Light's Dawn of Azeroth

Chapter 768, Section 46. Holy crap! What does divine right of kings mean?

Azshara finally got what she desired.

The proud queen left Elsiea contentedly, carrying with her a spell.

Of course, this incantation cannot be used now. The Titans can summon the Pantheon because they have the status of true gods, but Azshara is only a lesser god. Therefore, she needs to make sufficient preparations before she can open the gate to the Pantheon.

She obtained this arcane treasure with a mere guess, and the queen clearly lied.

She said she would hand Aman'Thul over to the Titans for interrogation, but she wouldn't do that, or rather, Azshara wouldn't let that devil Aman'Thul off so easily before he revealed the secrets about "Arcane Zare".

The Queen herself visited Zaremotis.

She knew the immense power that existed within the Sacred Grounds of Arcanite. Although Diakum was watching and would never allow her to use the power to reshape reality, even without using that power, the knowledge that could be found in Arcanite was enough to open a path for Azshara to the "Arcane God."

A life of such extraordinary talent as hers would never allow herself to be confined to the realm of lesser gods.

Moreover, after learning of the existence of the Firstborn, even the rank of "True God" was not enough for Azshara. After all, there are gods above True Gods. How could the proud queen allow herself, who clearly had the potential to reach the top, to be pitifully relegated to the "second tier"?

She would never allow her fate to be controlled by a bunch of ignorant, incompetent, and utterly clueless scoundrels!

However, it's too far off to talk about these things right now.

The Queen has lofty ideals, but that doesn't stop her from fulfilling her desires in a down-to-earth manner. The frustration she suffered from her unrealistic ambitions ten thousand years ago was too intense, like a scar that will forever remain in her heart. Every time she looks at it directly, it is enough to teach Azshara to walk the path of power steadily.

For example, her best role model was Diakum, the "former advisor" who had been dismissed from the court.

The Queen had no intention of intervening in the Eredar's dismantling of the Unified Field of All Things.

She has a lot to do right now, so after paying her respects to the World Mother at the World Temple, the Queen returned to her palace in Dazar'alor to prepare for opening the Pantheon ruins and to quickly consolidate the resources at hand.

Her empire is now a complete mess, with conflicts between different ethnic groups making the queen feel like she's sitting on a volcano. No competent ruler would allow his country to be in such chaos.

The Queen is not a weak politician who would choose the same appeasement approach as King Rastakhan; she has sufficient prestige and skill.

Therefore, Azshara decided to address the issue at its source.

"Bunsandy, come to me!"

The Queen sat on the ancient and solemn golden throne, casually setting aside her magnificent crown, and toying with the Scepter of All Souls in her hands, stroking the patterns sculpted by the Grim Reaper on the scepter, and calling out the name of Bwonsamdi.

The troll Grim Reaper soon appeared amidst the chilling wind.

It was incredibly busy. The demon war had caused heavy casualties among the trolls, and as the god of death of its race, it had to quickly send those souls to its own otherworld and then send some of them into the cycle of life and death so that the empire could usher in a period of prosperity with a "baby boom."

Despite Bwonsamdi's unreliability, he's done a great job as the Grim Reaper, which is one of the reasons why the Troll Empire has been able to prosper despite suffering inexplicable disasters in every era.

This is the duty of the race's Grim Reaper.

They are responsible for maintaining the life-and-death cycle of their own species, which is essentially equivalent to taking on the dual responsibilities of "death god" and "goddess of mercy". The great cycle of life and death can only operate more smoothly under the impetus of these death gods.

Right now, Bwonsamdi is still in that wretched and miserable state. It appears in the Queen's palace and looks up to see Azshara sitting on the throne, and the Holy Spirit Razan lying and resting around the throne.

This scene is as if the Holy Spirit of the World has become one of the cornerstones of the Queen's royal power.

You know what, being surrounded by such a massive Holy Light Demon Dragon as Rezan made Azshara appear incredibly majestic.

She looked down at Bonsandi and said with great dissatisfaction:

Why are you still the same as before?

"what?"

Bwonsamdi scratched his head, unsure what Azshara meant, but the next second, the Queen said to him:

“Go and groom your appearance, and mold yourself into the form of Haraniel! You are not just the grim reaper of those fanged elves, Bwonsamdi, you need to recognize your current identity!”
You are still the Grim Reaper of Shadore, the Grim Reaper of Rondorei, the Grim Reaper of the Deep Sea Naga, and the Grim Reaper of the Fel Elves.
You are the Grim Reaper of the Empire, how can you only use the appearance of this fanged elf?

How will other races view you?
If you cannot get other elven races to accept your existence, and if you cannot get the people of the empire to accept that they will be guided by the same Grim Reaper after death, how can this Queen's empire build a foundation of unity?

Citizens of the Empire should go to the same Heaven after they die. So, you need to change not only your face, but also your unfortunate afterlife!
The fanged elves there are too much like your queen!

Complete the reconstruction as soon as possible.

It should be built to Suramar's standards, including temples that conform to the style of the Fanged Elves, but the aesthetic sensibilities of other elves must be taken into account.

"Oh dear, Your Majesty, it's really not that old Bonsandi didn't try hard enough."

Death, with a bitter expression, spread his hands and said:
“Unlike you, the great one, old Bwonsamdi was a nobody in the Shadowlands. My Otherworld was built by me in secret, right under the nose of the Queen of Winter. You have no idea how humiliating it was for me to personally set up the ashes and have to endure the ridicule of those fairies.”

But the truth is, the Shadowlands are a place where even farting has rules, and such a massive undertaking couldn't be completed in a short time.

You'd better finish this as soon as possible!

Azshara said in a cold tone:
"Otherwise, the portion of Mu'ezara's heart energy in your arms will be given to a more capable Grim Reaper by your queen. You know, I don't actually have just one choice."

Tosedrin is also a dead man, and he was more loyal than you. With your queen's personal recommendation, I think the Lord of War and the Queen of Winter will give me some face.

Only those who sacrifice themselves for the benefit of the empire are worthy of the faith and sustenance of the entire empire!

"If you do not intend to serve your Queen and your Imperial subjects, then, Bwonsamdi, I advise you to submit your resignation as soon as possible. Let's part ways amicably, and save your Queen the trouble of waging a war of annihilation against the disobedient in the Shadowlands."

The Queen stood up and stepped down from her throne.

As Rezan, who was curled up and fast asleep around the throne, suddenly opened his eyes, Azshara walked up to the trembling Bwonsamdi.

The Queen reached out and placed her hand on Bumsandhi's shoulder, and she whispered:

“I know you’re used to bargaining with King Rastakhan, and you think that’s the best way for you, but now the regime has changed, Bwonsamdi.”

Your queen dislikes subordinates haggling with her, especially when it comes to matters of imperial interest.

If you are unwilling to serve the Empire, your Queen has plenty of alternatives. So please recognize your place, my dear Imperial Grim Reaper. It is the Empire that sustains you, not you who upholds this country.

Six months!
Within six months, I want to see all the ethnic groups of the Empire begin to accept you as the Grim Reaper representing the Queen's authority in the Shadowlands, no matter what methods you use.

If you can't even do this, then I really need to consider replacing you.

"That's not fair!"

Bumsandi panicked.

It knew that Azshara had many "connections" in the Shadowlands, and that the Queen's threat to replace it, the Grim Reaper, was not just a threat, but something she could actually do.

It screamed:

"To gain the approval of so many ethnic groups, I would need the power to guide the dead from different ethnic groups at the same time, but I simply cannot do that now! Old Bungsandi still needs time to digest Mu'ezara's mental energy!"
That's a major event concerning my advancement in the Shadowlands.

Your Majesty, you personally witnessed the collapse of Mandate of Heaven, and you know very well that the Shadowlands are about to undergo a major reshuffle.

The Lord of War and the Queen of Winter will naturally stand at the top of the Death camp, but new Death Lesser Gods will also be born below them. However, the power of the Force is always limited. The result of infinite subdivision is that group of useless Lesser Gods of the Sea of ​​No Light, none of whom can even defeat the demigod Diakum.

The Lord of War will not allow the Shadow Kingdom to fall to such a wretched state.

So this time, the number of top-tier gods is decreasing.

As far as I know, Revendreth has already decided to have a Stonesmith compete for the spot. He has the triple support of Prince Rethonaar, the Queen of Winter, and Lady Elune, making him a sure-fire "connections dog".

Kyrian is also gathering the power of the Eternals' remains to elevate a lesser god, and the Maw will certainly have a lesser god overseeing Purgatory. All things considered, I'm left with at most two opportunities.

If I can't digest Mu'ezara's anima in the short term, I have no chance of competing with those slashing kings of Maldraxxus. Your Majesty, I am willing to serve the Empire, but only if my own interests are not harmed.
"Your wisdom shines brightly across vast distances; you can't expect me to spend my own money to serve your empire, can you?"

"Hahaha"

The World Holy Spirit Razan let out a low laugh.

It had never seen Bwonsamdi fall into such a wretched state. Sure enough, the wicked need the wicked to deal with. Queen Azshara's arrival meant that the first person she would deal with was this slippery fellow Bwonsamdi.

Should!
We've been letting you get away with taking advantage of others and behaving like a scoundrel. Now you've met your match. Let's see how you get through this.
Faced with Bwonsamdi's mournful cries, Queen Azshara revealed a knowing smile. She snorted, circled Bwonsamdi once, and said:
“You are a Loa, and you need a lot of faith power to digest Muezara’s lesser divine energy. If you want to advance in a short time, you need even more faith, but it’s not impossible.”

For example, your queen might bestow upon you the title of 'Guardian Spirit of the Nation,' and order numerous ethnic groups within the empire to build temples and shrines in your honor, to worship and pray for your blessings.

"No!"

Bonsandi raised an eyebrow.

It finally knew what Azshara was up to.

The Queen may seem to be helping, but in reality, she is putting shackles on it.

The reason is simple: the Queen can use her royal power to bestow honors upon it, and she can also use the same royal power to bring it down to the dust overnight.

The underworld can be built and demolished just as easily. If Bumsandy uses the name of the Holy Spirit of the Nation to seize the power of faith to help itself advance, it means that it will have to completely hand over its foundation to the Queen.

The power of faith is a wondrous thing. Devout believers give far more power of faith than lay believers. Therefore, believers are the private domain of every Loa.

Bumsandhi was confident in winning over a large number of followers, which was the source of its previous ability to negotiate with King Rastakhan.

But this tactic was useless against Azshara. No matter how devout the elves were to the Grim Reaper, they would not hesitate to abandon their worship of Bwonsamdi once they were given the Queen's command.

Do you really think the Queen's unsolvable "elf affinity" is just for show?

Before becoming followers of Bwonsamdi, the people of the Empire were already Azshara's "lapdogs." Bwonsamdi and the other Loa were merely part of the "admiration play" between the lapdogs and the Queen.

In other words, the Queen's decree was nothing more than issuing "the master's command" to order the elves to offer their faith to a certain Loa.

"That's not possible."

Bumsandy screamed:

"There is only the tradition of 'divine right of kings' in this world, how can there be any logic in 'divine right of kings'? You are digging up the roots of all Loas!"

"Yes, I really do that."

The existence of the Loa is a major reason why the empire cannot be united. Only when you high and mighty gods respectfully worship your queen can the Zandalari Empire truly be unified under one person's hand.

As I just said, it is the Empire that sustains you, not you who support the Empire! The Loas must return to their rightful place under the Queen's order.

Sovereign power must be above divine authority!

Azshara tossed her long hair and looked at Bwonsamdi with captivating charm.

She asked in a light tone:

"So, you think your queen doesn't have the right to do this?"

Bumsandy swallowed hard.

It glanced at Rezan, who was watching the commotion, but the Holy Spirit of the World closed its eyes at that moment and continued to sleep soundly.

Rezan was appointed World Holy Spirit by the World Mother. He no longer relies on the power of faith to maintain his authority. His power is entrusted to the protection of the World Mother's great power. Even if the Empire is destroyed, Rezan will still exist.

It is even close to transcending the concept of "Loa" and becoming a true immortal spirit.

So, you Loas are on your own to decide what to do.

We, Lezan, are really not familiar with you guys.

Bumsandy was sweating profusely.

It knew that if it answered incorrectly, it would not be able to leave this door today. The demonic sword in the Queen's hand came from the Shadow Kingdom, and slaying spirits was Remonia's specialty.

You can't do that.

Bumsandi pleaded:

"Your successful ascension to the throne was thanks to old Bonsandi's desperate efforts to protect you. Ron's greatest contribution was saving you."

"Yes, your Queen remembers what you have done for me, therefore, your Queen will give you this precious right to choose."

Azshara said:

"I didn't tell you that disobedience means death. You can break away from the Imperial edict system and return to the Shadowlands with Mu'ezara's heart."

"You're not really so naive as to think your queen would give that choice to other Loas, are you?"

"buzz"

Old Gani jumped out from the smoke.

Under Bumsandi's twitching gaze, old Gani, now dressed in a "court clown" uniform and wearing a clown hat with bells on his head, hopped over to the Queen's side, bowed his head, and respectfully reported:
"Your Majesty, the traitorous Loa 'Shadra' has been personally slain by your royal general. By your decree, Shadra's magic essence has been distributed to several Loa priests whom you have appointed as court envoys."

In addition, the whereabouts of Hakkar the Soulflayer, a rebellious Loa who defied the king's rule, have also been discovered on a planet in the material world!
Hawkeye Hunter Hun Highmountain has accepted your bounty and has set off on a hunt with a elite team of Abyssal Oathsworn. Soon, the magic essence of Hakkar will be returned to you.

Furthermore, Malak, the leader of the Drakkari elf clan of Northrend, was slain by your loyal Loa in the palace of Gundrak for secretly plotting a shameful rebellion.

At this point, amidst the jingling of the clown hat's bells, old Gani frantically winked at the trembling Bonsandi.

You are fucking crazy!
The Queen gave you a choice, and you actually dared to take it? Are you out of your mind? In just a few days, at least ten Loas have died fighting against the Queen.

Hurry up and lower your head, you idiot!

When it comes to maintaining royal power, Azshara won't show you any mercy.

"Ugh."

Bumsandi finally sighed.

It sadly warned itself that it must never tell "elf jokes" again.

Under Azshara's gentle gaze, the old troll lowered his head and knelt before the queen, saying in a hoarse voice:
"The Empire has patronized me, Your Majesty. Old Bwonsamdi is willing to become the Empire's 'Guardian Spirit' and to proclaim your authority in the Shadowlands. Please."
Please issue an imperial edict.

"Rise, my dear minister. In this chaotic era, it is hard to find a subject as sensible as you."

Azshara waved and said:

"Then, the Zandalari Empire will soon have a second 'lesser god,' a blessing upon our empire's prosperity, and your queen is very pleased with this. Step down, I am tired."

"Yes, Your Majesty."

(End of this chapter)