Chapter 781 Ancestral Temple of Thesalie (Part-2)
Chapter 781
One of the most popular ways people accepted death was to simply accept it like one accepts natural disasters like hurricanes, volcanos, earthquakes, and tsunamis- as tragedies that one can do nothing about but endure and accept.
And seeing Lapitus be a victim of this, Alexander was both saddened and a bit alarmed.
Because being from modern times, he of course had a very different mind state, and he wondered about the kind of backlash he would get if he tried to make any changes to this practice.
Because the obvious reason- 'It will stop diseases and save lives' might not work on this seeming zealot.
A feeling further strengthened when he heard Lapitus say,
"But rest assured my lord, the priests of our city are really good."
"Whenever these diseases flare up, they will all come out from the temples to try and heal the sick. Even the high priests from the main temple will participate."
"And they will treat everyone for free, no matter his background! Even if it means becoming possessed by the evil spirits themselves."
"They are truly deserving of being blessed by the ancestors."
Listening to Lapitus speak, it was very apparent to Alexander what were the man's thoughts regarding the priests.
A characteristic that unbeknownst to him, made his favorability with Alexander take a nose dive.
As Alexander heard the man sing the praises of the priests, he also sneered a bit in his heart,
"Heh! Of course, all the priests were gonna have to come out. Most of the people to die during a plague are the poor, given the filth they live in."
'If you only had the few regular ones to attend them, those old farts would die from overwork within days.'
How could Alexander have respect for a bunch who had made burial into a yearly subscription?
They were even more cut- throat than many of the shameless modern business.
But these priests did have one redeeming quality.
Alexander would give them credit where credit was due.
As Lapitus said, many of the priests got inflected in the process of tending to the sick who came to them for blessing or when they were performing the last rites, succumbing to the illness in the process.
Or as Lapitus put it- evil spirits, which Alexander was disinclined to correct the man on.
Now, the incident of many priests dying during a plague was something that happened in Alexander's previous life too,
When the black death hit Europe in the 11th century, it wiped away a third of the population.
But for the priests, their numbers decreased by ninety percent (90%).
It was also then the decline of the church's reputation began.
Because before then, the criteria to be chosen as a priest were quite strict.
He was typically the smartest man in the town, he could read and write and his moral values were quite good for the time.
But after the black death, the clergy were so dire in need of people to fill their ranks, that anyone who had a set of teeth and did not look like was going to fall over any moment was taken.
And it was these bad seeds that produced generations after generations of putrid harvests, finally resulting in the popular reputation the church has been given in regular pop culture.
It was with these thoughts that Alexander slowly made towards the largest temple there, which was called the Main Temple.
Its surrounding decorations were far bigger and more extravagant than the others, with a great number of decorative statues and obelisks placed along it, and as Alexander approached the steps leading to the main hall, he was greeted a group of priests.
The group numbered only seven, all wearing crisp, snow white robes without a single spot, barefooted, their ages ranged from middle aged to old, being led by a single withered and wizened man who stood at the very front, which spine still straight as a steel rod.
By the deferential the others were giving, it was very apparent that he was the highest authority here.
"High Priest!" And it was a guess that was quickly confirmed by Lapitus's loud greeting as he bowed to the old man.
"Ah, Lapitus, child. It's good that you are safe. And I can see you brought guests." The High Priest's reply was gentle as such, and he did not at all sound raspy or old as his age might suggest.
Instead, it was soft yet strong, able to carry the words he wanted said clearly.
And as he looked at Lapitus, there was no anger or hatred over what he had done, but only a tranquil acceptance.
Something that could not be said for the other six behind him, who glared at Lapitus like they wanted to toast him alive.
The mere fact that Lapitus dared to address the High Priest with such familiarity after how he betrayed the ancestors incensed them and if not for their superior's strict orders to restraint themselves, a few of the more impulsive ones might have done something rash.
These priests were part of Petrino's hardcore faction so advocated fighting to the last man, but had escaped that grim fate because their numbers were so few, because they chose not to participate in that debaucherous party, and most importantly because they were priests.
But Lapitus did send them a message after cleaning the mansion, clearly stating that if they valued their life, they should accept the results obediently and stay inside the temple.
Or else, neither he nor the soldiers sacking the city would spare them.
Thus given the sacking had only finished today, it was their first day tasting fresh air in days.
Seeing the receiving group that came out to greet him, Alexander lightly skipped past Lapitus and placing his right hand across his chest, he gently chimed,
"Greetings, esteemed High Priest, I'm Alexander. I hope you do not mind me coming unannounced."
The greeting was neither too aggressive nor too respectful, as he sought to show himself as his superior.
This obvious lack of respect predictably produced a few furrowed eyebrows, but no one said anything, letting the one this was addressed to speak.
"Haha, I heard the conqueror of Thesalie was a young man. But I would have never guessed him to be of such nascent years. This old man feels his eyes opened."
To Alexander's greeting, the High Priest replied seemingly in a very polite way, though reading between the lines, Alexander could tell he was being slighted for his age.
Truly, anyone who managed to reach such a high position possessed a sharp tongue.
But instead of engaging in a verbal word with Alexander, the High Priest then quickly followed his greeting with a gentle wave of his arm, gesturing towards the temple and inviting Alexander in,
"Come my lord. Let me show you the insides of our temple. You must have come a long way and are surely eager."
The man was much more flexible to the situation than the other old man in the mansion, letting Alexander readily access the place that should have belonged to only those of the faith.
Alexander readily accepted the offer and found the insides to be truly gorgeous, lit up with huge chandeliers and candelas, and filled with even more gigantic statues.
But this time they were even studded in various places with precious metal and stones, as the High Priest introduced them as various warriors and spiritual leaders of Tibias.
There were also beautiful paintings on the walls and ceiling, depicting the country's many legends, myths, and folktales, as well as triumphant victories over Adhania.
The pillars had similar intricate carvings, and as the High Priest showed in the back, there was even a huge artificial lake, used to perform various rituals and rites.
Alexander was very satisfied by the great expansive structure, as he then turned to the priest to say, "I want to offer a prayer here. And I will let you run the temple."
"But in exchange, I want all the gold you have here. And more importantly, you must let our Goddess Gaia statue be placed in there."
Alexander said pointing to a large altar, whereupon was a huge statue of a bull and two children, a boy and a girl, suckling on what appeared to be its udders.
According to legends, Tibias was founded by these twins who were left abandoned in an open field up but lived due to the milk from a bull.
Now how did a bull produce milk, or at least the kind that was fit for human consumption?
Well, that was the miracle.
Normal bulls can't but it was a divine bull, and so it did, possessing the udders of a cow.
Simplest explanation ever.
And growing up healthy consuming its nourishments, the two children, possibly brothers and sisters got married and proliferated the lands with their offspring, and thus were considered to be the ancestors of all Tibians.
Yes, the origin not only included an impossible bull, but also incest.
But hey at least it did not have fratricide like the Roman one.
"What! No, absolutely not!" At Alexander's request, immediately a huge bellow followed from the?back, as one of the priests stepped out.
And then taking a dagger out from his sleeves, he charged!
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