Chapter 343: Chapter 292: A Story from Long, Long Ago
Outside the mines of Dengzhou City, the foreigners continued their labor.
After the conflict that left two people dead, these foreigners had clearly split into two factions. Some of them, like the elder foreigner who was killed, were intimidated by the terrifying figure wielding two fiery blades. Even though that figure appeared to them as a devil, it was precisely the fearsome strength of this devil-like figure that made him worthy of their devotion.
And the other foreigners...
They still held onto their faith.
Even though many of their compatriots had already begun to worship that devil, and even their leading elder had long since defected, this small remaining group of foreigners had become more devout than ever.
"God will surely save us!"
Every night, this small group of devout foreigners would quietly gather together to encourage one another.
"Imagine the stories in the scriptures. Think about those foreign tribes that once brutally mistreated our ancestors. God sent an Angel to punish them, destroying their cities and turning them into pillars of salt... So don’t lose hope. As long as we find the legendary Saint, reach our Promised Land, everything will be alright."
"...Um, I have a question."
A foreigner with less steadfast faith posed his doubt.
"Didn’t we already find the Promised Land before? Why do we need to go find the Saint again?"
"That’s a good question."
The leading foreigner nodded.
"Because the scriptures say so."
"...Ah?"
Not only did the less steadfast foreigner stare in astonishment, but even the other devout foreigners felt a bit shaken—if it were in the past when everyone was still united, anything the scriptures said they would surely believe. But now...
The elder most familiar with the scriptures has worshipped the devil, and you’re telling me the scriptures are useful?
"They are indeed useful."
The leading foreigner, unfazed by the others’ reactions, continued speaking to himself.
"Anything written in the scriptures are events that have happened before, like finding the Promised Land under the guidance of the Saint—that truly occurred in the past... So do you think we could find the Promised Land without the Saint?"
"You’re this..."
This time, several foreigners began shaking their heads.
Now talking nonsense, hadn’t they already found it?
"And then?"
The leading foreigner chuckled.
"They found it, but then?"
"Uh."
Several foreigners were rendered speechless.
Then? Then there was nothing more. While they indeed found the Promised Land, they were driven out—or to put it more frankly, they were captured on the spot and sold off as laborers.
"So you see, this is what happens without the Saint. Even if they see the Promised Land, they cannot enter."
The leading foreigner spread his hands wide.
"See? Was the scripture wrong?"
"Uh, this?"
The foreigners stared in amazement as if what was being said might really be the truth?
Without the Saint’s guidance, even if they reached the Promised Land, they could only take a tour and leave. The land flowing with milk and honey was close at hand, yet they had no choice but to leave—though, in reality, they had no choice at that time. They couldn’t even have the power to die, as that devil seemed insane, determined to sell them as labor, and under his terrifying prowess, they couldn’t even commit suicide.
"You only see the devil’s horror, but could there be a possibility that this is also God’s plan?"
The leading foreigner began to articulate his thoughts.
"God doesn’t deliberately do things; what’s in the scriptures seems to describe a kind of ancient rule. By following the rules, you can achieve the corresponding outcome. If you don’t follow the rules... you’ll suffer the consequences we’ve come to now."
"So that’s how it is..."
Faced with the leading foreigner’s innovative exegesis, several foreigners nodded slowly in agreement.
Yes, looking at it from this perspective, the scriptures are indeed useful, and these rules they’ve vaguely experienced—the most obvious being that their elder, knowing the Promised Land existed, wanted to skip the step of the Saint and directly go there. The wrong beginning led to a wrong end; that abhorrent elder worshipped the devil on the spot.
Likewise, worshipping the devil wasn’t a good start. Devils, with their formidable powers, care not for a mortal’s worship, so that poor elder was still sold off as labor after offering up treasures, ultimately beaten to death by a crowd.
Most absurdly, the ones truly beating the elder to death weren’t those devout to God but those who worshipped the devil. Despite their shared intention to worship the devil with the elder, they attacked the elder more viciously than those devout did.
Wrong start, wrong process, how could the ending be right?
"Um, I have another question."
The not so steadfast foreigner spoke again.
"How can we discern what’s wrong and what’s right?"
"Good question."
The leading foreigner nodded.
"I know what you’re referring to. The answer is there’s no way to discern."
"...Huh?"
The foreigners exchanged glances.
"No, you just said all that, shouldn’t there be a way? Otherwise, wouldn’t it be for nothing?"
"There is indeed a way, but it’s a clumsy one."
The leading foreigner began to explain.
"When planting a seed, how do you know if it’ll grow into a misshapen fruit or a towering tree? These things can’t be predicted; there are too many uncontrollable factors in the process... All we can do is plant according to the method, diligently watering and fertilizing, pruning the branches, which, although it can’t guarantee the seed will develop as we desire, at least ensures it won’t grow too out of hand."
At this point, the leading foreigner sighed.
"That’s the purpose of the scriptures, according to what’s documented, the things that happened, we can summarize rules, like knowing the trees need watering and fertilizing... Although adhering to these rules doesn’t mean success—just as past clan members have searched for the Promised Land for so long without finding it—following these rules at least won’t bear bad fruit, which is their purpose and the usefulness of the scriptures."
"So, are you saying that we truly found the Promised Land before?"
Another foreigner spoke up.
"And because there’s been success, there are such records left?"
"Have you not seen this before?"
The leading foreigner paused, then smiled.
"Alright, today I shall tell everyone about the events that happened long ago."
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