As soon as Gwen's voice trailed off, the Courtyard of Disobedience fell silent again.
Amoun suddenly felt that there were too many awkward moments in the courtyard today.
But this time, the awkward silence did not last long. Amoun soon understood something deeper from Gwen's words. He gradually reacted, and the layer of holy light that shrouded his body flowed like water. He sighed softly. "Ah, yes, she doesn't believe in me. That's right …"
The former God of Nature softly muttered to himself, and then suddenly asked, "When was the original upper class of the Church of Druil reorganized?"
"Almost a thousand years ago, maybe even earlier." Gwen nodded and told the history he heard from Bersetia. "It was a gradual process. In the Silver Empire, the upper class of the Druil Church first removed a series of fringe parish privileges, and then gradually moved closer to the secular imperial power, and found a new self-support with the Elven Court and the High Elven Council as the core. About a thousand years ago, the role of 'High Priest of Druil' in the elven royal family was more symbolic than practical, but before that, the upper class of the Druil Church actually existed in name only."
Amoun pondered in a short silence. No one knew what the God of Nature was thinking at this moment. He only sighed in the end. "I was born in the hearts of mortals, and I should die in the hearts of mortals."
"But not all mortals chose the 'Godless Era'." Gwen looked at Amoun's crystal-like eyes. "You should know that three thousand years … is not enough for the elves to complete a complete transition between life and old. There are still a few elves who have believed in you living in this world, especially … those who have been blessed by you and have a longer lifespan. They are still alive now. "
Amoun looked at Gwen quietly. After a while, he said softly, "That Silver Queen is here to solve this problem, right?"
Gwen did not answer, but his silence was a confirmation. Although he had not yet mentioned the purpose of Bersetia's visit, the former God had already guessed the answer, so there was no need for him to say anything more.
"I understand." The light flowing around Amoun gradually calmed down, and there was a sudden sense of relief in his tone. "It's also a good thing. Let the Silver Queen come, I am already prepared to meet her. By the way, where is she now? "
"She's in Cecil City," Gwen said with a smile. "She's waiting nervously for me to arrange a meeting between you and her."
"Looks like you already knew that I would agree," Ah Mo 'en said half-jokingly with a hint of a smile in his tone.
"Why are you so confident? Have you ever thought about what if I don't agree to meet you? "
"You will definitely agree," Gwen said with a calm smile. Was his smile really as confident as he said?
"You went to crash into the Voyager's space station three thousand years ago?
Not just to lie here for three thousand years, right?
Wasn't it? "
Amoun narrowed his eyes and did not say anything. Gwen looked at the two Gods with a smile.
He then took a step back and said, "Then allow me to leave first. I have to make the arrangements."
After Gwen left?
Mirmina looked at Amoun, who was still quietly lying on the ground. After a long while, she suddenly broke the silence. "What are you thinking about?"
"I just suddenly remembered the Silver Queen from three thousand years ago … That should be Bersetia's grandmother," Amoun said softly.
"She used to talk to me by the altar in the sacred place, although most of the time I couldn't directly respond to her voice.
She used to make offerings on the altar that she picked herself from the garden … until the day I suddenly left. Now think about it?
I didn't even say goodbye to her at that time. "
Mirmina lowered her eyes. "Regret?"
"Just regret?"
Amoun closed his eyes?
"My unauthorized departure changed the fate of too many mortals?
I just hope that when she leaves this world … she doesn't have too many obsessions in her heart. "
Mirmina did not say anything for a while. She was thinking about her own matters in silence. After a long time, she suddenly said, "You have a lot of believers who left a deep impression on you. Those devout ones who keep nagging in your ears … I don't have them."
"Envious? But that's not a good thing. "
"Of course it's not a good thing.
So I'm not envious at all? "
Mirmina said casually.
At the same time, she glanced at the Magic Net Terminal that was on standby not far away.
"By the way, do you mind if I watch by the side?"
"Do as you wish. I can't drive you away."
…
The next morning, Bersetia woke up very early.
She came to the living room next to the dormitory and saw the first ray of sunlight was shining through the crystal glass window not far away, slanting on the opposite wall.
A high-grade elf maid stood by the floor-to-ceiling window. She came out from the sunlight with a silver cup in her hand. With a very solemn posture, the high-grade elf maid presented the cup in her hand to the Silver Queen. The exquisite vessel made of pure silver rippled with a thin light golden liquid, and the mellow smell slowly drifted in the air. Bersetia took the cup with a solemn expression and drank it in one gulp.
According to the ancient ritual, the deacon should wake up with the sun on a holy day and drink honey wine that symbolized the "pure blood of nature" under the sun to cleanse her soul.
Her personal maid, Irene, came from the side and helped the Silver Queen change into a classical and exquisite priestess robe. The robe was complex and exquisite, with a pure white base. This was because the legendary God of Nature was pure white all over, and there were exquisite green patterns on it, symbolizing the lush green forest and the cycle of "life" in the cycle of nature. There were black patterns on the edge of the skirt and near the collar, symbolizing the cycle of "death" in the cycle of nature.
After changing into the robe, there was a series of rituals such as incense, combing, and anointing with holy oil, all of which had ancient symbolism and strict standards. The high-grade maids, who were also Druil's assistants, skillfully helped the Silver Queen with these sacred preparations. As the core of the ritual, Bersetia stood quietly among the busy maids, waiting for the process to end.
What kind of feelings did the priests of three thousand years ago have when they performed these sacred rituals? Devotion from the bottom of his heart? Truly moved? Or a combination of both? Bersetia, who lived in an era without gods, fantasized in her heart, but she was unable to experience the emotions of her ancestors … Because to her, all of this was merely her duty as the Silver Empress. It was her job, and it was essential for her to maintain the dignity of the royal family. After all, she had lived like this since she was young.
But today, there was a different feeling in her heart, and this feeling came from what she was going to do today. In three thousand years, she was going to be the first Silver Elf to talk to the gods again. These sacred things suddenly seemed to have some meaning, but before she understood these meanings, the biggest feeling in her heart … was still anxiety and uneasiness.
When all the preparations were done, Bersetia let out a sigh of relief. She stretched out her hand and rubbed her somewhat tense cheeks. This action was not dignified enough, but it broke the heavy feeling of oppression brought by the priest's robe. Not far away, the door opened, and an elf maid appeared in front of her. "Your Majesty, His Majesty Gawain Cecil is already waiting outside."
"I know." Bersetia nodded, and then glanced at Irene, who almost never left her side. "Irene, I have to go alone. You wait here for me to come back."
"Yes, Your Majesty."
In the corridor, the Silver Queen came in front of Gwen. This beautiful elf-style costume surprised Gwen a little. He blinked and said, "This is the first time I have seen the most orthodox religious costume of the classic Druil sect. It's better than I thought."
"The highest-level priest's robe is only worn in the grandest and most special 'sacrament', and such things are hardly open to outsiders. It's normal that you haven't seen it before." Bersetia smiled. After seeing Gwen, her accumulated tension seemed to have eased a little, but at the same time, she looked a little worried. "Should I not do these ritualistic preparations? According to what you said, we should avoid establishing a connection with the gods, especially today … "
"Don't worry. Since I agreed to do this, I am prepared. The anti-divinity barrier has begun to operate, and everything you do today is part of the experiment," Gwen said, his expression became slightly solemn. "And on the other hand, the role of these rituals is actually not as big as you think. Without the 'direction' in the mind, the solemn ritual itself is just a ritual. It is said that the smartest monkeys in the Ancestral Forest know how to imitate the actions of the priests on the altar, and even baptize themselves with holy water like humans. But have you heard of any monkey that has received the grace of the gods and mastered the divine power? "
Bersetia thought for a moment and suddenly laughed. "… That's true. But Uncle Gwen, your example is not very good. "
…
In the deepest part of the Citadel of Disobedience, footsteps were heard in the corridor leading to the inner court. Light flowed quietly in the magic net runes and prefabricated rune boards. Modern magic crystal lamps were inlaid on the walls built with ancient Gondor technology. The light emitted by the lamps dispelled the darkness that should have shrouded the place for a long time, and allowed visitors to feel at ease in the light.
Bersetia was 30% nervous and 70% curious. As she walked forward beside Gwen, she looked at the surrounding rooms from time to time. This ancient facility had been modified and renovated by modern means to a certain extent, but most of it still maintained its ancient appearance. The Gondor era text and remaining magic devices looked quite space-time dislocated to her.
Some of the things that piqued her interest were the 'staff' that she occasionally saw along the way.
In the Citadel of Disobedience in the material world, she had seen many humans coming and going in the corridors and rooms. The entire Citadel in the mountain was a busy large base, and the frequency of personnel shuttling was no less than that of the factories and research institutes in the city. But she did not expect to see staff stationed in the Citadel of Disobedience in the Shadow Realm. Although the number of staff was much smaller, she still saw that some of the rooms were brightly lit, and researchers in white uniforms were busy inside. There were also people hurrying in the corridor outside, holding folders or crystal plates that stored images in their hands.
The Silver Queen's face was full of surprise.
Her change of expression did not escape Gawain's eyes. He turned to look at the blonde woman who was looking around and was no longer as solemn as before. A smile appeared on his face. "Looks like you're a little surprised by the 'popularity' here?"
"I thought this place would be more … lifeless." Bersetia thought for a moment and spoke her mind frankly. "After all, I heard that not long ago, this place was a 'forbidden zone', and even most of the Citadel of Disobedience outside was in a state of lockdown. But now it seems that you have developed this place into an official research facility?"
"Actually, it was not long ago." Gwen nodded. "We have restarted many of the research projects in the Gondor era, and the Citadel of Disobedience and the Citadel of Disobedience are the most suitable research facilities. This place has a unique 'geographical advantage' and some protective devices that are still in operation today. So we have moved in personnel and equipment."
"Is this the so-called 'analytical god'?" Bersetia could not help but whisper. "Such a large-scale participation, such a natural action … It is completely different from what I had guessed before."
Gwen could not help but ask curiously, "What was your original guess?"
"… Just like what my father once did, in an extremely secretive place, an extremely small number of people were conducting extremely secretive research. None of the results were dared to be made public, and the entire process would eventually be destroyed. Only unexplained orders and ambiguous answers would be sent out."
"What's the point of doing that?" Gwen stopped and looked at Bersetia with a half-smile. "This is not even comparable to the Gondor era's Disobedience Project."
He shook his head, retracted his gaze, looked at the end of the corridor, and continued as if talking to himself, "It doesn't make sense … But many people are doing something similar to you, like those dark cults, like the royal family of Typhon … A cautious attitude is not wrong, but it is far from enough.
"You should not be in awe of the gods while analyzing them. On this bold path, only when we don't treat the gods as gods can we get closer to the truth of the gods.
"Bersetia, we are here. This is the last door. Behind the door is the 'courtyard' of the former god."
Bersetia realized that the corridor had come to an end, and an alloy gate engraved with many ancient runes was in front of her. There were no technicians walking around, and on the walls on both sides, there were eye-catching, illuminated warning signs. The signs used large letters to remind visitors:
There is a god in front, please do not approach.
As Gwen's voice trailed off, the alloy gate creaked open under the push of a series of mechanical structures. However, the corridor was not directly exposed to the outside world. A translucent energy barrier appeared there as the last safe barrier between the 'mortal world' and the 'gods'. Bersetia saw through the barrier, and in the darkness in the distance, there was a mountain of light rising.
It was the Mythological Era of the elves that had been lost for 3,000 years.
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