What did you do with the dice?

The only hurdle she had to overcome now was... well, finding an artist who could actually draw and teaching her some art lessons?

Chapter 189 The Central War Situation

Rusalka has no idea what to do and has to rely on the great conspirator Sanitita for advice.

So Sanita proposed a somewhat unsavory distribution plan: "Distribute it according to the output per hectare of land. The more you take, the higher the output tax you have to pay on the land. You can also increase the initial tax on this part. You can even collect taxes according to an exponential growth curve (the greater the amount, the greater the tax increase), similar to an income tax.

This way, the conflict can be shifted to the nobles who want land. They will naturally weigh how much land they need to ensure that their subjects can maintain a positive income and generate enough tax revenue for them after paying their taxes to you."

Although Rusalka is quite popular, he has always made a joke about "raising taxes" as if he were hanging rings on street lamps to hang himself. But now it seems that apart from the tax increase method mentioned by his brother, there seems to be no other better idea for fair land distribution.

Diverting conflicts is indeed a good idea. In this way, the problem changes from "Lord Pearl Tears distributes land" to "those small nobles choose how much land to take." Even if there is not enough land in the later stage, the residents will no longer think that it is the unfair distribution of land by Lord Rusalka, but will only think that their own lord is stingy and takes too little.

Rusalka: (Listen up, country bumpkins! When I become the Lord of Pearly Tears, I will enact new tax laws! I forgot about it in the middle, and I forgot about it at the end, but anyway, let's make a new deal. No, I'll just increase taxes first!)

That’s what we did. As for the numerical issues, we’ll leave it to Mr. Sa to formulate.

----

Tonight's meeting of gods was quite different. After Rusalka took her seat in the Black Mist Hall, she discovered that Theresa's outfit had actually plagiarized Phoenix's shadow-belted cat costume.

This creature has two black strips, one horizontal and one vertical, all over its body, and is decorated with cat ears and a tail. It's a pity that the tail is not the plug-in that everyone likes, but is transformed using some special method, making it look like a real tail.

It's a bit astringent, but Rusalka feels that it might be better for him without the cat ears and the transmogrified tail.

This outfit cannot be said to be ahead of its time, it can only be said that it is too retro for Rusalka.

The greatest recognition the system gave to Rusalka was that during the meeting today, there was really no pop-up prompt of [Immunity Successful] in the vision box in the lower right corner. It can be seen that Rusalka has used willpower to overcome the small-headed thinking.

Rusalka: (I'm not going out with a telescope tonight because there's no star shower.)

Sanita: (You're still being picky.)

In other words, most of the people in this council are not normal people, so Theresa can still hold a meeting normally dressed like this. If all the people sitting here are "Rusalka", then it will definitely become like a princess suddenly appears in a Newt club full of otakus, and the whole joyful atmosphere will suddenly become extremely restrained.

With this analogy, Rusalka felt as if she was slapped in the face by her own imagination. Tsk, could it be that in her subconscious mind, she was so despicable in her previous life?

After crossing over, the communication between me and Phoenix is ​​still very smooth! This must be an illusion, an illusion.

Rusalka: (I'm going to ask Phoenix tonight if I'm not very good at communicating with other women my age, and ask her to practice for me.)

Sanitta: (You are the first one to say "I want to die" in such a refreshing and refined way.)

This time, after everyone gathered, it wasn't Theresa who initiated the conversation. Instead, the God of Truth, for the first time ever, spoke first: "Everyone, change is imminent. An unprecedented disaster is about to sweep the world, and this is also a perfect opportunity to upset the balance."

"What disaster?"

Following Taurus's question, everyone turned their attention to Theresa. Everyone was now accustomed to thinking that Theresa was the messenger of the God of Truth, or what was often called a "mouth substitute" on Earth.

However, this time Theresa shrugged. "I don't know either. Lord God, could you please give us some guidance?"

The God of Truth pondered for a moment before answering, "All I can tell you is that this disaster is also related to the 'Gate' and the 'Messenger of the End.'"

Rusalka almost subconsciously looked at Theresa, but fortunately, some people also turned their gazes in Theresa's direction at this time. Perhaps they all thought that Theresa knew something, so his gaze did not seem abrupt, which made him feel relieved.

It was not known whether Theresa was pretending well or was really unsure. She shook her head and said again that she knew nothing about this "door". As for the matter of the Messenger of the End, if she didn't say anything, no one would ask. If someone really locked on the target, they would definitely want to kill the other party and take the reward from the gods for themselves. It would be useless to ask.

Rusalka then sought help from outside the stadium: (When you think of disaster, door, and Theresa, what comes to mind when these three are connected?)

Sanitita: (I think she wants to gather all 12 beliefs to open the door to the Kingdom of God, and then trigger a disaster of divine punishment and world destruction. Maybe these gods are similar to the "wise children" of the Three Body, who exist specifically to prevent new people from becoming gods in this world. She went against the will of heaven and naturally deserved divine punishment.

The reason why the gods are divided into 12 different groups is to allow the believers on earth to fight each other and maintain balance in the war. Perhaps by combining the 12 groups, we can get a glimpse of the truth of this world.)

Rusalka thought his brother's reasoning was quite plausible, but just as he was about to accept it, Sanitta added this ridiculous premise: (And you, my friend, the reason you're passively collecting blessings along the way may be because these different gods have set different test limits for individual lives. If you collect all 12, it means that your individual strength exceeds this limit, which will cause the risk of disrupting the balance, and then they will erase you.)

Rusalka's beautiful fantasy about stamp collecting was shattered in an instant: (Fuck, I don't want to collect these, rnm, give me back! No, return the goods!)

Sanitieta: (Then why don't you ask the God of Reality before you? He's a god who appears before you on his own initiative, and you can communicate with him. You can definitely talk to him about these settings. Even if he lies to you, you can get a lie. We can analyze the lie and infer the truth. As long as he's willing to talk, we can get information.)

After confirming that his brother wasn't joking, Rusalka directly asked the God of Truth, "My Lord God, you previously gave us a blessing of your own. If I possess multiple blessings, or if I gather the blessings of all twelve gods, will anything special happen? Is this also a way to become a god?"

The God of Truth responded quickly this time: "It's impossible for anyone to pass the tests of all 12 gods simultaneously. However, I can tell you that if you possess multiple blessings, they can certainly be compatible. Just like Virgo, she possesses Light's blessing, my blessing, and the blessing of joy at the same time."

Rusalka glanced at Theresa, who gave him a confident smile as if showing off.

Rusalka: (Wow! She has three too! As expected of a concubine, this is what we call a good match!)

Sanitta: (Yes, but she possesses at least five kinds of divine power. Are you...?)

Rusalka: (Hello, I am the son-in-law. The footbath water is ready. One basin for Phoenix, one for Theresa, and I will drink two basins.)

Sanita: (How disgusting.)

This topic ends here as there is no more useful information.

Next is the issue of the Goddess of Wealth, that is, Dragon Island. According to Taurus, now on Dragon Island, in addition to some guardian dragons, there are some dragonlings. The Mother Dragon, that is, the leader of Dragon Island and the messenger of the Goddess of Wealth, has always had the attitude of "not actively representing Dragon Island to participate in and intervene in external wars/but if other dragons insist on having their own way, it is not her responsibility. The question is, adult dragons are not under the jurisdiction of Dragon Island."

In fact, those dragons that participated in the external war would also bring good things back to Dragon Island, and Dragon Island would shelter all dragons that were willing to return to Dragon Island and become "Guardian Dragons", which was equivalent to a one-time immunity from death medal after committing a crime outside, but the price was that they could no longer leave Dragon Island without permission.

Therefore, the Mother of Dragons is truly "evil neutral", which is also in line with the belief camp of the Goddess of Wealth.

Therefore, the two major camps of the God of Contract and Law and the God of the Ocean went to war, and the Goddess of Wealth did not intervene. At present, the strength of both sides is evenly matched, and the fight was not as intense as imagined. At least Estelon did not use the "Defenders of the Law", which is the "Iron Guards" in Rusalka's impression, and the sea tribe did not send the two elite races of Naga Mages and Mermaids to the front line. Occasionally, there were some giant shark guards to support the scene, so Aquarius was still leisurely watching the show in the back.

According to their words, in fact, both sides are probably waiting to see how the battle situation develops on Sinidi's side, hoping to retain their strength to see if they can get a piece of the pie, because everyone is now paying close attention to the function of the artifact key mentioned by the Seven Sins Agent.

Who doesn’t want to become a god in this lifetime?

Theresa took over the topic. "Then I'd like to discuss the recent battle situation in Snidi. Your Excellency Gemini, the three Grand Dukes have officially begun fighting, and the Church of the Seven Sins has also joined the fray. Currently, the two Grand Dukes have a significant advantage. Although Grand Duke Oaks has the assistance of the Church of the Seven Sins, his agents haven't personally participated, and the several high priests have their own agendas and won't cooperate. Therefore, in terms of overall military strength and high-end combat power, he's still slightly behind our two."

Rusalka: (I think it's pretty good. My life in Pearl Tear Territory is as comfortable as soaking my feet in warm water. Brother, can you help me think of something to reply besides "Oh" and "Yes, I love you too"?)

Sunitita: (Do you think she's talking to you at such length just to tell you the bad news that "it seems like we're done"? We should be more proactive in playing the bad guys now, and that's what we should say.)

Rusalka: "It sounds like there's no room for intervention. Miss Saint, do you have any good ideas? For example, the plan you mentioned earlier to make Grand Duke Delai disappear, I'm also very interested."

Theresa smiled and said, "Really? Actually, this plan isn't complicated to execute. Although Grand Duke Delai claims to be a sworn enemy of the Church of the Seven Sins, he has actually collected a large amount of 'Demon Blood' and 'Demon Stones' shed by the Seven Sins, and has secretly trained a group of subordinates with demonic powers."

Rusalka: (Raw Stone? What Rough Stone? I think I'm about to activate it!)

Sanitta: (Pause, Theresa just shared some very important information. Do you remember when I was discovered by the demon followers in Marquis Allen's City? I've always wondered where those demon followers' power comes from. After all, from a current worldview, only the Seven Sin Realms and Hell have a chance to create temporary teleportation rifts. So, the demon followers in Sinidi are actually quick-made products using these two things.)

Rusalka: (Similar to Demon Hunter?)

Sanita: (They are not demon hunters, they are demons, hunting humans. If you were to act out a scene based on their character design, you should be indignant and say, "This group of lackeys who have fallen to the power of evil, the Holy Light will eventually settle accounts with them!")

Rusalka: "This group of lackeys who have fallen to the power of evil will eventually be dealt with by the Holy Light!"

After he finished speaking, the other constellations present suddenly fell silent, and several pairs of eyes stared at Rusalka through the black fog.

Sanita: (Are you okay? This is the core management team of the evil camp. What kind of genius dares to speak in the name of lawful good here?)

Rusalka: "Haha, am I imitating well?"

Aries quickly chuckled and responded with a laugh, "Haha, Gemini is so funny. You actually stole Virgo's line. You two really get along well."

For a moment, the field was filled with all kinds of laughter that sounded evil, and this kind of laughter always made Rusalka stand up quickly - referring to the Holy Slash.

Of course, Rusalka is also smiling happily now. What he is best at is flexibly integrating into each segment: (Look, the public's eyes are sharp. Even if I am not happy about it, I will be forced to marry Theresa.)

Sani Tower: (Please choose your ending: 1. Freezer 2. Sea 3. Cement)

Rusalka: (I choose 4...)

Sanita quickly said: (A wise choice, 5 points of intelligence.)

Rusalka: (Punch money deducted!)

Theresa smiled. "There are six Demon Lords and one Hell Overlord in Hell. Grand Duke Delai has some kind of unclear cooperative relationship with one of the Demon Lords. According to my intelligence, the most likely target is 'Lord of Change Salinas.'"

Rusalka is a top-notch supporting actor: "Wow~ Collaborating with the devil, that's damned!"

Everyone looked at him again, but this time there was no question in their eyes, but more of a curiosity like "Ah? You are so close to the Seven Sin Domains, haven't you ever thought about playing with some demonic power?"

Rusalka is good at mending the fence after the sheep have been lost: "How about using this as an excuse to kill him?"

Theresa: "The war situation in the Central Plains has been very tense recently. The Seven Sins Agents haven't appeared yet, which makes us suspect that he is making some kind of arrangements. Time is of the essence, so I have sent someone to talk to Grand Duke Delai. He also realized that he couldn't delay any longer, so he agreed to hold a consultation meeting with us, Esdi, regarding the issue of Alice City. The location is set in Snidi's 'Hendalia City'."

Rusalka: (Is this true? How come I don’t know anything about it?)

Before Sanitta could speak, Theresa looked at Rusalka with a burning gaze. "Mr. Gemini, I think you could also send an envoy as a representative. I heard that your Lord Pearl Tear has been making great progress in Sinidi recently. How about having him go on your behalf?"

Sanita: (Now you know.)

Rusalka: (She specifically asked me to go, this is a complete Hongmen Feast! Brother Fei, help me figure out how to reject her!)

Sanita: (No, just agree to her.)

Rusalka: (Ah? Ah! I get it. Fei Ge's promise means "Well, I just accepted your suggestion at the time, but when did I ever promise you to go?" Haha, you still know how to fool people.)

Sanita said helplessly: (Brother Xiao, you think too much. It means literally, let’s really go.)

Rusalka: (Are you planning to wait for me to die so that you can inherit my Pearl Tear Territory, 50 points of wealth, and my lovely Phoenix? Oh, Phoenix, forget it. She will die with me, and you will only get two Heaven-Defying Elves.)

Sanita: (That's right. Although it's hard to explain right now, you just need to know that since she didn't meet up with Esdi, it means that Theresa is unlikely to take action against you personally.)

Rusalka: (But the Grand Duke and Theresa have opened a small group, and this small group is within a small group. The name of the small group she and I are chatting in now is "When will the Grand Duke Delai appear?" I really suspect that the name of their small group is "When will the Lord of Pearl Tears appear?" What should I do if the Grand Duke throws his cup and 500 swordsmen surround me?

Then, in a basement that was unreachable by any means, Rusalka was tied to an iron pillar, and standing before him were four large cats. These four were very famous in the Eternal Plane, known as the Four Cats! They were going to humiliate this poor merman in every way possible!

Sanita: (Mermaid? Stupid! Forget it. If Grand Duke Delai and Theresa had a close enough partnership to eliminate you as the middleman, then the Elf Queen would have definitely found a way to tip you off in advance. Think about the logic of this yourself. Since there's no such thing, then it's not true. End of story.)

Rusalka: "No problem. Thank you, Miss Saint, for creating this opportunity."

Theresa smiled sweetly at Rusalka and touched her lips with her finger. "Keep going, Gemini! If the conversation goes well, I can give you some personal rewards."

[Saving successfully.]

Alas, although the system held up, Rusalka couldn't hold up in the end, and the challenge failed, day 0.

Chapter 190 Alijie's Gift

As soon as the Black Mist meeting ended, Rusalka opened his eyes and saw two golden eyes staring at him. He was startled and stepped back, only to find that it was Phoenix.

Phoenix had nothing to do recently, so she took this opportunity to ask, "You disappear for a while on a certain night every month."

Phoenix usually speaks in affirmative sentences, but some of them are actually questions, like this sentence. If she finishes it and then doesn't continue, and then stares at Rusalka, it means that she wants Rusalka to explain it to her.

Rusalka was very frank. There was no need to hide it. "I'm going to a meeting."

But I am not the president, so I cannot control how people dress at the meeting. Besides, what we advocate now is freedom, and freedom of dress is also freedom. We cannot stifle human nature, right?

Phoenix didn't nod or speak, and her ears and tail didn't move, which meant that she was not satisfied with the answer.

Rusalka was about to confess the truth when she felt the prying power of the contract: "I can't say this. It's related to God."

After Phoenix licked his face, she saw that Rusalka didn't seem to be lying, so she gave up.

Before Rusalka could complain about Phoenix's inexplicable behavior, he was caught and sent to the second round.

----

Alice fired the last three scorching rays, almost draining all the magic power in her body. She wiped the non-existent sweat off her face and proudly made a "yeah" gesture: "Now I can stably fire at least two!"

Sanita nodded beside him and said, "Okay, you've made significant progress. Go back and rest."

Then he wrote down this sentence in the notebook in his hand: Elves have a strong learning ability, and elven wizards often have innate magic circuits in their bodies.

Then, in parentheses, he wrote a question mark: "But there's no systematic way to train magic circuits? Has the ancient elven learning method been lost due to the negative environment? Or is there some special reason why the elven rulers are unwilling to learn from humans' systematic magic learning system?"

Judging from the current training situation, Alice is very adaptable to the learning system of human mages. If the magic circuit reserves in her body are converted using intelligence attributes, it is probably in the range of 13-14 points.

The upper limit of her magic circuit alone destined her to not be an excellent wizard, but don't forget that she also has the blood magic that comes with her elven bloodline. If the two are combined, in terms of total magic power alone, it is actually only about 1/6 less than that of Sanita.

An opening card with 18 intelligence points coupled with so many spellcasting items is no joke. Although Alice claims to be in the top three in the school, she is actually just an ordinary elf wizard in a ranger team. After training, she can reach this level. It can be seen how terrifying the elves' talent in spells is.

Not to mention that the magic circuit can actually be trained through meditation. Sanitta has already discovered that the reality of this world still affects him and Rusalka.

Rusalka always said, "The physical qualities and combat skills of these natives are too superficial. They are the result of their hard work, accumulated day by day, from childhood to adulthood, so they seem fragile. Unlike me, every bit of my strength is a real point and ability added by the system. How can the solidity of these natives compare?"

Putting aside his statement, which sounds incredible but is actually true, in fact, through acquired training, such as practicing with the knights next door, or using the knowledge in the book to meditate and purify magic power every day, both of their attribute points can produce "decimal point level" changes.

In fact, the change is quite fast. For example, now Sani Tieta feels that his intelligence is definitely more than 18, but less than 19. It is probably around 18.6. If he concentrates on practicing for another one or two years, maybe it can reach 19.

The gap between 18 and 19 is indeed very large, so we have to admit that the system foundation is well laid. If the magic circuit of this body is divided according to the level of cultivation, it must be a natural spiritual root.

As for Rusalka, he had not systematically practiced anything related to attributes, but after so many battles, his personal combat experience and some of the worldview's twisted ideas, including the starting and footwork of sword moves, were all learned by him after he learned them by himself. Only after he reached the level where he could use them would the system make a second revision. This was a kind of improvement in strength.

Compared with other races in this world, the human race has a very short lifespan, but in the world view of "Dungeons & Dragons", humans are the masters of the world. This is actually difficult to explain in terms of world view, so learning ability is also a hidden characteristic of humans.

While Sanita was recording these in the office, Alijie tiptoed in stealthily with silent steps. After entering the door, she looked left and right, and after confirming that there was no one else in the corridor, she quietly closed the door.

Sanita closed the notebook and put it away, then looked up and asked, "Why are you closing the door?"

Alice thought for a moment and replied, "The wind is strong with the door open, and the room is a bit cold."