His throat bone interrupted him, saying, "If a person has broken through the constraints of the physical body and achieved immortality..."
Saladin laughed and said, "That's impossible. Birth, aging, sickness, and death are the fate of mankind, and no living being can escape this law."
The throat bone emphasized: "I mean, assuming that the human body is no longer a constraint, lifespan is almost eternal."
Saladin stared at the throat bone for a long time before finally saying, "If that were truly the case, humans could not possibly become gods."
"Why?"
"The second reason is ability. Humans, who merely possess long lifespans, are more like passersby in the long river of history. Perhaps by chance, they can change a period of history, or even a world, but they can never change the truth or affect the laws governing the universe."
His throat bone interrupted him again: "Let's assume again, what if this person possessed the power to summon wind and rain and change nature?"
Saladin waved his hand and laughed, "Calling the wind and rain? Changing nature? Haha, do you know what you're saying? There's no need to discuss this at all."
His left hand gripped the rug tightly, and he raised his voice: "If a person possessed infinite life and extraordinary power, could he become a god?! Answer me!"
"You madman!" Elem cursed as he tried to rush forward to teach Throat a lesson, but Saladin stopped him.
"Unfortunately, my answer remains impossible."
Saladin's words angered the throatbone.
"Why?!"
"The last reason is spirit... Perhaps the word 'spirit' is not quite accurate; the word 'realm' might be better."
"realm?"
Saladin raised his right thumb and forefinger and pinched them together: "Deep in the Agul Desert, there is a kind of gray sand ant. They are very small, and one is not even as big as a grain of rice."
"What does this have to do with my question?" the man with the throat bone said impatiently.
"Let me finish," Saladin continued. "Every generation of the sand ants will produce a very small mutation that gives birth to a completely new species—the giant-mandled ant. This new ant can spray venom, is incredibly strong, and can even crush stones and churn up sand with its mandibles. All the other ants will obey the giant-mandled ant and worship it as a god of the entire nest."
The man in the throat fell silent, vaguely guessing the deeper meaning behind Saladin's words.
"After discovering this peculiar creature, the local nomads would specifically raise these ants in order to obtain the giant mandible ant."
Saladin continued, “Do you know why nomads want to get mandible ants? It’s because of a new form of gambling—ant fighting. The bookmaker sets the betting odds and payouts, the gamblers place their bets, the breeders select strong and aggressive mandible ants, put them together, let them fight and kill each other, and then watch to see which one survives.”
Saladin looked at the throat bone: "To the sand ants, the giant mandible ant is a god, but to gamblers, the so-called god is nothing more than a 'gambling tool'."
Adam's apple sat motionless, staring into the void, muttering something under its breath.
After a long while, the man with the throat bone suddenly stood up, placed his right hand on his heart, gave Saladin a standard disciple's salute, and then left the Hall of Truth without looking back.
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com