Myth: The Ruler of Spirituality - Chapter 174
Chapter 174: Chapter 29 Deceit
“Do we really have to do this?”
As Laine and his two companions harbored their own thoughts, in The Temple dedicated to the offering of fire and protection of the goddess Hestia, Momon was somewhat nervous.
Although the creator stood by his side, and even though he was reluctant to part with the sacrifice that was to be offered, he still felt uneasy.
After all, in the past, Prometheus had told them more than once about the era when deities roamed the earth, how they could shake mountains and reverse the flow of rivers and seas.
“Don’t worry, Momon, Her Highness Hestia is one of the kindest goddesses among the gods. Even if she notices anything wrong, she will come to warn me first rather than directly punishing you,”
Standing at the entrance of The Temple, the tall Prometheus comforted those around him.
He had never tried it before, and his own power was not sufficient, so the Forethinker didn’t know whether a deity with great divine power could detect something amiss just through the faint divinity on the statue, across the vast earth. Therefore, only today did he dare to make the attempt, and the target was Hestia.
This goddess was brave and fearless in battle, but approachable in everyday life. The Forethinker believed that if it were her, then even if something were discovered, it could still be remedied.
Although it was somewhat like taking advantage of a kind person, for the sake of his own creations, Prometheus still had to do this. He resolved in secret that if he succeeded this time, he would increase the praises for Hestia among humans, allowing her to receive a measure of faith second only to the Divine King.
“Ossen, you’ll go first.”
Seeing that it was about time, Prometheus hesitated no longer and spoke to a slender human.
The Forethinker had a recollection of each of his creations, but some were more prominent than others. When Ossen was created, Epimetheus had endowed him with sensitivity, and perhaps his own blessing was effective, for he was also exceptionally intelligent. Therefore, Prometheus often kept him close to teach.
In fact, all those who had come with him on this mission were humans the Forethinker valued highly; they all possessed a natural gift for Wisdom far beyond ordinary people. If this endeavor succeeded, the Forethinker decided that they would be responsible for the main priesthood of each of The Temples.
Prometheus had even already thought of a name for them—those who preside over the worship of deities would be called ‘Priest’.
“Yes, Your Highness.”
Nodding in response, Ossen too was a bit nervous, yet there was a certain thrill. To deceive a deity would have been unimaginable in the past, but somehow, he did not feel it was real. After all, other than the occasional blessings, Ossen’s only testimony to the greatness of deities was from the stories of the creator.
Yet on Prometheus, he had never seen that kind of omnipotent greatness.
“Hoo—”
Taking a deep breath, under the watchful eyes of everyone, Ossen stepped forward. He took out the offering that had been prepared beforehand.
It was a cow. Cows could provide milk, their bones could be used to make soup, and their meat and tallow each had their uses. Whether now or in the future, these were some of humans’ most valuable assets.
In the past, humans would offer the best parts of the cow to the gods during sacrifices and keep the offal and bones for themselves, but this time, with the backing of the creator, Ossen would not do so any longer.
Taking up a bronze knife, Ossen expertly cut the cow into small pieces, then began sorting them. One pile consisted entirely of beef, covered with cowhide; the other was all bones, wrapped in the cow’s tallow.
From the outside, the second pile looked much larger than the first.
After putting down the knife, Ossen placed the two piles on The Temple’s altar used for sacrifice. The most critical moment had arrived; his heart pounded, yet for some reason, there was a sense of excitement.
Kneeling on the ground, Ossen chanted loudly.
“O immortal one of Olympus, Hestia!
Sacred Hestia!
I shall sing praises to you loudly!
O daughter of the majestic Cronus!
Holy goddess!
Bountiful daughter of Rhea!
Keeper of the Sacred Fire!”
That is you—noble Hestia—eldest daughter of Cronus and Rhea!
The oldest of the Olympian gods!
You are forever chaste!
You are the glorious and sacred flame!
You are the guardian of serenity!
Oh!
Glorious goddess!
Listen to my song!
Myself and other hymns shall remember you!”
Rustic poetry, clear in meaning, as the hymn came to an end, Ossen seemed to feel an invisible gaze coming from the statue.
It was the gaze of the goddess through the divine and faith imbued in the statue. He had felt it more than once before.
Bearing his nervousness, Ossen worshiped the deity as usual, pleading for blessings. He told the god about the hardships of his labors but still willingly offered all for the divine. In the end, he walked to the altar and brazenly took the smaller portion of the beef, leaving behind the larger ones.
Time ticked away until Prometheus signaled the next person to step forward and make an offering, and nothing happened.
“It seems the result is a success!”
“My guess was correct. The gods are discerning, but they cannot possibly come down to the mortal world to check personally, so there are naturally some oversights.”
When everything was over, the Forethinker was all smiles. He looked at the humans gathered around him and spoke with some delight:
“Then let’s follow today’s process in the future. You each will be responsible for a temple, Momon, Ossen, the temple of the Divine King is the most important, so the two of you will take care of it together.”
“From now on, the sacrifices will be made by you, not every person who comes to worship. This way, the matter will not spread, and our goal will be achieved.”
“However, you must remember, while you can keep the offerings made to the gods, you must not diminish the faith in them. Therefore, afterwards, you will return these offerings to everyone in other names, but do not let them know.”
“Of course, Your Highness, how dare we truly profane the divine.”
Excited, Ossen glanced at his partner behind him, but he felt somewhat reflective in his heart.
It turns out that even the gods on Mount Olympus are not so magnificent, unable to discern things right before their eyes.
But then again, the creator once said that humans are the lords of all, the creatures closest to the divine in the world. Perhaps the difference between gods and humans is simply a matter of power and life.
He had already witnessed power, but he could not grasp life. Prometheus had once talked to the humans about death, but the robust Ossen felt no fear at all.
“Let’s leave it at that then; you all think it over for yourselves, I need to go back now.”
Not knowing what the humans in front of him were thinking, Prometheus’s mood was still quite good.
Before he came here, Epimetheus had advised him against deceiving the gods, but the Forethinker had snorted disdainfully at such a notion.
If he were as foolish as his brother, he might indeed slip up, but how could he act so recklessly? First try it out in the temple of Hestia, then promote it step by step—that is the wisdom of the Forethinker.
Moreover, all this was at his instigation, and ordinary humans were unaware of it. Even if it were exposed, it would have nothing to do with the Bronze Humanity.
Thinking this, Prometheus couldn’t help but feel a little emotional. Often, he wished his simple brother could learn a thing or two, but alas, that would probably never happen.
After all, that’s how deities are, born a certain way, they stay that way, and unless there is a massive upheaval, they are unlikely to change.
