Warhammer, I'm a nanny, not your father!

"Yes, my God... my Lord." Esberya changed her words in the face of his intimidating gaze.

Luo Jia was helpless about her behavior, but he couldn't kill her, so he could only use orders to dilute her fanaticism.

"Gather all the believers and slaves and collect all the scriptures of the covenant in this city, and I will preach them to them."

"My Lord," Esperia said worriedly, "Those slaves are not worthy of listening to your holy words. They will defile your holiness!"

Lorgar's gaze pierced the female commander's heart like a sharp sword, making her tremble with excitement.

"Esperia, I don't want to hear that from you again. I believe that all people are created equal, only with different responsibilities. The Covenant divides us into different classes: priests, believers, slaves. This is just a lie they weave to maintain their rule!"

"Yes, my lord." Espeia lowered her head. She believed in the gods and served the gods, not the Covenant.

The reason why the prophets denied their faith must be because the covenant had betrayed its original intention and they were unworthy of the gods’ favor!

Fortunately, she realized her mistake and turned back. She still has a chance to be noticed by the gods!

"My Lord, you can preach to them through the radio," said Esperia.

Luo Jia shook his head: "Find an open space, I want them to see me with their own eyes."

Esperia did not dare to disobey Lorca. All the slaves and believers of Atlantis gathered in the open space in the center of the city according to the orders broadcast.

In front of the crowd, soldiers were carefully piling scriptures into small hills.

Lu Xingzhou stopped here, and Luo Jia stood on the deck overlooking all living beings.

He turned to look at Wop, who was standing at the junction of shadow and light with an encouraging smile on his face.

Luo Jia looked back at all living beings contentedly, and all living beings were also looking at him.

Even though people a thousand meters away could not see Lorca's figure clearly, they could still clearly see the divinity contained in his violet eyes!

"prophet!"

Esperia knelt with other believers, her forehead pressed against the hot sand. Her delicate skin was burned red, but there was only fanatical faith in her eyes.

The crowd knelt one after another like waves of wheat, and the slaves' metal shackles clanged together. Their brown backs rose and fell in the scorching sun, like sand dunes blown by the wind in the desert.

Lorgar could see their fanaticism, and his eyes were filled with sadness, which was why he wanted to free them.

"Slaves of Atlantis, listen to my words."

"I am Lorgar. I am not a prophet, nor a messenger, nor a god!"

“But I still carry the truth and give it to the world.”

"It is not your chains that bind you here, but your fear of the Covenant and your faith in the gods."

"Have you ever seen the true God? Have the gods responded to your faith?"

"They ask you to kneel down and make offerings, but they never offer you real hope."

"They deceive you with scriptures and imprison your thoughts with holy words. They claim that the sufferings of this world are tests for you, and that as long as you serve wholeheartedly, you can ascend to the paradise of the highest heaven."

"I want to tell you that everything is a lie carefully crafted by the gods, just to cover up their sinister intentions!"

"There has never been a savior, nor do we rely on gods or prophets!"

"Break free from it, smash the cage of faith, abandon the worship of gods, and obtain the true salvation of mankind! Not by relying on false gods, but with your own hands and will."

"Fight, fight now! I will break your chains and set you free."

"One day you will understand that all we have to lose are our chains!"

"Snapped!"

The radiance of spiritual energy rippled outward, flowing across the slaves' mottled shackles. In an instant, the crisp sound of breaking metal echoed one after another, playing a symphony of resistance against fate.

Lorgar took the torch handed to him by Erebus. The torch drew a fiery arc in the air and fell precisely into the pile of scriptures.

Chapter 62: Luo Jia: I'm dying of laughter, don't scream, biological butterfly! (5K)

"Lie, the gods spit on you!"

"heresy!"

The believers rushed into the fire crying, trying to save the scriptures that were ignited by the flames.

Esperia stared blankly at the flames as they devoured the sacred scriptures and the believers who tried to rescue them like an awakened beast. She had never expected that Lorgar had ordered her to collect the scriptures for this moment.

She was bewildered.

The reason for rebelling against the covenant is that it betrays the glory of the gods, but why should the scriptures be burned as well?

Is it true that Lorgar is not a prophet?

If he is not a prophet, how do we explain the divinity in his eyes?

If he was a prophet, why did he turn his back on the gods?

The slaves raised their heads, the flickering flames reflected in their cloudy eyes.

They were too far away to see clearly, so someone stood up and straightened his hunched back.

More and more slaves stood up tremblingly, their brown backs connected together in the firelight, like a poplar forest suddenly rising from the desert.

Although they were frightened by Lorca's heretical remarks and some of them wanted to rush into the fire to rescue the scriptures like the believers, he said he would give them freedom!

What is freedom?

Their ancestors had been slaves for generations, enslaved by the covenant.

They were very unfamiliar with this word, but it seemed to have some kind of magic that made them addicted to it.

For the first time, a flickering light appeared in their cloudy eyes. It was not the worship of gods, but a fresh vitality that had never existed before.

"Oh my God, what should I do?"

Esperia stared blankly at the sea of ​​fire and staggered towards it.

Hundreds of believers threw themselves into the sea of ​​fire, fearlessly trying to rescue the holy words of the gods.

But the flame seemed to have life. It retreated when the believers threw themselves into it, and blocked their retreat when they wanted to escape.

They sought benevolence and received it; all of them were burned to death along with the scriptures, and no one survived.

It seemed like she had done something wrong.

The prophet she thought of turned out to be a heretic, and she had unintentionally betrayed the gods.

Esperia was in great pain and wanted to cry bitterly, but the sea of ​​fire seemed to have dried up her tears, and not a single tear could flow.

She should atone for her sins with her death and die in this sea of ​​fire with those devout believers. Only in this way can she prove her faith.

The sea of ​​fire strangely parted in front of Esperia, and the leaping flames retreated to the sides like servants, leaving a scorching passage on the charred sand.

She subconsciously took a step forward, then shrank back in fear.

Her body trembled with fear.

"why?"

If the gods truly existed, why didn't they punish Lorgar for his heresy? Why did the faithful suffer?

"why?"

Esperia held her face in her hands, shaking with fear, tears falling into her palms.

It was her honor to sacrifice herself for the gods, so why was she afraid? Why was her faith wavering?

"If you can't make up your mind to die, try to live as a human being."

Espeia wiped away her tears and turned to look at Lorca.

"Am I not human?"

"You are a servant of the gods. You were, you are, but you will not be."

"Do I have a choice?"

"To advance or to retreat, to survive or to perish, the choice is yours."

Espeia looked back at the sea of ​​fire, which was still inviting her.

The book of the gods was right before her eyes. She only needed to take two steps forward and reach out to rescue it.

She saw her warrior rushing into the fire to rescue the scriptures without hesitation. He was braver than her and his faith was stronger than hers.

But he never came out after rushing in. Although he was only one step away, the sea of ​​fire ruthlessly separated him from life.

Esberya's tears fell. She was the deacon who commanded all the warriors, but now she was crying like a lost child.

She took several steps back, then turned and ran away. She ran hundreds of meters before she suddenly fell to the ground.

"Now I know why I can't be a pastor." Esperia cried and wiped her tears.

"I thought her faith would be as devout as that of a priest, but she collapsed so easily." Erebas said to himself.

Wop: "That's because she's facing Lorgar."

Human beings are always accustomed to obeying authority. On the one hand, there are gods that they have believed in for half their lives but have never seen, and on the other hand, there are living gods that preach atheism. Normal people will be at a loss as to what to do.

The slaves' defection was inevitable. They had believed in the gods for half their lives but had never gained any substantial benefits from them.

Not to mention a comfortable life, they would have to pray devoutly every time they were not whipped.

Lorgar broke their chains and set them free.

Although they cannot yet understand the meaning of freedom, they will subconsciously choose to wait and see. The world has always been like this: they will support whoever wins.

The believers' selfless dedication is inevitable.

They have believed in the gods for half their lives, and have actually gained benefits and enjoyed a prosperous life.

That set of religious theories has soaked their brains. They have a firm belief in the covenant and that they can go to paradise after death. Naturally, they will not give up the opportunity to show their piety.

This also has a lot to do with their social class. The higher the status, the more selfless they will be, and the lower the status, the more they will kneel in the face of fear.

Esperia was one of the rare few who hesitated despite holding a high position. This was due to her age; she was too young, and as a deacon in charge of combat, she wasn't as dedicated to faith as a priest.

But the main reason is that Luo Jia's charm is too great and no one can resist it.

This is also thanks to the layout of the gods. If this world has been polluted by chaos, it would be useless for Lorgar to talk at his wit's end.

But if that were the case, Luo Jia wouldn't have to say anything, just kill him directly.

Lorgar stood in front of the raging sea of ​​fire, his figure casting a slender silhouette on the sand, the hem of his white robe swaying gently in the hot wind.

In fact, he could use a more gentle approach to slowly change their faith in the gods.

But that would be too inefficient and cause endless trouble.

If there are minions of the gods lurking among the people, the seeds of faith will be sown among the people until one day they spread everywhere.

Then all his efforts will be in vain.

But he did not pursue efficiency completely. If he wanted to pursue efficiency, he should kill all the believers because they were potential time bombs.

The number of slaves was more than three times that of believers. Even if he killed all the believers, he would still have a sufficient population base to rule.

But he was too soft-hearted, and he wanted to give someone like Esperia a chance, just as his brother would give the Nostramo a chance.

Lorgar murmured, "Just like Wop gave me a chance."

When the last scripture was reduced to ashes in the flames and the flames gradually died down, Lorgar dug through the ashes with his hands to make sure there were no survivors, whether people or scriptures.

He didn't return to the deck until he was sure everything was burned to ashes.

Lorgar looked at Wop with a firm gaze, his eyes seemed to be burning with purple flames, and his voice echoed in the desert like thunder.

"I am convinced that my path is correct. They can risk their lives for the gods today, and betray humanity for them tomorrow. If we want to achieve the great revival of humanity, we must completely eradicate the cancer of faith from the root of human thought! The Emperor is right. If my brothers don't realize this, then let me do it!"

Wop agreed with Lorca's words that faith was indeed a cancer.

Even if the Imperial Truth promoted by the Emperor was flawed, even if the Imperial Truth was a lie, his idea was right, and he was only one step away from success.

But, Lorgar, you are not even willing to call the Emperor father?

Wop wanted to help the Emperor repair the relationship between father and son, but after thinking about it, he decided to give up. He couldn't let the Emperor ruin his relationship with Lorgar.

……

"My Lord." Akshida lowered his head. "We have seized all transport trucks and refused to allow Vahadiresh to broadcast. The Covenant won't know what's happening here, but they will definitely send reinforcements. The Covenant's vanguard will arrive within three days at the earliest."

"Then we'll take the initiative," Lorgar said. "From Vahadiresh to Atlantis, Mersen is the only way. As long as we capture Mersen, we can seize the strategic initiative. We must also capture Atlantis. Atlantis produces neither water nor rations. The Covenant doesn't even need to attack us. They can just trap us here. It won't be long before we run out of ammunition and food."