Extraordinary Voyage-Chapter 699 - 601: Slaughter Angel

After the oppressive and evil King Henry II was executed.

The representatives of the Third Estate—the commercial nobility who wielded capital—announced in Vina the establishment of the National Assembly, reformed from the Lower Council, and on August 12 it was renamed the Constitutional Assembly.

But the seizure of power in the Royal Capital Viana was clearly only the beginning. After the capital was occupied by the "people" and the notorious king and old nobility were judged guilty, the news spread wide.

Cities everywhere sought to emulate the "people" of Viana, arming themselves to seize municipal control, and forming the National Guard with private soldiers recruited by a group of capitalists as the core.

Meanwhile,

In major cities and even broader rural areas, citizens and peasants attacked noble residences and manorial estates, plundering property, and burning land deeds. In less than half a month, the Constitutional Assembly organized by the people had thoroughly seized nationwide power.

However, on the surface, it appeared to be a victory for the Third Level of farmers, proletarians, common citizens, and lower people.

But the true holders of power were undoubtedly the grand capitalist class, namely bankers, big merchants, major factory owners, transport magnates, major mine owners, and large landowners.

Soon after, the "Constitutional Assembly" abolished the titles of king, prince, hereditary nobility, and ennoblement, and redrew political districts. It established the Administrative Court and the Supreme Court, and instituted a jury system...

They also openly confiscated the property of the Black Iron Cross Church and declared the holy professionals of the church as accomplices of the king... drafting laws more conducive to commercial development... a series of reforms conducted vigorously.

And the principle remained the same: People are born and remain free and equal! All the lower people firmly believed and held it in high esteem.

Yet,

The intensity of this "Great Uprising" exceeded everyone’s expectations right from the start. Although the uprising was induced by the capitalist class in many ways, the primary drive was the people’s deep-seated hatred for the old ruling class!

This emotion was like a man-eating tiger; once released from its cage, capturing it again was no easy feat.

Once King Henry II was pushed to the guillotine, the guillotine in Grégoire Square was never idle again.

A large number of nobility and their families convicted by the "rebels" were sent there. Even a renowned scholar fell guilty to the fanatical "rebel army" simply for speaking a good word for the nobility.

During this special time, there were no alternative sentences to guilt.

The guillotine’s record was as high as 21 heads in 38 minutes!

Thus,

This sacred machinery, ending the sins of past rulers, was affectionately nicknamed by the "rebels" as the "People’s Avenger," "National Razor," and "Saint Henry."

And the most ironic thing is that the guillotine’s initial designer was none other than the first casualty of the uprising, King Henry II.

Long ago, His Majesty realized that the guillotine’s straight blade prolonged the convict’s pain during execution and was considered inhumane, so he modified it to a triangular shape.

But he never expected that several decades later, the newly remodeled machine would be directly used on himself.

To demonstrate the legality of the uprising, the capital might still go through the trial motions, but outside of Viana, indiscriminate killing had already become rampant.

Beheading, hanging, shooting, drowning...

In some provinces, the number of executions was so high that they couldn’t bother with a guillotine or ropes, and simply lined up people for firing squads or directly drowned them in rivers, making it exceedingly difficult for even noble families to recover the bodies for burial.

The river of blood was more than just an empty phrase.

In some places, while people were being killed upstream, the ghouls who had been lying in wait downstream were already providing free and non-polluting disposal.

In addition, following the decree against the church, the enraged populace turned their anger toward the holy professionals of the "Black Iron Cross Church". Furious mobs stormed into churches across the land, driving them out entirely.

Then, it was not the ghoulish priests of the demigod "Cold Monarch" that moved in, as originally envisioned, but the "Black Wing Order" belonging to the True God!

The new deities erected in the churches contrasted sharply with the past atmospheres of the "War of Injustice," "Violence," "Plunder," and "Theft."

The old god now symbolized commerce with an ancient balance scale emblem, resembling a sharp long sword. One side of the scales held gold, land, factories, raw materials, and similar assets and production resources, while the other side bore countless laboring humans.

And the title transformed to "God of Capital and Wealth."

"O Supreme: Angel of Prosperity, Master of Gold, Ruler of Capital, I pray to You to control all my external life, including my true abundance. Bless my life with all I deserve today...."

A church in the capital Viana, once belonging to the "Black Iron Cross Church," had dramatically changed in appearance. A group of notably attired believers was chanting prayers devoutly under the guidance of the golden-robed priest.

They were utterly oblivious to a handsome "young man" standing quietly outside the doors, observing everything.

Above His head seemed to hover a faint halo like a sun halo, and His impressive, masculine body clothed in a simple white robe, reminiscent of an ancient hero.

A black metal "cross" adorned His chest, intricately carved with patterns of tulips, waves, and thorns, with a glittering crown-shaped ruby inlaid at each of the four corners.

The "young man" raised His head to gaze upon the non-anthropomorphic holy emblem at the hall’s center.

Others might be dazzled by the figure glowing with golden light, but in His eyes, the essence of the "God of Black Wings" has never changed; at its core, it has always been "plunder"!

It’s just that the methods have become much gentler and more secretive than before, not costing the opponent’s life directly. But essentially, it’s merely because living beings can continue to create value, maximizing benefits.

Starving but never getting rich, full of desire for wealth yet unattainable, this state of "hunger and thirst" is the perfect exploited class. Generation after generation of people are reaped by the asset holders!

"Is this the [Authority: Capital] that the ’God of Black Wings’ is plotting?"

[Capital] entered this world, dripping with blood and filth from every pore.

Because the process of primitive accumulation of capital is essentially a process of invasion and plunder.

Including Ilya and the Tulip Countries, in the early stages, through domestic enclosure movements, colonial plunder, national debt systems implemented domestically, the creation of banks and joint-stock companies, and strict tax systems;

In addition, they also plunder resources and wealth from backward countries and ethnic groups through external invasions and even people.

This is identical to the essence of the "God of Black Wings."

The heart of the "Young Man" was already tumultuous, and the expression on his face gradually darkened as he muttered to himself:

"The large-scale death of Goddess Faithful as mentioned in the prayers of the Holy Professional is just a trivial matter.

Overthrowing the Ilya Royal Family, establishing a new ruling order by a new interest group, expelling the faith of the Goddess to pave the way for commerce. Thus overturning faith, shaking the inherent royal authority.

This indeed is not a normal change of royal authority; this is to utterly destroy royal power! Is the ’God of Black Wings’ declaring war on the Goddess?"

"The core divine position of the ’Queen and Goddess of Navigation’ Hekater is [Royal Authority].

Overturning faith and shaking royal authority have already touched the True God’s bottom line! This seemingly simple riot is not only to overthrow the lives of the king and nobility but also to overthrow the Goddess’s life!

The sun in the sky also began to dim along with his emotional change, and for a moment, it seemed like half of the Tulip Islands had entered dusk.

Suddenly, as if responding to His words, a voice rang in the "Young Man’s" ear.

"Not so, it’s merely the inevitable law of human societal evolution, [Capital] will replace [Royal Authority], the class of asset holders will replace the monarch, becoming the new masters of the human world."

Swoosh—

The young man in white robe took a step and disappeared; the next moment, he reappeared in the dimly lit sky high above.

And he resumed his true form as the Sun Crowned, Saint Angel Belenus, shouldering a massive cross shimmering with spiritual light, gazing at the unexpected visitor opposite—another angel!

The black-winged figure with a featureless face had three red eyes on each wing, blinking continuously. Condensed into substantial terror, slaughter, and death surrounded Him, forming a dense black cloud.

"Kshatriya! Do you dare invade the Goddess’s favored land, are you trying to ignite a divine war?!"

With a single shout, the clear sky was azure, spotless.

The Slaughter Angel under the command of the "God of Black Wings," was unperturbed, spreading his hands nonchalantly and said:

"Don’t be so confrontational; even though you don’t possess the related authority, you should also be able to see the strong force of this emerging class. Clearly, this is the direction of the next trend!

Ilya and indeed all of Tulip, as the source continent where the strength of the asset holders’ class develops most rapidly. Being able to stand on the wave and welcome the coming of the new era, you should feel honored."

Humans can resist gods using the trend, so naturally, gods can also resist each other using the trend. And whether humans or gods attempt to hinder the trend and interfere with the world’s advancement, they will have no good end.

This attitude, as if already the victor, deeply furrowed Belenus’s brows:

"Don’t try to fool me; the direction of the next trend should be the transformation of productivity represented by the Steam Industrial Revolution!"

Though without features, it still let people perceive he was laughing out loud:

"It’s merely the inside and outside of the same thing. The vigorous class of asset holders is destined to become the world’s masters. And will govern the world more thoroughly than royal authority, to the point that in the future, the lives of all humans will be centered around it.

Or are you intending to oppose the trend? Even if you can stop them temporarily, can you stop them forever?

Moreover, with Tulip as the front line of the Steam Industrial Revolution, the place where the breath of capital is most dense, it is destined that the great ’God of Black Wings’ will replace the Queen Goddess to become the new faith here."

"Our forced intervention is meaningless; let’s see how humans themselves choose. Hahaha..."

"Slaughter Angel" Kshatriya left one last sentence, and with laughter, disappeared.

Is the "God of Black Wings" Sessi, as the leader of the Evil Gods, trying to whitewash His evil essence and return to the continent once more?

Even an angel possessing both divinity and human nature cannot comprehend everything about humanity; watching the disappearing silhouette, Belenus’s expression changed:

"In the evolution of human society, the secular royal authority is destined to be replaced? The problem of mortals, maybe really needs... mortals to solve."