Chapter 209: Chapter 46 Extinguished ‘Fire’ _2

Standing on the street, Ossen looked back. This was the wooden hut he had lived in for decades, built together with the creator.

At the time, it served as an example for other humans, with Prometheus teaching them how to construct shelters, and Ossen had always taken pride in residing there.

But after this, he probably wouldn’t have the chance to live there again.

“But there’s nothing that can be done about it…”

With a sigh, Ossen felt somewhat sentimental.

“You are neither the strongest deity, nor can you anticipate every outcome; I am truly grateful that you created me, but that’s not a reason for me to accompany you in death.”

“No—the only one who will die is me, you all will never!”

The voice started off faint, as if trying to persuade oneself, but then it turned to grinding teeth. At some point, Ossen found himself growing more and more envious of the deities. So envious it bordered on resentment.

Eternal life, immortality, power, physical beauty—they looked so much like humans, and Ossen couldn’t really see any difference between them. If there must be a distinction, it’s merely that the deities were better off from the moment they were born.

After all, they were gods from the day they emerged.

“Hu—”

“This is why faith cannot be questioned.”

“Some fools just can’t understand this concept.”

Suppressing his churning emotions, Ossen chuckled self-deprecatingly.

Look, he was the proof. Despite being the human who received the most and greatest blessings from the deities, he was the one who believed in them the least.

In the past, he enjoyed the feeling of fooling the deities. Now, he was about to betray his own creator.

Sometimes Ossen felt very despicable indeed, but there was no helping it; that’s just the way the world is. As long as you have value, you can live well. Whether you are noble or despicable isn’t that important.

Just like right now, he was the High Priest at the pinnacle of the Bronze Humanity, wasn’t he?

But now the time had come for change. Once, his “intelligence” made him distinct from other humans, a value to the creator. Today, it was time to show his value to the other gods.

Of course, all this was predicated on the condition that they could offer him what he desired.

“The time is almost right.”

Clenching his fist, Ossen reaffirmed his resolve and headed towards the heart of the tribe.

The clouds overhead thickened, making the air seem oppressive. Perhaps it was the calm before a heavy rain, as there was no sign of wind along the way. With the help of the light from fires inside the houses on both sides of the road, Ossen’s eyes, which were not as bright as before, could barely make out the path.

He had walked this road many times before, but this time it felt exceptionally slow. The closer he got to the front, the brighter the surroundings became, because this was the core of Aurora.

Here, the Sacred Fire for worshiping the deities used animal fat as fuel, burning continuously throughout the year. Even at night or during rainy nights, there were people constantly watching over it, ensuring that there was no risk of it being extinguished.

“High Priest.”

“Hmm.”

“Lord Ossen.”

“Okay.”

“High Priest.”

“…”

Gradually, Ossen came across some acquaintances on the road, and he greeted each one with a nod.

As the most central hall of the gods, naturally, there would be people watching over it even at night. Those responsible for guarding The Temple were somewhat puzzled by Ossen’s late-night visit, but they didn’t think too much about it.

After all, he was the High Priest, and with the recent collapse of the Goddess of Law’s temple, Ossen’s coming here to pray to the deities didn’t seem out of the ordinary.

Moving forward, thus, Ossen slowly arrived in front of The Temple where he had worked for many years. Looking up, even at night, the grand and majestic temple remained solemn and dignified, and it glowed with a faint luster, which was the result of Divine Power penetrating from within the statue inside.

Here, the Power of Faith, divinity, and elements merged to create something that seemed to cause a wondrous reaction, giving rise to a kind of power similar to Divine Power, but much weaker, though not suppressed by the laws of this world.

If Ossen had been from hundreds of years later, he would perhaps have recognized that every inch of The Temple had been “sanctified.” It had acquired a slight extraordinary attribute that could restrain some things imbued with negative energy.

At the same time, the ability of Spiritual Bodies to “phase through walls” disregarding the physical also didn’t work here; like material life, they would be kept out. Even the corresponding surface Spirit Realm seemed different from other places.

“High Priest.”

Upon seeing Ossen’s figure, the two young men guarding the gate greeted him in unison.

“Alright, don’t mind me, I will enter through the side door.”

Ossen waved his hand, stopping the young men from opening the main gate, and after thinking for a moment, he turned and instructed:

“Later on, I will use the method taught by the creator to communicate with the deity, trying to solve the collapse of the Goddess’ temple. No one should disturb me, remember, I mean no one!”

“Yes, High Priest.”

The young men answered respectfully.

“Good.”

Nodding, Ossen no longer hesitated. He walked to the side, entering The Temple through the small door used by the cleaning staff on regular days.

Pushing open the side door and carefully closing it behind him, the spacious interior of the great hall amplified the sound of his footsteps and the opening and closing of the door. Ossen didn’t light any lamps, choosing instead to walk inside, guided by the faint light from the skylights.

Soon, when he reached the innermost part of the great hall, Ossen looked up at the tall statue of the deity in front of him, lost in thought.

In the past, he had made numerous sacrifices to the Divine King here and had carried out similar acts in other temples, but every prayer was for things that were insignificant to him personally.