Chapter 201: Scholars and Resolving Doubts

The strength of human spirits is still insufficient, even though the wine at this banquet was of very high quality. Snorri Thorsson had to drink quite a bit of rum with the captains and sea merchants in attendance before reaching a state of semi-intoxication.

Returning to the inn under the protection of his guards, Snorri felt no sleepiness, having slept until the afternoon today. Just as he opened his locker, preparing to pass the time with the traditional Dwarf noble method of killing time—counting gold coins—the door was suddenly pushed open.

"Master Snorri, there is a man who calls himself Scholar Pukuerte asking to see you. We asked him why he came, but he refused to say. Do you wish to see him?" the on-duty Eternal Hammer Guard asked.

"Show him in, why not?" Snorri nodded; he was just feeling bored.

"Greetings to you, Prince Snorri Thorsson of Everpeak! Your illustrious name resounds even beyond the mountains! You have taken another great step forward on the path of recovering Artifacts and reclaiming Shanbao!"

The visitor was a man wearing a black cloak, leaning on a cane. He removed his hood and bowed slightly. This Scholar looked quite old; his head was bald, and there were many wrinkles on his pale face.

"Ha, welcome, Scholar! May I ask what advice you bring by visiting so late at night?" Snorri was somewhat surprised by this Human's thorough understanding of him, though he felt that since his nickname was Scholar, this was normal.

"I have come to resolve your doubts, Prince!" Pukuerte smiled, pulled out a chair, and sat opposite Snorri. Snorri poured him a cup of coffee.

"But before speaking of the topic on your mind, I have a piece of news worth a thousand gold coins that I wish to tell you!"

"So he is an information peddler!" Snorri thought to himself. Well, it made sense; one doesn't visit a temple without a reason.

"The Sons of the Mountains do not lack wealth. If your news is truly worth the price, a thousand gold coins is not impossible!" Snorri was never stingy with information fees; at the very least, it could save him a large sum in pension payments.

"At about this time yesterday, the eldest son of the Duke of Bordeleaux, Cunningham, died! The Duke himself only has two sons with rights of succession!" Pukuerte did not beat around the bush; his words were shocking!

"This!" Snorri nearly spat out his coffee. Snorri had just arrived in the city of Bordeleaux and had briefly understood the situation while discussing plans. At the speed of an albatross specifically trained as a messenger, it would take at least three days to fly from there.

Although he did not know how the Human before him had managed it, this timely news was indeed worth a thousand gold coins to him. The other valid heir to the Duchy of Bordeleaux, Viscount Minaithir, had already died in battle, and even if his offspring were lucky enough to survive, they would hardly be a match for Kangsitanting.

"How did he...?" Snorri asked impatiently; he was also attempting to judge the authenticity of the news.

"This relates to what you are pondering. Sir Cunningham died under the divine punishment of Sea God Mannann! The raging waves swallowed him and his ship." Pukuerte was not one to stop until his words were shocking.

"By Valaya? Would Sea God Mannann actually take direct action to punish his followers?" Snorri was stunned for a moment.

"There are many followers of Sea God Mannann among the people of Bordeleaux, but that does not include the Duke of Bordeleaux himself or Sir Cunningham. The Duke is relatively slick in handling his relationship with the gods, but Sir Cunningham was far worse, and this brought great disaster upon him!"

"How so? Did he shout, 'Let the storm rage more fiercely'?" Snorri joked.

"Worse than that, Prince. That young man was doing things unsuitable for children on the ship with the Damsel who served him, all while professing his loyalty to the Lady of the Lake!"

Pukuerte also laughed. Sea God Mannann had been paying attention to the Duke of Bordeleaux's family. In the domain of the ocean—the Sea God—there were not many gods who could save him after pulling such a stunt.

"I suddenly understand!" Snorri combined this with what had happened on the battlefield that night and pondered. Perhaps the Fay Enchantress had not come specifically for the Red Duke, nor for Fatisi; she was very likely there for Kangsitanting!

Just as Snorri was imagining the potential conflict of gods in the void, the Scholar spoke again slowly.

"The gods of the Old World can be roughly divided into two categories: Old Gods and New Gods. The boundary between them is the ascension of Sigmar. The gods born before this were incarnations of the natural world, originating from the fear and worship of nature by intelligent races!"

Snorri nodded; he understood this. The White Wolf God Ulric, the Nature God Ta'er, and Sea God Mannann were all in this category.

"After Sigmar, many heroic powerhouses among Humans also gained Godhood through the worship of their followers. They are called New Gods. Their Strength varies according to the number of followers, but they are often inferior to the former."

Snorri knew that the Goddess of War Myrmidia, the God of Wealth Ranald, and others he had heard of before were all in this category.

"Think of a beast. If you feed it, it will not eat you, and it might even give you the prey it cannot finish or its fallen teeth. But if you cannot feed it, it will take you as food."

The Scholar used a metaphor. Snorri understood his meaning: making offerings to the Old Gods who represented nature was like feeding a beast.

"But the New Gods are different. They are born within society and possess social characteristics. If you are good to them, they will give back; if you do not follow them, it is merely a matter of mutual indifference! The Lady of the Lake is of this type in nature, but you know, for certain reasons, although she was born less than a thousand years ago, her power is no less than any Old God!"

"On one side is a big stick used for coercion, and somewhat temperamental at that; on the other is a sweet date used for enticement. Who among normal people likes being threatened!" Snorri finally understood.

For the laborers, they lived directly under the Authority of the Old Gods and had no choice. But for the rulers who collected taxes from them, they would certainly be willing to lean toward the latter.

In addition to conventional supernatural power, the grace of the Lady of the Lake also included extended lifespan, which was incomparably attractive to those in power.

The confusion in Snorri's heart regarding the faith of the Bo'erdeluo Gongguo and even the entire Knight Kingdom was suddenly resolved. The successive Dukes of Bordeleaux had leaned more and more toward the Lady of the Lake in their stance, and this result had finally angered Sea God Mannann.

This powerful, fickle, and irritable deity decided to take direct action to make Bordeleaux change to a leader who favored him. The Lady of the Lake could not directly confront the Sea God in the ocean, so she turned to soft tactics, sending her representative in the Mortal World to shake Kangsitanting's faith.

"However, you know, the help of these New Gods is never free. Although sometimes they are willing to advance their grace, they will take back much more in the future." The Scholar's words were not yet finished, "I actually know of another deity, whose power is as deep as the abyss and as vast as the sea, and who never asks anything of their followers!"