Chapter 191: Ben Keming's Shock

Chapter 191: Ben Keming's Shock

"Relocate the capital? No, what we should be considering now is—what if the Farlay Dynasty relocates its capital?" Yu Sheng'an, seated at the head of the conference table, narrowed his eyes.

At this moment, he looked nothing like an aloof, untouchable god, but rather like a shrewd and cunning Merchant.

"The Farlay Dynasty... relocating its capital?" Ben Keming was stunned.

The Farlay Dynasty had launched a full-scale invasion. How could they possibly relocate their capital now?

Unless Aji De himself intervened.

"Mr. Aji De, didn’t you say you’ve made a pact with the Four Primordial Gods not to interfere in the war?" Ben Keming asked hesitantly.

"If gods were truly absolutely forbidden from intervening in war, then how could the Mechanical Steam God paralyze all the divine patterns of Infer? Rules are rigid, but people are flexible. Though I cannot directly intervene in the war, material support—even divine techniques support—is still possible."

Yu Sheng'an spoke, then sighed inwardly.

Because his identity had been prematurely exposed, he—who had inadvertently caused the dire straits of the Infer Workers' Republic—was now forced to reveal another portion of his power.

Yu Sheng'an had to admit that the Primary Domain of Azerai was, among all the domains he had encountered, the most similar to Blue Star.

However, it resembled Blue Star a century ago.

Or perhaps even worse.

In terms of military power alone, the air force here was practically nonexistent.

When Yu Sheng'an first uncovered this fact, he was genuinely surprised. But after careful study, it made sense.

Although airships had been invented here and once dazzled the Primary Domain of Azerai upon their debut, the absence of mana in the air and the lack of mana shields, combined with the flammable hydrogen gas filling the airships and their massive size, rendered them fatally flawed for military use.

A single round of anti-aircraft artillery could turn an airship into a giant firework.

With the air force virtually nonexistent, the army wasn’t much better!

The army here consisted mainly of infantry, with technological advancements focused on mechanized modifications and firearms.

Steam cars were primarily used for transportation.

In the eyes of Azerai’s military strategists, steam cars were little more than moving targets on battlefields littered with trenches, barbed wire, barricades, and machine gun emplacements.

Thus, mechanized units were almost never seen in combat.

As for the navy?

This was the only force Yu Sheng'an regarded with any respect.

Perhaps because sea monsters were the primary threat to humanity in Azerai—or because hunting them yielded immense profits—the technological power of Azerai had been almost entirely poured into ironclad warships.

Ironclad warships here were highly advanced, ranging from carrier-like ironclads large enough to serve as mobile island bases to single-rider water steam motorcycles. The sheer variety had evolved into a complex discipline.

This lopsided military development gave Yu Sheng'an the opportunity to overtake them.

However, this exposure would undoubtedly prompt the nations of Azerai to study and replicate his methods, potentially even sparking a technological revolution.

To this, Yu Sheng'an could only resign himself.

After all, he couldn’t just stand by and let the Four Primordial Gods reclaim the territory he had fought so hard to secure—could he?

Even losing half of it was unacceptable.

However, after some contemplation, Yu Sheng'an felt that selectively displaying a portion of their power to mislead Vilia's military development was highly plausible.

With this in mind, Yu Sheng'an briefly outlined his plan.

"This…"

After hearing the plan, Ben Keming was overwhelmed by an indescribable sense of absurdity.

The plan was simply too bizarre!

He had almost never seen anything like it.

Had it not been proposed by Yu Sheng'an, he would have likely rejected it outright.

But now, it was clear he no longer had the authority to decide.

"I understand. I will fully cooperate with you, sir!" Ben Keming declared solemnly.

"Good. Go about your business if there’s nothing else," Yu Sheng'an nodded.

Ben Keming nodded in return, but just as he turned to leave, he hesitated and stopped, his expression conflicted.

"Is there something else?"

Ben Keming hesitated for a moment before gritting his teeth and asking:

"Mr. Aji De, could you tell me… what exactly are the gods? What is the relationship between gods and humans? If the gods determine the world, then what meaning does our struggle hold?"

To be honest, even now, he couldn’t equate Mr. Aji De with the gods.

In his eyes, Aji De was his spiritual mentor, the banner of their movement, the wellspring of faith that would liberate the Empire of Infer—and even Vilia.

He had always believed that meeting Aji De was a divine revelation in his life.

But he never imagined it would truly be a divine revelation!

Yet, the battle last night had shaken his faith ever so slightly.

And rightly so.

Anyone who realized that their hard-fought efforts could be undone by a single word from a god would likely spiral into despair and self-doubt!

Such a thing was utterly demoralizing.

Yu Sheng'an smiled but did not answer.

Instead, he stood up, picked up a sheet of paper from the table, and curled it into a bowl shape. Then, he condensed a ball of clear water in the air and poured it into the paper bowl.

Next, a small flame flickered to life at the tip of his right finger.

"Tell me, can this flame burn through this paper?" Yu Sheng'an asked.

Ben Keming was taken aback. Unsure, he replied, "It… should be able to, right?"

Yu Sheng'an chuckled and moved his burning right hand beneath the paper bowl.

The flame greedily licked the bottom of the bowl, quickly blackening it—but the bowl remained steady as a mountain. The expected burn-through did not happen.

Ben Keming was stunned.

"The gods are like this paper, and humans are each drop of water. Faced with harsh living conditions, humans have always believed that the gods saved them. Little do they know, it was they who protected the gods."

As Yu Sheng'an spoke, the water in the paper bowl rapidly rose and separated.

The paper bowl instantly ignited under the flame, turning to ashes in the blink of an eye.

"This… this…" Ben Keming’s eyes widened in shock, his scalp tingling as he stared at Aji De.

This experiment, defying all common sense, struck him like the first time he encountered Aji De’s ideology—shattering his worldview and leaving him awestruck!

"The gods have ruled the multiverse for far too long. They’ve even forgotten that it was humans who protected them! They’ve grown proud, complacent, and arrogant, even viewing their own believers—their protectors—as mere lambs! It’s laughable and despicable!"

"But if human power is so vast, why are we still manipulated by the gods?"

"The reason is simple—most people are ignorant, shortsighted, and insignificant. Each of them is like a drop of water, utterly inconspicuous. Only by uniting countless individuals and guiding them can we amass the tremendous power to extinguish any flame!"

"The gods bind humanity together through fear, atonement, faith, and salvation. That’s why people enshrine them."

"But what if people could unite under a shared ideology? Can you imagine what this world would look like then?"

Yu Sheng'an spread his arms as if embracing the world.

Ben Keming’s pupils dilated, his lips trembling. "The Aji De ideology! Is this the fundamental reason you’ve been spreading it?"

Yu Sheng'an nodded. "Exactly. I intend to drag all the gods of the multiverse down from their altars and cast them into the dust."

"But... you’re also a god, aren’t you?"

"A god? Hahaha, did I ever say I was one? Do you see me preaching faith?" Yu Sheng'an burst into laughter, his expression mocking.

The people of Zhuxia revere gods but do not believe in them.

Ben Keming shuddered at the words.

Upon reflection, Mr. Aji De had indeed never propagated faith from the very beginning. As for the Aji De ideology—could it even be called faith?

From a certain perspective, it could indeed be considered a kind of faith!

But it had nothing to do with the worship of gods!

To Ben Keming, explaining the faith of the Aji De ideology in terms of divine worship was nothing short of an insult!

The Aji De ideology revealed the essence of the world, the nature of interests, and even how to fight for one’s own rights—this was the art of Deicide!

"Now do you understand the meaning of your struggle? Don’t be intimidated by minor setbacks. Remember, all enemies are paper tigers, and a single spark can start a prairie fire!"

Ben Keming stood frozen.

Mr. Aji De had spoken similar words to him before, but never had he grasped them, internalized them, or believed in them as deeply as he did now.

With solemn resolve, Ben Keming straightened his posture, brought his feet together, and raised his head in a firm salute.