In the far west, there is a high mountain shaped like a sharp knife, its peak reaches into the sky, and the villagers who live at the foot of the mountain call it Wanji Mountain. Pen @ fun @ pavilion wWw. ｂｉｑUｇE。 infoThe villagers often go up to the mountains to collect materials and hunt, but their tracks are cut off when they reach the mountainside. The thing that stopped everyone was an altar, which was really just a hewn stone case, but it was dedicated to the devouring mountain god.

The human sacrifice of Manji Mountain continues year after year. This time, the blacksmith's youngest son, Roll, came to the altar, where he had been sitting for two days, and was running out of food, and today a delicate little girl came. The little girl sat on the altar, rubbing her hands and weeping.

Rohr was annoyed by this girl's crying, he didn't want to pay attention to her, after all, he was not a few years older than this girl, but this girl was just crying and crying, as if she wanted to annoy him to cry with him, causing him to lose his man's backbone. Annoyed Rohr fumbled up and down, but he couldn't find anything, and finally had to send his sleeve over, the girl's tears and snot stained half of his sleeve, and he sighed in disgust: "You girls just cry, what's the use of crying, what is your name?"

The little girl sobbed for a long time, and finally said with a pimple, "My name is Nozomi, and my father is a carpenter." ”

"Oh, it's a carpenter, you have a fig tree at home, I'm going to steal the fruit from it, your father grabbed the hammer and chased after it, followed by the dog, I looked back and saw a big girl with her hands on her hips, but I haven't seen you as a little girl. ”

"I'm not in good health, and the adults won't let me go out. ”

"They won't let you out, but they're willing to send you to the altar?" Rohr's eyes widened in disbelief.

"I see, you must be a crybaby who has annoyed everyone in the family, so they don't want you. ”

"I'm not a crybaby!" protested the little girl named Nozomi.

Rohr ignored her, just grimacing and singing crybaby over and over again. Nozomi's red face was held back for a long time, and finally she cried out.

"Look, the crybaby is crying again. Rohr teased.

Nozomi shouted, "You're a nuisance," and rubbed her eyes and cried. Rohr couldn't help but panic when he saw that she was crying endlessly.

"Don't cry, don't cry. He put his sleeve up again.

Nozomi didn't turn his head and continued to cry, but there was nothing he could do, he sat down on the altar with his cheeks puffed out, and took out a deflated burden from his arms. There was only half a piece of bread in the baggage, and Rohr took a small piece and put it in his mouth, and swallowed slowly, and swallowed and swallowed, and suddenly he burst into tears.

"Why are you crying?" asked Nozomi with a snot snort.

"Where?"

"Tears are falling onto the cake!"

Rohr sighed.

"Everyone said that I would only be mischievous, and I would not be of any use at all, and my family was short of money, so they sent me here, but I sat here for two days and did not see the mountain god, and yesterday the family went up the mountain to see, and they didn't expect me to be there, and they didn't bring me anything to eat......"

"So you don't eat much, I have a lot here. ”

Nozomi handed over her package, which contained small cookies baked to a golden brown. Rohr couldn't help but twist a cookie and put it in his mouth, the crispy texture made him even more disappointed.

"Your family treats you so well, I only have dry cakes made of black flour mixed with wild vegetables, and they think that the mountain gods have eaten me, and leave gold for them to ......"

Nozomi's mouth opened wide, and after a while, she hung her head like Rohr.

"But I've been sent here too...... Before I came here, my mother told me a story......"

"What's the story?" Rohr asked curiously.

Nozomi pursed her lips, and she stirred the wrapped string until the rope was wrapped around her fingers four or five times before she spoke.

"The story goes that there was a city that was so good that everybody was happy, but there was a child in the dungeon, and he was eating and sleeping and drowning in it, and he was cold and hungry every day, but no one took him out. ”

"Why is that?"

"Because the gods say that there is a price for the happiness of other people, and the price is for the child to bear the misfortune, and if the child is comfortable, the others will suffer......"

"One person is unfortunate enough to make everyone happy?, and I'll keep this kid in a dungeon......" Rohr puffed out his cheeks again.

"You agree to do that?"

"Agreed, is there a better way?"

"But don't you think it's unfair, why should that kid be unhappy?"

"Because...... No one thinks badly, does it?"

"That's right, so why should everyone force him, whether he wants it or not?"

"Uh...... Maybe the kid was willing to ...... For example, I was quite willing, and my family disliked me, and they were annoyed when they saw me, but if the king hadn't suddenly levied heavy taxes and couldn't pay the money, he would have to arrest and behead people, and they wouldn't have sent me to exchange gold with the mountain gods. ”

"So the king asked you for money!" Nozomi raised her voice.

"My sister is just getting married, and if she can't pay the money, she'll become a little widow......" Rohr sighed.

He looked back and saw that Nozomi had shed tears again, and hurriedly reached out to wipe her tears.

"Don't cry, don't cry, I'm terrible for you. He said as he rubbed.

"You shed tears yourself! ”

"Then I won't cry, in fact, I came here two days ago, and I don't feel good, because it seems that even the mountain gods don't want me!"

"You've been here for two days?" Nozomi's eyes widened.

"The mountain god probably doesn't like tricksters, only obedient and well-behaved children......"

As soon as Rohr's words fell, there was a strange noise from the cliff above the altar, and it sounded like something had come down on the frozen earth. Rohr couldn't help but tremble, and Nozomi tugged at his arm tightly. They looked in panic in the direction the sound came from. After a while, a man appeared—a man dressed as an alien, with a bright red cloak, a sword and flute hanging from her waist, and a large burden from which a lute appeared.

"The hell up there is really a frozen man, it's finally better here, do you two kids know where this is?" the man asked.

She was fair-skinned, with blonde hair peeking out of her hood, and eyes that Rohr had never seen before. Rohr turned his head to look at Ximei, the little girl was hiding behind him, and she showed one eye to look out, and he had nowhere to hide, so he had to reply stubbornly: "This is Wanji Mountain." ”

"Wanji Mountain......" The man looked up at the mountain peak and muttered in his mouth.

Seeing her bewildered, Rohr couldn't help but ask, "Who are you, how dare you run up there?"

"Uh-huh, aren't you allowed to go here, so why are you staying here?"

"This is the altar of the mountain god, and above is the place where the mountain god stays...... But no one dared to go up and provoke the mountain god. Rohr replied.

"Are you a mountain god?" asked Nozomi.

"I'm not a mountain god. The man laughed.

She patted the flute hanging from her waist and said, "I'm a travelling performer, and people call me a poet." Since you say this is an altar, how dare you two children stay at the altar and play?"

"We're not going to play here! we're going to make sacrifices to our families. Rohr puffed out his cheeks.

"Sacrifice! The mountain god over here eats people?"

Rohr nodded.

"Have you seen the mountain god eat people?"

Rohr unconsciously glanced at Nozomi, who was also looking at him, and then shook her head with him.

"That's why you've heard that the mountain god eats people, and you haven't actually seen the mountain god before?"

"That's pretty much it, but none of the people who were brought here as sacrifices made it back alive. ”

"Oh, can you tell me what you all know?"

"Your Excellency doesn't let us talk nonsense to outsiders. Rohr replied.

The poet sat down on the altar with a smile, holding the flute hanging from her waist in her hand, and gently flicking off the ice slag that had been on it.

"If you tell me the truth, maybe I can help you......" she said.

Rohr looked at her, then at Nozomi, and finally poured out the words that were tucked in his stomach.

"I heard from the adults that in the past, monsters came down from the mountains and came to the village to harm people, and it was at that time that the worship of the mountain gods began. The next day, the bones of the people who brought the altar were left, but I don't know when the whole sacrifice was gone, but there was a pile of gold left on the altar...... The people also began to spurn the sacrifices. ”

"Well, from choosing a sacrifice for the sake of the majority, to taking bribes from the mountain gods to send others to death, this human sacrifice really deserves to be spurned. Later, the sacrifice here has changed from an official business in the village to a private affair that everyone does secretly, right?" asked the poet with a sneer.

Luo Er swallowed his saliva, he thought for a while before slowly replying: "It's not like this, everyone is also forced to be helpless......"

"No, the merchant turned Lily into gold for money, and my good friend is gone!" Nozomi interjected.

This left Rohr speechless, and the poet turned to Nozomi and asked, "What is the helplessness he is talking about?"

"The king levied heavy taxes on us, and if we couldn't pay the money, we would arrest people and cut off their heads!"

"And the mountain god never came. Rohr muttered.

The poet laughed and stood up.

"Your king seems to have heard something, but what he is doing is fighting with your mountain gods for food! What if these two men meet?"

As he spoke, the poet put the flute to his mouth, and a melodious melody immediately resounded through the mountains and forests. The first time Rohr heard the tune, he thought it was too good to describe, and suddenly, a shadow fell on their heads.

Rohr looked up, and saw a black dragon flying down, its wings flapping and bringing a strong wind, and the poet's red cloak fluttering like a flag. In a few moments, the dragon landed on the slope above the altar, and it craned its neck at them, and Roel covered his eyes in fright.

"Little dwarf!" a muffled voice came from above the altar.

"How dare you wake me from my slumber!, but for the sake of your flute playing well, I can forgive you for your unintentional transgressions. ”

Rohr lifted his finger slightly, and he peered through his fingers, only to see that the tip of the dragon's nose was almost touching the poet, and the poet was tilting his head back with no fear on his face.

"I didn't play here for pleasure, but I played the flute because I was confused and wanted to ask the mountain god for an explanation. ”

"Oh, you little man has a lot of courage, huh...... Look at this dress, you're not from here, I'm curious if you have any questions?"

"Listen to what you just said, you are the god to whom this altar is enshrined, why did you leave behind the remains of your sacrifice earlier, and then exchange it for money, and then abandon your sacrifice at this time?"

The black dragon snorted, acting as if he were disdainful of the poet's doubts.

"The fools here were originally sacrificed to a few trolls, and since the fools who are ugly and fat, and can't even eat cleanly, can accept the offerings, why can't I? I slaughtered them, and I am much better than them! ”

As it spoke, it stretched out its tongue and licked its dagger-like fangs.

"Ahh......h It's so full, it's so full, and now I'm a little sleepy again. ”

I see, thank you very much for your answer. The poet said. Suddenly, she sighed heavily, and a sad look appeared on her face.

"I don't mean to upset you, but now that you're full of food and sleep, I'm afraid that when you wake up, there will be no more sacrifices at this altar!"

"Why? shouldn't these fools be more afraid of me than those ugly monsters?"

The black dragon flicked his tail and stretched his neck to Rohr's side. It opened its bloody mouth, and Rohr looked at the mouth full of sharp teeth, and suddenly shrunk into a ball with his head in his arms, and Nozomi screamed and screamed.

"You misunderstood the loyalty of the villagers. ”

The poet's words caused the black dragon to turn his head.

"Didn't you say that you had been offering too much lately? Look, you just took a nap, and there were two more sacrifices on the altar, and such a diligent sacrifice caused your treasure house to almost reach the bottom, which shows how much the villagers fear you!"

"Then why did they stop worshipping?" asked the black dragon.

The expression on the poet's face changed from melancholy to sadness.

"You have given money to compensate the villagers for your good intentions, but their king covets your wealth, and the king of the faint forces the villagers to sacrifice for their wealth, or he will cut off the heads of the villagers!

Luole, who had been cowering, couldn't help but look at her in a daze when he heard the poet exaggerate so much.

"It's ridiculous!" the black dragon roared.

"But it's not!" said the poet, spreading her hands, "and the faint king is stealing your wealth, and he can take some money, but he is insatiable to rob your people!

"Damn this greedy human!" said the black dragon, gritting his teeth.

"This king is not only greedy, he is harboring evil intentions at all! You think, he will force his people to die for the sake of a few children, and when he has amassed enough wealth and enriched his army and weapons, will it not be against you? At that time, you may still be wondering why the villagers did not worship, it is better that he murdered you, and he can also count all his own sins on your head, and earn a good reputation for the people! Also, those barbaric kings love to hang the heads of people, prey, and show off, and ...... then."

Before the poet could finish his sentence, another strong wind blew on the altar. The black dragon flapped its wings and roared and flew down the mountain.

"Looks like your mountain god is in trouble with the king!"

The poet looked in the direction where the black dragon was going, raised his hand and built a "pergola" in front of his forehead.

Rohr and Nozomi looked at each other, speechless.

"The black dragon may come back, go back to the village and tell everyone the truth about the mountain gods!" the poet turned and held out his hands to them.

Rohr nodded, and he grabbed Nozomi's small hand and ran down the hill with her. The poet looked at them and smiled at them.

The human sacrifice of Wanji Mountain is actually an absurd farce.

-- The dragon does not produce, but his treasure is taken from the kingdom.

-- The villagers were greedy and relied on sacrificing their compatriots to get money.

-- In order to accumulate wealth, the king did not hesitate to collect the fat and ointment of the people.

To put it bluntly, it is a tale of thieves and thieves, whose wealth is passed from one party to another, maintaining a delicate balance, but the greed of the people is better than the belly of the dragon......