What did the Shepherd God look like?
I remembered the descriptions I had seen before, that the Shepherd God was a giant white elk that roamed the forests and was revered by the wild men of that time as the Son of the Forest.
Wasn't it like that?
Hearing my answer, the mysterious man nodded and shook his head, looking like a riddler.
Damn it, just say what you have to say! Stop playing these games with me!
Seeing my growing impatience, the mysterious man finally spoke.
"Commander Batu, let's talk as we walk."
"Actually, what you said just now was correct. When the Shepherd God was still the Son of the Forest, he indeed appeared to the world as a giant white elk."
"But after He was defeated by the Mother of All Creation, no one has ever seen the Shepherd God's appearance again, not until now."
In the mysterious man's narration, the fact that the Shepherd God stopped appearing to the island's natives from ancient times was strange enough, but what was even stranger was that this mysterious man was clearly an outsider. Why did he know so much about this lost history?
However, it was clear that asking such a question would yield no answer, so I simply went along with what he said.
"Is that so? But I saw on the animal skins before that the Du'an tribe rose to prominence precisely because of the Shepherd God, and later defeated the Mother of All Creation. If the Shepherd God had not appeared to the world for a long time, then how did He overthrow the rule of the Mother of All Creation?!"
The mysterious man did not rush to answer my question, but instead recounted what had just happened.
"Commander Batu, this matter is somewhat related to you. Do you remember the mural you just saw?"
I was stunned by the mysterious man's words.
Related to me?
And that mural?
Considering that my ancestors were likely not even born when the Shepherd God defeated the Mother of All Creation, how could this possibly involve me?!
Seeing my bewildered expression, the mysterious man stopped being cryptic and chuckled, revealing the puzzle.
"The painting you just saw depicted the battle between the Shepherd God and the Mother of All Creation. The person in the painting was both the Shepherd God and not the Shepherd God. To be precise, he was the warrior chosen by the Shepherd God at that time."
"And after the warrior chosen by the Shepherd God defeated the Mother of All Creation, this tradition continued, and to this day, this person is called the Commander of the Temple Guards."
Holy crap!
The current Commander of the Temple Guards is me, isn't it? This directly involves my life, so I couldn't help but feel nervous!
"Did the Shepherd God control this warrior at that time?!"
The mysterious man's gaze towards me held a hint of pity, an expression that made me particularly uncomfortable.
"Who knows about such ancient matters? However, the Mother of All Creation was the overlord of that era. To defeat her, the Shepherd God would likely have to give his all."
"So it's quite strange that the Shepherd God, facing such a life-or-death battle, didn't even dare to reveal his true form, but instead sent out his chosen warrior. It's very interesting."
The mysterious man's words seemed to carry hidden meaning, but he did not state it directly, instead hinting at some secrets to me in a very veiled manner.
What happened to the Shepherd God?!
This was a mystery I couldn't solve at the moment, so it only flashed through my mind for an instant before I dismissed it. More importantly, I was here today to receive the Shepherd God's blessing. If what the mysterious man said was true, then a terrifying reality lay before me.
The Shepherd God's blessing was a trap!
If I accepted it, it was highly possible that one day the Shepherd God would descend upon me, completely erasing my personality and will, turning me into a vessel for the Shepherd God to walk the earth!
Thinking of this, my eyes flickered, and an angry expression involuntarily appeared on my face.
Damn it, ever since I arrived on this island, I, Lu Ziye, have been living on the edge of life and death, constantly facing crises. I thought I could finally catch my breath, but unexpectedly, a huge trap was laid out before me again.
Whoever wants this Shepherd God's blessing can have it!
"Commander Batu, you don't need to be so resistant. Being chosen as the warrior by the Shepherd God is something others would envy. Moreover, this is just preliminary preparation. You still have a few days to consider it slowly."
The mysterious man spoke a few seemingly comforting words beside me, but his tone carried a hint of schadenfreude.
"Who exactly are you? Coming here today to tell me all this, I doubt it's just out of goodwill for an education."
I stared intently at the mysterious man, my left hand instinctively resting on my waist, ready to draw my saber at any moment.
At this point, I no longer wanted to play games with this mysterious man.
He definitely had his own agenda, and I was a person he could use. Otherwise, he wouldn't have gone to such lengths to strike up a conversation with me.
This person was the biggest variable I had encountered so far. If he continued to beat around the bush, then I would have to make a swift move and eliminate him first.
Even if he was in league with the High Priest, my current public identity was the Commander of the Temple Guards. The High Priest wouldn't be able to fault me for eliminating an outsider!
"Commander Batu, don't be in a hurry..."