The bard fantasized again.

Chapter 227 Dragging Them Onto the Pirate Ship (4k)

For the beastmen who have lost their sense of belonging and identity, this village has value.

Destined to be unacceptable to normal people, they can only survive in the cracks of society.

Even if such a sanctuary, bearing loneliness and curses, is hidden deep in the mountains and forests, it is enough to become a haven to soothe their souls.

Therefore, Tang Qi never thought there was anything wrong with bringing these outcasts together.

But 'lies are like layers of parchment covering a fire'; perhaps a thick enough roll of paper can conceal it for a while, but sooner or later it will turn to ashes.

Especially given that they could have gotten rid of all of this in the first place—

"I started out with the intention of lifting the curse for you. But when he realized what I had done, he ordered my arrest. I had no choice but to use [Leomon's Hut] to protect myself—"

Few can break through that force field wall. As long as I have enough food, I can hold out against you for a whole year.

Arthur pointed to Kane, who was being 'judged' by Fide and Dawn by the campfire, and sighed to the beastmen around him.

The brown bear had already drooped its ears, looking resigned to its fate.

He didn't want these people to leave from the bottom of his heart.

After all, this was a 'home' that had taken ten years to build, and it had finally gotten on the right track... He knew everyone's name and considered everyone as family.

But the moment the lie is exposed, the truth is already irreversible.

"So, I can go home now? Back to Rek'zk village?"

Eric didn't leave home very early.

Five years ago, the village was attacked by werewolves. He built a wooden house not far away and looked back at his former life.

He never really identified with his beastman identity.

Not everyone enjoys battling a wild beast in their mind every day. If possible, he would rather spend that time in a rocking chair in the sun, lying there and enjoying life to the fullest.

Most importantly, he also wanted to be a normal person and marry a normal girl.

The Lukes next door were a tiger-man couple. Every night, as their passion was about to end, they could not suppress their primal desires and would transform into tigers, roaring and howling in the night with voices so loud they almost pierced his eardrums.

Wanting to get some fresh air, I soon heard the sounds of two brown bears, Fid and Kane, fighting, making a noise that almost blew the roof off...

He hoped that his future wife wouldn't suddenly transform into a werewolf in the middle of an intimate moment, going mad and tearing his shoulder with her hideous teeth.

All of this requires him to shed his beastman identity.

"Yes, you can return to your normal life."

Arthur raised the holy emblem, walked to Eric's side, and recited a prayer.

"This is not a burden you should bear; it is a disturbance that deviates from tranquility."

May the twilight flow from the fingertips of a loving father, transforming into a silver comb.

Unravel the threads of the curse, and harmony will be brought forth.

A bright light flowed through Eric's body, but as he maintained his human form, he couldn't sense anything unusual for the time being.
"that's it?"

"You can give it a try."

"Um……"

Eric clenched his fists, recalling the method he had used to transform into a wolf—

That was a trick that was naturally learned over a long period of time after being cursed and realizing that the soul of a beast was hidden in one's body.

For him, it was as simple as breathing.

This time, however, no matter how much his veins bulged and his face turned red, he could not summon the soul of the beast again.

"I...I'm really okay!?"

He cheered and hugged Arthur tightly.
"When I get married, I will definitely ask you to be our witness!"

"I'd be happy to help if I don't have any other duties at the time."

Arthur breathed a sigh of relief, feeling the warmth of his loving father seeping into his heart, sweeping away the turmoil he had felt in the castle, and his oppressive chest felt open—helping others brought him joy.

He then looked at the others:

"I can cast two third-circle spells a day, and there's one spot left today. Who wants to go first?"

He thought people would rush to line up before him, eager to be freed from the curse.

The truth is quite the opposite.

"..."

After a brief silence, Arthur couldn't help but ask:

"What are you worried about? Kane has been restrained. As long as you want to return to human society, no one can stop you."

"But I've been away from home for ten years... I don't know where my relatives have scattered to. Where can I go back to?"

For humans, ten years is ultimately a rather long time.

If you've been away for too long, it takes even more courage to stop and turn back.

But not everyone has that courage.

"The removal of the curse means I'll become a normal person again, right? No, I don't want to live that kind of life."

The curse brought them torment, but it also granted them superhuman strength.

With their bestial wildness, powerful self-healing, and strong physique, not everyone is willing to give up the benefits of the curse and escape from the ordinary when they enjoy them.

"Can you really lift the curse on my child? How can I bear to abandon him and go back to my old life?"

Like Ambi—

The offspring of beastmen have a chance of inheriting the curse.

For those born with bestial natures, perhaps only the ninth-ring [Prayer Spell] can help them erase their bestial instincts.

As for ninth-circle spells, they even possess the power to stop time and alter reality...

Even the archmages of the Wizard Tower had never heard of possessing this ability.

Arthur, of course, couldn't do it either.

He could only shake his head, looking at the diverse faces before him, wanting to stubbornly say something:
"Your animalistic instincts will erode your reason. You...you should return to the embrace of civilization and enjoy a time of peace..."

"Will I be able to rest once I return to human society? I work as a dockworker in Longjin City, and the money I earn after a hard day's work is only enough to rent a dilapidated house in Shenjing District."

The monster from the well surged up, and everything was ruined. With no compensation, no savings, I simply couldn't find peace in that place.

Not everyone misses their past life.

Tang Qi patted Arthur on the shoulder.

Many people are still hesitant, after all, no one can promise that they will have a better life if they leave this village.

So let's give them some time to think it over...

They can choose to go back, stay here, or move to another place to live.

Have the right to say no to every choice, even if it's for your own good.

This is true freedom.

Tang Qi couldn't see his face hidden beneath his helmet, but his silence revealed the turmoil in his heart.

Perhaps for this priest who has just stepped out of the holy city's gates, this complexity and powerlessness is a journey he was destined to experience.

He tried to help these cursed people.

However, he discovered that not everyone needed his help.

The twilight emanating from the emblem dimmed as he hesitated.

The fog before my eyes seemed to blur the boundary between light and darkness.

Only a faint yet complex shade of gray remained.

"Did I do something wrong?" he suddenly murmured.

"Of course not. You helped those who needed help, like Eric. How can that be considered wrong?"

Tang Qi tried to comfort him, but failed to catch any response from Arthur.

Is it...

Was that not what he was talking about?

With a touch of curiosity, he didn't ask anything in this situation, but instead looked at Fied:
“Go and count how many people want to leave, and send over the promised food along with them—I believe Eric is not an isolated case.”

Even if some food is shared after the village's population decreases, your supplies will not be in short supply.

Tang Qi did not harbor the lofty goal of sowing the seeds of freedom in every piece of soil.

Making the beastmen realize the truth was largely a decision driven by self-interest, aimed at satisfying the needs of both sides as much as possible.

One thing at a time, even if he gets along well with Fied, he won't forget that 'food' is his fundamental need.

Even the bewildered Arthur had already figured out how to 'use' him:

"While you have this time, help me compile a set of doctrines."

"What are you making up?" Arthur was startled.

"doctrine."

Tang Qi pointed to Arthur's holy emblem,

“You are a missionary, and no one knows better than you how to convince people—although I was the prophet to those orcs, I can’t lead them all the time, ordering them one by one what they should and shouldn’t do.”

Therefore, I need a set of doctrines that will enable them to act spontaneously around these beliefs and even spread them.

"This is blasphemy!"

"No, this is precisely following the will of the gods."

Tang Qi waved his finger at him.
"Think about it carefully, what is the main reason why the vast majority of people in this world cannot get a good night's sleep? Why do they suffer from insomnia?"

"Because they haven't yet received the twilight's embrace."

"They are wrong because they are worried about their own situation."

"..."

Tang Qi pointed to the mist behind him, where the faint calls of orcs could still be heard, and then pointed to Fide:

"Think about it carefully. Why do homeless children like Fied have no fixed abode? Why do they eventually need to rely on someone like Kane to get the sense of belonging they want?"
How many more pitiful people like her are there, both inside and outside the Great Wall in the south?
Why is all this happening?

"Orcs?" Arthur asked hesitantly.

"That's right! It is their constant venting of violent desires and their attempt to conquer everything within the Great Wall that has plunged the entire continent into endless panic."

What this doctrine aims to do is to channel their violence into the community, thereby dividing them—

By utilizing a new faith, the orcs were unified during the civil war, thereby reducing the pressure on the lord alliance.

If this project succeeds, it will alleviate the survival pressures of many people along the Southern Great Wall, not just for the whole world, but at least allow them to sleep peacefully...

Trust me, your loving Father will see you as His dearest son.

As Tang Qi spoke, he drew the Twilight emblem on his chest.

But Arthur wasn't stupid either:

"If the orcs' faith were so easily swayed, their holy city would have done so long ago..."

"That's because there haven't been any other people of the same race who hold other beliefs before."

Tang Qi said with certainty,
"Look at this group next to me. Although there are fewer than a hundred of them, aren't they more civilized than the green-skinned people outside the Great Wall?"
At least without my permission, they were able to restrain their violence and remain stationed near the village without looting.

Facts speak louder than words. This is only a small step for us to invade the orc civilization, but a giant leap for changing the world!

Now, all you need to do is nod your head and draft a similar manifesto based on the doctrines of Twilight, and you can join the great cause of maintaining world peace—

What are you still hesitating about?

"me……"

Tang Qi became more and more excited as he spoke, which also inspired Arthur.

Every pastor's lifelong goal is nothing more than to follow God's guidance during life and return to God's embrace after death.

'The most beloved child of a loving father'...

This was a title he never dared to dream of before.

But more than this title, he desired the peace that Tang Qihong envisioned.

Bringing rest to every insomniac, and warding off fear for those who yearn for sleep.

Does he actually have the potential to do this?

But Arthur still hesitated:
“But I am a follower of Valenne…”

Tang Qi immediately noticed his concerns and patted him on the shoulder:

"I'm not asking you to blaspheme, but rather to see it as an indirect means of bringing peace. You are still a follower of Valenne, and after you've done this, you can go and spread the teachings of Twilight—"

And I will use the doctrines you have compiled to bring unity to the orcs.

We are unrelated, our paths are blocked, but our ultimate goal is the same, and that is enough.

"Let me think about it……"

“There’s nothing to hesitate about. I know nothing about faith, but based on my understanding of orcs, I’ve roughly pieced together the core idea.”

As Tang Qi spoke, he showed Arthur the notes he had made earlier about the relationship between 'Gruush' and the modern orcs.

The gist is that the orcs were misled by false instructions, which deeply disappointed the great Ger'yush, leading him to completely abandon his people and become undetectable.

This corresponds to the history of the disappearance of gods.

What the orcs need to do now is to set things right, first by unifying the internal forces, and then by spreading their iron-fisted conquest to every corner of the continent.

This caters to their most primal, violent desires.

Tang Qi knew he couldn't stop this, otherwise he wouldn't be able to convince the orcs.

Arthur questioned:
"What happens after unification? Are we to make them unite as one and attack the city gates?"

"They were already difficult to defend against in times of chaos, so I can't even imagine what kind of disaster it would be if they became well-trained and disciplined..."

"Do you know how many orc tribes there are in the Great Desert? Let's not even talk about whether they can achieve unification, but even if they do, how many years would it take?"
Moreover, doctrines themselves can be subtly altered along the way to adapt to the times…

Only by first getting them to accept the new doctrine as much as possible can we possibly turn them from chaos into civilization.

"This risk is too great..."

“If you don’t do it, I will find someone else to do it—I might even do it myself.”

Tang Qi's tone was relaxed, but it sounded like a threat.
"Do you feel more at ease leaving this matter to yourself, or do you feel more at ease letting a bard whose morality is unclear handle it?"

"..."

Tang Qi felt the direct gaze emanating from beneath the steel helmet.

Arthur opened his mouth, but couldn't say anything for a long time.

Sometimes, he really felt that the bard's mouth was more suitable for spreading doctrine than that of their pastors.

I felt like a sheep in a pen, easily painted with his colors...

"Okay, then let me do it."

Arthur ultimately made the choice that would put his mind at ease.

But he always felt like he had been dragged onto a pirate ship.

But there is no evidence...

(End of this chapter)