Greek Mythology: The Spiritual Dominator

"This is the ship that carries hundreds of people across the sea, and allows people to explore islands and catch fish."

"If you choose this, then I will teach you how to build ships of different sizes, how to sail on the sea, and how to identify the direction according to the stars and the compass."

After placing a few chess pieces on the wooden boat, Ryan blew lightly on the sail, and the boat spun around the edge of the wooden basin.

Looking at this scene, Ender was a little moved.

There is a river next to the tribe, so he knows that it is difficult for humans to stay in the water for a long time. But with this thing called a ‘ship’, these problems can all be solved.

But after hesitating for a moment, Ander shook his head.

".Master Priest, I remember that the Creator once said that the great God-King forbids humans from approaching the ocean."

Exploring islands and catching fish sounds very useful, but the prerequisite for everything is to be able to set foot in the ocean, which is not needed for small rivers.

However, in order to prevent the secrets related to faith from being leaked in advance, Zeus not only did not build a temple for his adoptive parents and publicize their names, but also set the sea as a forbidden area for humans.

It is impossible for a mortal to disobey the God King's order, so this thing called a 'ship' will naturally have no use.

"Then let's look at the third one, but this is the last one."

After being rejected twice in a row, Ryan still showed no sign of being angry. At this time, the desktop was quite empty, with only portraits of different sizes remaining.

Some of them are tall, some are bold and burly, and there are men and women. But for some reason, Ender always felt that they were a bit similar to the statues in the temple.

"The third one is drama. And these in front of you, I call them puppets."

"A complete drama requires 'actors,' but puppetry is different. It does not require the help of other people. It is a drama that can be performed by just one person."

As he spoke, Ryan's fingers trembled slightly. There was no extraordinary power, but the puppets in front of him suddenly moved.

Ender was shocked at first, but after careful observation, he soon discovered the secret inside.

Thin and transparent threads extended from Ryan's fingers and were tied to the puppet's joints. A slight wiggle of your fingers will make the puppet dance accordingly.

"Perform the past and make up lies. You can use puppets to replace lives that exist or do not exist in reality, and use puppets to act out scenes that have happened in the past or that only exist in your imagination."

"If you choose this, then I will teach you how to select materials, carving, how to make silk threads, and how to arrange a play."

"You can choose to use them to sing praises to the gods, or to interpret the world in your heart. No matter what you choose, it all depends on your own ideas."

"Sing praises to gods and interpret the world?"

His eyes brightened, Ander couldn't help but repeat Ryan's words.

Chess and sailing are both fun, but they both have their drawbacks. In contrast, drama not only has 'value', but is also very interesting. Looking at the puppets dancing on the table, a sincere sense of yearning sprouted in Ander's young heart.

Although he hasn't tried it yet, he already kind of likes this feeling. With the move of your fingers, everything can be performed as you want, which sounds extraordinary.

"I choose the third one."

"confirmed?"

With a smile, Ryan's expression was somewhat meaningful.

"Whatever you choose, you can't change it. I will teach you the relevant knowledge to repay you for the hospitality you have shown me these days and in the future. But after you learn this, the rest of the way depends on you. Leave by yourself."

"I am sure."

He nodded affirmatively. Among these three choices, the last one was undoubtedly the one that suited Ender's heart the most.

Learning skills is still such an interesting thing. At this moment, he feels that he has really been favored by the gods recently to encounter such a good thing.

"Well, in that case, starting from tomorrow, we will officially start classes. But before that, you go and chop some wood and come back."

With a smile, Ryan pointed to the wooden frame that Ender had just put down.

"As a beginner, learning knowledge is important, but practice is also essential."

"Huh? Okay then."

His face was a little bitter, but Ander still put the bamboo basket on his back.

If you could learn the skill by chopping more wood, I don’t know how many people would rush to do it.

Carrying the bamboo basket on his back, he walked out of the small courtyard. Behind him, watching Ander's retreating back, Ryan rubbed the puppet in his hand.

From a purely audience perspective, Ender's choice was not very good.

Nowadays, humans are prohibited from sailing, but in the future, the ocean will definitely become an indispensable part of mankind, and even at the end of the Bronze Age, it will not be useless. Nowadays, human beings cannot talk about spiritual enjoyment, but in the future, chess will definitely become a more widely circulated form of entertainment than opera.

But Ryan felt that maybe for Ender, his choice was not wrong.

After all, there are gods in this world, and Ryan will not treat him like Hecate. Think about it this way, some seemingly good choices may be mistakes.

"And he-"

Knocking lightly on the table, Ryan looked through the wall at the stone house next to him.

The owner of that house is named Coron, a 'second class' among bronze humans, a 'craftsman' responsible for making hearth fires, and a student of the priest of the temple of Hestia, the god of fire and guardianship. Of course, the most important thing is that he is the bronze human who refused Ryan's stay.

The reason why he was chosen 'by chance' was because in Ryan's perception, he was the one with the highest 'qualification' among the nearby humans. But despite this, Cologne's height is actually very limited, at least far from enough to directly carry the power of the godhead.

But now, from Ryan's detached perspective, he accidentally discovered that Cologne and Ender had a fateful connection at some point.

Although this connection is still very weak at present, it is not surprising that the more "rewards" Ryan gives Ender, the more obvious this connection will be.

"Destiny is really elusive."

Shaking his head slightly, although Ryan could solve this problem in advance, he still did nothing. By the time he left, Ander would no longer be the weak child he was today. By that time, he can solve this trouble himself.

So from that day on, Ryan, who had obtained the new identity of "Priest", did not hide his existence, but openly taught Ender the knowledge of drama.

In this remote living area of ​​​​the tribe, there suddenly appeared a priest who did not stay in the temple, but stayed in other people's homes. This was an abnormal thing, but under the hint of the soul, the nearby humans were very natural. accepted this.

They were just a little envious. One act of kindness allowed the child named Ander to gain unexpected gains.

But that's all. The lack of spiritual and material life at this time made the Bronze Humans not yet have a clear understanding of 'class'. They envied Ender more because he was able to come into contact with new things that ordinary people didn't understand.

Compared with the same life, the freshness and admiration of others brought by this special skill are the source of human's desire for the 'artisan' class at this time.

In this way, more than twenty years passed in a blink of an eye.

······

"Good morning, it looks like this year's harvest is pretty good."

"Yes, thanks to the gift of the Creator."

"."

Wearing a linen robe and walking on the bluestone road, Ander, who has entered his youth, greets the passers-by familiarly.

Over the past ten years or so, the settlements of the Bronze Humans have been rebuilt again and again, and many smaller strongholds have even been separated, occupying the outer areas of the plain, and Ender also moved with him.

Compared to the past, the neighborhood of his new home was much more lively. Although this is still not the core of the tribe, it is no longer the periphery.

After all, as a "puppet show" performer, Ender is now quite famous in the neighborhood. Even many priests from nearby temples come here just to appreciate his performance.

Especially in the opera "Titan War (Part 1)", Ender used puppets to replace the gods, telling how the king of the gods was born in a cave with the help of fate, grew up in secret, got to know various gods, and finally met the ancient gods. The story of rescuing the brothers and sisters with help was vividly performed.

I have to say that although there is a big deviation from the truth, it still looks like that at first glance.

Moreover, humans at this time had seen this kind of cross-era art, and they were amazed by it. Ender was also sought after by others, and he was regarded as the first "star" in ancient times.

There were even more than one priest who had seen Ander's performance saying that they wanted to report Ander's existence to the high priest of the main temple and ask him to perform this opera to the gods at the annual festival. But for some reason, when they return to their homes, they always forget about this incident.

But that doesn't matter. After all, the priests were not as enthusiastic as they thought about "dedicating drama to the gods". This was just a way for them to show their "piety".

It's good to think about it, but it doesn't matter if you can't. There are even many priests who feel that drama should be reserved for them to enjoy.

I have what others don't have, and this is how I am different from ordinary people. Some people even think that we should artificially stipulate what things can only be owned by priests and cannot be used by others casually, so as to reflect the dignity of those who are close to God. It’s just that the Creator is still there after all, so no one put this matter on the table in the end.

Ender also knew about this, but to him, who the performance was for didn't really matter.

"Good morning, Uncle Cologne. I didn't expect you to come back here today."

After walking around the corner and nodding hello to several bronze humans, Ander unexpectedly saw his old neighbor, but he was just startled for a moment before saying hello with a smile.

It's a coincidence that since we are both 'craftsmen', even if we move to a new place, the places where we live are not far apart, they are just no longer neighbors.

"snort!"

However, in the face of Ender's enthusiasm, all he got in response was a cold snort.

Colon glanced at Ander coldly, and moved his lips, as if he wanted to say something, but in the end he did not speak, but turned around and left.

"well--"

Sighing, Ender didn't say much when he saw this. After all, Cologne had been having problems with him for more than a day or two.

It was just a squabble at first, but as Ender's fame grew, Cologne's dissatisfaction with him became more intense.

Just like the same priests, the status of the priests in the big temple responsible for annual festivals is often higher than others, and the priests responsible for the priests and kings are higher than other gods. The same is true among craftsmen.

Seeing that he missed out on a benefit due to his temporary choice, Cologne did not dare to attack the strange priest, but this did not prevent him from targeting Ender.

But this kind of targeting is obviously meaningless, so in recent years, as Ender's reputation has become higher and higher, Cologne rarely even returns home.

Fortunately, it was very difficult to build a stove in this era. Whether it was made of copper for household use or made of stone for public use, it could not be built in a small room. Therefore, even if you live where you work on weekdays, it will not affect life in Cologne very much.

"Mr. Lane, I'm back."

After walking for a while, the door of the house was already in sight. But Ander still knocked on the door of the next door, and then said hello respectfully.

"Come in, the door is unlocked."

Squeak——

After hearing this, Ander pushed open the wooden door and walked into the courtyard.

Since they moved to a new place, Ender and Ryan naturally became neighbors.

Although Ander spent more and more time performing alone as he learned more and more, he still remembered to visit his teacher as soon as possible every time he came back, even if the teacher had never recognized him as a student.

"Mr. Lane, this is a specialty of Giant Wood Town. I brought some back to you specially."

After walking into the small courtyard and looking at Ryan sitting on a recliner reading a book, Ander said with a smile.

The term "town" is only a description of the new settlement and has no similarity with the villages and towns of later generations. Jumu Town is a newly built small settlement, named after its proximity to an ancient forest.

As for the so-called specialties that Ander brought, they were the cores of ancient trees there, which were perfect for making wood carvings.

"You have a heart."

Nodding and signaling Ender to put things down, Ryan looked away from the book in his hand.

"Since you are here, let me tell you about your trip as usual. Over the years, your reputation has become more and more popular."

"It's all thanks to Mr. Lane's teachings, otherwise I wouldn't be where I am today."

Ender's tone was sincere, and he didn't mean to be complacent. He knew the origin of everything he had today.

Ender then told Ryan about what he had seen along the way, including the reasons for the establishment of Giant Wood Town, the dirt roads connecting several settlements, and the 'cars' that were pulled by livestock and could be used for transportation.

In the past, it was only heard that the sun god and the moon god had their own sacred chariots. It was said that one of them was born in the last era and the other was born decades ago, but today's human tribes also have their own chariots.

During this trip, Ander experienced it. However, perhaps because the craftsmanship was not yet complete, he only felt bumpy. On the contrary, several people traveling with him enjoyed this novelty.

"Speaking of which, Mr. Lane, I don't know why, but there seem to be a few disrespectful things happening recently."

As if he remembered something, Ender couldn't help but said:

"Some people actually think that there is no need to spend so much material sacrifices to the gods, and humans can live a good life themselves."

"Don't they know that it is the existence of the gods that prevents natural disasters from coming and prevents the increasing number of monsters from approaching human residences?"

At this point, Ender also couldn't understand what those people were thinking.

During this trip, he learned a lot of things that were difficult to access in the center of the Aurora Plains, such as how dangerous places outside of human activities were.

Giant eagles that can control light, water monsters that can make rivers flood, giant beasts that are tens of meters tall, some of them have been contaminated with the divine blood scattered in the divine war, and some of them contain special cursed substances in their bodies. They are not like them at all. Animals that humans come into contact with are generally docile and harmless.

Although Ender is not actually afraid of them now, he also knows how harmful they are to ordinary people. If no one stops them, ordinary humans will be vulnerable to them.

Nowadays, several of the expanded towns of mankind were established under the leadership of the Creator, and only after the temples of the gods were built did the new towns become safe.

Those monsters were instinctively afraid of the divine aura left by the gods in the statues, so they stayed away from human settlements. It was after knowing this that Ender understood deeply that human beings could not live without gods.

"People will always get used to it, Ender, and today's human beings are also very well protected. They don't understand how dangerous the world is, and they don't understand how hard-earned their current life is."

Shaking his head slightly, unlike Ender, Ryan was not surprised that someone would have such an idea.

"By the way, how's your new script going?"

"I don't have a clue yet. I want to use a puppet show to recreate the past life of the golden humans, so that people can understand the lives of previous generations of humans, but there are too few records from that era."

"The Creator rarely talks about what happened at that time. It is said that it was because humans at that time were limited in their thinking?"

He said with some distress, and Ender was also a little helpless.

Of course he could make it up as he pleased, but Ender didn't want to do such a self-deceiving thing.

"Don't worry, you can compile 'Titan War (Part 2)' first. As for the Golden Age - maybe after a while, you can directly bump into a golden human."

After smiling and comforting him, Ryan seemed to remember something and handed a blank notebook to Ander.

"By the way, this is for you."

"What is this? Why are there no words in this book?"

Ender reached out and took it, a little curious.

He has seen books. As early as the golden age, humans had learned the rudimentary papermaking technology, but it had never been applied on a large scale.

Humanity's demand for paper stems from the need for large-scale writing for communication and the dissemination of knowledge. However, humans who now live in settlements and have no descendants do not yet have this need. And compared to paper, stone carvings and sheepskin are obviously stored longer.

"This is for you, a blank notebook with endless pages. You can write your own script on it. It is more portable and easier to write than a parchment."

Waving his hand, Ryan leaned on the recliner.

"Okay, let's stop here. You've been out for a long time. Go back and rest quickly. I won't waste your time."

"How can it be a waste of time to communicate with Mr. Lane?"

After smiling back, Ander was about to get up and leave. When he reached the door of the courtyard, he turned around and was about to close the door, but when he looked at Ryan lying in the shade of the tree, he suddenly felt a little dazed.

Bronze humans were created at different ages, even from the same batch. This time he was invited to perform in a distant place, and he saw a human being who was starting to look a little older.

There are gray patches in my hair, wrinkles on my cheeks, and my strength is not as strong as it once was. Looking at each other, Ender was in awe of time and life for the first time.

He didn't know if he would be like this in the future. Although Mr. Lane said that he would have a long life in the future, he still had some emotional ups and downs.

But Mr. Lane was different. More than twenty years have passed, and he seems to be the same as when he first met, without any change.

"It is said that priests can get special favor from gods. Maybe this is the reward Mr. Lane gets."

"But having said that, which god is Mr. Lane a priest?"

Such thoughts just flashed through his mind, and then were subconsciously ignored. Ender closed the door with his backhand, and then walked to his residence next to him.

The physical fatigue was secondary. This long trip really made Ander feel a little mentally tired.

Now, he plans to have a good sleep first.

······

Ender returned to his small courtyard, and in his dreams he still remembered the history of the Golden Age of Humanity. He took what Ryan said about 'meeting a golden human being' as a joke. After all, everyone knew that the golden age had long been extinct.

But what he didn't know was that just behind and not far from Giant Wood Town, a man wrapped in animal skins was looking at the primitive wooden wall in the distance, in a daze.