Mythology: Ragnarok

Chapter 381 God and Man

Xuanyuan Muze magnified and carefully observed the statue belonging to Agreed through the detection lens of the nanosuit. He saw that the statue was covered with cracks due to its age. The analysis system of the suit could tell that the material of the statue was not very good. Many of the cracks were due to flaws in the material and carving process, which made the statue look shaky.

Moreover, through the observation and calculation of the nano armor, Xuan Yuan Muze could determine that the size of the statue would not exceed fifteen meters. Such a statue would immediately pale in comparison to the perfect statues in the Pantheon that are hundreds of meters tall.

Seeing this, Xuanyuan Muze immediately asked Keitel with great confusion, "Why is the sculpture of the Dragon God so... crude? Shouldn't the place of his worship be the greatest wonder of the Kingdom of Ten Thousand Races?"

Keitel gazed at the crowd in the distance and slowly explained, "Because that sculpture was not officially created by the Kingdom of Ten Thousand Races. The statue was personally crafted by the followers of His Majesty the Dragon God after the Pantheon was built three thousand years ago. The people spontaneously brought pieces of the best materials they could from their hometowns, and tens of thousands of sculptors came here to design and carve the statue day and night. It has no magical protective layer, no high-grade enchanted materials, and no professional maintenance personnel to repair it every day. Naturally, it could not resist the erosion of time and became what it is today."

As I mentioned before, the Dragon God had no intention of making us worship him; the statue was a spontaneous act by the people. Strangely enough, while the flawless sculptures in the Pantheon go unworshipped, this dilapidated statue receives a constant stream of worshippers.

Xuanyuan Muze then asked, "Did the Dragon God not respond to this?"

"Of course there is. A thousand years ago, His Majesty responded to the people's faith, distributing religious items to his followers and telling them, 'There is no need to worship or kneel. If you have faith in him, you only need to wear the token.' To be honest, at the time I really didn't understand what that Dragon God was thinking. Until one day I accidentally saw one of my colleagues saved from death by the Dragon God's token in an accident. From that moment on, I realized that he... was actually sharing the power of faith!"

As the people gradually learned of this, their faith in the Dragon God grew even stronger, and people like us, residents of the old era, became increasingly rare.” Keitel gave a bitter smile at this point, it was unclear whether his smile was praising Agreed’s clever methods or mocking the current predicament of people like himself.

Xuanyuan Muze looked at Keitel and asked out of the blue, "Then...do you hate him?"

Keitel turned to look at Xuanyuan Muze, then replied thoughtfully, "You mean His Majesty the Dragon God? I... do hate him, but I can't quite bring myself to hate him. Perhaps that's what causes me pain. Back then, the Kingdom of Ten Thousand Races conquered my homeland with irresistible force. They transformed the land, established schools, taught magic, and imparted wisdom. Although they were invaders, and we initially rejected these outsiders, as time passed, we all changed our minds."

Because under the system of the Kingdom of Ten Thousand Races, everyone is living a life they never dared to dream of before. We, who were once under the rule of our own people, couldn't even get enough to eat, but now, with the help of outsiders, or even invaders, we live a life we ​​never dared to dream of. So I am confused. I can't understand the actions of the Kingdom of Ten Thousand Races. I can't understand what the Dragon God of the Kingdom of Ten Thousand Races is thinking. The Kingdom of Ten Thousand Races is more about helping than plundering, but he has no reason to help us. I still don't understand why he... established the Kingdom of Ten Thousand Races. But I have to say I am grateful to him for bringing us such a wonderful life, because having experienced that era, I know best how dreamlike our current life is.

No one ever told me how wonderful this country was, but I truly felt it here—that warmth and a dream that shouldn't even exist in this world!

So… I don’t actually hate His Majesty the Dragon God. I should even believe in him, but I’m sorry he came too late. I have already given all my piety to another god. I’m sorry I missed him.” Keitel gazed wistfully at the distant statue, a faint, almost imperceptible longing flickering in his eyes.

Xuanyuan Muze lowered his head in thought, and after a while he asked again, "Then why don't you abandon your faith and throw yourself into his arms?"

Keitel smiled and shook his head, then said, "I'm a very stubborn person. Once I've chosen my faith, I won't abandon it. But I have been confused before. When I prayed sincerely to my god, the god never answered me. But when I asked the Kingdom of All Races for something, the Dragon God never refused me."

The god I worship makes me kneel, but the dragon god demands that his followers stand. Our god leaves us bewildered as to why we must kneel, while their dragon god makes us wonder why their followers have the right to stand up.

To be honest, there was a time when I really hated the Dragon God. I loathed him and blamed him because he made everything I believed in worthless. Why couldn't he be more ordinary? Maybe then I wouldn't feel so pathetic. All the gods paled in comparison to him, and my faith gradually became lonely.

But at that moment, the incarnation of the Dragon God came to my side. He did not try to persuade me to believe in him. He simply told me to stick to the choice in my heart. As a result, I was no longer confused and stuck to my decision. I became the guardian of the Pantheon and one of the last believers of the old gods here.

I must admit, he was too perfect. He fulfilled all our fantasies about gods; he was more human than any god, and more divine than any human. I regret not meeting him sooner, but I'm also grateful, because I at least witnessed his appearance, witnessed the birth of a perfect era.

Xuanyuan Muze looked at Keitel with a growing sense of sympathy. Wasn't he just like him? The most painful thing in the world is admitting that you are wrong!

After finishing her reflection, Keitel stood up and bid farewell to Xuanyuan Muze, saying, "I won't say any more to you. I have to go back now. If you want to pay homage to the Dragon God, you can just line up here. I'll take my leave now."

After saying that, Keitel turned and left, watching his lonely shadow fall to the ground and gradually disappear into the distance. At this moment, Xuan Yuan Muze inexplicably recalled the words engraved in the Pantheon: "The peak welcomes false supporters, twilight witnesses faithful believers."

Xuanyuan Muze watched Keitel leave until he disappeared on the horizon. Then he turned around and walked forward to join the worship team. As time passed, Xuanyuan Muze gradually got closer and closer to the statue of Agred.