It's not that difficult to open a hospital in another world, right? Chapter 1179: The black sun that never sets in the holy lake? (Updated for updates! Please vote for me!)
Chapter 1179: The black sun that never sets in the holy lake? (Updated for updates! Please vote for me!)
In the mood of watching the excitement, Gretel slept until the sacrificial ceremony was about to begin before getting up. However, long before he got up, someone had already started to be busy.
In the temple, the "chosen women" - the priestesses and the reserve staff of the Virgin of the Sun - got up early. Under the guidance of the older priestess, they began to prepare meals for the gods:
“Monte Patasca,” a corn soup with chili peppers and herbs;
"Locero", a stew made with fish, potatoes, vegetables and peppers;
Carefully baked cornbread made from corn grown in the temple’s sacrificial fields;
There are also a variety of foods that have special meanings and require special techniques. All soups, staple foods and dishes must be prepared against the clock and while the fish belly is white on the horizon.
When the first ray of sunlight passed through the stone lintel engraved with the sun pattern and shone into the temple, the sacrifice officially began. Grete stood in the queue of priests, looked towards the temple, and said softly "Wow"
made a sound:
A ray of sunlight passes through the hole in the lintel and penetrates straight into the deep temple hall, illuminating the face of the Sun God statue without missing a beat.
"All year round, only in the early morning of the dark day, the sun will shine through the holes and directly shine on the statue." Next to Grete, the middle-aged priest who accompanied him explained to him with full pride:
"These are all miracles and gifts from the Sun God. Only the power of my God can do this."
Awesome... Gretel gave him a thumbs up. Not to him, but to the first generation, the designers and builders of the temple:
How much knowledge of astronomy, astrology, and geography is required to calculate it just right, so that the morning sun happens to be so accurate!
Modern people with supercomputers may not be able to do this kind of thing!
The first ray of rising sun fell on the statue of the sun, and the golden statue instantly bathed the entire temple in golden light. The "women chosen by the gods" immediately filed forward and placed the food they had prepared in front of the statue.
The music then played. In the music, the smoke of various spices and herbs curled up. The sun virgins who presided over the ceremony, and the sun goddess who led them, looked up at the statues and chanted repeatedly, with soft and long voices:
"Sun, please enjoy the food your wives have prepared for you!"
Simultaneously with them, priests serving other gods also offered prepared food to their gods. For example, thick porridge made from potatoes, corn and pumpkin, and brown rice was dedicated to the earth goddess Pachamama.
The robed priests dug up the soil and buried it underground;
The golden holy wine brewed from corn was dedicated to Kilia, the lord of the mountains, and was lifted high by white-robed priests and poured into the cold lake water;
Dedicated to the mother of the ocean, Mamakocha, the fish caught from the holy lake was roasted on the fire until it was crispy and golden...
Gretel turned his head left and right, looking at it dizzyingly. He really wanted to throw a hundred mystical eyes at the same time, open a hundred camera positions, record it and save it in the mobile tower spirit to watch it a hundred times.
Although most people who travel abroad will not watch these videos repeatedly after returning home, this does not prevent them from raising their mobile phones and recording each one with great interest...
Gretel and others were all watching with great excitement. Although Archmage Baierbo has roamed the Southern Continent, he has never stood in such a good position to watch the important festivals of the Kingdom of the Sun at close range. At this moment, he concentrated on feeling the energy changes on the field;
Serila looked around, her bright silver-blue eyes turning around on those gold plates, gold bowls, gold pots, gold cups, silver plates, silver bowls, silver pots, and silver cups. Her pupils almost turned into gold and silver.
;
Bernard and Apa's attention fell more on the food. Seeing them being poured into the ground and into the lake, Grete heard clearly that Bernard swallowed a mouthful of saliva;
As for Idian, this half-step legend who was sent here by Elder Fahim to ensure Gretel's safety, leaned lazily against Appa, chewing a piece of green grass in his mouth.
But Gretel felt an aura from him that was not coming out, but was extremely sharp:
Is there any danger around here?
There should be danger. Whether according to the Sun God or according to Elder Fahim's estimate, the Legend of the Shining God wants to attack. On the winter solstice, when the sun's power weakens to its lowest point, it is the best time to take action.
——
In a place where Gretel couldn't see or feel, on the top of the distant snow peak, two legends were indeed standing side by side.
Governor Saneco Martinez of the Governor-General of Pellu stood with his sword in his hand, his vermillion velvet cloak fluttering on the top of the snow mountain. He lowered his head slightly and looked down at the complicated sacrificial ceremony with cold eyes:
"The false gods are indeed false gods. They need so many messy sacrifices. And there are actually living sacrifices. It's so ridiculous... Don't they know that living sacrifices can only increase the sins of the false gods?"
"This is the responsibility we have been given." Archbishop Bartolome bowed his head and prayed, raised his right hand, and smoothly nodded nine o'clock on his chest:
"Destroy the devil and lead the confused lamb back to the embrace of the Lord. To this end, we will not hesitate to fight and sacrifice to spread the glory of the Lord on this land."
The two prayed in a low voice, then became quiet again, overlooking the sacrificial ceremony below. The sun gradually rose, and after offering sacrifices to the gods, the sacrificial ceremony finally reached the most important part:
The crowd took off the king's fine clothes, raised jars, and poured a thick layer of ointment on him. Then, seven or eight priests surrounded the king, used thin reed pipes, and blew gold powder on him...
…
"What is this for?!"
Gretel was shocked. Next to him, the priest responsible for accompanying him whispered:
"The king is the most noble person, and cannot be touched by mortal hands... Therefore, the only way to cover his body with gold powder is to use this method..."
You...just be happy...
Gretel was powerless to complain for the moment. The only consolation was that even if you accidentally inhale a little bit of gold powder, it shouldn't be a serious problem... right...
When the king's whole body was covered with shining gold powder, everyone put on him a gold breastplate (Gretel thought about the cold and hard texture of gold, and sincerely sympathized with the king), a gold crown, and a glittering golden crown.
Earrings and gold nose ring.
Then, the king walked onto the straw raft by the lake and sat down on the top of the small boat in the center of the straw raft. The nobles and priests walked past the boat in turn, each holding various gold vessels and gems and gently placing them on the boat.
to the feet of the king.
"Hello!"
Gretel whispered:
"It's too much... This raft won't sink... It won't sink... It won't sink..."
"It shouldn't sink. The carrying capacity of this ship is quite good." Cerela replied in a low voice while staring at the gold gems without moving her eyes:
Why are these things in the boat?
Why put it in the boat?!
Before they could think of getting out at midnight, the attendants pushed the straw raft away from the shore and rowed it far into the center of the lake. Then, one, two, and three, they pushed the king and the boat he was sitting in into the lake, clatter, clatter,
Wow, I rowed right back...
Under the blue sky, apart from the waterline left by the grass rafts, there was only a lake, a boat, and a king.
... Not even an oar was left for the king.
"Hey, why will this king come back later?" Cerela asked in a low voice through the telepathic connection. Gretel's guess was even wilder:
"Will he never come back? Look at him dressed like this...could he be a direct sacrifice?"
"No?" Archmage Baierbo doesn't know much about the customs of the Kingdom of the Sun. However, Archmage has another perspective:
"A king is changed every year? Then this king is changed too often... Even if the king can be changed, what about the king's harem? Will the successor inherit directly? Or should a group be selected every year?"
No matter how much I think about it, nothing feels right...
During the discussion, the sun slowly rose, and the golden light had already filled the lake. Thousands of nobles and priests stood around the lake, singing poems praising the sun god in low voices;
The priests who specialize in playing played the clay antara panpipe, the genna flute made from the leg bones of monsters, and the five-string charango. Low and melodious, rough and bright, light and cheerful.
The music rang from the edge of the lake to the center of the lake.
And when the king's golden figure overlapped with the shadow cast by the sun on him, the solemn and sacred sound of conch rang out. Amidst the sound of conch, the king raised his arms toward the sun on the boat and sang the sacrificial poem sonorously and powerfully.
"This voice! Such breath!" Grete admired sincerely in the spiritual connection. Although he could not understand a word of this memorial text, he sincerely thought of Pavarotti's "My Sun" - eh
, very suitable for the occasion, isn’t it?
After singing a sacrificial poem, the king picked up the golden crown on his head, raised his hands high, and threw it hard. The golden crown drew an arc in the sun and fell into the center of the lake. Next, there were gold earrings, a gold nose ring, and a gold breastplate.
…
Next, there are flowers, gold ornaments and gems piled on the boat. One by one, one after another, they are thrown into the holy lake.
"Hey...this lake, so many gold and jewelry are thrown away every year..."
In the spiritual connection, as expected, Cerela's voice came. Gretel looked back and quickly calculated in his mind:
Just the gold items I saw today, thirty or forty pieces, one kilogram... two kilograms... maybe ten kilograms? Ten years is one hundred kilograms, one hundred years is one ton...
How many years did this kingdom last on the shores of the Holy Lake?
In other words, how many years has this sacrificial ceremony of throwing gold and silver jewelry into the holy lake lasted by the holy lake?
While doing mental calculations, he looked back. He saw the silver dragon girl staring at the lake, the tips of her ears trembling:
"I really want to go down to fish... I really want to go down... Gretel, how deep is this lake? When they are all gone, I can secretly go down to fish. Is it possible to fish..."
"...Serila, please stop!"
Gretel was sweating and quickly tried to dissuade her. He clapped his fingers and counted them one by one:
"This lake is very deep! It can reflect such a clear blue color. It is absolutely impossible for this lake to be only ten or twenty meters deep!
Moreover, it is a holy lake made of snow and water. The water is very cold. There are no monsters or divine powers in it. It will definitely be dangerous to go down!
Besides, you can't guarantee that every time the king throws gold, he throws it in a fixed place; nor can you guarantee that the gold jewelry will sink straight after it enters the water! It will definitely be pushed away by the current!
And after so many years, the silt at the bottom of the lake has been layered layer by layer, layer after layer, and I don’t know how many layers have been covered up! Cerela, do you want to dig for gold in such thick silt?
If we want gold, we have other ways! Don't do such dirty and dangerous work!"
"That……"
Cerela's beautiful silver-blue eyes blinked and blinked, but she still couldn't bear to give up so much gold. Gretel was sweating and tried to dissuade her. Archmage Baierbo smiled and said nothing, and Bernard wisely defended himself.
None of the three people knew that someone on the high snowy peak was thinking:
"Actually throwing gold items directly into the lake! Extravagant! Wasteful!"
"This gold should add luster to the glory of our Lord!"
"Is there any way to fish out the gold in this lake?"
"Let's talk about it... After the false gods are destroyed, we will have enough time to try various methods. At worst, we will drain the water in this lake!"
Governor Martinez raised his palm like a knife and slashed down, as if he was trying to split the lake shore and let the lake water pour down the side of the valley. After simulating this for a while, he finally stopped and continued to watch:
The side of the boat rose little by little. The last gold weapon and the last gem were dropped into the lake. The king stood up straight, and suddenly he jumped in with a splash!
"He He……"
Grete was really surprised this time. No way, no way, this king couldn't really be part of the sacrifice, right?
This is too fierce! A king changes every year!
The middle-aged priest accompanying him couldn't help but sigh. Looking at the strange eyes of the distinguished guests, he could probably imagine what these distinguished guests were thinking about——
If it were another outsider, without him saying anything, the priests next to him would probably drive them away. However, this was an absolutely distinguished guest, a guest that the Sun God must treat with courtesy, so he could only bite the bullet.
, try to explain:
"Our king is a noble 'golden man'. The gold powder on his body is also a sacrifice to the Sun God and the Holy Lake Goddess..."
Wouldn't he himself be the same?
Gretel looked at the other party in astonishment. The middle-aged priest knew what he was thinking without even asking, and sighed tiredly:
"Whenever the Sun God feels tired, He will sink into the Holy Lake to bathe and recuperate. The Golden Man shoulders the heavy responsibility of awakening the Sun God... Every year on the dark day, he must swim until all the gold powder has dispersed.
Symbolizing the awakening of the sun from the sacred lake..."
"What should I do if I'm frozen and can't swim?"
Grete blurted out.
The lake formed by the melted snow from the snow-capped mountains!
Winter Solstice, the coldest day of the year!
Get naked and throw all the gold and gems on the lake, then jump into the lake and swim until the gold powder on your body is washed away!
If it were a slightly weaker person, he would be afraid that he would get cramps if he didn't jump in, and then freeze to death in the lake!
Anyway, even if Gretel had [cold and heat resistance], [underwater breathing], [wave blessing], and a full set of spell protection, he would not dare to challenge this one...
"how can that be possible?"
The smile on the middle-aged priest's face froze. He turned back and gestured with his eyes to the king in the lake - who was still swimming around the cattail boat - and continued to explain:
"Our king has the blood of the Sun God and has the blessings of all gods. He is as comfortable in the holy lake as he is in his own palace. He is frozen...can't swim or anything..."
It doesn't exist at all!
oh……
Grete silently pursed his lips. Okay, okay, if you have blood heritage, you are strong. Maybe this king is a high-level warrior or something...
So, if you really freeze, can't swim, or sink, it means that the blessings of the sun god are no longer on the king, and the blessings of other gods are also gone. He deserves to die, and he deserves to be replaced by a king, right?
By the way, I just applied greasy all over my body. Can I wash it off in cold water? Do you want some soap or something?
The sound of panpipes, recorders, banjos and conch shells on the shore stopped at some point. The nobles and priests lined up along the lake shore, silently watching the king paddling in the water.
The sun gradually rose, and then, suddenly, the entire shimmering golden holy lake began to dim...
Exclamations arose. Gretel was pulled backwards, staggering, and retreated between Cerela and Idian. He finally stood up and looked up——
The sky and the earth were dark. The sun hanging high in the sky began to be swallowed up by the huge black shadow little by little.
...What's so surprising about this? Isn't it just a solar eclipse? Speaking of which, your country's astronomy is a bit inferior, and it can't even calculate a solar eclipse... However, it is lucky to catch up with a solar eclipse on the winter solstice...
Before a thought could be finished, a huge pressure suddenly came down from the air. Grete's chest felt tight, and his knees almost bent downwards.
A dark shadow flashed out of the corner of his eye, and Idian blocked the front directly, looking up with a stern look on his face.
****
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