Perhaps we were wrong to associate it with religion from the very beginning. Perhaps it was just a local custom, and the belief in the Goddess had penetrated deep into every corner of the world. That was why there was a "priest distributing meat", which was a little theocratic. Apart from this, we could not find anything related to religious beliefs at the scene. Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation
In fact, similar customs existed in many places, and it was not uncommon on Earth. Moreover, the more backward the economy and the more primitive the social structure was, the more such customs could prevail and spread in various forms. In the season of harvest, or when a great deal of game had been caught, or on any other day of special significance, the whole village was called together for this grand celebration. This primitive celebration was usually very simple. Everyone would gather together to have a good meal. There would not be any dazzling performances, and there would not be any opening or closing speeches. Every household tacitly took out their food and other things and shared it with everyone. Those who had more food at home would take more, and those who did not have much food at home would bring out a table or three or four chairs. The less materialistic villagers used this method to enjoy what they called "days of prosperity." As long as it was lively enough, even if it was a big pot of rice in the wind outside, they would still be in high spirits. That was what we were seeing. It was not a religious ceremony, nor was it a legal holiday. It was just that Blockhead had hunted a bear that was enough for the whole village to eat, so everyone gathered together to have a meal.
Maybe it was because we were too busy in the other world, and we had encountered too many complicated conspiracies and formalized situations. Now that we were suddenly thrown into a place where everyone's motives were so pure, we thought too much about it at first. But after we put these trivial matters aside, everyone happily gathered together with the enthusiastic villagers. Shallow Shallow disappeared in the blink of an eye. Most likely, she was running around with a bunch of kids, acting like a king. Visca also disappeared next to me. That girl's curiosity and liveliness were second only to Shallow Shallow. She was probably studying the desserts on someone's table, or maybe she was studying the foundation of someone's house. Pandora was quite obedient. She sat next to me, munching on a bone with a blank expression. Her little head nodded like a puppy that was focused on eating. I ruffled the little girl's hair. She lifted her head and said, "Brother, it's salty."
"Ugh, there's too much salt." I pushed the bowl of porridge in front of her. This porridge was made by the fierce priest who tied his priest robe around his waist. The so-called gathering of the whole village actually consisted of two types of food: stewed meat and plain porridge. Apart from that, everyone had to prepare their own food. Everyone would bring out the desserts or dry rations that they had prepared last night and place them on the big table in the middle. Everyone was free to take what they wanted. My family even contributed ten pounds of cake. This action won us a good impression among the villagers. Because of this, Pandora was given a stool that was much higher than everyone else.
I looked around and realized that this was basically a buffet of unprecedented scale. The fierce priest was already free. Now, he was squatting at an inconspicuous spot outside the crowd, looking at the scene with a smile. His priest robe was still tied around his waist like an apron. It seemed like he didn't intend to have a meal with everyone. I asked Lin Xue to stay here to accompany Pandora while I stood up with Icetis and walked to the side of the incredible 'priest'.
"Do you mind if I talk for a while?" I directly sat on a rock by the side of the road and greeted the 'village priest'.
"It's fine, it's fine. I'm just bored." The chubby uncle chuckled and nodded his head. He pointed at the goddess pendant hanging on his chest. "The goddess said that we should be willing to listen to other people talk. I think that's pretty true."
Icetis sat on the other side of me and couldn't help but mutter to herself, "The elder has been dead for so many years. This doctrine might have been made up in the name of God by some chuunibyou who endured on an uninhabited island for seven or eight years."
I hurriedly coughed twice to cover the female pervert's voice. "Cough cough … I haven't asked around yet. How should I address you?"
"Oh, just call me Ron. My Christian name is too convoluted. I don't even remember it." The chubby uncle lifted his priest robe to fan himself. Although it was late autumn and the weather was cold, there was still some sweat on Ron's face. He looked at me and Icetis who sat on the ground and smiled. "I heard that you are a scholar and a cursemancer from the Imperial City. Your words are quite pleasant to listen to. I have also interacted with those important people in the Imperial City. It's really tiring to talk to them. I can't even raise my voice or lower it."
It seemed that this was a person who could easily open his mouth. This kind of person wouldn't be difficult to deal with as long as you had the right temperament. I also had some confidence in my heart. At this time, I also had the opportunity to take a good look at Priest Ron's appearance. He was a tall middle-aged man with a face that looked like a black descendant of North America. This priest's body was very strong. Other than the lines of muscles revealed under his clothes, his belly was a little chubby. He had dark skin and a bald spot in the middle of his head. His dark brown hair that didn't take care of formed a ring around his head. His chin had a few days of stubble that he hadn't shaved for a few days. No matter how I looked at it, this appearance was very different from a kind-looking priest. It was more like someone who had gone astray and was just released after being reformed for two years. If this appearance was on Earth, he wouldn't even need to do anything. Just by walking around in front of the police station, he would be able to attract the attention of the police. A timid taxi driver wouldn't dare to take such a master to any place outside of the Fourth Ring Road after eight at night …
"You really don't look like a priest," I couldn't help but say. Then, in case the custom of this world was to judge faith based on muscles, I quickly added, "You don't quite fit the image of a priest in my heart."
Ron seemed to be used to people saying that. His expression was very calm. "Well, you're right. I don't think I'm cut out for this. But I did study in a proper seminary and stayed in the capital for two years. I was the most 'capable' person in the village. I could have been an assistant bishop in a small city if I stayed for two more years. Unfortunately, I didn't live up to expectations. I couldn't stand the bunch of rules, so I went back to the village to be a priest. Hehe … "
"Well, you like me," Icetis said playfully. As a goddess, she made an evaluation of a member of the church who dared to drop out of seminary. "If I had the determination to drop out of school, I wouldn't have been tortured for so long."
Ron looked at Icetis blankly. I guess it was the first time in his life that he saw someone wearing a noble's dress and calling herself 'me'. In fact, he didn't have to be so surprised. It was also the first time in my life that I saw someone wearing a priest's robe as an apron …
"Speaking of which, we've been traveling around the world and studying wild animals these years. We're almost out of touch with human society." I saw that the time was right, so I used the excuse of traveling around the world again. After a day of perfecting it, this excuse could basically be used to trick people without exposing themselves. "Now, my wife is a little dissatisfied with the days of traveling around the world. Our family is planning to settle down a little, and it just so happens that I can also study theology and cultural legends of various places. After traveling around for so many years, I realized that not many people are interested in wild animals in the wild. It's still better to study the relationships between people … "
I tried my best to create the image of a frustrated scholar who was preparing to settle down and change topics. I hoped to change the topic to the direction of theology and folklore. At the same time, I used my experienced (self-proclaimed) eyes to look for Shallow Shallow's figure in the crowd. After all, I had dragged her into the conversation just now. According to the script, when a man laments that his family has suffered because of him, he should look at his wife. However, Lin Xue's seat was blocked by people, so I couldn't see her. In the end, when I saw Shallow Shallow's figure, she ran over excitedly and shook my arm. "Ah Jun, Ah Jun, I heard that there are dragons in the mountains nearby. When are we going to take a look?"
I was speechless.
While I was in a daze, Shallow Shallow had already disappeared. My face twisted as I explained to Ron, "That, when I said that I wanted to settle down, it was actually the other …"
Fortunately, Miss Lin didn't jump out to cause trouble. Even more fortunately, Ron didn't have much interest in other people's private matters. He gave me an understanding expression and nodded. "Yes, I understand. After spending so much time outside, you have to settle down eventually. Also, I see that you have two children …"
"They are my younger sisters. The older one is called Pandora and the younger one is called Visca. They are actually both grown girls. It's because they took the wrong medicine when they were young that they didn't grow taller. So, it's best not to provoke them in this aspect."
As soon as I said this nonsense, I felt that there were two 1.2 meters tall heat sources in the crowd starting to accumulate rage bars again. Is this an illusion?
"Oh, so that's how it is. Your family is quite lively." Ron didn't know that there were two short melons destroying the world in his mind. Instead, he seemed to have become closer to me because of my family gossip. "What you said just now is right. The outside world isn't peaceful. How many good things can there be in the wilderness? Even if there are good things, you may not have the life to study them. Now that a few major countries have finally signed a peace treaty, the Dark Moon has begun to become more and more unstable. It is said that the phenomenon of black armies gathering outside has begun to appear. They are either demons or other monsters, or Dark Moon citizens such as monsters. Most people can't wait to avoid them. Who would be interested in these things? Now, except for mercenaries and adventurers, no one goes to those places. It is more reliable to study some knowledge in books. Little brother, I see that you speak quite honestly, unlike ordinary nobles. But in this regard, I still have to say that with your identity, you are only suitable to study the things left by your ancestors in the house like them. Someone has to take care of those things, right? After five Dark Moon Wars, even the name of the Goddess only has half of it left. What is this! "
My heart skipped a beat. It seemed that finding this priest was the right decision. The blockhead might have heard of the well-known legends in this world, but Ron in front of me was obviously an expert. Although his image didn't make people think of him as an expert scholar, it seemed that those two years in the Divinity Academy were not in vain …
I pretended to be very casual and said, "Every war is a great loss of life. For ordinary people, war has no beneficial side. But I haven't studied history much before. Why don't we talk about the Dark Moon War? Of course, if you are not interested, then let's change the topic. "
I wasn't sure if the dark-skinned, fat man in front of me, who looked 30% like a chef and 70% like a prison cook, would be interested in this kind of genteel topic, so I purposely used this sentence to block him. I didn't believe that he would nod and say, "Okay, let's change the topic …"
Fortunately, Ron didn't resist this at all. Instead, he nodded happily and said, "I am good at talking about this. Back then, I majored in the teachings of the Divinity History and the Dark Moon War. But the villagers weren't interested in these things. I haven't talked about this for many years, and I don't know if they have forgotten what they learned back then. Which part do you want to listen to?"
I thought for a while and said, "How about this, since you are an expert, then you can treat me as a student waiting to be taught. Start from the first Dark Moon War and follow the way you tell religious stories and preach. You should be good at this."
Ron smiled happily. It had probably been a long time since he did his job as a missionary, and he seemed to be very happy. He took out a Bible that smelled like roasted meat and solemnly placed his hand on the cover of the book. "Goddess, I am going to preach about the Dark Moon War. According to the teachings, I hereby swear to the teachings that I will use loyal faith to balance thoughts and tell others the truth. I will be devout when I mention your name, and I will chant your name when I mention the Lord of the Dark Moon to protect the souls of the trainees."
I quickly sat up straight. I didn't expect 'Dark Moon' to be such a solemn topic in the teachings of the goddess.
"The Dark Moon is another world above our heads. Of course, you should all know this." Ron finished his oath and pointed to the sky. The 'world' he mentioned was obviously limited to the planet. For the locals, the scope of the world did not extend to the size of the universe. "The goddess told us that in the distant ancient times, there was a long bridge connecting the earth and the moon. At that time, the moon was not like this. It was bright and clean, with the same bright land and clear ocean as the world of Heisenwood under our feet. The Dark Moon and the earth were like a pair of twins, carrying everything in the world created by the goddess and moving forward in chaos. At that time, there was no distinction between the people of the earth and the people of the Dark Moon. All races were freely distributed on the earth and the moon. The long bridge made it easy for people to go back and forth between the moon and the earth. This period of peace was the era of the first heaven mentioned in the teachings. "
Ron paused and said, "By the way, some of this is considered basic knowledge. I am teaching it according to the teachings. If you find it troublesome, we can skip this part. Anyway, I would fall asleep when I talked about the Book of Creation in class."
I quickly waved my hand and said, "It's okay. To learn, you have to start from the basics. Go on."
Ron nodded and said, "Then go on. It is unknown how long the era of the first heaven lasted. In short, it was the best time in the world. Although there were conflicts between various races, on the whole, everyone always remembered that they were the people of the goddess. The goddess protected everything in the dark, and people built the first temples to worship the goddess. Those temples are the holy residences that can still be found now, but they can only be found on the earth. According to the information left by the people who went to the Dark Moon, the holy residences on the Dark Moon have all been demolished. Those bastards … Oh, forgive me, Goddess. I have to be calm. I have to be decent. "
The era of the First Heaven ended in war. There were several theories about the specific process of this matter. The current version of the Holy Grimoire was that the original sinners, namely the mountain barbarians, suddenly attacked the ancient human kingdom at that time and provoked the first real racial war. In the ancient times, the mountain barbarians and humans had always been in conflict. The mountain barbarians were brutal and unscrupulous. They were born with black witchcraft and divine power. They did not have many people, but they had the advantage of surprise attacks. They caught the human kingdom by surprise and left a path of scorched land. But the humans also reacted quickly. They then contacted the elves, the Blackwood people, the dwarves and a few other races in a very short period of time. They formed an alliance and prepared to fight back. The leader of the mountain barbarians was a cunning guy. He realized that he was not a match for so many enemies, so he pretended to negotiate for peace and invited the leaders of the alliance to discuss the peace. In order to show his sincerity and to dispel the concerns of the leaders of the alliance, he agreed to meet in a neutral territory outside of the warring parties. The place they chose was the territory of the monster tribe. The monster tribe at that time was a loose and multi-racial tribe. They stayed away from the human world and did not participate in any race's affairs. So everyone thought that it was an open and honest negotiation. "
Needless to say, I could guess that the problem was with the monster tribe. Whenever there was a word like "everyone thought" in this kind of event, there must be a divine twist behind it.
Sure enough, Ron followed up with, "However, the monster tribe had long been tempted by the mountain barbarians using black witchcraft. What happened at that time has been lost. The Holy Scripture did not record whether it was the leader of the mountain barbarians or the monster tribe who did it. In short, the leaders of the alliance were all killed."
After the alliance received this news, they suffered a huge blow. But what the mountain barbarians did not expect was that the alliance did not collapse. Instead, they elected a new leader in a very short period of time. The elves and human kings even personally went to the battlefield to become the commander of the alliance. In a short period of time, the alliance resumed their attack with a stronger morale. This time, the monster tribe also became the target of the alliance. Then, the scale of the war expanded beyond everyone's imagination. When the human races thought that the mountain barbarians and the monster tribe were about to be defeated, the other races on the earth and the moon suddenly announced that they would join the mountain barbarians' side. This was the alliance of the original Sinners. "
Nightmares, Halflings, Beastmen, Giants, these were all races that joined the original Sinners. After these powerful races formed another alliance, the war immediately spread to all the places on the earth and the moon. The original Sinners' army was especially cruel. They plundered all the countries that were not on the same side as them. None of the small neutral races were spared. And as they fought, the alliance discovered one thing: the leader of the mountain barbarians was immortal! "
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