Chapter 512: Sharing and Discussion

"Daz, the god of fire and the sun, is said in legend to have taught the knowledge of fire to the ancient High Chiefs of Kislev. Logically, he should have thrived in this kingdom of ice and snow, but what happened? The fire aspect was lost as the Winds of Magic were mastered by humans, and the sun aspect was snatched away by the Bear God."

Since everyone present was his own kin, Sinuoli did not mind sharing some secrets regarding the gods. To ensure his path up the Ascension Staircase went more smoothly, he had extensively studied the stories of the Old World gods and summarized them in depth.

"Tuor, the god of thunder and lightning, is depicted as a powerful warrior capable of splitting the sky. Compared to a mortal ascending to godhood, I believe he is a Natural God. Like Daz, after the Wind of Heavens, Azyr, was understood, his decline became inevitable."

As a Dwarf, a race naturally unable to perceive the Winds of Magic, Sinuoli was instead a "clear-eyed bystander," well-able to identify the vague worship of the Eight Winds that existed before the Elves taught humans magic.

"As for Sa li ya he, his origins seem to have been erased in the long river of history. Gods with similar Authority exist in every ethnic group and culture; who he is the incarnation of is anyone's guess. However, there is no need to delve into a fellow who is gradually being abandoned because he is no longer responsive."

For gods, there is a theoretical positive cycle: consuming divine power to bestow divine grace—faith spreads—converts into growth of divine power—bestowing more divine grace.

At the same time, there is a so-called negative cycle that must be avoided: being stingy with divine power and rarely showing divine grace—faith withers—converts into a decline of divine power—manifesting miracles even less frequently—faith gradually dies out, and the god enters the Twilight.

What caused the gods of Kislev to fall into a negative cycle? Sinuoli believed the influence brought by the Everchosen Asavar Kul's southward invasion was the primary reason.

Amidst the desperate prayers of the believers, they bestowed divine grace time and again, but failed to stop Chaos from ravaging this land. The city of Praag eventually fell, and it was Magnus the Pious and the allied forces who fought hard to liberate the city of Kislev.

In this process, the positive cycle was broken. The gods of Kislev consumed a massive amount of divine power, yet faith did not expand but instead withered—the population plummeted, the encroachment of Southern gods and Chaos god worship, etc., all dragged them into the abyss of a negative cycle.

"Your eyes are like torches, but Boris is unwilling to accept this. The so-called Great Orthodoxy is simply adding the idols of the other three gods into every temple. Since he leads the most influential Ursun cult, there is no reason for the other three to not follow."

Tupolev was clearly also very indignant at this unconventional approach. Admittedly, the local forces in Praag had been completely reshuffled, but the Four Gods and the Tsar Palace still held immense influence.

"This is not a method a mortal should have."

Sinuoli defined the event with a single sentence; that a mere animal like Ursun could ascend to godhood and possess such vision left him in awe. But awe aside, both he and his master Kelage needed the devout faith of the Kislevites, and besides, this was the reward originally promised by the Bokha family.

Think of those two or three legions of Grave Guard within the walls of the Winter Palace; those were the remains of the strong from the Great Holy War. Under the organization of a high-level Vampire, even if the Bear God descended in his true form, he would have to break a few claws and teeth.

"Render unto the gods what is the gods', and unto mortals what is mortals'. I will have a communication with them and see if they are blinded by immediate interests to the point of not seeing the situation clearly."

Sinuoli subconsciously stroked his beard from his cheek downwards; his close ministers who knew him well understood this meant the formidable Demigod was struggling to suppress his anger. Knowing this was a major matter, no one forced him to make an immediate decision, and the Apostles continued to share their updates.

"My Lord, with Nuln as the center, people believe you are the greatest defender of order since Magnus. I oversee and operate the largest Karak Gold Bank in the Old World, and your statue stands in the city square."

The second largest contributor was Philip, one of the three Apostles of the Empire stationed in Nuln. Out of respect for Sigmar, Sinuoli required them to avoid Altdorf. After much investigation, Nuln, Marienburg, and Middenheim were chosen.

"Well done. Once the old is destroyed, it is easier to build new things. Many of my kin participated in the reconstruction of the city; before she was married, my sister even worked there for a long time!"

Philip was an Engineer cultivated locally in Nuln. After experiencing the fall of the city and the loss of his family, he swore an oath to change the status quo of the Empire. Sinuoli believed he was the most passionate among the Apostles.

"Yes, with that fat pig Dieter fleeing, the main branch of the Counts of the Southern Provinces has been wiped out, and the rest have lost their ruling foundation. After the reconstruction phase concludes, the executive committee has decided to introduce a new Elector Count holder. I am actively maneuvering to expand our influence."

"Do you have a candidate in mind? Tell me the situation. If they are truly valuable, I can even go and endorse them. Nuln is right against Black Fire Pass; it is the first stop for the Greenskin Waaagh! tide, but if we manage the Badlands, it could also serve as a bridgehead."

Sinuoli had always believed in the power of theocracy, especially since Nuln was the home of the Imperial Gunnery School and the Imperial Engineers School. Its unique inland water transport also made it a major trading hub, directly competing with Altdorf for the title of the Empire's largest city.

"The Lieberwitz family; they accumulated wealth through trade with the Karaks, and their head was once a guest of honor of your Clan and Jiliuguan. As the Karaks enter the Revival Era, this family also intends to catch the ride."

"I know. In my childhood, I received many interesting little gadgets from them. Go and handle it. When I have time, I will go and oversee it myself. We cannot cultivate any more ungrateful wolves—no, bears."

After being tossed about by Boris Ursun, Sinuoli finally sobered up. Dealing with humans cannot be like dealing with Dwarfs, who value reputation as their life; one cannot grant full trust and must leave behind some countermeasures.

"Respected God, my situation is that I've set up camp in the Arden Forest. Counting the surrounding villages and towns, I can secretly influence about ten thousand people."

"The problem in Bretonnia has basically been solved. I have talked to the one in the lake; you and Peter will have a window of opportunity. Be restrained and don't touch the formal Knights with fiefs. She will restrain those below her and turn a blind eye."

"Then, then what if I've already touched them?"

"You kid, you've got some nerve! I'll cover for you this time, but in the future, you should pull back from the brink and walk the path of the lower and middle classes more. Compared to internal friction, there are greater enemies. You've all heard of my hard fighting in Itza, right?"

Peter relied on Weifengbao to influence a County, ranking seventh among the twelve, which was a pretty good result. To ask him to stop was almost equivalent to making his efforts go to zero, so he couldn't help but interject.

"That is only natural! In Marienburg, you are the protector of all honest merchants! Your most humble servant Harvey swears that before long, the entire city will regard you as its patron god."