Chapter 28: The Current Age of Gods

Having interactions with the Edenites, or to put it bluntly, being dismantled by the Edenites, the city-state that had its temple dismantled is located to the south of El-Neim and also to the north of Nippur.

The latter is the holy city that houses the temple of Enlil and primarily worships Him.

Enlil is the god of the atmosphere and the earth, as well as the god of war and the protector god of Nippur; He is the supreme god of the Mesopotamian pantheon.

The local flood myth that leads to world destruction is caused by Him, holding the tablet of destinies, which symbolizes supreme authority.

However, the city-state of Larlag, being squeezed between the holy city of Nippur and the paradise of El-Neim, is a place that can be described as a backwater.

Because the fertile lands near the rivers are all occupied by Nippur, which is protected by the supreme god, and its north is relatively barren, it naturally can only struggle to survive without the special technology of the Edenites.

The Sumerians believe that serving the gods is the only reason for humans to exist in the world, so even in the midst of suffering, they would offer their remaining resources and wealth to the harsh gods who would not pay attention to them in hopes of gaining their favor,

This is something that the Edenites, who pride themselves on being part of the planet, cannot accept or understand.

It is on this basis that they would take the violent action of directly dismantling temples.

And the reason they were not immediately retaliated against by the gods is because the goddess called Ishtar simply does not care about cities like Larlag that cannot offer much gold and gems, and because she, or rather the Mesopotamian gods behind her, know how much it would cost to trouble the Edenites—even if the strength of the clan itself could be considered within the scope of resolution, the protector of them, Adam, has once defeated the vanguard of the wanderers and is becoming a UO (Unidentified Object) of the Earth.

If it were Uruk, which she protects, encountering such a situation, then this capricious and tyrannical goddess would likely respond with war without considering the consequences.

Although, in truth, she would be justified.

By the way.

The current “Age of Gods” is in a peculiar state that differs from the original history.

The gods are not completely fading away but are ensuring their existence through the cosmic laws constantly anchored by the Edenites.

But this also means that their actions will absolutely not be as unrestrictedly free as before, to some extent, they will rely more on human faith to counter the overall mindset of the Edenites.

The neglect of peripheral areas is not contradictory to the above situation.

Instead, it is precisely because of the current situation that they choose to focus more energy on larger human settlements, abandoning the backward settlements that might be “unprofitable.”

They might even be happy to do so, as having examples of those deep in misery would make other humans deeply realize that they cannot live without the protection of the gods, thus making their faith devout.

“In that case, if we go on a large scale of what… trade, wouldn’t the Sumerian gods think their interests are being infringed upon and step in to stop it?”

Riding on the same Triceratops as Adam, Jacob, who is part of the team heading to Larlag, asked the progenitor.

As a genius of his tribe, he was keenly aware of the problem.

“Exactly. But after all, they will not completely tear their faces, or rather, our trip is to avoid that kind of situation. Jacob, remember, it is no longer the barbaric era. Although force is fundamental, direct bloodshed has always been the last resort, chosen only when the contradictions between both sides cannot be reconciled through other means. The value of life cannot be measured by numbers, and the Edenites should understand this principle better than anyone.”

War inevitably leads to casualties.

The Edenites can indeed pose a threat to the gods: they can directly sever the connection between the gods and the planet through the great art, which is “exile.”

Conversely, the gods can also pose a threat to the Edenites, and the cost of “exile” is painful.

“Larlag is an excellent opportunity because the gods of Mesopotamia now regard it as a ‘sacrifice’ to ‘appease’ us, and we can use this to establish one thing, that is, as long as you choose to deal with the Edenites, you can live well even without relying on the gods.”

“Um, I understand the latter, but why say it’s excellent?”

“Although the Sumerian gods will not declare war, they can choose to prohibit their followers from trading with us. But due to their arrogance and neglect of humans, Larlag can now become an example that cannot be bypassed. If they forcibly cut off dealings with the Edenites while Larlag exists, it might cause people to have doubts, as if acting guilty, which would be extremely fatal for them.”

“I see! So, compared to that, it’s better to adopt an attitude of tacit approval, after all, ‘condescending’ to directly interfere in human affairs would lower their ‘status.'”

Jacob clapped his hands in sudden realization.

The activities of the gods are limited.

Although they will not fall into complete decline today, they are bound by faith.

An important aspect of faith is “mystery,” precisely because the gods are distant and unexplorable entities that they can maintain their power.

If they come down anxiously and issue orders without regard for anything, or frequently intervene in “trivial matters,” it will affect the gods’ image of being high above in the eyes of humans.

Regardless of what the original history was like, at least in the world where the Edenites exist, they must consider these.

“You truly are the progenitor, able to understand from the very beginning. Sigh, my father wants me to succeed as the speaker, and other council members also have expectations for me. But I am still so foolish, always worried whether I can lead the Edenites correctly. Compared to these things, I’m probably better at researching combat techniques.”

“Although I should encourage you, before that, I’m curious, are the combat techniques you mentioned about physically throwing people to the ground?”

“How did you know?”

“It’s really wrestling, huh. Looking at it this way, if the world line converges, sooner or later I’m going to lose to you, kid (in the Bible, Jacob wrestled and won against God, who cheated to win). Speaking of which, the Edenites seem to not value hand-to-hand combat and bladed weapons much.”

“If what you’re referring to is the same as what I’m thinking, then indeed. The vast majority of Edenites think that engaging in close combat with an enemy is an immature act because it means you don’t trust your partner dinosaur, and you can’t use the great art to achieve victory before getting close. Ah, another reason is, a Gaia contactor (mutant individual) before me made a warning.”

“Warning?”

“Yes. It was said that in the future, there will be a fallen Edenite who indulges in this and eventually constructs the law of slaughter, he will become the shame of the entire clan and endanger other humans… I remember that predecessor also gave a title: Murderer, Ancestor of Blood, the Dead Yet Undead.”

Just as Adam was about to blurt out that the prophesied fallen Edenite might be named Cain, the large troop stopped.

Because they had arrived at their destination, then they were greeted with caution by Larlag.

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