Spellcasting Gods

Fortunately, he eventually broke free from the human dependence on desire; otherwise, who knows what might have happened.

Now, he has encountered a target who is very similar to himself in the past, and naturally he wants to find out the truth.

Of course, compared to those veteran rulers who prefer to directly look for answers across time and dimensions, Zhang Cheng undoubtedly enjoys the process of observation and research more.

Perhaps as he gets older, he will one day lose his curiosity and his enthusiasm for research, but certainly not now.

“I’m sorry, Master, I don’t know. For the undead, existence itself is a mistake. Our bodies and lives are connected to negative energy, forming a huge black hole in the material world. We rely on hatred for living things to sustain our lives, and we can’t feel much desire. Instead, we can feel the curse of the whole world on us.”

The ghost was clearly not good at analyzing such complex problems, so it directly used itself as a metaphor.

In a sense, an insatiable, intense desire is not much different from a curse. The only difference is that desire is a strong, instinctive impulse, while a curse is the malice of the entire world.

"Yes! You are a cursed being. The more vibrant the life force of a planet, the stronger the malice you will feel. But she is different. She can bring about change to this world, a cataclysmic change that no one can predict. Especially when the God of Darkness fails to meet her expectations, believe me, the scene will be spectacular."

After saying that, Zhang Cheng pursed his lips and showed an expectant expression, as if he could already see the future.

Unfortunately, the ghost clearly couldn't understand such expectations and asked in a completely emotionless tone, "Now that this ruin has completed its mission, should we destroy it or seal it off?"

Without hesitation, Zhang Cheng waved his hand: "No, there's no need for that. I remember there should be quite a lot of gold, silver, and magical items in the maze, right? You can just play with those adventurers and help me get a few potential colorless pieces; they might come in handy later."

"Useful? You mean these lowly mortals? I really can't see how they could possibly be of any help to your grand plans." The ghost made no attempt to hide its contempt for the adventurers.

After all, the observations made in just these few days were enough for it to look down on this small group filled with chaos and strife.

They have neither great power nor lofty goals; they are merely hyenas chasing after power, wealth, and fame.

Such guys are always the perfect cannon fodder; they have no value as pawns, let alone as useful pawns.

"Don't be so harsh. You have to understand that sometimes small people can play an unexpected role. So never underestimate an ant; given the right opportunity, even a tiny ant can overthrow a behemoth..."

Chapter 1117 Small Actions

Just as the woman returned to the civilized world with the powerful holy sword, a welcoming ceremony was being held in the capital of the Kingdom of Annoya.

To be precise, it was a welcome banquet specially hosted by Queen Vilia to welcome the delegation sent by Emperor Harrison the Great.

Although she possessed military power sufficient to crush the enemy's rigid and outdated army on the front lines, political problems often cannot be solved entirely by violence.

In particular, she was unable to abandon traditional morality and values, and simply could not bring herself to use brutal massacres to teach the lower classes in the occupied territories to respect and obey the new rulers.

“Good evening, Your Majesty. On behalf of my father, I extend my sincerest greetings to you. Before he left, he specifically instructed me to show you the utmost respect. Because pulling a kingdom back from the brink of destruction is not something just any monarch can do. He greatly admires your courage and decisiveness, and even more so your willingness to take a desperate gamble in this time of crisis.” A very young and handsome man bowed deeply.

As a prince, especially the son of Emperor Harrison the Great, he obviously received various court educations from a very young age, so his etiquette and behavior were impeccable.

Just look at the ladies and noblewomen around him, their eyes brimming with admiration and infatuation, and you'll know how popular he is with the opposite sex.

Unfortunately, these so-called "charm," "grace," and "temperament" have no effect whatsoever on the equally young Queen.

Vilia merely smiled modestly and replied, "Thank you for your greetings. I am quite surprised and honored to receive praise from the Lion of Oros. But I believe he sent you here for more than just these flattering words, didn't he?"

“No, of course not. But don’t you think it’s a bit of a mood killer to bring this up now? How about I invite you to dance?” The prince extended his right hand in invitation.

His suggestive flirting undoubtedly caught Isolde's attention.

But the old man not only did not stop her, but also observed Vilia's reaction with great interest, as if he wanted to figure out whether this rapidly growing queen would be like all women, blinded by the so-called "magic of love".

It's important to understand that women are always more emotional than rational. No matter how shrewd a woman is, once she falls in love, she'll be like a moth drawn to a flame, completely ignoring any advice she receives, and won't realize her mistake until she's lost everything.

"Dance?"

Vilia raised his eyebrows slightly, a half-smile playing on his lips.

If she were still a princess in the past, she would definitely have accepted the invitation, perhaps even having some intimate contact during the dance, and then secretly investigated the prince's background, considering him as one of her future marriage partners.

After all, in this world full of feudalism, princesses are merely tools to achieve certain political goals, so their choices of marriage partners are extremely limited.

Any princess with even a modicum of sense would, before reaching adulthood, try to identify a few suitable targets.

Various dances, banquets, and salons are actually less like ordinary social gatherings and more like alternative matchmaking events.

But since ascending the throne, Vilia's situation has become somewhat complicated.

On the one hand, she was still an unmarried girl who desperately needed a legal husband to help her have an heir and to quickly stabilize the turbulent public sentiment.

On the other hand, as the Queen, her marriage cannot be decided casually, nor can she marry whomever she likes. Instead, she needs to weigh the gains and losses from a political and power perspective.

Marrying a foreign prince, in particular, is a taboo subject, as it could easily plunge the already conflict-ridden kingdom into chaos and even attract interference from external forces.

Vilia undoubtedly understood this clearly, and believed that the other party should understand it as well.

This means that the seemingly gentle and refined prince in front of her is actually a lure, a deadly trap that will entice her into an abyss of no return.

“That’s right! Dance! For the long-standing friendship between our two countries, and for my personal admiration for your beauty and wisdom.” The prince pretended not to see the angry looks from many of the noble male members of the kingdom around him, and continued to politely raise his arms.

Unfortunately, Vilia made no attempt to take his arm, instead smiling and refusing, "I'm sorry, I don't want to dance right now, at least not until you tell me your purpose. Also, I feel it's necessary to warn you not to try anything funny in my court, or even if you are the son of the Lion of Oros, I will make you pay the price, understand?"

Upon hearing this, the prince's face immediately turned somewhat ugly. He forced himself to suppress his anger and embarrassment, and nodded slightly: "Understood! Please rest assured."

“Very good! Now, please enjoy the banquet. I’m sure those enthusiastic ladies and young women will make sure you have a wonderful evening.”

After uttering this sarcastic remark, Veria smiled slightly, turned around, and returned to his seat, his eyes filled with blatant contempt.

After sitting down and taking a small sip of the chilled wine, she asked without turning her head, "What exactly does that Emperor Harrison want? Don't tell me he's planning to use his charm on me, that would be too embarrassing."

“No, of course not. This prince is just a front. What he really wants to do is use this delegation to send a few talented people to the nobles who are preparing to rebel. In this way, these scattered fools can be effectively organized and utilized to create more trouble for you,” Isolt explained casually.

"Rebellion? Have those guys finally lost their temper?" Vilia clenched his fists instinctively, a flash of anger flickering in his eyes.

She had made ample preparations and arrangements for the impending civil war, intending to uproot these diehards who resisted her reforms and prepare for the consolidation of power.

The more participants and the larger the scale of the operation, the more beneficial it is to the country as a whole.

As for how many families will perish in this rebellion, that's none of her business.

Eliminating internal threats has always been something Vilia longed to do, but dared not do, for fear of inadvertently triggering a collective backlash from the nobles.

But with the nobles divided into two factions, and the most powerful faction choosing to remain neutral and observe for the time being, it's the perfect time to make a move...

Chapter 1118 A sinister plan

At midnight, shortly after the banquet in the palace ended, the entire delegation returned to their lodgings, led by the prince.

Before he could even sit down and catch his breath, a waiter led in two mysterious figures shrouded in cloaks and cautiously said, "Your Highness, your friends have arrived."

"Oh? My friend?" The prince looked surprised.

Because in the kingdom, he had no friends; the only ones he could call friends were...

"It is I, Your Highness."

One of the men took off his hood; it turned out he was the court nobleman who had instigated the rebellion not long ago.

However, he has now lost his territory and title, and in principle is no different from a commoner.

However, those complex networks of relationships that still exist can be preserved for a while longer.

"Ah! So it's you. I've heard my father mention you, calling you a truly noble and pure nobleman, a hero willing to stand up against tyranny and injustice." After figuring out the other person's identity, the prince immediately changed his tune, stood up, and praised him loudly.

Of course, deep down, he was filled with contempt for this despicable man who betrayed his country for power.

After all, those who betray their country for wealth and status are scum in any era, and some will be forever condemned to the pillory of history. Even if they sincerely pledge allegiance to their country, they will not be given important positions.

The prince was clearly politically astute, keeping his contempt hidden deep inside and not showing it outwardly.

On the contrary, he showed the enthusiasm a prince should have for those who seek refuge with him.

"To hear Emperor Harrison's praise fills me with both immense joy and trepidation. Rest assured, I will not betray his trust and will certainly remove that damned usurper from the throne," the court nobleman solemnly assured him.

Upon hearing this, the prince immediately nodded: "I greatly admire your confidence and courage. But could you tell me about your plan?"

“No problem, that’s exactly why I’ve come to see you.” The court nobleman turned and gestured to his companion behind him. “This is Baron Marais, a distinguished and veteran nobleman. He will now explain to you our route of advance after we raise the banner of rebellion.”

Without a word, the man known as Baron Marais pulled a map from his robes and laid it out on the table: "Your Highness, look, this is Tilsburg, and this is the Azure River. If we can capture the docks and block the river within three days of raising our army, we can cut off two-thirds of the capital's food supply. Just imagine how angry those civilians will become when they don't get enough food?"

"Interesting! You want to use food to threaten Vilia into giving in?" The prince's eyes lit up slightly.

It's important to understand that on this planet with extremely underdeveloped transportation, any large city with a population exceeding 100,000 must either be located near the sea, relying on sea transport to handle the transportation of essential goods, or have a wide river for waterway transport, or both. Otherwise, it would be impossible to support such a large urban population that does not engage in agricultural activities.

Since the kingdom's most important grain-producing areas are located on both sides of the Blue River, the capital's daily consumption of grains, vegetables, meat, eggs, cheese, and other food products is transported to the docks via this river, and then distributed from the docks to various markets for sale.

If the transit port near Tilsburg were blocked, the densely populated city would be plunged into famine within a week.

At that point, any ruler with a modicum of intelligence would choose to compromise rather than risk being ousted by an enraged populace.

“That’s right! To be honest, from a purely military perspective, I really can’t think of any way to win a direct battle. So at this point, strategy becomes extremely important. We don’t need to win a battle; we need to deliver a fatal blow to her from an unexpected place. Since she’s trying to appease the lower classes now, let’s show her how these people can rebel against her rule.” Baron Marais grinned, revealing an extremely sinister smile.

It goes without saying that he wanted to teach Vilia a lesson, to make this immature little girl understand what the foundation of the kingdom is truly reliable, and that those lowly people who can be bought off with a few small favors are not worth relying on at all, and will betray you without hesitation at the slightest sign of trouble.

"Hahaha! It seems our Queen is in trouble this time. But I have another question. Have you contacted the old King? Will he ultimately stand up for us and legitimize this coup? After all, my father is an emperor who likes to uphold legitimacy, and he doesn't want the glory he has upheld all his life to be tarnished in his later years." The prince asked tentatively with a loud laugh.

So-called politics is really about wanting to have your cake and eat it too.

If you act like a prostitute without upholding moral integrity, you will be looked down upon by others and seen as a nouveau riche lacking substance, whose behavior is too ugly.

If one only erects a memorial arch without actually engaging in political maneuvering, then one is a complete political idiot and will be ridiculed by everyone for being pedantic, inflexible, and lacking in political acumen.

Only by taking both into account can one possess the qualities of a qualified political talent.

Baron Marais exchanged a glance with the court nobles and quickly replied, "For the sake of secrecy, we haven't contacted the old king yet. But I believe that when he sees the changes in the situation, he certainly won't refuse our proposal. In any case, he has to be responsible for his family; otherwise, the kingdom could easily change to a different family as the royal family, couldn't it?"

"Who are you planning to replace?" The prince keenly grasped the key words, and an expression of interest appeared on his face.

“Of course it is you, Your Highness. Don’t you think it would be a perfect solution for the son of the great Emperor Harrison to marry the princess of the kingdom and then rightfully become a prince, ruling over the entire country?” the court nobleman hinted meaningfully.

"I?!"

Upon hearing this, the prince felt a flame of ambition ignite deep within him, radiating unimaginable energy.

He simply couldn't imagine what it would be like to rule the kingdom as a prince and eventually put his son on the throne.

Especially being far away from his power-hungry father, and being able to make all the decisions himself, was a blatant temptation for him...

Chapter 1119 Dark Faith (Part 1)

"So... this prince is after me?" Vilia held the intelligence report just delivered by his spies, a sarcastic smile playing on her lips.

She was lying on her bed in the palace, wearing a light nightgown, with one hand supporting her chin, giving her a hazy beauty full of intellectual wisdom.

But those eyes were as sharp as a dagger just drawn from its sheath.

Undoubtedly, the prince's greedy ambition and desires enraged the young queen.