Thales did not know much about the gods.
Most of it was limited to the two great temples in Eternal Star City — Sunset and Dark Night. The former's priests were compassionate but overbearing (yes, these two could appear on the same person at the same time without contradicting each other), while the latter's believers were kind but neurotic (yes, these two did not contradict each other).
At least, this was Thales' perception.
But this was his first time in Bright Moon's territory.
Northland's Bright Moon Temple.
Thales approached High Priestess Holme cautiously with a face full of suspicion.
The statue behind the high priestess was quite awe-inspiring when he looked at it up close, just like Raikaru's statue.
On the altar, there were a few Everlasting Lamps surrounding the statue of the deity, slightly illuminating the dim room.
The high priestess' face was still hidden behind a veil. A pair of clear eyes stared at Thales with a strange color.
Her emotions were unclear.
Thales felt a little uneasy when he was stared at by those clear eyes.
He turned his head subconsciously, only to see Putray, Nicholas, Mirk, and the rest retreating to other rooms. Little Rascal was dragged into another room by the White Blade Guards, occasionally turning her head to look at him.
'Alright.
Looks like it's just me and her. '
Thales turned his head back and took a deep breath, preparing to face the mysterious priestess.
But when he looked up, he saw the Bright Moon Goddess statue behind High Priestess Holme.
The Bright Moon Goddess' emotionless stone eyes seemed to be staring somewhere else, indifferent to everything around her.
It was completely different from the Sunset Goddess statue in Eternal Star City.
Thales still remembered the scene when he snuck into Sunset Temple to beg. He once stuck his head out from the steps of the altar to look around, and he was shocked by the statue of the goddess. The eyes of the Sunset Goddess seemed to be vigilant all the time, closely watching every person who saw her statue.
Of course, Sunset Temple was much grander than this shabby — Thales observed the decorations around him and could not help but stick out his tongue — Bright Moon Altar.
"You are confused."
Thales was startled and suddenly realized that High Priestess Holme was talking to him.
The high priestess' tone was almost the same as when she presided over a duel. Her voice was ethereal and emotionless.
Holme's eyes were still locked on him.
Compared to the High Priestess Liscia of the Sunset Temple, this High Priestess lacked an overbearing aura. Instead, she had a unique aura of quietness and hibernation.
Thales opened his mouth slightly. With countless questions in his heart, he answered tentatively, "I … am indeed so."
High Priestess Holme did not speak. She continued to stand quietly under the Bright Moon God Statue. Her temperament and the atmosphere of the god statue behind her actually matched very well.
Thales frowned. His eyes darted around the altar, and he could not help but say, "Um, actually …"
He could not go on.
Holme interrupted him coldly. "Have you ever seen a god?"
Thales raised an eyebrow.
Oh my god.
He really wasn't in the mood to discuss this right now.
Outside the temple, Lampard, the Walton Family, Eckstedt, and Constellation had a whole lot of trouble waiting for him!
When he thought of this, Thales sighed. "I'm sorry, I'm now …"
But the High Priestess did not seem to want him to speak.
"Since an unknown period of history, when all living beings in the mortal world began to compete with each other for their own insignificant lives, the concept of gods has existed in the minds of mortals," Holme said flatly.
Thales was slightly stunned. "What?"
High Priestess Holme's eyes shone with the color of clear water, and her voice was tranquil and natural.
"In the history of the mortal world, the first batch of gods were closely related to the images in the hearts of mortals," she said softly. "Holy Sun, Bright Moon, Dark Night, Mountains, Sea Shepherd, Harvest, Desert."
Thales' eyelids twitched.
From the mysterious temple to the legends spoken by the people, he had heard a few of them.
"These gods do not have their own names. They do not have names that can be called by the mortals, and they do not have names that can be understood by the mortals," the high priestess said slowly, but her next sentence took a turn.
"But do these gods really exist?"
'Hmm?'
Thales was shocked.
'What the hell?'
In the face of the high priestess' baffling question, he looked at the stone statue and the altar behind the high priestess, then at the high priestess' veil. He was a little troubled about how to answer and how to quickly escape.
"If I remember correctly, you are the priestess of the goddess behind me," Thales said awkwardly, grabbing his hair. "And for you to ask me this question, it is a little …"
"There is no conflict," Holme said flatly.
Thales raised his eyebrows and revealed a puzzled expression.
High Priestess Holme turned her head and glanced at the stone statue behind her. "The gods that mortals believe in and the gods themselves are not the same thing."
'Huh?'
Thales was stunned again.
'The gods they believe in are not the same as the real gods?
'This … Should this be something a high priestess, or even a High Priestess — the spokesperson of the gods in the world should say?
'Why does it sound so … reactionary?'
High Priestess Holme said softly, "Have you ever wondered why the bright moon behind me has the image of a human?"
Thales' eyebrows twitched slightly.
He looked at the stone statue behind Holme.
The goddess' expression was still cold and indifferent.
"Why?" he asked involuntarily.
Holme's veil trembled slightly. As she spoke, it vibrated. "Do you know the Bright God?"
"The Bright God?"
Thales thought of something. "Wait, I've heard of this name —"
Holme did not let him continue.
"The supreme god of light, Lo Sophia." The head priestess of the Bright Moon Divine Hall said indifferently, "She was once the only true god recognized by the entire empire, the creator of the world, the supreme god among gods."
"It wasn't the earliest recorded God in the mortal world, but it was certainly the most widely spread God among the humans. When the war between the humans and the Orcs broke out, its name was sung among the first batch of human believers of the God. For a thousand years, until the Ancient Empire disappeared and completely collapsed, the rise and fall of the Bright God Church was interspersed in human history, witnessing the independence, unification, and expansion of humans. "
Thales listened to Holme's history lesson in embarrassment. He was a little dazed.
Usually, he would be very curious and interested.
But now …
'God.
'Is there a better way to politely express something like "I'm hanging up" or "I'm going offline" face-to-face?'
High Priestess Holme did not seem to care about Thales' embarrassment at all. She only continued to speak. "That's why humans look like gods." She did not seem to care about Thales' embarrassment at all. She continued to speak, "That's why humans look like gods."
She lowered her head and looked at Thales. "Do you believe it?"
Thales was startled again.
"Err." He shrugged. As he thought of a reason to escape, he answered perfunctorily, "I … I don't know."
However, the other party did not seem to want him to answer.
"The truth is, when the Bright God Church fell apart with the fall of the Ancient Empire, the glory of the Supreme Bright God gradually dimmed." Holme's voice gradually became softer, as though she was brewing a wave of emotions. "Even humans themselves rarely mentioned the existence of the Bright God."
The High Priestess shook her head slowly. She seemed to be a little mocking and emotional. "If gods really exist, if they really are the creator of all things in the world, why would they allow such a thing to happen?"
Thales frowned slightly.
"So, gods don't exist?" He spread his hands and asked tentatively, "All the gods are … are imagined by the believers? Alright, err, it's a very interesting point of view. I understand. I still have something to do, so I'll first — "
But Holme interrupted his attempt to stop the conversation again.
"You're not listening to me."
Thales shrugged helplessly. "Alright, but is it really okay to talk about these things to a child?"
High Priestess Holme shook her head and said flatly, "You and I both know that you're not a child."
This simple sentence suddenly made Thales nervous.
The high priestess continued softly, "Do not look down on something just because it is inconspicuous or not related to the current priority.
"From the moment you embarked on your journey, every inconspicuous detail could be an opportunity to dominate your future: the statue, the dagger, the shawl, the fangs, the brooch, the messenger crow, the statue, the glasses, the bloodline." High Priestess Holme narrowed her eyes. "Every detail.
I believe you have a deep feeling about this. "
Thales frowned.
He sensed something unusual from the high priestess' words.
Three seconds later, Thales sighed helplessly.
'I really don't have time. We're still running for our lives, aren't we?
'But …'
"So," he asked weakly, "what is a god?"
Holme raised her head slowly and stared at the stone statue behind her. "The gods that believers believe in are only their own gods."
'Alright.
'If I really have to ramble on and on about these things …'
Thales took a deep breath.
The second prince raised his head, braced himself, and said seriously to the high priestess, "So, the real gods are different from the gods in faith?
"Is this what you want to say?"
Holme did not speak.
She only stared at Thales quietly.
Thales returned her gaze, trying his best not to think about his current predicament and problem.
It was very strange. During the process of meeting the high priestess' gaze, the heavy feeling in his heart slowly dissipated.
A few seconds later, Holme spoke softly.
"Mortals often use their own limited imagination to understand the gods in their hearts." There seemed to be a kind of magic in the high priestess' eyes that attracted Thales' gaze. "Those are the gods that they look forward to, fear, loathe, revere, love, and worship."
At that moment, Thales had the illusion that the high priestess' eyes were shining.
"According to what they know, mortals endow the gods in their hearts with all kinds of existences and definitions, from their images to their actions, from their deeds to their personalities, from their birth to their end. They even give them names similar to mortals."
Holme narrowed her eyes slightly. With one hand on her shoulder and the other on her hip, she struck a pose similar to that of the goddess behind her. "For example, Errol."
Thales frowned slightly.
"So," he stared at the statue behind the high priestess, curiosity welled up in his heart. "Does the Bright Moon Goddess have a name? Are there other gods? Sunset? Dark Night? Master of Mountains? "
Holme shook her head slowly.
"To be given a mortal name by mortals in the hearts of the people, and then be called out by the mouths of the people in unison — this is a connection with extraordinary significance.
"In the known records and long history, only two gods have accepted … or rather, been willing to accept this connection."
Holme continued, "They are also the gods who are most deeply involved with the world of mortals. They are even used to name the world of mortals."
Thales was stunned again.
'A' mortal name 'that is called out by the people is an extraordinary connection?'
For some reason, at that moment, he suddenly remembered Asda's words: "When you become a Mystic and find your own name of origin …"
'Name of origin.
Mortal name. '
Thales' eyelids twitched.
'Why do they all emphasize the importance of names?'
His curiosity was suddenly piqued.
"Two gods with names … err … 'mortal names'?" The second prince scratched his head. "Alright, one of them is Errol. I know this — it's the Errol World. Then, who is the other one? "
"You are not listening to me," High Priestess Holme repeated coldly.
She had no intention of satisfying his curiosity.
Thales narrowed his eyes.
But this time, in front of the high priestess, the prince felt as if he was being lectured by a teacher, "Why are you so stupid?"
Before he could react, Holme had already continued to speak.
"Mortals portray gods in their own image because that is the scope of what mortals know," the high priestess said flatly. "Faith is born amidst countless feelings of love and hate.
"People who believe in gods gather in groups, connect with each other, resonate with each other, entrust their hearts to each other. Churches, temples, altars, and rituals are built one after another." Holme raised her hand and gestured at the temples around her. "Just like that, formless faith becomes a tangible existence.
"The communication between the gods and mortals completed the first cycle of reincarnation."
Thales furrowed his brows and listened to High Priestess Holme.
"Why does the Bright Moon Goddess have such an appearance?" The high priestess returned to her original topic. "It is not because God created humans in her own image, but because the people who believe in her look like this.
"But perhaps you need to understand." High Priestess Holme's eyes shone with fierceness. "Gods are gods, and faith is faith.
"The former is in God, and the latter is in humans."
Thales thought of something.
"Wait a minute, you mean …" Thales pondered over the high priestess' words and said slowly, "So, gods exist independently, and the gods in the believers' hearts are imagined by themselves?"
Holme did not answer him directly.
High Priestess Holme's eyes shone with a strange emotion. "At the beginning of faith, mortals were used to categorizing things they could not understand into the category of gods. They only needed to understand the existence of gods, and then hand over the things they could not understand to the gods to solve."
"It is as if by believing in the existence of gods, they can solve those incomprehensible puzzles.
"This is precisely the biggest problem."
Thales raised his eyebrows. He did not quite understand her intentions.
High Priestess Holme stared straight into Thales' eyes. "Gods are obviously things that mortals cannot understand. But mortals think that they understand gods. From the beginning to the end, they believe in gods with shallow thinking, and rely on gods."
"To create gods.
This is where the contradiction lies. "
Thales exhaled and shrugged. "Are you trying to say that the existence of gods surpasses the understanding of mortals?"
High Priestess Holme's veil moved slightly, giving Thales the illusion that she was smiling. "Or conversely, the understanding of mortals surpasses the existence of gods."
High Priestess Holme sighed softly.
She closed her eyes and said slowly, "Mortals always judge gods with their own poor thinking. Because of their short lifespans, they imagine gods to be eternal and immortal existences.
"Because of their weak power, they presume gods to be existences with unparalleled power.
"Because they think of themselves as a member of the multitude of living beings, they imagine gods to be stronger and of a higher level than them."
Under Thales' gaze, Holme suddenly opened her eyes. Her speech gradually sped up. "The problem is, eternity, power, life, these mortal things …
"If gods are indeed beyond the understanding of mortals and stand in a different perspective, then do they really care about these things?
"Do they care about faith?
"Do they care about believers?
"Do they care about power and eternity?
"In fact, do they even care about whether they exist or not?"
Thales watched Holme finish her words in puzzlement, but he did not want to interrupt her.
'I'm not a god, am I?'
Thales scratched his head and sighed.
"But in the myths, Errol sacrificed himself to save the world, didn't he?" He said with a headache, "The God of Dark Night always descends to the mortal world … The Master of Mountains even asked his believers to help those in the Day Before the Bitter Cold Winter —"
Thales did not continue.
Because he saw Holme smiling.
Despite the veil, Thales could somehow recognize that the High Priestess of Bright Moon Temple was smiling faintly.
"Where did you hear these words?" the High Priestess asked softly, as if she was afraid of waking up a sleeping child.
"Of course …" Thales exhaled, but he was immediately stunned and his words stopped at the tip of his tongue.
He mumbled, "The temple, and the rumors."
Thales raised his head and asked tentatively, "But this is the understanding of mortals, right?"
"The real gods, perhaps far beyond our imagination, are another kind of existence."
Holme inhaled slowly. Her veil trembled slightly.
"Believers always exist before their gods. Only then can they believe in gods that belong to them alone," she said faintly.
Thales frowned again.
He thought of something.
"High Priestess Holme," he said tentatively, "You are the spokesperson of the Bright Moon Goddess. You have also prayed, communicated with God, and conveyed God's will, right?"
Holme did not answer.
Thales slowly lifted the corners of his mouth and asked cautiously, "If, as you say, gods are truly those incomprehensible existences …
"Then why did she respond to you?"
Holme slowly raised her eyes.
Her clear pupils were like a light source that shone straight into Thales' heart.
"Oh." High Priestess Holme's thin veil moved slightly, and her clear voice came from behind.
It was a rhetorical question.
"Did she respond?"
Thales was completely stunned.
High Priestess Holme slowly turned to face the stone statue of the Bright Moon Goddess and the altar.
Only then did Thales notice that in the center of the altar, there was a special Eternal Oil Lamp. It shone with silver …
'Silver flames?'
Thales' heart skipped a beat.
'There are flames of this color?'
Thales stared at the priestess' back in confusion.
The doubts in his heart grew.
"Why?" He could not help but ask, "Why are you saying these things? The existence of gods? "
Holme shook her head slowly.
"Last night, you made your first choice."
'Choice?
'Last night's choice …
'Last night …'
Thales' breathing slowed down without him realizing it.
"But one day," the High Priestess of the Bright Moon Goddess said slowly, "You may face an important choice again, perhaps even a choice."
'Choice?
Face an important choice again …
'What … What does all this mean?'
High Priestess Holme's back seemed to contain a mysterious power. Her voice traveled slowly and was extremely clear, "When that time comes, when you stand at an angle and height that no existence can imagine, and think with a mind that transcends mortals …
"You may recall what I said today."
Thales' heart felt as if it had been struck by lightning.
'A mind that transcends mortals …'
At that moment, Thales recalled the moment when he 'knocked on the Door'.
That experience and experience that seemed like a dream.
That delusion that he was the world.
That languid and contented feeling that everything was not within his attention …
At this second, as he stared at Holme's mysterious back, Thales was truly a little afraid.
His arms began to tremble.
'How did she know?
What does she know?
What does she intend to do? '
Thales' breathing became faster and more urgent.
Finally, he could no longer suppress the fear and doubts in his heart. He blurted out, "Why, High Priestess Holme?
What do you mean … What do you want?
Whether it's the sanctuary or … all these words today, what are they all for?
Why me? "he said loudly.
In front of the altar, High Priestess Holme slowly turned her head.
Under the illumination of the silver light, her veil emitted a brilliant light.
He was like a god from the legends.
"Because …" Holme's gaze shone with a different brilliance. "An old friend asked me to take care of you."
Thales seemed to have grasped onto a life-saving straw. The impulse in his heart compelled him to get to the bottom of it.
"Old friend?"
The second prince lost his composure and asked loudly, "Who?"
"He believes that you are different." But High Priestess Holme only sighed and did not reveal the answer. "He believes that you will do better.
"He has sacrificed too much.
"Don't let him down."
Thales froze on the spot.
'I'm … different?'
"And."
"Next time, call me Juwle," High Priestess Juwle Holme said softly. "In comparison, I prefer this name."
"You can go now," High Priestess Holme said flatly with her back facing him, "Be careful of your choices."
In the next second, the high priestess closed her mouth. No matter how Thales asked, she did not speak again.
A few minutes later, Thales finally left the altar absent-mindedly.
Only Juwle was left standing quietly in front of the altar and the statue.
After a while, Juwle slowly raised her head.
"I'm watching him." High Priestess Juwle Holme, who was standing under the Bright Moon Goddess statue, looked up at the Bright Moon Goddess in a silver robe and veil, and said calmly, "I warned him …"
"… right."
On the altar, the Bright Moon Goddess' expression was still cold.
She did not move.
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