Chapter 12: The Replacement of Theocracy

Hiss! Pain!

Deng Ken is clearly gritting his teeth in pain, but he says nothing, as if he were a cold and ruthless warrior.

The witch removes the arrow from his back, wipes away the blood, and bandages it with herbs.

Her movements are very gentle and skilled. When her slender fingers lightly brush over Deng Ken's sturdy and broad back, she pauses slightly.

Deng Ken sits by the campfire, slightly surprised: "You also know healing arts?"

The Raven Queen, Te Lisi, lifts her falling golden hair, adds a little dry wood to the fire, and smiles: "I serve Diana, the goddess of the moon and oak, and also the Roman goddess of the forest."

"Healing arts and herbs are a compulsory course for every priest, although we are not as proficient as the Druids."

Hearing this, Deng Ken cannot help but prick up his ears and ask: "Are all priests like you, possessing magic?"

He finds that people with supernatural powers here are still very few.

The Raven Queen, Te Lisi, shakes her head slightly: "No."

"Only those with unique talents, or those favored by the gods, can possess the ability to cast witchcraft."

So that's it.

I knew it; their spellcasting is more like sorceresses, clearly not the style of mages.

It is rare to get closer to this witch, and Deng Ken wants to find out more information about supernatural powers, so he asks curiously: "Then where does your power come from? Talent? Or the favor of the gods?"

The Raven Queen, Te Lisi, looks up, gazes at him with her emerald-blue eyes for a while, and says softly: "Both."

"I am a born witch."

"A long time ago, I was chosen by the Trivia sect as the chief priestess, but not long after, the sect was disbanded, and many people died in the turmoil."

"The Romans abandoned their gods."

"Our power was also taken back."

Trivia?

Power taken back? Does that mean she was stronger before?

Deng Ken asks doubtfully: "Trivia sect? I have never heard of it."

The Raven Queen, Te Lisi's voice carries a hint of sadness, and she says faintly: "Trivia refers to the great Greek goddess Hecate. After the empire conquered Greece, the goddess Diana merged with the faith of Hecate."

"The origin of the sect is the Greek peninsula. Before the empire was born, the priests served the goddess Hecate."

Do secular wars also affect gods?

Clearly, the Roman Empire won in the end, so Diana merged with Hecate. If Greek civilization had won, it would have been Hecate merging with Diana.

The Romans abandoned their gods.

When the Raven Queen, Te Lisi, says this, her voice carries a rather complex emotion.

Deng Ken ponders for a while and asks hesitantly: "Have you never thought of resisting?"

Since they possess supernatural powers, they shouldn't just sit and wait for death.

The Raven Queen, Te Lisi, reveals a bitter smile and shakes her head: "Resist? How to resist?"

"We are facing..."

Speaking of this, the Raven Queen, Te Lisi, looks at the sky.

Deng Ken shuts up instantly.

If gods really exist, or if there are existences similar to the concept, then the Roman gods are indeed not on the same level as the other side. In secular terms, since the Edict of Milan was issued, the development speed of the church has been quite astonishing, and to some extent, it has begun to affect secular power.

The further it goes, the stronger the church's power will be. Entering the Middle Ages, the church can even affect the replacement of royal power.

Excommunication warning.

Deng Ken picks at the sparks and says to the witch beside him: "Tell me about the history of your sect."

Hearing this, the Raven Queen, Te Lisi's body stiffens for a moment, and she says faintly: "Do you know the story of the Golden Fleece?"

Deng Ken thinks for a while and says: "I know some."

The Raven Queen, Te Lisi, sighs: "Our sect originated from one of the characters in this story."

"The witch Medea."

Deng Ken instantly thinks of some things.

The Raven Queen, Te Lisi, says slowly: "Medea is the daughter of King Aeëtes of Colchis and the Oceanid Idyia, the niece of the witch Circe of Aeaea, the sister of Apsyrtus, the granddaughter of the sun god Helios and the Oceanid Perse, and the priestess of the dark moon goddess Hecate."

"She was the first high priestess of the sect."

The era when gods and humans lived together.

It seems that in the mythic age, this land was very lively.

The Raven Queen, Te Lisi, recounts the origin of their sect. Initially, they were priests serving Greek gods. After Rome rose and conquered Greece, the gods merged with each other, and the priests merged to form a new branch of the sect. The only one that was not greatly affected at the time was the sun god Apollo. He was one of the Greek sun gods and also the Roman sun god, so the priests of the temple merged perfectly.

Of course, whether it was the gods merging or the gods betting on both sides, no one knows.

Because the Raven Queen, Te Lisi, has never seen a real god, or rather, in the records of the sect, no priest has ever seen the body of a god. The guidance and oracles of the gods only appeared in the mythic age.

The closest mortals ever got to gods was hundreds of years ago, when the Son of God walked the earth.

The night grows deep.

Deng Ken looks at the witch lying on her side pretending to sleep, and can feel her despair. The Romans abandoned their gods, and they, the priests, were also abandoned by the gods. The church's power crushed the faith they had passed down for thousands of years. The dark Middle Ages are coming, and this land is becoming less and less tolerant of them.

After the Olympic flame was extinguished, whether it was the Roman gods or the Greek gods, they all became history of the past.

Deng Ken suddenly thinks of a piece of historical content he saw at some point: Attila, the Scourge of God, met Pope Leo I before besieging Rome. Legend has it that he gave up the attack because of this, and Pope Leo I was also crowned as the "Defender of Rome."

There is even a painting left behind of the Pope protected by Saint Peter and Saint Paul, warning the barbarians not to invade the "Eternal City" of Rome.

After the Roman Empire collapsed, the church's power began to grow explosively.

This period was basically the process of unifying theocracy. The gods of the age of gods were all swept into the dustbin of history, and sacrifices were gradually banned. Although the gods of the Germanic barbarians perished a little later, the European continent would eventually usher in the unification of faith.

"I always feel that the water here is very deep!"

For Deng Ken, if there were no supernatural powers, then the replacement of theocracy would be more of a secular choice, but if there are supernatural powers, then all this is very intriguing.

"Forget it."

"I'd better go to Britain."

"It just so happens that I can consider helping the Irish, Welsh, and Scots fight against the Anglo-Saxons, and by the way, brush up on my legendary status."

"Don't let the first human vessel die."

"I always feel that the final achievement of the human vessel will affect everything I do in the Dimensional Space."

The legend of King Arthur is related to the Lady of the Lake, at most involving Avalon in the mist, not touching those terrifying existences.

Deng Ken knows his own limits.

The Romans themselves abandoned their gods, so why should he, an outsider, join in the fun?

It would be better to kill more legendary monsters and see if he can loot the monsters' abilities, making himself a powerful supernatural existence.

——"Master Archer 【Sharpshooter Title】: Your archery has reached perfection, and you have become a sharpshooter in the mouths of mortals. Enhanced rapid fire, enemy intimidation, significantly improved accuracy."

——"Riding Mastery: Your riding skills are no less than those of elite nomadic riders, and you can almost achieve unity between man and horse when riding."

——"Mounted Archery Mastery: Your mounted archery skills are very profound, enough to rival the elite mounted archers of the Huns. Significantly enhanced mounted archery accuracy, you can perform other foot archery techniques while mounted, including but not limited to rapid fire, multiple shots, sniping, etc."

Deng Ken takes a look at the witch by the fire, his gaze lingering on her round and perky buttocks for a moment, swallows his saliva, and takes out a small notebook to count.

——"Day 4: 22 heads."

The witch can fight and heal, and she is also well-endowed.

No wonder in the future deduced by the causality law, she made the human vessel infatuated. If it weren't for the Lady of the Lake intervening at the end, it might have been a beautiful love story.

Medea.

Deng Ken also knows this mythic figure, a very powerful witch who was infatuated. Because she was betrayed and abandoned by her husband, she turned dark on the spot and launched a series of revenges.

Overall, Medea does have the name of a witch, but she is ultimately a tragic figure.

………………

Alps.

Deng Ken doesn't know where they are, feeling like it's near Munich, because from here he can directly overlook the snow-covered mountains.

After entering the inner Gao Lu, it was the Raven Queen, Te Lisi, who led the way. The two avoided densely populated areas and walked along mountain paths for a day and a night, finally entering a lush and dense forest.

"Traveling in this era is really inconvenient."

Because of a heavy rain yesterday, Deng Ken's feet are full of mud, and the Raven Queen, Te Lisi, is no better. Her face is covered in dust, and she no longer has the graceful and beautiful appearance she had at the beginning.

People still have to rely on clothes; otherwise, even a great beauty who is a national treasure will be a country woman after rolling in the mud.

Deng Ken can now be sure that the Raven Queen, Te Lisi, has the physical fitness of an ordinary person, at most slightly stronger, because she fell when entering the Alps. If it weren't for Deng Ken's quick eyes and fast hands to grab her, Te Lisi would probably have been slightly injured.

But her clothes are still covered in mud, and her long golden hair is soaked with mud and rain, sticking to her forehead, revealing a smooth forehead.

"The guide you mentioned, won't he be living in the mountains?"

It is still drizzling, and the chill makes people feel a hint of cold after being soaked. Deng Ken is slightly better off, having the "Strong" talent looted from the barbarians, but Te Lisi is shivering with slightly pale lips.

The witch looks rather disheveled: "He should be nearby."

Deng Ken doesn't care about admiring the concave and convex curves revealed after the witch's clothes are wet, takes off the coat he stripped from a dead man, and throws it to her: "Put this on first."

"There is a place to shelter from the rain ahead, let's rest for a while before looking."

There is a slope more than a hundred meters away, at a forty-five-degree angle, not even a cave, barely enough for the two to curl up underneath to shelter from the rain.

I don't know if it's because he looted the barbarian warrior's talent, but Deng Ken's wounds are healing faster than expected. It could also be because of the herbs collected by the witch, or even that she cast some magic on him.

"Witches are also flesh and blood."

Looking at the disheveled witch, Deng Ken lets her sit in the inner position. He is tall and can block the wind.

He can't find dry firewood to start a fire nearby, so Deng Ken looks at the witch and says: "You rest here for a while, I'll go over there and look."

God's Eye view.

Activate!

Deng Ken finds a position with a wide field of vision, meditates briefly, and his consciousness enters the Dimensional Space. Soon, the large map is projected before his eyes.

"Can the map be expanded?"

With a shift of his intent, a topographic map of a radius of more than ten miles appears before his eyes. He finds a marker for a village and then discovers a wooden house a few miles away from them.

"Looks like that's the place."

A Druid living in seclusion cannot be far from human society. After all, he still needs to eat, drink, and relieve himself, and the most basic daily necessities must be replenished nearby.

"Why is there a red marker?"

Deng Ken discovers that the edge of the map flashes a red dot, which disappears before he can switch his perspective to observe.

Person or monster?

He returns to the original place, calls the witch, and the two walk step by step toward the wooden house.

The wooden house is empty.

But there are some basic daily necessities inside. Deng Ken is not polite, finds some firewood to light, and the two huddle by the fire to warm themselves. Deng Ken skewers dried meat with his long sword and roasts it on the fire. After it sizzles with oil, he hands a piece to the witch.

The witch takes it carefully and says softly: "Thank you."

Deng Ken picks up a piece of dried meat and chews it. The Northern War Bow is placed on his right side, ready for battle at any time. He hasn't eaten any decent food since he started this journey, and the meal at the inn was barely acceptable.

If there is a chance, he must get some wild game to improve his diet.

This should be the Druid's place of seclusion, because there are many mysterious symbols in the wooden house, as well as some strange animal bone crafts, which may be props for sacrifice.

I don't know how long it has been.

A slight sound of footsteps comes from outside. The witch immediately turns to look at him, and Deng Ken also picks up the war bow and stands behind the door.

——Druid 【Two Star】 【Neutral】!

Outside the door is a man with lush hair and beard like tree roots, sturdy in build, wearing animal skins, a deer antler helmet on his head, an oak shield in one hand, a one-handed hammer in the other, and a dagger hanging at his waist. His leg seems to be injured, and blood is faintly seeping out.

Deng Ken sniffs, seeming to smell a very obvious stench of rot.

The witch signals to Deng Ken that there is no problem, then walks out of the wooden house and says: "Severus, you are injured?"

That Druid is full of vigilance after approaching the wooden house. After seeing the witch's appearance, his expression relaxes a lot, and he takes the initiative to bow and salute: "High Priestess Te Lisi."

After the empire conquered Gao Lu, the faith of forest gods all belonged to the sect serving Diana.

Although the two sides are not in a subordinate relationship, they have another origin, and later there were Druids in the sect serving Diana.

Two-star unit, but not a silver-gray marker.

The danger level is not as good as the Eagle Shooter.

It is estimated that it is not an elite monster.

Deng Ken has only encountered two people with different markers so far: one is the monster hunter, Qiao Zhi, with three shining gold stars, and the other is the Eagle Shooter, with two silver-gray stars.

The witch whispers: "What happened?"

That sturdy Druid puts down the oak shield, tucks the one-handed hammer at his waist, catches his breath, and says: "Ghoul."

"This ghost thing used to appear at most in Mesopotamia. I don't know why there would be one near the Alps."

Monster?

Hearing this, Deng Ken instantly pricks up his ears, already a bit eager to move.

Hearing this, the witch also frowns: "Did you solve it?"

The Druid shakes his head: "Let it run away."

"The village at the foot of the mountain asked me to find the monster digging up graves. I tracked it for many days, but I didn't expect it to escape."

After speaking, the Druid draws his dagger, digs out the rotten flesh from the wound, and then wraps it with herbs.

He says in a deep voice: "I have received the village's kindness."

"Lord Te Lisi, your matter will probably have to wait until I solve this monster first."

At this moment, Deng Ken, who had been silent, suddenly says: "We will help you solve it."

Monsters are much rarer than people.

This wave must be active. Deng Ken also wants to know if he can loot any abilities by killing monsters.

……………… ===== CHAPTER 13 =====