I reign supreme in the Western fantasy world for eternity.

Having already grasped the general outline of the story through the letter written by the first hero himself, Ji Tian took the book from Lilith and first glanced at the somewhat sacred illustrations on the pages:

The first hero stood atop the mountain, sword in hand, with the oppressive, dark shadows of the demons before him and the blessings of the four gods behind him.

Wait a minute, the Four Gods?

Oh right, according to the previous description by the God of Industry, the three gods of the church began to merge about three thousand years ago, and the first hero also arrived in that era. In addition, with the goddess representing life, it is reasonable for four gods to appear.

"Do you remember those murals we saw in the treehouse? The one where the first hero stood before the Demon King's throne in the Demon King's castle, reminiscing with the Demon King."

Lilith blinked. "But the book says he perished together with the Demon King..."

"So at least one side is lying. The Church needs the hero to be a righteous, pure, unwavering, and praiseworthy symbol so that future generations will be willing to take up the Holy Sword. Elune's words also contain many subjective factors and are not necessarily entirely correct; they should be viewed dialectically."

Elena listened quietly from the side and interjected, "So the truth might be somewhere in between, just like the first hero didn't completely side with humans, nor did he completely side with demons to help them attack the human kingdom."

"Probably. History is written by people, and those who write history have their own stance and purpose."

Lilith carried the book "Chronicles of Heroes Through the Ages, Volume One" all the way, flipping through most of it. Her expression grew increasingly puzzled. Finally, upon returning to the embassy, ​​she closed the book, handed it back to Ji Tian, ​​and solemnly came to a conclusion:

The church must have a group of writers specifically employed to help create stories about heroes throughout history.

……

In the evening, Ji Tian sat by the window, flipping through the newly bought book, "Biographies of Heroes Through the Ages".

It is written very neatly, with a clear timeline and vivid characters, showing that it has been specially compiled.

However, he noticed that the book made no mention of the first hero's "contact with the Demon King's castle," but instead directly described his final battle with the Demon King, who personally led the expedition, and how they both ultimately perished.

That's a bit unrealistic.

The Demon King can only maximize his power within the Demon King's Castle. If all else fails, he can "make the Demon King's Castle stand up" and lead it on a personal expedition.

This is a typical example of the subtle and euphemistic style of writing.

Elena sat on the other side of the window, holding a book of fairy poems she had bought from the bookstore, occasionally glancing up at him, quietly keeping him company.

Ji Tian put the book down and closed his eyes.

He recalled the way the Book of Industry attained godhood: by driving the times, shaping perceptions, and becoming a symbol, thereby consolidating authority.

What about the hero?

The hero himself is a "symbol of faith".

Each generation of heroes repeats a similar narrative: drawing the sword, traveling, fighting, sacrificing, or winning.

Humans have told this story over and over again for thousands of years, to the point that even elves and dwarves have come to believe that "hero" is the epitome of justice.

The reputation, faith, and folk legends accumulated by heroes throughout history, and the stories that have been repeatedly written, sung, and deified by the church, are themselves an invisible force.

The memories accumulated from generation to generation may be closer to the prototype of "divinity" than any blessing from a god.

If the god of industry can become a god through the "industrial age," then why can't a hero become a god through the "hero's narrative"?

He opened his eyes; it was completely dark outside the window.

……

The spring festival arrived as scheduled the following morning.

The atmosphere in the Elf Royal Court was completely different from yesterday. The ancient trees on both sides of the street were covered with ribbons interwoven with silver and green, and the air was filled with the scent of petals and dew.

The sound of the ceremonial bell came from the direction of the ancient tree of life, deep and resonant, as if something ancient was awakening.

The royal guards cleared the passage from the embassy to the central square in advance. Arwin came to greet him personally, dressed in a silver-grey suit that was more formal than usual, with a silver leaf badge for the Spring Festival pinned to his collar.

He led Ji Tian and his group through the corridor to a high platform in front of the core area of ​​the ancient tree.

The main venue for the Spring Festival is located in the plaza surrounding the core area of ​​the Ancient Tree of Life. Rather than a plaza, it is more like a platform naturally formed by the interwoven roots of the ancient tree, large enough to accommodate thousands of people.

Five banners of great nobles were hung around the platform, arranged counterclockwise according to elven tradition: Roland, Kant, Windwhisper, Silverleaf, and Morningstar.

The procession entered from the north side of the square. The Roland family's seats were in the second row on the left. Zeppeli stood in the front row, his long silver hair neatly tied up, and he had changed his dark gray robe into a dark silver suit.

Ji Tian noticed that his position was slightly to the side, as if leaving an angle from which he could see this side.

Ophelia stood half a step behind Ji Tian, ​​without saying a word, her gaze fixed on the ancient Tree of Life in the center of the ritual area.

Lilith whispered in Ophelia's ear, "Your father is watching this way."

"I know."

"Aren't you going to say hello?"

"...No rush."

The sacrificial ceremony began, and several priests dressed in white robes walked to the center of the platform, their wooden staffs with emerald green vines wrapped around their bases.

The moment the vines touched the platform, they began to spread and climb along the texture of the root system, as if they had been given life.

The entire platform lit up with light patterns, and those emerald green lines spread outward from the priest's feet, flowed down the edge of the platform, and finally merged into the vast root system of the ancient tree of life.

The canopy of the ancient tree began to light up rhythmically, like breathing.

Then, the same emerald green light began to spread downwards from the tree canopy, along the trunk, along the veins of the roots, until it enveloped the entire square.

Ji Tian could feel the platform beneath his feet vibrating.

"The ancient tree is responding to them," Ophelia's voice came from beside her.

The priests began to chant.

The song was ancient and melodious, sung in the oldest Elvish language. Ji Tian could only understand fragments, but it went something like this:

"Roots go down, branches go up, leaves catch rainwater, and seeds return to the soil."

The melody woven in the ancient Elvish language echoed in the air, and the song flowed slowly through the consciousness of everyone present like an invisible river, bringing a sense of inexplicable peace.

The ceremony lasted for about half an hour.

The priests placed the flowers and fruits collected from various parts of the royal court as offerings on the stone platform in front of the ancient tree, chanting a prayer for each one placed.

When Her Majesty the Queen personally stepped forward to offer her prayers, the entire square was so quiet that the rustling of the wind through the leaves could be heard.

As the ceremony ended, the crowd slowly dispersed, and the members of the five noble families left one after another, leaving only a few scattered people standing at the edge of the square.

After the ceremony ended, most of the spectators slowly dispersed, leaving only the members of the five noble families to perform the remaining rituals.

Ophelia stood on the edge of the platform, not following the crowd down.

Knowing that this might trigger a plot development, Ji Tian knew he wouldn't stop the other person from greeting his father.

Elena tugged at Lilith's sleeve, signaling her not to disturb her.

Lilith said "Oh," and obediently walked a distance away, occasionally looking back.

Zeppelin walked over from the edge of the crowd and stopped a few steps away.

"Be careful, our family will be reunited soon."