Chapter 171. Discussion (2)
The Barbaroi woman, whose expression had been hardening at Anagin’s repeated insulting remarks, soon showed interest instead.
It seemed that having a conversation with the Oracle of the Temple of Delphi was just that difficult.
A brief silence passed.
The Barbaroi woman spoke first.
“......It doesn’t seem like a bluff.”
“Why would I bluff about something like that?”
Anagin asked, as if taking issue, pausing his meal.
Even if he told tall tales, he wasn’t someone who outright lied, so hearing that was deeply insulting.
“Men tend to bluff in front of pretty women.”
“You’re not pretty, so that won’t happen.”
Anagin replied with a straight face, waving his hand dismissively.
The Barbaroi woman twisted her brows unpleasantly, as if annoyed, but she didn’t get as angry as expected.
He had said it to provoke her, so that was a bit disappointing.
“Really? I thought I didn’t look bad, so I even put in some effort.”
Did she mean she put effort into her makeup or her outfit?
Anagin didn’t bother thinking about it.
“Anyway, it’s not bluffing, so believe it or not, that’s up to you.”
“Hmm… fine, I’ll believe you. But if you’re such an impressive person who spoke with the Oracle of the Temple of Delphi, why are you trying to talk with us, whom you dislike? Don’t give me that nonsense about balancing things out.”
"Because you lot and the Oracle of the Temple of Delphi are pretty much the same."
“...!”
The Barbaroi woman’s eyes widened in shock, unable to hide it.
It was the first time she had heard a human say that those like her, who served so-called barbarian gods, were on the same level as the Oracle of the Temple of Delphi, who served the gods of Hellas.
Though it was said in a tone that lumped them together in insult, that made it feel fresh. Usually, people only insulted one side.
Perhaps because of that, it didn’t feel so bad.
Certainly, Anagin’s hostile and insulting remarks were quite irritating, but the attitude of placing the gods of Hellas and themselves on equal footing was rather to her liking.
It even felt sincere, which made it more so.
“...To speak of the Temple of Delphi like that. That’s a rare attitude for a practitioner—what’s the reason?”
Normally, he would have found it bothersome and ignored her, but unlike usual, Anagin answered earnestly.
“The way they act is like third-rate merchants.”
Anagin began, explaining the way blessings were granted as he had inferred.
According to what was known, blessings were given when a practitioner accumulated merit and proved themselves, and a god, impressed by that effort, acknowledged it and bestowed a blessing. That was what people believed.
But to Anagin, that wasn’t the case.
Rather, it looked closer to gods buying the merit that practitioners built through blood and sweat, paying with blessings as compensation.
And at a bargain price, at that.
Despite being known as something sacred, it was an extremely worldly form.
Of course, it was just speculation without concrete evidence, but Anagin was becoming increasingly convinced that his guess was correct.
If he had to give reasons, there were about three.
First, they kept urging Anagin to receive a blessing.
Second, when Anagin refused, they sent Orpheus to attack him.
Third and lastly, Tramachus’s new blessing had caused Anagin significant damage.
Especially the third—it felt like there was intense malice meant to screw him over.
Like a dagger handed to an assassin.
At this point, Anagin even began to wonder whether blessings were not just a kind of product exchanged for merit, but a medium used by the gods to toy with people.
It sounded excessive, yet entirely plausible.
After all, those who received a blessing once kept striving to obtain stronger ones.
Of course, he didn’t say all of that.
He only told the Barbaroi woman the part about merit and blessings resembling a transactional relationship.
There was no need to tell her everything.
And that alone seemed enough.
Because the Barbaroi woman showed an unexpected expression upon hearing his speculation.
“Hooh.......”
A hint of admiration.
However, that expression didn’t last long.
The moment she realized Anagin was watching her, she quickly composed herself.
“...An interesting hypothesis.”
Instinctively, Anagin felt that the Barbaroi woman was hiding something.
Her slightly delayed response, the tilt of her head, the subtle avoidance of eye contact—it was the look people had when they were lying.
It could be an overreaction, but it didn’t matter. His instincts were telling him she was lying.
That reaction alone gave Anagin something.
For example, it served as evidence that his hypothesis had a very high chance of being true.
The Barbaroi woman asked again.
“Then, you haven’t received a blessing?”
“Yeah. I don’t have a hobby of begging from others.”
“It’s not easy for a practitioner to lack desire for blessings.”
That wasn’t wrong.
Blessings were certainly tools, but they were so useful that rather than gaining them as a byproduct of training, it had become a case of people training to obtain blessings—the means and ends had been reversed.
Anagin knew that was a widely acknowledged fact.
That was how useful the power of blessings was.
So it wasn’t that Anagin had no desire for blessings at all.
“What are you talking about? I’m pretty greedy for blessings, too.”
“Oh, really?”
“Of course. Power is never enough, no matter how much you have. Strictly speaking, that’s why I came here in the first place.”
The close fight with Orpheus, Tramachus’s sudden ambush, the resulting injuries, the weakened Beast Devourer, and so on.
Anagin bundled together the reasons that brought him here and explained them.
The details were omitted, but it wasn’t a problem. When it came to persuading people, sincerity was more effective than logic.
There was sincerity in Anagin’s words, and the Barbaroi woman seemed to believe him.
“Then.......”
The Barbaroi woman was about to say something.
Anagin raised his palm and stopped her.
He wasn't about to let her be the only one asking questions.
"Now it’s my turn to ask some questions."
Perhaps because he had been answering her kindly so far, the Barbaroi woman nodded.
“Go ahead.”
Though she gave permission, Anagin didn’t ask right away.
He needed a moment to think about which question to start with.
After all, there was a lot he wanted to ask.
About the Barbaroi Cult, or about the gods of Hellas.
When he brought up his hypothesis about the transactional nature of merit and blessings earlier, the Barbaroi woman had seemed like she knew something.
That wasn’t strange.
Hellas and the Barbaroi Cult were enemies. And ironically, enemies often knew each other best.
So Anagin debated whether to ask about the gods of Hellas or the Barbaroi Cult.
Tap.
Tap.
Tap.
“I’ve decided.”
Having already finished his meal, Anagin tapped the table and opened his mouth.
"Your gods also give out things like blessings, right?"
Anagin chose to ask about the Barbaroi Cult. The more he thought about it, the more it seemed like the right choice.
If he asked an enemy about the gods of Hellas, he’d obviously get somewhat distorted information. Something like, ‘Those bastards are all evil.’
He was confident he could filter it out, but he didn’t want to bother just yet. He could obtain information about the gods of Hellas in other ways.
So, as originally planned, Anagin asked about the Barbaroi Cult. There were things he was curious about.
For example.......
“So what do you offer to obtain blessings?”
The Barbaroi Cult must have blessings as well.
Pigmenes, who gained immense power in exchange for being turned into a pig, was proof of that.
However, the structure seemed different from that of the gods of Hellas.
If it were the same, their appearances wouldn’t be twisted like that.
“You don’t think our gods are merciful enough to ask for nothing in return?”
“What kind of bullshit is that?”
As the Barbaroi woman tried to spin things, Anagin immediately turned cold and cursed at her.
If they were really that merciful, they wouldn’t have created something as grotesque as fish-men.
The blatant attempt at deception irritated him.
“If this is how you’re going to talk, let’s just stop.”
Anagin firmly stated his stance, and the Barbaroi woman took half a step back.
Half a step, because she didn’t completely withdraw her nonsense.
“I didn’t lie.”
“Right, not a lie—just bullshit.”
“It’s true. To receive a blessing from the gods of Hellas, you have to accumulate merit, no matter what.”
“...Go on.”
“But can just anyone accumulate that merit? An ordinary person, not a Gigant like you?”
‘Hardly.’
Anagin answered inwardly.
Even for a Gigant, receiving a blessing was difficult.
For ordinary people, it was even more so.
It wasn’t that there were no blessed individuals from common backgrounds, but they certainly weren’t many.
“Out of all the people who need divine help, how many do you think can build merit on their own?”
“How would I know?”
Sensing it might turn into an argument, Anagin drew a line immediately.
That wasn’t why he came here.
Perhaps annoyed by his attitude, the Barbaroi woman’s expression, which had softened somewhat, hardened again—but the conversation didn’t stop.
“Very few. And most are abandoned.”
“Your point?”
“If those abandoned people can obtain blessings in exchange for offering themselves, then it’s practically free, isn’t it?”
He roughly understood the logic.
It was the difference between dying as is or at least trying something before dying.
But it wasn’t to Anagin’s taste. Beyond not liking it, he felt outright repulsed.
In short, it meant the Barbaroi Cult required offering ‘oneself’ as a sacrifice.
That explained why their appearances became so distorted.
“Judging by your expression, you don’t like it.”
“Glad you noticed.”
"It doesn't matter. I never intended to ask for understanding from someone like you anyway. I'll get to the main point. The real reason I came here."
“Go ahead.”
"You want to obtain a blessing, don't you?"
A dangerous question.
As Anagin was about to give a vague answer, the Barbaroi woman cut in first.
“I’m talking about a blessing you can obtain entirely by your own power, without begging. With pride.”
“......Do you know of a Ruin where a blessing lies dormant?”
Anagin mentioned the only method he knew of to obtain a blessing without begging.
As far as he knew, that was the only way.
But apparently, that wasn’t it.
“No. There’s a more certain way.”
“And what is that?”
“A way to take blessings directly from the gods.”
“.........What?”
Anagin stared blankly for a moment before asking again.
He might not hesitate to speak irreverently, but that didn’t mean he underestimated the gods. If he did, he wouldn’t be trying to become one.
“Don’t think of it as something grand. Not all gods are like the Great Twelve Gods. There are minor gods, too. In some ways, they’re not much different from the elemental you’ve dealt with.”
It was surprising, but Anagin decided to accept it for now.
He had to assume it was true for the conversation to continue.
If not, he could correct it later.
“You’re talking like you’ve actually caught one of those gods.”
“I can’t say I haven’t.”
The word bluff briefly crossed Anagin’s mind.
It was too… far beyond common sense.
People who worship fish caught a god? Then again, maybe it was possible. After all, they were still worshippers of gods.
Embarrassingly, Anagin felt his thoughts becoming tangled.
So he decided to approach it simply.
“If you’re that capable, why make this offer to me?”
“Call it good luck or bad luck… we decided it’s better to make a deal with you than fight you.”
“Sounds like you’re in a hurry.”
“Stop fishing. Just tell me whether you’ll do it or not.”
“If I accept, I can’t interfere with you anymore, right?”
In other words, stop killing fish-men and stop causing trouble in the village.
The Barbaroi woman nodded.
"Of course. It shouldn't be a bad proposal for you."
"That’s not wrong."
Anagin couldn’t deny it.
He definitely desired the power of blessings as well. The method was just the problem.
You could tell just by how he enhanced magical tools.
The more cards you had to play, the better.
His hesitation didn’t last long.
“So what should I do? I’m curious about that method you mentioned, but I don’t really feel like going along with you either.”
A selfish statement—wanting both this and that.
The Barbaroi woman was just about to lose her patience and shout at him for talking nonsense—
Tap.
Anagin extended his right hand, imbued with Energy(Γι), and grasped an almost invisible thin thread above the Barbaroi woman’s head.
Something that had been bothering him for a while.
Then, using Yul (εὐ), he imbued the entire thin thread with Energy (Γι), and the imbued Energy quickly traveled up the thread.
Will it work? Will it? Will it?
"It worked!"
Anagin, who had been anxiously searching for the presence beyond the thin thread, finally found it and shouted.
It actually worked!
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