Once upon a time there was a greedy snake.

Chapter 178 The Bewitching Ancient Serpent

"Why is your life so bitter? Is it because the sun god has not responded to you?"

When Habisa uttered these words, the servants disguised as farmers could hardly believe what they were hearing—even though they weren't priests, having spent a long time in the Holy City, they knew very well that this was absolutely heresy that should not be heard.

They're actually questioning the sun god himself, actually asking whether the sun god responded...

"So did the sun god really respond?"

Even though they knew this was heresy that should not be heard, the servants still couldn't help but start thinking about the question after hearing these words.

After all, the answer is far too obvious.

If the sun god really responded, then they wouldn't just be servants anymore. Who wouldn't want to become a priest and wear that white robe that symbolizes holiness?
They weren't without fantasies about that kind of luxurious life, nor were they without secret prayers, but it was clear that the sun god, who shone upon all living beings, wouldn't care about such trivial matters, so they stopped thinking about it and accepted their fate, since such things were simply too unrealistic.

Yes, that's unrealistic.

What kind of being is the sun god? How could he possibly respond to such selfish desires?
"It's right that the sun god doesn't respond to us."

It was at this moment that one of the servants spoke up.

"The suffering in this world is nothing more than a test given to us by the sun god. We must go through these hardships to prove ourselves and to receive the sun god's blessings..."

After he finished speaking, the other servants nodded in agreement, as this explanation perfectly refuted the heretical doctrine.

If life is hard, it must be because the sun god is testing them, just like a priest's exam. You have to pass the test to get the result. If life is always hard, it means that you have never passed the sun god's test, and you can only keep repeating the same test. Isn't that normal?
Upon realizing this, the servants felt a great sense of relief, believing they had resisted the evil blasphemy and successfully maintained their faith in the sun god.

Of course, that wasn't enough. They had to leave immediately. That damned Habisa, that damned peasant, was spreading such dangerous heresies... They had to report this to the priests right away and have them send someone to kill him!

However, it was at this very moment.

The Hapisa in front of them even nodded along with them.

"Indeed, your argument does make sense."

Habisa nodded repeatedly.

"If we follow your logic, only by passing the Sun God's tests can one receive the Sun God's blessings... then the priests in the Holy City must have undergone many tests, right?"

"..."

Upon hearing this, the servants immediately stopped in their tracks.

If they were just ordinary farmers, then this kind of question wouldn't really matter to them—after all, in the farmers' understanding, priests had to study hard to read and write, recite prayers day and night, and even risk their lives to pass the exams. In a sense, this was indeed a more arduous test than farming, since farmers themselves would find it difficult to do so.

However, in the eyes of these servants from the holy cities, things were not like that at all.

They've seen far too many people become priests without undergoing trials. Take Habisa, for example—although in a sense, Habisa has passed another level of "trial," it's more of a reward than a test.

There are far too many instances of receiving blessings without suffering; in the Holy City, this kind of thing happens almost every day.

After all, a gift is called a gift precisely because it appears without any reason. Just like those important figures, or to put it more directly, wasn't the Matriarch Senette they served born into the High Priest's family and thus never suffered any hardship from birth? "When did the Sun God ever test her?"

A certain inexplicable emotion, like wild grass, was swelling wildly in the hearts of these servants.

For a servant, such disloyalty to their master is absolutely unacceptable. If they wanted to continue working, they all knew that it was best not to have such thoughts—but at this moment, under the influence of that heretical doctrine, they couldn't even control their own thoughts.

Even though they all knew in their hearts that everything they were thinking was wrong, meaningless, and might even lead to their deaths, they couldn't help but keep thinking about it.

"You, what you said is wrong..."

Amidst this endless entanglement, some servants ultimately tried to struggle.

"The reason they don't have to undergo trials is ultimately because their ancestors underwent even greater trials... That's a legacy left to future generations... It's a gift from the sun god..."

"Oh, that's what you think?"

Upon hearing that a servant had said this, Habisa nodded once again.

"According to your explanation, that does make sense... But have you ever thought about what this so-called 'remaining blessing,' this 'gift from the sun god,' actually is?"

"Of course..."

Once this was mentioned, the other servants had a chance to chime in.

They described everything they had seen: gold and silver, power and status, social connections, a life of luxury, and even everything that Mistress Sennet possessed—in their eyes, this was the gift of the sun god, a reward that had been tested.

That's what they've always dreamed of.

"No, none of them are right."

To the surprise of the servants, Habisa shook his head this time.

"What you're saying is all superficial; it may seem right, but it's actually wrong."

"Then tell me, what exactly is it?"

One of the servants immediately became displeased; he wanted to see what this heretic was trying to say.

However, at that very moment, these servants heard a sentence that they deeply regretted.

"If there is such a thing as a gift, then the greatest gift is actually you."

"It is because you have been tested and suffered again and again that they do not have to suffer and have so many good days to live."

Upon hearing this, several servants immediately felt dizzy.

(End of this chapter)