The Magic Empire for 20,000 years

Chapter 48, Section 46: The True God Visits Eldoron!

In the distant future, tens of thousands of years later, when humans had become the masters of the land, Elion had heard many ignorant anthropologists pose a question:
Why do most gods look like humans?

"Clearly, there are other intelligent races on this continent, aren't there?"

"However, apart from the racial gods of specific races, most other gods are in human form."

"Were the gods also human-like before the human race came into being on earth?"

"..."

Yes, the god of knowledge, the god of war, the god of death, the god of commerce, the god of disease...

Why do they all look like humans, whether male or female, young or old?
If the humans who asked these questions were to truly return to the beginning of time, to the time when humanity had just been born or even before it was born, then the answer would be readily available.

Ain, the goddess of knowledge and prophecy—a female teacher among the gods and an all-knowing mentor—personally experienced this process.

In the beginning of creation, she was merely a formless, impersonal primordial divine power, a part of the original divine power of the universe.

Until one day, the reverence and faith of mortals gave form to this formless divine power, and bestowed a name upon this deity.

Only then was this goddess of knowledge finally fully born.

Ordinary people shaped their gods through faith!

And so, this goddess of knowledge gained her first consciousness and personality, opened her eyes, and saw on the largest continent of a certain planet, those mortals who worshipped her and chanted her name—

Those "mortals" with bodies as large as mountains, and with wings, scales, and claws.

This was also Aion's initial form.

In the ancient times before the birth of humankind, the "mortals" who dominated the world were called dragons.

At this time, the god of knowledge, Aion, also manifested in the form of a dragon.

Just like those ordinary people who revere themselves.

Later, when the dragon of the world, the nine-faced primordial dragon god, split into two different dragon gods, Tiamat and Bahamut, and when the two great dragon races, the chromatic dragons and the metallic dragons, fell into a conflict of good and evil, causing the empire to fall apart, when the dragons were embroiled in a thousand-year war with the giants, and when the dragon empire finally declined and crumbled in the long battle, the dragon remnants were forced to retreat to other smaller continents...

When elves replaced dragons and became the new rulers of this continent...

Ain transformed back into her elf form.

This goddess of knowledge possessed an elfin, slender figure and the long ears that were the most distinctive feature of elves. With every step she took and every wave of her hand, she was as elegant as an elf.

As the most civilized race on the continent, the elves, in addition to revering the elven pantheon that created them, also occasionally worship non-racial gods like Aion.

Occasionally, while listening to prayers, the goddess would emanate divine perception from the statue; she could hear the curious questions of some thoughtful elven children:

"Why is it that the omniscient mentor, Aion, takes the form of us elves?"

"Aren't there other intelligent races like dwarves and gnomes on this continent?"

Whenever she hears such a question, Ain in God's Kingdom smiles knowingly.

As a beacon of civilization on the continent, the Elven Royal Court ruled this land for a very long time.

The elves walked among the scrolls, spreading knowledge and regarding knowledge and magic as art; their actions themselves embodied the divine duty of Aion.

Whether or not they worshipped, they provided Aion with substantial power.

This is the concept of God.

They are essentially embodiments of some kind of world rule, personifications of the origin of the universe. One could even say they are part of the origin of the universe, only mortals have given them names and appearances.

Even if one is unaware of the existence of the corresponding deity, any action taken by a mortal to perform the duties of that deity will maintain or even expand the power and authority of that deity!
Perhaps it's because the population is larger, requiring more books to spread ideas. Or perhaps it's because elves regard magic and knowledge as art.

For whatever reason, elves seem to pay more attention to the transmission of knowledge than dragons.

In the era when the elves ruled the land, Ain, as the embodiment of knowledge, further increased his power and authority, rising from the peak of weak divine power to the threshold of medium divine power.

Sitting upright in the divine realm, gazing upon the vast scrolls in the Elven Royal Court, Aien sometimes couldn't help but think:
"Will the rule of that noble race called elves over this continent one day come to an end?"

"Just like the mighty Dragon Empire of yesteryear."

she does not know.

That is a distant future that even the god of knowledge and prophecy cannot see.

Centuries have passed.

One day, the goddess of knowledge, Aion, who sat in her divine kingdom, sensed a new power of knowledge.

That came from the vast expanse of space in the Prime Material Plane, from the only planet with a thriving civilization at that time, from the easternmost corner of the largest continent on the surface.

There, another group of different beings are practicing the Way of Knowledge and expanding her authority.

So the goddess turned her gaze toward the direction from which she felt the power of knowledge.

That was a new race called "humans"!
In a small, wild land in the eastern part of the continent, in the human kingdom of Eldoron, hundreds of schools stand on the land.

These are either mages from the Sky City or those born on Earth who stayed on to teach, spreading knowledge here.

The students learn about culture and magic at the school.

They learned to write, to do basic arithmetic, geometry and astronomy, to study calendars and year reckoning, to know the history of Eldoron and the human race, and even to know how the elves replaced the dragons to rule the continent in that ancient time. They believed that history would not end and that what has happened will happen again.

They love knowledge.

Although, due to their small population, humans have far less influence on the goddess Aion and on the realm of knowledge than the elves.

However, it was clear to Ain that the humans of Eldoron seemed far more enthusiastic about spreading knowledge than the Elven royal court.

Is it because human lifespan is too short, and unless one is an exceptionally powerful mage, it is difficult for an individual to live past a hundred years, so knowledge must be passed on within a limited time? Or is it simply because elves regard knowledge as an art, and prefer to appreciate it rather than study and spread it diligently?

For whatever reason, this new race called humans attracted Ain's attention.

So the goddess of knowledge and prophecy used her divine power to create an incarnation, which descended upon Eldoron.

To prevent humans from recognizing her appearance and knowing her true identity, Ain created what she believed to be a perfect disguise—

She shortened her long, distinctive elf ears, subtly adjusted her slender body, and transformed all her elf-like traits into a human form.

Now, she's practically a human being!
Ten thousand years later, the statues of gods worshipped in the temple are no different from those in the temple.

Ion's avatar flew into the land of Eldoron. After displaying astonishing magic, she spoke to the patrolling mages:

“I come from a very, very far place, from a human settlement outside of Eldoron. I am a sixth-circle high-ranking mage.”

“I have heard about the achievements of you Eldorans, that you have built a great human kingdom here, and that you have a great monarch.”

"Am I honored enough to catch a glimpse of your great emperor's face?"

Elian: "If you weren't pretending, it might take me two seconds to recognize you."

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(End of this chapter)