Novia went straight to the point. After all, Lucius was a saint who was passed down to later generations. He was personally cured of his eye disease by the blood of Jesus, so he absolutely believed in his faith. "Even though you are young, you can't say such things." Although Lucius' tone was calm, he did not hide his anger at all. "But you are trembling, proving that you are indeed afraid of it, and that is why I have come, Lucius Longinus." Novia put his hand on Lucius' tense shoulders. Lucius didn't move, his eyes fixed on Novia. For Lucius, pain is "the answer". He always believed that his suffering was the answer to redemption. The answers from others were as numerous as the stars in the sky, but Lucius had only one answer: to endure the pain. The salvation of the new gods has not come to the earth, and the old gods have disappeared long ago. The earth is still filled with death and suffering. People are exhausted, children are crying, and those who are alive are equivalent to those who suffer.
It is easy to say and do such beautiful things as looking to the future, but it is extremely difficult to actually teach them. Some people say it is a curse, others sigh that the era belonging to humans is the real hell. Therefore, Lucius could only endure the pain and pray. But the silver-haired boy in front of him kept telling him with his light blue eyes, and his words were as bright as the stars. "Of course, life is meant to be completed. No matter how you spend it, it will end one day, whether it's me or you. But - can what you are doing now be considered a beautiful pattern of completion?" Hearing this, Lucius felt as if someone had poured cold water on him in the middle of a fierce battle, and his whole body seemed to be somewhat powerless. "There is only one thing I can tell you now." Without using any magic, the sound echoed all around. "I promise you, Lucius Longinus - follow me, and I will give you all the glory. I will be able to cleanse your current sins... That's it." His pain was pointed out to him by someone he had only met once, and Lucius could undoubtedly feel the sincere wishes in those words. So for some unknown reason, Lucius Longinus nodded. "......Okay, my name is Lucius Longinus, and your name seems to be No——" "Novia, that's my name." 003: Use science to create miracles In 48 AD, in the ancient Roman Empire, on the Adriatic Sea. After a year's long journey, we are about to arrive at the highest city of Rome! At noon, Lucius leaned against a tree some distance away from Novia, staring at the silver-haired boy with a steady gaze. In the pastoral scenery, the shadows of the villagers waiting in line filled the fields. "The God of your faith has seen you and your family will be redeemed."
"Really, really?" "Of course, but you must know that all believers are friends, and the strong should take care of the weak." While chatting and laughing with the rich, Novia gently distributed the donated food to those in line. During this year, Lucius had witnessed Novia's personal abilities many times. He was dumbfounded that he could make these guys donate food willingly. Because when he was a teenager, he encountered robbers on the outskirts of Rome. Although he managed to repel the robbers, the robbers could no longer walk because of the injuries caused by Lucius, and eventually became a beggar. Whenever Lucius passed by the street, he would see the beggar and feel very sorry for him. Later, the robber fell ill and because of the care he received, he gave up his original belief in the Roman gods and converted to a monotheistic religion whose followers were slowly increasing at the time. Unexpectedly, he became a believer earlier than Lucius. But at that time, most of them were poor people, unlike now, when rich people have also joined in. No, even though the Age of Gods has only been over for a few decades, humans are fickle creatures after all. The Roman gods were not responsible for telling humans how to survive, but rather for assisting humans who were doing their best. Therefore, they were not perfect. However, in monotheism, the relationship between man and God is completely reversed. God has changed from being man's helper to the supreme authority, the source of law, morality and order, and an unquestionable existence. Man must live under God's instructions, which also makes it easier to manage. In this era, as long as you dare to believe, there will be a hidden rule in your heart, because no matter what, God has not disappeared from the earth for long. This is also the reason why Novia dared to spread it all the way. The Age of Gods has passed. Can you still ask your Greek-Roman gods to fight me? Moreover, compared with the Roman polytheism, they really do practical things. Their expansion path is the standard one of surrounding the cities with the countryside and the nobles with the lower classes. The reason why Christianity was able to defeat polytheism in history was not because everyone was eloquent and had the Yuri aura, but because it was more centralized and could send people to make money, and the money could be used to put food into the pots of the poor. The priests of the Temple of Athena could learn from him, but he could not control the saints raised by the chief priests of the Apollo believers' area. He could resist, but when he looked back, he saw that the Apollo area had fallen. Although it is still somewhat unstable at present, the requirement for joining is that wealthy believers donate money to the church, and the church will use the money to spend on the poor believers at the bottom. If everyone is poor and has no money, believers must be organized to support each other. If someone is sick and no one takes care of him, other believers will take care of him. He was starving to death because he had nothing to eat, and other believers who had extra food were willing to share some so that he wouldn't starve to death. As for theology? Philosophy? Religious rituals? Sorry, these things did not exist when Jesus was alive. Naturally, educated believers would interpret them on their own in the future. However, no matter whether it is a prosperous era or not, the poor will always be the majority. They don't care about any lofty philosophical theories or theological systems. They only care that I pay you a certain amount of wheat, olive oil and wine every month, and when I am old, the church will give me wheat, olive oil and wine every month so that I won't starve to death. That's enough. So even though the ancient Roman Empire expelled and massacred Christians everywhere in history, it eventually found that this grassroots religion could never be suppressed. A group would appear in another place tomorrow, back and forth, and finally - Christians Enter Rome! The emperor began to believe in God! So as long as the foundation is laid, even if you fail now, it will be convenient in the future. "Thank you, sir, for the gift of God." "Well, take more then." At this moment, Novia's arms were holding a young child. This was a genuine poor child, Novia knew it clearly, malnourished, skinny, covered in dirt, thin, ragged clothes, and dull eyes. Such a child could be distinguished at a glance from the white and round faces of children from wealthy families. The vast ancient Roman Empire had been living in peace and prosperity for more than several decades. From the crowded semicircular open-air theater at Eberlechen to the bustling colonnaded square at Antioch, from the port bazaar at Joule with its merchant ships to the pilgrimage road at Ephesus with its thronging carriages and horses, wealthy people enjoyed the prosperity and wealth brought by the peaceful and prosperous times. Merchants and travelers crisscrossed the spacious cobblestone streets, and citizens laughed and played among the rows of marble apartments.
However, poverty is ultimately the majority in this era that will last for many years. "Really? It doesn't matter if I die...my sister, mom, dad...are still waiting..." "If you are waiting, then go back quickly and don't wait any longer." Novia stroked the child's face, and after doing so, the child's dull face looked a little more peaceful. "Thanks....." What flowed from the little child's lips was not a prayer, but simply a word of endless gratitude. After everything was over, Novia declined the invitation of the believers and walked towards Lucius. Lucius, who had been watching from the side, was like a soldier himself, and the aura he exuded made people dare not approach him easily or talk to him casually. "You've done very well this year." Lucius was silent for a moment, then said coldly, "But in the end, you can only face danger on your own. This will be inevitable sooner or later. This is useless. You are in too much danger now. I advise you to go back quickly." Novia understood what he meant very well. The current situation was just an appearance of peace. If the situation really got very bad, in order to survive, they would have to kill those who were endangering them, even if they were fellow believers. Moreover, Novia was too high-profile, and his reputation spread more and more over the past year. Although polytheism was very tolerant of the spread of other sects, it was unable to replace them. At the moment, some polytheistic nobles in Rome were probably waiting for Claudius I to return from Britain and then demand the execution of Novia. "You're right. However, if you turn a blind eye to something that is obviously a piece of cake, you will definitely regret it. I'm lending a hand because I don't want to regret it. That's all." There was no anger, no denial, Novia just smiled peacefully, wearing simple clothes, and folded the white coat he took off and hung it on his arm. "Humph, brat, once we get to Rome, those guys won't be so easy to talk to." Lucius sighed. He hoped that the young man could live out his life and not suffer the punishment of a heretic. "Yes, so now I'll trouble you, Lucius, to stay outside of Rome for a while while I go to Britain first." Novia responded to Lucius' angry words without hesitation. "What are you-" Lucius' heart was stirred, and the figure of Novia, who was currently in an illusory state, responded decisively. "Fourteen days ago. If nothing unexpected happens, he should be in Britain by now." Lucius took a breath. Even the druids of the past had never possessed this level of illusion. It could even deceive his eyes stained with holy blood. But soon his expression calmed down and he turned his head away, as if he had heard nothing: "You want Emperor Claudius to convert to religion? That's too difficult. The Roman gods were already overhead decades ago." "The age of God is over." "Use magic? But don't forget that there are tens of thousands of Roman magicians participating in the British expedition. The slightest fluctuation of magic power will be discovered." "Who told you I was going to use magic? It's a real miracle." ........ In central Britain, this is the oak forest covered by thick fog, the kingdom of birds and beasts that has rejected humans even in the twentieth century.
In a corner of this island, there are many mysterious creatures, ancient lives that have continued for who knows how many generations. At this moment, Novia was standing on the top of a mountain here. Not far below him was the British expeditionary force led by the current Roman Emperor Claudius I. The silver-haired boy looked at the makeshift hot air balloon, as well as the silver powder and other items that had been prepared for a long time, with a slightly nervous expression. Novia's idea was derived from the legend of Constantine. Three hundred years later, the Roman Emperor Constantine converted to religion because he saw four huge, fiery red crosses suddenly appear in the vast sky the night before a battle, accompanied by the following words: Rely on this and you will be victorious. From then on, Christianity officially began its journey to become the state religion of the Roman Empire. "Success or failure lies in one move." Having said that, Novia's expression was calm, of course. Because it’s just a very common question, will people regret what they did or what they didn’t do? In the final analysis, it is difficult for Novia herself to say whether it can succeed, because the older the Type-Moon is, the stronger its mysterious side is, and the more futuristic it is, the stronger its scientific side is. The "present" of the first century AD is just stuck in a position of just declining, and the Type-Moon God Era is a more developed civilization than two thousand years later, which is very confusing. However, Novia also had a backup plan. If he failed, he would immediately dig up the corpse of the Albion Dragon to see if there were any useful treasures to save his life. "rush!" Thus, at dusk, the Roman expeditionary force and the coalition of the twelve British kings witnessed together— 004: A new god is coming! As the last ray of sunset slowly disappears from the horizon, the crescent moon hangs high in the dim sky. The Roman expeditionary force coming from the sea will have a decisive battle with the British coalition forces the next day. The Roman expeditionary force consisted of 50,000 men, divided into five legions, in addition to a supply team of the same number. "Is this what you call a good situation? These barbarians have hit us in the face! How can you be a commander? You actually let the enemy go deep into our territory!" At this moment, in the Roman camp, Emperor Claudius I was cursing at the commander who was bowing his head and keeping silent. Judging from his appearance, Claudius I, who unexpectedly became emperor at the age of fifty, did have obvious illnesses. He had to rely on his hands to support his legs when walking because one of his legs was bent and deformed. From the perspective of later medical science, it was most likely a sequelae of improper treatment of polio, but in the first century AD, most people would simply think that this person was punished by God. "Your Majesty, the decisive battle will take place tomorrow. I hope Your Majesty can stand up and inspire morale in the name of the God of War Mars..." The Roman commander Prouti saw the expressionless Emperor Claudius and felt less and less confident. After all, his own emperor couldn't even walk properly, so how could he expect him to fight in the battlefield? It was good enough that he could shout twice. But Prouty had his grievances buried in the sand. He had followed the emperor's orders to launch an expedition to Britain a year and a half ago. At first, the situation was indeed very good. It didn't take long for him to occupy most of the coastal areas and quickly move inland. In a short period of time, he had swept across most of the plains and forest areas of the British Isles. Logically speaking, such a smooth process should be like— Monsters from the south have landed on the coast of Britain. An unspeakable murderer is approaching Colchester. The vile Roman barbarians entered Southampton.
The Roman commander Proteas occupied southern Britain. With the situation looking very good, there is only one last step left - His Majesty the Supreme Emperor arrived today in his loyal island of Britain.