Chapter 663: War of Faith (7)

As we all know, it is very dangerous to drift alone in a boat on the sea.

Let’s not talk about the lack of food and water, let’s put aside the possibility of getting lost. First of all, most people can’t get over the psychological barrier.

When drifting in the middle of the sea, no matter which direction you look, you can only see the endless sea. The vast sky and water have almost no end, connecting into a distant piece, tightly wrapping everything up and putting it into the swaying waves.

In such an environment, it is difficult for people not to collapse. Psychologists are a necessity for crew members on ocean-going ships, as many people often suffer from psychological problems when living at sea.

The good news now is that Bernard does not have to face such a distant water and sky. The bad news is that the reason he does not have to face such a situation is that he is now lying sideways and tied to the boat.

From his perspective, he could only see the sky and the dark clouds that were gradually gathering in the sky. Occasionally, there would be some birds flying low in the sky, making him see some moving creatures. However, this was not good news, because anyone with common sense knew that when birds flew low, it meant it was going to rain.

Now he was tied up and lying on a small boat, then released into the sea, and it would definitely rain soon.

If anyone tells this to others, it will be included in the top ten most desperate ways to die on TikTok.

Bernard opened and closed his eyes, feeling a little like he was half dead.

This was the scene that Bai Jinshu and Huai Jiamu saw when they arrived.

"He seems to be in good spirits." Bai Jinshu squatted by the side of the boat, and taking advantage of the fact that the other party couldn't see him, he observed the unfortunate guy closely. "The group of people on the shore are almost scared crazy, and he is actually sleeping here?"

The people on the shore were frightened to death. How much of it was out of grief for the loss of the rabbit and how much was out of fear of the noble lord was not clear, but the boy's parents were really about to cry and faint.

Before Bai Jinshu left, a group of people led by the mayor gathered in the house of the old couple. Everyone tried to persuade them, and the main idea was probably that the child was going to die anyway, so they might as well move on.

It must be said that the simpler the people are, the more direct they speak. Before dealing with Bernard, the priest pretended to speak a lot of nonsense, the central idea was probably "they are going to send the pagan into the sea, if he is willing to convert to the Father God, then the waves will send him back." Bai Jinshu guessed that the reason for saying so much was that in addition to the need for rituals and self-esteem, there was also some effect of calming people's hearts.

To put it nicely, it is to reassure people; to put it bluntly, it is probably to give a nicer explanation to sending someone to die, and at the same time to paint a rosy picture for the family members that "maybe the person is not dead and has come back", in order to maintain stability temporarily.

Unexpectedly, none of the people who went to comfort Bernard's parents said something like "What if he is sent back by God the Father?" as he wished. The simplest way they comforted the unfortunate couple was "If nothing works, just have another one."

Bai Jinshu, who was listening in, couldn't hold back:...

Forget it, it’s the Middle Ages, especially a remote town in the Middle Ages, so it’s not surprising to say this.

However, this attitude at least illustrates one problem, that is, the belief in this sea god has not been thoroughly rooted in people's hearts. At least when faced with the situation where someone is thrown into the sea, everyone's first reaction is that this person will definitely not survive, rather than that as long as he converts to believe in the sea god, God the Father will send him back intact.

After all, they are all fishermen who have made a living on the sea for many years. They are most familiar with the direction of the water flow near Silver Tear Beach. It is almost impossible for Bernard to come back after being taken away.

However, although they did not believe in Poseidon from the bottom of their hearts, the judgment from the noble lords from top to bottom still forced everyone to act like loyal believers of Poseidon. It can be seen that this act of one stick and one date did play a role in gathering faith.

Bai Jinshu took a walk around the town and had a rough idea of ​​the extent of the belief in the God of the Sea. He and Huai Jiamu packed up and prepared to rescue Bernard, the unlucky guy who was already dead in the eyes of all the townspeople.

Hopefully, during the time they were hanging around, the released young man Bernard hadn't had time to be reincarnated.

As for why they saved him, it was not because the false god showed rare kindness, but because Bernard's condition was actually very important to them.

Bai Jinshu walked around the island and rated the development of the Sea God in his mind. If the degree of faith is divided into ten levels, then most of the people in Hydrania should only be at level three. To them, the Sea God is more like a kind person than the Father God.

The kindhearted people thawed the sea and brought forward the flood season, so the islanders who depended on the sea for their livelihood received real benefits. Out of simple values, they thanked the gods from the bottom of their hearts and hoped that the gods would continue to benefit them next year. Knowing to repay a favor is something that anyone with a normal sense of good and evil can do, but if it goes a step further and involves some real beliefs, it is unlikely.

To put it simply, the sea god and his "believers" are actually still in a barter stage. He pays for some conveniences created by the power of the gods, and the believers pay for their faith in exchange for the conveniences, and temporarily praise and thank each other.

This kind of belief based on an exchange relationship is very fragile, and it can even be said that it will fall apart at the slightest touch. Once another god appears at this time to compete with him and compete to provide benefits to the believers, his faith will soon be snatched away by the other side.

This is probably because the people in the temple became anxious as soon as the unlucky guy Bernard mentioned the God of Light.

The god of the sea probably noticed this problem, so he tried to cooperate with the people in the temple, that is, the noble officials of Hydrania, and use their power to put pressure on ordinary people, so that they would not only thank the gods for becoming believers, but also maintain this belief for the sake of survival.

Now it seems that we are about halfway to success.

When Bernard was thrown into the sea, a blow must be accompanied by a sweet date.

At this time, if the sea god came forward and sent Bernard back to the shore in violation of the rules of ocean currents, the faith of all believers present would undergo a qualitative leap, at least from level three to level four.

Because this is a "miracle" they have personally experienced, it happened around them, to their neighbors and friends, and not some illusory early tide breaking through the sea ice.

Bai Jinshu is now squatting on the side of Bernard's ship, just to see if he can catch sight of this sea god.

He didn't want to confront Him now, but there wouldn't be any problem in making preparations in advance. While He was out rescuing people and finding the way to the Sea God's house, wouldn't it be convenient for Huai Jiamu to go to the other side silently and take His place?

But surprisingly, he and Huai Jiamu stayed on the boat for about two or three hours, but did not see any trace of the sea god.

"He won't not come, will he?" Bai Jinshu felt that he could not wait any longer. "Could it be that there were too many people released today and the Sea God couldn't catch them all?"

Could it be that his speculation was wrong, and this was not a good-cop and bad-cop play agreed upon by the sea god and the nobles, but was purely an impromptu performance by the nobles?

"I don't think he's available," Huai Jiamu, who was actually worshipped, thought for a moment, "Hydrania should be holding celebrations all over the country today. If I were him, I would probably appear at the most important one."

There is a high probability that Poseidon is still attending the festival in the capital.

"Then why is the crown prince here?" Bai Jinshu muttered. He didn't really want to ask Huai Jiamu why, but was just asking and answering himself to vent his frustration at having waited too long. "Is it because Silver Tear Beach is the first island to be reached by the tide?"

This is actually quite reasonable, because of the special geographical location, the royal family was sent to hold the festival. It is also because of his special status that he had the illusion that this festival was very important, and mistakenly believed that the sea god and the nobles had discussed and planned to do this.

Since it was not an agreed upon plan, Bernard must have been unlucky and got caught in the crossfire, becoming an example to others.

"That's good now," Bai Jinshu curled his lips speechlessly, "If the Sea God doesn't save us, then we have to do it."

After all, he and Huai Jiamu were going to occupy the magpie's nest, and it would not be good for them to let the believers hate the sea god and all the people in it. In the short term, they and the sea god were actually a community of interests.

As soon as he finished speaking, he saw Huai Jiamu next to him stand up.

"Hey?" Bai Jinshu was stunned for a moment, then grabbed him and asked, "Where are you going?"

Huai Jiamu tapped Bernard with his chin: "Didn't you say you wanted to save him?"

Bai Jinshu held his forehead with his hand. Although he wanted to save her, Huai Jiamu was too much of a man of action...

"Of course we have to save him, but..." He shook his head and pointed his finger at the sky, "Not now."

Saving people also requires timing. If there is no opportunity, create one yourself.

"clatter."

A snap of fingers.

"In this place, there will be sudden rain." said the god.

*

Bernard now felt like a dying fish.

Not knowing how long he had been exiled to this sea, he went from being confused at first to panic, and then to struggling and seeking help everywhere.

At first he asked his relatives and friends for help.

The water flow near Silver Tear Beach is very stable with little turbulence. For someone like him who is released to drift freely on the sea, an old fisherman who is familiar with the surrounding waterways can quickly row a boat over to pick him up.

But no, no one in Northrend dared to secretly rescue people under the pressure of the noble lord.

Then he began to try to save himself.

Although he was not very familiar with the waterways, he was still a fisherman's child. As long as he was given the opportunity to control the direction of the boat, with some basic knowledge, he would definitely be able to find the way back.

But no, his limbs were tied tightly together. Bernard struggled for a long time, but it was of no use except making the boat swing more violently and accidentally spilling some water in.

Then he could only try to seek some more ethereal help, and he began to pray to the Goddess of Light.

The Goddess of Radiance is also known as the "Sun" in the countries that believe in her. She is a warm and kind god. Every three days of the lunar calendar, countless believers will gather in the Hall of Radiance to pray. The goddess will respond to these devout believers and fulfill their prayers.

Bernard began to try to pray to the goddess to save him.

But no, he repeated the name thousands of times in his heart, and all that echoed in his ears was the sound of endless waves.

Finally, Bernard fell into a desperate panic and began to believe in the god of tides and the sea.

He is the son of a fisherman and is very clear about his situation. Now his hands and feet are tied together. There is no need to think about how long he can survive without food or water. As long as a slightly bigger wave comes and overturns the boat, he will have no choice but to wait for death.

He tried to recall in his mind what the priest had said at today's ceremony. Bernard hated himself especially for not listening to him carefully a few hours ago, but looking up with everyone else with great interest.

He barely managed to find some prayers that could express respect and supplication, not caring whether it was a prayer to the God of Tides and Fertility or the format of the Goddess of Light. In any case, he first praised the other party in his heart in an exaggerated manner, hoping that the power of God would appear in the next moment and send him back home.

But no, the storm remains.

The world in front of his eyes gradually changed from bright to dark, and then the air began to become sticky, humid, and had a strange fishy smell.

It's going to rain heavily.

The birds flying low in the sky had disappeared one after another. It was unclear whether it was because they had returned home or because Bernard had drifted to a place where even seabirds would not go. But without the only living thing in sight, the dark clouds became alive.

It seemed to move in Bernard's field of vision, pressing down every moment, with a majestic momentum that seemed as if it would fall at the next second, pressing him irrevocably into the water and burying him in the waves.

Then……

Without any warning, the rain suddenly fell from the sky. Without any prior notice, the raindrops covered our heads like thunder.

It is difficult for those who have not experienced heavy rain on their faces to understand this feeling.

My mouth and nose were covered by the dense rain. I was clearly on the boat, but it felt like I had fallen into the water. Every alveolus was longing for air, but only continuous raindrops poured into my trachea.

In a trance, Bernard couldn't even tell whether he was on the boat or had fallen into the water. His head was dizzy and all his thoughts disappeared under the strong desire to survive. His mind was filled with the desire to live.

Most people don’t realize how much they want to live until they are really about to die.

Bernard struggled violently in the torrential rain. He couldn't tell whether he was above water or below water. He just felt that he couldn't open his eyes or mouth. All his limbs were sealed, leaving only his brain which was still clear and struggling to survive.

The next second, a huge wave came and hit him.

Bernard was choked by the huge wave and felt dizzy. He had a headache and a splitting brain. He saw a white light in front of his eyes and almost thought he was going to die.

The huge waves filled the entire boat with water. In fact, even if there were no huge waves, it was inevitable that the boat would be filled with water at this rate of rain. The huge waves only accelerated the process.

The boat would capsize if it was filled with water. Bernard didn't care about anything else at this time. He shook his body left and right frantically, trying to shake off as much water as possible. This was how he managed to earn himself a little room to breathe.

The ropes soaked in sea water became even rougher and tougher. They were tied to Bernard's limbs. Every movement would pull on his already worn and torn skin, and the salt in the sea water made the wounds painful.

But compared with the fear of death, this slight pain is nothing.

His brain had completely shut down at this point, and the only thing that was working was to stay alive.

Live, live, live...and, Poseidon.

Poseidon seems to be the only straw that Bernard, who is currently helpless, can grasp.

He prayed madly, expressed his humility madly, denounced himself as an ungrateful fool a few hours ago, confessed countless times, and made countless promises.

Even Bernard himself didn't know what he was saying. He only knew that under such circumstances, human power had reached its limit. If he wanted to survive, he could only rely on other things.

A kind of piety born out of the desire to survive and instinctive faith began to erupt in his heart.

It was at this moment that a huge wave overturned the boat, and Bernard finally fell into the ocean current.

A second before he fell into the ocean current, he seemed to hear a crisp sound like a snap of fingers.

"clatter."

The next moment he sank to the bottom of the water, suddenly, a warm current lifted him up from the bottom of the water.

His head popped out of the water.

Everything that happened a few seconds ago seemed like a dream. The young man from the small town was now floating on the water, staring blankly into the distance.

The rain has stopped.

In the few seconds it took him to hit the water, the rain stopped.

The sea was calm and peaceful in the vast and boundless sky, water and clouds. Everything that had just happened seemed like a dream to him. The calm sea surface was illusory and strange.

Then, like the glaze of porcelain being shocked, a brilliant hole suddenly appeared in the vast dome. The light shone through the glaze and hit the water surface, making the water ripple and sparkle with golden light.

Everything seemed to be in a trance-like peace and silence.

In this peace and silence, Bernard also fell into a quiet trance.

After a long while, he slowly exhaled.

Is this divine power?

【Author’s words】

Today is Children's Day, I wish all the adults and children a happy Children's Day! [pat head]