Chapter 489 The Cult

The north gate of Scone Town, the entrance to the canyon.

On the tower, two generals in heavy armor stood shoulder to shoulder, looking out like comrades who commanded the army and guarded the town together.

However, listening to their conversation.

It seemed that they were not so harmonious:

"Why did you come to Scone Town instead of following that hornless man?"

"Let's see when you will die of old age... It's useless to stare at me. If you don't leave for the final fortress, I'm afraid you will be too old to lift a knife and be bitten to death by human skin spiders in vain."

"Want to duel? Young boy."

"I won't duel with an old thing who can't even beat the sand bandits."

"You!"

Tie Luo and Caesar stared at each other.

However, because they lowered their voices, the other Scone guards did not hear what the two invincible five of the kingdom were saying to each other.

They just felt that the backs of the two generals were unusually tall and powerful, which made people feel at ease.

Caesar just snorted lightly, turned his head, and continued to look at the wilderness in the north.

To Tie Luo's surprise, he did not make any excuses.

Even though the Stone Demon Queen forgave his mistake, and the Shak army did not lose the battle, but retreated... But for the five people, losing is losing, and there is no reason.

Tie Luo felt bored when he saw that he could not arouse the other party's emotions, and also looked outside the city.

"What is that?" He suddenly saw a dark crowd approaching Scone in the distance, "Enemy attack?"

"You don't know?" Caesar was not nervous at all, and let the crowd approach, "Didn't you arrange it?"

"'We' arranged it..." Tie Luo loosened the axe handle, a little confused.

The guards under the city came forward to check, and those wearing black robes and hoods did not resist.

General Shak's sight was attracted by the patterns on their clothes and the prayer flags held high in their hands.

It was a silver mark, like the ashes of a burnt out.

Such uniform clothing, silent and pious behavior... Tie Luo suddenly had an idea:

"Church?"

He remembered a special permit issued by Bayan a few years ago.

"Yes." Xi Ze glanced at the people in the cult, "They call themselves "Embers."

"This outfit... is said to imitate their founder."

"That small cult..." Tie Luo was stunned, "Has it developed to this point?"

From a distance, they all looked like an army.

"After all, with a public status, there is no obstacle to preaching, but they are not all members of the cult - at least not now."

When being inspected by the guards, some people opened their black robes, revealing their skinny bodies. They looked like they were about to faint from hunger, and the believers around them hurriedly supported them.

After the guards registered, they were released together.

"Those are the famine refugees. In the past, we let them come to us on their own. Now that we have the support of the Embers, we can absorb the population much faster. Moreover, seeing the famine refugees organized, ordinary robbers dare not provoke them." Caesar said, "If it weren't for them, these people would become hungry bandits in the future, and they might even surrender to the King of Sand."

"There are also people in the cult responsible for persuading the refugees to farm and mulberry, and professional priests to help the refugees open up wasteland. The speed of the new population settling down has also accelerated, and they will be able to pay taxes soon."

"Even the hornless people in the town have become more obedient because they have something to do."

It can be said that the development of the Embers has filled the gap in grassroots governance, making the originally stretched military and police in Scone Town more manpower-efficient.

Caesar is also happy that someone is doing these trivial things.

"Will there be any hidden dangers..." Tie Luo was a little worried.

He found that he had underestimated the power of religion.

On the other hand, their biggest enemy is the fanatics in the north.

"If there are any hidden dangers, Bayan should have considered it clearly at the beginning!" Caesar did not give up any opportunity to mock, but he changed the subject, "I was also worried at the beginning, but later I visited their ceremony in person... It felt a bit strange, different from the Auckland people we know, no, different from any sect."

"What do you mean?"

"Cut off the power, praise Narko; twist left and right, say goodbye to the haze of the past; the sacred tungsten wire is the grace born from the embers..." Caesar chanted softly, his tone seemed to be praising some supreme existence.

"What are you talking about."

Tie Luo frowned.

"The Narko Light Mantra teaches you how to change a light bulb." Caesar said, "There are other scriptures and holy words that correspond to the different fields in charge of the gods. By coordinating their ritual movements, I have also learned several techniques. My wife doesn't mind that I can't work anymore... Do you want me to teach you?"

Tiero: "...No need."

"Of course, there are higher-level rituals for those high-level priests. I didn't understand them so I didn't get involved, but many craftsmen are very interested and say they can learn a lot of new skills." Caesar put his hands behind his back, "Because of this relationship, the number of exchanges between technology hunters has increased a lot, and currently it is mainly based on social observation."

"It is said that when their report was sent to the end of the world, even the mechanics praised it and said that they had found a new way to spread knowledge in the Holy Kingdom... Of course, I know those people don't have the courage to do such a thing."

"The Ashes Cult worships Narko as a god, worships knowledge and skills, and is keen on promoting mechanical creations. It is said that some of the higher-level ones believe that flesh and blood are weak and should abandon this innate skin... Other doctrines are almost completely opposite to the Auckland Holy Church, and even their emblems are... It can be said to be a complete heresy, with no room for compatibility."

"You can go back and ask Bayan about the specific situation. He must know more about it than I do." Xi Ze said in a flat tone, "It's just that no one else cares."

The team of the Ashes Cult responsible for receiving the refugees has entered the city. The leader has a long sword on his waist, and his wide robe rises while walking, revealing his right arm - it turned out to be a steel-cast mechanical prosthesis.

This is almost practicing the doctrine by example.

Those devout believers are also envious.

Tie Luo smacked this strange cult, and he soon understood why Bayan allowed them to exist.

The Shak Kingdom has its own traditions, but the barbaric warrior rules are what Bayan wants to reform, and the traditional theory leaves no room for other races and non-warrior classes.

Even if refugees are absorbed, there is always a gap between them and society. It is okay at first, but it will eventually become a hidden danger after stabilization.

And the humans in the Western Continent, even if they are not citizens of the Holy Kingdom, are mostly influenced by the Oakland Church and will be hostile to the Shak Kingdom.

It is better to use religion to fight religion.

Let them debate and seize the ideological base. Even if they cannot win, they can hedge risks and confuse people.

Sometimes, it is not that the Oakland people are devout, but that they have no other choice.

"But I didn't expect it to develop so quickly." After thinking it through, Tie Luo was still secretly shocked, "If the leader of the cult raises his arm..."

Then there will be many more skilled technicians... and charlatans.

The point is that even if it goes to other places, as long as there is suitable soil, the Embers Cult can continue to spread faith and develop and expand the organization.

"I thought you came here just to see them, but since you didn't... you didn't come here just to quarrel with me, did you?" Xi Ze interrupted Tie Luo's thoughts.

Tie Luo came back to his senses and was stunned.

"These two things are really related."

"I'm waiting for the reply from the Nameless One."

That guy... seems to be the founder of the Ash Cult.