Cloud Thinking

Inside the main hall, the brilliant candlelight illuminated the gorgeous attire of the dignitaries.

Osinotto stood in the center of the hall, next to him was a glass display case covered with black silk.

His fingers trembled slightly, with a bit of fear, but also a bit of excitement - he was finally going to show off his most perfect work.

"Your Majesty, may you live forever." He bowed deeply, then suddenly lifted up the black silk.

Inside the display case is an "angel".

It was a carefully modified specimen of a young girl - her back was cut open, and a pair of "wings" made of human arms stretched out. Each finger was spread out like a feather, and tiny silver threads were inlaid between the knuckles, shining brightly in the candlelight.

Her long silver hair fell like a waterfall, and a strange smile was frozen in her emerald pupils. Her face was frozen in the moment of smiling, as if praising the beauty of death.

The hall was filled with silence, and then a burst of exclamations erupted. The nobles whispered to each other, admiring this unprecedented work of art.

However, King Andercle III, sitting on the throne, didn't even flutter an eyelash. He tapped his pale fingers on the gilded armrests and suddenly said, "Interesting." The syllable pierced the silence like an icicle.

"But I heard..." The emperor leaned forward slightly, and the rings he wore, covered with various precious gems, made a crisp sound as they clashed. "You are secretly hiding even more precious treasures?"

Osinotto's Adam's apple rolled and his heart tightened.

At this moment, the palace door was pushed open, and a servant announced loudly: "Your Majesty, the Viscount presents you with the 'Eternal Life Banquet'!"

Osinotto turned around suddenly and saw his "friend" - the young noble who had promised him to hide the elf - walking slowly towards him, pushing a silver dining cart with a flattering smile on his face.

On the dining cart was a carefully arranged dish: in the center of the silver plate, an elf's head was suspended in amber cream, surrounded by seven delicacies cooked with the elves' flesh and blood.

The most striking thing was the expression on that head—its silver eyelashes drooped, and a curve of astonishment was frozen at the corners of its lips.

"Your Majesty, the flesh and blood of the elves can grant you eternal life." The Viscount smiled flatteringly, but his eyes swept over Osinoto provocatively, "I offer you the purest elven body."

Osinotto's blood instantly froze.

The emperor's gaze slowly shifted from the "angel" specimen to the elf's head, a cold smile appearing at the corner of his mouth.

"Osinotto," he said slowly, his voice low and dangerous, "How dare you deceive me?"

Osinotto's throat tightened and he opened his mouth, but found he couldn't argue.

He looked at the Viscount, the "friend" who had once vowed to protect the elf, but was now smiling so proudly.

Osinotto's knees banged against the marble floor. "Your Majesty, I..."

"That's enough." The emperor raised his hand to interrupt him, his eyes like a knife. "What I hate most is deception."

He stood up, looked down at Osinotto, and said word by word, "I accept your work. But I will also take a small interest on your life."

The guard stepped forward and roughly pulled off the bachelor's badge on Osinotto's chest. In a sense, it was a symbol of his life's work.

The emperor glanced coldly at the dean standing beside him and sneered, "It seems that your proud disciple is nothing more than this."

The dean's face turned pale in an instant.

"Your Majesty, I..."

"You are also responsible," the emperor said coldly, "From today on, you are no longer the director of the institute."

-

Osinotto was stripped of everything.

His laboratory was sealed, all his specimens were put into the emperor's treasury, his bachelor's title was revoked, and even the powerful people who once admired him now avoided him for fear of being contaminated by his bad luck.

What devastated him the most was the death of the elf.

He had thought that by letting her go, he was giving her freedom.

But in the end, she was brought to the table by someone she trusted.

"You promised me..." Osinotto said hoarsely as he stood in front of the Viscount's mansion.

The Viscount leaned against the door, his smile scornful. "Promise? Ha, do you think this is some fairy tale? Who dares not give His Majesty what he wants?"

Osinotto clenched his fists, digging his nails into his palms.

"You could have said no."

"Refuse?" The Viscount said as if he had heard something funny. "If you refuse, the result will be the same as yours—nothing."

Osinotto said nothing more.

He turned and left, his back hunched, like a body with its soul sucked out.

Rainwater dripped from the slum's dilapidated eaves, creating muddy puddles on the muddy ground. Osinotto huddled under a deserted archway, his fine clothes soaked in mud, his once carefully styled hair plastered to his face.

He stared at his own hands - the hands that were once praised by the nobles as "God's hands", but now could not even be exchanged for half a piece of moldy black bread.

"Give up just like that?" A hoarse voice came from the shadows.

Osinoto slowly raised his head, raindrops trickling down his eyelashes. Kafmankis stood three steps away, still dressed in his elegant black robe, though the gold emblem of power on his chest was gone.

"You were abandoned too?" Osinotto pulled the corners of his mouth and revealed a sarcastic smile.

Kafmankis stepped closer through the puddles, his boots crushing a stink bug as he passed by. "Power is like a game. Losing once doesn't mean you're out forever."

His voice was eerily calm, as if he didn't care about losing this round at all.

Osinotto's fingertips suddenly spasmed, and rain mixed with blood slid down from the corners of his eyes.

The elf's face emerged in his mind - the emerald eyes, the long silver hair, and finally fixed on the head frozen in amber.

"Are you willing?" Kafmankis asked again, his voice as light as a falling leaf.

"Willing for what?"

"I'm willing to die here like a wild dog," his voice suddenly became sharp, "I'm willing to let that child die in vain."

A low laugh escaped Osinotto's throat, like the whimper of a wounded beast. "What else can I do? The emperor can crush me like an ant."

Kafmankis suddenly squatted down, the dirty water soaking the corners of his robes. He reached out and lifted Osinotto's chin, forcing him to look directly into his eyes. "Ant bites can't kill people, but poisonous snakes can."

"Besides," Kafmankis slowly raised his head and looked at the gloomy sky, "Who says that the emperor is the most powerful person in the world?"

"The true ruler has never appeared."

He stood up and held out his hand to Osinotto, the lines on his palm glistening strangely in the rain. "You know, you're no worse than that short-sighted emperor."

"Among the royal family, only the emperor cannot practice magic, because he is protected by divine power."

Osinotto grasped the hand and stumbled to his feet. His face was utterly disheveled, but his eyes shone with astonishing brightness. "Are you saying... that the gods who transcend the imperial power are the true rulers of this world?"

Kafmankis nodded.

"But the gods are high above the sky, how can we reach them?" Osinotto did not believe in gods, but he did acknowledge their existence.

Kafmankis let out a meaningful smile. "If the gods are truly so high and mighty that they are untouchable, why do they have so many followers?"

"And..." His voice suddenly dropped, "Even a mediocre person like me has once received a glance from the gods."

"God loves the world and prefers geniuses. I believe you will be one of them."

Osinotto's pupils suddenly contracted.

Magic was a field that he could never fully explore even if he spent his entire life studying, and gods...that was completely beyond his imagination.

"This is not the place to talk." Kafmankis turned and walked into the rain. "Come with me, you will join me."

His tone was firm, as if he had foreseen everything, "Just like before."

In the Fethros family's residence, the castle that she visited in person many, many years later, Helia and Watersise saw the original Morogen religion.

It turns out that the Morogenism, which is called a "cult", was actually founded by pagans.

After going around in circles, it turns out that everything has been entangled together. She is like a butterfly on a spider web. No matter how hard she struggles, she cannot escape the possibility of being swept up by fate.

How should I put it? I feel speechless, yet relieved that “that’s how it is”.

Under the guidance of Kafmankis, Osinoto formally joined the Morogen Cult, a heretical organization secretly formed by pagans, who originally believed in the forbidden art of "flesh reshaping".

They believe that only through extreme pain and distortion can the essence of life be touched.

Only by decomposing flesh and blood and reconstructing life can new life be created.

They claim to be creators and want to create new life that is unique in the world.

They felt that the human body was too fragile, and that birth, aging, sickness, and death were inevitable laws, so they wanted to find a path to evolution.

In essence, it is nothing more than the pursuit of immortality.

Osinoto was not interested in this. He just wanted enough power to take revenge on the emperor. Deeply trapped in hatred, he became the most vigorously burning firewood in Kafmankis's hands.

He began to frantically create new "works" - no longer simply animal specimens, but humans distorted into animal forms, just like the parrot that Kafmankis gave him.

And each specimen carries his mockery and curse on the royal family.

The year after the elf's death, which was also the fifty-sixth birthday of Andercle III—

Rain washed the stone bricks of Glory Square, and under the gloomy sky, a crowd gradually gathered.

They were attracted by the scene before them—twelve black iron supports were neatly arranged in the center of the square, and on each one was placed an object covered in scarlet velvet, with a strange and distorted outline.

There were no flyers, no announcements, not even anyone standing around to explain.

There is only silence.

A gust of wind blew and lifted the edge of the first piece of velvet.

Someone gasped—a twisted human hand was revealed underneath, the skin pale, the knuckles bent at abnormal angles, and the nails replaced with sharp metal claws.

When the velvet fell completely, the crowd erupted in a low cry of fear.

It was a human body transformed into a canine form, with its limbs bent at their joints and its spine forcibly stretched into a streamlined shape by a metal brace.

The most horrifying thing is the head - the entire human face is preserved intact, but the mouth is stuffed with rusty copper coins, and eternal fear is frozen in the wide-open eyes.

When the second piece of velvet was blown away by the wind, several women fainted on the spot.

This is a specimen transformed into the form of a peacock. Its gorgeous tail feathers are made up of dozens of human fingers, and each nail is painted in a gem-like color.

The torso retained the characteristics of aristocratic dress, but the abdominal cavity was cut open and filled with rotten rose petals.

The third specimen caused the guards to draw their swords.

Eight human legs stretched out in a spider-like pattern, each broken at the knee. The torso was covered in a judge's robe, but the head was rotated 180 degrees, with a piece of parchment sewn to the back of the skull, with the word "Guilty" written in blood.

The fourth... the fifth... all the way to the twelfth, it was an unprecedented show of corpses.

The square fell into a dead silence. Everyone recognized the identities of these specimens in their lifetime—the tax collector who always showed off in the tavern, the viscount who liked to whip his servants in the street, and the judge who accepted bribes...

Suddenly, a ragged old woman rushed out of the crowd, trembling and spitting at the face of the tax collector, tears mixed with raindrops falling.

"My son..." she choked, "He was forced to jump into the river by this beast..."

These words were like sparks falling into a haystack, and the crowd began to stir: some cried bitterly, some cursed, and more showed the joy of having their revenge taken.

The Royal Knights were about to go down and clean up, but they froze when they saw the symbol engraved on the base of the specimen - it was a dissected eye, but a closer look revealed that it was actually made up of countless densely packed corpses, the symbol of the Morrogan religion.

That night, the twelve specimens disappeared.

But the silent exhibition had achieved its purpose, and Morogenism became famous.

And for the first time, the people realized that the powerful people who oppressed them would pay the price.

The palace was furious but could not find the culprit. However, based on the style of the specimens and the fact that the viscount who killed the elves was among the twelve corpses, the murderer was quickly identified as Osinotto.

Three days later, the emperor's edict was posted all over the city, declaring Morogenism a heresy and offering a reward for the capture of Osinoto.

However, the war that broke out on the border of the empire dispersed a large number of royal troops. At the same time, nobles from all over the country disappeared mysteriously one after another.

Soon after, a horrifying corpse specimen show was staged in the underground black market - the missing nobles reappeared before the world in various distorted postures.

The rise of the Morogen cult ignited the long-suppressed anger of the civilians. Riots and uprisings broke out one after another in various places, and the entire empire fell into unprecedented chaos.

Ironically, under the circumstances at the time, the Morogen religion, which was later defined as a "cult", was actually regarded as a pioneer of justice that resisted the tyranny of the aristocracy and spoke for the common people.

This was clearly a carefully planned revenge, but Andercle III was helpless.

Internal and external troubles completely disrupted his luxurious and comfortable life. The foolish emperor was simply unable to cope with such a chaotic situation, and finally chose to abandon the mess and flee in a hurry.

Helia: ???

Am I stupid? ? ?

What is even more ridiculous is that the famous battle recorded in later historical books as "a 100,000-strong army facing 6,000 elite soldiers and being defeated miserably" actually had nothing to do with the fleeing emperor - it was the Senate that actually took over this mess.

Unfortunately, these pampered nobles were also useless. They did not understand military command, and most of their men were forcibly conscripted guerrillas. The army had no cohesion and ultimately ended in a miserable defeat, forcing them to cede land and pay compensation.

After the defeat, Andrek III fled back to the palace in disgrace and continued to cling to the throne, refusing to step down.

He knew better than anyone that once he lost this position, he would be hunted endlessly.

Ironically, the protective power bestowed by the gods to maintain the secular regime has now become the coward's last life-saving talisman.

But as Eric had said to Helia, this divine power always protected the throne itself, not the specific person sitting on it.

Kafmansky delivered the final blow at the right moment.

He carefully selected the most cowardly and incompetent one from among the many sons of Andeccles III, killed or exiled the rest of the princes, and after gaining the support of the Senate, pushed this puppet onto the throne.

Andekli III could not protect them and might even abandon them and run away at any time - he had already verified this.

So the nobles decided to take power into their own hands - they chose to support an obedient puppet, and the Senate actually held power.

Kafmansky is indeed an excellent lobbyist. Or perhaps, faced with such huge benefits, no one can resist such temptation.

In this way, the once high and mighty Andecoli III now became a lamb to be slaughtered and was handed over to Osinoto.

Osinotto looked coldly at the emperor who could once destroy his life with just a flick of his finger, who was now kneeling in front of him, crying and begging for mercy.

Strangely, he did not feel the joy of revenge as he had imagined, but instead felt filled with indescribable emptiness and confusion.

His life has experienced many ups and downs. His body, once driven by hatred, now doesn't know what to live for.

In the end, Osinoto cut Andekli III into pieces and carefully cooked his flesh into dishes - just like what happened to the elves.

But the flesh and blood was so filthy and disgusting that Osinotto could only swallow a mouthful before he couldn't help but vomit violently.

It was really disgusting... He didn't know whether it was the flesh and blood of this dog emperor that was disgusting, or himself who had become so ugly in revenge that was disgusting.