Goddess Kaleidoscope

Midi beckoned his granddaughter Minnie over, who put away the wooden box the squad leader had brought. Then he looked at the orcs and ogres, his face ashen, and no one knew what he was thinking.

Soon, the ratman guards in charge of the search returned. The old rat pondered for a moment, then suddenly smiled and said...

"It seems... it really was a misunderstanding, Chief Zaka. My men did find some things in the ogre camp, but they were just small trinkets like food and supplies. Chief Gao (the ogre leader), you really should keep your men in check a bit. If you need anything in the future, just tell my logistics officer."

End of this chapter

Upon hearing Midi's decision, both the orc and ogre leaders were stunned. Midi didn't give them a chance to argue further, directly announcing the end of the meeting and telling everyone to go back and prepare for the official march on the human kingdom on the night of the new moon ten days later.

After the meeting, Midi returned to the Skaven camp, his expression a mixture of emotions. His guards had indeed found the stolen "Black Sun Bible" in the tent of the ogre leader Gao, but the old rat didn't conclude that the ogre was the traitor based on this alone, because the orc leader Zaka, who had suddenly accused Gao, was equally suspicious.

So even with all the witnesses and evidence, Midi deliberately suppressed the matter because he sensed a conspiracy.

“Miner, arrange for some skilled men to keep a close watch on the orcs and ogres, and investigate who they have been in contact with recently. We were so focused on expanding the camp that we accepted all sorts of people. Now it seems that some unscrupulous individuals may have slipped in.”

"But Grandpa, we don't have enough manpower! There are already 17,000 or 18,000 people in the entire camp. Even if we send out all the manpower in our camp, it won't be enough to investigate all of them!"

"Then we should focus on those powerful races. Those small fry on the periphery are easy to fool; they can't cause any trouble."

Under Midi's arrangement, the ratmen secretly began their operation, but they were unaware that their opponents were far more troublesome than they had anticipated, and that their methods were completely beyond their imagination.

At this time, Lud and Hume had changed their appearances and left the side of the orc leader Zaka, and had mingled with the weaker demi-human races on the outskirts.

Last night, after their successful raid on the ratman camp, Lud devised a plan. First, they took the stolen "Black Sun Bible" to Zaka, the orc leader. Instead of explicitly revealing the ratmen's god-making plan, they offered Zaka a brilliant scheme under the guise of helping him fight the ogres!

Lud is indeed smarter than the average orc, and he knows he is smarter than other orcs, but he is actually not smart enough, so he is prone to thinking he is smart!

Lud handed the stolen "Black Sun Bible" to Zaka without telling him what it was, only saying that he had taken it from the ratman camp and that he could secretly deliver it to the ogre leader's house, and then at the meeting the next day, he could accuse him of being a traitor.

Zaka listened without suspicion and did as he was told without a word.

However, Lud didn't believe that such a simple frame-up would fool the ratmen. What he really wanted to do was to create a chain of suspicion, thereby diverting the ratmen's attention and providing cover for his next move.

After arranging the frame-up plot for Zaka, the two temporarily left the orc camp under the pretense of killing someone to sacrifice to the Mother of Lunar Eclipse. Then, they turned into two kobolds and infiltrated the outer camp.

To put it simply, what Lud was going to do next was to mix some "impurities" into the faith that the old rat had collected!

Having personally orchestrated the creation of a god, Ludwig knew very well that one of the three essential elements of godhood was that the "divine design" must be perfect and unified, instilling a sufficiently clear concept in believers. Therefore, given this, they could exert unexpected destructive influence simply by deliberately doing the opposite.

So the two of them started adding unofficial fan-made settings to the "Dragon God" created by the old rat, and deliberately provoked arguments among the believers.

According to the ratmen's version of events, the Dragon God is the king of dragons, who can command all dragons in the world. Nidhogg, who had previously caused trouble everywhere, was a messenger sent by the old man to punish all the demi-human races living in the Virtual Forest, so that they could unite together to fight against the evil humans.

However, the old rat did not provide a very clear description of what the dragon god looked like, which gave Lu De an opportunity to take advantage of the situation.

The two frequently changed their appearances, mingling among the camps of various demi-human races, and deliberately brought up topics about the Dragon God under the guise of chatting.

For example, what does the Dragon God actually look like? Is it male or female? How big is it exactly? How many heads, claws, and tails does it have? Does it like tofu sweet or savory, and so on and so forth.

These discussions, under their deliberate guidance, often fail to reach a widely accepted conclusion. Instead, they exacerbate the divisions, artificially create conflicts, and incite ethnic antagonism.

Sometimes, if the argument wasn't heated enough, Ludd would even call Hume over, and the two would each take a side, engaging in a back-and-forth verbal battle like actors in a play.

Thanks to their "efforts," in just two days, the outer camp split into more than a dozen factions due to various disagreements about the Dragon God. The image of the Dragon God in everyone's mind also generated a series of "derivative versions" as a result of this argument, turning it into a perfect Hamlet!

So on the third day, the ratmen held another ceremony. The faith generated by the believers was like fireworks, a riot of colors, yet unable to blend together. Seeing this, Rudd decisively added fuel to the fire, activating the amplification mode of the primal fire within him, making this conflict of faith even more intense.

Seeing this, Lude's smile became even more wicked.

"I say, kid, you're really something! That old rat can't see what faith looks like, otherwise he'd probably be so angry he'd vomit blood by now."

"Shh! It's better if he can't see it. If he could see it, things would be more difficult for us."

"What's next? Keep giving him work?"

"I'll go back to the village tonight to let them know I'm safe and sound, and also to prepare some props to liven things up for that old rat."

"Hehe! I'm suddenly really looking forward to it!"

That evening, the two left the demi-human camp and returned to Pine Tree Village, where they relayed their findings from the past two days to their companions who remained behind.

Luoye also reported to them on the situation in the village over the past few days. Now, all the men, women, and children in the village are actively preparing for battle. They managed to build the outer wall of the village in just two and a half days. Although it was crude, it at least gave the villagers some sense of security.

However, what's strange is that almost six days have passed since Ludwig last struck the dragon scales, and Nidhogg has yet to appear.

In addition, there are the warlord knights in the village. Although these forty or so men are bound by Shanis's thorny vines and kept in a state of weakness and paralysis every day, they have never given up on escaping. Therefore, the village must arrange for people to keep a close watch on them around the clock.

Upon learning of this situation, Lude felt he should go and talk to the female knight Sharo again. These knights were not bad people, and their village desperately needed the help of these excellent warriors.

End of this chapter

I apologize for asking for help yesterday, but I have to take a day off today because I'm feeling really bad. I've been in a state of agitation since I got up at 8:30 this morning. So far, excluding meal times, I've been sitting in front of the computer for over fourteen hours, but I've only written less than five hundred words. My mind is a mess, and watching time slip by without writing anything is incredibly frustrating.

All I can say is that writing a novel is not as simple as writing in small regular script. Including today's and the few days I missed updating, I will include them all in the update backlog under the reward, increasing the total from fifty to sixty.

In short, I apologize to the readers who have been waiting for updates.

End of this chapter

To be fair, although Sharo and her warlord knights were easily defeated by Lud and his men in a very humiliating manner and are now prisoners, this does not mean that they are weak in combat.

In fact, as professional soldiers, these warlord knights were quite capable. Their defeat was simply due to challenging the wrong opponents at the wrong time and in the wrong place.

If they were given a different scenario, allowing this squadron of knights to be fully armed and ready for a cavalry charge on the most suitable plains terrain, the hundreds of militiamen from Pine Tree Village would probably be wiped out in a single round.

Therefore, for the sake of caution, Lud hoped to make good use of them as well to strengthen the village's defenses.

At this time, almost a week had passed since Sharo and his men were captured, and no reinforcements had arrived from Wolfhelm City. This made Sharo worry about the men he had sent out to deliver the message.

However, the village did nothing to them. Sharo thought he would be tortured or even killed, but the villagers just fed and cared for him in the barn, letting him continue to live and embarrass himself.

These days of being idle and unable to move made Sharo extremely irritable. Therefore, when Lude appeared in front of her again, the female knight instinctively struggled to get up.

As a result, Sara, who was completely powerless, could not stand steadily on her two legs. She tried to do a somersault, but instead, she did a scramble and fell to her knees in front of Lud in front of all her subordinates.

This sudden kneeling made the scene quite awkward for a moment.

"..."xN

"Miss Knight, why such a grand gesture?"

"No, I just... help me up!"

The female knight writhed on the ground like a maggot for a while, and Lude realized that she was simply too weak. So he had Aina and Shanis, who had come with him, help her up from the floor first, and then he half-squatted down and said to her with a serious expression.

“Miss Knight, I know you still don’t trust me, but I’ve always believed you’re a good person with a strong sense of justice. So there are some urgent matters I must tell you.”

"What trick are you trying to pull now?"

"Let me finish speaking first, then you can decide for yourself whether you believe me or not."

In front of Sharo and the surrounding Overseer Knights, Rudd informed everyone of the large group of demi-humans that had appeared in the woods to the north.

It's important to understand that tens of thousands of people is no small number in the current world. The entire population of Earl Ramli is less than 500,000, with only 3,000 standing troops. And the border regions adjacent to the Void Forest are even more inadequate in terms of armed forces, with small villages and towns forced to fight on their own.

Sharo was well aware of these circumstances. If what Lud said was true, these assembled demi-human allied forces could not only sweep through all the settlements and villages in the entire border region, but could even advance deep into the rear, posing a serious threat to the earldoms.

We may be able to win the fight, but the losses caused are too great!

"You want us to help the village fight against those demi-humans?"

"To be precise, it's about cooperation. It's always better to keep the enemy at bay than to wait for bandits to break into our homes before we fight back. I think you should know that thirty or forty miles south of here is Creek Mountain, and beyond the mountain pass where Creekwood Town is located is Earl Ramli's territory. To the south lies a fertile plain. If we let these demi-humans who only want to burn, kill, and plunder rush over, the consequences will be unimaginable!"

"But how can I be sure that what you're saying is true?"

“I will untie you and then take you to see the camps of those demi-human races with your own eyes. I believe you will make the right choice then.”

As Lude spoke, he waved to Shanis, who immediately released the restraints on Sharo. With the black thorns binding her hands and feet disappearing, Sharo suddenly felt some strength return to her body.

"Could you untie a few more of my men?"

"No problem, I was planning to untie them all anyway."

At Lud's command, Shanis released all the knights in the barn from their restraints. Several knights who recovered quickly scrambled to their feet to protect their young mistress, but were all swatted aside by Sharo.

"Calm down, everyone!"

Sharo could tell that Lude was very strong, perhaps on par with Master Hamilton, or even a cut above him. The fact that Lude had voluntarily untied them showed both sincerity and confidence. They were currently not fully recovered and were unarmed; any further conflict under these circumstances would only be another humiliating defeat.

So Sharo could only force herself to stay calm, because she was also unsure whether Lude and his Medicine God Cult were good or bad.

The group left the barn. Lude had someone bring Sharo's green pepper armor and sword, but the other knights' weapons and equipment were not returned, clearly out of caution to wait and see for a while longer.

Sharo didn't say anything about this, simply put on his gear without any pretense, and then asked in a nonchalant tone.

"When shall we go and check out the camp you mentioned?"

"Anytime is fine."

Lude and Sharo discussed it briefly and decided to set off while it was still early, and enter the forest after dark. Humans who are not good at night vision would be at a disadvantage and might fall into an ambush.

So everyone made some simple preparations. Sharo chose five subordinates, while Lude brought Shanis and Fallen Leaf, along with two hunters familiar with the terrain, forming a ten-man squad. They also borrowed horses from the knights.

The group set off, taking a hidden path towards the valley where the demi-human camp was located. Two hunters leading the way told Rud that they had set up an "observation post" on the back of the hillside east of the camp, as instructed by the priest, to keep a 24-hour watch on the camp.

However, what puzzled the hunters was that, apart from the increasing number of people and the growing size of the camp, they never seemed to be making any big moves, as if they were preparing to build a city and settle there permanently.

But no matter what, one cannot allow others to doze off beside one's bed! Moreover, none of the dozen or so demi-human races in this camp have a harmonious relationship with humans, so the villagers find it hard to believe that they will live in harmony with them.

Riding their horses along the mountain path, the group soon arrived at the observation post. But before they could get close, Luo Ye keenly smelled a trace of blood in the air.

So everyone immediately dismounted, and Luo Ye quietly went up to check the situation. He soon returned with bad news.

"The outpost has been taken down; there are no survivors."

Upon hearing that the outpost had fallen, and to avoid potential ambushes, the team had no choice but to carefully detour and observe from another hilltop. Sharo and the others finally witnessed the camp firsthand, and their expressions immediately darkened.

End of this chapter

The reconnaissance team returned to Pine Tree Village before nightfall. Sharo, having witnessed the demi-human camp during the day, was now fully aware of the gravity of the situation.

Judging from the distance and the area it occupies, the camp must have had more than 10,000 people, including some powerful demi-humans whose individual combat strength surpassed that of humans.