Do not speculate on the will of the gods.

This is what every god's pastor would admonish all believers. Ed always felt that it was saying, "Don't doubt, God is not wrong, if you think God is wrong, you must be wrong, and if you do something wrong because you understand it, don't blame God."

Such a deity, Ed can only be described in one word - irresponsible.

Even if he would go to hell for it, he couldn't stop thinking about it, especially when he saw a crowd of devout Nesses worshippers arguing almost over what to sculpt his idol into.

The priest never described the countenance of Nesses. Some people think that he should be a majestic elder, while others think that he should be a strong warrior.

Ed sat aside and kicked Fili, who was holding his head in a daze, "How do you know that Ni'o is a goddess?" For as long as he could remember, the gods that people worshipped had had fixed images, and it never occurred to him to know where those images came from.

"There was a man - either an elf or a dwarf, and it is said that there were orcs as well...... In short, they are called 'sages', the spokesmen of the gods in this world, and sometimes become the vessels of the gods. Everything that was originally written about the gods was narrated by them and then recorded. Filly's expression was still a little sluggish, "And every priest and paladin will be enlightened, and sometimes the god will appear in some kind of incarnation......"

"What if those people lie?" Ed asked, "or the account is wrong, for example, Nyo is not a goddess, but she ...... His saint was a woman, so the record became 'Nyo was a goddess,' and that's very likely! Revelation or something...... How do you know it's a revelation from God?"

“......”

Fili begins to regret asking Norway for help - really, he just wanted the elves to help! The elves are better than humans in tracking, observing, and searching for clues. He never thought that he would get himself such a trouble that he couldn't get rid of, and there would always be countless problems!

"Do you think that if we prayed to the image of a goddess, the one who was originally a mighty male god with a long beard would bird us?!" he couldn't help but growl lowly.

"Who knows, maybe he doesn't care?"

"If he doesn't care, why should you!!" Filly yelled. Eric and Hoan, who were sitting near them, were visibly startled and began to look at them uneasily.

“...... That's right. Unexpectedly satisfied, Ed turned his head away and continued to watch the long-standing argument that had been going on for a long time with the Anktan.

Fili froze there, with nowhere to vent his anger. But it didn't take long for him to get out of his breath and continue to hold his head in a daze, but there was no way to drive Ed's questions out of his mind.

Filly never thinks too much. He had always felt that being a paladin was a simple task, especially a knight of a very beloved goddess. He just needs to obey orders, help others, and fight evil. Sean Fletcher may be too serious, but he is the trusted and respected leader of the paladins. Felicity, one of the few sages in the world today, is old and rarely appears in front of people, but he has seen her great power and is impressed by her tolerance and wisdom.

But the world was changing, and he could feel it even if he was lazy. People have stronger desires, more passions, but the gods are gradually disappearing from human life, and only the elves and dwarves still cling to their beliefs.

He was once told that one day the gods would bring disaster on them because of the contempt that humans had given them, and then people would learn to fear and regain their faith. That didn't sound wrong to a knight of a god, and it was even something to look forward to, until he was reminded of what it meant, and he suddenly felt fear - he wanted the gods to return to people's hearts, to have more respect and trust, but he would rather not if it required countless piles of corpses in exchange.

He shook his head, freeing himself from the unbounding panic.

He noticed that they weren't alone. Eric thought that Nesses was a brave warrior, but he sat down after saying a word. No one would ask a child like Joan, he just timidly hid to the side, and after Fili vaguely stated that he was in agreement with his brother, no one would pay any attention to him. Ed was not yet a follower of Nesses in their eyes, as for the others......

He squinted his eyes as he looked at them one by one, some of them might just be as non-argumentative as Eric, but they had been listening attentively, and some of them were beginning to seem nonchalant. A few women barely spoke, and women in the North, even if they were as strong as men, would listen to their fathers, husbands, and even sons, and they would rarely have their own opinions.

There was only one person, who didn't show any concern from beginning to end, just sat silently in the corner, like him, observing everyone with cold eyes.

When they made eye contact, Filly grinned in a friendly manner, but the other party just looked away indifferently.

It was a man who was about to enter middle age, his brown hair was already mixed with many silver strands, but his face did not have many wrinkles, nor did he have the dark skin that northerners in the plateau region often had, his pale face was red from the stimulation of the cold, and his gray eyes were always half-closed like photophobia. Filly remembered his name, Nigel Estes, another believer who had lost his memory.

At least, self-professed loss of memory. It was a very effective disguise, and Philip didn't know how the priest of Nesses could tell the difference between the real and the fake.

If Estis were to be dressed in a black robe, he might look a little like a necromancer.

Filly sketched it in his head, but he knew it was just speculation. He had discussed with the elves that the newly emerged deity might be the work of a necromancer. It's not impossible to create a plague and pretend to be a priest to cure the disease to gain trust, or even make many people lose their memories to make everything easier.

But to prove it, they need more evidence. Otherwise, if it is really a deity, their rash actions will be blasphemous, even if it is not a god they believe in, and it would be unwise to stir up unnecessary disputes.

"Little one!" he beckoned to Hoan, who was huddled in the corner, "Come here!"

"What are you going to do?" Ed asked alarmedly.

"Ate him. Filly showed two pointed canine teeth and a fierce expression, "Like an evil dragon!"

Ed's face shifted wonderfully between "Ignore him" and "Beat him!" for a moment, before finally snorting and turning his face away.

Hoan obediently walked over and sat down beside Fili. His steps were light and almost silent, not so surprising given his thin stature.

"Do you know those people?" Filly casually pointed to a few people who had come with Joan, some of whom he had already spoken to, others whom he only knew by name.

Huo An didn't know much more than he did. Several people had come from the same village as him, but they didn't know each other anymore, and some had joined halfway through, including Nigel Estes, who was traveling with another man named Bernard, who had heard about the temple and volunteered to join it.

Risek is not a recruiter. They couldn't even tell who had started it, but the priests began to mention the temple being built during their missions, and more and more people gathered in Cantril, the first village to fully believe in Nesses, and then the village devotees brought it in droves.

"The priest who healed you...... What is he like?" asked Fili.

Huo An showed a look of awe and longing: "Like a ...... Father. "That's probably the highest rating for him.

It was a middle-aged pastor, with gentle, deep brown eyes and an infectious deep bass, with a trustworthy steadiness and peace hidden in the wrinkles of the weather.

From the descriptions Filly had heard, there were already at least three priests, none of whom claimed to be saints. They also don't seem to care that believers are bickering over different understandings.

Despite all their suspicions, they still classify the necromancer as Necromancer's enemy. Fili didn't know if it was some kind of expedient to avoid suspicion, or if he and the elf had gone in the wrong direction in the first place.

There was a commotion in the middle of the square, and the simple-minded Anktann finally put the argument into their fists.

"Stop!" someone shouted, and the majesty and power of the voice silenced the people.

Khaliat stood up. Strong and handsome, he was a hunter of Cantril, and though somewhat impatient, he had gradually established his prestige among the believers with his zeal and justice.

"We're all family," he said aloud, "as the pastor said." We can argue that that might bring us closer to the wisdom of Nesses, but we should never hurt each other. I have been told that a holy one has come and all questions will be answered, and until then, we do what we can. Nesses can see everything, and we won't let him down!"

The argument smoothly turned into cheers, and the scene of people starting to hug each other struck Filly as a little funny, but Ed nodded approvingly.

"I think at least the knights of Nessus are more respectable than Nior's. He said.

Filly knew exactly where his prejudice and hostility came from, and he couldn't do anything about it.

"You're probably going to like Sean Fletcher. "But he won't like you." ”

He suddenly noticed that Huo An was still sitting quietly next to him - the boy was the kind of person who could easily be overlooked. He should have heard everything, but judging by his expression, he probably wasn't listening to anything, just looking at Khaliat with adoring eyes. Becoming that kind of person is probably every boy's dream.

"Enough people like me!" Ed replied triumphantly, "Come on, Joan, we should get to work!"

The boy came to his senses, nodded vigorously, and ran down the square with Ed.

"Sean Fletcher......" Eric heard as well, "I think I've heard the name." ”

He looked a little uneasy.

"He's ...... Our uncle," Filly scribbled casually, "is a very, very, very serious and serious man, and we are all afraid of him. ”

At least that's true, the fear of Sean Fletcher is an instinct carved into the bone marrow of every goddess of Ni'o's paladin.

Eric nodded contemplatively, accepting the explanation.