神奇影院

Good things spread like wildfire, with many forces smiling merrily despite the heavy blizzard outside. 

While some places un the world haven\'t seen Snow yet, a majority of Lampe and Dania, Adonis\' 2 empires, had long seen snow since after Halloween period in late October. 

At first, the snow was fluttering and cute, but soon took off to heavier feats the moment December arrived. 

Snow and hail storms smooshed in left, right, up, down and in other directions no one would\'ve thought of. 

The seas surrounding the empires were extremely rough during this time, and the days were darker so fast that by 3:30 PM, the sun typically held two fingers up in deuces, vanishing before anyone could enjoy the day. 

All around, people fell to the ground, never rising again. 

The streets were littered with piles and heaps of snow with dead bodies buried underneath. 

Close your doors and keep the fires at home burning nonstop for days, weeks and months.

This was what many typically did, as at the center of their home, was a sizable circle dug deeper than ground floor and lined with nothing but rocks and nothing flammable. 

The circle\'s top edges on ground floor were also surrounded by bigger rocks, creating a protective fence. 

At the bottom of the circular and uniform-based hole created, fires were lit and never put off till the end of Spring. 

There was always someone at home to keep the fire going, typically the women who stayed back cooking, cleaning, sewing and doing other chores. 

Each family already had a sizable portion of firewood stored in a cellar underneath their kitchens.

All they had to do was pull open the trap doors made of barks of wood and step down with lit torches to grab the wood or any other winter supplies and food stored down there. 

The fires provided some level of warmth within the homes that kept them somewhat warm.

In the daytime, they also hung their blankets on the large stones surrounding the fire pits, wanting to keep them warm before use later. 

Everyone ate frugally, afraid they wouldn\'t have enough to last them throughout the entire winter time since no matter how much one saves, Winter taxes must also be collected. 

And believe it or not, Taxes were typically much higher in winter than in any other period as Soldiers needed more food to keep their bodies burning after doing assignments in the harsh weather. 

Many people didn\'t understand science, but they knew for a fact that in cold seasons, humans eat more than they would in hotter seasons.

This is very true, especially if one lived in regions that were cold all the time. 

The best example of those is in very cold regions like Alaska and Polar regions. 

To be a Polar explorer or researchers camped out there, isn\'t an easy feat.

Firstly, understand that the average recommended calorie intake for an ordinary adult living in normal conditions is between 1500~2500 Calories per day.

But for these people, they need to eat no less than 6500~8000 calories per day. 

And even then, they would still lose weight. 

In extreme cold, the body burns fuel at an alarming rate. This was why people in extremely cold places hardly grew fat. 

It was near impossible to see such a person unless they were nobles who could consume 10,000 to 15000 calories a day in such a place where food hardly grows. 

I mean... When winter takes up close to 6 and a half months in these areas, what time does food have to grow? 

Some places are also constant Ice lands, never seeing summer or clear mountains. All they saw was snow no matter what season one visited. 

They say it\'s always snowing in Santa\'s home in the North Pole. Well, this much was true. 

Like so many in Adonis\' empires could only silently pray that the winter will flash by fast. 

Some stared out their windows, wishing they too could become true Adonis followers, becoming knights for the cause. 

In the face of impending death, lack of food and crazy blizzards, who wouldn\'t want to become an Adonis warrior?

These warriors, no matter how low their ranks were, enjoyed incredible benefits. 

Be it medical, food, clothing and housing, they got the best of everything in the eyes of the masses.

Even the few commoners who didn\'t fully believe in the power of Adonis wanted to join in just to ensure their longevity during winter.

Of course, some wanted to join because of the bodily perks Adonis offered.

It wasn\'t a surprise to many that every month, women are captured in groups and sent to the nearest Temple for cleansing.

These women were either those who defied their husband\'s orders at home or those who refused to give their husbands sons.

What good is a woman if she can\'t even birth a male child?

Many peasant men quickly reported their wives wanting them to go for cleansing before having them returned.

In there, Adonis warriors and temple priests would lay down with these women forcefully, having their way with them until they birth male heirs. 

They would only let these women go if the women birthed male children.

So no matter how many times they were pregnant in captivity if the child was a girl, then they would stay there for years if that was what it took to cleanse them of their stubbornness.

It was also funny that when these women typically returned home, their husbands had long married other women, who had them make heirs. 

When they did return, the same husbands who sent them for cleansing were now disgusted with the notion that a thousand and one men had their way with these women. 

They would start calling them whores and taunting them even to the point of suicide. 

Many a time, these women turned into maids and slaves who did all the chores in their own homes while the new wives enjoy a spoiled and lavish life, even as commoners. 

Heh. 

A majority of people did not pity these women who were adamant about not giving their husbands make heirs.

As they say, you reap what you sow.

Should they have prayed harder and controlled their wombs, wouldn\'t the issue be solved a long time ago? 

In the end, their current situation was their doing. 

Many people in Adonis were brainwashed into believing all this to be true. 

Thus, the money they sensed the spirit of disobedience in their women, and they wasted no time reporting and having the women dragged away to the temple for clenching. 

Some wives also never came back, as they died there after having numerous men forcefully touch them every day even when pregnant. 

Some had miscarried severally and had deep internal injuries to the point that their wombs were utterly destroyed. 

To such women, they were immediately shipped out as Army whores to keep the forces entertained.

As for their humans, the temple simply told these men that their wives had proven very stubborn, refusing to birth them to make hers by destroying the wombs themselves. 

In this way, the women were no longer needed by their husbands at home. 

In fact, many men already brought in other wives and could care less about the lives of these women taken by the temple.

In the end, the status of women in Adonis was very low, almost the same as cattle.

And the ones typically called in to cleanse these women from sin were, of course, the Adonis warriors and priests.

Tsk. 

The perks for joining Adonis\' armies were too great that even its haters would feel tempted. 

This was how many men saw it, after years of Adonis brainwashing. 

All in all, many had long grown accustomed to Adonis\' influence... And you see, today was yet another day when Adonis could make many smile.

(^_^)

-----

Java had a smile on his lips as he calmly walked across the vast Holy Grounds with his hands behind his back.

Like the Vatican in Rome, it was truly a breathtaking sight to behold, one that made many Adonis followers hold their faces up high with pride. 

While walking up the grand 50-step outdoor stairway, Java has often felt that if Adonis had a palace in the heavens, it would be so similar to this.

The outdoor stairs looked like they were made for giants, which only enhanced their uniqueness even more. 

Java could only sigh in delight, thinking that soon, his coronation would begin and all this would be under his control. 

Many passed by, quickly stopped and dropped to their knees when seeing his mask.

"We greet the Holy heir."

"Hmmm..." Java tried calmly, as he proceeded forward till he reached a majestic building at the center of the Holy Grounds.

Looking at the building, Java couldn\'t help smiling victoriously.

Today, he was here to witness the power of Adonis\'s new weapons. 

But why was today\'s demonstration so important?

It was because the weapons were made with the blessings of the HOLY feather!