Chapter 463
Chapter 463 - 443: Shaken
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Many modern people have romantic imaginations about knights: the eight virtues of knights, defending the country and slaying dragons, protecting the people and guarding the village... However, in reality, in the medieval era on Earth, these beautiful expectations for knights remained only in books.
In the end, knights were vassals of lords and were an alternative type of mercenary, with the saying "I give you money and land" in exchange for their loyalty and bravery, as well as that of their family members and servants.
Low-rank nobles like knights and barons were originally lower-level nobles granted lands by their lords. The majority of them never thought about fighting for commoners... On the contrary, when wars broke out, commoners, armed with dung forks, became cannon fodder at the front lines.
Knights always remained loyal to their lords, and the lords were loyal to higher-ranking lords or directly to the king. This hierarchy was known as the "feudal system."
Although it may sound harsh, it was the foundation of society... Power was always the ultimate solution to everything, and knights in heavy armor were invincible in that era.
And what about the commoners and peasants? During good times, they labored in the fields. More often, they were treated as property, subjected to forced labor, and served as cannon fodder.
Lu Ping’an thought that the female knight opposite him was joking, but she wasn’t. She was deadly serious.
"...Please, fulfill your promise."
The next morning, upon learning the details of the transaction, Catherine reluctantly removed her armor, changed into casual clothes, and came over.
As a vassal of the lord, she couldn’t refuse his request, especially when it concerned the life or death of the monarch... or perhaps, even her own life or death.
"I cannot guarantee the truth of your words, but I’m willing to serve as your guide to help you adapt to the local environment. This is not the peaceful Holy City. Due to certain reasons, we cannot ensure your safety..."
Catherine was sent over as a "go-between." She was a watcher, a hostage, and in some sense, a "gift."
But from another perspective, if Lu Ping’an could keep his promise, perhaps in the eyes of the lord, this could also be an opportunity to acquire a ticket... At least he wouldn’t want to see his property damaged.
She knew all this, and she resisted it with all her heart. But, helpless, she couldn’t defy her lord’s demand.
But now, she had a more straightforward question for the outsider.
It was a doubt that had perplexed and bewildered her since the Long Night.
She gently caressed the platinum Holy Image at her chest, repenting for her wavering devotion and chastising herself for the sacrilegious words she was about to utter... But she gritted her teeth and spoke the taboo words anyway.
"...Has the Eternal Scorching Sun, Your Highness, really forsaken us?"
As a devout believer and a knight blessed with divine grace, wavering faith was unacceptable. Only a few years ago, merely uttering such words could have resulted in a hanging.
But recently, those whose faith was shaken the most were those who received power from their deities.
They could sense that while they might still wield some divine grace and power, its effects were greatly diminished. No matter how much they prayed or trained, their strength barely increased, and even gradually retreated over time.
The most disheartening part was that a large part of people’s faith was missing... They could no longer feel the sun above or the great deity who forever lovingly shone upon the earth.
"He is the origin of all things, the father of all life, and the sun that illuminates everything..."
The simple prayer represented a multitude of concepts. The Sun God was not simply a lord of the sun; he was also the God of Life and Solar Deity, which meant that his existence was written into the fundamental rules of this world.
"...We can sense that without the purifying power of sunlight, there has been a significant increase in mutated creatures in the world. Without the Sun God and the divine sunlight, we won’t be able to hold out for long."
In this world, the Sun God also served as the God of Life. He added the "Law of the World" under his sunlight, giving his sunlight the abilities to resist pollution, purify pollution... In many situations, direct light or high-density sunlight could be used as a weapon to kill polluted magic monsters.
When such sunlight shone on mortals, it not only enhanced their resistance to pollution but also killed weaker forms of pollution. This greatly reduced the pollution concentration in the world, making it an excellent supplement to the Sealing Skill... Of course, in the eyes of many people, it was a large-scale Sealing Skill released by the deity.
In the past, knights like Catherine were able to slay demons with their scorching sunblaze blades. Now, her power and faith were fading with each passing moment.
"The Sun God hasn’t forsaken us; the sun still exists, right?" The devout believer’s voice trembled.
Her faith had wavered, but it hadn’t shattered because, without sunlight, she became more convinced of sunlight’s significance.
Perhaps, to them, all sunlight had the ability to purify pollution and drive away magic monsters. As long as the sun was present, everything would naturally improve.
The nightmare would end, the world would be saved, and everything would come to a close, just like the countless hero epics of the past.
Looking at the trembling female Knight, Lu Ping’an touched his chin and then laughed, a malicious laugh.
"The sun? It might indeed rise again..."
As he spoke, it was a bombshell.
In an instant, the woman became excited, her red hair burning like flames, her faith once again steadfast, suddenly reviving her spirit.
"So His Highness will also return? As I thought, it was all rumors; He would not abandon us..."
"Oh, He ran away long ago."
The next moment, Lu Ping’an delivered the death-penalty to her with calm words.
"I know of at least several teams competing for the vacant God-level positions. Tsk-tsk, those are opportunities to reach the heavens in one step."
Catherine’s cup in her hand shattered on the ground; she could no longer comprehend what Lu Ping’an was saying.
The truth was straightforward: Deities fled, but the "holes" they left were still there... The world continued to function normally, but the missing part urgently needed filling.
Perhaps the world had a will or merely possessed a vague instinct, but continuation was its most fundamental desire.
Big Cat’s Ritual of Ascension required proving one’s "rules" were worthy of being the "laws of the world". For a newcomer attempting to compete for an important position, there would be countless challenges.
But if there was an open position, and the situation was dire...then it was hardly a difficulty anymore.
The reality was just that, as the world approached its end, the threshold of Ascension lowered significantly. Lu Ping’an had confirmed this time and again...It was not about him trying to ascend now, but after the Explorer’s event, the Big Cat informed him that "our risks have significantly reduced".
If it were before, the Big Cat’s legacy would be enough to ascend to Divine Foundation and would become the target of countless Life system Quasi-Gods.
But now, with an easier shortcut to Ascension, those who stubbornly pursued Big Cat’s legacy would naturally be fewer... With time and strength, seizing the chance to ascend in the land of demon-encounters sounded better, right?
"No matter who the new Sun God is, it can’t be any of the previous ones, and besides, He probably won’t stay long."
Lu Ping’an didn’t plan on hiding it. He figured it wouldn’t stay hidden for long anyway. Perhaps in a few days, the sun would reignite, but everyone would find that it couldn’t possibly be any of the previous deities. The divine power of purification would be missing, and everyone’s expectations would be shattered.
"I’m afraid that while the Sun Gods are struggling, countless Life system leaders are competing for the Divine Position left by the God of Life."
It was the legacy of a supreme Main God who exceeded ordinary gods by several levels. Even if He tore away most of the power and divine status, the remaining world laws and rules could still be a chance to reach the heavens in one leap.
Starting from scratch and inheriting the framework, manpower, and some resources from one of the top hundred was not the same thing. Moreover, the successful ones would receive the world’s favor and nourishment, growing and evolving like they had a cheat code, obtaining a batch of angelic investors that they didn’t need to repay... For the world, however, this was not a good thing.
As Lu Ping’an said, no matter who won, they would eventually split from the world, and none would be willing to go down silently with it.
The tragedy of the sun’s extinction from before would be repeated once... Or twice, or thrice? Anyway, it didn’t matter anymore. It depended on how much longer the world could hold on.
Was it foolish? Of course, but did the world have other options? It probably longed for a savior, but among the countless choices, who was willing and able to save it?
At the Meeting of Demons, chaos was inevitable. The number of people ascending would probably be several times more than what had been accumulated in the past thousand years. This was the second method to obtain world laws and was also the key goal of God-level battles.
Lu Ping’an and the others... No, more than 95% of the Explorers left major cities like the Holy City to avoid getting involved in such high-level battles, where they would die inexplicably.
Even staying in one place was not a good option, as desperate Rule-level Strongmen could casually force them to become losers.
And in small border areas like the Schlei Domain, there was not much difference; it was just a matter of sooner or later.
Lu Ping’an was ruthless and honest, declaring his sincerity to the locals and the world’s irreversible fate... If that lord would offer his sincerity, Lu Ping’an would naturally be willing to "trade fairly".
𝒻𝑟𝘦𝘦𝘸ℯ𝒷𝑛𝘰𝓋ℯ𝘭.𝘤𝘰𝘮
"You can wait patiently. When the sun reignites, you can either put your faith in the new deity or entrust me with your trust. I’m not a good person, but I have never broken any promises, nor have I committed any evil. In my world, my status is similar to yours; I am also a keeper of the peace. Perhaps, unlike other visitors from Exotic Realms, I still have some principles."
— End of Chapter 463 —