Chapter 447 Oath and Judgment (7200, Third Update)

"Love…is an obligation?"

At this moment, the two had already arrived in front of the hotel where Aimon was staying, on a coastal path with few people.

Hearing this, Su Zhou's expression became somewhat subtle.

"Wait, are you saying this is an oath? Elias actually wrote this into the 'Oath'?!"

"Love, is an obligation?"

He repeated it once, turning his head to look at Aimon. Su Zhou repeated with a strange tone: "Everyone loves everyone, it's everyone's obligation…and, if someone is unwilling to love others…"

"Then that is evil! The Lord of Judgment will punish those evildoers!"

As if it were a conditioned reflex, the gray-haired priest subconsciously took over the conversation—but after he finished, Aimon immediately realized something was wrong. He turned around in fear, put his hands together, and knelt down to Su Zhou, bowing and confessing: "Ah, I have overstepped…my Lord, please punish me…"

"There's nothing to punish, you people are a bit strange."

Su Zhou frowned slightly, a premonition that was neither good nor bad suddenly rising in his heart.

For some reason, he suddenly recalled some details he had overlooked in the previous incident with the little boy and the merchant.

——Be careful, don't do it again next time, or the Lord of Judgment will come looking for you.

That was the merchant's gentle warning to the little boy at the end.

But…is it really gentle?

After a few seconds of silence, he said in a deep voice: "Aimon, I have a question to ask you."

"Please test me, my Lord!"

Aimon answered without hesitation, waiting for Su Zhou's question.

"Like before, when that child spilled fish soup on the merchant's pants…if that child didn't apologize, or even after apologizing, made the same mistake again, then this matter, is also under the jurisdiction of the Judgment…is also under my jurisdiction?"

"Naturally." Aimon nodded as a matter of course: "The Lord of Punishment's sacred words say: Even the smallest evil is a sin. Ignoring one case today, there will be two tomorrow, and four the day after—if you ignore sin, even a tiny bit, after a hundred days, it will be a bitter fruit that surpasses the world!"

…Everything is under control, a true god…I see. Su Zhou's expression was somewhat heavy, and he nodded slightly, somewhat understanding what kind of god the Lord of Judgment was.

"But, how is punishment carried out for such small evils?"

After a moment of silence, the young man continued to ask.

The gray-haired priest looked at Su Zhou strangely—this kind of thing was like a cat asking an ant how it should catch mice, but Aimon thought about it and felt that this might be God testing him, so he answered seriously: "Lord, I don't know how you will punish evildoers after descending to the mortal realm—but before descending, I do know."

"You will randomly select some evildoers and inflict punishment indiscriminately."

"Whether it is a child or an old man, whether it is a scholar or a groom, as long as they make a mistake, they may be punished. And this is also the method you use to guide all living beings towards goodness!"

As he said this, the priest's eyes stared at Su Zhou, a hint of fanaticism in his eyes: "Lord, you are the thunder of judgment, the scales of arbitration, the center of the world—what difference do old men, children, scholars, grooms, kings, priests, fishermen, and farmers have in your eyes?"

"For the sake of goodness, for the sake of love, for the sake of the righteous law in this world, to adopt the thunder of punishment to eradicate all evil, isn't this precisely the compassion you display?"

Su Zhou was silent for a long time after hearing this.

——Love is an obligation. Not loving is a mistake.

If what Aimon said was true, then everything he had seen before…

"Aimon, can I see your canon?"

How could Aimon say no?

Kneeling, he used the fastest speed to untie the canon from his waist, and then Su Zhou forcibly lifted him up with spiritual power, handing the canon to the other party in confusion.

"It's actually a refined steel cover, not iron? Interesting, but if you want to use this canon as a weapon, it still lacks a ram. If I were to design it, I would definitely design it this way, that's what I would call complete."

The large canon with a refined steel cover was about two circles larger than a human head. If it were an ordinary person, not to mention carrying it around, just holding it up all the time would be difficult. No wonder the selection of priests started from the Awakening stage.

Su Zhou didn't hesitate, he directly opened this holy canon of the cycle world, and quickly flipped through the contents.

Although the book was thick, the paper inside was actually very light, and it was not inferior to Earth's technology—after all, there was a lot of technology left behind from the old city of Nesser, and it was not surprising to have this level after hundreds of years of development.

Aimon stood aside, not daring to move rashly. Although this priest was uneasy, he couldn't help but feel a trace of doubt.

"Aren't the canonical scriptures personally compiled by the Lords? Every time the Central Sanctuary adds a new rule, it reports to the gods, asks for divine guidance, and only makes changes after receiving permission and suggestions!"

"Doesn't my Lord, the Lord of Judgment, know this?"

Although Su Zhou sensed the confusion in Aimon's heart, now was not the time to explain—moreover, he didn't need to explain in the first place.

After quickly browsing the entire canon using quantum reading (pseudo), Su Zhou closed the thick holy book, his expression becoming very subtle.

"This isn't some kind of scripture, some kind of theological text—this is simply three thousand moral regulations, one hundred thousand rules for dealing with people!"

"No wonder this Aimon opens his mouth with 'So-and-so Lord once said,' and closes his mouth with 'So-and-so Lord's sacred words'—this entire book is all this kind of content!"

This was not Su Zhou spouting nonsense.

The contents of the canon can be roughly divided into 'Five Records' and 'Seventeen Books.'

Among them, the 'Five Records' are 'New Era,' 'Farewell Record,' 'Origin Record,' 'Oath Record,' and 'Guidance Record.' They respectively represent the creation myths of the Fire Clan, the communication and movements of the gods after creation, the racial origins of all things in the world, the initial code established by the gods and humans, and the process of subsequent development.

The subsequent seventeen books are the new content added to the canon by the seventeen God-Blessed Ones after receiving divine guidance—in other words, version update records.

The current canon is already the seventeenth edition, and the rules it supplements, the explanations it expounds, and the requirements for what people should do and say are all detailed to an appalling degree!

[The Sacred Words of the Lord of Wind say: People should only eat creatures that have been confirmed to be harmless. Those newly discovered species should be eaten by priests and transcendents, treading the path ahead.]

[Eating unknown creatures is like walking in a night forest, not knowing whether there are traps and poisonous snakes ahead, not knowing whether the path ahead is right or wrong. Therefore, let the priests and transcendents step forward, they have the power to regret and retreat.]

[The Sacred Words of the Lord of Punishment say: You shall not steal, you shall not kill, you shall not commit adultery or plunder, you shall not bear false witness, you shall not covet or envy others. You should fear death, do not have evil thoughts in everything, do not have destructive desires, do not have greedy desires.]

[If you feel that you can do something because of a small evil, then what is the difference between this and a great evil? Stealing and killing both harm others, which a righteous person is unwilling to do.]

[The Sacred Words of the Lord of Punishment say: You should respect your parents, respect elders, respect scholars, respect family members, friends, and all strangers. You should have good intentions. If someone needs help and you can help, you should go and help.]

[If you feel that you don't have to do something because of a small good, then what is the difference between this and evil? Donating one cent or ten thousand is all helping, and acting is goodness.]

[The Sacred Words of the Lord of Fire say: Unless there is a life-and-death crisis, when people are fishing and hunting, they should let the mother beasts go.]

[Heaven evolves in cycles, and the weak are prey to the strong, but we humans should transcend it. Therefore, we should leave a glimmer of hope for the beasts and for ourselves.]

These are just some of the basic 'Oath Rules' recorded in the 'Oath Record.'

In the subsequent seventeen books, these oaths even have more subdivisions and records.

Take Twilight City, for example—this is the first large coastal city established by the Fire Clan, and many brand-new types of fish and seafood have been discovered here. It can be regarded as an unknown creature…and without exception, all of these creatures are handed over to priests and transcendents to try out methods of cooking and eating.

Just like crabs, sea urchins, and octopuses—just crabs alone, whether they should be steamed, stir-fried, boiled, or grilled, has undergone a long period of experimentation. And finally discovering which meat can be eaten, which meat cannot, and how to eat the crab roe, and how to make it delicious, has taken a long time and research.

And sea urchins and octopuses are even more needless to say. There was even a priest who swallowed an octopus alive and almost suffocated, and this was even recorded in the 'Seventeen Books' as a key warning to ordinary people not to easily try unknown foods.

In order to ensure that ordinary people can follow the instructions of the 'Rules' to eat these brand-new creatures in any way, all the priests of the Lord of Wind must try to eat those 'foods' in whatever strange or unorthodox way.

In fact, Su Zhou recalled the strange statues next to the square in Twilight City that were trampling on crabs, sea urchins, and other creatures—now that he thought about it, weren't those commemorating the first people to eat crabs, sea urchins, and octopuses?

Su Zhou even saw small statues and paintings of these people in many places along this food street. The entire city of Twilight was worshiping portraits of these people.

The hardships they endured were indeed worth commemorating.

Objectively speaking, Su Zhou had to admit that the theology and canon of this world were indeed quite interesting.

For example, the 'Origin Record,' which records the origins of the Fire Clan and the Wind Clan, is very interesting.

The Lord of Fire, Elias, used a method that even an old farmer who had never read a book could understand to explain why people should drink water, why they shouldn't drink seawater, and why they should usually stay away from dangerous water sources.

He even created a series of fairy tales to warn everyone that it's best to drink boiled water, because this can curb the activity of the 'Water Soul,' preventing the water from moving around in the human body and causing stomachaches or gastrointestinal diseases.

For a society that has not yet fully opened its people's minds, and whose productivity does not allow it, and does not understand parasites and bacteria, it is naturally necessary to use myths, legends, and saintly classics to educate its people.

After all, this is a world with transcendence and gods. If the advantages of the church are not used well, that would be unscientific.

Su Zhou naturally understood this point. After all, Elias wasn't a human-shaped library with one hundred and three thousand magical books in his mind. He was only a teenager when he became a god, and his magic was only slightly better. Alchemy wasn't even very proficient. How would he know anything about developing technology?

Being able to compile so many sacred words and painstakingly teach his people, so that they can live safely and morally, is enough to prove his intelligence.

However, to compile so many interesting things into an entire set, a full five records and seventeen books, nearly two thousand pages of rules, that's not interesting and intelligent, but terrifying!

This guy has woven an entire network for everyone in this world, encompassing all aspects, almost without omission…to say something a little vulgar, he even stipulated where people should go to the toilet, in what posture, and if they defecate or urinate anywhere, they should also be punished by the Lord of Judgment!

Can this be said to be bad?

Of course not!

Defecating or urinating anywhere is not only dirty, but also causes the spread of infectious bacteria. Regulating defecation and urination is indeed imperative…but if, if you use God's punishment to threaten, force…or even threaten death…

This is a bit like using a cannon to shoot mosquitoes.

And this kind of content of using a cannon to shoot mosquitoes is in the entire canon, one thousand nine hundred pages, every single page!

"This Elias…even wrote things like everyone is equal, there should be no discrimination, and people should be generous and share with each other into the rules…making mistakes must be apologized for, and apologies must be forgiven, this, this kind of thing, He actually requires mandatory enforcement…"

"This completely theocratic world uses 'obligation' to force everyone to love everyone in an equal world…"

Recalling the contents of the canon, Su Zhou even felt a chill—because before, the owner of the store who invited him to drink fish soup truly perfectly conformed to the canon, that is, 'showing the generosity and kindness that a store owner should have to strangers from other places'!

And theoretically, having received this kindness, then Su Zhou should also go to that store to eat a couple of meals in the future, as a reward for the store owner's generosity!

In this way, are people showing genuine kindness from the heart, or are they just mechanically following everything in the canon, so they show a smile?

Even if Su Zhou used the gluttonous demon lord's divine power to look, he probably wouldn't be able to tell…

"Crack!"

Su Zhou closed the canon in his hand, making a sonorous sound comparable to the clash of shields, even making the Blade of Extinction beside him dizzy for a while, as if searching for where the weapons were colliding.

"I've finished reading."

He turned his head to look at Aimon. Su Zhou said in a deep, solemn tone: "Using religious belief to forcibly restrain the rules of 'goodness'…not to mention whether it's useful or not, but arranging everything so detailed, then how should it be changed later?"

"For example, some creature was easily breeding germs at the time due to the breeding method, so it was judged that it shouldn't be eaten—but later there was a safe breeding method, then what should be done with this rule, continue to let it not be eaten, or even if others eat it using safe methods, should they also be stopped?"

"This…my Lord, shouldn't this be decided by you?"

In response, Aimon put his hands together and whispered a prayer. He didn't know what to say, he just said blankly: "You are always right. If the situation changes, then you can issue a divine order, and the God-Blessed Ones of the Central Sanctuary will modify the canon."

"…What do you mean I'm always right? And if you say that, if I don't say to change it, you won't change it yourselves?"

Hearing this, Su Zhou finally realized what was wrong with the people of this world, and that shockingly detailed canon—

All believers, and even God Himself, default that God, their Lord, is the embodiment of eternal correctness!

If God doesn't correct mistakes, then the mistakes will continue, and people themselves will never correct 'mistakes' on their own!

"You should have your own ideas, don't rely on divine orders for everything—what should you do if you encounter something that doesn't have rules?"

Handing the canon back to Aimon, Su Zhou's tone was serious: "Moreover, such detailed rules can't possibly satisfy everyone, right? If you accidentally make a mistake, then should you also be punished? If someone questions certain rules, believing that this one is wrong and wants to correct it, then is that considered evil?"

"If someone makes a mistake, but isn't discovered by anyone, what will happen to him?"

The young man's tone grew heavier and heavier: "What if, what if you only think about it in your heart, but don't actually do it?"

"This, this is natural, my Lord…things that don't have rules shouldn't be done, that is also evil."

Aimon, who had never thought about this aspect of the question, was caught off guard by Su Zhou's so skilled questioning. There were no related sacred words or oaths in his mind, so he could only answer haltingly: "If someone makes a mistake, then they should be punished. If someone takes the initiative to violate it, then they are a heretical evildoer! And to not inform God and question the precepts without permission is naturally an extremely evil person!"

As he spoke, his words actually became smoother.

At this time, Aimon recalled the grievances his family had suffered when he was a child, the unjust accusations they had been subjected to.

Indeed…even if the Lord racked His brains and arranged a path of goodness for everyone, there were always born evildoers who took pleasure in harming and deceiving others.

Even if God made an oath with everyone, there would still be people who risked being punished to make mistakes, to do evil, to hate others.

Just like those giant merchants and officials who framed his family in the past, and…those pirates overseas who would rather leave the continent and live in the sea than abide by the precepts and oaths!

Those true heretics, just their existence alone, made Aimon's heart burn with anger!

"So…my Lord, strict punishment is necessary!"

Clenching his fists, Aimon raised his head to look at Su Zhou, whose expression was serious. His tone was even more devout, even with a hint of fanaticism: "Precisely because people always accidentally make mistakes, that's why your existence is needed, for you to judge good and evil, for you to punish. Punish those evildoers who violate the oaths between God and humans, tell everyone what kind of bitter fruit they should swallow if they don't walk on the right path!"

"It's just thinking about it in your heart, but not actually doing it, there's no way to know that—The Sacred Words of the Lord of Fire say: Evil is proven by action, and goodness is prioritized by the heart. Since you haven't done it, then it doesn't count as evil. So we all must do our best to improve our hearts and get close to God. This is walking on the right path, a lifelong trial!"

"As for doing it, but no one knows."

Saying this, the gray-haired priest laughed. The eyes of this middle-aged man in his forties seemed to overflow with light: "In this world, there may indeed be crimes that people don't know about, but there is no crime that you don't know about!"

"No matter who it is, as long as they commit a crime, they are destined to be punished—maybe after a moment, maybe after a quarter of an hour, maybe after a few years, a dozen years. As long as someone sees this scene, or even the criminal himself sees this scene, everything will surely be known by God—unless the criminal runs to the sea where your divine domain cannot cover, otherwise, as long as they are on land, any criminal will surely receive the punishment they deserve!"

When he said this, Aimon couldn't help but feel a little ashamed. He once again put his hands together, preparing to kneel to Su Zhou and admit his 'mistake' to his God.

——The duty of the God of Fire is to maintain the rules.

——The duty of the God of Wind is to explore the unknown.

My Lord, God of Judgment, your duty is to punish all mistakes!

"…I forgive you. This is not your fault."

Judgment, punishment—

Su Zhou had heard these words many times in Aimon's heart.

What kind of judgment is this? What kind of punishment is it?

It wasn't written in the canon, and Su Zhou couldn't ask these questions himself.

After all, he himself was the God of Judgment…at least theoretically.

Looking at Aimon in front of him, who was in high spirits and wanted to show his God the current prosperous age, Su Zhou was too embarrassed to shatter his believer's fantasy, saying garbage words like 'Sorry, I'm not your God' or 'Your God's prototype is me, I came here mainly to see what kind of God He is, how could He come up with such a God.'

"Forget it, there's no point in asking you…I'll ask Elias in person later."

Wanting to say something, but finally just sighing, Su Zhou shook his head slightly. He waved his hand and said helplessly: "Thank you for your hard work, Aimon. Next, I'll go see this city by myself. If you have anything to do, go and rest."

"By the way, don't talk about me to others."

"What is there to work hard for, my Lord? Everything is just your test for me. I am happy to endure it."

Aimon shook his head from the bottom of his heart, denying the point of 'hard work.' He took a step back, making way for Su Zhou to leave: "I will definitely keep my mouth shut. Even if the Lord of Fire comes in person, I will never let go!"

"…I didn't say it had to be to this extent. If the Lord of Fire really asks, you can tell him."

Su Zhou chuckled at this, then turned around and slowly walked towards the street corner, while Aimon nodded seriously in response: "Yes! My Lord!"

Watching Su Zhou's leaving back, the gray-haired priest felt love and respect from the bottom of his heart.

Then, a trace of doubt was born again.

——The Lord is so approachable and full of vitality.

But, He is not the same as the Lord of Judgment I had imagined in the past…

In my heart, the Lord of Judgment should be fair, dignified, and impersonal. Like a gallows, like a guillotine, straightforward, decisive, not tolerating any sin, not tolerating any mistakes.

"Why…is the Lord so gentle? Isn't the Lord a giant dragon that devours all evil? Why would He tolerate those evildoers who are unwilling to abide by the rules?"

"Lord of Devouring Evil, God of Judgment, aren't these the Lord's authority and divine name? Why…"

Thinking back and forth, Aimon couldn't find the answer.

Just then, he saw Su Zhou's back suddenly stop.

"Aimon, is that execution platform in the city center used for judgment?"

The priest heard the voice of his God, so he answered seriously and loudly: "Yes, my Lord, that is the place used to judge evildoers, heretics, and unjust people!"

"My Lord, there happens to be a judgment tomorrow. Are you asking about this because you want to perform it yourself? Please don't do that! Those dirty criminals who have already been brought to justice should be handled by us."

"…How will you punish them?"

"Thieves have their hands cut off, robbers have their legs cut off, troublemakers have their tongues cut off, deserters have their thumbs cut off, and those who intentionally harm others are beheaded."

"Unless they are hated by ten thousand people, and everyone prays and wishes together, begging you to take action and eradicate the evildoers with lightning, otherwise, the Lord does not need to take action."

Aimon smiled, his tone carrying the most just righteousness. He said firmly: "All of this is your grace, my Lord. We humans may not be able to judge whether some people are evil, but you are the embodiment of justice. No matter who commits a crime, whether or not anyone knows about it, they will bear an absolutely certain judgment."

But Aimon didn't see that Su Zhou's expression was changing slightly, and finally, he suddenly realized.

——I see, I understand!

He turned his head to look at everything.

Su Zhou looked around at the scenery of Twilight City, and finally understood in his heart: "This God of Judgment, who punishes all 'mistakes,' in essence, what difference is there between Him and the Heavenly Tribulation system depicted in destiny?"

"And this world, although it looks beautiful and perfect, with everyone equal and without discrimination, but the precepts are in such a state…isn't this just the prelude to the 'happiest future' depicted by destiny?!"

At this time, Su Zhou had already stepped forward again. He said goodbye to Aimon, but his expression was deep.

——Could it be that my derivative body has been eroded by destiny, so He has been making sounds in the void?

And was that the reason for the elusive attitude of the Sovereign of Silence before? Did He also notice the erosion of destiny, so He was preparing to change His attitude and plan?

No, destiny and reincarnation were originally an ancient combination…

"Yala, what do you think of this world?" After thinking for a while, Su Zhou couldn't help but ask the snake spirit in his soul space.

The crimson snake spirit, who had been watching all of this, shook her head slightly, revealing a subtle look: "I won't say, Su Zhou. This time, it may really be a trial that is unique to you."

"Is that so…indeed. I certainly won't like other people's answers. Even if it's yours, Yala, I probably won't agree with it."

"It's good that you understand that."

Thinking so, but with no answer in his heart.

Su Zhou had already decided that everything would be decided tomorrow at the time of the judgment.

Third Update!

Although it took two days to write, I updated 25,000 words. I always feel that if I update it separately, it won't express what I want to say…alas, my level is still not good enough…