The border was a complete mess, while the Pale God Norton was immersed in his own collapse.
Specifically, he neither lost his temper nor paid attention to this super war, which could be described as the last dance for the Northern Continent. Instead, his mental state became more volatile, and he often muttered to himself.
He often stops suddenly while doing something, then talks to himself, muttering to himself, as if no one else is around.
It is difficult to express this simply by speaking.
Only Abraham, who was always by His Majesty's side, could truly understand this, and he kept it a closely guarded secret.
A single lamp flickered weakly.
Even though we have entered the age of electrification, and even though all kinds of electric lights are now beautiful and colorful, the Pale God still follows the ancient custom, lighting a kerosene lamp in his room rather than using electric lights.
Of course, all the so-called ancient systems were established by him.
The reason for not using electric lights was that His Majesty Norton feared the passage of time, the ever-changing modern world, and the ever-present threat of a swift and deadly blow. Therefore, he attempted to deceive himself by altering his surroundings and using the allure of the old era, making himself believe that not much time had passed, thus alleviating his anxiety.
As for whether it's true or false?
Abraham may have had some doubts before, but in recent days he has had no more doubts.
The flickering firelight cast shifting shadows on the walls of the dimly lit hall, and a cool breeze blew gently from the open windows, yet the hall did not feel too desolate.
The main hall was filled with people.
Beautiful nuns dressed in pure white missionary robes moved about in the dimly lit hall, sometimes wiping the walls that were not even dusty, sometimes adjusting the flickering firelight, and sometimes gathering together to softly recite Norton's new Bible: the Norton's New Scripture.
The majestic image of Pale God, carved and inlaid with pure silver on the walls of the main hall, was revealed from their graceful figures as they walked.
Within the Pale God in pure silver.
The Pale God's lower body was wrapped in a pure white cloth, while his upper body was completely naked, and his full head of silver hair was draped over his shoulders and hung to the ground.
However, half a pure white wing grew from its right shoulder and folded up to its side.
Its posture is with its back to all living beings, but its waist is slightly twisted, revealing half of its holy face.
His upper body was completely naked, and he was holding a white lamb in his arms, but because his upper body was only twisted, only the lamb's head was visible.
Even a single blood-red tear dripped from the eye socket of the sheep's head.
Such three-dimensional murals are extremely sacred and have a strong religious atmosphere.
The holy, Pale God in the portrait was so lifelike, as if he might turn around at any moment.
If it weren't for the blood-red teardrop at the sheep's eye, one might truly believe this is God in a painting, God within the painting.
Its meaning is bewildering, yet strangely familiar.
Abraham was the creator of this mural, but it was constructed according to His Majesty's will.
Such murals ultimately stirred up Abraham's distant memories.
There were many similar paintings in the Holy Lord Church in the past.
The sacred murals, combined with the lit candlesticks and the sound of chanting in the main hall, truly exude a sense of Church and mystical atmosphere. Even the nuns, surrounded by many people, not only do not disrupt this atmosphere, but their attire also makes them appear particularly fitting.
However, if you look up, the silhouette of an airplane visible through the white clouds at the very top of the mural completely destroys the sacred and solemn atmosphere.
It not only contained the traces of an airplane, but also some kind of modern technological product similar to a missile. It seemed to have been launched into the sky and was heading straight towards the moon.
Moreover, even the detailed buildings sketched in the changing distant scenery with just a few strokes, upon closer inspection, are not the thatched huts commonly used in Holy Lord Church icon paintings, but rather high-rise buildings with a strong modernist aesthetic.
Even within those buildings, there were things that had not yet been built in this day and age.
This thing is made entirely of steel-like material, hollow and with long cables connecting it to the high-rise buildings of the city, making it look like some kind of strange spectacle.
If a modern person were to look at it, they would be surprised to find that this thing is actually a cell tower!
However, even now, no one can figure out what it is.
The portrait was wondrous, but the real Pale God was far more wondrous than the portrait. His slender and tall figure sat on a pure silver throne, his long silver hair cascading over his shoulders and down to the ground along the armrests of the throne. His perfect face and holy posture drew frequent glances from the nuns below, who kept stealing peeks, their eyes filled with envy.
But the Pale God, with a slightly furrowed brow, revealed a hint of humanity that disrupted his divine Divinity.
He sat upright on his throne, holding a glass of wine as clear as a ruby in his hand, but the weariness in his eyes and the tension in his brows made it difficult for him to swallow the wine.
Even so, this was already a rare moment of good mood for that Pale God.
Abraham, dressed in a black priest's uniform, with a sleazy appearance, slightly lowered his head to look at His Majesty's profile, confirming that His Majesty's mood seemed relatively calm at the moment.
Only then did he dare to take a small step forward and cautiously whisper in Norton's ear:
"Your Majesty, the Gothic Empire of the Northern Continent has invaded the border cities of my Southern Continent, and the border Kaier City has already been captured by them."
The Northern Continent army was known for its strict discipline. After conquering Kaier City, its supreme commander claimed that they were the legitimate royal family of the Southern Continent, citing the former empires of the Southern Continent. Now, they did not harm the ordinary people in Kaier City, but instead arrested and arrested Kaier City's wealthy merchants, conducting so-called righteous trials. Half of the money they collected was used for military expenses, and the other half was used as the average wage for Kaier City residents. They even imitated our past slave system, while advocating equality to sway the people's hearts.
His political department has even been spreading His Majesty's threatening rhetoric throughout Kaier City, and has now gained considerable public support. They have all forgotten His Majesty's past benevolence, instead recognizing a thief as their father, gathering together to publicize His Majesty's mistakes, slander His Majesty's reputation, and tarnish His Majesty's holiness!
Your Majesty, this old slave has already mobilized a million-strong army and marched south. We will surely reclaim Kaier City, punish the rioters, and restore Your Majesty's legitimacy!
Abraham's words seemed to finally bring Norton, who was lost in his own thoughts, back to reality.
His slender neck twisted slightly, and his two dark eyes were fixed on Abraham beside him, his face full of shock and anger.
"Damn it! I am the Pale God, the legitimate deity!"
I, Norton, have never held any lofty authority because of this. On the contrary, I possess a saintly heart and boundless holiness. Even though the mortals of this Southern Continent have betrayed me many times, I have always been magnanimous and let it all pass with a smile!
Even now, after regaining the throne, the people are living in peace and prosperity under my rule, yet they remain insatiable and greedy. Now, they have even betrayed me and stabbed me in the back!
Damn it, damn it, they all deserve to die!
Human nature is insatiable, and the evil habits of the creatures in Garden of Eden are hard to eradicate. Without me, Norton, would the people of this Southern Continent enjoy such a good life today?
Kill, Abraham! Kill them all! Slaughter all the traitors to demonstrate the might of my Pale God's thunder!
Norton's dark eyes turned bloodshot, and he crushed the wine glass in his hand.
His terrifying face frightened the nuns who were peeking around, causing them to lower their heads in fear and tension, lest the Pale God anger them.
Abraham respectfully replied, "Yes, Your Majesty!"
He cautiously observed Norton's gloomy face and the rage blazing within him. After a moment's thought, he finally suppressed his fear and whispered:
"However, Your Majesty, the Northern Continent now possesses a weapon called an airplane, which can fly in the sky and drop bombs. The main reason for the setbacks on the front lines is that we do not have air superiority."
Your Majesty, this old servant humbly requests Your Majesty to...
He stopped speaking before he could finish.
It wasn't because Norton's expression changed, but because he noticed that Norton, who had just been furious, was now lost in thought again.
Norton had just been furious, still showed signs of anger on his perfectly holy face, and he hadn't even loosened his grip on the broken glass in his hand. However, his eyes had changed from fierce to dull and lifeless. Although his gaze seemed to be looking ahead, he had actually begun to mutter to himself.
"I am Pale God, holy and boundless... How dare you deceive me... Even God cannot do anything to me... Damn it, you all deserve to die... Jonah, I am not afraid of you... I am not afraid of the sun..."
"Your Majesty? Your Majesty?"
Abraham looked at Norton's face, which was beginning to show signs of realization, and sighed deeply.
After learning that the Northern Continent was going to launch a counterattack, His Majesty seemed to completely collapse under the pressure.
Already plagued by paranoia, Abraham suffered greatly, leading him to kill many people.
Now he talks to himself, and after saying just a few words he gets lost in his own thoughts, which is really hard for Abraham to bear.
Abraham didn't know why His Majesty was suddenly under such immense pressure, but he knew it was a clear sign of mental illness, and had even learned from doctors that it was a symptom of anxiety disorder.
Such anxiety filled Abraham with fear, lest His Majesty become so anxious that he might draw his sword and kill himself!
Abraham took a deep breath, suppressing his inner turmoil, and quietly reached out his hand, intending to gently interrupt His Majesty's thoughts, which had been interrupted once again.
However, just as his hand reached out to Norton, Norton's intermittent words, spoken to himself in deep thought, made his hand tremble.
"You cannot control me... My soul does not belong to this world... It is not under God's control... I have insights into the future of humanity... No, no, no... Do not assimilate me... I cannot be integrated into this..."
Abraham's hand trembled slightly, and he withdrew the hand that had reached out to interrupt His Majesty's mutterings. He even narrowed his eyes slightly.
He stood silently beside Norton, his ears straining to hear everything he could.
Unfortunately, Norton's thinking seems to have skipped this stage and entered a final, frenzied phase.
"No... I want the entire Garden of Eden to be buried with me... Huff..."
Norton's hand trembled as he crushed the silver throne beneath his grasp.
Pure silver, like clay being squeezed out, was squeezed through Norton's fingers, incredibly smooth, and his body trembled as if he had suddenly detached himself from his thoughts.
He lay weakly on his throne, drenched in sweat, his head tilted back, and just then he saw Abraham standing behind him.
"Huh? What are you doing standing here?" Norton frowned, his cold and murderous gaze fixed on Abraham, seemingly forgetting even his previous conversation with Abraham.
Abraham bowed slowly and said, "Your Majesty, have you forgotten? This old servant just inquired about the border war. The Northern Continent has produced a flying device capable of firing bullets and even dropping bombs, thus gaining air superiority. I was just about to ask Your Majesty's permission to deploy eighty Blood Progenitor from my Pale Holy See to the border to assist in the battlefield's air defense."
Norton then suppressed his murderous intent and nodded thoughtfully. "Airplanes? I didn't expect the Northern Continent to have developed to such an extent... Go, go throw those bats into the battlefield. They've been dormant for over a hundred years; it's long overdue for them to serve my Pale Holy See!"
Norton let out a long sigh, then held out a hand.
The nun serving nearby immediately brought over a glass of scarlet blood wine and handed it to Norton.
Abraham, standing behind Norton, nodded slightly, his eyes flickering, and said, "Yes, Your Majesty!"
But within his heart, a raging storm had already begun!
I see, I see!
Old Norton's soul was not a product of God!
Everything makes sense now, everything makes sense now!
Why does Norton possess such a terrifying assimilation ability compared to other Vampire from the old era? Why is Norton under so much pressure lately? Why did His Majesty not hear him say "airplane" the first time he said "aircraft" but then utter the word "airplane" himself the second time he said "aircraft"?
If we combine this with His Majesty's various political maneuvers and methods throughout history, and with his unique and unconventional thinking, whether in the old Papal State or in the present Southern Continent, it becomes clear that...
The most reasonable explanation for all the problems is that Your Majesty's soul is from elsewhere!
Abraham's eyes flickered, as if he had unwittingly overheard a secret so enormous it was terrifying.
His steps were weak as he walked towards the outside of the main hall, but he suddenly stopped when he passed the Pale God.
His gaze swept across the high sky and distant views depicted in the mural, his eyes lingering particularly on the airplanes, rockets, and signal towers amidst the clouds, a look of understanding flashing in his eyes.
The mural was commissioned by him, but the mural itself was constructed by His Majesty himself.
At the time, he didn't give it much thought or attention.
But now, combined with His Majesty's earlier mutterings, looking at this mural again evokes a completely different feeling!
The bird-like objects in the clouds, the missile-like objects high in the sky, and the metal tower-like structures in the city—these have absolutely no reference points in the Southern Continent today, yet Your Majesty was able to draw them.
Especially the plane in the clouds, although it looked far more advanced than the planes on the North Road today, he was absolutely certain that it was an improved version of the plane, because its basic shape had not changed much!
If that's the case, then His Majesty's words of fear and even cry of "I cannot be part of this" that he has uttered for so many years must be His true inner fear!
For a foreign soul, what would it be most terrifying to merge with?
Abraham narrowed his eyes slightly and walked out of the hall. As his mind raced, the answer became obvious.
He, Abraham, had lived for so many years; he was already old and frail.
Even if he couldn't grasp the true meaning, the conclusion he could deduce was still obvious.
"I see...
Your Majesty's soul is external, not created by God. And God cannot create what He cannot create, so Your Majesty's existence is a very special loophole for God —a loophole that cannot be truly controlled.
Therefore, Kuba, who had already become a god in the past, was helpless against His Majesty, who had not yet become a god, and could not completely kill him, since he could not destroy His Majesty's soul. Instead, he was somehow devoured by His Majesty in order to ascend to godhood through flesh and blood.
So why is Your Majesty so terrified of Jonah, the Primordial God of Death, and why do you always cry out, 'I cannot be part of this'?
Abraham's eyes flickered, and an answer was almost obvious.
"It is obvious that Your Majesty's immortality lies in your unique soul! Jonah is the Primordial God of Death, who can control souls, which is why Your Majesty fears him."
But such thinking is wrong. The real reason must lie in the words His Majesty cried out in panic almost several times: I cannot be part of this!
I can't fit in here... Hahahaha, I can't fit in here!
His Majesty's uniqueness lies entirely in his extraordinary soul. If his soul were to merge with the soul of Garden of Eden, and assimilate it, wouldn't that make his soul truly controllable by God or even Jonah?
Therefore, this is the fundamental reason why Your Majesty fears Jonah!
I can't fit in here, hahaha, I see, I see!
Abraham's heart pounded, and he was so tense he could hardly breathe.
However, deep down he had some doubts, unable to believe that the answer he had been searching for for over a hundred years had been so simple.
At this thought, Abraham suppressed his barely contained excitement and quickly looked back before stepping out of the hall, gazing at the corrupt emperor who still sat regally deep within the hall, as if locked away in a secluded palace.
Norton of Biyang was already lost in his own monologue, and Abraham could even see him gritting his teeth, his expression constantly shifting with his inner thoughts.
"Phew, these symptoms of mental illness have been going on for quite some time now; he can't possibly be lying to me!"
Abraham felt completely at peace, his face beaming with joy. His flesh tore apart, transforming him into a gigantic, ferocious monster, which soared into the sky.
He, Abraham, will surely follow the example of Kuba of old and incorporate Your Majesty into it!