"Faith. What we need is faith. I want you to follow the covenant of our ancestors, to let the faith of the Aesir spread throughout this country!"
"The great gods do not care about the faith of a mere planet in Midgard, but since I have come here, I will seize everything that originally belonged to us for the Aesir!"
"The faith of this land belongs to the Aesir, and foreign gods cannot plunder it!"
Unlike those politicians who liked to be evasive, the Valkyrie's words were strong and powerful, almost without any ambiguity. She directly stated her demands.
Her cold gaze bore holes through the Swedish king and prime minister, filling them with a sense of vulnerability.
‘Are gods truly without desires?’
No, just looking at all the myths in the world, gods had various desires. Not to mention the peculiar gods in Greek mythology, even in the Bible, God was angered when lambs did not believe in Him, and He brought down wrath when humans went against His will.
Looking at the history of all myths, it was evident that the ones who killed the most humans were not “evil” gods and demons but the so-called “true” gods, often bringing floods or other disasters to wipe out humanity.
However, upon closer examination, it was clear that these gods pursued something simple – faith. Gods required humans' respect and devout faith according to their teachings.
At this moment, the Swedish king and prime minister seem to have gained enlightenment. Perhaps the comparison between gods was based on the quantity of faith among mortals.
This might be what different god systems and gods in the universe were competing for. Although compared to the vastness of the entire universe, Earth was tiny and insignificant, even a mosquito was meat. Gods like Odin, who were high above and did not care about Earth, simply left after capturing Surtur.
However, Valkyries, such as those in Norse mythology, being half-gods, subordinate gods, had to spread faith for the greater gods in every small corner.
As politicians, the king and prime minister understood. The Valkyrie was essentially a grassroots official of the Aesir, and she needed political achievements!
The two rulers exchanged glances. They knew they could not refuse the Valkyrie's command at this point. After all, if she killed them for their defiance, who would stand to avenge them?
“Lady Hladgudr, we understand your request. We will use decrees to spread the faith of the Aesir, allowing our Swedish people to once again follow the ancient covenant.”
The Swedish king and prime minister said firmly.
What was this ancient covenant? The king and prime minister did not know, but they acknowledged it first.
Moreover, after a night of discussion yesterday, they already anticipated the Valkyrie's request. After a meeting and discussion between the two, they believed that changing the faith might be a good choice for Sweden.
There were too many countries that believed in Christianity. This was a pan-ethnic, multi-ethnic faith. Therefore, the great true god Yahweh was unlikely to favor one country.
If favoritism were to occur, Yahweh would probably favor the Jewish people in Israel because, in the Bible, the Jews were His chosen people, and Israel was referred to as the promised land given by God!
So, in this situation, choosing the ancient gods of their own people was the best option.
Countries like China and Japan, which had been heavily Christianized, could take similar steps. Whether it was China's ancient mythology or Japan's Shinto, because they complemented their respective cultural systems, it was easy to switch rails.
Ancient Swedish mythology naturally referred to the Aesir.
Now that the Valkyrie had made a request, as descendants of the Swedish people, they needed to embrace the thighs of the Aesir even more.
“Nowadays, the main faith in Sweden is Protestant Christianity, occupying the vast majority of Swedish beliefs. The remaining small part of beliefs might be complex, but they were not important.”
“Lady Hladgudr, you should be aware of the difficulty of changing faith. It is difficult to achieve with administrative orders.”
“However, the government has the function of propaganda. As long as we start promoting the faith of the Aesir from now on, we can subtly change people's way of life.”
The Swedish prime minister and the king spoke rapidly, outlining their methods.
Changing faith with administrative orders was impossible. Everyone had their thoughts, and they were not robots. Moreover, such administrative orders were only possible in some authoritarian countries, but for the current Swedish government system, it was extremely difficult.
However, propaganda is the most formidable force on Earth today. Modern humans were mentally quite flexible. So long as they worked with the Swedish media tycoons, they could easily supplant Christianity.
And what if those media moguls were unwilling? Hah! This was a demand from the gods. Would they dare to be unwilling?!
The reason the prime minister and the king were saying so much was because they feared that the Valkyrie's demands would take effect quickly. However, causing damage to the Swedish national spirit by rushing things was not good. That's why they suggested a gradual approach.
Apparently, the Valkyrie was a reasonable person. She appreciated the fact that the Swedish king and prime minister quickly came up with a solution, and she praised them, "Follow the method you mentioned, time is not important, I don't care about time."
With this statement, the Swedish prime minister and the king were stunned. This was telling them that Hladgudr, as a Valkyrie, might have an immortal lifespan, like the legendary gods.
Time was the most precious thing for humans, but for gods, it seemed to be the least valuable.
However, the prime minister and the king were soon excited. They were not young anymore, and if they did well, maybe they would receive rewards from the Aesir, and get methods to extend their lives!
Thinking about this, the two of them were filled with enthusiasm.
The following words from the Valkyrie made the Swedish king even more ecstatic.
“Estelle has great potential, and I have decided to train her. What do you think, king of this land?”
Hladgudr looked towards the Swedish princess beside her, and her expression softened considerably.
“Lady Valkyrie, you decide freely. Estelle will definitely be willing!”
The king's face almost broke into a smile.
……
In the Vatican City, Pope Francis I was urgently heading towards the Lateran Basilica. His face was somewhat anxious and angry.
Sweden had openly begun to expel priests and pastors of Christianity, and countries like Finland, Norway, Denmark, and other Nordic nations were also following suit!
This was blasphemy against the Lord. It was time to raise a new crusade!
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