Lin Ye always pondered what it would be like to finally meet God, but never thought it would be like this, him sitting side by side with God, looking at the snow-capped mountains and the maple tree outside the hall, chatting relatively comfortably.
The question on his mind is, Why does God treat him different from everyone else?
Originally Lin Ye was quite nervous at the start, but after chatting with her for some time, his anxiety dissipated.
In Lin Ye's view, Messiah really does not look like a God. On the contrary, she looks like the girl next door, but she is the kind that is really smart and uses a lot of big words.
"Are you asking about how I pick the saintess? Well, what do you mean by that? I never let anyone pick them." Messiah holds her hand out. A maple leaf falls onto her hands. Her thumb and index finger pinch the end of the maple leaf, slowly turning it, "I don't remember when this all started, they said I can't live here alone, there should be someone to take care of me."
"Is that so? So why are they all females?"
"That's the rudiment of the saintess because I don't think being cared for free by others seems to be a good thing. So, I gave the girls who took care of me some strength."
Messiah tilts her head, "Then slowly, the girl who gained my strength was dubbed the title of 'Saintess' by the local people and was regarded as my devoted follower."
"So that's why..."
"Yup. Nothing more nothing less."
Lin Ye is a little speechless, "I always feel over-interpreted by the locals."
"Really?" Messiah thought for a moment, and then nods, "You are quite accurate in this regard."
"Then, do you choose the person who will become the Saintess?"
Messiah turns to look at Lin Ye. She smiles softly, and she has seen through him so quickly... Lin Ye doubted she needs to read his mind for her to get it right.
"You know, I'm a god. Although it doesn't look like it, I'm still the God of Karlan." Messiah's tone became more serious. "Look here."
He doesn't need Messiah to remind him twice. Lin Ye looks at her. Messiah is slowly squeezing the maple leaf in her hand into a fist. Then she squeezes it. After that, she opens her hand again.
The maple leaf is no longer there. He feels something tightening around his heart.
That's right, she is still a God. Lin Ye thought. Shouldn't he stop acting too familiar with her? It seems unthinkable for her or any other God to accept others, especially a nonbeliever like him.
Even if Messiah seems to be harmless on the outside she can easily make him disappear. Maybe she used the leaf as a demonstration of what will happen to him if he still acts disrespectfully. To warn him that anyone who dares to question her will be like this maple leaf, crushed into powder, with no trace left behind.
"Understand?" Messiah asks him.
Lin Ye took a deep breath, thinking about his own life. Then he nods "Yes, I do..."
"Where did the leaf in my right hand disappear to? Ta-da!~ it's in my left hand!~" Messiah opens her left hand to Lin Ye and sees that the missing maple leaf is lying peacefully in Messiah's left hand.
Lin Ye looks at it blankly.
Messiah proudly says, "It's amazing, right? I didn't use any of my supernatural powers. I practised it for a long time. Would you like to learn? I can teach you."
Lin Ye didn't know if he was dreaming now. He feels that most of the people, including demons and gods, he met after he came into this world were a bit abnormal, and his previous understanding of them has been thrown out of a window.
Seeing this ridiculous scene in front of him, he chuckles.
"Hahaha."
"Haha, your expression is funny" Messiah laughs, "it seems that my objective has been achieved."
Around them, a pleasant mood surrounds them. With the beautiful scene outside to accompany them, this scene looks like it came out of a fantasy.
"Well, back to the topic just now." Messiah's maple leaf is put down after she finishes giggling. Turning her head to look at the vast snow-capped mountains, and says softly, "Actually, I always knew that every few years or decades, after the saintess dies, people here will want another one to replace them. So, the locals sent many young girls on that ruined road. And with how harsh condition on the mountain, this caused many people to die on the way, and failed to come here to see me. I knew all of them.
"Were the rules not laid down by you?"
"I'm not that kind of God." Messiah glances at Lin Ye again, "Or do you think I'm a cruel God?"
Lin Ye shakes his head repeatedly.
"... It's okay. Anyways, the people here probably think that I set the conditions for the Saintess election, but in fact, it was not me. As long as they can get to me. Girls, no matter how they came, I would like to have seen them and given them gifts." Messiah says,
"However, that's not possible. They were the ones who set the conditions for becoming a saintsess. It's not me being harsh, but they're the ones being harsh on themselves ."
Lin Ye didn't quite understand: "What do you mean by that?"
"Faith is not enough to survive in a place like this" Messiah suddenly said.
Lin Ye is taken aback.
"Karlan is not a suitable place to live. If it weren't for me, it would be the place most loved by natural disasters." Messiah says,
"But even when I am here, even when I help suppress natural disasters. But I cannot change the fact that the environment here is still very inhospitable. They created their own belief and traditions in order to give themselves hope. That hope helped them survive"
"You are their hope."
"Yes, they believe in me, But this is far from enough." Messiah says, "To be honest, I can help them do many things and make their lives better than it is now. But is that really right? In fact, it is not. Some of them will think that this is my charity to them, it is kindness. And kindness is the most unreliable thing to have. If I can give them everything, I can take it all back someday."
Lin Ye thinks and feels that what Messiah said makes sense, so he nods "What are the other things that are important for them to survive then?"
"Other people probably show up in the kind of heartlessness, thinking that all of this is a gift from heaven, and then enjoying it all with peace of mind, but this kind of mentality is obviously unable to be here in Karlan. This kind of natural environment is a terrible place to survive in." says Messiah," So these two kinds of people need an emotion called fear. Only fear can keep them alive in Kalan, do you understand?"
"I can sorta understand it- but" Lin Ye nods.
Messiah sighed, "You are so stupid."
"Hey." Lin Ye forgot that she is a God but her giggling from his remark, he thinks it's alright for him to act like this now.
"The people of Karlan need my strength, but they cannot rely on me completely." Messiah says, "In such a sense of crisis, they have established their own culture. Although the core of their culture is me. But in fact, it has nothing to do with me. What I have to do is to suppress the natural disasters and give the girl who has passed the test the title of "saintess". I don't need to do anything else. I will not intervene in their culture. There is no need, and the election for the saintess is normally related to me, but in fact, it is also part of the Karlans' culture." Messiah explained this thoroughly to him.
Lin Ye finally understood it. That is, the way to become a Saintess was entirely made by the Kjerag people themselves, and the reason was completely different from the Messiah, the true god of Karlan.
Although she didn't say it clearly, Lin Ye could see it. In order to make the protection and power they received from the Messiah look more "justified". It was not from the Messiah who gave them, but through their own efforts, through rigorous tests, will her approval be gained. This kind of thinking allowed the Karlan people to survive in this land and thrive to this day.
To be honest, this is indeed very inspirational but Lin Ye still remembers the many young girls that are buried in the mountain because of this. Does that mean their sacrifices were unnecessary?
Lin Ye grips his hand tightly of the thought.
"You seem a little conflicted?" Messiah noticed Lin Ye's mood shift.
"It's... It's okay." Lin Ye said.
"That's a good thing." Messiah nods. "If these sacrifices can't affect you now. That would be a bad thing for you and me. You're still you after all if you still think like that"
Lin Ye feels that what Messiah said was weird, and soon he thought of something and asks "Can I ask something?"
"If it's in my power, yes. Yes, I will."
"Why are not serious in your job of being a God?"
"It always feels like you are talking ill of me," Messiah glares slightly at him.
Is she pouting?! A God is pouting at me!
"No, absolutely not." Lin Ye shakes his head.
"You dare not admit it, do you?" Messiah smiles back again, "By the way, have you ever thought of staying?
He is stunned by her question "What? Stay? Where?"
"Stay here. Anya said that you shook the holy bell, which means that you got the approval of my power." Messiah smiles, "I have had so many saintesses, but I never had a saint before"
Lin Ye looks at her in surprise.
"How about the Sacred Son? That is also fine. You can call it which title you think sounds nice."
An offer by a God. Only an idiot would decline it.
Then he remembers everyone at Rhodes Island. Shining, Liz, Skadi, Ifrit, and the others. He still needs to help them.
After thinking for a while, he shakes his head.
Look like I'm an idiot then.
"Forget it. I'm not here for that. I still need to do something else."
"Is that your answer? I understand. However, the offer is still there as long as you live."
Lin Ye smiles at her and she smiles back. Then he tries to start another conversation between them.
"So, have you been here all this time?"
"Yes." she looks at her scenery in front of her.
"How many years has it been?"
"It has been many, many years, as long as I could remember."
"Then do you want to stay any longer?"
"Yes."
Messiah raises her hand and points to the maple tree in front of the temple "After all the leaves of that tree have fallen, I will stay here a bit longer."
{Rhodes Island's Psychologist}
Draft by Jaq
Proofread by Weebly HiyashiKisho
Edit by Jaq