Goddess Kaleidoscope

Based on his past experience in creating gods, the character, experience, and knowledge of a new god at the beginning of his birth all come from the initial group of believers. The initial divine personality of the god is automatically generated by random selection.

The initial followers of the four new gods were mainly students of Brewster Academy. This means that as long as the students did not know that Principal Lud had the ability to create gods, the new gods, who used them as a "source," would not immediately know that Lud had created them. They would only feel a special affinity for Lud, just like Aina had felt before.

Incidentally, when the three Craftswomen were first born, they were quite fond of Rudolf. However, the eldest sister, Atropos, showed Rudolf affection in an overly "traditional, divine" way, demanding Rudolf's utmost loyalty in order to bless him and make him the chosen one of the Craftswomen. In the end, Rudolf didn't reciprocate their kindness at all!

Seemingly noticing Ludwig's confusion, Jessie, the Goddess of Wealth, stood up and explained to him.

“Father God, we do know a lot about you and the Pantheon, because the birth of the four of us was not only due to the faith of believers, but also the blessings and gifts of the three predecessors, Evelina, Shabulcohn and Hume.”

Jessie's self-narration surprised Lude and the other goddesses present, especially the three seniors whose names she mentioned. They looked at each other for a moment, not remembering what blessings or gifts they had given.

Lud was deep in thought. He suddenly realized that the set of ideas he had made up to fool people seemed to have become a real thing without him even realizing it. The Pantheon had really become a pantheon!

Under Lude's inquiry, the newly born four gods stated that they possessed strength equivalent to second-tier gods from the outset, with the Goddess of Wealth Daisy already approaching the mid-to-late stage of the second tier.

However, their power did not entirely come from the faith provided by the believers. After all, in order to ensure the goodness of the new god's divinity and to facilitate "management" after its birth, Rudd strictly controlled the size and composition of the initial believer group.

Even if every single one of the 1,500 students were fanatical believers, it would be impossible for them to produce four second-tier gods in just three months.

In other words, the extra divine power that the four newbie gods gained was indeed a "gift" they received from Aina and the others, comparable to a beginner's gift pack.

The total divine power of a mid-level fourth-tier god is quite considerable, conservatively estimated to be several hundred times that of a first-tier new god. Therefore, even a tiny fraction of their power, which may be so small as to be imperceptible to them, is enough to benefit their descendants immensely, giving them a head start!

If this logic is followed, then as the Pantheon continues to expand and the number of gods of the fourth rank and above within the pantheon increases, it will become increasingly easier for Rudd to create new gods, and the starting point for new gods will become increasingly higher.

Moreover, joining the Pantheon does not necessarily mean that the gods are new gods created by Tarud from scratch. Traditional gods such as Hume and Marigius can also be absorbed and become part of the pantheon.

This gave Ludwig a very bold idea.

If one day he can really trick the three great gods into joining his ranks, will the newly created god be at least at the fourth rank as soon as he opens his eyes?

Just thinking about it is exciting!

Thanks to the pantheon, the four newbies immediately developed a strong sense of belonging to the Pantheon and were incredibly loyal to Rudd. They were completely unlike some of their predecessors who spent all their time trying to get the jockey, Miezu.

Over the next few days, Ludwig had Hume, the seasoned veteran, assign each of the four rookie gods a new identity to walk among humans, with the plan to have them enter his school in batches as teachers.

In fact, apart from Lachesis, the third goddess who is obsessed with mining and has severe social anxiety and is unwilling to go out on the ground, the other goddesses under the Pantheon have all opened "aliases" in Pine Town.

The eldest sister, Atropos, ran a jewelry shop in town, selling jewelry as a hobby. The second sister, Clotho, and the goddess of the hearth, Marigsis, both taught at the school, though their subjects were completely unrelated to their divine duties. Clotho, skilled in blacksmithing, taught vocal music, while Marigsis taught painting.

When I have nothing to do, I just play around!

While arranging the four new gods, Lud also received news from the dwarves that the "large pods" they were commissioned to manufacture were all completed. Combined with the three already in Pine Town, there was just enough for one "each" employee of SF Express.

So Lud wrote to the other three lords, informing them that his transport capacity was ready and it was time to send troops south!

The day after receiving Lud's letter, the lords assembled their armies in batches as agreed, but the soldiers and junior officers below did not know the details, and many were puzzled by the orders.

Winter is only halfway over, and it's the coldest time of year. Heavy snow has blocked all roads, and if the army were to force its way out in this terrible weather, it would be slower than a snail's pace. After nightfall, people would freeze to death!

However, the lord's orders are absolute, and high-ranking officers came down to reassure the soldiers, assuring them that the lord had his own methods.

The first troops mobilized from Earl Ramley's territory were the Overseer Knights led by Sharo. Their duties were equivalent to those of the military police, so they had to go ahead to the assembly point in Earl Keith's territory. The old Earl himself would have to stay in his hometown of Wolfhelm City for a while longer, as there were many government affairs that he needed to handle personally.

Thus, Sharo became the executive commander of the Ramli Legion. Before his departure, the old count called Sharo to his side and, together with his wife, gave him a long and earnest pep talk, saying, "Daughter, you're not getting any younger. When you get there, remember to get along well with the commander of the allied forces."

At this time, Sharo, who did not yet know who the commander of the allied forces was, had a vague feeling that something was not right, but did not think much about it.

The first batch of 150 warlord knights were called up before dawn and assembled. Fully armed, they left their post and arrived at a temporary camp about seven or eight miles outside Wolfhelm City, where soldiers had already cleared a clearing of snow.

Although the knights were very puzzled, their officers had instructed them not to ask what they were doing or where they were going, so no one whispered among themselves and they all stood solemnly waiting.

At that moment, a dragon's roar suddenly came from the northern horizon, followed by a loud shout from the sentry on the watchtower.

"Four giant dragons, they're here!"

Upon hearing that a large group of dragons had arrived, the knights immediately thought of Pinewood Town to the north. In the entire Northern Territory, only their Pantheon had any prestige, as they could actually hire dragons to do their bidding. The image of the red dragon Amy delivering packages was once one of the main topics of conversation among all the people of Wolfhelm City, to the point that everyone knew about it.

To everyone's surprise, just a few months after the start of winter, they actually "recruited" more people!

A short while later, four giant dragons flew over the camp. The people on the ground noticed that each dragon had a giant basket hanging beneath it. The dragons landed very carefully, making sure the baskets were stable before landing.

The leading red dragon was a familiar face to everyone; it was none other than Amy, whose voice was very pleasant. The dragon lady pointed to the entrance in the hanging basket and addressed the group of warlord knights.

"Come in, everyone, let's hurry up."

The knights only realized then that this was how the earl's army was to be sent south—it was utterly absurd!

Despite their inner complaints, the knights did not refuse. Following Sharo's instructions, the riders and horses were separated. One hundred and fifty knights rode in one gondola, while the larger warhorses and some supplies were carried in three other gondolas.

It's worth mentioning that the dragons' innate aura can be very intimidating to ordinary creatures. So at first, the warhorses were so terrified by the four dragons that they all collapsed on the ground, too scared to move.

Finally, unable to bear watching any longer, Amy personally took to the slingshot, opened the top hatch of the gondola, and pulled the trembling horses inside one by one, barely managing to complete the loading before taking off and flying south.

Similar situations occurred in several other allied territories. The dragons and monster lords flew extremely fast, making two round trips a day. On the first day of the air transport operation alone, a force of 1,500 men was transported from the northern border to the Earl of Keith's territory south of the central mountains.

After successfully arriving at the Earl of Keith's territory, Sharo was still reeling from the feeling of being lifted into the air when a messenger dressed in the cloak of the Duke of Gammelin's army ran up to him and led him to the headquarters of the Northern Allied Forces.

Following the messenger, Sharo and his two deputies arrived at a military tent. Upon entering, they saw many familiar faces, including Lud, representing Baron Cork of Pinetown, and Winig, the high priest of the Steel Whip Clan.

However, neither of these two highly respected religious figures sat in the head seat; instead, it was Rodriguez who was seated there.

In an instant, Sharo realized that he had fallen into a trap!

"Damn it! Why is this guy the commander of the allied forces? What makes him so special? Just because he's really good-looking and really strong?"

Sharo felt very resentful, but not entirely so.

Upon seeing Sharo's arrival, Rodriguez, the Righteous Knight who was studying the map with his advisors, immediately showed a look of joy. However, he quickly remembered that he was now the commander-in-chief of the allied forces, so he hurriedly composed himself and invited Sharo to sit down.

After Shaluo took his seat, he quickly noticed that the arrangement of the tent was unusual. The personal guards who were busy running around looked very young, probably only fourteen or fifteen years old, with the childishness on their faces not yet completely gone.

Unable to contain her curiosity, Sharo whispered to Lud about the situation with those boy soldiers. Lud explained that they were all students from his academy, and he had brought them out specifically for this "internship".

For this allied expedition, Ludwig's schools also sent a lot of people, mainly medical and military academies, selecting a group of top senior students to accompany the army.

The medical school brought in 160 students, just enough to establish a field hospital. The military academy sent relatively fewer people, only 24 in total. Half of them were in the General Staff, serving the Allied Commander, while the other half were in the artillery units, which were still in the classified stage.

When Lud established the Military Academy, his intention was not to cultivate reckless men who only knew how to charge into battle, but to train high-level military talents who could fight with their brains. This is in line with the concept of the divine position that Lud bestowed upon "Sura the God of War" - to seek victory with wisdom rather than mere courage!

These young staff officers are new to the military and haven't fully adapted to the environment yet, but Lud has confidence in his students and believes they will shine in this war.

According to the General Staff's estimates, it would take nine days for all the Allied troops to be delivered to Earl Keith's territory, and another week for military supplies.

Once all troops have arrived, the allied forces will not set off immediately. Instead, they will undergo three to four weeks of reorganization and training under the leadership of the Earl, with each family's troops being reorganized according to their branch of service. The two thousand most elite cavalrymen will be commanded by Sharo, while Lud will serve as the Allied Forces' Chief of Staff, with the authority to participate in all Allied Forces decisions, and his position will be second only to the Commander-in-Chief.

As air transport proceeded steadily, the Northern Allied Forces arrived one after another south of the Central Mountains. Although it wasn't exactly warm, it was at least 20 to 30 degrees Celsius warmer than the freezing North. The temperature remained above freezing throughout the day, and the humidity wasn't high either.

After the soldiers arrived and rested for one or two days, they were reorganized according to the training plan formulated by Lud, and the goal was to integrate the five private armies into one army within four weeks. Although the number of soldiers did not increase, their combat power would definitely be greatly improved.

A few days later, the lords of each household arrived at the assembly point one after another. In accordance with the laws of the kingdom, the king issued a mobilization order, and the lords themselves, unless there were special circumstances, had to set an example and lead their troops to the front line.

Of the five lords of the allied forces, Baron Cork was too young to send a child under five years old to the battlefield, so Chief Knight Ados was sent in his place.

The other lord who did not come was Duke Gamelin, but he did not come because he was afraid of the battle. Instead, he wanted to give his eldest son, Rodriguez, an opportunity to establish his personal prestige. So he claimed to be ill and secretly wrote a letter to King Durand explaining his situation to avoid being suspected.

Despite his elven blood and youthful appearance, the Duke is actually quite old by human standards in this world, practically a half-buried old man. Therefore, he intends to pass the title to Rodriguez so that he can travel around for a few more years while he is still able to move.

The remaining lords who had arrived each took up positions in the army according to their areas of expertise, and together they formed the Allied Command.

During the Allied Forces' training, the intelligence networks of each faction were also operating at full capacity, with battle reports on the southern border coming one after another. As expected, the situation was deteriorating day by day, and the Imperial Legion was simply unstoppable! They had already breached all the fortresses along the border, and their army was at the gates of Yanmu City.

Although the royal army assembled in the capital was unable to set off for a long time, the king was unable to effectively unite these private armies of nobles who responded to the mobilization order and came to the king's aid, which numbered as many as fifty or sixty thousand.

It is important to understand that the noble lords of the kingdom were not united. One of the major drawbacks of the feudal system was that the king only had the right to demand that these lords lead their troops to defend the king, but could not bypass the lords to directly command their armies. This resulted in a chaotic command system, or rather, there was no command system at all.

So King Duran wasn't stupid. He had no intention of leading this rabble to launch a proactive attack. Instead, he set up defenses at a strategic pass about sixty kilometers south of the capital, preparing to meet the imperial army at this crucial point.

Fortunately, although the Empire's offensive was swift, it was not a modern mechanized force. No matter how fast they advanced, it would take them a month or two to reach the capital. Therefore, Lude repeatedly reminded everyone that they should remain calm and complete their training before setting off.

During this period, Lu De was extremely busy. Fortunately, the military academy students he had trained were quite capable. These young men, still somewhat immature, helped Lu De with many tedious tasks and assisted the command in managing the army of tens of thousands of people in an orderly manner.

Three weeks passed in the blink of an eye. During this time, the Allied Forces stayed in the Earl of Keith Territory for training. Due to the need for secrecy, the tens of thousands of Allied Forces did not have contact with the locals, and their logistical supplies relied entirely on Dragon Air Force.

The Earl of Keith also spread false information among its people, claiming that a pack of demonic wolves had appeared in the southern forest and forbidding anyone from approaching. Only a handful of people in the entire earldom knew of an army of tens of thousands in that area.

By the fourth week of intensive training, the integration of the troops was basically complete. The soldiers' combat skills were not a problem. All the troops brought out were elite soldiers. The main focus was on cultivating a sense of collective consciousness and obedience. Lu De directly adopted the model of military training in universities on Earth, which was simple but very practical.

Meanwhile, the situation in the south took a new turn. After completing the complete encirclement of Yanmu City, the Imperial Legion made a show of dividing its forces to advance north. As a result, Duke Krud fell into the trap and led the Southern Allied Forces in an attempt to launch a night raid. As soon as they left the city, they were ambushed by the Imperial Army. The Southern Army suffered heavy casualties, and the remaining troops could only retreat back into the city to hold their ground, no longer able to go out and fight.

After the Imperial Army finished the battle and confirmed that the remaining troops in Yanmu City were unable to leave the city, they did not fight to the death to take Yanmu City. Instead, they left only the main force of one legion and some second-line troops, while the other three legions, totaling 50,000 men, marched north in a mighty force towards the heart of the kingdom. Wherever they went, people surrendered without resistance, as if they were entering an empty land.

King Durand, who was stationed in the capital, urgently sent a letter requesting assistance. He knew that the Northern Allied Forces had crossed the Central Mountains, and the lords had not kept it a secret from the king; the two sides had maintained contact.

The king was in a panic! The only reliable troops he had were the three thousand members of the royal guard and the private armies of a few trusted nobles, totaling only about seven or eight thousand.

As for the other lords who came to the king's aid, their fighting strength is another matter, but whether some of them are loyal and reliable is a big question mark.

The empire's infiltration of the kingdom over the years has been comprehensive, and many nobles have secretly received "gifts" from the south, so it cannot be ruled out that these guys might stab their "former masters" in the back at a crucial moment.

In contrast, while the lords of the North are far from the capital, their ties to the royal family are very close. The current King Durran's first wife is the eldest daughter of Duke Gamelin, his second wife is the youngest sister of Earl Ramli, Chieftain Gulig is a veteran of three reigns, and Viscount Maple served as a squire to the previous king. These are all staunch royalists!

Given the indeed dire situation in the capital, the command decided, after deliberation, to set off for the capital two days after the latest batch of supplies arrived. This was only three days ahead of schedule, a change that was still within an acceptable range.

At that very moment, Hugh, who had been sent to the Empire to gather intelligence, sent back an important message. Emperor Canary III had secretly left the capital for the front lines, accompanied by the Dragon Knights, hailed as the Empire's strongest elite force.

This mysterious knightly order was secretly formed by the previous emperor and officially took shape under the current emperor, beginning to possess combat capabilities. The entire order consists of only thirteen knights, but all of them ride bipedal wyverns.

Wyverns are sub-dragons. Although their strength cannot compare with true dragons or lord-level monsters, they are still very powerful magical beasts. They have the ability to fly, thick hides that are impervious to swords and arrows, and can spew highly corrosive acid, making them comparable to armed helicopters on the battlefield.

Fortunately, Lud was prepared. He was confident that he could prevent the Empire's dragons from taking off without having to use his own dragons to help!

The four-week training was completed quickly. Although it was still far from the ideal level in Lud's mind, the lords were very satisfied and praised some of the methods Lud used during the training.

After completing their reorganization and training, the allied forces had a total strength of 16,000 men, including 2,000 cavalrymen, commanded by Sharo and with Knight Athos as their deputy commander; 2,000 dwarven heavy infantrymen, commanded by the dwarven chieftain Gulig; 2,000 longbowmen, commanded by Viscount Mape of Oyster Harbor; and 8,000 infantrymen, commanded by Earl Ramli, with Rodriguez as their general and Lud as their strategist.

In addition to the 14,000 regular troops mentioned above, the coalition forces also have a 1,500-strong, more specialized logistics unit, including medics, supply personnel, and cooks. This dedicated logistics force allows the combat troops to focus on fighting, contributing to the overall combat effectiveness of the coalition forces.

The last five hundred men in the allied forces were Lud's trump card—a secretly formed artillery unit equipped with sixty cannons of three calibers. They were mixed in with the logistics troops for cover, and not everyone within the allied forces knew of their existence.

With all preparations complete, the allied forces did not linger in Earl of Keith's territory and swiftly marched toward the capital.

When this well-disciplined and orderly army marched out from its hidden encampment, the unsuspecting people of Earl Keith's territory were utterly stunned. Some were even so frightened that they thought it was an imperial army attacking.

Fortunately, Lord Keith's men stepped in to reassure the people, informing them that this was a coalition of northern lords, preparing to march to the southern front to fight against the evil imperialists.

Watching the mighty allied army march through his territory, Earl Case felt a complex mix of emotions. On one hand, he was relieved that the Northern lords had managed to muster such an army at this crucial moment; on the other hand, he felt a sense of loss. The Northern lords, who had always been mocked as country bumpkins by the Southern nobles, seemed to have unknowingly become someone he could no longer look down upon.

Starting from Keith Territory, the allied forces took a full ten days to successfully reach the outskirts of the capital. Their journey caused quite a stir, with many southern lords finding it hard to believe that this was the army of those country bumpkins from the north. However, they recognized the family crest and several lords themselves, and upon learning that this large army was preparing to reinforce the capital, they all readily allowed them to pass.

After all, they wouldn't dare not let us go!