BXBX NOVEL Chapter 140 - A Suitable Offering
Nikolai never liked anyone on their first meeting. Today was the exception. The woman in front of him must be in her late twenties or thirties, but he could tell she was wise beyond her years.
Taly is her name, an uncommon name. Nikolai tried to see if she was a beastmen, but there was no indication of that. However, he didn\'t want to ruin their meeting by making her uncomfortable. At least, not until he gets something useful out of her.
"Their villainy," Nikolai leaned in with a straight back. "Elaborate," he wanted to continue the subject after their brief introduction.
"Of course, nobles would be interested in that," she rolled her eyes, which had dark bags beneath them. Her unnatural violet irises focused on his body and attire. "However, I never expected the Rosian royal family to be one of them."
A thin smile played on her lips, which had a distinct smudge of ink beneath it. Nikolai leaned forward as an embedded handkerchief appeared in his hand, and he wiped away the ink.
"Ugh," Taly frowned as he rubbed her chin, cleaning it before pulling away from her. "You are a bold man to touch a woman so easily."
"I guess you were busy with work, which is a great sign for me," Nikolai said. "I am a retainer, not a noble, and this is also within my interests. I came here out of my own will, and I am not a noble."
"That would be for the best," she said with a smile as she pocketed her hands into her brown leather jacket. "So, where were we?"
"Their villainy," Nikolai repeated.
"Ah, yes. Even a child knows that gods are unkind to us. Rather, they should be the only ones who know naturally. But, instead, they hold the natural fear of the unknown, and parents use the gods to threaten their children into discipline."
"Then, the parents should also be aware of how cruel the gods can be," Nikolai rested his chin on his hand as he listened to her analysis.
"They choose to ignore it without being aware. Well, to say that they \'choose\' is a bit inaccurate. We are naturally drawn to the divine, and we always glorify it. Have you ever wondered why humans needed to believe in gods, to begin with?"
"To function as a society. Faith unites us in a world where everything divides us. We chose to believe in gods because it\'s easier than to practice altruism, serving the common good, and compassion."
"How old are you?" she asked while looking taken aback.
"Almost eighteen," Nikolai answered truthfully.
"Kids are scary nowadays," she sighed, full of emotions, but she jumped forward to slam the table with her gloved palm. "You are right! That was the first reason that we believed in gods. Do you know what\'s the second?"
"That\'s why I hired you," Nikolai answered with a smile. "Tell me."
"Because they exist," Taly gave a wide grin as if she revealed the unspoken. However, Nikolai was hard to surprise, given that this was his second time redoing life. "You know that already?" she pouted.
"I do," he said, "because I am one of them."
The archeologist paused as she stared at his sincere face. Nikolai was simply messing around, trying to gauge her reaction and knowledge about gods. However, the most important thing to him is to see how open-minded she is.
"Then welcome to the human world," she smiled at last. Nikolai almost laughed, and he simply shook his head.
"Please, tell me more."
"My pleasure," Taly nodded before looking around as if deciding whether this was a good spot. "Let\'s go somewhere private. After all, not everyone likes what I have to say."
Nikolai nodded in understanding before he stood up. Some eyes were watching them, and not all of them were friendly. Their observation started when Taly arrived as if they were offended by her existence.
The two left after signing a contract with the union that protected both parties from being scammed or harmed. Taly walked beside him, and she barely reached his shoulder.
With short pants that ended at her thighs and a brown leather jacket that covered a white shirt, Taly fit the archeologist role well. The two didn\'t say anything as they left the busy main street.
"This is our first destination," Taly stopped at a giant plaza with a massive well in the middle. People drank their fill from the well or simply filled their leather bags. "This well is famous in our city because it\'s deeply related to Vyxas."
"How?"
"Before the gods ascended to Celestia, Vyxas lived in this land. The ritual is happening in the place he was raised and born, and it was a small village in the suburbs," Taly walked forward and waited in the line for the well.
"And how is this well related to him?"
"I told you that the gods are known for their heroism, not their villainy," she said with an apathetic expression. "However, most of the time, those two things are the same."
"Beauty is in the eyes of the beholder," Nikolai pocketed his hands. "One man\'s fortune is another\'s misfortune."
"Are you sure that you are only eighteen? Most kids your age only care about alcohol and girls," Taly glanced at him. "Your words are correct. This place is where Vyxas slain the widely detested monster called Aquana, Lord of Floods."
"The people weren\'t fond of floods, it seems."
"You\'d think they are not, but very few know the whole tale. Aquana was not the Lord of Floods. It was a wise creature who tried to drown Vyxas and his minions," Taly continued as their turn arrived. "However, Vyxas slew it to end the floods, and it became another one of his feats. This well became Vyxas gift to the people, and they thank him to this day."
"Where is the villainy in this story?"
"It comes after because Aquana was what kept this land alive," Taly scooped some of the water from the well and handed it to Nikolai. "That\'s why even now, it tries to give life to everything through this never-ending well."
"What happened after it died?" Nikolai stared at his reflection in the water, distorted by the ripples.
"A famine struck the land, but it served as another one of Vyxas\'s feats. However, that is a tale for another time. Let us leave."
Nikolai followed after her as the people stared at them with suspicion. Taly didn\'t care and simply kept walking forward. She took him to a withered tree which was worshiped because it saved Vyxas in exchange for its life, but no one knew that Vyxas simply devoured it.
Vyxas\'s feats were everywhere. It was a god that was considered to be the protector of this land. Everything it did was for Fera, and that\'s why it was one of the gods remembered to this day.
Nikolai knew that the fabricated tales would serve as an excellent report for Saint Maria. She might even buy these stories and end up as an admirer of Vyxas\'s virtues.
"You have the right to disregard my words as lies, but I am nothing but a historian. I know both sides of the story, and I pick the one I find most reasonable."
"I believe you," Nikolai said, and he could feel her genuine surprise. However, he couldn\'t tell her that he knew this because Vyxas descended in his first lifetime, and it wasn\'t a protector or a saint. Instead, it was the God of Gluttony.
"Kids aren\'t so bad these days. Maybe I should adopt you," she said teasingly, but Nikolai\'s brow twitched.
"Tell me about the ritual," Nikolai said, and the archeologist picked the cue. They were now at the edge of the city, sitting on the dyke of a stream.
"Every year, Vyxas gets hungry."
"Tell me both versions of the story," Nikolai reminded her.
"Every year, our protector\'s powers are weakened," she said in a high-pitch, praising voice. "We have no choice but to replenish its powers through a sacrifice! The core of a legendary monster, a divine herb, or... a pure soul."
\'The God of Gluttony is always hungry,\' Nikolai knew, so it made no sense that it was only fed once a year. However, what drew his attention was the matter of a pure soul.
"What happens when the ritual is over?"
"For three days, the land is protected by the divine powers of Vyxas. A pool of holy water appeared in the ritual grounds, and it blesses every follower of Vyxas with extraordinary strength."
"I never heard of such a thing in the previous years," Nikolai pointed out, and Taly jumped to stand on the dyke.
"Because until now, no one gave a suitable offering. None of the things I said worked, so Vyxas\'s blessing was never received.. That is why they say that when Vyxas is pleased, the world will know the terror known as Fera\'s warriors."