Chapter 278 Situation and Faith
Three years later.
In front of Jialing Pass, Yan Jin, wearing red clothes, stood on a small hill, looking at the majestic pass in the distance.
Her expression was indifferent, and her dark red eyes showed a bit of calmness.
Under the hill, there were continuous tents, and in the open space in front of the tents, curls of smoke rose.
In the past three years, the Douluo Continent has been in constant war.
The Tuduo Empire, led by the "Blood Emperor" Amon, and the Wuhun Empire, led by the "Pope" Bibi Dong, have been engaged in a full-scale war.
In the early days of the war, under the leadership of the "God of War" Lei Yin, the army of the Tuduo Empire won many battles and pushed the front line forward hundreds of kilometers, occupying an unknown amount of territory in the Wuhun Empire.
The forces of all sizes in the Wuhun Empire were panicked, and many forces sent people to the Tuduo Empire to express their willingness to surrender and pledge allegiance.
But the person in charge of this matter in the Tuduo Empire was the foreign minister Romiel, who was extremely arrogant and rude, and the demands he made were intolerable, so every negotiation ended in a bad mood.
Therefore, these forces also gave up the idea of surrendering to the Tuduo Empire and all accepted the leadership of the Spirit Hall.
With the addition of such a large force of soul masters, the Spirit Hall Empire changed its decline and began to turn the tide of the war.
Due to the long battle line and other reasons, the Tuduo Empire was somewhat lacking in stamina, and the two sides entered a stalemate.
The Tuduo Empire's general Yan Jin led tens of thousands of troops to confront several titled Douluo of the Spirit Hall Empire, including the great priest Qian Daoliu and the Pope Bibi Dong, at Jialing Pass.
The two sides fought dozens of battles, but there was no winner.
On the battlefield of Jialing Pass, the comparison of conventional military strength was actually in the hands of the Spirit Hall Empire. Bibi Dong tried to launch a counterattack several times, but failed every time.
Because the Tuduo Empire had the strongest point that could never be broken.
The great general Yan Jin, who was known as the "God of Fire" and "God of War", showed overwhelming and terrifying power.
In one battle, she even pulled down a meteorite from the sky!
If it weren't for the fact that the high-end combat forces of both sides deliberately stayed away from the ordinary army in that battle, I'm afraid that Jialing Pass and the hundreds of thousands of troops on both sides would have turned into dust under that blow.
It was also after that battle that Bibi Dong completely gave up the idea of counterattacking on the front battlefield, because no matter how many troops there were, they couldn't withstand Yan Jin's tactics that were like a natural disaster.
However, the Wuhun Hall Empire did not passively take the beating. Their number of soul masters far exceeded that of the Tuduo Empire.
Under the order of Pope Bibi Dong, the soul masters broke up into small pieces and sneaked into the Tuduo Empire to wreak havoc, create panic, and threaten civilians.
Due to the war, the quality of life of the people in the Tuduo Empire also dropped significantly, and a lot of anti-war sentiment accumulated.
This also gave the soul masters of the Wuhun Empire an opportunity. They incited the people in the Tuduo Empire and organized demonstrations and other actions to oppose the war.
"Blood Emperor" Amon seemed to have no idea what appeasement was. For all those who opposed him, he had only one strategy - killing.
He mobilized the army and carried out a bloody suppression of these demonstrations.
Such measures deepened the contradictions, triggered dissatisfaction, and civil unrest broke out in many areas.
This forced Lei Yin, who was on the front line, to return to the country to deal with the civil unrest and arrest the soul masters who sneaked in from the enemy country.
The pressure on the front battlefield of the Wuhun Empire was greatly reduced. Except for Jialing Pass, the other battlefields tried to launch a counterattack.
For a time, the Tuduo Empire, which was once in its heyday and had the potential to unify the world, fell into a precarious situation, as if it would disintegrate at any time.
However, the initiator of this war, "Blood Emperor" Amon, was not moved at all. He neither changed his strategy nor participated in the war in person. He had been having fun in the palace of the Night City.
He seemed to have forgotten his ambitions and his ambition to unify the world, and indulged in pleasure.
A handsome young man in a blue military uniform, with sea blue hair and blue eyes walked into the Tudor Palace. He came to the back garden without any hindrance.
This is Lei Yin. He has been fighting outside and has not been back for more than two years.
This time he was hunting down two soul saints who instigated rebellion. He happened to come to the Night City and also received news that someone wanted to assassinate the king.
Although he didn't think anyone could assassinate Amon, since he had received it and it was on the way, he came to meet him and report the situation.
Then, Lei Yin was stunned.
Next to the pool in the back garden, a man with a round face, three chins, a big belly, fat hands, a dragon robe, and a monocle on his right eye was lying on a recliner, with his legs crossed and his hands behind his head.
"Ah? Ah... Mr. Amon?" Lei Yin didn't dare to believe his eyes.
He stared at the man who looked like the emperor for a long time, and vaguely saw some of Amon's facial features on his face.
"Oh, it's Lei Yin." The chubby man climbed up from the recliner. Because he was too fat, he seemed to have difficulty getting up.
A sense of disillusionment and unreality filled Lei Yin's mind. He asked in a somewhat puzzled tone: "Mr. Amon, are those rumors outside true?"
"Rumors?" The chubby Amon was stunned, and then reacted, "You mean the rumor that I indulge in enjoyment and will lead the country to destruction? That was just an attempt."
"An attempt?"
"Well, have you been wondering why I want to launch a war that has no profit? Why do I ask you to maintain your grace at all times on the battlefield and in front of your subordinates, and to be the most handsome and most handsome you can be? Show your glorious side?" Amon asked with a smile.
Lei Yin's eyes narrowed slightly and he said in a deep voice:
"Three years ago, I was really doubtful at first, but then I defeated many forces in the war, confiscated many ancient books, and heard many legends, and I also had some guesses."
He paused and whispered: "Becoming a god at level 100...War is not without benefits, but the benefits are in places we can't see."
Amon raised his chubby hand, pinched his monocle, smiled and said:
"Yes, becoming a god requires faith... and it is easiest to gather faith in disasters. War is also a kind of disaster, and gathering faith on the battlefield is a quick and effective method.
"There are many people within the empire who are against the war, but there are also a group of people who can benefit from the war and firmly support the war and support me.
"As the 'Blood Emperor' and the 'Conqueror', I have indeed gained a lot of faith in the past three years.
“But for some reasons, my journey as a ‘conqueror’ has come to an end, and the faith I can collect from this identity has begun to gradually decrease, so I plan to try to use some new images.
"For example, 'tyrant', 'mad king', 'subjugator', 'last king'..."
Lei Yin was confused: "Can someone with such an identity collect faith? No one would believe in such an image, right?"
Amon replied with a smile: "Faith is not just belief and admiration, some negative cognitions that contain people's strong emotions are also considered a kind of faith.
“It’s just that this kind of negative belief is often chaotic and harmful, and will have a negative impact on the believer, polluting his spirit and causing him to slide towards madness.
“Moreover, most of the negative beliefs are pan-beliefs, which are small in quantity and messy, and are difficult to use to consolidate the divine status.
"Of course, as long as the base is large enough, then the accumulation of this kind of pan-belief will be quite impressive."
Lei Yin said with a hint of concern: "But Mr. Amen, didn't you say that negative beliefs can affect people's spirit? Will this be harmful to you?"
Amon forced a smile on his chubby face: "Since I know this, I still do it, so I am somewhat sure. This will not affect my spirit."
A clear understanding appeared on Lei Yin's face: "So Mr. Amon, your bloody suppression of the opponents and turning a blind eye to the chaos in the empire are all to strengthen the people's impression of your new image and expand the source of pan-faith."
"Yes." Amon nodded.
"Then my actions of suppressing rebellions and hunting down spies everywhere will affect you, Mr. Amon?" Lei Yin said with a bit of annoyance, he was worried that he had done something wrong.
"No, your behavior is just right. It does not completely eliminate those who fan the flames, but also prevents the rebels from joining forces and becoming more powerful." Amon had a gentle smile on his face.
"Mr. Amon, you deliberately ate like this to disguise yourself better and make your image of the 'Faint King' more credible and fuller?" Lei Yin showed an expression of admiration.
Amon smiled but said nothing.
"By the way, I caught two spies not long ago and learned from them that assassins sent by the Wuhun Empire are plotting to assassinate you, Mr. Amon," Lei Yin reminded.
"It doesn't matter, I'm not weak enough to be assassinated casually. Bibi Dong and the others probably wouldn't do such a stupid thing. It's probably the decision made by some unpopular small force." Amon waved. He waved his chubby hand to indicate that there was no problem.
Lei Yin reported on his work situation again, but Amon interrupted before he could finish listening.
He pointed at himself and said: "I am now a 'tyrant', a 'mad king', a 'subjugator'... so don't talk to me about serious matters."
Lei Yin was stunned for a moment, showing a slightly astonished expression. He nodded, performed a soul master's salute and left the palace.
After Lei Yin left, Fatty Amon muttered:
"There are many types of Amon. It's normal for someone to eat well and be lazy and put on weight..."
"Well, you can't blame me for that. Who told this foolish king to be too comfortable?"
…………
After walking out of the palace, Lei Yin's eyes became sharp. He held his chin and thought:
"What exactly is Mr. Amon doing? Although that fat man is consistent with Mr. Amon in many places, he is definitely not the one in my memory...
"Has his mind been polluted by pan-belief, or...his clone is not just a simple clone, but also has its own will? If so..."
Lei Yin glanced at the people coming and going on the street, everyone seemed a little unnatural.
