"By the way, have you ever sold golden branches before?"
Shangluo suddenly thought of this question. If they often sell golden branches, wouldn't every generation be able to send a heavenly being to the court?
"Of course it couldn't be sold casually in the past. The branch-breaking ceremony is once in a generation, and each golden branch is a ticket for the next ceremony. It's because I don't know who was crazy and sold the golden branch to you last time, so let this There was no way to start this ceremony, and more than a dozen apprentices couldn't find the path. There is no way this time, you are the only one who is qualified to participate, so I can't help you."
"What use does the Golden Bough have to yourselves?"
"Sorry, it's a secret."
[They took the golden branches to seize the power of the Forest King. This is the original use of the golden branches. ] Apollonia directly reported the correct answer, [But since I have said this, you can ask other priest kings about it, and he should also tell you. 】
Are there other priest kings? After getting the hint, Shangluo asked directly.
"You want to ask about other priest kings? Well. Since you know that there are other priest kings, there is no need to hide it. Indeed, the priest king around Lake Nemi is called the 'Forest' by us. King'. This myth actually comes from ancient Greece and is a blood sacrifice ceremony to the moon god Diana. Originally, in Diana's blood sacrifice, all outsiders would be hunted and sacrificed to the moon god. But in Rome, Mi, this has evolved into a myth. The objects of sacrifice are still strangers, but they can get a chance to duel with the priest himself. The winner can become the new forest king. "
"So you're starting from Delphi, not locally?"
"Yes. The element here is 'stranger', so entering Nemi only from outside Rome can be considered a sacrifice to the Forest King. In classical times, this Forest King did hold temporal power . They were transformed from the "Witch-Kings" in primitive human society. Although they are mostly hidden in myths, they can now be revealed through hero parades. In Rome, they were forest kings, and in Gloucestershire, Britain Then there is a wicker king.”
"I think I've heard this story. It's said that the local Britons would put people in wicker sticks and sacrifice them to pray for rain?"
"Yes, this is contrary to the requirements of the Forest King. It is also a sacrifice. The sacrifices here are not foreigners, but locals. To be precise, they have to be sacrificed to lords with secular power. From the perspective of mystical history , it may be that a witch king first sacrificed himself here and produced miracles, and then later generations imitated it and used the form of 'wicker king' to create its imitation to pray for fertility and peace."
"Is there anyone really willing to be a sacrifice?"
"Yes. In fact, the Wicker King has existed longer than the Forest King. It has existed until the Viking Age. The last secular sacrifice occurred in 866 AD. But disaster doesn't come every year, does it? Even if it does, The lord himself will not be sacrificed unless absolutely necessary. Therefore, we do not interfere much with the Wicker King's sacrifice, because this sacrifice is only necessary when there is a natural disaster in Gloucestershire, and it only needs to be used to provide disaster relief in the secular world. "The Forest King is not the one we interfere with the most. The one we interfere the most with is actually the Broad Bean King."
"Bava Bean King? What is that? Does it appear often?"
"Yes, he appears more frequently than any other mysterious phenomenon. Because his anchor point is not in the woods of Lake Nemi, or in the countryside of Gloucester, but in the metropolis of Athens. Because the ancient Athenians It is believed that only those randomly selected from dyed broad beans are the absolutely righteous ones chosen by the gods. Therefore, the real legal lords of Athens should be drawn by lot, and whoever is drawn is who."
"So you are still drawing lots now?"
"That's not true. If you still use dyed broad beans to draw lots now, it will be considered to be engaging in performance art. So we now sell tourist lottery tickets in Athens. The lottery tickets are sorted with patterns of colored broad beans. The winning ones You can go on a one-day tour of the 'Priests of Athens' experience with the cooperation of the inner guards. This one-day tour is open on weekdays and all tourists can play, but only the lottery ticket will be carried out by the inner guards. . That... is very troublesome and cumbersome. It includes paying tribute to Athena, dividing the sacrifices, etc. Of course, it is quite fun as a tourist project."
"Ah, it turns out that internal defense isn't easy either."
"Yes. Although it is troublesome, it is also the most properly performed ritual. It is hidden in plain sight and does not affect the daily life of the citizens. It also brings some small fun and festivals to the citizens of Athens. Pleasure. But the Golden Bough's Forest King is one of those dangerous rituals that are extremely powerful and thrilling every time. We have never found a good way to contain it, and we have to fight the Forest King every time."
"Can't it be sealed?"
"Well, we also thought about sealing it, but this is our karma and the price of magic. Let me put it in the context that the Cathayans are used to. What the Cathayans are cultivating is the innate body, and we are cultivating the innate body. What we practice is an innate method. Every time we perform a kind of magic, a miracle will inevitably be pulled into reality and become an innate and reasonable natural phenomenon. Because if there is no miracle first, how can there be any sign of magic? Reappearance? What is common in Cathay is that from miracles to magic, you need to provide willing power to reproduce. But we are deducing miracles from magic, which will produce karmic retribution. If you seal it without paying back the karma, then Magic itself would no longer exist.”
"So you have already paid for the magic in advance?"
"It's an appropriate statement. The karma we have to face is karma. Alchemy, astrology and supernatural powers, these three powers will produce karma, and karma and magic correspond one to one. Every time we conduct a hero parade, it is We are opening up new areas of magic and expanding the territory of magic. After expansion, we must maintain it and maintain its operation, otherwise the magic will get out of control. If we cannot complete this golden branch ceremony, the corresponding magic of the Forest King will become ineffective. "
[He said it too lightly, maybe because he was afraid that you would raise the price. In fact, the magic is not in a parallel relationship, but develops in a tree-like manner, nested layer by layer. The golden branch is a very low-level magic, located at the base of the big tree. The failure of the golden branch is equivalent to the failure of one of Newton's three laws in the field of classical physics, which will cause the magic building to collapse. Otherwise the Romans would not have tried to repair it at any cost. 】
"If I fail, will the Romans have a chance to complete the ritual?" he asked Apollonia.
[Yes, but it requires a bloody sacrifice and there is no reward. Considering the relationship between Cathay and Rome, they will not dare to sacrifice you, so they can only sacrifice their own people. In order to avoid adopting the 'last solution', they can even use the Golden Bough itself as a reward - but I'm wondering, having already invited Qi Practitioners to deal with the problem twice in a row, will this ritual become necessary every time? Qigong will handle it? Then you will make a lot of money. Also, they have some forbidden spells that are 'seal after use' and are not kept on a regular basis. You have to use the Hero's Pilgrimage to unseal them every time before using them, such as Dragon Fang Soldiers and the like. If you are interested, you can borrow it and use it. 】
(End of chapter)
