Chapter 4 I Want to Find Someone
Amon's face flushed, resembling that of someone who had drunk too much, and his expression was somewhat dazed. For the son of a miner, it was indeed difficult to digest so many thoughts in an instant. Yet today, he happened to be the person involved in this event, and he had no choice but to reflect on it
Xiao Gu, in a moment of urgency, revealed the divine records, which have long been a legend of Doke Town, explaining the origins of the craftsmanship in this area. Later, people built the magnificent temple based on such legends, which dates back many, many years. Whether to deal with Amon is no longer important; Xiao Gu must first ensure his own safety
Xiao Gu's cold sweat, which had just dried, began to flow down again. He did not expect the old madman to be so ruthless today. If he clung to this issue and it reached the ears of the priests in the city-state's main temple, he would be in a difficult position. Xiao Gu stepped forward with a voice that was almost pleading and said: "It was my oversight. Since I became a priest, I have never encountered such a situation. Thank you, esteemed Elder Nietzsche, for your reminder. I am willing to atone for my reckless behavior and hereby apologize to Amon."
Aristotle seemed to understand Nietzsche's cold smile, placing his hand on his chest and smiling as he said: "I harbor no disrespect towards any deity; the reverence for the divine arises from our innermost desires, not from our demands. People should be devoted to their beliefs, but the existence of God is not contingent upon anyone's will"
However, Mayor Dasti on the side remained silent, merely watching the commotion with a cold gaze
The mayor clearly intended to divert the conversation, to which Aristotle replied: "Miss Maria, no, Lady Maria is unwell, and her servant happens to be ill as well. We need to find a servant in town to attend to Lady Maria, someone who can perform heavy labor for approximately three days."
Mayor Dasti nodded and said: "Then the matter is settled. I will record the events in my capacity as the mayor of this town, but it will be merely a record and will not be reported to the temple of the city-state as an incident of blasphemy. Alright, there is nothing more to discuss here, everyone may disperse."
The turmoil in Amon's heart was no less than when he was just pressed by Xiao Gu. Many thoughts flashed through his mind, and this debate included numerous unbelievable and unspeakable hypotheses, such as: the Goddess Mu Yun does not exist at all, the Goddess Mu Yun exists but does not pay attention to this place, mastering mining skills does not require the blessing of a guardian deity, and if blessings are needed, they could perhaps come from another deity... and so on and so forth. Such as: the Goddess Mu Yun does not exist at all, the Goddess Mu Yun exists but does not pay attention to this place, mastering mining skills does not require the blessing of a guardian deity, and if blessings are needed, they could perhaps come from another deity... and so on and so forth.
However, in this situation, Xiao Gu had no choice but to agree
Xiao Gu took a step back, steeling himself as he spoke loudly: "Oh, Mr. Nietzsche, it seems this is entirely a misunderstanding. I was unaware that you had received the great oracle of the goddess Mu Yun in your dreams. Although rare, such occurrences are not without precedent. The sacred texts record that before there was a temple in Dook Town, the goddess Mu Yun directly blessed the earliest craftsmen of the town, teaching us the skills that have been passed down through generations... Amon, he is a child favored by the goddess." The sacred texts record that before there was a temple in Dook Town, the goddess Mu Yun directly blessed the earliest craftsmen of the town, teaching us the skills that have been passed down through generations... Amon, he is a child favored by the goddess.
Aristotle seemingly glanced at Amon casually and said unhurriedly: "First, it cannot be a woman who has been with a man; second, it cannot be an adult man; third, there must be no dust in his hair and no dirt under his nails"
For a moment, the square fell silent. The words spoken by Aristotle were ultimately summarized by the old madman: "God has proven that Amon has received grace and blessings; mastering a craft is the manifestation of a miracle." This is difficult to refute, unless someone stands up and shouts: "The craftsmanship passed down through generations in Doke Town does not require the blessings of a guardian deity." Who would dare to say such a thing? Everyone here has, for many years, firmly believed in the protection of the divine, which has been ingrained in their souls. Unless someone stands up and shouts: "The craftsmanship passed down through generations in Doke Town does not require the blessings of a guardian deity." Who would dare to say such a thing? Everyone here has, for many years, firmly believed in the protection of the divine, which has been ingrained in their souls.
It is truly difficult to find a person here who has no gray in their hair and no dirt under their nails; there are only three in the entire square: Dasti, Xiao Gu, and Amon. Amon is very clean, having just bathed in the cold spring at night, and even washed his clothes together. Afterward, he dried them under the rising sun in the morning and only returned to the town after getting dressed.
The old madman laughed: "What luck! There is only one person here who meets the conditions you mentioned. He is a child, still underage, and you know why he is standing here; it is because of the favor of the goddess Isis... Amon, you should go with this gentleman now... Sir, please pay three gold coins to his father."
Dasti was somewhat puzzled, thinking to himself why Rod-Dick, with so many followers, still needed to find a servant in town. However, he wisely chose not to say much and gently asked, "What kind of person are you looking for?"
The mayor also stepped down from the steps and, in a rare gesture, patted Amon on the shoulder, saying: "Child, quickly go with this gentleman, do everything as he instructs, and be sure not to neglect our town's most esteemed guest"
Mayor Dasti finally spoke up, nodding with a semblance of a smile: "Indeed, the sacred text does contain such records... Mr. Aristotle, you mentioned earlier that you came here to attend to some matters for Lord Dick. What exactly is the matter? Let us not be delayed by our quarrel."
This statement effectively holds leverage over Xiao Gu. Mayor Dasti intends to make a record, stating that it will not be reported, yet implying that he could report it if necessary. As a priest of the temple, Xiao Gu has violated the divine decree, and the details of the incident are thorough with witnesses. Mayor Dasti is also vaguely aware that Xiao Gu has been deliberately befriending the dignitaries of the city-state over the past two years, harboring ambitions regarding the mayor's position. However, now is not the time to confront him openly, as there is currently no one more suitable to handle the town's affairs. Thus, it is an opportune moment to issue him a proper warning.
Amon stood stubbornly, and at this moment, his body involuntarily trembled again. He turned his head and glanced at Aristotle with a look of gratitude, then looked at the old madman with confusion. Unlike others, Amon clearly discerned the implied meaning in the old madman's words. Nietzsche was not only questioning Aristotle with his rhetorical style, but his remarks also seemed to hint at something for him.
Onlookers sensed something was amiss, yet could not pinpoint what was wrong; this was the reason. No one dared to openly deny the oracle, as it was the starting point of everything and must be the fundamental premise. However, the old madman, when questioning Aristotle, was clearly hinting at something.
He cleverly avoided such questioning, and the old madman did not continue to press the issue. Instead, he turned around, his tone darkening, and coldly said to Xiao Gu: "There is only one explanation for this matter, and that is that your actions, esteemed Priest, have tarnished the glory of Goddess Mu Yun. The goddess has not bestowed blessings upon Amon through you, her priest. We all know that the goddess's glory is eternal, while the loyalty of the priest must endure trials... Mayor, as you can see, since everyone is present, how should we deal with this priest?" We all know that the goddess's glory is eternal, while the loyalty of the priest must endure trials... Mayor, as you can see, since everyone is present, how should we deal with this priest?
Aristotle saw the eyes of Nietzsche, and in the gaze of this old man, there was unexpectedly a hint of mocking cold laughter. Only Aristotle himself understood that if he were to change the major premise of his syllogism just now, it would indeed lead to a dangerous conclusion. For instance, if this child did not receive the blessing of a guardian deity, yet he learned the skills of a miner, it would imply that learning the skills of a miner does not require the blessing of a guardian deity.
Xiao Gu has been living a high and mighty life in Doke Town for too long, gradually forgetting how he originally came to occupy this position. At the beginning, everything was thanks to the help of the old madman. The old madman once said: "You are a decisive person in your actions, very intelligent, and more importantly, your humanity in the secular world is very genuine. There is truly no one in this town more suitable than you to be the priest and secretary of the temple."
Xiao Gu stood up straight and immediately nodded, saying, "Alright, no problem!" His tone was quite generous, as the old drunkard mined the least amount of divine stones in the town, usually just the basic tax of four divine stones. However, he soon furrowed his brow, realizing that it was not only the old drunkard who could mine divine stones; Amon was clearly quite skilled as well. If, by chance, a large quantity of divine stones were mined in the coming year, he would have to pay nine out of every ten stones as tax, which would be a significant expense.
The old madman, seeing that no one was speaking, turned to Aristotle and said: "Sir, your argument just now contains many dangerous assumptions; are you aware of this?"
After Amon left, the crowd did not disperse. The old madman still stood at the front, addressing the mayor: "The temple priest has used the ancient scriptures to prove that Amon is innocent, having received the blessing of the goddess Mu Yun. However, this also precisely demonstrates that the priest has forgotten the scriptures' revelations and has been blinded in spirit. If it were not for our esteemed guest's reminder, Lord Xiao Gu would have cut off one of his fingers. Mayor, esteemed high priest, how should we handle this matter?" If it were not for our esteemed guest's reminder, Lord Xiao Gu would have cut off one of his fingers. Mayor, esteemed high priest, how should we handle this matter?
Upon hearing the three conditions stated by Aristotle, Dasti understood that if Maria's original servant fell ill, it would indeed be difficult to find someone among Lord Dick's attendants to fulfill that role. These were, in fact, Gabriel's demands. After she received the Tears of the Gods, she required Maria to conduct all her daily affairs according to the standards of a saint, for she would soon become a true saint.
Fourth, he must possess a pure heart; fifth, he must receive the favor and recognition of the goddess Isis. Just as Aristotle finished speaking, the old madman immediately added two more points, and today he seemed particularly talkative
The residents of Doke Town usually deal with fire and ore. Recently, the mayor ordered the collection of all outstanding taxes for the season, and a large caravan has arrived in the town. Every household has kept their fires burning, working either to pay taxes or to mine the divine stones in order to exchange them for more goods in a timely manner
The crowd parted to make way, and Aristotle led Amon away. Before leaving, Amon helped his father, who was kneeling on the ground, to his feet. The old madman whispered in his ear: "Rest assured, there will only be good things, no bad things, and you need not worry about this place any longer"
The old madman sneered from the side: "You cannot refuse the kind intentions of such a noble priest of the library; how merciful and generous he is! He wishes to compensate you, and you must accept... Mayor, I suggest that the taxes for this year from their family be paid by Lord Xiao Gu."
Gabriel proposed five conditions, but Aristotle only mentioned the first three, as for the residents of Dook Town, the last two conditions were irrelevant; stating them would likely lead to no one being found. Unexpectedly, the old madman casually completed them.
Aristotle paused slightly, then smiled wryly and nodded, saying: "Yes, and these two conditions, are there such people in town? If so, the reward is one gold coin per day, Lord Dick's generosity is truly admirable"
However, Xiao Gu had been in this position for a long time, gradually befriending the noble lords of the city-state, and even secretly harboring ambitions for the position of Mayor Dasti, while neglecting the old madman who had never revealed his true self over the years. When the old madman was not speaking nonsense, he was surprisingly sharp; was this an attempt to publicly ruin his future? Just like how he had helped him ascend to this position in the first place?
The noble priest descended the steps and actually bent down to brush the dust off Amon's father's knees, causing the townspeople to widen their eyes in astonishment. This startled Amon's father, who took two steps back and said, "Lord Xiaogu, you need not do this; what should be done is the concern of the dignitaries and the goddess's decree. I believe the great goddess Mu Yun is protecting Amon."
Xiao Gu's face suddenly turned pale, cold sweat trickled down from his forehead, and his legs trembled slightly. He never expected the situation to take such a sharp turn; the person questioning him turned out to be himself. The old madman's words clearly called into question whether he still had the qualifications to continue serving as a priest. From the old madman's gaze, he distinctly read two words—cruelty
Even if there are skeptics, they can only struggle in silence and repent in uncertainty, because once they voice their doubts, they will be abandoned by everyone around them. Therefore, this is not a question of whether one is willing to believe, but rather a necessity to express devotion, which also serves to protect oneself