Hearing Klein's question, Dunn glanced at the corridor outside the window leading to the 'Chaniss Gate', took out his pipe, filled it with tobacco and mint leaves, then brought it to his nose, took a deep sniff, and said with a slightly wavering voice:
"Only at home can I enjoy the wonderful mix of tobacco and mint leaves without restraint... Klein, do you know the creation myth?"
"Of course, when I was enlightened at the church's Sunday school, I learned words through 'Revelations of the Night', and both the 'Book of Wisdom' and 'Letters of Saints' chapters mention the creation myth." Klein slowed his speech while recalling the fragmented memories of the original owner, "The Creator awoke from chaos, broke the darkness, created the first light, and then completely merged into the universe, incarnating into all things. His body became the earth and stars; one of His eyes became the sun, the other became the Crimson Moon; part of His blood surged into the seas and rivers, nourishing and giving birth to life..."
Saying this, Klein unconsciously paused, partly because the subsequent memories were vague, and partly because this creation myth was somewhat similar to the Pangu creation myth of the great foodie nation...
People from different worlds have common ground in mythological imagination!
Seeing Klein encounter a 'difficulty', Dunn smiled and helped him add:
"His lungs evolved into elves; His heart evolved into giants; His liver evolved into treants; His head evolved into dragons; His kidneys evolved into feathered serpents; His hair evolved into phoenixes; His ears evolved into demon wolves; His mouth and teeth evolved into aberrations; His remaining bodily fluids evolved into sea monsters, the essence of which are nagas; His stomach, His small and large intestines, and the evil parts of His body evolved into demons, evil spirits, and various unknown evil existences. His spirit turned into the Eternal Blazing Sun, Storm Lord, and God of Knowledge and Wisdom..."
"Humans were born from His wisdom, and this is the first epoch, the Age of Chaos." Klein spoke the last sentence, feeling both amused and absurd.
As a keyboard folklorist, this was the first time he encountered a creation myth with such detailed 'arrangement', listing in granular detail which part of the Creator each named race evolved from.
It's really like sitting in a row and eating fruit...
And not only the scriptures of the Evernight Goddess say this, but the churches of Storm Lord and God of Steam and Machinery have similar descriptions, without elevating themselves or belittling other gods...
This either means the creation myth is a true fact, or it vaguely reveals that the major churches in prehistory, before the Fifth Epoch, after prolonged struggle and compromise, finally reached a consensus...
Thinking about this, Klein suddenly had another question, frowning slightly:
"I think there's something wrong here. Why did the Eternal Blazing Sun, Storm Lord, and God of Knowledge and Wisdom directly originate from the Creator's spirit, but the Goddess did not?"
In the prehistoric records of 'Revelations of the Night', the Evernight Goddess only awakened at the end of the Second Epoch, and together with gods like Storm Lord and Eternal Blazing Sun, sheltered and helped humans survive the Great Catastrophe, which is commonly known as the Third Epoch, the 'Age of Catastrophe'.
Mother Earth Goddess and God of War also appeared in the same period, and the 'God of Steam and Machinery', originally named 'God of Craftsmanship', was only born in the Fourth Epoch.
Thus, the hierarchy among the gods seemed self-evident.
Who is older and more orthodox is extremely clear!
This also caused some trouble among the followers of the Evernight Goddess.
Dunn Smith held his pipe with his other hand and asked instead of answering:
"Recite the full honorific name of the Goddess."
Klein felt as if he had stabbed himself, and racked his brains to recall:
"She is the Evernight Goddess, more noble than the stars, more ancient than eternity, and also the Crimson Lord, Mother of Secrets, Empress of Misfortune and Fear, Lord of Slumber and Silence."
Fortunately, Klein's mother was a devout follower of the Evernight Goddess; when she was alive, she would recite it every evening and at meals. Even though the original owner's memories had become fragments, they were not completely lost.
Dunn asked in a guiding tone: "What does Crimson Lord symbolize?"
"The Crimson Moon." As soon as Klein said this, he seemed to understand.
"And from which part of the Creator did the Crimson Moon evolve?" Dunn smiled and asked again.
"A single eye!" Klein exchanged a smile with the other.
This is not any less impressive than the Storm Lord formed from the Creator's spirit split into three!
As for the churches of Mother Earth Goddess and God of War, they should have similar claims. Only the 'birth' of the God of Steam and Machinery is too late to find a reason—their church was weak for over a thousand years until the invention of the steam engine, when they seized the initiative and truly stood alongside the others.
Dunn stroked his pipe and said:
"Humans were born from the Creator's wisdom, so they have intelligent and extraordinary minds but lack other magical abilities. However, from the creation myth, we can draw a simple and clear conclusion: all things originate from the same source."
"Originating from the same source..." Klein repeated the last few words.