"The feast for carving up power, the post-war revelry of feeding the dogs — has it already begun?"
After leaving the Marquis's estate,
In truth, after the fall of Silvermoon City, the chaos in the Northern Lands could already be considered over.
Relying on its powerful defensive formations and a great many powerhouses, Silvermoon City had inflicted heavy casualties on the orc army — even the orc emperor Saladin had been gravely wounded and fallen into a coma. It was said that only a divine avatar's descent had saved his life.
Now, having devoured Silvermoon City and its surrounding lands, the orc army no longer had the strength to press further south.
Moreover, through a baptism of blood and fire, the embryo of a unified orc empire was slowly rising from the ruins of Silvermoon City — a far more important development than any external conquest.
If this succeeded, it would be an enormous boon for Gnush and the orc gods.
After all, it was the racial god of all orcs!
"From the gods' perspective, the human deities would never permit the orcs to keep advancing south…"
Leylin sat in his carriage, his eyes dark and unfathomable.
"The
Leylin was genuinely surprised by the Weave Goddess's restraint. She had been willing to abandon both her nominal daughter and Silvermoon City — the pressure she was under must have been immense.
"All in all, the orcs seized an excellent opportunity this time. What they've swallowed won't be easy to spit back out. But they also lack the strength to stir up any more trouble…"
Leylin seized upon this point with keen insight.
Yet in the world of the gods, those who could truly see this for what it were far too few.
Because the gods were exalted and inscrutable! After tens of thousands of years of tireless praise from the churches, ordinary people had long since come to regard those gods as true saints — beings beyond sorrow or joy, beyond grief or pleasure — ignoring the fact that they were merely powerful mortals who shared the very same essence of emotion!
In fact, to a certain degree, the gods' emotional volatility could be even more extreme than that of mortals!
"Rather than failing to see it, it was more that they… dared not!"
Leylin gave a cold laugh. "Blind, excessive propaganda that eventually fools even the ones spouting it — it's not like I haven't seen it before…"
This was the atmosphere of the greater environment, the limitations of the era itself!
If Leylin hadn't been a transmigrator all along, with experience from the
Not everyone dared to tear through the facade and look down on the gods from a position of superiority.
The sin of blasphemy, along with the terror of the stake, had long since become invisible shackles in the hearts of the natives of this world of gods.
And the few who awakened… once they saw the truth, they were powerless to change anything — only sinking deeper into despair and madness…
"Master!"
At that moment, a dim layer of light instantly enveloped the entire carriage, and a soundproofing barrier materialized directly.
A slender figure leaped out of the carriage and bowed respectfully to Leylin.
Leylin certainly couldn't have single-handedly built such a vast intelligence network from nothing in such a short time, but having Beilu Sebapu's selfless support made all the difference.
Over these past few years, Leylin had brought all of the
In many religious inquisitions, the name Kukulcan had already made it onto the blackest of wanted lists.
"Has it been confirmed?"
Leylin flicked a fingernail, producing a crisp snap.
"Yes… The human kingdoms to the south have already passed a secret agreement to support the separation of territories like the York Duchy and other northern lords! As for Marquis Lancelot's backer, it appears to be the Temple of Wealth — but in reality, he too has ties to the devils…"
Having ties to devils didn't necessarily mean worshipping them, nor did it mean being one of Beilu Sebapu's subordinates.
In truth, the other Devil Grand Dukes had been doing just as well in the Prime Material Plane. When Leylin had been absorbing these factions, he'd encountered cultists devoted to other devils as well.
After all, for the other Devil Grand Dukes, the followers who had lost Beilu Sebapu's protection were equally attractive prey.
"Although they were very secretive, our people still managed to detect it…"
There was a note of pride in the slender figure's voice, but Leylin felt no particular joy. After all, for devils to discover other devils, it was always a bit easier than for anyone else.
"Do you know which devil it is?" Leylin asked flatly.
"Grand Duke
"
The world of the gods possessed a vast dimensional universe. At its outermost boundary lay the terrifying Crystal Wall System, which stubbornly rejected all forms of interaction.
Within the Crystal Wall System, the Prime Material World served as the foundation of everything, with immense dimensional spaces existing above and below it — spaces that were in fact far vaster in scope.
If one likened the world of the gods to a pie, then the Prime Material World was undoubtedly the filling: above lay the kingdoms of the gods, while below stretched the endless Abyss and the Nine Hells.
Surrounding this pie were countless demiplanes, numerous as sesame seeds.
While the specifics at any given level might contain minor inaccuracies, the general picture was more or less correct.
The Prime Material Plane was not only the hub connecting the myriad demiplanes and dimensions, but also the primary source of faith and souls. As such, it drew the avarice of gods, devils, and demons alike, and wars fought over control of this realm had occurred more times than anyone could count.
The Nine Hells and the Abyss had once been a single entity, but had split apart due to some unknown cause.
Devils and demons had since become mortal enemies, with large-scale campaigns known as the Blood War erupting from time to time.
The Nine Hells comprised a total of nine layers. However, because the devils adhered to order, they frequently held the advantage in the Blood War.
The devil grand duke who had the misfortune of crossing paths with Leylin —
"The first layer of Hell is a public domain, home to numerous archdevils who aspire to seize control, as well as humans and other species that manage to survive. The second layer was Beelzebub's territory, though it has now become masterless. And the third layer belongs to Mammon…"
Leylin's mind instantly drew upon intelligence regarding the Nine Hells — a debt he owed to Beelzebub's generous contributions from before.
"Greed, is it?"
Leylin murmured thoughtfully. As the devils best skilled at manipulating hearts, the rule-based powers wielded by those grand duke devils tended to lean toward emotional domains.
"Forget it! We won't make any moves for now." Leylin shook his head. "Is there anything else?"
"Hee hee… Master! On my way here, I charmed yet another believer. She came to me begging for help to preserve her noble status, and I've already agreed to her request…"
Linglong's voice shifted to a sudden, delicate softness, like a little girl pouting to get her way.
"Save that act for someone else," Leylin warned mildly. A dark gleam flickered through his eyes, and the figure before him immediately began to tremble.
"Your subordinate... Your subordinate wouldn't dare!"
"A noble title? Who is she?" After reprimanding the figure, Leylin still asked with evident interest.
"Miss Mella of the Sharp family! Her father and brothers were all killed by bandits, and her territory has drawn the covetous eyes of her other relatives. If she cannot secure powerful support, I'm afraid her fate will be to waste away in a convent until she dies of old age..."
"As far as I know, she will also be appearing at the banquet hosted by Marquis Lancelot!" the shimmering silhouette added.
"A marriage arrangement? The format may be thoroughly cliché, but I have to admit it's a practical solution!" Leylin nodded.
Even among thieves dividing loot, one had to maintain appearances. Directly elevating a commoner to nobility was far too difficult and met with far too much resistance.
But through the avenue of marriage, not only was the process far simpler and more convenient, but the established noble families would also find it far more palatable.
Noble houses where the entire direct line had been wiped out, leaving only a daughter behind — those were precisely the targets that drew the hungry eyes of every wolf in the realm.
"A rather clever woman, then. What are her demands? What can she offer?"
Leylin asked calmly.
"The Sharp family holds the title of Viscount, and their territory happens to be located in the northern part of the York region. She is willing to accept a man we designate as her husband and chief administrator of the territory, but the noble title must be inherited through her bloodline in the future..."
"Not especially unreasonable conditions. Once I've met her in person, agree to the arrangement..."
Leylin nodded.
"However, given my current standing, marrying her would draw far too much attention. Acquiring a viscount's title while my father is still only a baron would be rather awkward... More importantly, I cannot remain in the North for an extended period..."
Leylin then fell into deep thought.
"It seems the better course is to find a husband for Miss Mella from among my subordinates. Tifa would be quite suitable. Appearance and age are both things that can be changed — and it would serve as a convenient opportunity to give him an entirely new identity..."
Leylin decided the noble lady's fate with casual ease.
Such was the cruelty of the world. Had Leylin not taken charge, her end would likely have been far more wretched.
"As for those subordinates, they'll need to be settled and rewarded as well..."
Leylin understood perfectly well why these people followed him — they believed he could bring them wealth and status!
Such loyalty, after all, was built upon this very foundation.
More often than not, what those below truly sought was simply for their superiors to eat the meat while they drank the soup.
It was precisely because of such people that Leylin was able to barely participate in this robber's feast and claim a share for himself.