Chapter 1071 Holy Capital

When we were still far away from the town, we met a huge team of people, men, women, old and young, running out of the town to greet us. They saw a giant crow approaching quickly from the sky in the town (it must be said that Medivh turned into a crow god with a wingspan of two to three hundred meters and was covered in lightning storms and flames. She was indeed quite cool. Road sign, she has to fly high enough so that you can see it from two hundred kilometers away), and then rush out to greet her happily. I believe that the crow god must have given them the speed of flying birds: they had just come out of the town when we were still in the sky, and by the time we landed, these people had already gathered two kilometers outside the town.

Hundreds of men, women and children stood hundreds of meters away. When they saw a group of people jumping off the back of the Crow God, they were obviously stunned. Obviously, the setting of "riding on the god to travel" is very important to the locals. It was still not easy to understand, but after seeing Vanilla, Lilina and their elder sister in the crowd, the expressions on their faces were relieved: at least the situation was not too bizarre. I looked at these welcoming crowds and saw that every face was filled with excitement and excitement. It was a sincere feeling from the heart. No matter how bad Lilina's character was, at least she really brought a good life to these people. . The faces of the adults among these people are weather-beaten, bearing the marks of years of working in the mines and the scars of life, while the children are basically shy: they were born and raised in the mines, and they are not yet young. How to be good at greeting strangers. Some people were wearing black robes. There are two hanging ribbons on the front of the robe. Now I know that these two ribbons are the symbols of the Crow God Sect. The color of the ribbon represents the rank in the church, like vanilla, which is the highest grade gold. . Of course Lilina and Little Crow also have the same clothes, but they should be excluded: one is the spokesperson of the power god, and the other is simply the goddess herself. Why do you think they are joining in the fun...

"Welcome the goddess!" A grey-haired old man in the crowd who looked very imposing (how come he has never dealt with old men these days) stepped out of the queue, first bowed to the stupid bird who was returning to his human form, and then said to Vanilla Bowed respectfully, "Your Majesty the Pope."

Vanilla took a small step back nervously, obviously still not used to this status, and then she bowed back with her neck stiff: "Oh, now. You've been working hard these past few days." Well, at least when saying these words The expression on his face was quite calm.

"Two great sages." The old man turned his head to Lilina and her sister again. Still bowing politely and thoughtfully, he didn't even miss the cat lady whose name was always forgotten, "And Her Majesty, it's been a hard journey."

The cat lady stood up straight, her ears straight up: "My name is Rabbi!" I looked at her in disbelief: Hey, is this a saint? Lilina knows how to toss! Is it reasonable for her to get all these ridiculous titles?

However, the five members of the God Clan all looked normal, and Uncle Kenser even nodded slightly. It seems that the set of things Lilina was tossing about is really what it is, at least it looks suitable.

"He is one of the chief priests of the Crow God Sect." Lilina used her spiritual connection to introduce to me this old man with thoughtful etiquette and who didn't look like a mining laborer. "He used to be a minor nobleman, but later he was framed and exiled here. He is the most educated person in the town, so he can only be the chief priest. In fact, he is quite reliable, but sometimes he is a bit rigid and special. Care about etiquette: Seventeen years of exile have not gotten rid of these problems."

When Lilina was introducing me to me through mental connection, her hands were not idle. She pointed at a group of us to introduce to the old man. I was the first to introduce: "You should salute him more. This He is the Lord of the Crow God recorded in the divine book, and the father of the gods of the Xiling God System." When she said this, her face was particularly arrogant, and I was almost stunned by that serious look, Qian Qian Everyone looked at me in awe, and then Lilina went on to introduce the others, "This is the aunt of the Crow God, this is the aunt of the Crow God, this is the second uncle of the Crow God, the third uncle of the Crow God, and the sister-in-law of the Crow God , the Crow God’s eldest cousin, the Crow God’s aunt, the Crow God’s… ah!”

I should have noticed something was wrong immediately! Just now, this girl was so stunned by saying "Father of the Gods" that she didn't react...

"In short, the situation is like Jiang Zi." Lilina covered her head and gave me a look of grievance, and then ordered the stunned Crow God believers to go back to the "Holy City". On the way, she introduced us to the special society in this southern region. The environment, of course, and the development and current situation of the city where the Crow God originated.

"Holy City" is a name that has only become known in recent days. It sounds so cool that not many people would compare it with a city located near an abandoned mine with a population of only a few thousand (the number not long ago ) are connected with the run-down town. When the name was finalized, even the residents of the town felt a little dumbfounded. But in the end, the name spread. Now, several towns near the "Holy Capital" All the towns and cities knew about the sudden miracles that appeared in the long-abandoned "Black Sand Mine". The miracles were spread a lot. Holy trees appeared in one day, and endless food and wine were given by the gods. As long as the Crow God's teachings were followed, The holy land that can cure all diseases, the harvest of food day and night, and the sacred barrier that covers the entire mine and can drive away all intruders with just one feather. The stories are more bizarre than the last, and the people who preach these things But each one is more confident than the other: This must have attracted more and more people's attention.

In addition to these magical legends, of course, the people who came out of the "Holy City" together were the people who spread these stories. They were the residents of the original mining town, but now they call themselves missionaries. These miners and farmers who have done menial work for most of their lives are now Wearing strange robes and carrying the Crow God's Bible with them (although most of these novice missionaries could not even write their own names), they ran around in nearby towns, preaching the power of the Crow God and serving the poor and the helpless. Free medical supplies and food are provided to those who have returned home: these three items are the least valuable to those who come out of the Holy City. But it is something that the nearby run-down town desperately needs.

The missionaries who were transformed from miners and farmers certainly looked inconsistent. Although they wore scholar's robes and held decent books in their hands, this could not hide their vulgarity and the life they were accustomed to. Way, yes, you will see the novice missionaries of the Crow God Sect squatting on the stones by the roadside with their arms open to read out their doctrines. Together with the surrounding poor people, they use hard biscuits dipped in salt crumbs for lunch, and hold their hands when praying for divine power. Holding the Bible inside upside down - all the above behaviors are disgusting to people from the upper class in the north. But it makes the local civilians very friendly. Perhaps this is a good thing. Therefore, the missionaries of the Crow God Sect can better develop believers in poor societies. Moreover, their magical power is not insignificant: even if they hold the Bible upside down, they can still cure all diseases and possess magical powers. What could be more convincing than a genuine miracle? Their contrasting poor styles better reflect their own strength.

Thanks to the dual power of miracles and missionaries, the Holy City has gained great fame. Now wanderers from other places are coming to this place one after another, most of them just want to try their luck. Because it is said that the Crow God Sect will provide free food to passing escapees (limited supply). After that, they will have to rely on labor in exchange for living supplies. We cannot let the Crow God Sect cultivate thousands of people lying under the sacred tree and waiting to mold. lazy guy, right?), while others do it out of curiosity or because they have no other options. No matter what the reason is for people who come here, 99% of them will choose to stay in the end: compared to any other place in the south, this place blessed by God is full of incredible hope. At least here, you don’t have to go hungry. Belly.

So far. The small town of the Holy Capital has already accommodated a new population that is almost twice that of the aborigines, and the expansion of the town has been carried out at a rapid pace. New construction sites and open-air workshops can be seen everywhere in the wasteland outside, as well as simple tents set up by outsiders. Generally, no one would dare to pitch a tent outside the city wall to spend the night in other places. Because there are dangerous beasts wandering in the southern wilderness, and the territory occupied by wolves is larger than the area of ​​human activity. The only exception is here. The entire mining area is protected by a huge divine shield. Not to mention the beasts, it is the north. When armies from various countries attack, they will probably be torn into pieces by the storm released by the shield in an instant. As long as you are inside the shield and accept the teachings of the Crow God, you will be safer than anywhere else.

Such a huge flow of people and even private city construction did not attract the attention of any local official department. This of course made me very curious. After some inquiries, I learned that this was due to the special living environment in the south.

The south is a barbaric and lawless land. It is impossible to grow most food and there are few rivers. The largest plain area is the Gobi zone, which is unsuitable for survival. The soil is mixed with metals that are harmful to crops and human bodies. The entire southern region has only Its economic source is a limited number of minerals. For hundreds of years, the northern principalities used it as a mineral producing area and a dumping ground for various wastes-the wastes here include felons and the destitute who failed in political struggles. Nobles, of course, also include slaves who were exiled to mine sentient beings. Here you can find simple towns that gathered overnight because of the mineral veins, and there are also dilapidated and abandoned human settlements where the mineral veins have dried up. The three systems of "exile", "slave" and "lifelong pariah" have accumulated countless homeless people in the south. These people are sent to the mines in large numbers like tools, and their life's fate is tied to the mines. At the same time, when the minerals were depleted, the authorities did not even bother to evacuate these abandoned people. They would only transfer local overseers and soldiers, as well as their belongings, while leaving most of the abandoned people to fend for themselves. Of course, out of the so-called "mercy" of the nobles, they would leave a year's worth of food and the like, and issue a "free mining license" to the civilians who were left behind, allowing those who stayed to freely mine the abandoned mines. What's inside: If they find anything else.

This is the absurd living situation in the southern region. It can only be said that each world has its own rules.

There is no clear division of sovereignty in the southern region. It is nominally managed by the northern principality, but this management has become in vain. More and more deserted people in the south have also weakened the northern principality's control over the area in disguise. This is several The embarrassing situation caused by hundreds of years of accumulation, now, this place has basically become a self-reliant king...well, there is no king, but it is indeed self-reliant. So this messy social environment gave Lilina an opportunity to take advantage of. Of course, it also gave the upcoming half-dragon race an opportunity to take advantage of.

Groups of people came out to greet us, not only from the clergy of the Holy City (well, it’s a bit awkward to say these two words directly) (…it’s even more awkward to say these four words!), but also from the city. There are ordinary residents and even children running around with adults. This shows that the Crow God Sect is not very organized after all. After all, the main members of this sect are now concentrated in farmers and miners—— This is certainly not class discrimination. But it is undeniable that such personnel composition is far from enough for the development of a sect. Lilina feels that the top priority now is not only to expand the influence of Crow God, but more importantly, to win over intellectuals and aristocrats to join the religion. The former can influence the teachings. It provides great help in compiling and preaching in the upper class, and the latter can give the Crow God sect a green light in many fields. Now a group of carefully selected missionaries have gone to the north. According to the information sent back, they are making good progress. The biggest good news is that the Holy City will soon have a group of teachers who can teach children how to read: this is urgently needed here.

Lilina dismissed the believers and commoners who were noisily following the crowd. Take us to visit this town that is under rapid construction. The current Holy City feels to me like an enlarged version of the dark alley area of ​​Sentu: dilapidated, messy, in disrepair, and without any planning.

The entire town looks like a peeled orange peel in shape, with several large areas separated by stretches of wasteland, without any rules and only connected in the middle. Except for a circle of relatively good buildings surrounding the square in the center of the town, everything else is a so-called "pile of houses." Dilapidated wooden houses and stone houses were built haphazardly everywhere, and there were almost no straight roads. Gray and black are the main colors of this town. The houses and roads here are covered with black-gray rock powder from the mines. The gravel used for paving the ground is the slag that is a by-product of mining. This is a better place, even more The roads in many places have not been treated at all, and the exposed dirt is full of pits and filled with black and greasy sewage.

"The mining towns in the south are like this," my sister sighed. "The people who built these towns only ask for one thing: to survive. Anyway, there will be no more support from the northern principalities here, and even if they are built There was no more economic value, so it became like this. The big houses in the center of the town were occupied by the original overseers and soldiers. They were the emperors of all mining towns and were sent by the Northern Principality to escort slaves and exiles. Oversaw the mining operations and left without hesitation once the mines were exhausted.”

"But it's different now!" Lilina happily pointed to the side. It was a construction site. A large area of ​​severely collapsed houses was being knocked down. A dozen strong townspeople were preparing to build new houses. , they cut huge logs and stones on the wasteland on the spot, using... using iron sheets or even palms? !

I finally noticed this wonderful detail. A shirtless, dark-faced uncle put a piece of wood on a shelf, then raised his right hand and prayed loudly: "Gah! O supreme and powerful Crow God! Grant your followers a steely strength." Bless me with strength and magical swords!" Then he slashed his palm, and a cold light flashed through. It was really a cold light flashed through. A layer of metallic luster floated on the edge of his palm, extending to half a meter away. Here, Under the cold metal light, the wood was cut open.

I:"……"

"There is a lack of tools here, but the construction speed is faster than any other town," Vanilla said happily, with a blush on her face. She rarely spoke actively, but this time she couldn't help it, "Everyone relies on the Crow God's Blessed, become infinitely powerful, reinforced with steel, no matter how strong the tool is, it cannot compare with the power gained through prayer. The only pity is that not everyone can get the power they need, and those who can participate in the construction are still Not quite enough.”

I nodded: "I know, praying to this idiot is a bit like buying a lottery ticket. Maybe you have been strengthened."

When the little crow heard me calling her Silly Bird, she immediately pouted and said, "Gah!" She could still tell what Silly Bird meant.

You can see bustling labor scenes everywhere in the town, rebuilding houses, repairing roads, and making tools. If there is one thing about this dilapidated abandoned town that is completely different from other places in the south, it is that everyone here bursts out from the inside out. With enthusiasm and happiness, they are full of hope. It is the first time they are so motivated to build their own house, and they firmly believe that they can eventually build a rich home with their own hands. Along the way, almost every person we met stopped to greet our group: of course, they were paying tribute to Little Crow and Vanilla. I don’t know how Lilina did it. She can really make people stupid. Birds and herbs have gained such high prestige. If the Crow God himself is a majestic god, this would be easy to explain. But the current situation is that the only thing the Crow God can do besides eating, sleeping and acting cute is to lower his head all over the floor. Can a guy like this really gather prestige by finding pebbles and firewood sticks to build his own nest?

In the final analysis, I can only say that Lilina is quite good at deceiving people.

Finally, we arrived at the central square along the only road in the town. This is the "holy place" of the town. Only the aborigines of the town can approach it. The wanderers who have recently come from other places to "pilgrimage" can only stay outside the town for the time being. Even the food was collected here by the townspeople and sent there. After all, the two most important sacred objects of the Crow God Sect are stored here: the holy tree and the feathers of the Crow God. No one dares to let people who don’t know the details just do so. near. Around the square, we saw the first team of "Church Knights" organized by the townspeople, which was impressive: the Church Knights holding pitchforks and miners' hoes were absolutely unprecedented.

"Their fighting power is no worse than the most powerful beast knights in the north. The pitchforks thrown by the church knights can penetrate the fifteen-meter-thick boulder wall," Lilina nodded to the black-robed Crow God warriors. , while whispering, "Although it is a bit dilapidated now, their weapons and equipment will be made soon. Everything is being constructed quickly here. By then, the Knights of the Crow God Cult will be the most powerful in the world." Soldier, think about it, he is stronger than a mammoth, and he can also cast shadow arrows and lightning chains instantly... The power of the Crow God is geared towards fighting."

Inclined to fight... I suddenly thought, could the Crow God Sect be able to fight against the Raven...

At this moment, a burst of excited shouts from not far away interrupted my thinking. I followed the sound and saw a group of children running over from the alley in front. Then the cat lady in our team happily Welcoming him.

"Teacher Rabbi! You are back!"

"Teacher, is the big city fun?"

"Teacher, teacher, we have finished writing those words!"

A group of children dressed in rags but with extremely cheerful expressions were jumping and shouting happily, and we were suddenly in a daze. Lilina seemed to suddenly remember at this time, and suddenly realized: "Oh, I forgot to mention, this cat is one of the only two teachers in the town now, responsible for teaching children to read and write, the other teacher is The old man we saw before had a lot of rules."

Lin Xue smiled brightly: "Wow, I really can't tell. That cat is quite close to children. It's usually like a boring gourd."

"Only those kids can remember her name." My sister covered her face and couldn't help but sigh.

Everyone: "..." (To be continued. If you like this work, you are welcome to come to (.com) to vote for recommendations and monthly votes. Your support is my biggest motivation.)