Hyperdimensional Player

Chapter 269 The Gods Submit! Corn Goddess - Jorani

Vulture Plain.

On this vast plain, two armies are currently engaged in battle. They are not numerous, but their soldiers are extremely brave. They fight each other, but their goal is not to kill each other, but to capture prisoners as much as possible.

The entire battle lasted for about a morning. As the victorious side returned to their camp, they brought back over a hundred prisoners.

Upon returning to the camp, they were immediately greeted by the local primitive priests. They were called priests because they were more ancient and ignorant, possessing the magic of wizards while retaining many characteristics of priests from the Dark Ages.

The army commander returned to his tent, leaving everything else to the priests.

They imprisoned the captured enemies and then arranged for people to serve them fine wine and meat, treating them with the same courtesy as samurai, and their treatment even surpassed that of ordinary soldiers.

"This is my beloved son."

Warriors escorted the prisoners to the distant temple pyramids, pointing at each prisoner as they performed sacred rituals.

The prisoners responded in hushed tones, "This is my respected father."

The War of Glory.

A war that exists for the sake of sacrifice.

These hundreds of prisoners were taken to the temple pyramid.

There is almost no trace of the feathered serpent god here; their main object of worship is the sun god Tonatiu.

Teams of temple guards carried the captured prisoners to different temple altars.

The first to perform the sacrificial ceremony was Sipettotik, the skinning lord, who was the god of rebirth and also the god of agriculture, plants, diseases, spring, goldsmiths, liberation, and the seasons.

This ritual requires a specialized skinner to perform.

As the sacrificial ceremony began, the priests began to coat the captives with a layer of chalky substance, and also applied the sticky resin of the rubber tree to their heads so that the Aztecs could attach turkey feathers to them. Then, the captives' faces were also smeared with milky white sap.

The entire skinning process doesn't need much explanation, as it's generally easy to imagine, but not all prisoners were sacrificed in this way.

As the sun blazed overhead and noon approached, the second round of sacrificial ceremonies began.

The priests used sharpened stone knives to dig out the hearts of the prisoners alive. Some were beheaded, and others were shot with javelins or arrows. These different sacrificial rituals were offered to different gods. Soon, most of the prisoners were disposed of.

But this was not the end; the real blood sacrifice took place the following day.

When the next day came.

Those prisoners of high rank were sacrificed through duels. These duels were not fair, as the enemies were not only eagle warriors or tiger warriors, but also well-equipped, while the prisoners had only fake weapons, with feathers representing armor and stones representing swords.

They will be killed very quickly.

Then the Aztec high priest, the representative of the gods, would remove the heart of the captive as a sacrifice to the gods, and then dip a hollow stick into the wound on the sacrifice's chest, symbolizing that the sun should drink the blood.

He would then give the stick and a bowl of sacrificial blood to the victor, who would then lead it around the city so that all the Aztec gods could taste the blood.

When he returned to the starting point, the priests began to skin the corpses and dismember the prisoners' bodies. Then the warriors would apply oil to their bodies, a kind of lubricant, because wearing human skin would be very uncomfortable.

Sometimes, even warriors would yield this honor to those who had repented.

They were made to wear human skin and parade around the city, receiving cheers from the people. Only after the ritual was completely over twenty days later could they remove the skin and be buried under the temple.

Such blood sacrifice rituals were rare even in the Dark Ages.

no doubt.

What they are currently conducting is the Great Blood Sacrifice Ceremony, which will last for a full twenty days.

In ancient legends, their people originally worshipped the feathered serpent god, but later the feathered serpent god abandoned them because he disliked blood sacrifices.

The feathered serpent god is a benevolent deity.

After Quetzalcoatl departed, his faith gradually faded, and the new god that emerged was Tonatiu, the sun god. He was a god of the blazing sun who loved hearts and, according to legend, devoured the hearts of the gods. He was also a god of war, and the Aztecs would offer human hearts as sacrifices to pray for victory in war.

As the ritual progressed to its climax, the bodies of the captives were thrown down from the high platform of the temple pyramid.

at this time.

A series of galloping hooves sounded, followed by several indigenous warriors wearing feathered headdresses riding in. They hurried into the city of Kotechi and came before their king, Montema II. The lead warrior knelt on one knee and said, "Your Majesty."

“The nomads from the East have invaded our land. They have captured Teotihua and looted the Pyramid of the Moon.”

This brought the cruel and bloody sacrificial ritual to a brief pause.

But at the high priest's signal, the other priests continued to skin the prisoners, while Montema II, sitting on the throne, frowned and beckoned to his chief priest.

Eastern nomads.

They came with overwhelming force, not only conquering several tribes in succession, but also occupying a city in the south, and looting the local temples and pyramids. This land was rich in gold, and the temples contained a large number of gold sacrificial objects.

The high priest began to seek guidance from the gods through blood sacrifice rituals, but the response was silence. It seemed that the gods could not see anything, but could only sense the extreme activity of all spirits.

They're itching to make a move!

All spirits have never been so aggressive.

a few days later.

A torrential rain fell.

The climate of this subcontinent is extremely unusual, with frequent hurricanes, torrential rains, tornadoes, and so on. The nomadic tribes that had just arrived here were clearly not used to it. Their troops encountered fierce resistance from the Aztecs. Although they had the upper hand in several battles, they also suffered considerable losses, especially due to the spread of disease, which forced the army to temporarily regroup.

Even worse news is that Kerekha Khan, the leader of the Torgut tribe, has also contracted the disease, and even the shaman accompanying the army is temporarily helpless.

Inside the tent.

The witch Greya slowly rose, glanced at the pale-faced Kreik Khan, and said solemnly, "It is both a curse and a disease."

Not long ago, nomadic tribes from the East captured a dilapidated city and looted the Pyramid of the Moon.

Not long after, the plague began to spread.

Duncan nodded expressionlessly, then turned and left the tent. Plague and disease were afflicting the nomadic peoples of the South Second Continent. If All Spirits didn't intervene, they would probably have to temporarily withdraw their troops because of the plague.

However, even the myriad spirits cannot act arbitrarily, and the power of the gods is also limited. Moreover, this plague might have been caused by someone coming into contact with something from the human sacrifice.

This land reveres human sacrifice, and each sacrifice involves a living person having their heart removed.

The leader is seriously ill, and the people are filled with anxiety.

Duncan then summoned the shaman accompanying the army and said in a deep voice, "Have someone return all the sacrificial artifacts looted from the temple."

"I'll think of a solution next."

With so many people infected with the disease, medicine alone is not enough; only a miracle can save them.

At that moment, the witch Greya stepped out and whispered, "What are your thoughts?"

Duncan said in a deep voice, "I'll go talk to the local deities first."

Within dimensional space.

When Duncan arrived at the tribe, he saw the aura emanating from the temple altar. This place was considered the sacred domain of a certain god. So after conquering the tribe, Duncan persuaded the nomads not to loot the altar and temple, and that the other party was not the kind of god who liked to collect gold and jewels.

The prisoners around him were all locked up in shacks. Duncan slowly walked up to an old female priestess and said in a deep voice, "Take me to your most frequently used altar."

That year, the old priestess stood up shakily. She was silent for a moment, looked up at Duncan, and finally nodded slightly to lead the way.

—Corn Goddess-Jorani.

The nomadic peoples of the East have not yet truly clashed with the Aztecs. The tribal kingdoms they have conquered worship a very special god race called the "Corn Gods."

This race of gods originated from Mayan mythology.

Mayan mythology has four major god tribes. The oldest is the Maize tribe, followed by the Carmenpus tribe, the Beast tribe, and the Itzamna tribe.

From the Dark Ages to the present day, many gods have gradually left the stage, their faith in the real world severed, making the evolution of mythology difficult to trace. However, corn remains the most important crop on this land, so the corn god race still has a foothold here.

Ruolani is also known as the Goddess of Tender Corn, symbolizing abundance, prosperity, and life. She is the only remaining member of the corn god clan here. Perhaps because she was not powerful to begin with, she became a subordinate deity of the god of agriculture.

The spirits whispered in Duncan's ear; their will had arrived.

soon.

Duncan then came to an altar carved with many corn patterns, and there was even a blurry statue of a young man wearing a corn pendant, but he was very damaged. He was probably the chief god of the corn pantheon.

The Corn Gods are a local, minor pantheon. Their foundation in this world was unstable, and they were defeated during the Dark Ages.

"You possess the will of all spirits."

Just as the elderly priest stopped walking, a soft whisper suddenly sounded, followed by the appearance of a gentle woman dressed in emerald green with yellow corn silk accents. She gazed at Duncan before her, a hint of fear in her expression, and sighed, "Human."

"Are you going to destroy my sacred domain?"

“The curse and the plague were not brought down by me.”

—Corn Goddess - Jorani (Agriculture) (Corn) (Abundance) (Six-Star Gold)!
Duncan was also sizing up the other person at that moment.

Behind him, the witch Greya looked shocked. She couldn't understand why the gods hidden in the sanctuary would appear on their own initiative just because Duncan had come here.

He must possess some ability that could threaten the existence of the gods. One of the Corn Gods.

One of them is probably a weak god, perhaps not even stronger than a demigod. She belongs to the agricultural branch, corn, but the domain she governs is quite good.

All spirits are watching Duncan; they await his decision.

It means to destroy this deity and sever her faith.

Or something else.

At some unknown time, countless invisible spirits appeared between heaven and earth. They coalesced to form the will of the heavens, a concept similar to the Dao of Heaven, but not actually that high. Strictly speaking, according to the classification of spirits, they belong to a type of high-level spirit, an ancient spirit.

The Animistic school belongs to the animistic system. If monotheism is an absolute dictatorship and the ancient Greek pantheon is a feudal monarchy, then the Animistic faith is a republic or a form of spiritualism.

Only after this concept was born, under the will of Heaven, did they come together as one.

"Don't be so nervous."

Duncan surveyed the slightly dilapidated temple sanctuary. Corn worship was no longer mainstream; perhaps only Khrushchev truly revered corn. He looked at the corn goddess before him and slowly said, "I generally don't harm the god of agriculture."

Duncan generally won't make things difficult for Saturn, unless it's something particularly dark and bloody.

Upon hearing his words, the corn goddess Jorani seemed to breathe a sigh of relief. She was the only remaining member of the corn pantheon. If Duncan really wanted to kill her, the other gods would not come to her aid, and she could not possibly fight against the will of the heavens, which was formed by the convergence of all spirits, alone.

If Heaven wanted to kill a corn god, it would be a piece of cake.

"Is there anything to eat?"

Duncan casually sat down, looked up and said, "As the corn goddess worshipped by mortals, you're not even going to offer me a corn cob when a guest comes?"

Gods may not be of much value, but corn is very valuable.

Upon hearing this, the corn goddess Jorrani was taken aback. She thought Duncan had come to judge her. The will of all spirits was full of aggression, but the man in front of her was different. He was very restrained, but there was also a hidden killing intent in his restraint.

The avatar of Rolani gently raised her hand, took a corn cob from the altar, and planted it in the soil. The corn then began to take root and sprout, growing rapidly and eventually bearing abundant fruit.

She broke off a piece of tender corn and respectfully handed it to Duncan.

Greya, standing to the side, hesitated, as if she wanted to say something but then stopped.

But Duncan casually reached out, took it, broke it open, took a bite, and exclaimed, "Not bad. Very sweet."

Although it is slightly inferior to later works, it is still a masterpiece.

Duncan broke off a corn cob and handed it to the witch Greya beside him. She carefully tasted it before eating it one kernel at a time.

I finished one ear of corn.

Duncan slowly rose, gazing at the corn goddess, Jurani, before him, and asked, "Interested in joining the Faith of All Souls?"

"Under the heavens, I can grant you the status of a god of agriculture."

"As for other places."

"If you are capable enough, it is not impossible to arrange the appearance of a god of agriculture."

Corn, very good.

Duncan didn't particularly like the ancient Greek gods. The corn goddess in front of him had no foundation, and if she was obedient, she wouldn't be difficult to control. Just by relying on corn as a crop, she could easily obtain the appearance of a lower-level agricultural god.

There will be fighting and killing, but not everyone will be killed. Some will be killed and others will be recruited.

When Attila the Scourge of God marched westward, he destroyed too many sacred sites and temples. If he hadn't gone to such extremes, Duncan wouldn't have been able to recruit so many barbarian troops.

Upon hearing Duncan's words, both women looked up in shock.

Greya trembled slightly with excitement.

It seems she's hit the jackpot.

The Corn Goddess, Rolani, was shocked and incredulous, muttering, "Human? You can decide such a thing?"

Wanling is not Lady Raging Waves.

The will of Heaven has placed all the bets on Duncan.

Stud!

All in!

All in!

Duncan smiled without saying a word. He gently raised his hand and snapped his fingers. In an instant, a thunderclap seemed to erupt from the ground, as if it were the wrath of the gods, the wrath of the heavens, and the power of all spirits transformed into a bolt of lightning that ripped across the sky.

Unlike the divine grace of other gods, the All Spirits truly bestowed divine power, directly granting Duncan and the others a portion of their divine power pool.

The current Duncan can truly be considered the chosen one.

Wanling agreed.

They would support Duncan's decision as long as he made it. It was just a god of agriculture. Duncan made the decision, and from then on, the corn goddess, Jorani, became one of the gods of agriculture for the nomadic peoples of the East.

have a look!have a look!
That's what you call professionalism. The raging gods seized Duncan's military power on the spot, and when Duncan wanted to bestow titles upon the gods, all the spirits did not hesitate.

The Corn Goddess, Jorani, hesitated and said, "Nomadic peoples do not cultivate corn."

"My power is only applicable to agrarian societies."

Duncan smiled faintly and said, "It's alright."

"The fact that they are not growing corn now does not mean they will not grow corn in the future."

"Besides."

"This land also needs a true god of agriculture."

This is just empty promises.

This means that Duncan intended to elevate the corn goddess Jorani to the position of the true agricultural goddess of this land.

Sure enough, upon hearing his words, the corn goddess in front of him showed a slight excitement.

This is the crucial moment.

The spirits whispered, telling the goddess that everything Duncan said represented their will.

If Duncan agrees, they will make the Corn Goddess the true goddess of agriculture!

happy.

Duncan is determined to be friends with Wanling.

Under the incredulous gaze of the witch Greya, in just a few words, the corn goddess before her, an agricultural deity whose power surpassed that of a demigod and was close to that of a weak god, submitted to the man before her. The corn goddess bowed slightly and whispered, "I am willing to serve Your Majesty!"

do not know why.

She suddenly changed her address to Duncan as His Majesty, a title that seemed to subtly alert Greya to something.

"very good."

Duncan nodded and said, "From today onwards, you are the god of agriculture for this land."

After saying that, he turned around and left.

But the Corn Goddess, Jorrani, suddenly stopped him, her expression resolute, and said, "Your Majesty, I have a way to cure the plague that has infected these nomads."

"But a grand and bountiful ceremony is needed."

"It will take a little more time."

This means they're planning to contribute.

It's obviously not worth it to directly pray to the heavens for such a thing. The corn goddess, Rolani, is expressing her attitude: since she has chosen a side, she will go all the way.

Duncan pondered for a moment and then asked, "What do you need?"

The Corn Goddess, Jorrani, slowly said, "Release my priests and let the people hold a midsummer festival. They are infected with the plague of death, a curse caused by blood sacrifice."

"I will bestow a miracle, and the fruit that cures the plague will be formed."

Releasing them is a certainty.

Duncan immediately agreed.

"I will arrange for someone to assist your temple priests in completing the ceremony as soon as possible."

Everything went smoothly.

In just a few days, the nomadic people of the East and the native inhabitants had completed the initial integration, because they had a common god they worshipped, the corn goddess Jorani, who was accepted by the pantheon and became a handmaiden serving the will of the heavens, a subordinate god of the agricultural realm.

Similarly, because of this belief, nomadic peoples are transforming into semi-agricultural societies.

………………

(End of this chapter)