Quadruple split

The time was about five minutes after Mo Tan left the Ax Soul Realm.

The location is a small, inconspicuous-looking church located on the edge of a small town.

The characters are a group of children running around, Mo Tan, and a human priest who looks to be in his thirties and is most likely a stick spirit.

"So, I really have nothing to teach you."

Lazily leaning against the pulpit with his arms folded, the priest, who had dazzling golden thorny hair, a pipe in his mouth, and droopy eyes... or the man called the priest by the children yawned, his face expressionless. He said to Mo Tan with an expression: "But if you want to chat, I can accompany you. After all, it's been a long time since I've had a proper conversation with anyone."

The non-mainstream priest Mo Tan who was sitting there twitched his lips, then turned to look at the children who were jumping up and down in the church and said: "I feel that they are very close to you."

"They are all imps. Can imps be considered human beings?"

The priest holding the pipe sighed impatiently, then strode up to the children, picked up their collars and threw them out while scolding angrily: "Okay, okay, the mass is over. , go play elsewhere! Disobedient children will be caught and eaten by God!"

Then the children just dispersed. After all, the statement "If you don't obey, you will be captured and eaten by God" is indeed a bit scary. Not to mention the little devils, even Mo Tan was severely shocked. Of course, he was not afraid that Lord God would take him away and eat him, but he just felt that it was unheard of for a priest to threaten a child in this way.

After all, in the eyes of most believers, the image of a god is composed of a series of positive elements including but not limited to tallness, majesty, etc. To put it simply, it is an existence that has countless layers of solid filters and stands at the apex of a virtual idol. , and among those priests and nuns who often deal with potential believers such as children, it is absolutely impossible to say that God will come and eat you if you make a mistake.

At best, it's like, 'If you don't behave, bad people/devils/demons/idiots from the Dark Night Sect (limited to Dawn Sect) will take you away, and your good God will protect you and prevent those bad people from touching you.'

The above examples are common, but I have never seen such examples as "gods eat people" to scare children. If anyone really dares to do this, even those from the Dawn Sect and the Justice Sect, who have relatively down-to-earth painting styles, are optimistic. They would probably all be invited to drink tea and eat pork chop rice in the Inquisition.

So it was understandable that Mo Tan was frightened a little.

"how?"

After scaring the child, he casually kicked the door of the church shut with his leg. The blond priest, who exuded an aura of "disrespect" all over his body, strolled back to the pulpit with his pockets in his pockets, and then sat directly on it. The drooping eyes that lowered his appearance but made him look cooler looked at Mo Tan steadily: "Do you have any objections?"

Mo Tan, who was not a pious person even when he was a 'Black Brahma', immediately shook his head and said with a smile: "No, I just think what I just said is very interesting."

"It's just nonsense. Anyone with a brain knows that no matter whether it's a demon, a bad guy or anything else, they won't just grab children to eat because they don't have that much time."

Zang Po shrugged and said nonchalantly: "For the same reason, gods naturally wouldn't do such a thing, because gods are not that free, so if that's the case, it doesn't matter what I use to scare people, right? You know, we sincerely don’t believe in this kind of nonsense that only little kids will be scared of. Even if it is a god, he will not impose divine punishment on the grounds that believers believe that there is nothing wrong with their heads. ?”

Mo Tan looked directly into Zhang Po's eyes and said with a very firm tone: "I understand the truth, but this statement is sophistry."

"You're right, but people like you are in the minority after all."

Zhang Po nodded calmly and said calmly: "In the eyes of most people, explanation is always more important than reason, and they often don't know and don't care what sophistry is. They just need to be persuaded. As for whether the other party is a god A messenger of the devil or a servant of the devil...does it matter?"

Mo Tan hesitated for a moment and then said thoughtfully: "To a certain extent, I think it's quite important."

"Is it important?"

Zang Po raised his eyebrows, spread his hands and said: "Think about it, if I tell those little brats that they will be eaten by demons if they disobey, they will be obedient. If I tell them that if they disobey, they will be eaten by God, they will also be obedient. , the results are all good.”

Mo Tan smiled slightly and said with a smile: "You are still sophistry, and you even secretly changed the concept."

"You should understand."

Zang Po smiled freely and winked slyly: "The essence of a clergy is sophistry and changing concepts, but as long as a good purpose can be achieved, the rest will not matter."

Since the other party wanted to chat, Mo Tan, who still had some time to spare, chatted with him in an accommodating manner: "So you are really a cleric?"

"Yes, it doesn't count."

Zang Po took a deep sip from his pipe, turned around and blew out smoke at the shrine that was also smoking: "From a certain point of view, I should be regarded as a templar. After all, I have faith and can fight. I’m not a paladin or a priest yet, but the problem is that although I have faith, I am not a believer in any god. In the end, even I don’t know what I believe in.”

Mo Tanqian laughed and twitched the corners of his mouth: "I don't think normal people would call faith a 'thing', right?"

Zang Po rolled his eyes and said casually: "You provide for your father until he is old and build him a house and buy him clothes, but even if you open and close your mouth, you are 'old and immortal', which does not affect the fact that you are a filial son."

"A good metaphor."

Mo Tan nodded in agreement and sighed: "If everyone thought like you, the world might be a lot simpler. Of course, the greater possibility is that it will be completely chaotic."

Zhang Po yawned boredly, shook his head lazily and said: "It's not important, because there are definitely not many people like me. Having said that, you are really calm. Let me explain in advance, even if you There is no benefit in chatting with me. As for the use of Long Yuan, I can tell you right now that the stick can be used as any weapon. The ancestor of hundreds of weapons is not a joke, so..."

"So what?"

Mo Tan, who was indeed a little concerned, quickly asked.

"So what others teach you, you will most likely be able to use it through [Long Yuan]."

Zhang Po grinned and winked at Mo Tan slyly: "Do you understand what I mean?"

Mo Tan nodded, dumbfounded, and nodded to the man in front of him, who didn't want to do anything but was very interested in the fruits of other people's labor, and said, "I probably understand."

"As long as you understand, that's the situation anyway, that's the way things are."

Zhang Po blew out two smoke rings happily, and suddenly said seriously: "I have something to ask you, kid."

Mo Tan did not show surprise, but asked directly: "Is it about faith?"

"I heard you come from an interesting place..."

Zhang Po clutched the pipe in his hand, his expression more serious than ever before: "I know there is something wrong with me. Although I don't remember it as clearly as that little kid Sha Po, the impact on me... is smaller than that of others except that kid. , so I can still vaguely remember that this may be my second hometown, but it is not the world I originally belonged to, and in Shan Po's words... you are most likely from the same world as me, right?"

Mo Tan nodded slightly, but did not give a definite answer: "This is theoretically possible, but the specific probability is actually not high."

"It doesn't matter."

Zang Po shook his head and stared into Mo Tan's eyes: "I just want to know two things. First, there is faith in another world, right?"

Mo Tan nodded and replied without thinking: "Yes, it exists."

"So, next question."

Zhang Po took a sip from the pipe in his hand and still stared at Mo Tan: "Based on what you have learned in just ten minutes, do you think I might be a pious..."

Before Zang Po could finish speaking, Mo Tan immediately shook his head firmly and said: "It's impossible."

Staff Soul: "..."

"Don't get me wrong, I don't think you have anything to do with piety, it's just..."

Mo Tan pinched the center of his eyebrows and said thoughtfully: "I think if it is impossible to be objectively pious in this world, then it will be even less possible in the world I know."

There is nothing wrong with what he said. After all, there is a big difference between [The Realm of Innocence] and the real world, that is, the gods in it... at least the recognized 'righteous gods' do exist. They even You can talk directly to those devout (or not so devout) believers, and you can also spread your grace and dignity.

Praying to the goddess of fertility can indeed help crops grow stronger.

Even ordinary people can pray to the goddess of dawn so that they can see the way clearly when going to the toilet at night.

Saying "Hemel, the God of Justice" at the gambling table can directly invalidate most of the tricks.

All in all, these are visible and tangible blessings, clear and traceable majestic power, and even if there are exaggerated factors, it will not affect its authenticity.

As for those beliefs outside the [Bound of Innocence]...

"It needs to be... much more macroscopic."

Mo Tan hesitated for a long time before finally finding a relatively mild explanation and explained to Zang Po: "Although those beliefs have not been proven to have a practical effect on the detailed level, but..."

"Okay, I understand."

However, Zhang Po directly raised his hand to interrupt Mo Tan, and said calmly: "To put it simply, it is just a naked lie at first glance, but some of the concepts contained in it can achieve the correct conclusion and purpose. In other words, It is the kind of positive ideology that provides comfort to believers and is driven by one's subjective will, which can correct the world's morals and establish ethics and morality, right?"

Mo Tan was immediately stunned. It wasn't that he didn't understand what Zang Po had just said, but it was just that the latter's remarks, which were obviously out of date, really shocked him.

Even if the other party is not a simple figure, even if this 'clergyman' who has reached the highest level in the field of religion and belief has lived for two lifetimes, such words are not something ordinary people can say, especially when Mo Tan only Just started, before I even had time to elaborate...

"Okay, it seems I did guess it right, huh-"

Zang Po, who was smoking heavily, shook his head, his bright lavender eyes looming in the smoke: "To tell you the truth, I originally thought that that situation might be the right one, huh, even though most of the priests in this world Those who read it will feel that a 'god' that has no power, cannot be researched, and appears entirely through fabrication or blackmail is simply nonsense, but in my opinion, that is in line with the status and definition of a 'god'."

Mo Tan blinked with interest and asked curiously: "How do you say that?"

"In Lao Tzu's view, whether it is power that is visible and tangible, or existence that is visible, tangible or even traceable, there is a serious uncertainty. It is true that God is majestic and great. , God is noble, God is kind, but what if God goes crazy? What if he gets a little emotional? What if his temperament changes drastically?"

Zang Po shrugged and said leisurely: "In the final analysis, the so-called gods in this world do not deserve this title from the beginning, nor do they deserve to have their own sect and inheritance."

Mo Tan frowned and followed the rhythm: "Because they exist?"

"Yes, because they exist. Seriously, don't you feel dangerous?"

Zhang Po bit his pipe and snapped his fingers. He puffed away the smoke and said in a brisk tone: "In my opinion, only gods with no thoughts, no wills, no opinions, and no thresholds are worthy of being called gods. Of course, The most important thing is that it doesn't exist."

Although it was a bit difficult, Mo Tan still tried hard to follow the rhythm of the stick spirit: "Because 'non-existence' is the best?"

"No, no, it's because only 'non-existence' can 'always exist' and 'always be correct', and there is no need to bear any responsibility."

Zhang Po smiled, then put away his pipe and raised his hand to disperse the smoke lingering around him: "At least in my opinion, it is always 'people' who need 'gods', not 'gods' who need 'people'. In other words, if any god needs humans, then it would have been deemed heretical in principle by me personally.”

Mo Tan really didn't expect Zhan Po's temper to be so bad, so he hurriedly asked: "I was judged as a heretic by you... and then what?"

"Then? Is there any need to say that?"

Zhang Po glanced at Mo Tan, raised his right hand and kept hooking his index and middle fingers to make a 'run away' gesture, and laughed exaggeratedly——

"There is no conspiracy between people who have different beliefs. Since I am a believer in a heresy, I will naturally run as far as I can."

Chapter 1611: End