"??!!"
A sudden voice rang out in Zumama's mind, like a whisper from a soul. In an instant, Zumama felt her scalp tingle, and the hair all over her body stood on end. Her heart contracted violently.
Her body's powerful combat instincts made her turn around quickly, followed by a spinning kick. Her thighs, which didn't look particularly muscular, even made a whooshing sound as they swept through the air.
However.
There was no one behind Zumama. After kicking nothing but air, she looked around, even more bewildered.
Strange...
I'm sure I heard a voice...
Zumama didn't doubt her senses. The voice just now had been far too clear, and it didn't seem to have come from her ears, as if it had bypassed them and gone straight into her brain.
What was going on?
Zumama scratched her head in confusion.
She circled the small temple several times but couldn't find anyone. She even looked down from the temple and still saw no one. How strange...
Suddenly.
Zumama seemed to remember something. After making a wide circle, she returned to the center of the temple, before the statue of the god whose face was indistinct.
"Lord God?! Were you the one speaking to me just now?"
After asking this, Zumama felt a pang of regret. How could a stone statue possibly speak? In the past, she might have been as devout as the other members of her tribe, but after gradually accepting the scientific knowledge of Columbia, Zumama had slowly shifted from theism towards Columbian materialism.
After all.
As long as she could remember, Zumama had never heard of a god performing a miracle.
"Zumama~ you must have read too many books and scrambled your brain. How could a statue possibly speak?"
Zumama muttered to herself, certain that she must have misheard. With a flick of her thick, patterned python tail, she turned to leave.
Just then.
The voice from before sounded again.
"Tell me, is there a possibility... that the statue really can speak?"
"!!!"
This time! Zumama spun around abruptly, and the next second.
Ahhhhhhh!!!
——————
Lucas Reeve had been living quite comfortably in Columbia during this period. He wasn't chatting with the adorable Jessica, and although little Jessica had matured a lot, a little teasing from Lucas Reeve would instantly revert her to her former shy state. Then he would go to the Reunion Movement to chat with Alina and learn about their current military situation.
About a week after the soul fragment in Yan was inexplicably sealed, a new soul fragment reawakened.
This location was very obvious...
Sargon.
It was very close to where his main body was, but it wasn't the same place.
After a brief explanation to Jessica.
Lucas Reeve headed to the location of the new soul fragment.
At first.
Lucas Reeve thought this soul fragment of his would be inside some piece of jewelry. After all, the previous few had been. He hadn't expected... that after his consciousness transferred over, he would find it wasn't in jewelry this time, but inside another statue. However, this statue was different from the one housing his main body. The statue housing his main body could restrict the transfer of his soul, but this one was just an ordinary pile of stones.
However, when Lucas Reeve first arrived, he discovered a very serious problem—in fact, it was a problem he had been pondering for a long time.
Just how long had his main soul been inside that statue?
He remembered.
He seemed to have split off a part of his main soul and attached it to the vehicles of passing merchant caravans. It was understandable for these to be jewelry—perhaps the raw materials were later processed into various accessories.
Moreover, the oldest piece of jewelry was the necklace Jessica's mother had given her, which was only about thirty years old. That's why Lucas Reeve had guessed that only a few decades had passed since he had split his soul. But after seeing this 'statue' today, perhaps that estimate needed to be revised upwards.
And...
Lucas Reeve had also gradually discovered over these days.
Any object he attached himself to for a long time would gradually take on some of his divinity. For example, Jessica's necklace. Strictly speaking, it really did have the effect of warding off disaster and evil.
At first, Lucas Reeve guessed that his divinity might have been granted by the projection of the Holy Lance, but that wasn't it. He had only recently obtained the Holy Lance projection, but he had been in Jessica's necklace long before that. This meant that his divinity came from the statue housing his main body, not the Holy Lance.
Even...
After being nourished by Lucas Reeve's soul fragment for so many years, the statue worshipped by this tribe had gradually gained a divine radiance. Perhaps it was only because of Lucas Reeve's presence that this statue could be called a divine statue.
And Lucas Reeve had to seriously consider a problem.
Logically speaking.
A statue is just a pile of stones.
This statue couldn't imprison his soul, but the one housing his main body could. Could it be... that that statue wasn't a statue at all? That its appearance was only statue-like due to long-term wear and tear...
Lucas Reeve thought of a slightly terrifying possibility.
Lucas Reeve hadn't gone out these past few days.
Instead, he had been observing this large tribe for a long time. It was a tribe far removed from the normal world. "Backward and primitive" was the assessment Lucas Reeve had given it after these few days. He couldn't find even a hint of mechanized products. Even for farming, they either used specialized beasts or direct human labor.
And what the primitive inhabitants of these tribes loved most was fighting.
In just a few days.
Lucas Reeve had already witnessed several brawls, and they had specifically chosen the plaza in front of the temple as the dueling ground, as if they were deliberately fighting for him to see. However, Lucas Reeve was enjoying the show. After all... who doesn't like to watch a fight from the sidelines?
However, Lucas Reeve had not revealed himself these past few days, instead choosing to observe the situation. It wasn't until this pretty, fiery-figured young woman named Zumama came over that Lucas Reeve deliberately gave a response.
Actually.
Lucas Reeve didn't want to speak.
But this young woman Zumama's prayer was completely different from the others in the tribe. The others mostly wished for favorable weather and a successful hunt. But this young woman Zumama was different. She actually wanted to develop a mecha?!!
The young woman's words just now had truly startled Lucas Reeve.
The contrast was as absurd as someone in a village of illiterates suddenly reciting a poem.
"Hey, hey, hey!!!"
Zumama stared at the statue before her in disbelief. She never in her life would have imagined that the statue her home tribe had worshipped for hundreds of years was real!! Could it be that a real god lived inside!!
Zumama couldn't really explain the origin of this statue. Although she had heard the elders talk about how ancient and powerful this statue was since she was a child, and how the first Great Chief had become the Great Chief and led the tribe to its current state under the protection of this statue's fortune.
But as for specific detailed deeds.
Even the oldest person in the village, the former Great Chief, couldn't give a clear account. Although he couldn't give a clear account.
This didn't affect the faith of the people in the tribe in the slightest. After all, every generation had grown up hearing the previous generation talk about the god living in the statue. Even if they had never seen it, or were initially skeptical, after so many years of influence, they would gradually become devout, until it influenced the next generation.
"So!! There really is a god!!"
Zumama's smooth and full body trembled slightly. First came shock and excitement, then she suddenly remembered that she seemed to have said some disrespectful things to Lord God just now!!
She had actually questioned whether Lord God was illiterate...
Although... she still had her doubts now.
Theoretically, it was possible for a god to be illiterate...
But questioning it in your heart and saying it out loud were two different things.
Wouldn't the god bring down punishment upon her?
Although many scientific books from Columbia had gradually led Zumama towards the gates of materialism, under the influence of her hometown since childhood, even if she already had some doubts about the existence of gods, she was still very respectful at heart. It was better to believe it existed than to believe it didn't.
However.
At this moment.
The gate to materialism that had just begun to open in Zumama's heart quietly closed again.
Gods really do exist...
Lucas Reeve pretended to be serious and asked.
"I heard your wish just now. Your wish is somewhat unusual."
Lucas Reeve had been observing this large tribe for many days. He found that the people of this tribe were a bit too devout. Even... more devout than many of the so-called 'believers of the gods' in Columbia by countless times.
And this piety had one benefit.
That is, after Lucas Reeve had fully awakened, even if he did nothing, he could still receive a continuous supply of Prayer Power. Although the amount wasn't large, the potential was astounding. You see, this was the first time Lucas Reeve had encountered a situation where he could receive Prayer Power without doing anything. He could only say that the natives here had carved their faith in him into their very bones. He couldn't imagine how much Prayer Power these natives would provide if he performed some other 'miracles' in the future.
Zumama's heart skipped a beat.
As expected!
Lord God had heard her disrespectful words just now!!
Was she about to suffer the legendary divine punishment?
Just as Zumama stood there blankly, waiting for Lucas Reeve's judgment, suddenly, Lucas Reeve's tone changed.
"Your idea is very interesting. I like it~"
"Human strength indeed has its limits at times, and machines can sometimes possess power far beyond human limits."
Lucas Reeve said slowly.
He was speaking the truth. After all, from the current perspective, humans do have limits. For example, no matter how powerful a human ceiling like Patriot is, it's impossible for him to stop a moving landship. This is the limit of humanity...
Zumama, who had been waiting to receive 'divine punishment', could hardly believe her ears. She rubbed her ears forcefully, suspecting she had misheard.
The god...
The god actually agreed with the idea she had held for so many years!!
Her ideas had always been rejected by the tribe's residents. If it were an ordinary person, they might have been discouraged and started doubting themselves. Even the optimistic Zumama would sometimes sigh helplessly. After all, after tinkering with mechanical parts for so many years without any results, she sometimes wondered if the content of these books was only theoretical and if there was something wrong with her understanding.
However...
After Lucas Reeve agreed with her point of view just now.
The dark clouds that had been swirling in Zumama's mind for who knows how long suddenly dispersed.
"Lord God!! Do you understand machinery too!!"
Zumama asked excitedly.
"Uh..."
Lucas Reeve was stunned for a few seconds.
Understand?
Although he hadn't formally studied it and wasn't an expert, Lucas Reeve would read many related books in his spare time to understand the principles. He did know a thing or two.
After all, in his soul state, Lucas Reeve's memory was almost photographic. After all, the strength of one's soul affects their intelligence to a certain extent. With Lucas Reeve's current soul level, as long as he was willing to learn, he would definitely become an expert in any field in the future.
"I know a thing or two..."
Lucas Reeve told the truth.
However.
In Zumama's eyes, such honesty was just humility.
Zumama never expected that Lord God would also understand these things. She excitedly asked about some of the manufacturing problems she had recently encountered.
"Lord God, I have a question."
"Recently, I've been trying to build a machine based on the knowledge recorded in books, but the energy within this machine can't be stabilized no matter what. Last night, the energy in the machine even became unstable and caused a violent explosion. The Great Priest and I thought about it for a long time but couldn't find the problem..."
"Uh...."
Lucas Reeve was stunned for a moment.
"I'll have to see it in person."
"Okay!! I'll be right back, Lord God!!"
Having received Lucas Reeve's reply, Zumama was so excited that she ran out of the temple. She was probably going to get her invention to show Lucas Reeve.
And just as Zumama left.
A young-looking woman with an Ancient who had the head of a crocodile and was much larger than her on her back walked up to the temple.
She was already in tears, seemingly at her wit's end.
After stepping onto the huge stone steps and walking into the temple, the moment she saw the statue that housed Lucas Reeve, the woman could no longer hold back. She carefully placed the Ancient from her back on the ground and fell to her knees before the statue with a thud.
"Great Lord God!! Please bless my brother. My brother has contracted a strange stone disease. The tribe's witch doctor has no other options. He's the only brother I have. Please, Lord God, bless my brother so he can live on in peace and safety..."
And in front of the woman.
The male Ancient with a crocodile head was trembling uncontrollably.
On the surface of his body, numerous Originium crystals of various shapes and rather disgusting appearances had appeared.
Oripathy...
Lucas Reeve frowned. He hadn't expected a tribe so remote and far from the cities to also have Oripathy.
Moreover.
Looking at the state of this male Ancient, it seemed he was on the verge of death.
Without a second thought, while the woman wasn't looking, Lucas Reeve directly entered the male Ancient's body. With plenty of experience in saving people, his technique this time was much improved. Fortunately, the stage of this male Ancient's Oripathy was not that deep.
After Lucas Reeve entered his body, only about ten minutes passed.
The scorching hot Originium crystals on the male Ancient's body gradually returned to normal, and the male Ancient, who had been convulsing in pain, clearly felt the pain inside him disappear, as if he had been reborn.
His sister, who had been kneeling on the ground praying, was first startled to see her brother, who had been on the brink of death a second ago, stand up like a normal person. Then came ecstasy. And the male Ancient immediately knelt before Lucas Reeve's statue, murmuring constantly.
"Lord God!! I dreamed of Lord God! I dreamed of Lord God!!"
+10000
Hoh...
Lucas Reeve was startled by the sudden influx of ten thousand Prayer Power.
The level of piety of these two had to be absurd. They had provided even more than Hellagur and Jessica had initially.
Lucas Reeve guessed.
Perhaps Jessica and Hellagur only felt gratitude back then.
But the residents of this tribe had faith...
Faith, in theory, does provide much more Prayer Power than gratitude.
For a moment...
Lucas Reeve seemed to have discovered an excellent place to farm Prayer Power....