The Holy Grail War Blessed by the Gods

"Yes, that's right."

"Then what is the price? What kind of sacrifice does the jungle goddess need to make to protect your city with the jungle? Sacrifices in this era can't be too simple, can they?"

Since the other party has taken the initiative to bring up this point, Manshu doesn't need to waste any more words and can just ask directly.

"Ah... matters of sacrifice... I'm just an ordinary citizen, how would I know about these... these are matters for the priests... I think they shouldn't be much different from before."

Hearing Manjiu ask about this woman, Lin panicked a little, but quickly calmed down and found an excuse to evade the question.

"Oh, so it seems that most of the men in this city are unwilling to stay in safety and have chosen to leave. Otherwise, the number of men would be pitifully small."

Manshu looked around in a pretentious manner and then spoke with a smile.

"This……"

"So where do the priests live? Are they near that tower temple? I'll go find them and ask, and while I'm at it, I'll also visit the city's tower temple and tour this temple dedicated to the moon goddess."

Manshu then asked, and the woman knew that Manshu already knew the answer, yet he was still asking her.

So the woman stopped hiding and, instead of hiding any longer, she shouted loudly, her emotions somewhat broken:

"There's no other way. If you want to pray for God's protection and gain peace, a living sacrifice is the necessary price!"

Human sacrifice was not a horrifying thing in this era; it was clearly something that could be understood.

The First Dynasty of Ur is the period with the most abundant archaeological evidence in the Early Dynastic Period of Sumer, mainly because archaeologists have excavated the royal tombs of the First Dynasty of Ur.

Numerous burial pits have been excavated in the royal tombs of the First Dynasty of Ur. Among them, the tomb of Queen Puabi contains the largest burial pit in the entire royal tombs of Ur, which buried seventy-four sacrificial victims and a chariot.

而在迦南9那边，活祭4就更加常见8了，因2为巴力是4丰饶的3象征是农3业神，而0当天灾来5临农业欠收，人们便会将就认为是巴力的愤怒。

In order to appease the anger of the god of Paris, sacrifices had to be offered, and in some times, sacrificing living people in these sacrifices became a necessity.

The fire god Moloch is a deity born from human sacrifice, originating from the custom of using children as burnt offerings.

The Valley of Hinnon, where the Shroud of Turin was discovered, has been known since ancient times as the Valley of Death. Matthew describes it as a place of bloodshed, and the ancient Israelites named that land Hell. It is also the place where followers of the fire god Morocco sacrificed children by burning them in flames and pushed people off cliffs as scapegoats.

"Everyone has chosen to accept this, and the selection is based on this acceptance. We only need to select one person a day to send to Elidu as a living sacrifice. That demon's appetite is not large and can be satisfied very easily."

If you don't agree with this, it's because you haven't seen how terrifying the Forest Goddess truly is. Just go out, go into the forest, and you'll see the monsters that dwell there!

Clearly, the woman had witnessed something that made her tremble and terrified, so much so that even now, the thought of it makes her body tremble uncontrollably.

Because he simply thought he couldn't resist, he could only give up all action, and stay here in a daze, doing nothing.

Enduring immense psychological pressure, filled with fear and dread, unsure when it would be their turn, they could only continue to endure.

"I didn't mean to criticize you. Of course, a goddess is not an opponent that ordinary people can resist. It's not unreasonable to expect people to resist her at all costs and without regard for their lives."

Instead of further provoking the woman in front of him, Manshu calmly reassured her.

"However, I still have no interest in safety here and intend to continue moving forward and see what I have seen."

"Are you... are you... insane?"

The woman's emotions subsided slightly from hysteria, and she asked incredulously.

"It would be better to kill me than to stay in one place. If I hadn't started moving forward in the first place, I might have been able to accept staying in one place. But now, I can only keep moving forward."

"Indeed, there are no normal transit groups in any corner of Mesopotamia, nor are there any normal people. If you still intend to die after hearing these words, then go ahead. But it's better this way, at least you won't have to continue tormenting yourself with fear and guilt."

Seeing this, the woman didn't try to persuade her any further. Her own emotions had been stirred up by the scene, and she decided to go back to rest.

“But since we’re moving forward, we should go to some meaningful places. You mean you’ll choose a human sacrifice to go to Elidu every day? Then I’ll be the human sacrifice next time, and I can go see Elidu. I’ve heard that the city is the first city in the world, and that the Temple of Enki in the city is larger than all the temples in all the other city-states.”

It's not like anyone would refuse such a thing. A stranger who has just arrived in the city is willing to act as a living sacrifice, which not only saves him the trouble of drawing lots for a day, but also reduces his guilt about sending an acquaintance to his death.

However, the woman still looked at Manshu with a rather confused expression, feeling quite certain that the man in front of her must be a madman.

"This is no joke, are you really planning to go and die?"

"There's no point in making jokes like this. Since leaving this city means death, it's better to die after seeing Elido than to die in the jungle."

“If you really want to do this, then come with me. The priests should still be at the tower temple. The daily drawing of lots and execution of sacrifices are all done there.”

The woman didn't continue speaking, as it would be pointless anyway, which was a good thing, so why bother wondering if the person in front of her was crazy or something else?

Anyway, this was a decision made by the other party themselves, and I have tried to persuade them and soothe their guilt. So what else is there to say?

Manshu's conversation with the woman amplified and attracted the attention of people nearby. Upon hearing that Manshu was preparing to become a living sacrifice, they curiously followed.

So eventually, several dozen people followed behind, walking towards the temple with Manju and the woman.

"Huh? What happened?"

People near the temple saw dozens of people walking together and were filled with doubt, so they also gathered around.

"Phew... Seeing such a large group of you gathered here, I thought something had happened. At least we can survive for a while longer now."

The priest presiding over the temple breathed a sigh of relief upon learning the purpose of the two men's visit.

The Sumerian civilization was built around cities centered around temples. In the early period, the priests were the king's servants. It was not until the Early Dynastic period, when military needs arose, that the king was born.

However, the military needs had disappeared by this time, but the priests did not have much power. It was only because of the existence of the gods that they were able to regain the power to organize order.

"You intend to become the next living sacrifice, just to go to Elidu? What a strange person, but if you're willing to do it, there's no reason to refuse."

Chapter 131 The Priest

The priests in the temple had no reason to refuse Manjus's proposal, so they immediately agreed and dispersed the crowd that had gathered there.

Although Manshu was a stranger who had just arrived in Wuer City, the priests granted her every request since she was a living sacrifice to be sacrificed.

After all, in this context, being a living sacrifice should not be considered lowly, but rather glorious.

The lowly are not worthy of being sacrificed; even the leopard in the dense forest would not eat the heart of a coward.

Only flesh and blood with fighting spirit can be a qualified offering and be accepted by the gods.

4 At least in the Aztecs, this was the case. The most precious sacrifices were naturally the nobles, because the blood of the gods flowed in the nobles' veins. The nobles who faced death bravely and fearlessly and emerged victorious were the most perfect sacrifices.

②Although this is Sumer, this tower temple was once worshipped by the moon goddess Nanna.

The temple still functions, but the true deity it serves has undoubtedly changed, even though nothing in the temple itself has changed.

However, Manshu didn't really need anything from here. Although Ur was considered a large city in this era, before 4000 AD, cities only existed in a few places.

5. But precisely because this was still the world before 4000 AD, the resources available were still scarce. At least, Manju didn't seem interested in the food offered as human sacrifices by the priests.

Zhong Manshu only accepted the fruit, while returning the food to the priests for them to enjoy themselves.

The fruit-transforming technique relies on the magical power of the divine era, so it's quite good. Moreover, there's no need to prepare any seasonings or spices; you can eat it directly.

Qunmanshu only asked the priests for local clothes so that he could dress up as a citizen of the city and avoid being discovered too quickly when he arrived in Eli.

Pretense cannot deceive indefinitely, and Manjus could only offer a vague answer as to what the people of this era truly were like.

Now all that could be done was wait. Manshu asked the priests about the rituals and procedures involved in handing over the offerings, but as soon as he finished asking, he felt as if he had done something futile.

"Are the daily sacrificial offerings received by the leopard goddess of the forest?"

Who else could be the leopard goddess in the forest? Although the leopard-woman looks funny, she is indeed a deity.

Quetzal Koyatl is unlikely to do everything herself, and it just so happens that the leopard man is here, working under her.

No wonder the leopard-men are wandering around the woods near Ur; Quetzalcoatl must have entrusted the management of this area to them.

Although Quetzal Koyatl did govern this land, he was not only a conqueror of the Maya, but also a figure of saintly rule in the Toltec kingdom.

During the height of the Quetzalcoatl cult in Toltec history, Toltec rulers were often regarded as incarnations of Quetzalcoatl.

Many of them were simply recorded as Quetzalcoatl, thus the image of the king and the god naturally merged.

In the legend, the Toltec Empire was established with Tula as its political and religious center. Tolpichen, the greatest priest-king of the Toltecs, brought the faith of Quetzal Koyatl and replaced the faith of Tescatlipoca with it.

Legend has it that Topilchen was born in a reed year, and his mother miraculously gave birth to him after swallowing an emerald.

Green is also the color that symbolizes Quetzalcoatl. People often use the green feathers of the Quetzal bird and emeralds to represent her. Priest kings who worship Quetzalcoatl would wear these things to symbolize the royal power bestowed upon them by the gods.

At the beginning of this sacred story, Topilchen, after becoming a warrior and undergoing seven years of asceticism, appears as the High Priest of Quetzal Koyatl.

Topilchen proclaimed that the offerings needed by the gods were not human blood and hearts, but flowers, birds, and butterflies, in order to shake the worship of Tescatlipoca and the tradition of human sacrifice.

But in the end, Topilchen failed. The worshippers of Tescatlipoca and his followers went to war. Topilchen lost Tura and led his followers to the Mexican coast, where he eventually died.

This is a story recorded by the Toltecs, but in the Aztec era, this story was mythologized.

The Toltec royal family carries the blood of Quetzal Coyatl. In the Mesoamerican world, the ruling power of royalty and nobility comes from the god from whom their blood originates, which distinguishes them from ordinary commoners. With divine blood flowing through their veins, they are rightfully entitled to rule the world.

9. As the Toltec Empire came to an end, the Aztecs, who migrated from Mesica, came onto the historical stage. In order to swallow up the local inhabitants and integrate with them, the Aztecs adopted their religious worship and rewrote the Toltec mythology.

0 Thus, in Aztec mythology, the topilchen is the incarnation of Quetzal Koyatl, whose name is Topilchen Quetzal Koyatl.

4. Topilchen spent four years in Turansingo, where he established the Quetzalcoatl rites and promoted that holy life.

8 When the Toltecs of Tula heard of this, they invited him to the city of Tula to carry out reforms.

4. Topilchen gladly accepted the invitation and went to Tula to spread the faith of Quetzal Koyatl.

2 He broke all the previous rules of sacrifice and defeated the rest of the Toltec gods, taking control of both the politics and religion of Tula.

9. Topilchen proclaimed his laws on a small hill in Tula, ushering in the golden age of Tula.

In the mythical city, gourds, chili peppers, and cotton grew abundantly. The corn was so thick that people had to bend their arms to lift it, and the cotton, once grown, was colorful, like a rainbow with red, yellow, rose, purple, green, blue, copper green, ivory, gray, rose red, and even the color of a coyote. Various birds sang clear and melodious songs every day.

5 During Topilchen's reign, various processing techniques and better tools were constantly invented. Priests were able to directly access the Kingdom of God to seek wisdom. They built walls with precious stones and constructed palaces with brightly colored materials.

Despite such prosperity, Topilchen still personally led his people in ascetic practices, including fasting, pricking their own flesh with thorns, bleeding themselves, and bathing in icy water at midnight.

Even so, it could not stop the decline of the Topilgen dynasty. The Florentine Codex describes it as follows: "In the end, Quetzalcoatl and the Toltecs became complacent."

The true history should be that the admirers of Tescatlipoca rallied together to oppose Topilchen's rule and ultimately overthrow it.

There are many versions of the myth. One version is that Tescatlipoca descended to earth along a spider's thread, transformed into a leopard cat, and drove the priest king Topilchen Quezar Koyatl back to the city of Cholura.

Secondly, Tescatlipoca appeared before Topilchen with his obsidian mirror, and Quetzalcoatl, now in human form, was unable to resist this power and was twisted and deformed at the deepest part of the mirror.

Thirdly, Topilchen fell ill, and Tescatlipoca appeared in the human world as an old man with white hair. He offered Topilchen a healing potion and promised, "You will weep, you will be compassionate and forgiving, you will have sympathy. You will think of death and return to childhood."

This potion was tequila. Topilchen drank the tequila and, in a drunken state, seduced his sister. After sobering up, he went mad, burned down his city, hid all the treasures, drove away the birds, and caused the cocoa trees to wither. Finally, he left this land alone.

Finally, there is a myth about Quetzal Koyatl, who transformed into the priest king Topilchen, and chose to end his reign by putting on his most magnificent clothes, wearing a green mask, and walking up to a pyre to immolate himself.

As the flames consumed his body, his soul rose into the sky and became Venus, the planet of enlightenment.

Although there are various versions of the story of Quetzalcoatl as the priest-king, people still hold a beautiful vision of Quetzalcoatl, who eventually abandoned Tura and left.

At the end of every story, Quetzalcoatl, as he leaves this land, prophesies that one day he will return to this land, destroy his enemies, and rebuild a prosperous golden age.