Kingdom Bloodline

Chapter 222 Choice
Thales didn't know much about the gods.

Most of it is limited to the two major temples in Yongxing City—Sunset and Nightfall. The priests of the former are compassionate yet aggressive (yes, these two traits can coexist in one person without any incongruity), while the followers of the latter are kind yet neurotic (yes, these two traits are not contradictory at all).

At least that's how Thales feels.

But this was his first time in Haoyue's territory.

The Bright Moon Temple in the North.

Thales approached High Priest Holm with a suspicious look on his face and took careful steps.

The statue behind the high priest is quite awe-inspiring when viewed up close, just like the statue of Nekaru.

Several eternal lamps were lit on the altar, surrounding the statue of the god, faintly illuminating the dim room.

The high priest's face remained hidden behind the veil, his clear eyes looking at Thales with a strange light.

Emotions unclear.

Thales felt a little uneasy under the gaze of those clear eyes.

He unconsciously turned his head, only to see Putila, Nikolai, and Maile retreating to other rooms, while the little rascal was being pulled into another room by the White Blade Guards, glancing back at him from time to time.

Ok.

It seems like it's just her and me left.

Thales turned around, took a deep breath, and prepared to face the mysterious priest.

But when he looked up, he saw the statue of the moon behind High Priest Holm.

The Moon Goddess's pair of emotionless stone eyes seemed to be forever staring elsewhere, indifferent to everything around her.

It's completely different from the sunset statue in Yongxing City.

Thales still remembered sneaking into the Temple of the Setting Sun to beg: he had peeked out from under the steps of the altar, only to be startled by the statue of the goddess—the goddess of the setting sun's eyes seemed to be constantly on alert, closely watching everyone who saw her statue.

Of course, the Temple of the Setting Sun was far more magnificent than this one—Tales glanced at the surrounding decorations and couldn't help but stick out his tongue—the Altar of the Bright Moon was much more imposing.

"You are confused."

Thales was startled, then suddenly realized that it was High Priest Holm speaking to him.

The high priest's tone was almost identical to when she presided over the duel; her voice was ethereal and devoid of emotion.

Holm's eyes remained fixed on him.

Compared to High Priestess Li Xiya of the Sunset Temple, this high priest lacked an aggressive aura, but possessed a unique quality of quiet stagnation.

Thales opened his mouth slightly, his mind filled with countless questions, and tentatively replied, "I... that's true."

High Priestess Holm remained silent, standing quietly beneath the statue of the Moon Goddess. Her demeanor and the atmosphere of the statue behind her surprisingly complemented each other perfectly.

Thales frowned, his eyes darting around the altar before he finally spoke, "Well, actually..."

He couldn't continue.
Holm interrupted him coldly: "Have you ever seen a god?"

Thales raised an eyebrow.

God.

He's really not in the mood to discuss this at all right now.

Outside the temple, Rumba, Walton, Exter, and the stars—and a whole host of other troubles await him!

Thinking of this, Thales sighed: "I'm sorry, I'm..."

But the high priest clearly didn't seem to want him to speak.

"Long ago in the unknown past, long ago when mortal beings began to compete with each other for their insignificant lives, the concept of gods already existed in the minds of mortals," Holm said calmly.

Thales was slightly taken aback: "What?"

The high priest's eyes shone with a clear, misty light, and his voice was serene and natural.

“In the history of the mortal world, the first gods were closely associated with the images in the hearts of mortals,” she said softly: “holy sun, bright moon, dark night, mountains, pastures, harvest, desert.”

Thales' eyelids twitched.

From mysterious temples to legends told by people, he had heard several of the terms used in them.

“These gods have no names of their own, no names that can be invoked by mortals, no names that can be understood by mortals,” the high priest said slowly, but then abruptly changed the subject in his next sentence:
"But do these gods really exist?"

Ok?
Thales was startled.

What are you doing?
Faced with the priest's inexplicable question, he looked at the stone statue and altar behind the priest, then at the priest's veil, and was at a loss as to how to answer and how to get away quickly.

“If I remember correctly, you are the priestess of the goddess behind you,” Thales said awkwardly, scratching his hair, “and it’s rather…”

“There’s no conflict,” Holm said calmly.

Thales raised an eyebrow, looking puzzled.

High Priest Holm turned his head and glanced at the stone statue behind him: "The gods that mortals worship are not the same as the gods themselves."

what?
Thales was startled again.

Is the God you believe in not the same as the real God?
Is this...is this what a priest, or even a high priest—the representative of the gods on earth—should say?

Why does that sound so...reactionary?

High Priest Holm said softly, "Have you ever wondered why the bright moon behind me has the appearance of a human?"

Thales's brow twitched slightly.

He looked at the stone statue behind Holm.

The goddess's expression remained cold and indifferent.

"Why?" he asked unconsciously.

Holm's veil trembled slightly, vibrating as she uttered the first word: "Do you know the Divine Spirit?"

"Myojin?"

Thales's heart skipped a beat: "Wait, I've heard this name before..."

Holm didn't let him continue.

“The Supreme God, Losophia,” the High Priest of the Temple of the Bright Moon said calmly, “was once the only true god recognized by the entire empire, the creator of the world, the supreme god above gods.”

"It is not the earliest recorded deity in the world, but it is certainly the most widely known deity among humankind. When the war between humans and orcs broke out, its name was already being sung among the first human believers in deities. For thousands of years, until it completely collapsed with the disappearance of the ancient empire, the rise and fall of the Church of the Bright God has been interwoven into human history, witnessing humankind's independence, unity, and expansion."

Thales listened awkwardly to Holm's history lesson, somewhat lost in thought.

Normally, he would be very curious and interested.

but now……

God.

Are there any good ways to politely express "I'm hanging up now" or "I'm logging off now" face-to-face?
“The Holy Edict of the Holy Spirit states that Losophia created all living things in her own image,” High Priest Holm continued, seemingly unconcerned about Thales’s embarrassment. “That is why humans look like gods.”

She lowered her head and looked at Thales: "Do you believe it?"

Thales was taken aback again.

“Uh,” he shrugged, pondering a reason to extricate himself, and replied perfunctorily, “I…I don’t know.”

However, the other party did not seem to ask him for an answer.

"The truth is, when the Church of the Bright God disintegrated along with the decline of the ancient empire, the brilliance of the Supreme Bright God gradually dimmed," Holm's voice slowed and softened, as if he was brewing up a wave of emotion: "Even humans themselves rarely mention the existence of the Bright God anymore."

The high priest slowly shook his head, seemingly with a hint of mockery and a touch of melancholy: "If gods truly exist, if they are truly the creators of all things, how could they allow such a thing to happen?"

Thales frowned slightly.

"So, gods don't exist?" He spread his hands, asking tentatively, "All gods are... are just figments of the believers' imaginations? Okay, uh, that's an interesting point. I understand. I have something to do, so I'll go now..."

But Holm once again interrupted his efforts to end the conversation.

"You're not listening to me."

Thales shrugged helplessly: "Okay, but is it really okay to talk about these things with a little kid?"

High Priest Holm shook his head and said calmly, "We both know perfectly well that you are not a child."

This simple sentence suddenly made Thales nervous.

The priest continued softly, “Do not underestimate something just because it seems insignificant or unrelated to the current priorities.”

“From the moment you embark on your journey, every seemingly insignificant detail could be the key to shaping your future: idols, daggers, shawls, fangs, brooches, ravens, statues, glasses, bloodlines,” High Priest Holm squinted. “Every single detail.”

“I believe you can relate to this.”

Thales frowned.

He sensed something unusual in the priest's words.

Three seconds later, Thales sighed helplessly.

He really didn't have time—they were still running for their lives, weren't they?
but……

"So," he asked weakly, "what exactly are gods?"

"The gods that believers worship are only their own gods," Holm said slowly, raising his head and looking at the stone statue behind him.

Ok.

If I really have to go on and on about all this...

Thales took a breath.

“So, the true gods,” the second prince raised his head, straightened his posture, and earnestly addressed the high priest, “are different from the gods we believe in?”

"Is this what you wanted to say?"

Holm did not speak.

She simply watched Thales quietly.

Thales looked back at her, trying not to think about his current predicament and problems.

Strangely enough, as he looked into the eyes of the high priest, a part of the heaviness that had been weighing on his heart slowly dissipated.

A few seconds later, Holm spoke softly.

“Mortals often understand the gods in their hearts with their own limited imagination,” the high priest’s eyes seemed to have a kind of magic that drew Thales’s gaze. “Those are the gods they expect, fear, loathe, admire, love and worship.”

At that moment, Thales had the illusion that there was a glint in the other person's eyes.

"Mortals, according to their knowledge, endow the gods in their hearts with all sorts of existence and definitions, from appearance to actions, from deeds to personality, from birth to death, and even give them a name similar to that of mortals."

Holm narrowed his eyes slightly, placed one hand on his shoulder and the other on his hip, striking a pose similar to the goddess statue behind him: "For example: Errol."

Thales frowned slightly.

"So," he looked at the statue behind the high priest, a sense of curiosity rising within him, "Does the Goddess of the Moon have a name? And are there other deities? Sunset? Night? Lord of the Mountains?"

Holm slowly shook his head:

"In the hearts of the masses, given a mortal name by ordinary people, and then uttered in unison by the mouths of the masses—this is a connection of extraordinary significance."

"In all known records and throughout history, only two deities have accepted... or rather, been willing to accept this connection."

Holm continued, "They are also the gods most deeply involved with the mortal world, and were even used to name the mortal world itself."

Thales was startled again.

Is the "mortal name" that everyone is calling for an extraordinary connection?

For some reason, in that instant he suddenly remembered Aishida's words: "When you become a mage and find your own threshold name..."

Threshold name.

Mortal name.

Thales' eyelids twitched.

Why do they all emphasize the importance of names so much?
His curiosity was suddenly piqued.

"Two deities with names... um... 'mortal names'?" The second prince scratched his head. "Okay, one of them is Errol, I know that—the Errol world, after all. And who is the other one?"

“You are not listening to me,” High Priest Holm repeated coldly.

It did nothing to satisfy his curiosity.

Thales narrowed his eyes. But this time, the prince, standing before the high priest, felt as if he were being lectured by a teacher for being "so stupid."

Before he could react, Holm had already continued speaking.

"Mortals depict God in their own image, simply because that is the realm known to mortals," the high priest said calmly. "Faith was born amidst countless intertwined emotions of love and hate."

“Those who believe in the gods gather in groups, connect with one another, resonate with one another, and entrust their hearts to one another. Churches and temples, altars and rituals are established one after another,” Holm raised his hand and gestured to the temples around him: “In this way, the intangible faith becomes a tangible existence.”

"The interaction between the gods and mortals completes the first cycle of reincarnation."

Thales frowned as he listened to High Priest Holm finish speaking.

"Why does the Goddess of the Moon have such an appearance?" The High Priest returned to her original topic: "It's not because the God created man in her own image, but because those who believe in her look like this."

“But you may need to understand,” High Priest Holm’s eyes flashed with a fierce light, “that gods are gods, and faith is faith.”

"The former is in God, the latter in man."

Thales' heart skipped a beat.

“Wait, what you mean…” Thales pondered the high priest’s words and slowly said, “So, the gods exist independently, while the gods in the hearts of believers are figments of their imagination?”

Holm did not answer him directly.

“At the beginning of faith, mortals were accustomed to attributing things they could not understand to the realm of gods,” High Priest Holm’s eyes shone with a strange emotion. “They only needed to understand the existence of gods, and then leave the things they could not understand to the gods to solve.”

"It's as if by believing in the existence of a deity, they can unravel those incomprehensible mysteries."

"That is precisely the biggest problem."

Thales raised an eyebrow: he didn't quite understand the other person's intentions.

“Gods are clearly things that mortals cannot understand,” High Priest Holm looked directly into his eyes, “yet mortals think they understand gods, and from beginning to end use shallow thinking to believe in and depend on gods.”

"Go and create a god."

"That's where the contradiction lies."

Thales exhaled and shrugged. "You mean to say that the existence of gods is beyond the comprehension of mortals?"

High Priest Holm's veil fluttered slightly, giving Thales the illusion that she was smiling: "Or, to put it another way, mortal understanding has overtranslated the existence of the gods."

High Priest Holm let out a soft sigh.

“Mortals always try to understand the gods with their own limited understanding,” she said slowly, closing her eyes. “Because of their short lifespans, they imagine the gods as eternal and indestructible beings.”

"Because of their weak power, the gods are assumed to be beings of unparalleled power."

"Because I consider myself one of the masses, I imagine the gods as a stronger, higher kind of being."

Under Thales's gaze, Holm suddenly opened his eyes, his words slowly accelerating: "The problem is, eternity, power, life, these mortal things..."

"If deities are indeed beyond the comprehension of mortals and stand from a different perspective, do they really see these things?"

"Would they care about faith?"

"Would they care about believers?"

Would they care about power and eternity?

"Do they even care whether they exist or not?"

Thales watched Holm finish speaking with a puzzled look on his face, but didn't want to interrupt her.

He's not a god, is he?

Thales scratched his head and sighed:

“But in mythology, Errol sacrificed himself to save the world, didn’t he?” he said, his head aching. “The God of the Night always descends to earth… and the Lord of the Mountains even sends his followers to help those suffering in the bitter cold of the sun…”

Thales did not continue speaking.

Because he saw that Holm was smiling.

Despite the veil, Thales somehow recognized the high priest of the Moon Temple, who was smiling faintly.

"Where did you hear these words?" the high priest asked softly, as if afraid of waking a sleeping child.

“Of course…” Thales exhaled, but then paused, the words lingering on his lips.

He murmured, "The temple, and there are still rumors."

Thales looked up and asked tentatively, "But this is all mortal understanding, isn't it?"

"The true gods may be far beyond our imagination—they are another kind of being."

Holm took a slow breath, his veil trembling slightly.

“Believers always exist before their gods, and only then can they worship the gods that belong solely to them,” she said calmly.

Thales frowned again.

He had some thoughts on his mind.

“High Priest Holm,” he began tentatively, “you are the spokesperson for the Goddess of the Moon. You have prayed, communicated with the gods, and conveyed their will, haven’t you?”

Holm did not answer.

Thales slowly parted his lips and cautiously asked, "If gods are truly as you say, those incomprehensible beings..."

"Then why did she respond to you?"

Holm slowly raised his eyes.

His clear eyes were like a beam of light shining directly into Thales' heart.

“Oh,” a clear, melodious voice came from behind the thin veil of High Priest Holm, which trembled slightly.

That was a rhetorical question:

Did she respond?

Thales was completely stunned.

High Priest Holm slowly turned around, facing the statue and altar of the Moon Goddess.

Thales then noticed a special eternal oil lamp placed in the center of the altar, its silver light gleaming...

Silver flames?
Thales' heart skipped a beat.

And flames of this color?
Thales stared at the high priest's retreating figure, utterly bewildered.

There are more and more doubts in my mind.

"Why," he couldn't help but ask, "why talk about these things? The existence of gods?"

Holm slowly shook his head.

Last night, you made your first choice.

choose?

Last night's choice...

last night……

Thales' breathing slowed down without him even realizing it.

“But one day,” the high priest of Haoyue said slowly, “you may face another important choice—or even a crucial decision.”

choice?

Facing another important choice...

What do all these mean?
High Priest Holm's silhouette seemed to possess a mysterious power, and her voice drifted over slowly, crystal clear: "At that time, when you stand at an angle and height unimaginable to any being, and think with a mind beyond mortal comprehension..."

"You may recall what I said today."

Thales felt as if struck by lightning.

A mindset that transcends ordinary people...

In that instant, Thales recalled the moment he "knocked on the door".

That experience felt like a dream.

That illusion that he is the world.

That kind of languid and carefree feeling of not paying attention to anything...

At that moment, looking at Holm's mysterious back, Thales was genuinely afraid.

His arms began to tremble.

How did she know?

What exactly does she know?
What exactly is she planning to do?
Thales' breathing became faster and more rapid.

Finally, unable to contain his fear and questions any longer, he blurted out, "Why, High Priest Holm?"

"What exactly do you mean... what do you want?"

"Whether it's the shelter or... what's the point of saying all this today?"

"Why me?" he shouted.

Before the altar, High Priest Holm slowly turned his head.

Under the glow of the silver lights, her veil emitted a dazzling light.

Like a legendary deity.

“Because,” Holm’s eyes gleamed with a different light, “an old friend asked me to look after you.”

Thales felt like he had grasped a lifeline, and the impulse in his heart compelled him to get to the bottom of things.

"Old friend?"

The second prince, losing his composure, shouted, "Who?"

“He believes you are different,” but High Priest Holm only sighed and did not give an answer: “He believes you will do better.”

"He sacrificed too much."

"Don't let him down."

Thales stood there, stunned.

Am I...different?

"besides."

“Next time, call me Jewel,” High Priest Jewel Holm said softly. “I prefer this name.”

“You may leave now,” High Priest Holm said calmly, his back to him. “Be careful what you choose.”

The next second, the high priest closed his lips and remained silent no matter how Thales questioned him.

A few minutes later, Thales finally left the altar in a daze.

Only Jewel remained, standing silently before the altar and the statue of the god.

After a long while, Jewel slowly raised his head.

“I am watching him,” said High Priest Jewel Holm, standing beneath the statue of the Moon Goddess, draped in a silver robe and veiled in thin gauze, looking up at the towering Moon Goddess. “I warned him…”

"……Bar."

On the altar, the Goddess of the Moon remained indifferent.

Not moving.

It seems as if he is indifferent to everything.

This chapter is full of foreshadowing.

The billed word count was 5100, but the actual word count was 6100.

The Dragon Blood Scroll is about to wrap up (something like a meteorite crashing down... O(∩_∩)O).

P.S. Huang Yi has passed away; this is a farewell in his memory.

Raindrops blanket the vast expanse, the moon's reflection ripples in the well. The young marshal gallops away, leaving only the cold chill of the riverbank.


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(End of this chapter)