Two slight tremblings could be heard faintly in the side hall of the mansion, like the murmurings of lonely ghosts wandering outside the sacred temple with nowhere to go.
An army of 40,000 is actually not that much. The many vassal states under Terpanix can easily mobilize more than 100,000 troops.
But this number is also quite large.
There are only 15,000 people in Tapong City, and they are divided into separate camps. They belong to various countries without unified jurisdiction.
The key is not the number of people.
And the armor, magical weapons, and beasts mentioned in the intelligence.
They have already seen the majesty of the gods, but now the army that has been blessed by the true God must not be scornful.
also.
The owner of the hill city faced judgment and the will of the gods was revealed.
People originally thought that believing in false gods would lead to the punishment of God's wrath; but what is shown now is not the case.
The people of Hill City also once believed in false gods, but now instead of being judged, they are sharing the wealth of the Lord of Hill City.
Did Vihuter commit a crime?
What crime?
The crime of selling slaves and oppressing the people.
But in the eyes of the kings and nobles of various city-states, this is what they should be.
As a monarch and you as a people, I should dedicate everything to you.
So now the logic of judging will is very straightforward.
The gods do not allow the kingdoms to continue to exist, but want to replace subversion with the Kingdom of God and establish a new...
order.
All monarchs and nobles will be judged.
If every city-state is lucky, it will only lead to death.
Just like the lord of the hill city, he became rotten meat on the high platform of judgment and was reviled by thousands of his people.
Let’s look at the father and son who brought the information.
When repeating this passage, even though the middle-aged man tried his best to restrain himself, he still vaguely showed joy and excitement.
Weren't they once part of the people of that hill city, standing in the audience to judge their former masters?
What were once slaves like dogs, now want to bite their masters?
A trace of disgust flashed across the face of the paunchy nobleman.
He asked: "Is there any more?"
The middle-aged man shook his head: "No more! This is all I knew before I fled."
He grasped the key point: "Are you waiting? Besides your father and son, is there anyone else?"
The middle-aged man was stunned for a moment, then said bluntly: "There should be thirty or forty people..."
"Before we entered the city through the secret passage, someone seemed to be about to climb the mountain."
The noble man's face suddenly turned cold, then turned into a smile in an instant, and said: "Okay, I already know these things, you two go down first and wait to receive the reward."
At this moment, the young man couldn't help but said: "I, we don't want rewards, we want..."
But before he could finish his words, the old servant angrily shouted: "Shut up! Master ordered you to wait, just wait!"
"Come here, take them to my room to rest!"
Several guards stepped in and left with the father and son.
Just wait for the door to close again.
The old servant could no longer control his emotions and said in panic: "Master, why does the true God want to judge us? City-states in various countries have begun to build balanced statues of gods and dedicate their faith to Him..."
"The Lord of the hill city is not stupid and will definitely follow suit, but now he..."
"Don't you understand? The gods want not only faith, but also everything we have!"
"Then, shouldn't we donate?"
"Dedication?" the noble lord sneered, "Didn't Wehuter dedicate everything? In the end, even his whole family also contributed!"
"This is a dead end. There is no luck. The only way to survive is to contend with the army of judgment."
The old servant asked again: "But, what if divine punishment comes again?"
Hearing this, even the noble master showed a bit of fear, but this fear eventually turned into a ferocious expression, "No matter what, we are going to die! If the monarchs of all countries are going to die, I am going to die too..."
"Do you think you can get away with it?"
The old servant trembled violently and unconsciously looked at the "statue of equilibrium" placed on the table.
Almost all the noble families wanted to change their beliefs.
But now facts have proven...
Merely changing your beliefs is useless.
"Master, what should we do?"
"This news must not be leaked, and the ignorant people must not know everything, otherwise it will cause great changes!"
"Call the messenger to come immediately. I will write a secret letter and send it to the country of Tepanix and present it to Tezozomoc."
"The Judgment Army only has 40,000 people. Even if it is as described in the description, it can control ferocious beasts and has hard armor and magical weapons, but the Pass of Tadong City is the only way!"
"Don't say 40,000, even 400,000 can be defended!"
"Once the secret message is delivered, each city will definitely send a large army; as long as we defend Tapong City, we have nothing to worry about."
"Unless." He also looked at the statue of the god on the table, "unless the true god can really destroy the world with divine punishment!"
The words end here.
He shouted to the door again, "Here comes someone."
Another guard stepped into the room, and he issued an order: "Immediately send people to check all the secret passages into the city. Anyone who enters the city from the secret passage will be killed without mercy!"
"Yes!" The guard turned and left.
The old servant asked again: "Master, where are the father and son?"
"Kill! Nothing about the hill city must be spread before reinforcements from each city arrive!"
"I will gather with the affairs officials from various countries in the city and jointly order the closure of Tapong City!!"
The words fell.
He left in a hurry, leaving the old servant alone.
After a long time, someone walked into the room and woke up the old servant. "Father, why are you still here? The father and son have been asking when they can see you."
A guard came in front of him, it was the son of the old servant.
The old servant woke up with a start, looked at his son and said, "Why are you the only one left?"
"The rest of the people have been sent to search the secret passage! The rest also followed the master out. I am the only one left in the mansion to guard the father and son."
"Father, does the master have any command to come down?"
The old servant took a deep breath and said: "Kill them and silence them! Go, take me there!"
The backyard of the mansion.
A small house with three rooms is the residence of the old servant.
The father and son who had sent the information had been waiting for a long time, and finally saw the old servant arriving, and they quickly prayed——
"Sir, please rescue my eldest son! Eliminate his slave status and let him go home with me!"
However, the old servant's son pulled out a long bronze sword.
Although their copper smelting technology was backward, and their copper knives were not as strong as weapons such as stone axes, they were of great beauty as equipment for noble guards.
Of course, it would be easy to kill two untouchables with this copper knife.
The blade of the knife continued to reflect the cold light under the illumination of the four corner braziers in the room.
The middle-aged man was frightened, but he did not forget to protect his only remaining son behind him, "What are you going to do?"
"You don't keep your promise! You promised me..."
The old servant said expressionlessly: "Your eldest son was indeed sold by my merchants, and I also know where he went."
"But how can it be so easy to eliminate slave status?"
"Unless he has made military exploits and is appreciated by his master, my words will not help."
"I can only tell you that your eldest son is still alive, and the rest will depend on their fate!"
"As for you two...the master wants you to die! The incident in the hill city will cause turmoil in all countries, so no details must be leaked!"
"What?" The middle-aged man felt like he was struck by lightning. He had been running for more than a year for his eldest son, supported by his sense of faith.
I thought hope was right in front of me, but I got this answer.
His vitality seemed to have been drained away, and his eyes were dim.
"Kill them!" the old servant said again.
The guards have already stepped forward.
But at this moment, the young man actually stood in front of his father, "Kill! Kill us, and you will die too!"
"The messenger of God once said that anyone who commits a crime will be judged!"
"Do you know why Vihutel died?"
"Because he..."
Before the young man could finish speaking, the guard kicked him over and swung his copper sword down.
But the old servant's heart suddenly palpitated again, and he suddenly shouted: "Wait a minute, let him finish."
"Father? How can you disobey your master's order?" the guard said in astonishment.
But the old servant slapped his son on the face, "Master, master, master..."
"You worm-like waste, how could I give birth to you?"
"I am a slave and cannot change it, but I have spent my whole life trying to get you the position of bodyguard. I hope you can make great contributions and be promoted to a noble!"
"And as a bodyguard, you behave like a slave. How can you make any progress?"
"You need to know that one day, you will climb to high places and not be enslaved by others!"
The guard was shocked by his father's words. These were absolutely rebellious words. If his master heard them, he would definitely die.
He looked outside in panic, making sure no one was watching, and then he breathed a sigh of relief.
However, the copper knife was also put away, and he stepped aside and became silent.
Seeing such a scene, the old servant restrained his anger and looked at the young man again.
The boy was kicked in the chest, rolling on the ground in pain and unable to breathe.
The old servant was not in a hurry. He sat by the door and waited. He only waited for his breathing to stabilize before continuing to ask: "What were you going to say just now? How did Vihutel die?"
The young man glared at him and said, "Are you afraid now? I won't tell you!"
"Haha." The old servant chuckled, "If you tell me, I might be able to let your father and son live."
"You are a broken man, I won't be fooled anymore."
The old servant said seriously: "What if I make an oath? I make an oath in the name of...the true God!"
The young man looked angry and frowned: "Really?"
The old servant said nothing more, and sincerely crossed his arms across his chest, doing the sacrificial etiquette, "I would like to make an oath in the name of the only true God in the world, the Lord of Balance. If what the young man in front of me said satisfies me, I will
Give them life!”
The young man finally believed it, "What do you want to know?"
"What you originally wanted to say."
The young man took a deep breath and organized his words: "Weihuter didn't have to die!"
"Why?"
"When the divine messengers came, he also gathered together with the divine messengers and held a grand banquet, but after the banquet..."
The young man recounted the story of Quiztitco.
Regarding Vihutel's father, he robbed Quiztitco of his family property through conspiracy and demoted him as a slave.
When the divine messenger arrived, Weihuter had something in his heart and wanted to kill him.
"Listening to Queztitko's own account, that night was supposed to be the arrival of certain death and disaster, but he saw light...the light that could dispel the gloom of the night."
"For this reason, the angel of God came to rescue their family from certain death."
"Some people say that he saw the true God coming!"
"At the time of trial, the divine messenger said...if Quiztitco had not committed the crime of murder, he would not have been sentenced to annihilation!"
"Do you understand now? The only true God in the world is always watching the world. If you kill us, you will also die! This is the judgment!"
The old servant was horrified.
It wasn't that he didn't believe in the true God, but he was shaken by his master's words and knew that there was no way out for the sins he had committed over the years.
But who would want to die if they could live?
"He died for this crime? What about the crimes he committed before?" the old servant asked again.
The young man was speechless.
The old servant smiled bitterly because of this: "It seems that whether I kill you or not, I can't escape the judgment!"
However, the young man had a quick wit and looked at the old servant's son: "No, if you really commit a serious crime, you may not be able to escape death, but what about your son?"
"Do you know Dulan, the warrior chief of the hill city?"
"Dulan? I know him! All the slaves in Hill City were sent by his leader. Dulan is still alive?"
The young man shook his head and said: "No, he is dead too!"
The old servant frowned, but did not interrupt and continued to listen.
"But Dulan's relatives are all still alive! God's envoy will not implicate his relatives for his crimes! Originally, his relatives would be tried together, and the lightest punishment is imprisonment."
"But when my father and I left, they had returned home and their lives were the same as usual."
"The messenger of God said that those who have a balanced belief can be saved! Everyone commits sins and punishments. As long as they are not evildoers, our Lord is willing to cast a merciful gaze on them and give them a chance to reform."
"That's why everyone in the hill city once believed in false gods, but now they are still happy and there is no judgment!"
"Those who really face judgment are the evil ones!"
When the old servant heard these words, he could no longer control his expression and couldn't help but look at his son.
His son also knows...
His father protected him very well and never got involved in those scandalous things. If he really faced a trial, he would definitely survive.
The premise is to let the father and son go!
The old servant said: "How can I trust you?"
The young man said: "If you send someone to the mountain city to inquire, everyone will know these things! Or, I can also make an oath in the name of Balance!"
"You swear!"
The young man imitated the old servant and began to swear.
Wait until the oath comes true.
The old servant stood up and said to his son: "Tie them up and follow me!"
The young man shouted: "You don't keep your integrity! You even broke your oath!"
The old servant snorted and scolded: "Shut up! If you yell again to attract other people's attention, even if I want to let you live, it will be impossible!"
"But, I said I won't kill you, but I didn't say how to deal with you!"
"You can't go back to Hill City, let alone Tapong City! Don't you want to see your brother? I'll send you there! As for whether you will live or die after becoming a slave, it depends on the glory of the true God.
, have you looked at you..."
When these words are spoken.
The middle-aged man who had been dull for a long time also came to his senses, "Can I see my eldest son?"
"Wait a minute, you're going to sell us into slavery!"
"No, no... I can go, but please let my son go..."
"I'll fight with you!"
Bang!
The old servant's son knocked him out, and the old servant finally asked: "This is the last chance for you and the two of you, are you willing to do it or not?"
The young man was filled with grief and anger, and was helpless. In the end, he could only bow his head: "I wish!"
"Let's go, carry your father on your back. If you can't keep up with me and miss the opportunity, no one can save you!"
The old servant has redemption in his heart and only strives for a glimmer of hope for his son.
He took the two of them to a slave trading house and woke up the caravan leader he was familiar with——
"How many slaves are there in this batch?"
"89 people, less than a hundred! I don't know what happened over there in the North. I haven't seen anyone from their caravan for several days!"
The old servant sneered in his heart, the mountain road in the hill city will be cut off from tonight!
He said: "I don't want to give up the 11 people left. Let's set off immediately and send them to the country of Tepanix!"
"I have two other people here. They are both strong men. They can be sold for a good price!"
The caravan leader was stunned: "Leave now? Are you too anxious?"
The old servant said calmly: "It's okay not to leave! But don't blame me for not reminding you! Starting from tomorrow, Tadong City will recruit troops! All the slaves in your hands will be recruited without any benefit!"
"Believe it or not, this piece of news about me is worth the deed of a big house in the city!"
"Conscription? Why conscription?"
"Do you think you're qualified to listen?"
The man finally realized the seriousness, summoned his men, and quickly prepared to leave.
Finally, he looked at the old servant and said, "If the news turns out to be true after I leave, I will definitely thank you afterwards!"
If it's false, I won't mention it, because both of them know in their hearts that they will definitely have to settle accounts later.
The old servant said again: "Then you will definitely spend a lot of money! If you return to the valley, you can immediately start hoarding food and various goods. No matter how much the premium is, try your best to collect it!"
"Believe me, this is your chance."
The man noticed something was wrong and asked, "What happened?"
"You will know in the future!"
The old servant said no more. Before leaving with his son, he only left one sentence: "It's appropriate to take some care of the father and son! Even if you don't want to, don't be too harsh!"
The two figures gradually moved away from each other.
After a long time, a business group set off southward overnight...
There is no curfew in Tapong City. It only closes the northern pass and has unimpeded access to the southern valley.