowly and said.
"Your boss is fine to begin with...and you have also seen that there is no evil breath coming out of his body."
Everyone was stunned when they heard this, whispering and exchanging expressions of disbelief on their faces.
Not contaminated by evil energy?
How is this possible!
Stan was also unable to believe it. However, facing the priest with a cross hanging on his chest, he instinctively could not question the gleaming authority.
Especially under the gaze of Saint Sis, he never thought that the priest in front of him might lie to him.
It’s just that he still can’t get around the hurdle in his heart. He always feels that this is wrong.
"But..."
Looking at the lost lamb in front of him, Father Matt spoke slowly in a gentle tone.
"It is true that hell is the enemy of the church, including those demons who have fallen by themselves. These are all written in the "Book of Holy Words". However, the "Book of Holy Words" does not define the identity of the Demon King. Many people will subconsciously think that the Demon King is the enemy of Saint Sith, but in fact Saint Sith has not said this."
The moment he finished speaking, everyone cast a surprised look at him.
Including Suokeduo, who was lying in front of the statue, he opened his mouth wide in surprise, as if he could fit a fist into it.
The Book of Holy Words does not define the identity of the devil?
Real or false?
He had read the scripture completely, and vaguely remembered that the word devil was not mentioned at all.
But even if it is not mentioned, it is normal.
After all, at the time when "The Book of Holy Words" was written, the Os Empire had just driven the old tribe of Hades to the underground world. The biggest role of the entire book was to label the latter as a demon and to strengthen its own legitimacy. As for the forces of hell taking advantage of this to launch counterattacks on the surface, that was something that happened later.
It is precisely because of this that Father Matt did not lie, it could only be regarded as sophistry at best.
But even if he is sophistry, no one can expose him.
Socdo had at least read the original text of the "Book of Holy Words", and the caravan guards he hired couldn't even spell a few words, let alone have their own opinions. All the knowledge about Saint Sith came from the mouths of the priests.
Looking at the people who were stunned in place, Father Matt continued in a gentle voice.
"The Demon King is the lord of the labyrinth, or a secular identity, just like the lord who rules Silverpine Town...that's all."
"But most of the time, these labyrinths are in the hands of Hell and ruled by demons, so we would think that the Demon King is as evil as the demons."
"But what's the difference?" Stan couldn't help but asked, "I'm sorry, I didn't question your meaning... It's just that according to your own statement, the labyrinths are ruled by demons. Doesn't that just mean that the devil is our enemy?" The demon king who once ruled the labyrinth under our feet did bring serious disasters to Thunder County, but that demon is dead. The ones who rule there now are not demons, but humans like us. "
"But...does this alone prove that he is good?" Stan still couldn't accept this statement, but there was obvious struggle in his eyes.
What if Mr. Sokoto was not bewitched by extraordinary powers, but made a judgment based on his own experience and experience?
With that gentleman’s intelligence and foresight, he would not be deceived by a few sweet words.
If that's the case, the person who made the mistake might be himself...
Looking at the guards in front of him who were beginning to waver, Father Matt continued in a gentle tone.
"Of course, just relying on his human identity cannot prove that he is a good person, but we can no longer assume that he is evil, can we? If I were you, I would use my eyes and ears to confirm, rather than rely on subjective intuitive judgment."
"What's more, as stated in the Book of Holy Words, we can accept demons who return to the embrace of the Holy Light. Even if they have committed unforgivable sins, they only need to undergo the baptism of Holy Light and Holy Water to wash away the sins in their souls to obtain the forgiveness of Saint Sith, and ascend their souls to heaven and escape the reincarnation of hell."
… ...Since we can accept demons who embrace the light, why can't we accept a human being like us? Obviously this is a kind of prejudice, and this is what we who serve the gods should avoid."
"Sir, please forgive my sin." Stan, who was completely awakened, made a confession to the statue.
In fact, he still vaguely felt that something was wrong, but he couldn't tell what was wrong.
With the awe rising in his heart, he quickly suppressed it as anger in his heart.
The same goes for other guards.
No one dares to doubt the correctness of the priest. At least here, the priest in front of them has irrefutable right to interpret the Bible.
Humistically, after listening to Father Matt's explanation, Sockdo, who was lying in front of the statue, had a strange expression on his face.
I didn’t say that the demon king was a human being, so how did the priest know?
Has he seen it before?
It can't be...
After all, this is the church of Saint Sis.
It would be terrible if the devil's power penetrated even here...