Chapter One Hundred and Fifty-Two: Salern

  Saren repeatedly looked at the ring in his hand, this ring had a magical power, anyone who held it would be affected by the ring's influence, most people would fall into madness because of its power, only those who practiced spiritual magic and had exceptionally strong mental strength could resist such power, Master Losa was one of them, and I could barely control myself from being tempted by this power.

  But Salen held it in his hand and played with it repeatedly, as if the power of the ring didn't exist for him. This is something that not even I, let alone Losa, can do.

  As I looked at him with a puzzled gaze, Salen raised his head and smiled at me. The Salen in front of me seemed somewhat aged, the green skin also appeared somewhat dull, the facial skin was wrinkled, the two fangs had lost their luster and were slightly yellowed, and the white hair on his head had almost all fallen out. Although I couldn't tell his age, I could clearly feel that the beastman in front of me was very old, and I believed that the day when Salen would summon the gods wouldn't be far off.

  Saren didn't seem like the powerful shaman who was almost revered as a god by the entire Beastman Empire. The Saren in front of me was just an ordinary old beastman, a kind old man. If I hadn't seen with my own eyes that he wasn't affected at all by this incredibly powerful ring, I would have even doubted whether he was really the legendary shaman of the Beastman Empire.

  He quietly looked at me with a gentle gaze, and then asked in a clear though not loud voice: "Aren't you surprised that this ring has no effect on me?"

  I nodded sincerely and said, "Respected Salensa, I am a bit surprised, but thinking about the god-like existence of you from the mouths of those beast people along the way, it doesn't seem strange to have such ability."

  Saren burst out laughing, revealing almost all of his teeth gone, only a few remaining: "Haha, young man, you have a sweet mouth. I know my own affairs, it won't be long before I leave this world. The continent of Asia is yours, the younger generation's."

  Salen stroked the smooth cane beside him, sighed and said: "Old age, after all, is old age. It's not good to be unwilling, no matter how strong a person is. As long as they haven't become gods, they can never escape the marks left by time on their bodies, nor can they escape the outcome of death."

  I leaned forward slightly: "Time not only leaves its mark on people, but also leaves precious experience and knowledge, as well as... countless beautiful memories. This is fair..."

  Saren nodded in satisfaction and said: "You're a clever person, also very optimistic and open-minded. It's actually me who seems to be a bit out of place."

  Saren tapped the staff in his hand gently on the ground and said, "Let's not talk about that anymore. Let's get down to business... You're not one of our Beastmen tribe, so by rights I shouldn't be teaching you Thunder Magic, but I promised Losa to teach this magic to the person he chose, and I think you already know why."

  I nodded and said, "Yes, Lord Losa once mentioned it briefly in front of me. He said that he had helped you with something and as a return favor, you promised to teach the Thunder Magic to someone he specified. Later when I met Dakuru, I found out that you two had fought together against the Necromancer's Guild. Thinking about it now, that must have been an intense battle."

  Saren smiled and shook his head, saying: "Actually, it's not as exciting as you think. The real battle lasted less than ten minutes, and the outcome was quickly decided. At that time, my strength was still somewhat inferior to that of the Undead Mage Guild, so the battle was originally a foregone conclusion. Although I fought hard for the sake of the beast tribe, I didn't have much hope. But due to Losa's unexpected intervention, we unexpectedly won. After that, the Undead Mage Guild also lost its opportunity to expand its influence on the grasslands and retreated to the swamp."

  As he spoke, Salen gazed up at the sky, as if lost in thought: "The battle may not have been intense, but its outcome completely changed the fate of the Great Plains. The Beastmen tribe took advantage of the influence generated by this battle to successfully unify the various tribes of the plains and form an alliance with the Giant Demon tribe and the Centaur tribe, exchanging several decades of peace and prosperity. Unfortunately, today, the flames of war have reignited, and I don't know how many more people will die in this disaster."

  I nodded and said, "This time I participated in the defense of Krim City. We found that there were priests from the Vatican among the rebel troops. It's likely that this rebellion is connected to the Vatican..."

  Salen furrowed his brow and pondered for a moment before speaking, "I already know what's going on with you. The turmoil in various countries on the continent of Aichen is all related to that saintess from the Holy See. That woman has finally grown tired of being quiet, she's truly a terrifying woman. Half of the continent's forces have been successfully unified under her, if we can't stop her as soon as possible, I'm afraid this woman really will be able to grasp control of the entire continent of Aichen in her own hands."

  I looked at Salen and asked, "What's the point of her doing this? Unifying the continent and then what? She already has semi-divine powers, I'm afraid she shouldn't have any interest in competing for hegemony over the continent anymore?"

  Salen sneered a few times and said, "Her ultimate goal is to become a god! Unify the continent of Aqin, then use the power in her hands to suppress anyone who dares to resist her on the entire continent, drive out all beliefs on the entire continent, establish her own religion, collect the faith of the people of Aqin, and gain the power of God, ultimately becoming a true god!"

  I suddenly found it a bit funny and chuckled lightly. Saren asked, "What are you laughing at? This isn't funny at all."

  But I couldn't help but burst out laughing, and it took a while to suppress my giggles before saying: "Sorry, please forgive my rudeness, Honorable Salen. I think the whole woman is a bit crazy, I'm afraid she's gone mad with her desire for divinity?"

  Salen said, "Indeed it is so, I reckon she's currently a madwoman, but it must be said that if her plan succeeds, it's not impossible to achieve. Only those who refuse to worship her as a god will be suppressed by her, and the continent will become a bloody storm at that time."

  I shook my head, sneering and said: "I really don't understand what's good about becoming a god? Of course, I know that becoming a god can gain great power, becoming a god can gain eternal life. But how come she doesn't understand the principle of paying a price for getting something? The price of gaining eternal life is probably eternal loneliness and solitude. Then what's the point of living?"

  Saren nodded and said, "I didn't think you'd guess it, but yes, the price of becoming a god and gaining eternal life is eternal loneliness and solitude. However, even if one knows this, how many people can resist the temptation of eternal life? Not many people understand this truth! Hmm, you're not bad, starting tomorrow, follow me to learn lightning magic."