Chapter 191: Miss Fortune? No, Sea Beast Priest!
On the other side, the Baju Temple.
Before the "battle" footage that Tam captured with BBC-style editing.
Although the atmosphere between the leaders and the Baru people was not tense, it was not very friendly either.
Illaoi insisted that Sarah and the others accept the soul test of the Snake Mother, otherwise there would be no discussion. Sarah wanted to mediate again, but Illaoi simply pretended to send them away behind closed doors.
“Is there no other way?” Sarah could only ask helplessly. “Illaoi, you obviously agree with Janna’s theory of movement. Although we are not believers in the same true God, we can definitely seek common ground while reserving differences and become companions in thought.”
"Why do you have to make it difficult for us and let us take our lives to participate in the trial?"
“Sarah.” Illaoi’s tone slowed down quietly. “It was not my idea to let Wind Leader participate in the Soul Trial. It was Nagakabouros’ will.”
"And my Lord has no hostility towards the Wind Leader—"
"The soul trial is not a challenge from Him, but a gift to you."
"A gift?" Sarah thought to herself.
Can it be considered a blessing to let people participate in a trial that could cost their lives?
"Of course." Illaoi nodded seriously.
Nagakabouros' soul trial, can anyone participate if they want?
Even among the Baru people, only those who are already noticed by the Snake Mother and can understand the true meaning of the movement are qualified to participate in the trial.
If you fail the trial, you will die. But if you succeed, the Snake Mother will give you corresponding rewards according to your performance.
Isn't this how Ornn gained such powerful divine power?
"Isn't this a gift?" She waved her casserole-sized fist and advised Sarah.
"Well... okay." Although Sarah was reluctant, she felt that what Ornn said made some sense.
In the eyes of the Baru people, the fact that the Wind Leader, as a pagan, was invited to participate in the Soul Trial was a rare display of kindness by Nagakabouros.
They should be grateful, why are they so repulsive?
Sarah realized that in the face of such a drastic conflict in cultural customs, if she did not adapt to the local customs and accept the test, then this cooperation might not be possible.
She could not gain the acceptance of the Baju people without taking a risk.
There’s no telling when the Windleader will be able to enter Bilgewater, and Gangplank...that bastard, will continue to do evil.
"If it can make that guy die a few days earlier... then I'm willing to give it a try!" Sarah gritted her teeth and made the decision.
"I accept the soul trial of the Snake Mother."
"But I have one condition - I am the only one who can take part in the trial. There is no need for all of us to take risks."
"I am their leader. If I can pass the test, it will be enough to prove that the leader can see through the true meaning of the movement and gain the approval of the Snake Mother, right?"
Hearing this, Ornn thought about it seriously.
Indeed, even among the Baru people, only a few can understand the true meaning.
Requiring all leaders to pass the trial is indeed too harsh.
“Okay…” Then Illaoi stroked the statue and murmured, as if communicating with God.
Then she said, "Sarah, the Lord grants your request."
"Please follow me to the altar - the trial will begin now."
"Yeah." Sarah mustered up her courage and nodded heavily.
Zack and the others looked at her with great concern, but no one stopped her in the end.
Because everyone knows the importance of this visit. Since the Baju people have made uncompromising demands, someone must take the risk for the sake of the ideal cause and collective interests.
Sarah was the military commander of the group and the highest-ranking leader in the group. It was only natural that she would go first when there was trouble.
And so, Sarah stood on the altar with Illaoi.
As Tam and Lina watched, Illaoi extracted Sarah's soul and summoned countless snake tentacles around the altar.
"Well... my soul..."
The feeling of having your soul sucked out by Illaoi can be said to be quite strange.
Sarah's consciousness is still in her body, and she can still control her body as if nothing had happened.
But she could clearly see that her soul had been pulled out of her body - the spiritual version of herself was less than ten meters in front of her.
The spirit and the body are connected only by an illusory soul thread.
Sarah could feel even more strangely that her soul had indeed been sucked out... Although her consciousness was still in the body, she always felt that "she" was actually outside the physical body, in the spirit body.
"It's about to begin." Illaoi kindly reminded.
Then in the next second, those thick and ferocious tentacles of the spirit slapped Sarah's soul and body mercilessly with overwhelming force.
Sarah couldn't control her soul that was extracted from her body at all; she could only control her body.
When she dangerously controlled her body to avoid the countless tentacles that fell like a meteor shower, and was about to breathe a sigh of relief...
Her soul remained where it was, but was still hit by the tentacle.
"Ah!" Sarah screamed in pain: "Damn it, bastard..."
"It turns out that when the soul is hit, the damage will also be reflected in the body!"
Her soul was unable to move, so she could only stand there and be beaten.
Then why are you still hiding?
"Souls cannot be controlled, and they cannot be avoided, but many people have been able to pass the trials before..." Sarah couldn't help but start thinking:
"Then this trial should be something that can be overcome by relying on willpower and perseverance, right?"
Soul Trial Soul Trial, as the name suggests... shouldn't this test be about willpower, mental strength, and the strength of the soul?
In this case, it seems that the correct solution is to just resist.
Sarah thought so.
So she simply lay down in front of the tentacles and stopped hiding.
"Come on! Isn't it just a test of willpower? Who's afraid of who?"
Sarah shouted to give herself courage.
She has been burdened with the blood feud of her parents since she was a child. She has fought and struggled in the dangerous world of pirates on her own, and has come to where she is today step by step as a girl.
Is her willpower weak? Of course not!
“I will never fall here!” Sarah resolutely stood in front of the tentacles coming towards her, allowing these thick and ferocious tentacles to bombard, entangle, and even pierce her seemingly weak and powerless body.
She is Miss Fortune, the Avenger, and the Leader. She will not lose!
And she did make it. But...
“Hey, Sarah!” Seeing Sarah standing there like a wooden stake, getting beaten, Illaoi couldn’t help but kindly remind her:
"My Lord's soul trial does not test your willpower, but your understanding of the true meaning of sports."
"So you have to exercise, exercise, understand?"
Sarah: “Uh…”
The examiner revealed his solution to the problem, and she finally understood:
Sports, and understanding of the true meaning of sports...this is the test question!
She shouldn't have stood there stupidly and taken the beating. Instead, she should have insisted on fighting Illaoi with her body while her soul was in pain from the whipping - move, move!
"Wait..." Sarah finally figured out the idea, but she was still stunned for some reason.
Seeing the tentacles about to ruthlessly hit her fragile body again, Ornn couldn't bear to watch any longer: "Hey, what are you doing? Move! Move, attack me!"
She passed on her problem-solving experience to Sarah.
It was because she endured the painful whipping of the snake mother's tentacles and insisted on fighting back during the movement that she finally gained the recognition of Nagakabouros and became a powerful sea beast priest.
Now the successful experience is here...
Sarah, please move!
"I'm not moving?" Sarah suddenly asked.
"Huh?" Illaoi was slightly stunned.
"I'm always exercising." Sarah said again, standing still.
The tentacles came towards her like a violent storm.
But she stood there quietly like an enlightened monk: "Since this trial is about sports, it is about your understanding of the true meaning of sports."
"Then how can you say that I am not exercising?"
Sarah closed her eyes and recalled the Leader's philosophy of movement:
Motion is the fundamental property of matter. There is no matter in the world that does not move.
Movement is absolute, while stillness is relative. Stillness is only a special state of movement.
Everything is in perpetual motion under any conditions.
"I am not moving relative to the ground, but what about relative to the sun in the sky? Just change the reference point, and 'stillness' will no longer exist. Everything changes, only movement is eternal."
"I am always in motion, and all matter is always in motion, without end."
As soon as these words came out...
Illaoi was silent, and so were the priests of the Baru.
Even the tentacles that were attacking Sarah suddenly stopped at this moment.
They are not moving. But they are also moving.
“You…” Illaoi murmured, “You… have understood the true meaning!”
Although Sarah seemed to be motionless, she really understood sports.
No one had ever tried to pass the trial in this way before.
Even Illaoi herself only paid attention to using the literal meaning of "movement" to answer the questions left by the Snake Mother.
There were quite a few people who stood up stupidly and seemed to give the same answer as Sarah.
But they don't understand the true meaning, it's just a wooden stake.
But Sarah really understood the truth.
“You passed, Sarah,” Illaoi sighed.
But Sarah didn't stop yet.
"I have only demonstrated my understanding of sports, but not the 'sports' I pursue." Sarah looked up at the spiritual tentacles that seemed to have consciousness, and said loudly with a serious expression:
"I am the leader, our ultimate goal is..."
The Baru priests were confused: "What is she doing?"
Sarah suddenly spoke to the air and emphasized her status as a leader.
why is that?
The Baju people were puzzled, but the sailors all realized something: "In our leader's theory of motion, human motion can be divided into six categories according to its form:"
"From simple to complex, they are, in order: mechanical movement, physical movement, chemical movement, vital movement, arcane movement, and social movement."
“Among them, social movement is the most complex, including the contradictory movement between productive forces and production relations, and the contradictory movement between the economic base and the superstructure.”
“And the movement that we leaders want to promote is this most complex social movement.”
"What we want to promote is nothing else but the development process of human society as a whole!"
The declarations of the leaders are the starting gun for this massive social movement.
By reciting the manifesto, Sarah was demonstrating the movement she stood for as a leader.
She was telling Nagakabouros that they, the leaders, not only understood the true meaning of the movement, but also put it into practice.
Their movement will be more violent and have more far-reaching impact than any social movement in human history!
"You really understand the truth." Sarah seemed to hear a voice in the dark.
The voice was ethereal and far-reaching, as if it came from the bottomless abyss, and also as if it came from the boundless universe:
"I recognize you—the truth."
“Take it, messenger of Janna. It is my gift to the Winds of Change.” As he spoke, the altar glowed with a faint green light.
The forest of tentacles that stood like giant trees collapsed one after another under the shining of this light.
The divine power that made up the spirit's tentacles dispersed into countless points of light, but did not dissipate.
They spun around Sarah rapidly like a whirlpool, and finally poured into Sarah's body like hundreds of rivers converging into the sea.
"The True One... This is the True One ritual!" The Baru priests were all shocked.
This kind of thing has never happened to a foreigner. This unique gift represents the Snake Mother's recognition of the Leader.
"The Snake Mother gave her divine power!"
