Mystery: The Undead Don't Die from Linking the Fire

Chapter 351, really? I don't believe it.

The war came silently and ended just as silently.

The airship force of the Fussac Empire successfully flew over Backlund undetected, but hastily left after dropping two bombs.

The power of darkness enveloped the entire world in an instant, plunging the whole world into darkness at the same time.

The other six gods of the Church of the Seven Gods did not intervene to stop the Goddess of Night's actions, not even the God of War. Although he and the Goddess of Night were hostile to each other, they also understood the priorities.

Just like in the Fourth Age, when the seven gods, who were originally hostile to each other, united to seal the true creator.

When faced with a common and extremely threatening enemy, they can temporarily set aside their prejudices and join hands to fight the enemy.

In the fight against the stars, this matter takes even greater priority than the true creator. Just like when Mr. Door returned, the Seven Gods also put aside their prejudices and joined forces to fight against the pollution invading the world.

Moreover, the goddess's actions were also a good thing for the other six gods.

The power of the night isolates the pollution from the starry sky, which not only protects the believers of the night, but also the believers of the other six gods.

For Liushen, this is undoubtedly more beneficial than harmful.

Every deity needs a large number of believers as an "anchor" to stabilize their humanity. Once believers are subjected to widespread corruption, not only will their "anchor" be destroyed and their faith be corrupted without them realizing it, but they themselves may also be corrupted by the starry sky due to the corruption of their faith.

In this matter, Liu Shen's interests are highly aligned.

But while the night isolates most of the pollution from the starry sky, it cannot stop the dazzling light released by the Milky Way—within that seemingly brilliant light lies unimaginable darkness.

The only saving grace is that this darkness has not spread to the whole world, but has been confined to the area of ​​Baekeland.

Under the protection of the night, the believers collectively fell into a deep sleep, the power of deep sleep and tranquility protecting them from being overwhelmed by fear.

As the night faded, the Milky Way that stretched across the sky disappeared, as did the bright red moon and the cool blue moon.

Only the sun, symbolizing the "eternal blazing sun," remains high in the sky, illuminating the world.

Its daybreak.

-

Backlund, Queens, inside the Hall family's luxurious villa.

Lady Caitlin directed the awakened servants to restore everything in the villa to its original state, so as not to cause the Hall family any loss of face.

Just as Audrey had called her golden retriever Susie and maid Anne to head to the Kingdom Council to check on her father and brothers' safety, she saw her father, Earl Hall, and Hilbert enter through the main gate.

Earl Hall, seeing his wife and daughter unharmed, breathed a sigh of relief.

"Thank you, Goddess! I'm so glad you're all alright!"

Audrey glanced around, then asked with some concern:

"Dad, isn't Alfred with you?"

Hilbert comforted him:

"Don't worry, Alfred is fine."

Earl Hall was noticeably more composed, and said in a deep voice:

"Alfred has just been summoned by the Ministry of Defense and has gone to the front lines with General Emilius. Some of the Ministry of Defense's work will be handled by the Cabinet."

Audrey remained silent; she was not surprised by the outcome.

As one of the few demigods in the Kingdom of Rune, and having been on "vacation" in Backlund, it was perfectly normal for Alfred to be recalled by the Ministry of Defense at this critical juncture of the war. She only hoped that nothing would happen to him on the battlefield.

Suppressing her worries, Audrey asked softly:

"Dad, how is it going?"

Upon hearing this, Earl Hall said with a slightly somber expression:

"While the Fursac airship squadron was attacking Backlund, their Sunia naval fleet, taking advantage of the dense fog, attacked the Royal Naval base on Oak Isle in Prydz Harbor and the surrounding shipyards. Fortunately, the Church of Storms had received advance warning and sent a telegram in advance, so Prydz Harbor was not lost, but many ships and factories were lost, and many people died..."

"Telegrams have also arrived from the front lines in Wintershire and Interseashire, indicating that the Fursac have launched a large-scale offensive simultaneously in both areas. Alfred's orders this time are to go to Interseashire to help stabilize the defenses..."

Count Hall spoke vaguely, but Audrey had already keenly sensed from his few words that the situation at the front was certainly not optimistic. Backlund had not suffered too many losses because an angel had intervened, forcing the Fursac Empire's airship force to withdraw ahead of schedule.

However, it would be inaccurate to say that this local war was small in scale—because the angel's actions may have triggered a divine war, as evidenced by the frozen twilight and night.

In comparison, the offensive in the front lines will undoubtedly be more intense, but it is far less important than the divine war that broke out in Backlund.

Of course, if we look at it purely from the perspective of a war between ordinary people, the fact that the Fursac were already able to bomb Backlund proves that they had been planning this for a long time. The war pressure on the front lines would only be greater than it is here.

Similarly, if the situation at the front were good, Earl Hall wouldn't have used vague and ambiguous adjectives like "loss of many ships and factories" or "many deaths." And if the situation in Seashire and Wintershire were relatively stable, why would they have urgently mobilized Admirals Alfred and Emilius to the front lines for support?

It's easy to imagine that the situation along the Amanda Mountains defense line and in the major cities along the Intersea coast is dire; some sections of the defenses and even some cities may have already fallen. The reason for keeping this secret is to avoid panic and further chaos.

However, the Kingdom of Rune will not sit idly by and wait for its demise; a full-scale war is now inevitable.

As they spoke, Earl Hall had already entered the living room, where he and his wife embraced and comforted each other.

Hippel spoke in a deep voice:

"Audrey, Mom, I suggest you move to a manor in the suburbs; it might be safer there."

Earl Hall shook his head upon hearing his eldest son's suggestion and said:

"No, there's no need for that. This war is destined to last a long time, but the bombing of Backlund was just an accident. Unless the situation on the front lines in Seashire and Wintershire completely collapses, the Fursacs will never have the chance to bomb Backlund a second time. Staying in the Queens is far safer than the manor in the suburbs."

He could understand his eldest son's concerns, but he saw things more clearly than Hilbert.

The war machine of the Kingdom of Rune has begun to operate, and they will not give Fussak's airship force another chance. Therefore, Backlund is not as dangerous as ordinary people imagine; it remains the safest place in the entire Kingdom of Rune. Those who are eager to move to suburban manors or even leave Backlund are the ones who truly fail to see the situation clearly.

Although Fussack's airship won't come a second time, the chaos has already been created, and it will likely continue for a long time to come.

In such chaos, it's hard to guarantee that some desperate criminals won't rob the suburban estates. And if one were to actually move to a suburban estate, the danger of being targeted by these desperate criminals would be unavoidable.

Audrey remained silent as well; she understood the inevitability of this war. From a national perspective, the Kingdom of Rune and the Empire of Fusak were sworn enemies, and the leaders of both countries were constantly plotting to launch a war to crush the other.

As for the Kingdom of Rune, even if the Fusaks hadn't launched this surprise attack, they would have declared war on them sooner or later.

The hatred stemming from the loss of the crucial territory of Sunia… the entanglement of colonial interests… the defeat in the previous war… the economic downturn caused by pollution control… the mass bankruptcies of domestic farmers due to the influx of foreign food products since the repeal of the Grain Act… the extremely dire living conditions of the lower classes… the widening gap between the rich and the poor…

The middle class is blindly confident in the strength of the nation and desperately hopes to have the opportunity to improve their status... The contradictions between different political parties in the upper class are intensifying and tearing each other apart... Most importantly, almost the entire upper class, including the prime minister and the king, is eager for a large-scale war. Even Count Hall does not hide his positive view of war at home... With so many factors combined, based solely on objective conditions, it is almost inevitable that the nation will export war.

Now the tables have turned, with the Fusaks gaining the upper hand.

The reason for this is that, within the Fussac Empire, there are also many factors that stimulate war and desire it.

But understanding the inevitability of war does not mean that Audrey can convince herself to accept it with a clear conscience.

She now only hopes that the war will end as soon as possible and that the people will no longer suffer.

But she also knew in her heart that this was unrealistic.

Once the gears of war begin to turn, they are almost impossible to stop unless they are broken beyond repair.

They are facing a nation, not just one person! The war will continue for a long time until the nation is completely destroyed.

"Is there any way to end the war quickly?"

Back in her room, Audrey wore a visibly bewildered expression. She was disheartened, powerless to change the situation and unable to devise any way to do so. As a demigod, she might be able to help the Kingdom of Rune's army achieve localized victories on the battlefield, but ending the entire war was virtually impossible.

Susie's worried voice rang in Audrey's ears:

"Audrey, are you alright?"

Audrey looked at the obedient golden retriever squatting beside her, its eyes full of human warmth, and said softly:

"I'm fine."

"You better really be alright." A woman's teasing, crisp voice rang in the girl's ears.

Audrey glanced instinctively at the bed, where Carla, dressed in a long black dress, stood by the window, smiling as she watched her.

"You're back?"

Audrey looked somewhat surprised, but then hesitated before asking:

"Were you the angel who lured away the Fussac airship force?"

Karula sat on the edge of the bed and said casually:

"It wasn't me, but you should know that person too."

Audrey asked instinctively:

"Who?"

Karula said meaningfully:

"The Fool".

"The Fool?"

Audrey's mind raced with countless thoughts, and she immediately pressed for an answer:

"Was it 'The Fool' who sent his angels to stop Fussack's airship force?"

Karula didn't explain in detail, but instead smiled and said:

"That's one way to understand it."

"Although I was involved, I didn't play a decisive role. In fact, you could say I played absolutely no role."

Karula clicked her tongue softly, clearly annoyed by her defeat.

"I see."

Audrey murmured softly, not pressing Karula for details about what had happened. Since Karula hadn't explained it explicitly, it meant there was likely a secret she shouldn't know—Audrey had only been a Beyonder for less than a year, but her experience far surpassed that of most Beyonders, so she knew some 'secrets' were poisonous, and simply knowing them could bring danger.

For example, Adam, and the Twilight Hermits.

So she didn't ask, but continued to think about another question.

Karula suddenly asked:

"What are you thinking about?"

Audrey hesitated for a moment, then said softly:

"I'm wondering when the war will end."

Carula asked with great interest:

How long do you think the war will last?

Audrey thought carefully for a moment and replied thoughtfully:

"Without the involvement of the Kingdom of Feneport and the Republic of Intis, the war between Rune and Fursac might have lasted for more than a year, or even longer. Perhaps the war would not have ended until one side had exhausted its last soldier."

As she spoke, Audrey observed Carula's expression, wanting to ask her what she thought.

As for Carula's opinion of Audrey, she simply smiled and said:

"That makes some sense, but not much."

"Why?" Audrey asked instinctively.

Karula asked:

"What do you think is the essence of war? Or rather, what are the two sides in a war pursuing?"

Audrey thought for a long time before answering:

"Benefit."

The Kingdom of Rune was eager to divert domestic conflicts through war and also hoped to reclaim the island of Sonia. Nobles were eager to gain military merit through war and thus be promoted in rank, while the middle class also longed to climb to the upper class through war... Whatever the reason, it was all for profit.

The same goes for the Fusak Empire. They yearn to move south and occupy the fertile Kingdom of Rune, hoping to gain more access to the sea. Nobles aspire to promotion, and the middle class longs to climb to the upper class... In short, almost every social class is driven by self-interest.

Carula smiled and shook her head, saying:

"Yes and no."

"War is merely one manifestation of conflicting interests. When interests are not distributed equally, war becomes a necessary means to protect those interests."

"But the question remains: who is the master of the Kingdom of Rune? Or rather, is this war for profit?"

Carula leaned forward and asked with a smile.

"Okay, let's not talk about this anymore."

Kalu stretched lazily and said:

"How's your potion digestion going? When are you planning to advance to Sequence 2?"

"So fast?"

Audrey was somewhat surprised, but then hesitated and became nervous:

"Is it really possible?"

Her advancement speed is unsatisfactory, but without Karula's help, she would at most be a Sequence 5 'Dream Walker'.

But Karula paved the way for her all the way, and even prepared the extraordinary characteristics of Sequence 2 and the promotion ceremony for her, just waiting for the potion to be fully digested so that she could become the Sequence 2 'Insightful One'.

This help was such a heavy burden that she didn't know how to repay it.

"Don't worry."

Karula noticed the girl's hesitation and said meaningfully:

"I have my reasons for helping you, and you will repay me adequately sooner or later."

(End of this chapter)