When the Duke of Flaying and his daughter knelt before Anbaixiu, he distinctly felt a change in the Golden Throne.
The gold was truly increasing, and by no small amount.
Anbaixiu could sense that their prostrations added the weight of several gold coins to the throne.
Previously, whether it was the mercury soul puppets or the undead Anbaixiu created, all of them prostrating for ages hadn't yielded even a single gold coin's worth.
There were two reasons for this sudden surge. First, humans possessed high intelligence, far surpassing the puppet servants Anbaixiu created.
Second, both of them were religious fanatics whose devoutness was beyond anything ordinary mortals could match.
Erha had plenty of intelligence, but he merely viewed Anbaixiu as a boss. While his loyalty might be unquestionable, in his heart, Erha didn't find Anbaixiu the least bit divine, so true piety was out of the question.
Anbaixiu resolved to knock some sense into that irreverent fellow later.
What pleased Anbaixiu even more about this experiment was that even when deception was used to make people kneel, faith could still be converted into hard gold.
If that was the case, he would be doing a disservice to his own oath if he didn't wipe out Loviatar's followers in one fell swoop.
After savoring their prostration, Anbaixiu immediately said to the duke and his daughter, "Very good. The goddess has acknowledged your devotion. Now, in her stead, I shall deliver her oracle to you."
At these words, the two straightened their kneeling postures even further. This was an oracle personally expounded by the God-favored.
"The goddess is undertaking a grand scheme, and I am its direct executor. I cannot disclose the specific details to you; all you need to do is cooperate with me. However, I can share this much: this is a magnificent plan to deceive the gods and the Nine Kingdoms alike. Many actions that seemingly violate dogma may occur. But remember, this is all part of the plan. When it is complete, those who worship pain shall span the entire continent!"
Anbaixiu's words were so ambiguous as to be utterly meaningless, yet neither of them doubted him.
Loviatar's previous oracle had already been verified as genuine, confirming that Anbaixiu was indeed the deity's chosen spokesperson. Trusting the spokesperson could never be wrong.
As for mortals being barred from knowing the specific divine plan, that was only natural; all epic tales were written that way. Mortals could never comprehend the grandeur of gods, nor could they view matters from a deity's perspective, which was why countless misunderstandings and tragedies occurred. The Duke of Flaying and his daughter both warned themselves in their hearts never to become such fools.
Seeing that the pair had been thoroughly duped, Anbaixiu stayed true to his original intent and looted the vault bare.
He then issued a command to them: "For the time being, you are forbidden from torturing slaves, and there is no need to hold private pain rituals. Do you understand?"
The Duke of Flaying hesitated for a moment, but under Anbaixiu's gaze, he promptly answered, "I understand. It is all part of the plan."
Anbaixiu gave him a satisfied pat on the shoulder. "Indeed, it is all part of the plan. Remember, do not fuss over fleeting gains and losses; the goddess's true objective is far grander than this. During this period, keep your territory quiet and do not expand blindly. At the same time, keep an eye on the elves for me. The moment any elves come knocking, notify me immediately."
The Duke of Flaying readily agreed.
Just as Anbaixiu was about to leave, Bellatrix stepped forward and said, "My Lord, please let me follow at your side."
"Follow me?"
Bellatrix hurried to explain, "Yes. My only talent lies in slaughter. If our territory ceases its expansion, remaining here serves no purpose. My Lord, you surely have a use for me."
Anbaixiu pondered for a moment before answering, "Very well. Await my orders. I will soon have a task for you, but for now, remain here. I believe someone will be looking for trouble with you before long."
Bellatrix said eagerly, "As you command, My Lord."
Having finally finished conning them, Anbaixiu swept through another warehouse and plundered a heap of alchemical materials.
Bellatrix had originally wanted to bundle up the alchemists and offer them to Anbaixiu, but upon hearing that they were all full-fledged alchemists, Anbaixiu declined.
Anyone who could earn the qualifications of a full alchemist in the City of Alchemy would be considered a master anywhere else.
Such individuals possessed deep mastery over their chosen specialties. If they decided to tamper with something, Anbaixiu might not detect it in time, and resolving the issue even after discovering it would be a huge hassle.
Not a single alchemist went without wanting to conduct their own experiments, and none were willing to remain mere cogs in a machine. Even the Alchemists' Council could only divide up various research topics to allocate talent accordingly, rather than brainwashing them into obedient tools.
Anbaixiu lacked a complete alchemical industrial system and had no positions tailored for them. Taking them in would only invite trouble.
Having turned down the alchemists, Anbaixiu finally took his leave and returned to his castle.
The moment he arrived, Anbaixiu eagerly opened the Necrotic Codex and posted a message in the group chat: [Friends, I want to take down a deity. Do any seniors have god-slaying experience to share?]
A reply came almost immediately.
[Crown of the Headless Horseman: As expected of my brother. You've really started talking without using your brain.]
[Tiga Ultraman: Shut your mouth and let sister-in-law speak.]
[Pale Little Skeleton: Honestly, I agree with Gareth. Speaking like that is a bit brainless. Did you get hit with some curse that lowers your intelligence?]
[Dislikes Humans: Friend, what kind of madness has taken you? Take my advice: if you lay a hand on the elven pantheon, there won't even be ashes left of you.]
The elves had more than one deity—they had an entire host of them.
If a divine war truly broke out, even the Lord of the Dawn would have to rally allies before daring to battle the elven pantheon, or he would surely lose. Against such a formidable pantheon, how could a mere mortal utter such wild boasts of slaying a god?
Helpless, Anbaixiu could only clarify: [I'm not looking to pick a fight with the elven pantheon. I'm not that foolish. The one I want to deal with is Loviatar, the Goddess of Pain...]
Anbaixiu gave a brief account of his experience in the chat, keeping the details sparse. He merely explained that Loviatar had swindled him, leaving him feeling forced to work as her lackey, so he intended to exact fierce revenge.
[Dislikes Humans: The Goddess of Pain, huh... She isn't some lesser deity you can bully at will. To us, she's still an unreachably high god. Brother, why not just endure it? Working for a deity—what's so hard to accept about that? She belongs to the evil alignment, just like me.]
Anbaixiu typed back resolutely: [Work for someone? Out of the question—she didn't pay me a copper!]
[Dislikes Humans: Gareth, how long has he been like this?]
[Crown of the Headless Horseman: Beats me. I'm not that close with him.]
...
The group engaged in a noisy round of discussion, but in the end, no one could offer any useful advice. God-slaying—legends claimed that many formidable heroes had achieved it, but as for how it was actually done, practically nobody knew. One should never mistake a bard's lyrics for real history; they would fabricate anything just to make a rhyme.
After a long wait, Rose of Decay finally appeared.
[Rose of Decay: How did you cross a deity again? How do you plan to handle the elven invasion?]
Anbaixiu answered: [Handle them together. The Goddess of Pain swindled me at this precise moment probably because she has her eye on this chaotic battlefield. Once war erupts, pain will naturally follow like a shadow. Every fading life is a banquet to her. Loviatar wants me to influence this war, making the deaths more gruesome and the agony more intense. Therefore, I will resolve this war without shedding a drop of blood, leaving the Queen of Pain looking at a feast she cannot touch—ideally infuriating her to death.]
[Crown of the Headless Horseman: Switch to a headless horseman, my friend. Your head is truly beyond saving. If you alone could make the elves abandon their invasion, you'd have no trouble marching straight into Ryan and lopping off their emperor's head.]
[Tiga Ultraman: Piss off, Gareth. Mention heads again and I'll spill the beans about Lilith, Jenny, and Ashley.]
[Pale Little Skeleton: Who are they?]
[Crown of the Headless Horseman: He made them up! I don't know those women at all!]
[Tiga Ultraman: Then how do you know they're women and not female orcs?]
[Crown of the Headless Horseman: No, that's not what I meant!]
[Pale Little Skeleton: Excuse us, everyone. Continue chatting, we're going offline for a bit.]
Anbaixiu sneered. Hmph, a mere dependent son-in-law trying to play mind games with a lich? Does he even know how many holes his ribs are about to have poked into them?
Having dealt with that nuisance, Anbaixiu laid out his plan in the group once more: [War, after all, is nothing more than plundering resources: land, population, supplies, and so forth. The desert dwarves need to execute a major strategic retreat, so they require land to settle their people. That is their demand. So long as that issue is resolved, they won't need to invade. The same goes for the elves. They may come with overwhelming momentum, but in the end, it is merely for profit.]
[Rose of Decay: Everyone understands that principle. But do you know what the elves want?]
[Tiga Ultraman: That is precisely the intelligence I need most. The elves have more than enough land, and they have no need for other races to bolster their population. As for wealth and resources, the core of the City of Alchemy has already vanished. Are the remaining outlying cities and their mere alchemical industries truly worth such a massive campaign? Is there some ulterior motive behind this? If we can uncover that reason, perhaps we can defuse this war.]
[Rose of Decay: Don't you hold a grudge against the elves?]
Anbaixiu's fingers paused, but he soon resumed typing: [Indeed, I detest those elves who drove up the prices of materials. But revenge doesn't have to mean slaughter. I would much rather watch their faces twist in agony as they take catastrophic losses at the negotiating table.]
[Dislikes Humans: Mental anguish is pain too, isn't it? Wouldn't the Goddess of Pain profit just the same?]
The dwarven vampire suddenly chimed in. He had begun to realize that Anbaixiu wasn't joking, and resolving the war actually sounded somewhat plausible, which piqued his interest.
Before Anbaixiu could explain, Rose of Decay spoke up for him.
[Rose of Decay: The mental anguish of high-ranking elves is utterly negligible compared to the devastation of war. It's like having a lavish banquet set before the Goddess of Pain, only for her to end up chewing on a single leaf of salad. She will be absolutely furious.]
[Tiga Ultraman: Exactly! That's the idea. We can't rid the world of pain entirely, but we can drastically reduce it, leaving that woman to writhe like a worm in impotent fury within her divine realm!]
[Rose of Decay: Do you need me to keep gathering intelligence for you?]
Anbaixiu had previously asked Rose of Decay not to intervene further, but now circumstances had shifted, and her assistance seemed necessary once more.
[Tiga Ultraman: No, that won't be necessary. This time, I will personally go speak with the elves.]
Chapter 109