Paladin of the Dead God - Chapter 351
351. A Thirsty Dinner (1)
‘A fisherman obsessed with the fish below the water fails to see the reflection of light on the scales. In his arrogance, he dared to deceive the lighthouse keeper and blind his eyes. Thus, a sign was erected above the fisherman’s house so that he would never be able to take his eyes off the light again.’
The Salt Council has no scriptures.
Only oral traditions passed down from mouth to mouth and the experiences of survivors scattered across the world remain as partial records. To learn about the Salt Council before the Age of Light, one must eventually find records left in other faiths.
The above passage is Aidan’s record of ‘The End of Myrmidia’ in the scriptures of the Canon of Light. The fisherman is clearly a derogatory term for the Salt Council, and there is no need to mention who the lighthouse keeper is.
However, there were various opinions on what the ‘Fisherman’s House’ was. Most thought it was Myrmidia, but there were also opinions that it was a sea temple buried under the Salt Desert or a specific building.
But today, Aidan learned the identity of the ‘Fisherman’s House.’
“So this was the Fisherman’s House.”
Aidan muttered as he stroked the obelisk erected in front of the giant pyramid temple. The obelisk was inscribed with the words ‘Fisherman’s House’ in an ancient language that few could read today. The passage in the scriptures was not a metaphor but an accurate description.
“Why is it getting cooler the closer we get, Captain?”
Reina said in wonder.
Above their heads, the cursed sun blazed with a crimson light. However, the closer they got to the sun, the lower the temperature became. It was still hot, but it felt cool enough to make Reina feel cool, as if she had come from a very hot place.
“I don’t know the principle, but it seems that this place acts as a kind of lamp. There is some kind of divine power that supports the existence of that giant sun, and that power prevents the release of heat below.”
“Oh… that’s amazing. Then, if we could just knock over the lamp, couldn’t we drop it in the direction of our enemies?!”
“…I would appreciate it if you would respect the divine and the relics a little more, Lady Reina Hild. And I don’t want to imagine what kind of disaster will happen if that sun hits the ground.”
Aidan did not want another disaster like the Salt Desert to occur in another region. Aidan suppressed his excitement as an archaeologist and carefully stepped towards the temple that had been closed for a thousand years.
The pyramid temple had a huge stone gate, but it was firmly shut. It was a common feature of such authoritative buildings, with the gate opening only for special events. Usually, there is a small gate next to such gates through which ordinary people can enter and leave.
Just before Aidan grabbed the door ring, Reina suddenly grabbed his hand. She stared down at the door ring with a grim look, then gently pushed Aidan with her arm and slowly pushed the door open with the tip of her sword. But nothing happened.
Aidan looked at her in silence for a moment.
“This is a temple, not a dungeon. There won’t be any traps set up. Especially not in the entrance.”
“Yes? Oh, of course I know that. It’s just that there are recent traces of someone entering this door. His Majesty Edelred told us not to enter the temple, so there shouldn’t be anyone who has touched it.”
“Traces of someone entering?”
“There is no dust on the door ring. It’s not like that in other houses. If there were even footprints, it would be like that, but there’s nothing like that. It means that someone has gone in secretly and erased their tracks. In my experience, this is 100% an ambush.”
Aidan was surprised but puzzled.
Who else besides them would be staying in the ruins that had been abandoned for a thousand years?
Reina quietly pushed the door open with her sword and slowly looked around. After a while, she confirmed that there was nothing unusual in the area and motioned to Aidan again.
“There’s no one here. But it’s better to be careful. The Templar advised us that there might be someone else in this city besides us.”
“Isn’t that a monster story?”
“Intelligent monsters are more dangerous. Just like humans are dangerous.”
***
“ThehighpriestoftheSaltParliament?”ThemomenttheSaltParliamenttookthename“parliament,”theconcept“priest”disappearedfromthem.Theirpriestsarecaptains,andtheparliamentisanequalplacewherethecaptainsgathertocoordinateopinions.Itwasthemethodtheyadoptedtochosethebestdirectionafterbeingcutfromthegod.
Korean
English
“ air bladder have ruler…… therefore salt parliamentary high priesthood have Sadraja is It means.”
that in words Rainado surprised I have no choice but to There wasn’t.
– air bladder(bureu):Flute
– salt Parliament(sogeum uihoe):Salt Parliament
– sadraja(sadeuraja):Sadraza
AidanandReinaencounteranentitycallinghimself’Sadraza’,thehighpriestoftheSaltParliament,inthe’HouseoftheFisherman’pyramid.Sadrazaclaimsthatheexistedathird millennium ago and has been living hidden in the pyramid since the Cataclysm. Isaac and the other Knights of Elyria arrive and attempt to communicate with Sadraza, but he refuses to show himself. Isaac has the others stand back, and is surprised when Sadraza reveals himself as a form of crimson tentacles. It is unclear whether Sadraza is an avatar of the Nameless Chaos or if he has been corrupted by the influence of the Salt Parliament.
Whetheritwasduetotheingeniouswaythe“HouseoftheFisherman”attractedthesunlightfromoutside,theinteriorwasbrightwithsunlightandreflectedlightthatseemedtoinfiltratefromsomewhere.Butperhapsonlythelightswerestillfunctioning,astheriverbedsthatwouldhaveoncecarriedcountlessstreams of water, the tiered water channels, and the large torches were all empty, devoid of anything.
Reinaappearedtoanticipatebattleswithmonstersandtrapsinthisruinedtemple,butnothingofthesortwashappening.Thetempletrulyseemedtoserveitsroleasatemple.
Thatmeantthatitwassimplyalargespacetoaccommodatelargegroupsofpeople,withdecentdecorationsandlong,highcorridorsforboastingauthority.
“Hmm,somehowIthinkitwouldbemorefunsearchingforspoons.”
“Canyouevensaythatwhilelookingatthismagnificentscenery?”
Aidanaskedeagerly.However,Aidanhadbeenthinkingsimilarly.
Usually,insuchtemples,therewouldbetapestriesorcarvingsdepictingtheconnectionbetweenGodandman,orsculpturesofangels.However,thistemplewasfartooblandandbare.
Aidan decided to make an excuse for his faith.
“Perhaps the ‘true temple’ is in the underwater temple, and this place was just a temporary sanctuary. The underwater temple is a place that not just anyone can visit, so for the common people……”
“Captain, look over there.”
Justthen,Reina,whohadnotbeenlisteningtoAidanatall,pointedsomewhere.Beneathalarge,emptyspace,anothersmallpyramidwaserected.Ofcourse,itsmallcomparedtotheHouseoftheFisherman,but it was still the size of a large mansion.
“I was wondering how we missed such a large building, but only that place is blocked from the sunlight. It blends in perfectly with the other darkness, so it’s hard to see.”
EvenReina was surprised by the ingenuity of the ruins.
Aidan’s heart pounded when he saw it. He didn’t know why, but he had a strong feeling that something he had been expecting was there.
Reina must have felt something similar, as she headed straight for the black pyramid without hesitation. And as they got closer to it, they smelled an increasingly unpleasant odor.
“Is this…… the smell of fish?”
Reinaasked,disgusted.Itisnotunusualforports tosmelloffish,butconsideringthatthisporthad dried up a thousand years ago, it was bizarre. Reina seemed to sense that something was amiss this time, and she approached the black pyramid with a sharp aura.
There was a black door on the black pyramid, its outline barely discernible. Only a small golden door knocker indicated that it was a door.
“There’s no dust on this door either.”
Reina whispered. When she pushed the door with the tip of her sword, it began to open slowly. At the same time, the unpleasant odor became even worse.
At that moment, there was a strong resistance at the tip of the sword. Reina immediately pushed Aidan back and kicked the door open with her foot.
Bang. There was a sound of something hitting and rolling. Reina was about to rush in, but stopped when she realized that the interior was pitch black, devoid of even light.
“Who’s inside!”
“…….”
A shallow moan and something that sounded like a human voice came from inside. Reina was about to kick it open once more, but Aidan grabbed her by the waist and stopped her.
“Wait! Calm down for a moment and let’s talk. Lady Reina! Isn’t this a reasonable opponent!”
Reina frowned for a moment, but then remembered that her mission was not to kill anyone, but to guard Aidan, who was doing archaeological research. She couldn’t just kill him because he was suspicious.
This time, Aidan asked politely.
“Who are you?”
Only then did a barely audible voice come through.
“……Aedric……Sadraza.”
Reina asked impatiently as Aidan looked surprised.
“What does that mean?”
“The one with the flute…… In other words, Sadraza, who holds the high priesthood of the Salt Parliament.”
Reina couldn’t help but be surprised at those words.
A high priest of the Salt Council? Since the Salt Council adopted the name “Council,” the concept of “priest” disappeared among them. Their priests are captains, and the council is an equal place where those captains gather to coordinate their opinions. It was the method they adopted to choose the best direction after being disconnected from God.
In other words, this Sadraza was a being who held a position in the Salt Council a thousand years ago.
***
Aidan didn’t do anything foolish because of his curiosity. He immediately returned to Isaac with Reina and informed him of the existence of ‘Sadraza’ that they had discovered in the pyramid of ‘Fisherman’s House.’
Isaac also arrived in front of the black pyramid as soon as he heard.
Lianna and Sidric, who had been mobilized just in case, were by his side.
Aidan’s expression became a little nervous at the sight.
“I think it’s a bit too much….”
“Don’t be fooled by the sweet words of a high priest of the Salt Council, Aidan.”
“That’s not it. I’m wondering if that being is really that much of a threat. Sir, the Holy Knight. To be honest, based on what I’ve seen, I don’t think I or even Reina could win against it….”
There were countermeasures that Aidan had prepared around the entrance of the black pyramid. The few remaining defensive prohibitions of the Salt Council, as well as sealing rituals, were drawn with salt.
Isaac could clearly feel a strong power in the white salt that seemed to have been brought from the salt desert. It was clear that few wicked beings would be able to penetrate it. It meant that Aidan didn’t completely trust the being called Sadraza.
“I heard he can talk. What does he say?”
“Well… like the Drowned King, he speaks in such a strong, old dialect that it’s hard to understand. But roughly interpreted, he says he’s the high priest ‘Sadraza’ and that he’s been hiding here ever since the disaster. He seemed very surprised when I said it had been a thousand years.”
“How did he stay alive?”
“Well… he says he doesn’t know himself. He said that while hiding in this pyramid to avoid the curse that befell the city, he spent an indescribable amount of time and his body gradually changed.”
If he really was a being from a thousand years ago, it was highly likely that the Salt Council’s compulsion ‘not to lie’ wouldn’t apply to him. That was because it was like a trauma that had been accumulated over centuries of tradition and history.
Isaac fell into thought.
No matter how much he searched his memory, there was no being called ‘Sadraza’ in the Salt Council. It meant that he was either hiding his real name or that he had been hiding in the game as well.
Either way, he didn’t seem to be a figure who would influence the greater trend.
Isaac nodded and spoke toward the inside of the black pyramid.
“I am Isaac Isacredea. Are you Sadraza? Why have you been hiding in this temple?”
Proficient old language that only Isaac could speak flowed out. Only Aidan, who had already had the experience because of the Drowned King, wasn’t surprised as a voice flowed out from inside the black pyramid.
“Isaac.”
It was a voice that seemed to savor and reminisce over the name.
“Nice to meet you. I’m just….”
“Wait.”
Isaac stopped his reply.
“I don’t talk to those who don’t show their faces. Reveal yourself.”
“….”
Sadraza was silent for a moment before speaking carefully.
“Can you have the others besides Aidan step back? The ones beside you seem violent, and I’m afraid they’ll swing their swords as soon as they see me.”
Isaac thought that the elite Sword Masters and Knights of Elysium, not to mention the conscripts, wouldn’t do such a thing, but he nodded for now.
In reality, the momentum felt from Sadraza was extremely weak. It wasn’t an exaggeration to say that Aidan alone would be able to handle him.
As the Knights of Elysium stepped back a good distance, the door slowly opened.
Aidan gasped at the figure that soon came out the door.
It was a tentacle. Crimson tentacles squirmed and slowly began to reveal themselves outside the sunlight. Isaac couldn’t help but stiffen as each of those forms revealed themselves.
The moment he saw Sadraza, who had come out from inside the black pyramid, the first thought that came to Isaac’s mind was that it looked like a 3-meter-tall octopus poorly imitating a human.
However, at the same time, Isaac also began to feel the same bewilderment that the believers of the Salt Council had felt.
It was impossible to tell whether those tentacles had been influenced by the Nameless Chaos or by the Salt Council.