Although he wanted to ask himself when he stopped being human, he realized that from the other’s perspective, he was indeed a suspicious old monster living in the Golden Age, capable of understanding the abstract Divine Revelation from when the Goddess had just awakened—a mysterious old monster whose ultimate purpose was elusive. Lind had nothing more to say.
“So what you mentioned earlier, that apart from the Goddess, the other gods are all false gods, what is the basis for this?”
Hearing Lind’s question, Bernice did not think that Lind was trying to play tricks or test her. The Lantern Dream had already evaluated Lind; although she still doubted that he was a remnant of the Golden Age, she believed more that he was probably born during the peak period of the Golden Age and had only recently awakened.
So while he possessed the technology of the Golden Age, there were nonetheless some secrets he did not grasp.
This also facilitated deeper cooperation between the two sides, each getting what they needed.
“Lord Governor, I believe you are also somewhat aware of the origins of our Lantern Dream.”
Instead of answering directly, Bernice began to talk to Lind about her sect’s origin.
Lind nodded; Lantern Dream was formed from the Goddess’s last Divine Revelation, which they had not deliberately concealed, and if the Church wanted, they could trace back the clues from the Holy Wars.
“The forms of the Goddess’s Divine Revelations are many, and our Lady Saintess saw the Divine Kingdom of the Goddess through the last Divine Revelation, learning the truth about the deities.”
Then, lowering her voice, Bernice said, “I wonder if you’ve noticed that among all the gods, belief comes before the concrete image of the god, except for the Goddess.”
“Only the Great Goddess existed before herself, and people began to worship Her.”
“The Goddess is the only true god in this world, the sole ruler! From the Goddess’s Divine Kingdom, the Lady Saintess learned that the ultimate goal of the Goddess is to ensure the perpetual continuation of humanity’s enlightenment. What a magnificent deity! How could we not revere her?”
Although she had lowered her voice, Bernice’s words became increasingly fervent, resembling a somewhat insane preacher.
No, the current Bernice was indeed a mad preacher, singing the praises of her goddess.
But Lind felt that things were not that simple, as the existence of divine techniques as proof of a god’s existence was also an objective matter. Other gods could also allow their followers to wield divine techniques. Regardless of the differences between the Goddess and other deities, the other gods should also objectively exist.
However, Bernice had previously stated that the other gods were false gods, which did not necessarily mean that they did not exist.
Thinking carefully, Lantern Dream had also never denied the existence of other gods; their doctrine was more about venerating the Goddess as the only true god, with the Goddess being above other deities.
In fact, similar statements could also be found within various godly sects. It was just that at that time, the Holy Maiden from the Goddess Church, the founder of Lantern Dream, had brought this claim to the forefront, which led to the Holy Wars.
Bernice’s statement was intriguing. Besides the Goddess, all the other gods’ images materialized after the establishment of belief. Could these images change due to the will of people or, one might say, living beings? Could it be said that gods are born from the faith of people?
Are gods created by humans?
Lind posed this question to Bernice, but the fervent preacher was momentarily at a loss. Lantern Dream and those heretic cults were fundamentally different; at the very least, they believed in a true god, and even for a heretic, Lind’s question was too blasphemous.
Although this concept was first raised by Lantern Dream, they did not dare to ponder deeply on this issue.
“Gods are gods; they are existences that possess powers transcending nature. Lord Governor, your thinking is a bit extreme. Even false gods must be existences beyond human imagination.”
Listening to Bernice’s explanation, Lind countered, “Is that so? Did the Divine Revelation you received from the Goddess say that?”
Looking at Lind’s skeptical eyes, Bernice felt unprecedented pressure. The mania in her gaze gradually faded, replaced by clarity.
Lantern Dream only considered the Goddess the most special and the highest existence among the gods. While the other so-called false gods were false, they were still gods, and Lantern Dream did not deny the divine nature of the other deities.
But this remnant of the Golden Age, Bernice found it difficult to grasp Lind’s thoughts. She even felt a sense of fear—a fear of absolute rationality, as if for him, gods were merely another kind of living being that could be studied and understood.
At this moment, Bernice realized that she, or rather, the people of this world, had a fundamentally different mode of thinking than Lind. No wonder there were no gods during the Golden Age.
Other religions also recorded the Golden Age, but to explain why there were no records of their own gods in the Golden Age, they could only boast that it was precisely because there was no faith in the Golden Age that it was suddenly destroyed.
For them, the Golden Age was somewhat like the Atlantis legend from Lind’s past life. In any case, it ended due to environmental destruction, human arrogance, and self-destruction, all while elevating their own faith.
But it now seemed that the status of humanity in the Golden Age might still have been above those so-called gods.
Meanwhile, Lind did not notice Bernice’s nervousness but rather, lost in thought, began to ask, “What exactly are gods?”
Well, perhaps after the goddess system is fully activated, there might be answers to these questions. However, starting to grow curious about other religions besides the Goddess—it could even be said that his interest in them surpassed that in the Goddess.
If the other gods truly are born from humanity’s beliefs, then what do these gods rely on to maintain their existence? Is pure belief enough? If so, can the power of faith be extracted as a new energy source?
If that’s the case, this power of faith could be considered another form of the power of thought.
When he snapped back to reality, Lind noticed Bernice sweating profusely. But Lind’s interrogation was not over. Seeing Bernice unable to further respond to his question, he shifted the topic to the Divine Kingdom.
“Since your Saintess claims to have seen the Goddess’s Divine Kingdom in the Divine Revelation, and that the Divine Kingdom really exists, then what is the Divine Kingdom like? Where is it?”
Bernice let out a long breath; as long as they weren’t discussing the essence of the gods, she could answer, “Haven’t you seen it before? It’s in your dream.”
Noting that Lind looked puzzled, Bernice continued, “When we first met, in your dream, in that boundless night, there were huge structures floating and many angels working within them.”
“Wait, wait, wait!”
Lind suddenly interrupted, “Did your Saintess see a space station in the Divine Revelation… is the Divine Kingdom like that too?”
“Isn’t that the Goddess’s Divine Kingdom?” Bernice tilted her head in response.
Lind covered his head and began to ponder. Indeed, he had guessed this situation back when he heard the standard mechanical synthesis voice.
In the Divine Revelation, what they saw as the so-called Goddess’s Divine Kingdom was a space station floating in the universe, and the Goddess was perhaps a super AI within that station.
This AI seemed to be a remnant of the so-called Golden Age.
Lind looked up at the ceiling. Could it be true that there really was a space station above this world that had been operational for a long time?
