I Got a Gallery in the Wild - Chapter 680

Civilization and religion share an inseparable relationship.

It is the very first culture and a highly effective tool for uniting people as one.

In the past, humans firmly believed in the existence of gods as they observed natural phenomena and objects they could not comprehend.

Religion was often intertwined not just with nature, but also with battles and wars fought between humans.

However, according to recent findings, it has gradually become known that humans themselves, rather than civilization, are inherently linked to religion.

This means religion existed even before humans gathered in one place to build civilizations. Of course, what exactly that religion was remained unclear.

Rather than a concrete religion, it was more of a pure belief akin to faith. Evidence has even emerged showing that even chimpanzees harbor such faith.

Closing their eyes while looking at the sky, or stacking stone towers—this behavior was more pronounced in highly intelligent individuals.

I had learned this fact in Alex’s Library, meaning it was information discovered very recently by Earth’s standards.

’The higher the intelligence, the more strongly such traits manifest.’

Low intelligence means being instinctual.

It is enough to simply repeat eating, defecating, and sleeping according to instinct; there is no need to do anything beyond that.

One could say they live only for today, not the future. Mating when the breeding season arrives is just a bonus.

However, highly intelligent individuals often keep the future in mind, not just the present. Humans are a prime example.

The intelligence to march toward the future while holding onto a firm belief that they can achieve it—that is the greatest blessing possessed by humanity.

"I never expected them to use such a blessing in such a bizarre way."

ㄴDon’t Abandon the Hero) A bizarre way?! This is an amazing event that deserves to be written in history right now!

ㄴAllfather) I agree with the Orange Badge-nim’s words. While it is not unheard of for goblins or orcs to have faith, establishing a new religion is highly intriguing.

ㄴStarlight Lady) Highly intelligent individuals usually end up becoming shamans, but at this rate, won’t we see clergymen emerging too?

The problem was that the Hobgoblins used that intelligence in a strange direction. No, actually, it wasn’t strange; it was perfectly normal.

Humanoid monsters like goblins and orcs possess higher intelligence than animals. To be precise, they are somewhere between smart animals and humans.

It’s easiest to think of their intelligence as roughly on par with a developmentally disabled child. A shaman is just a case where intelligence is more developed among them.

In any case, it wasn’t particularly strange for the Hobgoblins to have faith. They had possessed faith from the very beginning anyway.

’They used to perform rituals when accepting the Immortal Herb.’

Since rituals are also a part of faith, I could just accept it and move on.

The problem was that the object of their faith had shifted from the Immortal Herb to me.

They had even erected a stone statue right in the center of the village and were performing group prayers.

From my perspective, the situation was beyond baffling; it was utterly absurd. I had no idea what had transpired during the time I hadn’t visited.

"You have arrived, Grylls-nim."

It was while I was blankly watching them pray. Familiar Korean struck my ears.

Turning my head, I saw a Hobgoblin approaching me with a reverent expression.

I thought it was the village chief, Gganmar, but it wasn’t. His build was smaller compared to the other Hobgoblins.

Meaning he was a relatively young individual. However, his face was familiar.

"...Are you by any chance Ggansu?"

The fellow who had once broken into my house and caused quite a commotion.

I hadn’t killed him, but I had used him as labor for a while—it was Ggansu.

I recall he was caught trying to steal the arrows I used for practice back then.

’He was definitely small back then, wasn’t he?’

Rather than small, he was closer to being young. Indeed, he had often shown an immature side.

But now, he looked like a respectable adult... no, somewhere between a teenager and a young adult.

Even though goblin growth is exceptionally rapid, was this really possible in just a single year?

"You remember my name. Thank you."

"No, well, that’s..."

I was confused about what to ask first. It was even more so because fluent Korean was ringing in my ears.

I looked back and forth between Ggansu and the stone statue in the center of the village, slowly sorting things out one by one.

Then, after taking a deep breath, I spoke in a low voice.

"...The village has changed a lot while I was away. It seems the population has grown immensely too."

"It is thanks to the rice and vegetables that Grylls-nim gave us."

Come to think of it, I did give them rice and vegetables to farm. I turned my head to inspect the farmland.Read this novel at novelping dot com for the best experience.

Before, it was only the size of a small garden plot, but now the scale had expanded to the point where numerous goblins had to cultivate it directly.

Even though crops grew rapidly thanks to the abnormal growth rate unique to the Forest of the Four Seasons, the fields were still massive.

’Rice already has a crazy population-carrying capacity...’

Seeing the sudden increase in children I hadn’t seen before, they were definitely putting it to good use.

Still, the most important thing remained: the stone statue. As mentioned repeatedly, the statue proudly displayed in the center of the village.

Although the craftsmanship was somewhat clumsy, anyone could tell it was a sculpture of me.

"What is that stone statue? When did you erect it?"

"It hasn’t been long since we erected it. It was after two cold winters had passed."

The concept of dates is sparse here. Instead, they simply measure time by the unique, shitty, yet regular weather.

Two winters passing was exactly equivalent to two months passing. It was a strangely fantasy-like way of speaking.

"Why on earth did you start worshiping me? I don’t understand."

"How can you not understand? You suppressed the rampaging Immortal Herb and bestowed a blessing upon us so that we could become warriors without undergoing trials."

That happened after the World Tree consumed the Immortal Herb’s core. Even I can’t grant that without the World Tree’s permission.

Those words welled up to my throat, but I suppressed them. There was no benefit in saying it out loud.

"Not only that, but we can now safely obtain our daily bread without having to go out hunting. It is all thanks to the blessings bestowed by Grylls-nim."

"...Since when did you become so eloquent?"

"It is thanks to Prophet Lackey-nim."

"Me?"

Lackey, who had been looking around the village in wonder, widened his eyes when he was mentioned.

It made sense since Lackey had taught Ggansu how to write, but what was with the ’Prophet’ title?

"Is Lackey-nim not also someone who learned from Grylls-nim? Therefore, he is a prophet."

"Master, is ’prophet’ a good word?"

"...It’s easiest to just think of it as ’disciple.’"

It was too bothersome to explain. For now, sorting out this confusion was the priority.

I looked at the fluent Ggansu with a complicated expression, then decided to meet the village chief first.

"Where is Gganmar?"

"Ah. That is..."

Ggansu trailed off, then spoke in a regretful voice.

"He fell gravely ill during the winter before last and returned to the earth."

"Ah. I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have asked."

I expressed my condolences. Gganmar, the former chief of the Hobgoblin Village, was originally quite old.

I thought his body had grown strong after eating the World Tree fruit, but it seemed old age was unavoidable after all.

Since he said the winter before last, it must have been when I was staying on Lucas’s ship.

’I should visit his grave later and perform a memorial service.’

Since he was a face I knew, I could do at least this much.

"I will show you around the village. Many things have changed since Grylls-nim arrived."

Ggansu guided me around the village with a mature demeanor, unlike before. Just as he said, the village had changed significantly.

Originally, most of the dwellings were built in the style of mud huts, but now, many proper houses were visible.

They had framed them with sturdy wood from the Forest of the Four Seasons and thatched the roofs with straw obtained from farming.

It had taken the shape of a proper village, not just a tribal settlement. It was astonishing that such a change was possible in just half a year.

"Grylls aeoru kuhaku haka!"

It was then. Ggansu looked around and raised his voice loudly.

At his shout, the Hobgoblins, who had been busy with their respective chores, looked at me in surprise.

"Grylls aeoru kuhaku haka!"

"Grylls aeoru kuhaku haka!"

Soon, the entire group repeated the chant(?) and even prostrated themselves before me.

With the entire village praying rather than just one or two individuals, the sheer pressure was no joke.

[Hmm. Lady Aris must have felt this way.]

"Don’t talk nonsense. All of you, get up quickly and go back to your work, work."

Being worshiped by someone is indeed uncomfortable. I had only struggled to survive, yet it had produced this result.

Fortunately, the Hobgoblins followed my words faithfully, so they all returned to their work.

I scratched my cheek with a complicated expression at the sight.Enjoying the story? Read on at novelping(.)com.

’How did it end up like this...?’

I was someone who used to swear at gods because I didn’t want to hate humans. Yet, I had ended up being treated as a god myself.

One might say I was already treated as the Chief God, but this situation was vastly different.

That was merely a highly plausible speculation and akin to a story from a faraway land, whereas the Hobgoblins were right in front of me.

The moment I misspoke, it could trigger a butterfly effect and cause massive problems.

"By any chance, will you be staying for a day before you leave?"

"No. I just came for a brief visit."

"I see. Then, could you leave us with a word before you go?"

Just like now. I felt uncomfortable looking at Ggansu, whose eyes were shining.

A single word could alter the fate of the village. And that wasn’t all.

[...]

"...What are you looking at?"

[I wasn’t looking.]

Look at him pretending not to notice just because he’s a Dullahan. Even Cain showed great interest.

ㄴDon’t Abandon the Hero) The Chief God is about to speak! Everyone, please pay attention!

ㄴHeavenly Demon) I look forward to hearing what words one who is the same heaven as I will speak.

The regular posters were no different. Especially those deeply connected to religion had the highest expectations.

ㄴPassing Dwarf) Tell them to drink a lot of alcohol.

Go away, dwarf.

In any case, I had no choice but to ponder deeply in this unexpected situation.

Since I would need the Hobgoblins’ help in the future, it would be best to offer some reasonably good words.

’The best verse in the Bible is... no, forget it. Let’s just bring up something practical.’

I knew all the verses of the Bible, but they carried little meaning here. This was the Forest of the Four Seasons.

Even if there were other civilizations, the Lizardman tribe far away was the extent of it.

After some thought, I brought up a culture that had been a chronic disease of ancient human civilizations.

"By any chance, you don’t sacrifice your own kind when offering sacrifices, do you?"

"We have offered them to the cave where the Immortal Herb grew many times."

"Never do such a thing again. Don’t make excuses like a bad harvest, things going poorly, or bad energy."

Human sacrifice was one of the customs unique to early civilizations.

You ask if it naturally died out as time passed? Look at the Aztecs.

They practiced horrific human sacrifices until Europe personally came and ground them to dust.

Even Europe, which was a mess at the time, was shocked upon seeing the Aztec civilization.

’The funny thing is, I recall Christianity worked hard back then.’

Did they say there was no need for human sacrifice since Jesus sacrificed Himself every day? Indeed, one must speak eloquently.

I, too, strove to avoid such cultural practices as much as possible.

"Mmm... Understood. It is difficult to comprehend, but since Grylls-nim said so, we shall obey."

"Yes. Good job."

"Ah. Then, may I ask you one thing?"

"What is it?"

Ggansu pondered deeply, then let out a sigh and spoke.

"The newly born children are behaving rudely. What should we do?"

"That is only natural."

Human life is the same everywhere. I just let this one slide.

I thought they were doing well, but...

"Who are they? Are they going on an expedition or something?"

"They are traveling all over the forest to deliver Grylls-nim’s words."

"..."

I had no choice but to close my eyes tightly as I watched the Hobgoblins setting off to proselytize.