Chapter 65

The old man studied hard in the mage tower for three days, then quietly slipped away, clutching the materials given to him by Great. After nearly half a month, he appeared again to test Great, and after confirming that he had passed, he dragged him out by the collar.

"Hey, hey, hey—where are we going?" Great struggled as they walked: "It's almost dark!"

"Cult gathering!" The old man loosened his grip, no longer dragging him by the collar, and instead supported him under the armpit. Great was almost lifted off the ground, his feet not touching the earth as he moved forward, while the old man scolded him:

"The cult has a monthly gathering, always on the first day of the new moon. Did you memorize the booklet I gave you?—Today is the new moon, I'm taking you to meet them. In the future, we can help each other when needed!"

The gathering place of the Cult of the Nature God was usually on a hill that was neither too high nor too low. Great was led by Elder Elwin, and they hurried until the sunset and the new moon rose, when he finally said: "We're here!"

He let go, and Great sank down, his feet touching the ground. Looking around, he found himself on a hillside, surrounded by tall and short oak trees. The returning birds called out, their species unknown, and the ground was covered with deep fallen leaves and fine grass, looking as if no one had been there for hundreds of years...

"Hey!" Great panicked: "Where are we? There's not even a path here!"

"To the top of the hill! You walk yourself!" Elder Elwin had already started climbing, his movements agile, not even needing his oak staff. Great had no choice but to stumble after him, his steps uneven. In the midst of this, he cast a few Light Dance spells to illuminate the path, finally managing to climb to the top.

At the top of the hill, a large circle of stones about half a person's height formed a circle with a diameter of about ten meters. Inside the circle, a bonfire was lit, and a dozen or so men and women in flowing robes, holding oak staffs, stood outside the circle. Seeing Great panting and following the elder, everyone was curious and attentive.

However, Elder Elwin did not introduce Great. He placed him at one end of the circle and strode inside. In the firelight, the elder's white beard fluttered, and he planted his wooden staff on the ground with a heavy thud:

"Today, we gather here to worship the great Nature God..."

"Praise our God..." In response to the elder's voice, everyone bowed their heads solemnly and prayed in unison:

"You are the protector of nature, the guardian of forests and animals... You grant life to all things, and abundance to the world..."

Great had at least memorized these prayers. Although he did not have an oak staff, he bowed his head like the others and mumbled the prayers. He recited them with a semblance of sincerity, though he occasionally stumbled, he did not give himself away.

During the prayer, he glanced around. The closer people were to him, the younger they were, and the fewer green leaves were embroidered on their robes; the farther away they were, the older they were, and the more green leaves, from three to four, and even up to five, were on their robes.

Oh, so I'm the youngest... Great bowed his head, reciting the prayers absentmindedly, and looked at his own robe.

...I left in a hurry today and didn't even have time to change clothes, still wearing my mage robe.

Great.

Not only the youngest, but maybe also a Husky in a pack of wolves...

He was lost in thought when the prayers ended, and the crowd had quieted down. Elder Elwin raised his oak staff and pointed it at Great, a green light falling on him.

"Today, our cult has a new brother. He is Great Nordmark, son of Fred, a mage apprentice, and the teacher of a new healing method. The diagrams I brought you half a month ago were his work."

"What?"

"It's him!"

"Such a little guy!"

The crowd was in an uproar. Men and women asked questions in a cacophony, and a tall, muscular man rushed over, spittle flying as he almost sprayed Great's face:

"Hello, I'm Evan!—How does the blood return to the veins after it leaves the arteries?"

His rush was so startling that Great dodged to the left, almost colliding with a red-haired beauty. She was tall and athletic, with three red marks on her cheek that looked like makeup or tattoos, mysterious and sexy. Seeing Great stagger over, she caught him with a smile, and Great felt a gust of fragrance hit his face:

"Hello, I'm Joanna~~~ Handsome young man, you said we think with our brains, not our hearts? But... when I'm sad... my heart really hurts..."

To strengthen her argument, she raised her hand and pressed it hard on her chest. Her prominent chest sank and then bounced back, and the five or six men around her stared with wide eyes, swallowing hard.

Unfortunately, the experienced emergency doctor had no reaction. Great just glanced at her and turned his gaze away, thinking quickly.

Sad? Chest pain? Looking at your lively appearance and perfect body proportions, you don't seem to have high cholesterol or a heart attack. As long as there's no organic disease or broken heart syndrome, a little pain isn't a big problem...

And compared to the beauty, there were more pressing issues...

"Hello, I'm Anthony!—Why do you say that thoughts are transmitted by nerves? If I'm asleep, why does my heart still beat?"

"I'm William!—Little Great, how do we practice setting bones?"

A dozen healers, with questions accumulated over half a month, rushed over like a flood. Great clutched his head and darted behind Elder Elwin in a few steps. The people still glared, and a few who rushed forward looked like they wanted to eat Great.

The elder could only block the front, not the back. Helpless, he thumped his staff again and said loudly:

"Stop! One at a time!—Great, you go first!"

Pausing for a moment, Great took the opportunity to dart out of the crowd in a few steps and climbed onto a rock, shouting:

"How do you practice setting bones?... Practice on animals! Sheep! Dogs! Rabbits! They all work!"

"There aren't that many injured animals!"

"—Why don't you break them yourself!"

Great answered matter-of-factly. The dozen servants of the Nature God fell silent, and Elder Elwin's oak staff sank deep into the earth.

For a moment, there was only the sound of heavy breathing and the rustling of the wind through the oak treetops. After a while, the sexy beauty who had asked the question earlier called out:

"Harming innocent animals?... But, doing so goes against our beliefs!"

What?

Beliefs?

What are your beliefs?

Didn't we agree to worship the Nature God? It's not like we're Buddhists who forbid killing, so why can't we do animal experiments?

Can we not even dissect corpses?

If we can't do this or that, how can we gain surgical proficiency?

Did I choose the wrong affiliation? Would it have been better to join the Temple of the War God...

Great Nordmark, the natural god priest apprentice who snuck in, who memorized the doctrines by rote, was completely baffled...