Witch’s Night: Chapter 6 Are the Gods Dead?
The Church of the End Gods.
An ancient church with a history almost as long as the Noah Holy Church, they referred to the ten Primordial Demons as Gods and didn’t acknowledge humanity’s naming of them.
They called Witches “Gods” and Sovereigns “Saints,” collectively referring to them as Gods.
At its peak, the Church of the End Gods had over twenty Devil’s Apostles, each at least at the “Peril” level and above.
In that barbaric era of humanity, “Destruction” level and above was still a legend, even the First Saint’s strength was only barely close to “Destruction” level.
Facing “Destruction” level disasters, most mega-cities couldn’t resist even by self-destructing their Embers.
Even powerful Noah could only barely survive “Destruction” level disasters.
However, with the Primordial Demons falling silent, the Devil’s Apostles of the Church of the End Gods became fewer and fewer, until finally, no one could sense the presence of the “Gods” anymore.
Are the Gods dead?
The Gods are not dead!
Even though the Gods they believed in no longer responded to their prayers, and the followers of the Church of the End Gods were dwindling, they never completely disappeared.
It was worth mentioning that not all Devil’s Minions were followers of the Church of the End Gods; a large portion of them chose to fall for the sake of power.
But the Church of the End Gods was different. They knew very well what the Primordial Demons were doing, and they also knew the consequences.
And what they were doing… was carrying out their will, letting this season of civilization come to its destined end, ending this erroneous and absurd continuation.
Generally speaking, the Church of the End Gods’ specific actions were like those of terrorists who used demonic power to cause destruction everywhere…
It’s just that with the decline of the church’s power, this destruction was becoming less and less impactful.
To this day, they didn’t even dare to approach ordinary mega-cities, let alone Lannister.
However… they had appeared, but not to wreak havoc as usual. They were just silently gathering in Lannister, without taking any action.
If it weren’t for a martial law accidentally uncovering the existence of a Devil’s Minion, and then following the clues to discover the actions of the Church of the End Gods, Lannister would still be completely unaware of all this.
However, this situation gave Norian an even bigger headache.
Widespread destructive actions were easy to deal with, just send out strong individuals to suppress them.
With Granny Zoya around, even if the entire Church of the End Gods intended to invade Lannister, they would only meet their doom.
But the problem was… they weren’t doing anything!
The Church of the End Gods was just quietly lurking in Lannister. So many people came and went from Lannister every day, how could they check each one to see if they were Devil’s Minions?
But they couldn’t just ignore it. Lannister wasn’t afraid of the destruction caused by the Church of the End Gods, but no matter what, casualties and panic would occur, which was a situation Lannister absolutely wanted to avoid.
All dangers should be nipped in the bud.
The nobles’ fear of Devil’s Minions wasn’t unreasonable, because Lannister wasn’t afraid of the Church of the End Gods, but they were.
What if, one day, these lunatics accidentally blew themselves up?
As members of Lannister, they didn’t think the Church of the End Gods had even a sliver of a chance against this long-dormant war machine.
But as individuals…
The nobles weren’t willing to face death.
“Magistrate Norian’s courage is with Lannister, we don’t doubt that in the slightest.”
Count Spencer’s attitude was still humble, but representing the noble group, he couldn’t back down in front of Norian. “However, regarding these matters, I… we need an explanation.”
“Hmph, you will have one.”
Norian snorted coldly and stopped talking.
Seeing this, Count Spencer knew that continuing to ask would only displease Norian, and these answers had already barely addressed the nobles’ concerns.
Therefore, he didn’t continue to stay in the room tactlessly and quietly exited, leaving Norian alone.
“Tsk, these nobles haven’t made any progress in hundreds of years.”
Norian curled his lip disdainfully. They only cared that the Council of Elders could guarantee their safety and weren’t concerned about other issues, not even bothering to understand the details about the Devil’s Minions.
Unfortunately, the current Lannister couldn’t do without these nobles, and the Council of Elders had to prioritize their safety.
However, although Norian’s words just now were full of momentum, his haggard appearance couldn’t be faked.
The appearance of the Devil’s Minions had kept Lannister’s Anomaly Investigation Bureau busy for several days, and Norian, as an example for the Council of Elders, didn’t dare to neglect the matter.
Coupled with Lannister’s already busy affairs, even a “Peril” level ability user’s physique couldn’t handle it.
As for why these followers of the Church of the End Gods had appeared in Lannister, Norian actually knew.
Their traces had appeared in Yan City before. Before the Yan City war began, there had been some signs of Devil’s Minion activity in the city, but these scattered forces were quickly suppressed by the Yan City Anomaly Investigation Bureau.
“Miss Luo Yan…”
Norian silently repeated the name in his heart. What kind of relationship did this mysterious girl, who suddenly appeared in the forest outside Lannister, have with the Primordial Demons?
“The Saint has really caused us quite a bit of trouble.”
Norian sighed.
“You can tell Illusion in person, maybe she’ll feel guilty.”
A raspy voice sounded from outside the door, and then an old woman tremblingly pushed the door open.
Even though she was attending a noble banquet, Granny Zoya was still dressed in her usual simple attire, but with her status… no one dared to criticize her attire.
“She’ll only tell me ‘good work,’ and then tell me to hold on for a while longer with a blank expression.” Norian said with a wry smile. “The Saint is concerned about the safety of the entire human civilization. The survival of a single city naturally wouldn’t catch her attention.”
“Speaking ill of a Saint in private is disrespectful, Norian,” Granny Zoya raised an eyebrow. “However, what you said is indeed true. Illusion’s temper… is still as strange as ever.”
As someone from almost the same era as Illusion, Granny Zoya had witnessed her growth and therefore knew how terrifying Illusion was.
Even among “Destruction” level ability users, there were differences in status and strength.
If Granny Zoya was at the bottom of the “Destruction” level, Illusion’s strength was already approaching the ceiling, much stronger than the old Sword Saint.
Perhaps only Mister Nine, before his death, could have been confident of defeating the current Illusion.
“So, let’s focus on the banquet for now,” Granny Zoya said cheerfully, her hands behind her back. “It’s good to relax occasionally, even as the Chief Magistrate of Lannister.”
Hearing this, Norian smiled faintly and shook his head.
He stood up and walked to the window of the room.
The lounge that Count Spencer had prepared for Norian was, of course, meticulously arranged. There were no eavesdroppers here, and the environment was very similar to the style of Norian’s residence.
Even the layout and size of the room were deliberately designed according to Norian’s preferences, so as to maximize the relaxation of this most powerful person in Lannister.
It could be said that this room was designed specifically to receive him.
Even though Norian might only visit once every ten or even several decades.
There were two windows in the room, one facing outwards and one facing inwards.
The outward-facing window could be turned into a French window at any time, overlooking the entire Lannister.
The inward-facing window could provide a bird’s-eye view of the entire banquet hall.
The banquet hadn’t officially started yet, but many of the nobles attending had already picked up their pre-dinner drinks, savoring them while socializing.
Many minor nobles were trying to get closer to the major nobles. This was a rare opportunity, and they also wanted to make more connections for the future development of their families… and their personal development.
“Heh, I was indeed wrong just now,” Norian watched for a while, then closed the window, out of sight, out of mind.
“These nobles haven’t changed in hundreds of years, but rather regressed—the Constantine family at least plotted to use the power of the nobles to seize control of the Council of Elders. This generation of nobles is left with only this unsightly groveling and incompetence!”
“That’s because the Constantine family was wiped out by the previous Chief Magistrate of the Council of Elders… And, you’re also a noble, Norian.”
“…Just a declining noble. My family’s glory is long gone, and I’ve never thought of polishing the dust-covered family crest again. I won’t try to hold onto something destined to disappear…”
Despite his words, Norian still felt some emotion when mentioning his family.
“Of course, Norian, I know you don’t like these things.” The smile on Granny Zoya’s face never faded; it seemed she was always this cheerful.
“So, in addition to the nobles, I also invited some outstanding young talents—even commoners, as long as they have sufficient qualifications, I sent them invitations.”
“Oh?” Norian’s interest was piqued. “What kind of young talents are they?”
“Basically, they are all ‘Peril’ level ability users under the age of seventy. Not only are there locals from Lannister, but also many guests.” Granny Zoya raised an eyebrow. “You always prefer dealing with young people, it’s always been like this.”
Although it sounded a bit outrageous, in reality… “Peril” level ability users under seventy were indeed worthy of being called “outstanding young talents.”
The physique of high-level ability users was much stronger than that of ordinary people. A seventy-year-old “Peril” level ability user was only equivalent to an ordinary person in their early thirties. For Granny Zoya, who was several hundred years old, and Norian, who was one hundred and fifty, they were indeed young people.
As for the relationship between Granny Zoya and Norian…
Ever since Norian could remember, Granny Zoya had been a revered figure in Lannister. Their relationship was somewhere between elder and junior, and also friends, a kind of mentor and friend.
“This is finally some good news after all these days.”
Norian smiled knowingly. Compared to the increasingly decadent Council of Elders and the increasingly rigid Lannister nobility, he got along better with these young people who often dreamed of changing the world.
Being with young people always allowed him to be infected by their unique vitality, making him feel younger.
However…
Norian suddenly remembered something.
“That Hua Qingling who knows ‘Luo Yan’… you didn’t invite her too, did you?” Norian frowned slightly.
Norian had a deep impression of Hua Qingling, not only because she knew the mysterious girl who caused the chaos, but also because she was a “Peril” level ability user under forty.
Even in all of Lannister, there was no younger “Peril” level ability user than her…
“Of course, the list was finalized and the invitations sent out before the trip to the forest outside the city.” Granny Zoya nodded. “I didn’t think it was necessary to change it, so I didn’t withdraw her invitation.”
“But… won’t she bring ‘Luo Yan’ out…”
Norian was still hesitant.
“Don’t worry about that,” Granny Zoya smiled slightly. “I believe that little girl will know her limits, and… Shivis has already told me that she’s only accompanied by a young man.”
Shivis was the scarred woman driver that Granny Zoya sent to pick up Hua Qingling. Of course, she wasn’t just there to pick up Hua Qingling.
Otherwise, why would Shivis have left so hurriedly after dropping off Hua Qingling and Luo Yan?
“You-, Young man?”
“Yes, Shivis said it was a handsome young man. It seems it’s not ‘Luo Yan’.”
“If that’s the case… then it’s fine.” Norian’s heart, which had just risen to his throat, settled slightly, and then he teased, “However, Granny Zoya, it seems you have one less target for promoting your youngest son.”
“She was never a target. I know my limits. My Kyle is not worthy of such a person, even if I am his mother.”
Granny Zoya wasn’t embarrassed at all when this embarrassing matter was brought up; on the contrary, she seemed inexplicably proud.
It was unclear whether she was proud that she could still have a young son at her age, or proud that her young son wasn’t worthy of Hua Qingling…
“Now that you mention it, I can’t wait any longer.”
Norian stood up again and walked impatiently towards the door. “I have to go and interact with these young people quickly. This is a rare opportunity…”
Norian was usually very busy, and there were very few young people in the Council of Elders.
Moreover, opportunities to gather so many outstanding young talents weren’t common. After hearing Granny Zoya’s arrangements, Norian had been itching to go.
Just as Granny Zoya said, even though he was already in a high position, Norian was still the same as before.
Looking at Norian’s departing back, Granny Zoya was momentarily lost in thought, recalling the first time she met Norian.
“This kid… after so many years, he’s still the same.” Granny Zoya shook her head helplessly and followed him. “Alright, I’m already an old woman, and I still have to run around with you youngsters…”
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