“Hmm? Of course, I know,” Old Golden Tooth said, looking at me strangely. In his understanding, wasn’t this common knowledge from history? He then thought it over and understood, “Ah, you’re not an Otherworldly being, so you might not know. This is persecution by the Gods. If we’re exposed to their gaze, we’ll be killed or captured by them.”
“Captured?” I heard something not recorded in historical texts. “Yes, captured. Strong individuals among the Otherworldly beings are captured in various ways, such as being grabbed by invisible hands, suddenly devoured, or sucked into different worlds. Oh, I misspoke a bit; it’s not just Otherworldly beings, all strong individuals can be captured,” Old Golden Tooth said.
“Some say they are captured by the gods to become their subordinates or pets. Others say they are taken by the gods as food, as gods like to consume the flesh and blood of the strong. Still others say the gods fear that powerful mortals might threaten them, so they are eliminated in advance. But none of this is known, because those who disappeared have, without exception, never returned.”
I was creeped out. Those lofty gods described as sacred and merciful in various scriptures actually fed on the strong or captured them, and no one knew what happened afterward. But I still grasped a key point from his words, “Wait a moment, you mean all strong individuals, including humans?”
“Yes, including humans. Some say that powerful humans are no longer considered mortals, thus losing the favor of the gods, just like Adam and Eve, who possessed wisdom, also lost the gods’ favor,” Old Golden Tooth quoted a Bible story, showing he was indeed learned.
“Wait, oh, I know. Are you perhaps asking me because you’re curious why your master is hiding in the shadows and only letting you come out to buy medicine?” Old Golden Tooth suddenly looked enlightened.
“Huh? I don’t have a master?” I was stunned. What was this old Goblin imagining in his wrinkled green head? “Ahem, I know, I know. No master. Old Golden Tooth is just a bit quick with his words. Please don’t mind,” Old Golden Tooth showed a knowing expression. Gods know how I could discern his expression from a Goblin’s face.
I couldn’t do anything about it, so I just let him imagine whatever he wanted and continued, “If Otherworldly beings are killed by the gods, how did you survive?” This question concerned my own safety. Honestly, I wasn’t even sure if I was a human anymore. I felt that normal humans shouldn’t have insect-like legs. If I were also considered an Otherworldly being, then I would also be a target for the gods’ extermination. Was I also very dangerous, and did I need to know safe methods in advance?
Historical texts recorded that Otherworldly beings fled to the desolate wilderness or to the dark underground to escape the gods’ slaughter. But was it that simple? Would they not be killed by the gods by just hiding in the wilderness? I believed that a Goblin who had lived for so long must have his ways. Their clan must have summarized survival patterns to still be barely surviving for thousands of years after the gods’ apocalypse.
“Well, the gods don’t always watch every corner of the mortal world. As long as one hides in the desolate wilderness and caves, or acts stealthily at night, it is relatively safe,” Old Golden Tooth’s explanation was still the same as what I had seen in historical texts.
“But this safety is only relative. It’s not certain if a particular god might just cast their gaze upon the deep abyss or watch the world under the cloak of night. So, there’s actually a safer method,” Old Golden Tooth said.
“What is it?” I asked with interest. As expected, there was a secret. “It’s to hide within human society, just like me,” Old Golden Tooth said proudly.
“That’s it?” That was too simple! I suddenly remembered that since my Spirit Vision had surged, I had always seen many terrifying beings hidden among crowds who clearly weren’t human. They were probably the Otherworldly beings lurking in human society.
“That’s it. Since humans are the favored children of the gods, Otherworldly beings only need to blend in with humans to avoid being slaughtered. In ancient legends, whenever the gods destroyed a city-state, they would first warn humans to evacuate,” Old Golden Tooth said. I had heard this in historical texts as well. The gods would even bestow blessings and weapons upon humans to resist those world-destroying disasters. “But if the matter were told to all humans in advance, the news would surely leak out, wouldn’t it?”
“Miss, do you think those Otherworldly beings who survived the disasters came about because they received a reminder from friendly humans and ran away in advance? But the natural disasters still destroyed ancient civilizations and cities, and we could only become displaced,” Old Golden Tooth sighed.
“I, I can’t understand why they would do that. Moreover, since the gods are so cruel to Otherworldly beings, why do you still believe in them?” This was another thing I couldn’t understand. Old Golden Tooth had mentioned before that he had beliefs. “Believing in gods is certainly to seek their protection. The earliest sacrifices were all to implore, to satisfy the gods, to prevent them from killing us. Belief originates from fear, but some gods are willing to protect us,” Old Golden Tooth said.
“For example, our Goblin Guardian Deity, the Lord of Darkness and the Abyss, the Great Maglubiyet, can protect us Goblins in the darkness and abyss from the judgment of other gods. Or, for example, the Green skins’ Guardian Deity, Korgal Brother Two, can protect us from judgment when war is initiated.”
I suddenly understood something else. I had been thinking wrongly before, assuming all gods were hostile to Otherworldly beings and wished to exterminate them. Actually, that wasn’t the case. Humans could receive favor from the gods, and so could Otherworldly beings; they also had their own Guardian Deities. But clearly, their Guardian Deities couldn’t completely protect them from the majority of gods. They could only offer limited protection within their own divine domains.
“Miss, don’t think too much about it. As I reminded you before, don’t try to understand the actions of the gods. The thoughts of gods are not something mortals can comprehend, or rather, they are unfathomable,” Old Golden Tooth said.
“Including your Guardian Deity whom you believe in?” I asked. If he said yes, wouldn’t that be great disrespect? Unexpectedly, Old Golden Tooth said without hesitation, “Of course, including him. It’s our shallow Goblin wisdom that cannot comprehend the great will of the gods.”
I was dumbfounded. I never expected such an explanation. But I was still a little unwilling to accept it. “Humans, Otherworldly beings, is there no way to resist the tyranny of the gods?”
“Miss, if you really want to think so, then let me tell you a story? Perhaps after listening, you will understand a little.”
