That's a story that many people have heard before. The beginning of the story conveys the glorious history of a prophet who walked through the earth, saw beings in suffering, and heard their confusion and longing. The Prophet preached some wisdom to them, healed them, and told them that all beings suffer, but perhaps they would have eternal peace after death.

The activities of the prophet were not a bad thing for the governor of the Arab province of Petra. When the poor were spiritually appeased, they were more likely to accept Roman rule. But his actions of not taking a penny and not spreading divine will hurt the interests of the Orders entrenched in the provinces. They even believe that prophets would cause the gods worshiped by the order to become difficult to "sell." So, a clear threat was sent to the governor's desk. Execute the prophet, or the Order will start a riot.

Under pressure, the Governor signed the execution warrant. The prophet was crucified, wore a crown of thorns, and died of blood. At this time, the centurion Longinus, who was not yet a saint, was ordered to pierce the left side of the prophet with his usual short spear.

Blood gushed out of the body of the prophet who should have been dry. The blood soaked Longinus' eyes. He had been suffering from an eye disease for more than two years, and his eyes, which were almost completely invisible, had suddenly regained their light after being soaked in the blood of the prophet named Nazareth. Longinus looked at his hands in amazement, and after a long time, exclaimed, "He really is the Son of God." ”

Later, the Prophet's body was wrapped in linen by his followers, who sadly hid his body in a sarcophagus. But three days later, he found that his body was gone.

There was nothing left in the sarcophagus except the linen shroud.

Regaining his light, Longinus returned home happily and told all his friends and relatives about his experience, who congratulated him on his sudden recovery.

"Do you believe the prophet?" Towards the end of the dinner, Longinus sat at the wooden table, sipping a refreshing ale and tearing the cumin-laced lamb with his teeth. His wife suddenly asked, "I've heard the neighbors chatting that the Order thinks the Prophet is a complete liar and a demon. ”

After swallowing a mouthful of fat, Longinus shook his head a little distracted, and whispered, "I don't know." As you know, I've been to the Order many times for help. But their prayers and rituals did not do my eyes any good, but made it worse and worse. But Nazareth ...... And unlike them. He recalled the spear he had stabbed at the prophet, and the feeling of loss intensified in his heart. "I have never heard his sermons and I have no idea how his God is different from the God of the Order. All I know is that his flesh healed my eyes. ”

The centurion's mood grew depressed with his confession, and after a long time, he whispered, "I want to know him." ”

"I want to know his life. ”

"I want to hear what kind of wisdom he preaches to the poor. ”

Three days later, news of Nazareth's resurrection spread throughout the province, but no one noticed that the centurion in the provincial jailer's brigade had disappeared, and that from the Sea of Galilee to outside Caesarea in Philip, an ascetic in a red Roman centurion had appeared.

"I've been wandering on that land for a long time. Longinus looked at the ale and lamb in front of him and whispered, "I have seen many people who have heard Nazareth preach, and have heard many things from their mouths. But the content is contradictory and disorganized. As I traveled, I seemed to get to know him better. But in the end, I still didn't know anything about Nazareth. ”

"So you decided to find the resurrected Nazareth and ask him personally?" Shen Xi swallowed the wine in his mouth, the old story is always suitable to be eaten with wine. He drank happily, "Whether or not your idea is appropriate or not is put aside for the time being, but according to what I know, that Nazareth can't discuss any wisdom and philosophy of life with you right now." ”

"I know. The centurion shook his head and whispered, "Of course there is something unusual about Nazareth, but he is still dead. He raised his head and whispered to Shen Xi, "When I was wandering along the Sea of Galilee, I met some strange people. ”

"Strange people?" Shen Xi raised his eyebrows and asked with a smile, "You have lived from that legendary era to the present, and there will definitely be no fewer people or things you have seen." I'm a little curious, and I can make you feel curious, what kind of people will be like. ”

The centurion sighed, "Indeed, they are not like anyone else I have met. They were not the Arabs, they were not the Jews, they were not the Persians, they were not even the Romans. His eyes flickered with some inexplicable emotion, and his voice trembled a little, "They call themselves Wendu. ”

When an old and dying ascetic encounters a group of aliens with ill intentions towards the gods, there is no way to know what kind of story will happen. Longinus himself didn't say much. "I was taken by the Wendu people to their home planet, where I was indoctrinated with a great deal of knowledge—a demonic whisper of knowledge carved into my mind, whether I wanted it or not. You can't even forget. ”

"I learned how to acquire the godhead of a barbarian, how to solidify the gods, and even how to stabilize the church. The centurion bowed his head, "They asked me to take the godhead of Nazareth, and I agreed. ”

"Nazareth is a barbarian god?" Shen Xi was shocked, "Since the Wendu people know his identity, why don't they just start and ask you to replace him?"

"I don't know exactly why. But I think it has something to do with the experiment that their federal computer proposed. The centurion looked at Shen Xi and said with a wry smile, "It seems that you also know who they are, so I will continue to explain with more words." From their daily conversations, I learned an important fact - Gaia does not have any protection at the moment. ”

"Protection?" Shen Xi frowned, "What kind of protection?"

"Mostly gods. Longinus explained, "According to the classification of the Wendus, Gaia is the only world they can reach without the protection of the gods. Neither the barbarian gods nor the temple of the gods existed on Gaia. The closest to the rank of barbarian god is only Nazareth. ”

"And you...... After obtaining the godhead of Nazareth, you plan to replace him as a barbarian god and protect Gaia?" Shen Xi said in surprise, "But aren't you a believer in Nazareth?"

Longinus was silent for a long time before he said, "I don't know what kind of person I am. I lived a long life, unusually long, but I wasn't a believer, and I was never even baptized. His eyes were a little hollow, but he quickly refocused on Shen Xi, his gaze determined, "But I have received the favor of Nazareth, so I am obligated to repay his favor." Although I didn't know him very well, I knew that his love for all beings was deep. Although his soul is long dead now, I am willing to assume his godhead and continue his care for the world. Even if...... This comes at the cost of betraying one's own beliefs. ”

Shen Xi was silent for a long time, and suddenly asked Ruan An, "What do you think?"

"Your Excellency Centurion is in a strange state at the moment. Ruan An rubbed his brows, looking confused, "I've never met anyone in this state. His soul was partially apotheosized, but fluctuated in line with Nazareth's. ”

"Speak human words. ”

"He's almost Nazareth. "Even though he had ever been far away from Gaia, having not been in contact with Nazareth since more than 1,900 years ago, he had already acquired almost half of the Nazareth Godhead. And the remaining half of him is the standard state of a divine servant. ”

Shen Xi poured another sip of ale wine, shook his head and said, "I understand every word you say, but when you put it together, you don't know what it means at all." What is he now, a barbarian god, or a servant of God?"

"It's somewhere in between. Ruan An was also a little troubled, and she didn't know how to explain to Shen Xi, "I've never heard that a divine servant can be promoted to a god. But this is already the only reason that can explain the state of the Centurion. ”

"You don't have to worry too much about the minutiae. The centurion interrupted the exchange between the two, grabbed the lamb in front of him and ate it, his eyes narrowed into slits, and he seemed to be in a good mood. "I have a question for you. ”

Shen Xi collected his emotions and stretched out his hand towards the centurion, "Excuse me." ”

"There aren't many people alive who can fight me. The centurion instigated his grease-stained hands, "Since you can win me, it means that you should at least be a god—the Wendu people have said that there are no living barbarian gods on Gaia, and I trust their judgment. So, you're supposed to be from the Temple of the Gods, right?"

Shen Xi nodded.

"I tried to touch Nazareth's body in order to gain his divinity and thus protect Gaia. This is the driving force and the foundation of everything I do. The centurion took two sips of the ale and let out a long breath, "But now that I have lost, it seems that you will not give me his body." So, can you take my place?" he looked at Shen Xi, his expression serious with a hint of pleading, "can you take my place as Gaia's protector and inherit Nazareth's friendship with the world?"

"Protecting what?" Shen Xi didn't answer directly, but instead asked, "What is there in Gaia that needs the gods to protect?"

"It seems that you still don't understand the importance of Gaia. The centurion sighed, "If you want to stop the Wendus from destroying the world, you must first protect Gaia from the Wendus. ”

(End of chapter)