Goddess Kaleidoscope

Lud had long noticed that Gulig seemed to be planning to lead his clan to change their faith, which could be seen from his advocacy of "freedom of religion" and his welcome to any religious sect to preach to them.

During their first meeting a few days prior, Gulig had just learned about the divine realm and specifically inquired about how to "reach the ears of the heavens." When Lud hinted that he had a way, Gulig's eyes clearly lit up, further confirming Lud's suspicions.

But Lud was somewhat curious about why Gulig, as the clan leader, would choose to betray the Earth Mother Goddess whom the dwarves had worshipped for many years, and even planned to drag his entire Steel Whip clan to convert.

Following the principle of asking questions when you don't understand, Luther asked about his doubts.

Is it necessary to ask this?

"Of course there is. Choosing one's own faith is a believer's freedom, but this freedom is not unlimited... You have to have a legitimate reason, right?"

The two looked at each other. Gulig remained silent for a moment, seemingly still hesitant, or perhaps not trusting Lud enough. But in the end, he gritted his teeth and told the reason why he decided to betray the Earth Mother Goddess.

"High Priest, if I were to tell you now that it wasn't us dwarves who wanted to betray the Earth Mother, but rather that we accidentally discovered that the Earth Mother had betrayed us dwarves in the past, would you believe me?"

End of this chapter

Rudd had actually heard Hume mention the Earth Mother's betrayal of the dwarves before. However, this was a secret known only to the gods, and the dwarves, as the victims, were actually unaware of it; otherwise, they wouldn't have continued to believe in the Earth Mother with such peace of mind.

Interestingly, in dealing with this scandal, the gods who would not hesitate to use dirty tricks to fight for faith have shown an incredible unity this time, helping to cover up the truth of the matter.

Although Hume was bound by a gag order and could not elaborate, he still revealed some key information, allowing Ludd to deduce the general process on his own.

In short, during the war of the gods, the Earth Mother deceived the dwarves who trusted her, making them believe that they had been strengthened.

So the Dwarf King mobilized the entire nation's army and personally led an expedition to launch the final battle against the Skaven Empire. However, the Earth Mother Goddess pulled a cruel trick at the crucial moment, causing the complete annihilation of the Dwarf army.

It turns out that long before the war began, the Earth Mother Goddess had already made a dirty deal with other gods to gang up on the dwarf kingdom. As a reward for their success, the gods would tacitly allow the Earth Mother Goddess to obtain several divine positions, including those of abundance and calamity.

However, from a purely profit-driven perspective, the Earth Mother Goddess's deal was undoubtedly a loss. Prior to this, the Dwarf Kingdom had always been the core of the Earth Mother Goddess cult, its legal state religion, with tens of millions of citizens being devout followers of the Earth Mother Goddess.

These skilled craftsmen undertook massive construction projects, building hundreds and thousands of magnificent temples and towering statues for the Earth Mother Goddess, and regularly holding grand sacrificial ceremonies.

Backed by abundant faith, the Earth Mother Goddess was a high-ranking deity on par with the three founding families at that time. However, after the dwarves were tricked into losing their kingdom by her, the Earth Mother Goddess's sect also began to decline. Even though she received a bunch of new divine positions as compensation, she still tragically became a second-tier deity, living a lukewarm and insignificant life.

When Lude first learned about this history, he once thought that this Earth Mother was an otherworldly version of Yuan Shao, who was cautious about his life when doing great things, but risked his life for small gains. However, he later discovered that things were not as simple as they seemed.

The war of the gods broke out when the Skaven Empire attempted to create its own gods, which threatened the interests of other primordial gods, causing a series of chain reactions that ultimately led to widespread devastation and death throughout the world.

At that time, the world was dominated by two powerful races: the ratmen and the dwarves. Their technological levels were comparable, and their cultures were distinct. Both were advanced civilizations that had already stepped into the Industrial Revolution, and they were poised to trigger an unprecedented transformation in the world.

In contrast, the human race at the same time was just starting out, and was just a group of insignificant little creatures who followed the trend of imitating the culture and system of the Skaven Empire to establish some relatively backward small countries.

Therefore, in the eyes of the gods, the ratmen who attempted to create gods were great enemies that had to be eliminated, while the dwarves, who possessed similar strength, were potential great enemies! It would be best to kill these two who threatened their rule together.

There are only individuals who betray their class, not classes that betray their interests. This statement also applies to these so-called "gods".

Hume revealed this to Ludd because she discovered that although Ludd was a missionary genius full of outlandish ideas, he didn't actually care for God and had no respect for Him whatsoever. He was just like the ratmen and dwarves who were killed in the past—a reformer yearning for progress.

Hume did not object to this; after all, she had never been a beneficiary of the system for the past three hundred years, and naturally had no intention of supporting this theocratic class that excluded her. She simply reminded Ludwig not to reveal himself too early before he had enough power to overturn the table.

Since he didn't know the source of Gulig's information, Lude, though fully aware of what Gulig was about to say, still feigned a puzzled expression.

"Sir Gulig, why do you speak such disrespectful words to the Earth Mother Goddess, whom the dwarves have worshipped since ancient times?"

"Your Excellency, don't you believe what I'm saying?"

"It's not that I don't believe it, but I need to see evidence first."

Gulig paused briefly, seemingly still somewhat hesitant. After all, according to the information he had received, it wasn't just the Earth Mother who had tricked the dwarves back then; other gods also seemed to have been involved, and most of them played less-than-honorable roles.

Emotionally, Gulig could not accept that he and his people continued to worship a wicked goddess who had betrayed their ancestors and caused the destruction of the Dwarf Tribe. This was nothing short of recognizing a thief as one's mother!

But he also knew that his Steel Whip Clan of only ten thousand people was no match for a god. So he came up with a compromise: to change his faith and find another god to rely on.

The dwarves' faith in the Earth Mother Goddess primarily stems from their thirst for underground mineral resources and their fear of various geological disasters. Therefore, in the original doctrines of the dwarves, the most likely divine punishment for betraying the Earth Mother Goddess is an earthquake; the traitor will be buried in the mines they have dug.

Therefore, the new patron must be powerful enough, which led Gulig to initially consider choosing one of the current three families to serve. However, he soon received guidance from an unnamed master who instructed him to lead his people to the northern border of the kingdom, where they could obtain everything they desired.

Just then, news arrived from the north that a well-preserved ancient dwarven city had been discovered in the Void Forest. Gulig believed this was the answer he was looking for, so he and his entire tribe migrated north. Unexpectedly, they encountered Lud in Pine Village and learned about the divine realm from him. So Gulig suddenly had a new idea: could they invite a god from this divine realm who was more suitable for their dwarven race?

After hesitating for a long time, Gulig took out a soft cloth pouch, poured out a crystal ball about the size of his fist, and handed it to Lud.

"This is..."

"Our dwarven record crystal is one of the relics our archaeologists found on an ancient battlefield. It contains the last message left to the world by His Highness Koberi, the last dwarven king. He exposed that shameful betrayal, and it is the evidence you want to see!"

End of this chapter

Under Gulig's control, dynamic images quickly appeared inside the crystal ball, which resembled a huge black pearl. It showed a severely wounded and dying dwarf leaning against a broken tree stump, speaking in a language that Lud couldn't understand. His voice was weak but filled with endless anger, and Gulig offered to translate for him.

Without Gulig's introduction, Lud guessed the dwarf's identity: the last dwarf king, Koberi, the most powerful plastic man in history who sent all his opposing ministers to mine because he wanted to use the nation's resources to create a giant humanoid robot.

To be frank, Corbell Taylor's reputation in dwarven history is far from good. He was a typical tyrant, an extremely stubborn and autocratic ruler. He killed his own brothers, persecuted wise ministers who offered advice, and even forced his half-sister into marriage.

This last dwarf king had done countless atrocities, but he was also a tough and decisive monarch, and a fierce general who dared to lead from the front. During his reign, the only defeat the dwarf kingdom suffered in its foreign wars was the final battle against the rat-man empire.

This battle was known to the dwarves as the "Battle of Bloodtear Valley." The dwarven royal family and eleven elite legions were completely annihilated. Moreover, not only them, but also the millions of troops on both sides perished. Some were later wiped out, and their gods disappeared along with them.

Since none of the warring parties survived, the dwarves were unaware that their Earth Mother Goddess would betray them at a crucial moment. It wasn't until more than three hundred years later that the truth about this long-buried history was finally revealed.

In the crystal ball's image, the Dwarf King, on his deathbed, struggled to recount the events leading up to and following the Battle of Bloodtear Valley in as much detail as possible. He knew very well that this great battle was devoid of justice and honor, and that those vicious and hypocritical evil gods would never allow the truth about this battle to be revealed.

In Koberi's account, the Battle of Bloodtears Valley was a premeditated genocide. The gods, fearing the growing power of mortals and the threat they posed to their supreme dominance, conspired to annihilate the elites of all the advanced intelligent races of the time.

When the battle first began, the mortals participating in the war were unaware of anything unusual. Their respective gods generously bestowed upon them unprecedented blessings and protection. As for the rat-man empire, the target of everyone's hatred, although they had no gods protecting them, they used a terrifying and unprecedented evil magic to create many unkillable rat-man warriors.

This epic battle raged for three days and three nights. The allied forces of the gods, who considered themselves righteous, gradually gained the upper hand on the battlefield thanks to their numerical superiority and at great cost. However, at the crucial moment, the Earth Mother, who had been supporting the dwarves and buffing them, suddenly withdrew all her protection, causing the dwarf legion, the main force of the allied forces, to suffer a drastic drop in combat power in an instant.

The ratmen also unleashed their "trump card," awakening an unspeakable terror in that blood-soaked land.

When the dwarf king spoke of that terrifying being, his tone and eyes revealed deep fear. He didn't know how to describe what he had seen, and could only use a rather abstract term to describe the thing.

"That is death itself!"

Clearly, the ratmen's plan to create a god was successful, but strictly speaking, it was only half successful, because they did not have the ability to control the new god.

After the god created by the ratmen was born, it wiped out more than half of the creatures present in the blink of an eye. Whether they were strong warriors or magicians who controlled the elements, none of them had any power to resist or even have time to react before they simply died.

When the incident occurred, Koberi, as the leader of the allied forces, was commanding the army from the rear. Victory seemed imminent; he was already armed and ready to lead his personal guards in a final charge, when this inexplicable situation suddenly unfolded.

But at that very moment, a group of gods who had been plotting together suddenly launched an attack, jointly activating a massive seal, as if to seal off the entire battlefield. Koberi was a fierce general, but not a fool. Realizing that something was wrong, he immediately ordered the remaining troops around him to retreat.

Faced with the combined seal of at least a dozen gods, the terrifying monster created by the ratmen seemed to sense the danger and made a move to struggle. It suddenly unleashed a blackish-gray energy that impacted the shrinking barrier, causing a violent tremor.

Almost every creature touched by this dark energy died instantly on the spot. Only the dwarf king Koberi, due to his superior equipment, barely survived the attack, but he was also severely injured. Koberi, who was once strong enough to kill an adult mountain bear with a single punch, was instantly so exhausted that he could barely stand, while his guards turned into a pool of foul-smelling blood in an instant.

Just as the monster was about to unleash its second shockwave, Koberi, who thought he was doomed, suddenly discovered a dark gold gem pendant in the pool of blood where his eldest son had turned into.

Koberi recognized it at a glance; it was the national treasure that should have been kept in the royal treasury, the divine artifact "Meteor" made by the wise goddess Kuramid.

This treasure is a teleportation artifact that can instantly transport the user to a place thousands of miles away. However, given that the Goddess of Wisdom also has titles such as Goddess of Mischief and Witch of Intrigue, the artifacts she creates generally have a prank mechanism.

The tricky part about the "meteor" is that it can only be used once every seven days, and every seven uses will result in a random teleportation, meaning you can't control where you end up.

However, for Koberi, whose life was in imminent danger, this was the least important problem. As long as he could get out of this hellish place immediately, he didn't care where he went. So he decisively picked up the artifact and activated it.

With the help of the artifact, Koberi became the only mortal to escape the battle. Unfortunately, his teleportation was random, and he was thrown into the bottom of a deep canyon with fatal wounds, leaving him to wait for death in the deserted depths of the canyon.

On his deathbed, Koberi took out the memory crystal he always carried with him and left this last message, hoping that one day someone would discover his remains and expose the ugly faces of those gods to the world.

End of this chapter

Because they easily believed the promises of the gods, the once-prosperous dwarf race fell from its peak and has never recovered since.

The Gulag were furious but helpless after learning the truth.

The dwarves of today are no longer the technologically advanced and populous kingdom they were three hundred years ago. The complete annihilation of the royal family has left the entire race leaderless. Even if a powerful figure suddenly appeared and reunited the fragmented dwarves, they would likely find it difficult to recapture the glory of their ancestors, let alone seek revenge against the gods.

For Gulig, perhaps the only comforting news was that the gods were not a monolithic entity; not all the gods participated in the conspiracy. Some remained neutral, while others, like the dwarves, were victims who suffered greatly.

In light of this, Gulig hoped to form an alliance with these gods and seek their protection. Just then, a wise man pointed out the direction to the Steel Whip Clan, telling them to go to the northern border of the kingdom to find the priest Lud of the Medicine God Cult, where an unexpected path might await them.

After listening to Gulig's account, Lud was shocked by the dark secrets hidden behind the War of the Gods, and also became very interested in the "master" he had mentioned several times.

If nothing unexpected happens, this powerful figure should also be a deity, and know about Lud's situation, which is why he immediately thought of Hume. Gulig remained tight-lipped, only saying that the identity of this person was not yet convenient to reveal, and that Lud shouldn't dwell too much on this matter.

But he dared not do anything. Gulig brought more than 30,000 dwarves with him, which were all high-quality human resources delivered to his doorstep.

After a moment's consideration, Lud did not reveal the truth about the gods to Gulig directly, after all, he had only just met this dwarf, and the relationship between the two was far from one of complete trust.

So, following the established premise, Rudd stated that he was indeed the chosen one of the Medicine God Cult, capable of contacting the divine realm, and should be able to help the Steelwhip Clan dwarves find a god willing to descend and assist them.

However, inviting the gods to descend is no trivial matter. The divine realm is a higher world than the mortal realm, and the world of the gods has its own rules. Descending to the mortal realm without permission is not allowed unless mortals take the initiative to pray and request their descent, which requires many people to form a common faith.

Lude asked Gulig a question: how many members of the Steel Whip Clan knew the truth about the war of gods and were interested in switching their faith? Gulig replied that the information was not yet fully public, but several elders and retainers knew, and his hundreds of private soldiers were loyal to him. He assured them that if Gulig took the lead, his comrades would surely follow his decision.

Lude calculated that there were nearly a thousand people just from these. In addition, the dwarves had been in decline for many years, and their decadent state had eroded their faith. The dwarves' faith in the Earth Mother Goddess was no longer as firm as it was three hundred years ago. It shouldn't be too difficult to persuade them to change their faith.

Gradually, Ludwig formed a feasible plan in his mind.

“Sir Gulig, I sympathize with the plight of you dwarves, and I know that even gods can be good or evil. I can understand your disappointment with the Earth Mother. Therefore, as a mere mortal, I support your choice and will do everything in my power to help you.”

"Thank you, Your Excellency."

"However... summoning gods is no child's play, so there are some things I must explain to you in detail first."

"please say."

"First, you need to understand what a divine position is. To use a concept that we mortals can understand, you can think of a divine position as an official post or title, and then invite someone from the divine realm to take up that post."

"So that's how it is... But how does one obtain a divine position?"

"Then of course, we should pray!"

Having prepared in advance, Lud brought out a mythological system that he had painstakingly constructed.

In his theory, this world was indeed created by gods, but not by one or a few, but by the combined efforts of all the gods in the entire divine realm. Furthermore, their world is not unique; it is merely one of the countless worlds created by the gods of the divine realm, and is far inferior to the divine realm itself.

In the beginning of the world, the gods did not descend. It was the prayers of mortals that moved them to compassion. So some of the gods followed the prayers and came to the mortal world to guide the lost mortals.

However, just like the dark secrets that Gulig learned from the memory crystal, gods, like mortals, are divided into good and evil. Some of the gods who descended did not do so out of benevolent care, but rather treated mortals as toys to be manipulated at will, and came to become high and mighty rulers. There were even some evil gods who came with malicious intent to cause trouble.

The new system created by Lude, because it largely retained the world's existing mythology and acknowledged the status of the gods, was highly acceptable to the local natives. Even if it reached the ears of other gods someday, these guys might not necessarily jump out to "debunk" it.

Lud's true purpose, however, was hidden in the expanded settings he added later, subtly reconstructing the gods.