Are you a sloth? Your reactions are so slow.
"Mr. A, you're not being honest."
I looked at Mr. A expressionlessly and slowly poured myself a glass of wine.
"What?"
"You didn't tell me the truth."
I held the full glass of wine in my hand, neither drinking it nor putting it down.
Whether the last glass of wine would be drunk by me or splashed onto Mr. A's face depended on his answer.
Mr. A was silent for a moment, then let out a bitter laugh as if he had suddenly remembered something.
"Did the High Priest come to see you?"
I nodded slightly.
"Batu, I didn't deliberately hide it from you. It's just that some things are only my own speculation, so I didn't tell you."
You're still making things up.
Do you think I'm made of mud, to be so easily fooled?
"Speak."
Mr. A reached out, took the wine glass from my hand, and drank it all in one gulp.
"I suspect the High Priest is not human!"
Hmm?
If the High Priest isn't human, is he a zombie?
"I don't know where to start. Actually, when I first reached an agreement with him, I participated in a ritual or experiment with him."
"This ritual is related to the Saintess. There were five experimental subjects at the time, and only the current Saintess survived, which is why she became the Saintess of the Duan Tribe."
Hearing this, my eyelids involuntarily twitched.
Damn it, I have a strange premonition.
Could this be related to the god of shepherds in Pan Lili's body?
"Another consciousness was implanted into the Saintess's body, and it seems the High Priest has done this before."
Mr. A paused noticeably here, then said word by word.
"I suspect the High Priest has lived from ancient times to the present!"
My scalp instantly tingled. I pulled back the tent flap and looked around to ensure no one was nearby before sitting back down in front of Mr. A.
"Are you sure?!"
This matter couldn't be thought about too deeply, as it would make me feel like my worldview was collapsing.
A person from ancient times, having lived for who knows how many years, reincarnating again and again until now.
How could anyone possibly fight against that?!
The first thought that flashed through my mind was to flee immediately.
With the accumulation of long years, even a pig could become a spirit, let alone a cunning old fox like the High Priest.
If we were to deal with him, who knows how many backup plans he would have waiting for us.
I took two deep breaths to calm my emotions.
"This is just my speculation. After all, if the High Priest has a way to stuff the consciousness of something into a person's body, can't he transfer his own consciousness to another person?"
"And, think about it carefully, how has the High Priest of the Duan Tribe always been inherited?"
Ada had told me about this before when we were chatting idly.
The succession ritual of the High Priest of the Duan Tribe was very strange. Each High Priest never announced his successor in advance, but would suddenly announce it one day and take the successor to a cave in the back mountain.
During the succession ritual, no one, including the chieftain, was allowed to approach the cave until the ritual was over. The new High Priest would emerge, and the previous High Priest would remain in the cave forever.
Before, I had just dismissed it as gossip and forgotten about it. But now, thinking about it, if each High Priest was the same person, then this succession ritual would be the best method!
And this could also explain why each High Priest never announced his successor in advance, because each High Priest was the same person!
"After I arrived at the temple, I also specifically inquired about the current High Priest. Although it wasn't explicitly stated, he was very satisfied with Gui Du Si, whom you killed earlier, and he might become the next High Priest!"
Hearing this, the logic suddenly connected in my mind. No wonder the High Priest cared so much about Gui Du Si; he was the vessel he had chosen!
So now that Gui Du Si has been killed by me, and the person who succeeded him as the commander of the temple guards...
Holy cow, the High Priest wouldn't be trying to possess me directly during the Blessing of the Shepherd ritual, would he?!
At this thought, I couldn't care about anything else and grabbed Mr. A's hand.
"Are you sure about this?!"
Mr. A was clearly unaccustomed to my touch, but no matter how hard he tried, he couldn't break free from my vice-like grip, so he could only reluctantly let me hold him.
"Whether the High Priest has been passed down through possession generation after generation, I can only speculate. After all, there's no direct evidence. However, if I were in his shoes, I would definitely use such a method!"
I remained silent, having lost any interest in continuing to chat with Mr. A. I turned and walked out of the tent.
The sky was a vast expanse of blue, a rare good day. However, in my eyes, a detached and towering "god" was expressionlessly watching over the Duan Tribe.
An immortal being!