Goddess Kaleidoscope

To reach the Land of Fire, they first need to venture deep into the Void Forest and head to the old capital of the Dwarven Kingdom, "Heartheart Fortress." Although the Dwarves do not possess the same divine power to dig as the three sisters, they have persevered for a full thousand years, constructing a vertical tunnel thousands of kilometers deep, connecting to a network of underground mines that stretch in all directions like a spider web.

However, during the War of the Gods, Hearthstone was hit by a strategic-level magical weapon from the Skaven Empire, and part of its surface was razed to the ground. After several hundred years, the expanding Void Forest swallowed up the old lands of the Dwarven Kingdom, and now even the descendants of the Dwarves no longer know the exact location of the city.

But Hume told Ludd that although the surface of Hearthstone was destroyed and most of the underground had collapsed, the tunnels to the center of the earth were not completely destroyed and could be reached through other mine tunnels. There were still elevators that were functioning properly inside. That was how they had reached the underground world back then, and after traveling for several more months, they finally managed to escort the old astrologer to his destination.

The formation of the Durand cabinet government proceeded smoothly. At the same time, Ludwig joined forces with the Church of Light to promote a religious reform movement called "New Theology." For this purpose, he even took some time to visit the City of the Sun and had a long talk with the Pope for an entire afternoon.

The so-called "new theology" is liberation theology, which transforms deities from idols to liberators who lead people in the pursuit of freedom. In short, it uses deities as a front to send missionaries to spread "progressive ideas" to the working class and masses worldwide!

The Pope greatly appreciated Ludwig's idea, but he also understood the consequences of doing so: it would lead to animosity with the secular elite.

Traditional aristocrats mostly relied on the theory of "bloodline superiority" to legitimize their rule, emphasizing that all people are born unequal. However, the new theology promotes the idea that all people are born equal and encourages the people to rise up against oppression, which is almost like instigating commoners to rebel against the aristocratic lords.

So the Pope was very curious: if Ludwig were to do this, how would the Kingdom of Durand, which also had a hereditary noble system, cope?

"It's not a big problem; we've already established a constitutional monarchy here."

"Constitutionalism?"

Regarding the new policies being implemented in the Kingdom of Durand, Luther told the Pope that the kingdom was drafting the world's first civil code and formally establishing the concept of "human rights."

In any world and at any time, universal human rights are undeniably just. You cannot condemn them simply because a certain bandit nation abuses the term.

Similarly, the brilliance of freedom and democracy should not be confused with the brilliance of white phosphorus bombs.

Before the Civil Code was promulgated, the lords in various parts of the kingdom were essentially local emperors in their own fiefdoms. As long as they did not launch a rebellion and fulfilled some of the most basic noble obligations, they were free from effective supervision and restraint.

There are certainly good nobles who love their people like their own children, but there are far more villains who do whatever they want, taking advantage of their status as lords to act arbitrarily within their fiefdoms. At most, the king will write a strongly worded letter to warn and admonish them, and that will be the end of it.

Now the kingdom has also begun to establish a government and implement centralized power. However, unlike the empire, it has a civil code to constrain the kingdom and its cabinet officials, clearly defining behavioral norms and ensuring a proper match between power and obligation. At the same time, the law will protect the basic rights of commoners from infringement. If nobles try to act arbitrarily against the lower classes as they did in the past, they will face dire consequences!

The mechanism implemented by Ludwig received the support of the general public and many enlightened nobles in the kingdom. The weak old nobles dared not speak out, and the absolute strength of the reformists made the implementation of the new policy smooth.

Lude knew in his heart that the Civil Code was not a panacea and could not turn bad guys into good guys all at once. Moreover, power is inherently "corrupting," and no one could guarantee that these high-ranking officials in the new government would not lose themselves in the future and stage the tragic drama of the dragon slayer turning into the dragon.

But nothing in this world is absolutely perfect. As long as everything is gradually improving and getting better, then the effort is worthwhile.

After a heart-to-heart talk, the Pope decided to fully support Luddite's new theological movement. Saint Leonid was not the kind of corrupt and decadent religious charlatan; in his youth, he was a person who hated evil. During his time as a missionary, he once took off his priestly robes and became a masked Robin Hood-like thief who robbed the rich to help the poor because he could not stand the behavior of some bullying nobles.

So when Luther asked him sincerely if he wanted to liberate the oppressed together, the Pope's old body was instantly filled with passion again.

"Let's do it!"

The Pope was indeed an ambitious man, yearning to become the leader of the religious community, but he was also a compassionate and benevolent person willing to help the weak. Therefore, Ludd's words resonated with him, offering both relief to the masses and immense prestige; the Pope had no reason to refuse.

After the two sides reached an agreement, Lud left the headquarters of the Holy Light Church and secretly went to the Empire to meet with Canary III.

The two sides did not meet at the palace, but at a secret residence near the palace, which had a secret passage connecting it to the palace.

Besides Rudd and Canary III, the Dark Elf Shadowguard Byrne was also present. He now acts as a messenger between the two, with Rudd regularly writing letters to inform Romian of his recent situation and occasionally including a recording crystal.

Upon seeing the Emperor again, the handsome man appeared much more haggard than when they parted at the border between the two countries, clearly indicating that the series of events within the Empire had greatly distressed him.

After signing a truce with Duran, Canary III rushed back to the country with the Imperial Guard and three and a half main legions. He first drove back the ill-intentioned "loyal army" of the eastern nobles, and then rushed to the southern border to fight against the invading barbarians. Although he successfully drove them back to the wilderness, the southern counties were also severely damaged.

This ordeal has severely weakened the entire empire, and it won't be able to recover for at least three to five years. This is undoubtedly good news for the surrounding regions that are living in constant fear.

Rudd's secret meeting with Canary III was primarily about Romian. Upon learning that his daughter was living happily under Rudd's protection, the Emperor managed a weak smile. Canary III was a sensible and intelligent man; although he longed to reunite with his daughter, he knew that a hasty reunion would only bring her trouble.

Whenever he thought of this, Canary III couldn't help but feel a pang of sadness. He was the emperor of an empire, ruling over the world's most powerful nation, yet he couldn't protect his wife and daughters. What a tragedy!

Ludd's secret contact with Canary III was purposeful; he wanted to deal with the empire, and essentially with the aristocratic forces represented by Chancellor Goethe, to show these self-proclaimed superior racists what the power of the people truly meant.

Although Canary III was the emperor of the empire, he was not someone who could be won over. When he learned that his beloved wife had been murdered by this group of loyal "imperial officials," the bond between the monarch and his subjects would likely never be as close as before.

If the emperor of the empire could stand on the side of the people and support the spread of liberation theology, even if not openly, it would greatly help their future work.

Imagine if one day in the future, the nobles of the empire were to deal with the theology of liberation, only to find out that their own emperor was a believer (or rather, a member of the Communist Party). That scene would be incredibly dramatic!

After more than twenty days of preliminary preparations, the first cabinet government of the Kingdom of Duran was officially formed. The first major task of the new government after it began operating was to conduct a census of the entire kingdom.

Prior to this, the kingdom had never conducted a true comprehensive census; population statistics were always the responsibility of the lords below.

Because the number of subjects involves a poll tax, and there are inevitable delays and omissions in the information transmission process, the data that finally reaches the king is as credible as the promise of the pigeon author!

For example, Pine Town, which was effectively governed by Lud, had a permanent population of 23,000 before the arrival of the Kirk family at the beginning of last year. Including the transient population such as various caravans and adventurers, the number was basically around 30,000. However, the data held by the King at least three or four years ago indicated that Pine Town only had a little over a thousand people.

Of course! The reason why the population data of Songshu Town is so outrageously inaccurate is not only because of its remote geographical location, but also because of the severe lack of local officials, and even fewer reliable ones.

Back then, the capital sent fifteen commissioners to the northern border to investigate the situation of the settlers, but only three actually went to the northern border. The investigation work did not involve personally visiting the border villages. Instead, they stayed in the towns and asked some villagers or adventurers who came to the market, and then took these inaccurate data back to report.

How can a king possibly govern a country well when his entourage is full of such incompetent and useless officials?!

The initial statistical phase of the entire population census is expected to take six to eight months, while the subsequent classification and organization may take several years, and it will also require continuous updates.

.

This census is not just about calculating the total population; it's also about establishing official household registration records to fully understand the kingdom's current human resources. How many young adults are there? What is the literacy rate? What is the distribution of personnel in various industries? Every single one of these data points is crucial.

To this end, the new government mobilized almost its entire workforce, with the first batch of 3,000 grassroots civil servants participating in the population census in stages. This work was undoubtedly arduous, but it was also a test, allowing those with outstanding abilities to stand out.

It is worth mentioning that on the issue of establishing local governments, which was likely to touch a nerve with the old lords, the new government made some concessions, allowing lords who had not betrayed their country during the war to form their own administrative teams according to the organizational framework provided by the higher authorities.

At first glance, it seems like the same thing in a different guise, just that the lord has become the county magistrate, and the master is still the master. But becoming the county magistrate means that you are an official within the system, subject to the control and constraints of the national law, and the fief is no longer a state within a state that the higher-ups have no right to interfere with.

As the saying goes, every era has its own mission. Given the current situation where there is a shortage of civil servants, their abilities are insufficient, and their awareness is out of the question, Lu De felt that this was all he could do.

After assigning these tasks, Lud prepared to set off to return to the north first, and then head to the underground entrance in the Void Forest to fulfill his promise to the Holy Lord of Light, Karius, and to explore the Fire Seed Land located deep underground.

Upon learning that Lud was leaving, the new government naturally tried its best to persuade him to stay. King Duran even skipped a bath and rushed back to the capital from the hot spring resort overnight.

Lud explained that he was not abandoning his responsibilities, but rather that he had a vital mission concerning the safety of all humanity.

In the northern Void Forest, there are many seals left over from ancient times. He has to check them every now and then to prevent any terrible things from running out.

Rude couldn't casually reveal information about the Land of Fire, but his explanation wasn't entirely false, as some very ancient things were indeed sealed within the Void Forest. Upon hearing this, King Duran ceased his attempts to persuade him to stay and stated that the royal family would provide full assistance if needed.

On the day of their return, Lud and his entourage kept a low profile. Few people came to see them off, but those who did come were all influential figures. Kanna, transformed into a feathered dragon, carried Lud and his female disciples into the sky, waving goodbye to those on the ground.

Lude glanced at the crowd on the ground, his gaze finally settling on Duchess Anfi, his expression becoming slightly complicated.

Just last night, Anfi suddenly approached Lud, who was packing his bags, saying she wanted to talk to him privately about something. Lud immediately realized that this private matter must refer to Olivia. So the two went to the study, where Lud learned from her the mystery surrounding Olivia's background, which left him deeply shocked!

Olivia was not born naturally.

As a magical prodigy who showed exceptional talent from a young age, and a member of the royal family of noble birth, Anfei joined the Three-Person Tower at a young age. Not only did she receive guidance from renowned teachers, but she also used the connections of the chief to study in the Tranquil Forest of the Elven race for a period of time.

It was during this period that Anfi learned some "taboo" technology from the elves—life transmutation.

The so-called life transmutation is a special alchemical technique developed by the Elven race to address their low birth rate, which can artificially create newborns.

Lude had actually heard about this technology from Hume before, and it was said to still be under research. However, Amphie said that the technology was already quite mature. It was just that the elves liked to pursue the ultimate, and they felt that newborns created through life transmutation at this stage were not substantially different from newborns conceived naturally, and were far from the "perfection" they expected.

But Amphie wasn't one of those obsessive elves. She felt the technology was already quite impressive, and the elves didn't hold back, teaching her everything they wanted. So, after returning to Duran, Amphie used life transmutation to create a daughter for herself—Oliffia.

It's worth mentioning that the creation of life wasn't a matter of creating a person out of thin air, but rather somewhat like a magical version of "in vitro fertilization." Anfei mixed her own blood with the blood of a "knight" she admired to create an artificial embryo, which was then implanted into her body. After seven months of pregnancy, she gave birth to a baby naturally.

Therefore, Olivia is indeed Anfi's biological daughter, and she is also related by blood to the knight whose name cannot be revealed.

Anfi made this explicit in the hope that Rude, the chosen one who could communicate with the gods, could do her a "small favor."

Despite carrying people on her back, Kanna's flying speed remained impressive. Departing from the capital in the morning, she returned to Pine Town before nightfall. The group, returning to their long-lost home, couldn't help but feel a pang of emotion.

"Home is still the best!"

With Kanna's arrival, news of Ludwig's return quickly spread throughout the town. The old lady of the Kirk family rushed to the temple immediately. In addition to congratulating him on his triumphant return and welcoming him back, she also wanted to learn some news from Ludwig about the cabinet government in the capital.

Thanks to the connection with Rudd, and the dragons that frequently travel between the two places, Pine Town, despite being thousands of miles away from the capital, can keep up with the latest policy developments in the central kingdom in real time, along with Rudd's "quasi-official" interpretations.

As the de facto head of the Baron's household at this stage, the old lady was naturally very concerned about the developments of the cabinet and the government. In particular, when she learned that King Durand was preparing to reclaim the real power from the lords in various regions, she couldn't help but feel somewhat worried. So, upon hearing that Ludwig had returned, she hurriedly paid him a visit.

Lude naturally guessed the old lady's thoughts. In fact, after the capital announced that it would follow the empire in establishing a centralized government, the nobles in various places were initially very nervous, after all, this involved their own practical interests.

As for Lady Srina, she had no ambition and didn't understand the complexities of politics. She simply wanted to protect the Cork family's fiefdom, which her husband and three sons had risked their lives for. She planned to hand it over to her youngest son when he grew up.

Rudd patiently explained to the old lady that the fiefdom still belonged to House Kirk, but the kingdom had to make some changes in order to counter the powerful empire. Finally, he also revealed some "insider information" that had not yet been made public - House Kirk was about to be promoted.

The day after returning to Pine Town, Rud held an internal meeting in the temple's underground hall to try to get everything sorted out before his departure. As a result, the existing goddesses, divine messengers, and various internal personnel gathered together, just like the first general assembly of the gods' people.

The meeting mainly summarized the work done over the past six months and looked to the future to formulate the Pantheon's next "five-year plan".

Of the twelve goddesses currently in existence, half of them have broken through to the fourth rank. In addition to Aina, Shanes, and Hume, Lachesis, one of the three sisters, Marigius, the goddess of the hearth, and Sulla, the goddess of war among the second-generation gods, also broke through during the war.

Especially the youngest of the three sisters. Everyone originally thought that the eldest sister, Atropos, would be the first to advance, but Lachesis quietly overtook her and took the lead, causing the eldest sister to have a mental breakdown and temporarily get stuck at the peak of the third stage.

Incidentally, during the breakthrough to the fourth stage, the youngest sister fell into a deep sleep. Her two older sisters had initially placed her in the bedroom, but upon discovering that Lachesis looked quite uncomfortable, they carried her to the forge. Her expression visibly improved.

Seeing this, the two older sisters figured that since a god's body couldn't be burned to death anyway, they simply stuffed their youngest sister into the blazing furnace. Surprisingly, this trick worked quite well; Lachesis was roasted in the furnace for seven days and seven nights, successfully breaking through to the fourth tier. It's said that when she was in the furnace, her entire body was like a red-hot steel billet, making the second sister's hands itch with desire; she almost pulled out her hammer and forged her younger sister on the spot.

As a reward for breaking through to the fourth tier, the three goddesses also gained new characteristics that corresponded to their respective divine positions.

Lachesis's new ability is "Heart Melting," which allows her to instantly reach the optimal temperature by simply blowing a breath into the furnace, while also significantly improving the quality of the metal produced.

If we take her as a reference, when the eldest sister Atropos and the second sister Clotho break through, they will most likely gain new abilities in refining and forging.

The new ability of the God of War Sura is "situational awareness," from which she develops a unique divine art unique to her lineage. Its specific function is similar to radar, and it also has multiple functions such as enemy detection, terrain detection, observation, and calculation. However, at present, there is a drawback: when used by a priest as a divine art, the user will experience a strong sense of dizziness due to the large amount of information flooding into the brain.

In a sense, this skill is a truly groundbreaking "divine skill," capable of influencing the course of war even more than the group buffs of the God of War.

In comparison, the new ability that Marigish, the goddess of the hearth, gained seems rather lackluster. It is related to cooking, and the dishes that Marigish makes will have special effects depending on the characteristics of the dish.

Embarrassingly, however, Marigsis couldn't cook. While she was a culinary genius when it came to connoisseurship, she was utterly hopeless in the kitchen! As a result, after several attempts at cooking, Marigsis successfully produced a few dishes that would poison even the gods. Marigsis thus earned the nicknames "The Great Poisoner" and "Goddess of Burnt Pots."

In a sense, it is actually quite strong.

In Lude's view, the so-called gods in this world can only be considered to have a slight sense of "transcendence" after ascending to the fourth rank and reaching the middle position, while the lower-ranking gods are generally just small fry who do not live up to their reputation.

The problem is that after the fourth tier, the divine power required for each level increases exponentially. People like Aina and Shanis have absorbed a lot of faith every day since they advanced to the fourth tier, but they still haven't even touched the ceiling of the fourth tier, and their needs haven't been met in any sense.

Lude also knew that such things could not be rushed. In less than seven years, he had created so many new gods from scratch and raised them to the fourth rank. This was already incredible in the eyes of the gods and priests of other sects, but compared with the three major religions, the Pantheon was still weak.

Although they currently have a harmonious relationship with the Church of Light, and Karius has even given the Chosen Mark to this heretic who does not believe in God, there is an old Chinese saying that goes, "It's better to have your own than your parents'." No matter how good the elder brother is to you, clinging to his coattails is not a long-term solution.

Therefore, during the Second Five-Year Plan period, Ludd planned to change its previous low-key development strategy and shift from defense to offense, entering a period of expansion.

Given their current size, keeping a low profile is impossible, so they might as well be completely open and let the Pantheon's faith truly permeate the entire country of Duran. However, Ludwig repeatedly emphasized the need to avoid the country becoming too religious, as that was not the future he wanted to see.

At this moment, Lude looked at the music goddess Deli, who was sitting in the back row. She was the weakest of the four gods in the second phase. During the war, she gained the least faith and was still at the second tier. She was the kind of god who would be forgotten if you didn't specifically mention her.

Now that the war is over, the people of Duran need to recuperate and recover as soon as possible, and beautiful music can be a good remedy to soothe their hearts.