Alice in the Land of Steam

Surprisingly, in the religious discussion with Sister Livia, Songtaya was surprisingly proficient. Not only did she speak fluently about the doctrines, she was also familiar with the name, divine power and various legendary deeds of the Father of the Mountains. She even discussed with the nun in all seriousness the similarities and differences between the doctrines of the True Spirit Sect and the Holy Spirit Return Sect.

When Lingge watched this scene, he always had a sense of absurdity, as if he was not on the top of a desolate and remote snowy mountain, but was in the famous St. Margaret's Seminary, watching a serious religious meeting, even though one of the parties was just a mountain girl of fifteen or sixteen years old.

The seminar lasted for nearly half an hour before it came to an end. Songtaya, who was still not satisfied, picked up the teacup beside her and took a sip of the clear bitter cedar tea. She praised: "The teachings of your True Spirit Sect are quite interesting... Oh, so bitter!"

She wrinkled her face and showed a look of disgust.

This tea with a special taste, bitterness and a hint of folic acid, is a traditional drink of mountain tribes. It is said to have been passed down from the ancestors of the Chattoto people. It is made by mixing the needles of large cedar trees, silver fern leaves, small shrub leaves, snow mountain angelica leaves and other unique plants from the alpine snowfield area with hot water and then brewing it. It has the effect of refreshing the mind and strengthening the body. During the booming tourism industry in Heidblosberg, it was once a local specialty and was sought after and loved by tourists.

Because the tea sellers at that time said that drinking this tea would bring blessings from the Father of Mountains. The most obvious proof is that the mountain dwellers lived in such a harsh environment, but their physical fitness was better than those living on the ground. Those devout believers, poets, painters or playwrights who were willing to travel thousands of miles to the snow-capped mountains for pilgrimage were all attracted by this.

Of course, the scientific principle is just to use this tea to supplement certain trace elements that the mountain people cannot obtain due to living in the high mountain snowfield area for a long time and lack of fruits and vegetables.

Besides, the Xiatoto people climb mountains and wade through snow-capped mountains all day long, so how can their physical fitness be bad?
However, it is true that all mountain people grew up drinking this bitter cedar tea, and Songtaya is no exception. It's just that no matter how long she has been drinking it, she can't get used to the sour and bitter taste.

After hearing Sontaya's praise, Sister Livia also took a sip from her teacup, then asked calmly, "So, do you think that the teachings of our True Spirit Sect are closer to the original intention of the saint, or that the teachings of the Holy Spirit Return Sect are more in line with the needs of the times, Miss Sontaya?"

"Well, this..." When asked such a profound question, the girl Xia Toto was a little overwhelmed. She scratched her cheek and thought for a long time before giving an uncertain answer: "Should, should the teachings of our mountain guards be better?"

Sister Livia was speechless for a moment, and had to remind this cunning guy: "The Mountain Guards are members of the Holy Spirit Return Sect, right?"

"It seems so? Hehe." Songtaya scratched her head and grinned, maliciously acting cute: "Then the teachings of the Holy Spirit Return Sect are better! Because we, the Xia Toto people, were guided by the saints to gain a foothold in the snowy mountains, and our lives are getting better and better. We almost settled on the ground. It's just that the damn religious group had to come out to disturb us and drove the Xia Toto people back to the snowy mountains!"

At this point, the girl clenched her fists and said angrily, "If the saint came back, he would not allow those guys to be so arrogant! He would definitely lead us, the Xia Toto people, to counterattack the united sect and regain the good old days!"

It's really... a very simple wish.

Sister Livia frowned slightly, like frowning a gentle moonlight, and said softly: "But that will kill many people."

"In war, people will die." Songtaya didn't care. "Even hunting can cause death: some are bitten to death by the prey's dying struggle, some fall into the valley during the chase, and some are even pushed off the cliff by the horns of mad mountain goats... But if we don't hunt, we won't have enough food! So, I have already made up my mind. In order to feed more people in the tribe, I don't mind dying in battle!"

As she spoke, she puffed out her chest, looking as if no one else could do it better than her.

Everyone fell silent.

Although Songtaya's tone was a bit childish, there was no problem with the logic of the passage, and Songtaya had already proved with practical actions that she was not bragging: as the daughter of the chief and an underage girl, she could have stayed in the tribe and enjoyed the fruits of her labor. Why did she have to become a hunter and go out hunting in the wind and snow every day?
This is not a responsibility that a 14 or 15-year-old girl should bear. Linger believes that even if Chief Wilhelm is strict, he will not make such harsh demands on his daughter. Therefore, this decision can only come from Sontaya herself.

but--

"But," Sister Livia leaned forward slightly, her beautiful sea-blue eyes fixed on the girl, and asked word by word, "What if it wasn't because of the sacrifice in battle? Would such a sacrifice make you feel honored?"

"Ah?" Songtaya didn't react for a moment, and asked casually: "If it wasn't because of the battle, why would I die? I'm not stupid, I won't fall off the cliff!"

This sentence once again caused everyone to fall silent.

There are too many people in this world who sacrifice their lives for no reason. Some of them die heroically but meaninglessly, some die foolishly but are hard to hate, some die for glorious dreams, and some die for greedy desires...Human nature is a complex thing, like the gray mud in the sewers. Pure and flawless snowflakes like Songtaya on the mountains may never be touched or understood in a lifetime.

"Sontaya."

Sister Livia suddenly said: "You just said that you are willing to fight for your people, even if it means sacrifice. What about the gods?" "God?" Songtaya tilted her head, blinked twice, and replied: "Lord Mountain Father, I don't need to sacrifice for Him, right? He uses a little finger, such a small finger--"

She raised her pinky finger to everyone, which was as slender as a snowflake. "We can defeat many enemies. So Lord Shanfu will protect us. How could he let us sacrifice for him?"

It seems that she has no idea about the power of the Alliance of Religious Orders or even the Witch Society.

What's more, the idea of ​​the coming of God is originally based on the souls of believers. Without sacrifice, how can we see God?
Sister Livia pursed her lips subconsciously, reached out her hand and gently stroked the girl's soft black hair, and said softly: "That's good, Songtaya, remember what you said today, you can fight for your people, but never sacrifice for the gods. I think even the Father of the Mountains would not want to see that happen."

"Yes!" Although she didn't know why she said that, the nun left a good impression on Songtaya, so she nodded and agreed without hesitation: "I'll remember it!"

After that, the crowd did not discuss this topic with the girl from Xia Toto, but talked about some trivial things, which gradually made the silent atmosphere lively. Because of the heated conversation, Songtaya did not realize the passage of time at all, until she looked up by chance and found that the moon was far away at the edge of the mountains, in the same position as the sun when it was setting. Then she realized that something was wrong and hurriedly said goodbye: "Wow, it's so late, I have to go back to the tribe! If my father finds out that I haven't returned yet, he will definitely scold me!"

She hurriedly put the tableware she brought back into the bamboo basket, and then tied it to her waist with a rope, but accidentally knocked off the dagger that was originally hanging on her belt. Seeing her panic, Saint Xia Liya couldn't help shaking her head and reminded her: "Don't be too anxious, Songtaya, be careful on the way back, don't take shortcuts just because you don't have enough time, understand?"

"I know, I know, Sister Xiaoxia, you are even more nagging than Grandma Ayi Na."

Saint Xia Liya raised her eyebrows when she heard this, but before she could show her power, Songtaya smiled, turned around and ran away, as if she was escaping. In the blink of an eye, she ran to the edge of the mountain top and the path down the mountain. Then she stopped, turned around and waved goodbye to them.

A few people silently watched her leave the mountaintop, her back gradually disappearing into the darkness of the night. The wind carried away the girl's footsteps, and the starlight above her head gradually tilted, and the light was not as bright as at the beginning. In the second half of the night, many constellations disappeared.

Ling Ge retracted his gaze and asked Sister Livia: "So, is it really as I thought?"

"Yes." The nun nodded, her expression unusually solemn: "Although it's not very obvious, I can feel that there is a huge amount of faith power accumulated in Songtaya's body, and it seems to be very mixed, not entirely her own. I'm afraid that the Wusu tribe - or the mountain guards, have used some special method to infuse the faith power of the mountain people into her soul, artificially creating this state."

Ling Ge thought thoughtfully: "Like the Holy Son of the True Spirit Sect?"

"It's not that serious yet." Sister Livia shook her head. Even when it came to her past, her tone did not change. "The experiment that Lord Kenos, the Cursed King, used to create a fake kingship was very sophisticated. Therefore, the Son of God, as the product of the experiment, has absolute control over the power of faith in his body. This is why all generations of Sons of God have been able to transform into Gabriel forms. The mountain people's method is more crude. They bind Sontaya to the faith of the Mountain Father, so that when the mountain people pray to the Mountain Father, the power of faith generated by them flows into Sontaya through some channel. In other words, Sontaya is just a container for those powers of faith, but she herself cannot use those powers of faith that do not belong to her."

Sister Livia paused for a moment and continued, "But the excessive power of faith accumulated in Songtaya's body still brought some changes to her. If we use the terms of secular religion, it is not wrong to call her the Son of God or the Saint."

The others immediately understood that this was probably the reason why Songtaya, at such a young age, had mastered sophisticated hunting skills, was able to move freely in the snow-capped mountains, and her five senses and physical fitness were far superior to ordinary people - in a sense, this girl was indeed blessed by the Mountain Father, but this blessing was artificially created.

"But what's the point of doing this?" Saint Shalia stroked the lamb's hair and wondered: "The Holy Son created by the Cursed Ring King Kenos with the power of faith may not be as good as the real girl's royal power, but at least it has similar properties and amazing combat power. And Songtaya is just a container of the power of faith. If she can't use those powers herself, what's the point?"

"Normally, it's meaningless, but I thought of a possibility, which is to make Songtaya the core of the ceremony." Livia's eyes were a little gloomy, as if she remembered some not-so-good memories: "Just like Rochelle back then."

Rochelle... a long-lost name that made Ling Ge and Saint Xia Liya dazed for a moment.

What happened in Leisenburg is still vivid in my mind and hard to forget.

For any ceremony involving magic, sacrifice, and devotion, the leader of the ceremony is the indispensable core, and the ceremony of summoning gods is no exception. In addition, the core of the ceremony also has an additional role. That is, after successfully summoning the imagined god, the believer who is the core of the ceremony will use his huge and pure power of faith to interfere with the god's thoughts and decide the kingdom of God that He wants to create.

At the beginning, Rochelle tried to defeat the Earth Witch, the Scarlet Night Gate, with the power of the Conceived God, proving that the power of the Witch Society was not unmatched. It was under the influence of this strong will that the Great Venerable Yuanrang persevered in challenging the Scarlet Night Gate and refused to give up until the moment of defeat. Strong emotions lead to strong wills, and strong wills form strong obsessions. This is the essence of the Conceived God.

"Also, there is another benefit to making a pure vessel like Songtaya the core of the ritual." Sister Livia said in a measured tone: "You should all know that in the ritual of inviting gods, believers who offer prayers to the gods will eventually let their souls merge into the newly conceived gods and become a part of them. In a sense, this is actually equivalent to death. Every time the conceived gods come, hundreds of thousands of believers are sacrificed for this, and as many as tens of thousands. This is a necessary part of the ritual. However, due to the special connection between Songtaya and the Mountain Father, the mountain people can inject the power of faith into Songtaya's soul, and then Songtaya will dedicate this power of faith to the Mountain Father. In this indirect way, they can avoid joining the ritual themselves and also avoid sacrifice. However, this means that in the entire ritual, only, only..."

She hesitated for a long time when she said this, but she couldn't bring herself to say the cruel conclusion. At this time, the young man's voice came from the side, calmly and coldly speaking for her: "Only Sontaya was sacrificed, right?" (End of this chapter)