Starting with the defeated female knight

“A little bit before.”

Before John could speak, Henry gave a casual reply.

"After all, when I was first born, I really couldn't understand humans, so I got beaten up and thrown into the dungeon. It's probably only in the last twenty years or so that I've developed a little bit of what they call... human rationality?"

“I don’t quite understand, but anyway, that’s how I ended up looking like this, and then my father released me.”

[Newborn? Father?]

The tentacles bent in confusion.

Did the ancient gods also reproduce sexually?

"I do not know."

Henry shrugged.

"I don't know about the other ancient gods either, but I was born to my parents anyway."

"...He is an exception."

After confirming that Henry was indeed a friendly unit, John gradually relaxed and then sighed.

Since waking up, he felt that he was sighing much more frequently.

What makes it special?

“We studied the situation of the ancient gods back then and basically divided them into two types. One type is those that are born with complete abilities and consciousness, and whose power and birth time are extremely ancient. We call them complete ancient gods.”

"The other type seems to have been born one after another within a certain period of time. They were born not long ago, and their power and consciousness were relatively weak, but they were more insane and twisted. They are also called incomplete ancient gods."

"And he..."

John glanced at Henry, who blinked but made no comment.

"It was after we banished the ancient gods except for the Mother Goddess."

“A completely new and complete ancient god born from the human body.”

Book 1: Chapter 73: Answer me, what does the Empire need!

Complete ancient gods, incomplete ancient gods.

This was the first time Green had ever heard those two words.

Although he actually preferred to call them Ancient Gods and Artificial Ancient Gods, since that's what he called them, he couldn't be bothered to change it.

and......

What is meant by a complete ancient god born from a human body?

Was it born from absorbing human power or faith, or...?

"Normal childbirth".

Henry admitted it.

"My parents are both human, pure-blooded humans."

The tentacle paused for a moment.

Two pure-blooded humans gave birth to a complete ancient god? This is quite a lot of information...

Meanwhile, after confirming that Henry had indeed become somewhat anthropomorphic, John gave a wry smile and then spoke.

“We were shocked when this happened. It took a lot of effort to arrest him. I was one of the people involved…”

He never expected that the first familiar person he would encounter after his resurrection would be the child he had beaten up years ago.

For him in particular, the events of two hundred years ago seemed like yesterday. He woke up to find that the roles of the ancient god and the nobleman had been reversed. Not only that, the child he had beaten up back then was now sitting calmly in front of him. It was a really strange feeling.

but......

"How is your father?"

"It's not good, he's about to die."

Henry shook his head.

"Just ask me whatever you want. I still don't quite understand those complicated human things."

John paused for a moment, then sighed.

"What does he think of the current state of the empire?"

"He didn't want to, and he didn't have the energy to think about it anymore."

Henry's tone remained normal.

“I did ask him if he wanted me to inherit the throne, and he jumped out of his sickbed and beat me up, saying he would rather the empire be destroyed than let me be king.”

“I think he’s right, and other people don’t like me either.”

[Correct]

Although the empire is already in a terrible state, given Henry's intellect, even Greene has to admit that, despite being near rock bottom, if he were to become king, the empire might actually decline further.

"but......"

Henry thought for a moment.

"After he beat me up, he asked me a question."

He said, 'Henry, what do you think the empire needs now?'

"I said it was probably barbecue? Because barbecue is delicious, and he stopped talking."

silence.

Then, facing the silent man in front of him, Henry scratched his head and spoke.

"But then I thought about it and realized that the barbecue wasn't enough. After all, although barbecue is delicious, you can get tired of it if you eat too much."

"So I think what the empire needs right now is probably a great fire."

A great fire that burned everything, destroyed everything, and made everything start anew.

There was another moment of silence.

But unlike the previous silence, this silence is not simply speechlessness, but rather closer to contemplation.

"A fire... might indeed be an option."

John relaxed his brow, then shook his head.

"But if everything is burned to ashes, what about the previous structures?"

"If you start from scratch, how can you be sure that things won't repeat themselves, or even get worse?"

John's concerns were justified.

Many people have the misconception that as long as a country or civilization suffers hardship or even annihilation, it will definitely become better after being destroyed and rebuilt.

But in reality, even setting aside those civilizations that were directly eliminated by hardship, only a very small number of those that survived were able to rebuild from the ashes.

Most of them, let alone standing up, are lucky if they can even crawl or wriggle on the ground.

so......

"I think it's out of goodwill."

John looked up, his expression serious.

Even the empire of today is far stronger than the one ruled by the gods in the past.

So although he felt terrible, John did not believe that the empire was beyond saving.

Kindness is like water.

With enough goodwill, even a small pond can be filled with small streams, and with gradual accumulation, even a desert can blossom.

but......

"But how do we cultivate goodwill?"

Henry looked at John.

"And speaking of goodwill, weren't the ancient gods benevolent?"

silence.

Although their views were opposite and they both pointed out each other's shortcomings, neither of them got angry.

Ultimately, they all want to change the environment of this cesspool in some way, and if the other party's solution is better, they will support it without hesitation.

After a moment of silence, they seemed to remember something and turned to look at the tentacles beside them.

Why are you looking at me?

The tentacle blinked.

[I'm not an Imperial citizen, what does this have to do with me?]

"Then can you abandon those children?"

silence.

Silence is the alleyway today.

After a moment, the tentacle sighed and slowly bent.

As for me, I'd probably say I'm a seed.

After all, whether it's the ashes after a fire or the desert flooded by a flood, it's all part of the equation.

To grow a plant, you always need seeds.

Furthermore, the type and quality of the seeds can directly determine the vegetation that will grow.

[Even if there are enough seeds, and they grow into towering trees, some things will be changed because of them, even without fire or flood.]

The situation is different from that in Dawn City.

Before the establishment of Dawn City, the place was a blank slate, and the exiled refugees were a spiritual wasteland.

So no matter how Green is painted or constructed, it's all an upward trend for them, since there's no room for them to fall further.

But an empire, no matter how corrupt, dilapidated, twisted, or insane, was once glorious, possessing its own culture, principles, and beliefs.

Don't be fooled by how pitiful the scraps are. Before meeting him, the children that Green raised firmly believed in bloodline theory and resented their own bloodline more than their families.

Some extreme cases of trash even attempt to increase their bloodline concentration by attacking and devouring others.

As for the poor people in this alley, under extreme poverty and suffering, they have an exceptionally difficult time even surviving, so it is naturally difficult for them to have any spirit of sharing or noble virtues.

Poor and harsh environments breed unruly people. It's not that people are born that way; it's that only in such environments can they survive.

The empire's decay was not limited to the upper echelons, and the stench emanating from it was not just the perpetrators. The middle and lower classes, the bottom classes, and the victims—everyone was influencing each other, and everyone was permeated with that decay, ultimately leading to the current situation.

Otherwise, if it were just a few nobles who were obsessed, the old king would have jumped off his sickbed on the spot and chopped them all down with a sword.

After solving the problem, he immediately ascended to heaven on the spot, smiling in his grave.

But the problem is that it doesn't work.

Killing the current nobles will immediately create new ones.

The trial activities have been abolished, but they will be carried out in another way immediately.

Even if a major purge is carried out within the church, it won't be long before new ways to 'circumvent faith' will emerge.

The soil and seeds are right here. Even if you lift the poor and the waste up there, they can only become new nobles and churches, new perpetrators, endlessly repeating this cycle.

and so.

Seeds are needed.

[The seed that, once grown, can change everything]

After listening to Green's explanation, Henry seemed thoughtful, while John frowned.

After a long while, they looked at each other.

"What do we need to do?"