Goddess Kaleidoscope

"What? Don't you trust me yet?"

"No, we didn't..."

The first one to lose his composure was Agou. This kid was one of the more outgoing members of the island youth group. In addition to sticking together with his fellow villagers, he also made friends with some like-minded local kids and was quite close to Lude.

So as soon as he opened his mouth, Lud knew he had a chance.

"Ah Gou, do you trust your teacher? Is your teacher a bad person?"

"No! Professor Luther, you're a good person, but we..."

"Don't worry, there are only the three of us, teacher and students, here. I specifically asked the security guards outside to stay away before I came over. Teacher, although I don't know what you're worried about, I believe you're not bad kids."

With years of experience, Lude opened up to the two children. He knew that Agou was skillful and showed great interest and talent in woodworking, while Chaye was the eldest brother in the island youth group. He was a person with a strong sense of justice and loyalty. In the six months since he entered the school, he had been in several fights, but each time it was to protect others and he had never bullied the weak.

After a heart-to-heart talk, Lu De made the two young men's eyes red and their psychological defenses were on the verge of collapse.

“Teacher, we...we really don’t believe in evil spirits.”

“I know that. I can tell at a glance whether you have been tainted by demonic energy. I actually know a little bit about your background. I guess... your people probably went to an island in the outer sea to take refuge during the War of the Gods, leaving behind ancestral teachings to warn their descendants that other sects are threatening enemies and that they should not reveal their identities, right? In the era of constant conflict three hundred years ago, it was normal to have such worries, but you should have learned in history class that the War of the Gods ended long ago.”

Lude's words left the two boys looking at each other in bewilderment. They had only been in contact with the outside world for a short time, but for these boys and girls who had once been trapped in the den of demons, the past few months in Pine Town had undoubtedly been a peaceful and comfortable life. Chaye and Agou both felt that Teacher Lude was a good person, and the local townspeople were also very friendly, completely different from those fierce smugglers.

The two exchanged a glance and nodded silently.

"Teacher, we believe in you."

"I am willing to believe in you too."

“My, Agou’s, and I’s hometown is called Pati Island. Our people have worshipped the hearth goddess Marygis for hundreds of years. She is the goddess of cooking and food, not a demon. Teacher, you have to believe us!”

End of this chapter

Chaye and Ago introduced themselves, while Lud quickly searched his memory for information about the hearth goddess Marigius.

Believe it or not, he had actually seen it in some religious texts!

The goddess of the hearth is an early deity born during the Age of Gods, whose history can be traced back thousands of years. In the writings of some theologians, she is defined as a second-generation deity, while Rudd further subdivides her into "conceptual deities" based on the divine positions she presides over.

The earliest deities can be traced back to ancient times. Mortals' nature worship gave rise to nature gods such as the sun god and the four season goddesses, as well as early conceptual gods like the god of war.

Later, with the progress of the times, the level of civilization of mortals advanced from primitive society to classical feudalism. Social development gave rise to many new things, and from this came new gods, who theologians consider to be the second generation of gods. A large number of gods were born in this era until the outbreak of the War of the Gods.

It is worth mentioning that, according to Rudd's classification, the three founding families and other victorious gods after the War of the Gods, because they presided over more divine positions, were therefore defined by Rudd as "composite gods".

The goddess of the hearth, Marigsis, originated from mortals' love of food. Since many gods at that time formed factions, Marigsis belonged to the fire god's camp. Theoretically, Marigsis had a large following; anyone who needed to eat would have some connection with her. However, her parish was too small, encompassing only a single city, and she couldn't gather enough faith, thus becoming a third-rate deity.

After the outbreak of the divine war, the Fire God Cult was defeated by the War God Cult, and even the divine position was given to the Holy Lord of Light, who was then the Sun God. The Goddess of the Hearth, as a completely insignificant character, like many low-ranking gods, was merely an innocent bystander caught in the crossfire and was only mentioned briefly in this period of history.

Everyone thought her sect had been wiped out like the one led by Vulcan, but little did they know that a small group of "escaped" had fled to the open sea.

Although they survived, life was far from easy for these exiles on the offshore islands. They eked out a living for over two hundred years, but the harsh living conditions severely hampered their development. Their population remained below two thousand, and their level of civilization regressed considerably, making them practically inhabitants of primitive tribes.

A year ago, a smuggling ship that had gone astray strayed into Pati Island, where this tribe lived. The ship ran aground in the waters and was rescued by the islanders.

Because the islanders' ancestors left a precept that they could not leave Patty Island until the war on the mainland ended, they rescued the crew out of pure goodwill and also to inquire about the war situation on the mainland. Little did they know that they had rescued a bunch of ungrateful wretches.

The captain of the smuggling ship mistakenly believed that the islanders were natives, so he harbored evil intentions. Under the pretense of delivering wine to repay a debt of gratitude, he poisoned the islanders and then led his scoundrel sailors to raid the village.

Many islanders were captured and sold into slavery to a place called Treasure Island, where they suffered all kinds of torture. However, children like Chaye and Agou, because of their fair skin and handsome appearance, were considered "hot commodities" by slave traders and could be sold for a high price, so they did not suffer much.

What happened next is something Ludwell already knows: they were taken to Oyster Harbor by a smuggling ship, successfully rescued, and eventually ended up in Pine Town to attend school.

Interestingly, despite their turbulent lives, these children never abandoned their faith in the goddess of the hearth, Marigius, and even formed an "underground church" within the school, which he failed to detect despite his keen observation.

What Ludwig found most intriguing was that he saw not a single trace of faith in these children, which was virtually impossible in this world.

Because as long as you take "God exists" as common sense in your mind, then even if you are not a believer in any god, you will unconsciously produce a small amount of faith in your daily life.

Since these children claim to be believers of the goddess of the hearth, and even go to the kitchen to worship the big pot in the middle of the night, something is bound to happen.

However, despite his curiosity, Ludd couldn't ask the truth; he didn't want to reveal his little secret of being able to see faith to others. So, after expressing his approval of their faith, Ludd decided to meet and talk to the leader of these children.

Who organized your worship ceremony?

"This one……"

"Don't be so nervous, I didn't mean anything by it. The school respects every student's religious freedom. As long as you don't fall behind in your studies and don't bother others, it's fine. You don't need to pray secretly. You scared the security guards half to death last night!"

"..." x2

Lude made it clear to the two that as long as they reported to the school, they could pray openly from then on, and he would prepare an activity room for them, but only during their free time, and they must abide by the relevant rules and regulations.

This can be seen as a concession and compromise made by Ludwig in the face of reality. He initially did not want religion to enter the school. This should be a place for minors to concentrate on their studies, and the cleaner and purer it is, the better.

The problem is that the world is full of religions, and Ludd himself is a "religious person" who often claims to respect individual freedom of belief. He can't shoot himself in the foot.

As the number of students increases, their backgrounds also become more diverse. Taking a shortcut and applying a one-size-fits-all approach to issues of faith will only incite unnecessary conflict.

Therefore, Ludd compromised by first stipulating that schools are places for learning, and that neither students nor teachers should engage in activities unrelated to the curriculum during class time—this was the bottom line. However, outside of class time, teachers and students could engage in club activities involving certain religious content, but they needed to apply to the school for approval and would receive a permit to use dedicated activity rooms and facilities.

For example, students in school who believe in the God of War can form a martial arts club together, and those of you who believe in the God of the Kitchen God can also form a cooking club!

In the future, when it's time for club activities, the boys can practice fencing together, and the girls can make tofu together. It enriches their extracurricular life, is fun and educational, and can also broaden their knowledge. Isn't that great?

However, pure sacrificial activities are strictly prohibited on campus, so it's not wrong to say that Chaye and Agou violated school rules.

For the sake of fairness and justice, punishment was definitely necessary. Lud clearly told Chaye and Agou that they would be responsible for cleaning the sanitation area in front of the school for the next week as punishment for violating school rules by engaging in underground religious activities.

Merits and demerits should be considered separately; there's no room for discussion on that!

End of this chapter

In a way that everyone could accept, Lud handled the incident well. The islander boys were then summoned together, and Lud announced the plan of action against them in front of everyone, which surprised the children who thought they were going to be in big trouble.

"Aren't we going to be punished?"

"Punishment! Doesn't cleaning count? If you think the time is too short, your teacher can give you double the time..."

"No, no, no! Seven days is enough, really enough!"

The girl who asked the question immediately shook her head like a rattle-drum. The sanitation area at the main gate of the school includes the playground, and it is currently autumn. The landscaping trees in the school are like a 25-year-old programmer, losing their "hair" like crazy. Twelve children are responsible for such a large area, so the workload is indeed not small.

At this moment, a girl with long, beige hair stepped forward and stood in front of Ludwig.

Having researched all the island boys beforehand, Lud knew that the girl's name was Fran, and she was probably the leader of the island boy group and most likely the organizer of last night's sacrificial ceremony.

Furthermore, judging from the student's records, this child is extremely intelligent, a true child prodigy who learns everything exceptionally quickly. Although she has only been at the school for one semester, she has already mastered the reading and writing of the common language of the mainland. Her learning speed is so fast that Lu De has to consider letting her skip a grade next semester.

It's worth mentioning that this girl is also the one with the healthiest mental state among the island boy group.

It's important to understand that these children had been in the hands of slave traders for a year before they were rescued. Even if they were treated as high-quality goods and didn't suffer much physical abuse, they must have been mentally tormented, living in constant fear.

So after these children were brought to Pine Town, Lud did not immediately arrange for them to attend school, but instead provided them with psychological counseling.

Fran, who stepped forward, bowed deeply to Ludwig and then spoke with grace and composure.

"Thank you for your magnanimity, Professor Lude."

"You're welcome. Speaking of which, Fran, you should be considered a clergy member of the Goddess of Hearth, right? Are you already a priest?"

"Yes, but I am not a priest, but a divine child, and I do not yet know how to use divine magic."

"Divine Child? That sounds a bit like a saintess."

"It should be about the same."

When Ludwig asked him, Fran readily admitted it and pulled out a pendant from his collar, a symbol of his divine status, to show him and prove his identity.

When facing Lude, this little girl was neither humble nor arrogant, and her eyes were always filled with a calm and composed look. On the contrary, Chaye and Agou were unusually nervous. After Fran's self-destruction, they subconsciously wanted to stand in front of her. After being pulled away by Fran, their eyes kept darting between the two of them. It is not hard to see Fran's status as the son of God.

Out of respect and curiosity, Ludwig extended an invitation to Fran to sit down in the reception room for a leisurely chat, and even had Shanis prepare tea and snacks for his guests. He had quite a few questions he hoped to get answers from this son of the Hearth Goddess.

After the little girl sat down, she took the tea that Shanis handed her, then picked up a small pastry and put it in her mouth, her face showing a very enjoyable expression.

How do the cookies taste?

"It was baked a little too big, but it was still crispy and delicious. The only downside was that there was too much sugar, which masked the milky flavor."

"Aren't you... at all nervous?"

"Teacher, you are a good person, why should I be nervous?"

Fran casually handed Ludwig a "good guy" card, and his question made Ludwig pause for a moment, then he couldn't help but chuckle. He realized that he had underestimated this girl; her seemingly innocent words actually revealed a maturity beyond his expectations.

"Fran, would you mind telling me about the goddess of the hearth?"

"Teacher Lude, you are a priest of the Medicine God Cult. Why would you want to know about a cult that has completely declined?"

"On the one hand, it's out of personal interest; I really enjoy studying history and want to understand the sects that existed during the Age of Gods. On the other hand, I want to assess you and see if it's necessary to help you."

Based on the information Ludwig had gathered from historical records and conversations with Hume, the worship of the Hearth Goddess originated from mortals' feelings toward food, and later gradually evolved into a pursuit of gourmet food. It was a relatively mild sect, and its small size meant it rarely clashed with other sects.

Interestingly, this relatively small sect did have a saint in its history, a monk named Grinton Bessie.

This man was born into a noble family, but he chose to become a chef because of his love for food. Later, he joined the Cult of the Goddess of the Hearth. In pursuit of the way of food, this guy spent the rest of his life traveling across three continents to search for all kinds of ingredients. Finally, he compiled his findings into a book called "The Guide to Culinary Delights", which has been passed down to this day.

However, although this "bible" of the culinary world has survived, the Goddess of the Hearth, due to its own weakness, was destroyed in the war despite not actively participating in the divine war. Only a few people escaped to islands in the open sea, barely managing to continue this faith to this day.

Lude was eager to know how this group of believers had survived for over two hundred years in isolation, and whether their faith had changed during this period due to their living environment.

After all, to pursue culinary enjoyment, you first need to be free from worries about food and clothing. Given the living environment and resources of an island, it would probably be quite difficult to sustain this tribe of nearly two thousand people.

In response to Ludwig's question, Fran first explained that Paty Island is a large island with an area of ​​several hundred square kilometers. When their ancestors migrated there, they brought seeds and livestock, and they cultivated farmland and pastures on the island. Although they were not wealthy, they managed to get by.

As for religious beliefs, the islanders still devoutly worship the hearth goddess Marygis. Every year after the autumn harvest, they celebrate the "Feast Festival," enjoying delicious food and offering the best dishes of the day to the goddess.

If what Fran said is true, then the beliefs of the Goddess of the Hearth have indeed been well preserved by this branch of believers.

Upon hearing this, Lud asked a crucial question: In the past two hundred years, had the goddess of the hearth, Marigsis, performed any miracles before them, her followers?

After listening, Fran nodded and touched his chest.

"Miracles certainly exist, because the Goddess has always been with us!"

End of this chapter