Chapter 52
Chapter 52
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 52
Chapter Title: Love Thy Neighbor
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Seoran signed the contract, but unease gnawed at her.
If the merfolk cult committed evil deeds?
Would she have to turn a blind eye because she'd taken their money?
Or should she punish them according to her conscience?
Fortunately, she never fell into such a moral dilemma.
New wine must be put into new wineskins.
With a new god in place, new doctrines were needed.
The merfolk cult launched a sweeping overhaul of its teachings.
With the believers' help, Seoran donned her ceremonial robes and asked,
"So, what are the contents of the new doctrines?"
The high priest replied deferentially.
"Great Earth Mother Goddess, please speak plainly to us. Those who serve you need only the commands you bestow from on high."
Ever since she became a goddess, the merfolk cult's attitude had shifted.
They were so reverent it was hard to believe these were the same merfolk who used to rummage freely through others' pockets.
Unaccustomed to issuing commands, Seoran spoke in a firm tone.
"What are the new doctrines?"
"We dare not presume to set the doctrines ourselves. We merely record the voice you bestow as scripture. During this Dragon God Festival, whatever the two of you proclaim will become our cult's new teachings."
Seoran, wearing a coral crown on her head, asked,
"What if I said to wear shoes on your heads instead of hats?"
The high priest answered,
"It shall be done as you command."
Seoran, now with a jade mirror for ceremonies around her neck, asked again,
"What if I said to abandon your homeland and go live in the desert?"
"We would obey that as well."
Seoran looked a bit flustered.
Absolute obedience like this to a god they'd just begun worshiping?
What if they ended up serving an evil deity?
One misstep, and they could go extinct.
From a human perspective, it was hard to comprehend.
But the high priest's explanation made it clear.
This was normal for merfolk.
Some schools of fish band together to drive off predators.
Merfolk were the same.
To them, division meant death.
They had encountered a benevolent dragon and prospered.
The merfolk gladly offered their entire race to their savior.
Their faith was accepted, and the merfolk cult was born.
The previous Dragon God had been a responsible deity.
He neither oppressed the merfolk nor abused the cult.
Thanks to his benevolence, the western seas knew peace.
The merfolk had faithfully followed the Dragon God's will.
Whether he was a god worth serving didn't matter.
Even if the Dragon God had been a wicked deity committing atrocities, the merfolk cult would have submitted absolutely.
The merfolk stayed meekly in the deep sea because their god willed it.
If the god pointed to the land, the entire race would march forth with spears and swords at the ready.
Even if he unleashed tyranny and slaughtered merfolk, they would never hold their god accountable.
That was the merfolk's faith.
Feeling a slight chill, Seoran asked,
"Then what was the point of the contract? All that about maintaining dignity and procedures for changing terms."
"A contract is mere formality. Nothing in this world can bind a god—save the decisions the god makes for themselves."
Fish are cold-blooded.
They cannot regulate their own body temperature.
And merfolk were no different.
It wasn't they who defined themselves.
Ever since encountering the previous Dragon God and embracing faith, they had been wholly the property of their god.
Thus, the merfolk's path now lay in the hands of their new gods.
The Dragon God Festival drew near.
*****
The Dragon God who had seemed destined to reign forever had vanished.
To the merfolk, it felt like the world had collapsed.
The cult, bereft of its god, floundered for decades.
And there were yokai who sought out such chaos.
Hearing the news, Myriad Shadow Worm arrived in the undersea city and immediately donned the guise of a merfolk.
To pour oil on the flames of burning disorder.
The agitator shouted gleefully today as well.
"The Dragon God has departed! He abandoned us merfolk and ascended alone! All his teachings—acts of kindness, diligent work, loving family, serving the god—they were worthless! The world holds only cruel cold!"
From the crowd, a devout elder cried out.
"That's not true! The god would never abandon us! I've met the Dragon God myself! He is not one to cast aside his believers without a word!"
The agitator pointed at the elder and bellowed,
"Foolish nonsense! The Dragon God has already gone to the heavens! Abandoning us! We merfolk can no longer serve a god!"
The incited crowd began to murmur all at once.
"No! There must be some circumstance! Some unavoidable reason he couldn't return to us!"
"What unavoidable reason? He just abandoned us! Or did the dragon die on land!? Who could even kill a dragon!"
Some responded fervently.
"Right!"
A hunched elder appealed in a feeble voice.
"No, it's not like that..."
But no merfolk paid heed to the fading words of the old man.
One man said,
"Now that I think about it, saving money is pointless too! The merfolk cult is done for! Better to blow it all on one last gamble in life! Off to the casino right now!"
The woman beside him felt the same.
"I should just run away for good! Go somewhere no one can find me and live free! Great idea—I'll pack right now!"
Even the children chimed in.
"When I grow up, I'm gonna be a druggie!"
"I wanna be a bandit!"
"I, uh, me too..."
"You and me, we'll be a two-man con artist team!"
"Sounds good!"
The devout elder was aghast at the darkness staining society.
"Children, you mustn't... Losing faith means death itself... Let me read you a truly entertaining and instructive scripture..."
A street tough kid shot back.
"Hey, old timer. Who listens to boring stories like that these days?"
The merfolk's future darkened.
The agitator in merfolk guise, Myriad Shadow Worm, felt ecstasy.
He was manipulating the emotions of this mighty race.
Then, a merfolk burst from an alley and shouted,
"Official announcement from the cult! Dragon God Festival this afternoon!"
The Dragon God Festival was a rite honoring the Dragon God.
The merfolk grasped its meaning instantly.
The Dragon God had returned.
The blackened hearts of the merfolk were purified in a flash.
The man who was headed to the casino cried out,
"It's the Dragon God after all! I never doubted! Forget gambling—what was I thinking? This money's for my kids' education!"
The woman who had resolved to run away dashed home.
"I have to tell my parents this joyous news! Father, Mother, hold on just a bit! Starting today, I'll be a dutiful daughter!"
The would-be delinquents importuned the elder.
"Elder, please tell us some instructive scriptures!"
"Yes, I want to be a devout believer too!"
"Ahh, my faith is already surging!"
The devout elder straightened his bent back.
Steel-like muscles and a sturdy frame swelled, absorbing the abundant faith.
In an instant, the rejuvenated elder boomed in a hearty voice,
"What fine devotion, unlike you young folk nowadays! Good—boys and girls, follow me! Let's learn and praise the beauty of faith together!"
The flustered agitator, Myriad Shadow Worm, shouted,
"Why are you all like this?! It's just the Dragon God coming back! What if he abandons us again?!"
The crowd's eyes turned suspicious all at once.
"You're not happy the Dragon God's returned?"
"What's wrong with you? Lost your mind?"
"Are you even merfolk?"
Myriad Shadow Worm cast off his disguise and said,
"Drat, I've been found out!"
The agitator's true identity, perfectly hidden until now, was exposed.
Similar scenes were unfolding across the undersea city.
*****
The Dragon God Festival, held for the first time in decades, was truly grand.
Damcheong and Seoran, adorned with beautiful coral crowns, sat atop a towering palanquin as it paraded down the straight main avenue.
Merfolk scattered pretty shells, conches, and glowing corals, cheering wildly.
The throng, endlessly welcoming the new gods with shouts, arrived at the massive altar.
The palanquin bearers climbed the steep stairs and set the palanquin down at the altar's highest point.
The moment the ornate palanquin settled, hundreds of musicians struck up their instruments in unison.
It was the highlight of the Dragon God Festival: the public question-and-answer session.
Kneeling midway up the stairs, the high priest called out loudly to the gods.
"Dragon God! Great Earth Mother Goddess! Great Earth Mother Goddess, Dragon God! This humble one, representing our race, dares to seek your exalted guidance! Have mercy on us and let us hear your voice! What values should the merfolk cult pursue henceforth!"
It was a weighty question tied to the fate of the race.
Damcheong recalled long deliberations.
Dragon eyes can discern truth from lies.
But even a dragon couldn't gaze upon itself with its own eyes.
In the end, he had no answer this time either.
The Dragon God said,
"I don't really know."
The merfolk remained silent.
But inwardly, they were gripped by terror.
It was an unforeseen response.
A call to follow heaven's way would have been fine.
Even brutal commands treating them as mere tools would have sufficed.
If that was the gods' desire, the merfolk cult could gladly turn black or white.
But gray? Hesitation? That wouldn't do.
As the merfolk sank into despair, Seoran thought.
Seoran wasn't one for philosophy or faith.
But she knew well what she herself wanted.
After brief reflection, she gave her answer.
The Great Earth Mother Goddess spoke to her believers.
"Love. That is what we shall pursue: love."
The goddess had redefined the merfolk.