The orange-red sun hung in a corner of the sky.
A brand new Standards Day has arrived.
Light and heat pierced through the thick atmosphere and shone on the shimmering surface of the methane sea.
The surrounding temperature began to rise slowly, and a little "mist" gradually rose from the sea.
A pale yellow creature, shaped much like the umbrella of a jellyfish, slowly emerged from the sea.
After briefly gazing up at the enormous fireball that radiated light and heat, it turned its attention to the "colossal object" hanging on the horizon that occupied half of the sky.
Since the dawn of their civilization, this “giant” has occupied a corner of the sky.
It was a huge, orange sphere.
There is a huge ring around the sphere.
Upon closer inspection, one can see concentric bands of varying shades of color on this giant sphere.
It floated on the sea, gazing at this "giant," and slowly swayed its elastic body with the surrounding waves.
This is a dance to express respect to the gods and to make supplications.
In their culture, this “giant” that has always hung high in the corner of the sky is the temple where the gods reside.
The dance lasted for a very long time.
The moment the dance ended, it hurriedly dived into the sea—although there was no danger to its life, the temperature of the sea surface still made it feel a bit bloated and uncomfortable.
Feeling the cool seawater around it and the gradually disappearing feeling of swelling, it couldn't help but breathe a sigh of relief.
The routine prayer services during each standard day and standard night are the times when unexpected events are most likely to occur.
Especially the prayer service on Standard Day.
Once the optimal time to surface is missed, there is a risk of death—it once saw a member of its kind whose body swelled up during prayer until it exploded.
Pale yellow bodily fluids and body debris were evenly distributed on the surface of the sea.
What a terrifying scene that was.
That's why.
Each time it is its turn to perform the routine prayer ceremony, it will rise to the surface in advance to avoid any accidents.
fine.
The person performing the prayer service on the next Standard Day will be different.
It muttered to itself as it swam deeper into the ocean.
...
It successfully reached the area where the tribe lived by passing through that not-so-wide passage.
A slightly larger member of its kind slowly floated towards it and asked it a question.
That was the chieftain of the tribe.
The question, without a doubt, was about the details of the prayer ceremony.
It vibrated its vocal organs, truthfully reporting to the patriarch what it had seen and heard during the prayer ceremony.
Halfway through the report, it suddenly hesitated.
There was a discovery that it didn't know whether it should be reported.
The chieftain urged it on.
Left with no other choice, it could only truthfully recount its discovery.
The temperature on this standard day seems to have risen a bit more than usual.
The moment the words left his mouth, the clan leader fell silent.
Not only the clan leader, but also the clansmen surrounding him fell silent.
After a long while, the clan chief finally responded.
Are you sure this isn't just your imagination?
Just as it was about to continue speaking, the tribesmen around it all voiced their agreement.
[It's probably true! I sensed something was wrong during my last routine prayer!]
Now that you mention it, I think I have a similar feeling...
Chieftain, I suggest we cancel the prayer ceremony on Standard Day and only retain the prayer on Standard Night...
[...]
For a moment, the ocean was filled with the squelching sounds of jellyfish.
Every sound made the clan leader's mood worse.
Be quiet, everyone!
The clan chief, somewhat annoyed, raised his voice to stop him.
It's just a feeling!
The prayer service must not be cancelled!
Have you forgotten the world-ending punishment brought down by the gods?!
The words fell.
The noisy "squeaking" sounds around us stopped abruptly.
Each member of the tribe experienced varying degrees of body shrinkage—a symbol of fear and horror.
The gods destroyed the world.
That was a major event recorded in the history of civilization.
In ancient times, the gods were angered because they lacked the necessary respect for the gods.
The gods left their temples, descended upon the world they inhabited, and launched a world-destroying operation that lasted for several standard days and nights.
The gods used high temperatures as weapons to kill more than 99% of life!
Although most of them were individuals who had not yet fully evolved and were of low intelligence, they still had a great impact on the development of civilization.
After the world ended, only highly intelligent jellyfish remained in the ocean.
The population size also plummeted to three thousand.
Since then, the jellyfish have begun to pray to the gods in an organized manner, asking for their forgiveness and protection.
You know what?
Since they began their daily prayer rituals, the gods residing in the temple have never again brought down the punishment of destruction.
Just as the jellyfish were immersed in fear and terror, a slightly larger jellyfish slowly swam over from a distance.
Chieftain, recently, the prayer rites on Standard Day have resulted in the deaths of three members of the tribe.
Upon hearing these words, the clan leader's expression immediately turned ugly.
Prayer is inherently dangerous.
However, the death of three members of the tribe in a short period of time is a mortality rate that is significantly higher than the normal level!
This is a bad sign.
Its body swayed slowly in the cold seawater, and its vocal organs emitted a low "gurgling" sound.
[Send the astrologer to me.]
It gave a command and then slowly swam towards the depths of the ocean, undulating its body.
...
Chieftain, you wanted to see me?
A small, slender jellyfish with some cracks on its surface swam slowly from a distance, accompanied by a melodious gurgling sound from the seawater.
Its original body was not like this.
Like other jellyfish, it originally had a full, smooth and elastic body.
but……
Prayer is a dangerous act.
Needless to say, stargazing.
It has faced the brink of destruction several times – its small size and numerous cracks are the best proof of that.
This is why the astrologer's status in the tribe is second only to the tribe chief.
The clan chief twisted his round body and went to greet the stargazer.
At the same time, it vibrated its vocal organs and recounted to the stargazer the unusual discovery its people had made during prayer.
He finished speaking.
The stargazer fell silent, his thin, withered body hovering motionless in the seawater.
Time slips away, bit by bit.
When the clan leader was getting impatient, the Star Gazer finally vibrated its vocal organs again.
The gods... will once again unleash the punishment of world-destroying destruction.
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