Chapter 491: The History of the Rise of Ancient Humans
"Is this... a God?"
When Revin and Nipede arrived at the temple with their Knight troops and saw the divine object that the Maya were praying to, both of them let out somewhat uncertain voices.
Especially Revin, who very directly said,
"Is this what a God looks like?"
No wonder he said that.
In the modern continent of Akasha, it’s not that there are no religious beliefs, but the gods of those religions mostly have either majestic or sacred images—typically humanoid in form, or at worst dragons, snakes, beasts, and other such vivid biological images.
Yet the God worshipped in this temple was merely a square block, which to Revin and the others indeed seemed quite strange.
Let alone them, even Reiger hadn’t imagined before that the God the Maya kept mentioning would be such an entity.
You must know, even in the world of his previous life, the images of gods were essentially human or beast-shaped. To worship a certain object as the image of a god—at least, Reiger had never seen it with his own eyes in his previous life.
Maya, however, scoffed at the astonishment of the others.
"If you ask me, to imagine the form of God as the likeness of any creature living in this world is nothing but a desecration of God," Maya unapologetically said, "God is an extraordinary and transcendent being, a great individual that reigns above any creature in this world. To stubbornly imagine God in a form that one can understand and accept is undoubtedly an act of arrogance."
Saying so, Maya ended her prayer, stood up, and turned to face the others.
"I don’t know what the situation outside is now, but when I was still on the surface, there was only this one God who was worshipped and venerated."
"Whether it’s us or groups from other places, all humanity only believed in one God."
"From the arrival of God to the disappearance of this city below the ground, a total of twenty-seven thousand years passed, regardless of how the eras developed, or how humanity progressed, we never forgot the one true God who once enlightened us and allowed us to thrive on the earth."
Listening to this speech, full of vast amounts of information, let alone Reiger, Liz, Revin, and Nipede—who had already guessed Maya’s identity—felt very confused.
"...Could it be that you are really a person who has survived from the ancient magic civilization to the present?"
Nipede looked at Maya with eyes filled with amazement.
As for this, Maya was noncommittal.
"I don’t know what this ancient magic civilization you speak of really is, but I can probably guess that the era I lived in is already a distant past for you, isn’t it?" Maya said, "I can only say that I am indeed not from the same era as you, and you shouldn’t look at me with such strange eyes. I have survived to this day not because the lifespan of humans has been extended, but because I chose to give up my self and became an existence beyond human in order to protect this temple, this city."
As she spoke, Maya’s expression became complex for a moment, but then she recovered.
"You also shouldn’t ask too much about my time, what I know may not be more than what you do, because, when this city was about to face its cataclysmic disaster, in order to preserve the city and this temple, I had to sink into the ground with it, and in the end, was swallowed into the belly of the underground beast Yarakulon."
"At the time I and this city sank beneath the ground, what exactly happened on the surface, and what caused the dynasties to change, becoming what you call the ancient magic civilization, all of this I have no knowledge of."
"As for what has happened since sinking underground, it’s even more impossible for me to know, in order to ensure that the personality within this body does not decay with the passage of time, a protective mechanism was placed on me. Unless someone approaches this city, I would remain in a state of slumber, never waking up—it’s something even I cannot control."
Like this, Maya blocked all the questions and curiosities in the hearts of those seeking to probe the roots of her existence.
Still, having learned that Maya was a person who had survived from the ancient magic civilization to the present, the way everyone looked at her changed.
Maya didn’t care how others viewed her and said nonchalantly,
"You can look around nearby or pray in front of the altar, but don’t run around randomly."
"If you want to leave, you can go through the main gate you entered."
"But besides that door, none of the other doors are to be tampered with by any of you."
There were several doors around the temple that seemed to lead to other places.
"Is it strictly forbidden no matter what?"
Upon hearing Maya’s words, Revin’s expression became a bit unsightly.
They had entered with the purpose of finding the ancient treasures, seeking the advanced technology and knowledge left behind by the ancient magic civilization. If they were not allowed to go elsewhere, it would mean that their hard-fought battles against the giant guardians had only earned them a chance to visit an ancient temple?
This was naturally not enough to satisfy Revin and the others.
"What? Do you want to take something from here?"
How could Maya not guess the thoughts of Revin and the others?
The priestess let out a cold laugh and raised her scepter.