Chapter 1721: Chapter 112: The Closest Farce to the Truth_2
The game of continental domination has reached a point where the various races harbor enmity deep as the ocean towards each other. Given the chance to conquer the continent, the Human Race absolutely will not show leniency at critical moments.
"Your Majesty, directly reversing the situation with only our strength is impossible, so let’s execute a strategic counterattack.
Rumors about the ’Cataclysm of ten thousand years’ have been silent for a while; let’s find a way to stir them up, divert the Human Race’s attention first.
This matter requires the help of the Elf Race; their heritage is the most complete. Let’s arrange a mix of mythical stories where nine out of ten are false, linking the calamity with the fall of the Divine Spirit.
The content should be as exaggerated as possible; ideally, making everyone believe that after the eruption of the disaster, not only would all races suffer, but the continent itself might sink!"
Prime Minister Aaron quickly suggested.
Legends that blur the line between truth and falsehood are easiest to deceive people, preying on the fact that the Human Race has risen only recently.
When it comes to the survival of a species, no one can afford to be completely indifferent.
Busy with uncovering the truth behind the ’Cataclysm of ten thousand years,’ naturally, there’s no time to scheme against the Dwarf Kingdom.
"Good!
The ’Cataclysm of ten thousand years’ isn’t shocking enough; I suggest we change it to ’The Cataclysm of a hundred thousand years.’
The Department of Foreign Affairs should promptly communicate with the Elf Race and then use the strength of the Alliance to promote it together. I want the notion of the ’Cataclysm of a hundred thousand years’ to permeate minds deeply!"
The Dwarf King immediately made a decision.
...
As the largest arms dealer on the continent, the Dwarf Kingdom still has some influence.
They not only persuaded the Elf Race to cooperate but also spread the concept of the ’Cataclysm of a hundred thousand years’ to every corner of the continent in the shortest possible time.
Suddenly, all kinds of bizarre mythical stories were rampant, yet when verified, these myths seemed to have existed indeed.
The more you know, the more terrified you become.
The catastrophe that begins by sacrificing the Divine Spirit is unimaginable in its horror.
Among the pinnacle figures on the continent, Hudson found his heart unsettled.
Clearly, it was just a scenario of continental domination, how did it evolve into an apocalypse mode so rapidly?
If the fall of the gods was merely the prelude to the calamity, then what follows is unimaginable, the annihilation of an entire continent could be done effortlessly.
"Maxim, you Dragons left the Continent of Aslante back then; could it be because you foresaw this calamity ahead of time?"
Hudson couldn’t help but ask.
Falling into a high-level plot, his wisdom could no longer solve the mystery, leaving him only to seek answers externally.
Although the Human Race’s strength is not weak, they lost a lot of data in the flames of war along the way, thus their understanding of the world is far less than long-lived races.
"Impossible!
The great Dragon Race would never fear any adversity; the ancestors chose to leave simply because they got bored.
A dragon does not humble itself.
The continent of Aslante is full of reptiles, and you..."
Realizing that he misspoke by the looks in Hudson and Belsden’s eyes, Maxim decisively retracted his words further.
Reason told him that if he continued speaking, he’d be subjected to a mixed double beatdown by the Human and Bear.
Wise dragons don’t suffer immediate losses; it’s better not to face two adversaries at once.
"Speak clearly!"
Hudson said with a tone full of "cunningness".
"Hudson, don’t overestimate those gods, they are just a bunch of lucky ones.
The heavenly kingdoms, as you call them, weren’t created by them but have always existed.
They were simply lucky enough to discover those divine kingdoms first and occupied them.
Though appearing to be the supreme divine kingdoms, they are equally cages.
Divine spirits rarely intervene on this realm, besides the restrictions from world consciousness, there are constraints from the divine kingdoms.
Once they leave the divine kingdom for too long, they’ll suffer repercussions. From severing their powers greatly to completely falling.
The gods’ vying for faith is essentially to refine the divine kingdoms, to control the divine kingdoms.
According to inherited memory, that’s all there is.
I don’t know why the gods stopped showing divinely blessed signs thousands of years ago nor recently fell."
Hearing Maxim’s answer, Hudson’s worldview was shattered.
The lofty divine kingdoms turned out to be prisons binding the divine spirits.
"Why didn’t you say this earlier?"
Knowing Maxim’s usual unreliability, Hudson continued questioning.
"Do you think I’m a fool?
When the gods were still alive, anyone daring to reveal this secret would become the communal enemy of all divine spirits.
They’ve been alive possibly tens of thousands of years; surely they must have made some progress, right?
Now that the gods have fallen, perhaps one day the divine kingdoms will reopen, then those in sanctuary areas corresponding to the rules would be able to..."
Before Maxim finished speaking, Hudson interrupted his fantasy with a slap.
"Wake up; dream about such things at night.
If the divine spirit is a cage, it’s just a massive pit.
Although it seems to extend longevity, spending extended time in an isolated divine kingdom is akin to imprisonment.
This kind of immortality, over time, would drive anyone insane!"
Although saying it lightly, Hudson’s heart was far from calm.
"The prophecy has once again been verified!"
If the divine kingdom’s gates open wide, leading to a renewed battle for control, isn’t that precisely the prophecy of the road to becoming a god?
Despite the drawbacks of the divine kingdom, the ability to extend longevity is enough to drive countless strong individuals mad.
Problems of after-effects are something to consider only after becoming a divine spirit.
The pursuit of immortality, once it starts, will undoubtedly be an utterly brutal contest.
Then not only are different races enemies, but even former friends might become foes.
"Hudson, you’re still too young; wait a few hundred years, and you won’t think this way.
Divine spirits aren’t individuals who sit idly waiting to die; in the divine kingdoms, they have followers serving them; the life they enjoy is much more comfortable than yours.
...
Belsden’s jab left Hudson speechless.
Speaking of ’young’, clearly the youngest in age is a bear, yet he insists on posing like an old wise one.
The ensuing discussion got increasingly off-topic, with all sorts of blasphemous remarks emerging one after another.
Originally lofty divine spirits quickly turned into pitiful creatures unable to control their fate in the mouths of a human, a dragon, and a bear.
Whether true or false doesn’t matter, the main approach is talking nonsense.
The results were significant, Hudson’s anxious heart quickly calmed back down.
Outside, things weren’t so peaceful; not everyone had a dragon divulging secrets of divine spirits.
In the hearts of countless important figures, divine spirits remain supreme beings.
The few who are informed also keep the secret.
Human nature is selfish; concerning the prophecies of the ’road to becoming a god’, nobody wants to increase competition.
For a while, panic spread across the continent, with species worried about the ’Cataclysm of a hundred thousand years.’
Even the war-thirsty Alpha Kingdom wasn’t immune.
Affected by this explosive news, the original clamor for war with the Orcs has diminished, offering some relief to the conservative government.
Though a trouble has lessened, no one feels optimistic.
Compared to the seemingly clueless yet potentially deadly ’Cataclysm of a hundred thousand years’, domestic calls for war aren’t worth mentioning.
In the chaos, meetings sprung up everywhere.
Hudson attended a few times, nearly exposing secrets, but ultimately restrained himself.
United to obliterate the Orc Empire is an ambitious aim already challenging for the kingdom.
Adding an uncertain road to becoming a god, arousing desires might lead to unforeseen consequences.
To avoid collateral issues, aside from stabilizing hearts, Hudson refrained from getting involved in other matters.
...
Elf Forest.
As a participant in the ’Cataclysm of a hundred thousand years’ saga, overseeing the gathered news from all over, the Forest Elf Queen displayed a satisfied smile.
Truth mingling with lies, lies interspersed with truth.
If not personally involved, it seems even she couldn’t distinguish the real from the fabricated.
Inside the Elf Race, many strongly believe the current rumors.
Mainly because all messages align, all they’ve done is apply an artistic touch in modifying some parts.
Except for a few familiar with divine spirit secrets, others could not spot any flaws.
"Your Majesty, the farce now closely resembles the truth; exploration by major powers continues, and it might..."
Before the Elf Elder finished, the Forest Elf Queen interrupted:
"Right now, the goal is for them to keep exploring!
With everyone’s attention focused on this matter, the continent remains peaceful.
Even when the truth is uncovered, will they actually believe it?
Powerholders from major forces are all intelligent individuals.
The smarter they are, the more skeptical; they won’t easily believe any rumors.
If the Dwarfs didn’t propose it, later when the situation spirals out of control, we would also urge forward ourselves.
For now, the plan is presented by the Dwarf King, we only provided some of the resources; specific operations are conducted by them.
Even if it gets exposed in the future, it’ll be the Dwarf Kingdom’s issue.
Anyway, our race intends to leave; how the continent’s future unfolds doesn’t concern us."