Chapter 1151 The Fading Sun God and the Fleeing Sun Virgin (5 Additional Updates for Monthly Tickets)
Gretel stood in the street blankly.
Those bright ribbons, soft curtains, and exquisite curtains with statues of gods, one by one, floated on the street. Around the end of the square, there was a particularly tall and magnificent building that almost completely covered it.
In contrast, the clothes of pedestrians on the street were much more ragged. Those original white, gray, rough homespun cloths were stretched thin on the upper body, half of the calf was exposed underneath, and were full of patches and holes.
When the cold wind blew over, many of the pedestrians carrying pots on their heads, baskets on their backs, or carrying heavy objects shivered subconsciously.
“How much of what they grow belongs to them?”
Grete asked softly. He didn't expect an answer at first, but soon, Aya Mank moved in front of him and leaned down respectfully:
"Distinguished guests, according to the decree of the kingdom, the king protects us and the gods look after us. Therefore, one-third of what we cultivate, raise livestock, and catch fish belongs to the king, one-third belongs to the temple, and the remaining three-thirds One, belonging to the whole community..."
"Wait, what is 'community'?"
Gretel interrupted. The tax rate of 67% is very high, but if there are no additional layers of exploitation, you can still survive. In my previous life, I heard that some landowners divided their accounts with their tenant farmers at a rate of 30-70, or even 20-80...
"Community is how we, the people, are organized." Aya Mank continued to answer respectfully:
"For example, the lowest level is the 'Chankha', which consists of ten families and is cared for and managed by an official. The next higher level is the 'Picha', which consists of five 'Chankhas'. The next level Above, two 'picha' form a 'pachaca'..."
In other words, captain of ten, captain of fifties, centurion... Grete translated silently in his mind. He said casually:
"How many levels are there in total? Which level are you at?"
"There are ten levels in total. The top ones are the 'Unu' of 10,000 households and the 'Iliku' of 40,000 households. They both belong to the king only. I am just a humble 'Manu', who governs two Pachaca'…”
Therefore, this little nobleman is actually just a mayor who oversees 200 households...maybe a village chief. He is really the smallest and smallest noble, he cannot be smaller...
Gretel refrained from rubbing his forehead. If there are several 40,000 households in a kingdom, then even the daughters of the heads of 200 households will be taken to be Sun Virgins. How many girls will be sacrificed in total?
Four hundred?
Eight hundred?
One thousand and two?
even more?
His eyes unconsciously turned to the tall buildings in the distance. Aya Mank followed his gaze and shook his head:
"Dear guest, do you want to talk to the temple and ask them if they can buy moonlight sand? - This is not necessary. The monks in the temple only serve the gods and the virgin sun, and only guard the sun. Holy fire. We do all these chores."
"Huh? Is there a Sun Virgin in the temple here too?"
Cerela probed her head. Didn’t it say that it was only available in the royal capital? Didn't it mean that only the royal capital would collect these girls in large numbers and make them sacrifices?
Why is there one here?
"Of course there will be... Every temple needs Sun Virgins to guard the sacred fire..."
Aya Mank smiled hard. From his eyes, Gretel clearly read: It would be great if my daughter could also enter here... It would be great if my daughter could also enter the local temple...
But it was obvious that the messenger who took away his daughter came from the capital and directly received orders from the great temple in the capital. Therefore, even though he was a noble, he had no way to change his daughter's fate and could only watch her being taken away.
Gretel sighed at him and nodded reassuringly. Then, he turned his attention to the temple in the distance:
Can I go in and have a look?
The Temple of the God of War, where he often gave lectures, had already almost leveled the threshold;
Although I am not very familiar with the Spring Goddess Temple, I have been there a few times. I have seen the layout inside, the statues, and the holy power flowing on the statues;
He had participated in the dwarves' god-sacrifice rituals, and he had chosen the totem poles and totem spirits of the barbarians. Even the gods of the tribes in the New World, he had seen them all along the way, and each had its own characteristics;
The Lord of Glory...well, forget about that, but over the years, I have fought many warriors and priests of the Lord of Glory, and I understand their power characteristics;
This is the only temple I haven’t seen before!
Is the faint golden glow on the top of the temple a manifestation of the power of the Sun God?
Inside the temple, the singing sounds carried by the wind are they songs to worship the gods?
What is the power system of their priests, or monks? What is the difference between the divine power of the Sun God and the holy power of the Lord of Glory?
As an emergency doctor in her previous life, Grete didn't have that much time to play around. In this life, I treat myself as a tourist, and I have aroused great curiosity about the folk customs of various places——
Besides, isn’t this the teacher’s instruction? Between level 10 and 15, it is best to travel around the world and see different scenery. With the speed at which he advanced to the first level in half a year and advanced to the first level in half a year, there was not much time left for him!
Gretel thought confidently and looked to Idian inquiringly. Idian has also been paying attention to the little cub he brought out. Seeing this, he nodded and smiled at him:
"Go and see if you want. Their temple is relatively friendly. As long as you remain polite, they do not prevent outsiders from worshiping the sun god. - Losia, you go with them."
Serila cheered a little and walked quickly over there. Gretel raised a smile to Idian and immediately followed:
Just be polite, right? Hey, I am most familiar with this. I go to the temple to worship Buddha and burn incense in front of the gods. There is no psychological pressure at all!
Sure enough, the Temple of the Sun does not refuse outsiders entry. Especially when he saw two beautiful girls with long ears, and a warrior who was half taller than ordinary people, knowing that they were outsiders, a warrior guarding the gate ran away and went inside to invite people——
Gretel and others stood at the gate for a while, and then they saw a young monk in a hurry, who was called out by the gatekeeper. When he saw them, he was slightly startled, then immediately stepped forward with a smile:
"Dear guests, are you here to worship the great Sun God?"
"yes!"
Gretel took a step forward and answered on behalf of everyone. The young monk looked at him carefully, his wary look flashing across his face. Immediately, he looked at the outsiders next to him, and a smile appeared on his face:
"Guest, please come inside. The sun shines on all things, and the Sun God will not reject anyone who worships Him. Please come with me to understand the greatness and grace of the Sun God..."
Grete looked around and followed him inside. Walking in, there are dim or bright curtains floating on the pillars, beams, and window lattice.
On the curtains, streamers, and various hanging fabrics, you can see statues of gods with simple shapes and lines similar to stone carvings or bronzes.
Even though the further you go in, the taller the house becomes and the deeper it becomes, the light in the main hall is not dimmed at all——
All the curtains and draperies are emitting bright or dark, thick or light golden light.
"These statues are the devout offerings of believers." Seeing Gretel's gaze fixed on him, the monk who guided him pointed to the nearest curtain and said softly:
"Hung throughout the temple, after being worshiped by monks and believers day by day, they have been soaked with the power of the Sun God. The innermost statues of the gods, even the Virgin of the Sun, spun, dyed and woven with their own hands before they could be hung in the middle of the main hall. Accept the offerings from the priests.”
"Is that why they glow?"
Grete asked quietly. The monk who led the way nodded and made a prayer gesture on his chest:
"Even if night comes, the power of the Sun God will always surround us."
Gretel took a deep breath, stood in front of the largest statue in the center of the temple, and bowed slightly.
The statue was roughly square, hanging from the top beam of the temple to the ground. It was at least 6 meters by 6 meters in size. It had complex patterns and bright colors. I don’t know how many virgins of the sun took so much effort to weave such a large statue of a god.
I don’t know what other fabrics are woven into the cotton yarn, reflecting the brilliance of stars under the light. Although it was a little yellow and black due to the lamp oil, the flowing golden light was also the strongest——
It’s just that Gretel doesn’t know why, but he always feels that the golden light above is not the kind of vibrant, clear and transparent, the first ray of dawn that rises in the morning. It is not the sun at eight or nine o’clock in the morning, nor the blazing sunshine at noon. .
On the contrary, the golden light flowing on it condensed a layer of bronze. When I relax my mind and feel it, I always feel like a sunset, which is about to set, struggling on the mountain tops, treetops and coastline in the west.
"This sunlight..."
Beside her, Serila seemed to feel something as she whispered. Gretel cast a quick glance at her to stop her from continuing, and turned to the monk who was leading the way:
"The brilliance and warmth of the Sun God left a very deep impression on us. I hope that I can invite a statue of the Sun God to take home to worship and feel His brilliance all the time. Is that okay? "
"this……"
The monk who led the way hesitated. Look at Gretel, and then look at the other guests around him:
"According to the law of the temple, except for officials and nobles above 'Pachaca', only the priests of the temple can take away the statues. You..."
"I am also a noble from the other side of the ocean." Grete replied calmly. He raised his head and glanced at the statue, then cast his gaze into the depths of the temple:
"Do you need me to prove my identity to you, or to the high priest of the temple?"
"Please move inside." The young monk pondered for a moment, then turned around and moved forward. Gretel followed him around the statue, and just as he reached the back door of the hall, there was a sudden noise in front of him:
"Don't run!"
"Don't run!"
"Get her!"
The sound of armor scraping, weapons clanking, and chaotic footsteps swarmed in. And in front of all the noise, a ball of golden light suddenly burst out:
"Let me go! Let me go!!!"
The chasing crowd froze. Among the crowd, a soft figure rushed out, his whole body covered in golden light, his hair disheveled, and his voice was shrill:
"I've had enough! I don't want to die! Let me go! - If you stop me again, everyone will die together!!!"
Before Gretel had time to react, the priestess bumped towards them with her long skirt in hand.
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