Chapter 722
Great Mother Earth.
This monotheistic deity, whose very name exuded warmth, turned the Southern Barbarian upside down the moment she arrived.
A dazzling debut that swept away the fiercely competitive religious landscape of the Southern Barbarian—rivaling even the cutthroat K-pop idol market—followed by a surge of faith.
No, a wave of fanaticism.
“Great Mother Earth! Great Mother Earth!”
“Mother God Heaven! Unbeliever Hell!”
Those who believed in Great Mother Earth would be saved even in death, while those who denied her would be cast into the fiery pits.
Within half a day, the sons and daughters of Great Mother Earth began marching through the streets, chanting slogans, which soon turned into proselytizing.
“Hey, you there.”
“W-Why are you calling me?”
“What god do you believe in?”
“W-Well… Ah, I do! I believe in Great Mother Earth!”
“Mother God Heaven.”
“…Huh?”
“You don’t know the slogan? You’re a heretic! Unbeliever Hell!”
“Hieeek! I’ll convert! I’ll convert!”
And Jeok Cheon-Gang, watching the scene, summed up his feelings in a single, short sentence.
“What a mess.”
Jeok Cheon-Gang was an outsider, so he ended up with just that reaction, but Beast Miao King—who had inadvertently become a priest of Great Mother Earth—was half out of his mind.
“T-This isn’t right. No, our traditions… our indigenous beliefs…”
But before long, he began to realize the significance of what was happening.
“Wait a minute, this…”
Beast Miao King, who had been deep in thought, suddenly muttered.
“Not bad. No, it’s actually good.”
“See? Religion is the best way to unite people.”
Even though everyone was working together to rebuild right now, it was undeniable that the Southern Barbarian Beast Palace remained divided.
“You were honestly worried about what to do with the tribal chiefs locked up in the prison, weren’t you?”
“…Yes. No matter how much they’ve sinned, they are still the leaders of their tribes.”
It wasn’t because he spared them out of some useless, frustrating sentimentality.
After all, the essence of the Southern Barbarian Beast Palace was a coalition of thirty-two tribes, and the number of tribal chiefs involved in this incident was over twenty.
But if he executed them as traitors, there would inevitably be those who resented it.
Birds of a feather flock together, and blood is thicker than water.
“Right now, the public wants them executed, but problems will definitely arise over time. They just haven’t surfaced yet.”
Memories tended to be romanticized.
Once enough time passed and the chaotic atmosphere settled, people would probably start whispering like this.
‘Still, our tribal chief was a good person.’
‘That’s right. He was tricked by Baek Sang.’
‘Come to think of it, it’s a bit strange. How could so many tribal chiefs have been involved?’
I could see it all too clearly.
Conversations that began with one or two people cautiously sharing their thoughts would spread throughout the Southern Barbarian Beast Palace, eventually leading to another division.
“On top of that, the tribesmen whose chiefs were involved in this incident will be subjected to invisible contempt from others. That will lead to animosity between the tribes…”
“But we can’t just let them all go.”
“They’re the ones who betrayed the Southern Barbarian once, blinded by wealth and glory. What’s to stop them from doing it again?”
That’s why Beast Miao King had no choice but to agonize over the fate of the traitors.
He had to think, and think again, about the best way to deal with them while preventing the Southern Barbarian from splitting apart.
At least, that was the case until the appearance of the unprecedented monotheistic deity, Great Mother Earth.
“Now is the perfect time. We can reveal their crimes one by one according to the law, execute them, and root out all the weeds in this land!”
Seeing Beast Miao King clench his fist, I clicked my tongue softly.
“You still don’t get it.”
“What?”
“Law is good, but this is judgment. God’s judgment.”
“God’s… judgment?”
“The guys locked up in the prison are traitors who conspired with the Evil Spirit called Dark Heaven to corrupt this land, and Yal, the Great Chieftain, is the only priest who received the oracle of Great Mother Earth. Kill those bastards and purify the Southern Barbarian.”
…
Beast Miao King—and Jeok Cheon-Gang, listening beside him—stared at me with wide eyes.
I could read their thoughts in their eyes.
‘No, is this how you do it?’
‘Wow. Is he really crazy?’
These innocent folks.
They’re Ten Kings and whatnot, but they’ve devoted their entire lives to martial arts, so they don’t know the ways of the world.
Even Beast Miao King, who had led the Southern Barbarian Beast Palace for a long time, wasn’t as politically savvy as Jeok Cheon-Gang.
‘That’s why Baek Sang’s faction ran rampant.’
But who am I?
A proud citizen of the Republic of Korea.
I’ve lived my whole life in a country where there are more churches than fried chicken restaurants, and where you can see twenty-first-century martyrs carrying crosses near subway stations.
I decided to awaken Beast Miao King—who still lacked awareness as a priest—to the power he possessed.
“Okay, repeat after me.”
Beast Miao King, who had been staring blankly at me, responded without thinking.
“Okay, repeat after me.”
“No, not that. We’re starting now.”
“Ah, okay.”
“I am a priest.”
“I am a priest.”
“Great Mother Earth is God.”
“Great Mother Earth is God.”
“Well done. Now, continue.”
“I am a priest. Great Mother Earth is God.”
“Good. Repeat it.”
“I am a priest. Great Mother Earth is God. I am a priest. Great Mother Earth is God. I am… invincible!”
“…?”
Well, it’s a little different from what I taught him.
In any case, Beast Miao King—now awakened as a priest of Great Mother Earth—trembled with excitement and took the first great step toward reforming the Southern Barbarian.
“In the name of the benevolent Great Mother Earth, I summon the Great Assembly!”
He’s become a priest.
—
The Great Assembly began in the blink of an eye.
This was partly because the number of tribal chiefs who could attend the Great Assembly was small, but even if he hadn’t sent a messenger, it wouldn’t have mattered.
They were already waiting for Beast Miao King in the hastily assembled conference room.
“Palace Lord!”
“It’s just a rumor, right? Tell us it’s just a rumor!”
“Great Mother Earth all of a sudden? What are you talking about!”
“Damn it, the tribesmen are going crazy. It’s like watching the Demonic Sect during the Great War of Justice and Evil!”
“Nonsense! Are you telling us to abandon the Wood God we’ve believed in all our lives!”
And they, who rushed at Beast Miao King with faces mixed with bewilderment and shock, declared in serious tones the moment they understood the marketing effect this new brand called Great Mother Earth would bring to the market.
“I, as a tribal chief, must lead by example. I will convert.”
“Our Great Assembly supports the Palace Lord.”
“Wow, the Southern Barbarian is united!”
“What’s a Wood God? When it comes to gods, it’s Great Mother Earth.”
Perhaps because they were the upper echelons, they were quick to catch on.
Of course, there were also those who, without a clue, rebelled against it and came to find Beast Miao King.
“Palace Lord! This is outrageous!”
“What on earth is Great Mother Earth, and where did this nonsense about Mother God Heaven and Unbeliever Hell come from?”
“It’s poison! The Palace Lord has poisoned the Southern Barbarian!”
“Do you think our priests will stand idly by? We’d rather die than condone this situation!”
Without exception, they were dozens of priests, old and decrepit.
Having served the existing indigenous gods all their lives, they confronted Beast Miao King with voices as loud as their age allowed.
Until Jeok Cheon-Gang opened his mouth.
“If you can’t condone it, what are you going to do about it?”
“What?”
“Hmph. Look at this young punk’s attitude toward his elders.”
“Palace Lord! Punish this arrogant man immediately! How dare this unheard-of bastard spout nonsense—”
“Fire King.”
“…!”
“That’s my alias. Fire King Jeok Cheon-Gang.”
“I’ll let you live until you’re a hundred. Everyone younger than that, bow your heads.”
The reputation—no, the temper—of Fire King Jeok Cheon-Gang was well known not only in the Central Plains but also in the Southern Barbarian.
“Um, Palace Lord?”
“Ah, what refreshing rain.”
When even Beast Miao King, their last lifeline, looked off into the distance, the priests bowed their heads without hesitation and swore they would keep their mouths shut about Great Mother Earth from now on.
“To be honest, they’re called priests, but we’ve never even seen them. Isn’t that right, everyone?”
“Hahaha. That’s right, that’s right. But Great Mother Earth has shown us miracles in person. How amazing she is.”
“Um, Palace Lord. Is there any room left on Great Mother Earth’s side? Of course, the Palace Lord will be the priest, but even another position…”
“Ahem. Now that you mention it, the ones we serve are all closely related to this land, aren’t they? So, I think we should join forces…”
“That’s right! Great Mother Earth is the mother of this land, so she’s practically the one who gave birth to all the gods, isn’t she?”
A fantastic collaboration between the priests who didn’t want to lose their rice bowls and Beast Miao King, who wanted complete integration of the Southern Barbarian.
After serious discussions, Great Mother Earth was reborn as a god with dozens of minor gods under her command, and I, who didn’t want a religious war, also helped a little.
“It seems like it’s getting complicated, so let’s just make one this time.”
“What do you mean?”
“Well… for now, let’s call it the Bible.”
“Bible?”
“What is that?”
“The history of this land, the words of God. That’s roughly what it is.”
“Ooh. Ooh!”
“Truly a talented person sent by God!”
After that, I just gave them a few hints and stood back.
They began racking their brains and squeezing out settings like web novel writers with deadlines looming.
And over the past ten days, the traitors who had been locked up in the prison were finally brought before everyone.
“S-Save me!”
“I was just tricked by Baek Sang! I never conspired with Dark Heaven!”
But there was no forgiveness, no mercy.
Swish.
The blessing that the benevolent Great Mother Earth bestowed upon this land.
Under the rain—somehow now called the Holy Rain—people cried out for judgment, and the executioner’s sword flashed.
Swoosh!
That was the end. The bodies of the traitors who had once led this land were thrown to the beasts.
The incessant rain washed away the blood they had shed.
And only then did people suddenly realize.
That they had finally become one.
That they had overcome the disaster together, seen and experienced unbelievable miracles, and finally become one family in the warm embrace of Great Mother Earth.
That was the real miracle.
A miracle that finally united the tribesmen who had been divided into thirty-two factions.
And the forester, who had cut down all the sick trees and weeds in the forest, shouted in front of everyone.
“From this moment on, we are the Southern Barbarians, completely united!”
“Waaaaaah!”
The shout that rang out in unison echoed in all directions.
It was like the roar of warriors foretelling the great war that was about to come.
(T/N : The scamming is on a whole new level lol. But to be fair, even if its fiction, the story and the execution of the idea in this chapter is somewhat true to life. )