Northern Territory Empire
That evening, a grand ceremony to sacrifice to the Wolf God began. Many Barbarians from the Former Falcon Clan, upon learning of this, initially reacted with apprehension.
During Jones's time as Clan Leader, he had only conducted smaller-scale sacrifices. These required a single offering, and only a select few—Jones and his inner circle—received the Wolf God's blessing, allowing them to wield the Bloodthirsty Rage.
However, Jones was later killed by Pan Ming. His inner circle, consumed by Bloodthirsty Rage, swam frantically in the sea, only to be reduced to desiccated corpses before they even reached the shore—essentially self-destructing.
This time, Cerydra was orchestrating no mere minor sacrifice. With half a million participants, every Barbarian was compelled to attend, making it an unprecedentedly massive sacrificial ritual.
For the Former Falcon Clan, it was a simple calculation: if human sacrifices were required, their newly surrendered ranks would undoubtedly be the primary targets. Meanwhile, the original 200,000 Northerners of the Northern Territory Empire would reap the benefits.
The Barbarians of the Falcon Clan harbored no resentment toward this "reality." After all, victory belonged to the victor, and defeat was the fate of the vanquished. Moreover, they believed Cerydra had showered them with excessive favors lately, so repaying her with their lives seemed a fair exchange.
Thus, the Barbarians felt apprehension, not fear. Their main concern was that when Boss Imperator selected sacrifices, she would spare their families and friends and choose them instead.
However, the reality diverged completely from their expectations. While they perceived the event's focus as "sacrifice," its true essence lay in "celebration"!
Cerydra had meticulously planned the event as a grand festival.
With a population of five hundred thousand, it was impossible to gather everyone in one place. Cerydra therefore arranged five "Celebration Squares." Even so, the nearly one hundred thousand people packed into each square created an extremely crowded scene.
As the Barbarians entered the squares in orderly fashion, they were greeted by rows of long tables laden with sumptuous feasts. There were no sacrificial pillars for living sacrifices, nor piles of firewood for burning. At the center of each square stood a towering dais carved entirely from ice.
Seeing this, the Barbarians of the Falcon Clan wore puzzled expressions. At that moment, five massive projections materialized simultaneously above the five plazas, showing Cerydra seated regally on her throne, one hand propping her cheek, her expression solemn and imposing.
For Okhema Technology, such a feat was trivial.
Cerydra's amplified voice echoed across the five plazas, reverberating throughout the Northern Territory Empire. "People of the Former Falcon Clan," she declared, "I must once again inform you of a cruel truth: all your previous sacrifices to the Wolf God were misguided! Shameless demons stole your offerings and usurped your faith!"
The moment the projections materialized, almost every Barbarian reacted with, "Is that Boss Imperator? She looks exactly like her portrait!"
"That's definitely Boss Imperator! I have her portrait hanging by my bed. But... her voice sounds different than I imagined. It's... surprisingly... cute?"
"Still, Boss Imperator looks exactly like her portrait."
"So, brothers, does anyone know how Boss Imperator flew up there to talk to us? And why does she look so huge?"
"?"
As soon as the question was uttered, all the surrounding Barbarians turned to look at the speaker. It had to be said that even within the Barbarian community, intelligence levels varied greatly. One of them replied, "Are you stupid? Boss Imperator is a Demigod! This is probably just some manifestation of her divine power, right?"
"Yeah, yeah! For a god, growing a bit bigger to talk to us must be easy, right?"
Well, the other Barbarians aren't much brighter either.
In any case, because they were seeing a projection of Cerydra rather than Cerydra herself, none of the Barbarians noticed her unusual height. Cerydra, meanwhile, continued spinning her fabricated tales about the Wolf God Faith.
Having successfully deceived one Barbarian earlier, she simply needed to repeat her previous claims.
Thus, Cerydra slowly began to explain that "Blood Sacrifices are wrong," "Demons have stolen our faith and power," "Bloodthirsty Rage is an evil power granted by demons," and "what the proper way to worship truly is."
In essence, the argument went like this: demons had deceived the Barbarians' ancestors, leading to the transmission of a false custom! Therefore, changing the worship method now was not abandoning ancestral traditions, but correcting their ancestors' errors!
-
Meanwhile, the perspective shifted to the Black Bear Clan, where Arthur stood. Suddenly, the Demon Axe on his shoulder sneezed, "Achoo!"
Surprised, Arthur exclaimed, "Huh? Axes can sneeze?"
The axe's eye swiveled around, finally settling on Arthur. It growled menacingly, "This isn't a physical sneeze, brat. It's more like a Sixth Sense alert. Someone was definitely badmouthing me behind my back just now! You little punk, was that you?!"
Arthur scoffed. "Stinky axe, why would I need to sneak around to insult you?"
The Demon Axe immediately retorted, "I'll kick your @#$@$ !"
-
The perspective shifts back to the Northern Territory Empire. Cerydra had barely finished half her speech when the Falcon Clan barbarians heard the order to cease the Blood Sacrifice. Their first reaction was pure rage.
It must be said, these fellows were truly absurd. If the Blood Sacrifice required them to die, they would gladly embrace death. Yet now that Cerydra was canceling the ritual, requiring no more sacrifices, these barbarians were somehow enraged.
Midway through her address, noticing the rising agitation below, Cerydra lowered her head and let out a cold snort. "Silence!"
Her expression and tone exuded overwhelming authority. The barbarians immediately fell silent, allowing Cerydra to finish her speech.
Only then did the Falcon Clan barbarians reveal a mixture of skepticism and uncertainty. Cerydra's logic was impeccable, her arguments airtight. Yet this was a custom deeply ingrained in their culture, a worldview they had been taught since childhood. For Cerydra to declare it wrong now was a hard pill to swallow.
Still, it wasn't a major issue. After laying the groundwork with words, she would soon prove her point with undeniable evidence.
Cerydra declared, "Now I will demonstrate what a proper sacrifice should look like! And what happens when the Wolf God responds correctly!"
As she spoke, Dirk emerged from a corner of the plaza, leading several Barbarians carrying a fish at least as large as a man. They strode directly to the platform in the center of the plaza and laid the fish down.
Dirk and the Barbarians beside him began to chant loudly: "Great Wolf God! You are the first gust of freezing wind, the first shard of solid ice, the embodiment of Extreme Cold and raging storms, the alpha of the Northern Territory's wolf packs! Accept this offering we have prepared for you!"
Meanwhile, in another corner of the plaza, Cipher, who had been lurking in the shadows, cleared her throat, cupped her hands around her mouth, and lowered her voice to howl, "Awoooo~"
It's worth noting that Half, who was lying at her feet, tilted his small head, his expression one of utter bewilderment.
Yet Cipher's wolf howl was remarkably convincing. Unsurprisingly, some Barbarians mistook it for a real wolf nearby. This triggered Cipher's Authority, and snow-white wolves began to emerge from the depths of the Ice Plains, pacing around the periphery of the plaza.
One by one, the wolves began to howl, their voices rising and falling in a cacophony that echoed across the frozen landscape.
The sight stunned nearly all the Barbarians. Wolves were creatures unknown in the Northern Territory; for many, this was their first glimpse of a living, breathing wolf.
Without a doubt, this was the Wolf God manifesting!
As the unified howling subsided, a particularly large wolf emerged from the pack, clearly the alpha. Fearlessly approaching the crowd, it strode toward the center of the plaza.
The surrounding Barbarians parted, clearing a path for the alpha wolf. It bounded onto the raised platform and seized the massive fish that Dirk and his companions had placed there moments before.
Seeing this, Dirk immediately dropped to one knee, proclaiming earnestly, "Great Wolf God! Please accept this offering we have prepared for you!"
The other Barbarians, belatedly realizing the gravity of the moment, followed suit, kneeling and echoing his words. However, lacking prior practice, their shouts were ragged and disorganized, creating a chaotic din.
Yet the alpha wolf seemed unfazed by these details. It tilted its head back, hoisted the huge fish in its jaws, and strode away from the plaza.
After the wolf pack vanished, the Falcon Clan Barbarians finally realized what had happened. "Boss Imperator's words have come true! Could this be the true way to worship the Wolf God?"
"So our traditional methods of worship were wrong all along?"
"Damn those demons! They dared to deceive our ancestors!"
Seeing this, Cerydra nodded in satisfaction and continued, "The sacrifices to the gods are complete. Now, let the celebration begin!"
"Everyone, please enjoy the food and drinks laid out on the tables!"
At her words, a Barbarian approached the long table, his eyes widening at the dazzling array of foods he had never seen before. Yet, his gaze ultimately settled on a small wine cup, barely larger than a bottle cap. He frowned. "Is that all the wine we get?"
For Barbarians, the quality of the feast was irrelevant; the only thing that mattered was whether the wine flowed freely!
An Old Barbarian chuckled beside him. "Don't underestimate this little cup! It's a Grace from Lady Hysilens, the God of the Ocean. Just this small cup will last you all night!"
The first Barbarian's expression shifted from curiosity to skepticism. "A Grace from the God of the Ocean? Is that even possible?"
He cautiously took a small sip, but old habits die hard. His mouth, accustomed to larger gulps of ale, ended up swallowing half the cup in one go. The Barbarian immediately reacted with wide-eyed shock. "Holy shit! This stuff is actually..."
Thud!
The Old Barbarian beside him, as if expecting this, swiftly grabbed the young Barbarian's arm and took the remaining half-cup of wine. Only then did he release the young Barbarian, who immediately collapsed to the ground and fell into a drunken slumber. The Old Barbarian shook his head, cradling the half-empty cup, and walked away.
"Ah, the youth these days..."
If the pack of wolves earlier had been a divine revelation, revealing the truth that their ancestors had been deceived by demons to the Falcon Clan Barbarians, then this wine instantly made them fall in love with the new ritual!
The old ritual randomly claimed a life; the new one allowed each person to drink a small cup of divine nectar, brewed by the gods themselves. What choice was there?
Soon, all the Barbarians were happily eating and drinking. Seeing this, Cerydra canceled her Projection Magic, and the airborne image vanished. She turned to Pan Ming, Aria, and the others beside her, picked up a small cake from the table, and took a bite. "My esteemed ministers, please enjoy."
It's worth noting that Hysilens wasn't present at Cerydra's small gathering. This was because, on the outskirts of the Northern Territory Empire, Hysilens stood silently on the ice, radiating an endless stream of divine power that enveloped the entire empire.
After a moment, she murmured, "So, you've finally come?"
A massive red wolf slowly emerged from the Ice Plains, its jaws clamped around the corpse of a white wolf. There was no doubt that the current 'Northern Wolf God' had sensed Cerydra's ritual honoring the Wolf God.
If this creature were to appear at the celebration and be seen by the other Barbarians, Cerydra's carefully crafted lie would unravel instantly. This was precisely why Hysilens was waiting here.
Thump! The red wolf shook its head, flinging the white wolf's corpse onto the ice with a dull thud. However, the white wolf's body quickly dissolved, vanishing as if it had never existed—after all, it was merely a product of Cipher's Lie.
Meanwhile, Hysilens silently drew her weapon—a crimson longsword materialized in her hand.