Fantasy Starting from the Stone Age - Chapter 143
Only Noblemtl
Episode 143. What to Believe
Religion has been important throughout Earth’s history, but it is even more important in this world.
Because this is a world where belief, will, and the memes themselves that are formed in this way have real influence.
Even in ancient times, it was normal for different ethnicities and races to have different religions.
And even at that time, the worship of figures such as superhumans and saints was higher than religious worship.
It’s hard to believe in a virtual religion when there’s a transcendent being right next to you who can fight thousands of people on his own and never age.
Totem Worship? The mechanism of the emergence of the water spirits through communication with animal spirits has been known for a long time.
With the absorption and extinction of the Bark tribe, the animal worship faith ended. In reality, there are no gods based on animal spirits.
In that sense, it could be said that the world’s religion at that time was in a transitional period from individual worship of superhumans to national religion.
Let’s take a look at the life of the Datang people and see for ourselves what kind of religious life they actually lead.
Here is a normal Daton. As is typical of Datons in this day and age, he is a mixed race Nono.
This Nono-Datun is born without any medals. This is because the infant mortality rate is still high in this era. This child is the lowest-ranking wise man. He cannot receive any medals until he completes the education of ‘Moz’, and after he completes the education of Moz, which is like kindergarten, he receives a 12th-grade medal. He receives a national certificate that says, ‘You are a Datangin.’
After this, if a woman gives birth to at least one child, or if a man brings enough donum to feed one child, this Daton receives an 11th-grade medal. It means ‘one person’s share.’ This is the minimum level of sports medals awarded in the Grand Festival.
If you can give birth to two children or raise two children, you can get a 10th-grade medal, meaning ‘You have increased the population of Datang.’ Or, if you go beyond kindergarten and receive ‘Mijit’ education, you can get another medal. In the Grand Festival, you are at the bottom.
In other words, ranks 10 to 12 are ‘medals that any Datang person can obtain as long as they are not handicapped.’ In other words, even a farmer from a remote village with no talents can obtain rank 10. The ‘Improvement’ medal is also of this level.
The knowledge of the lower class of the Datang is focused on practical aspects of living. Identifying edible plants and animals. Dealing with dangerous creatures. Basic exercise. A brief history and folklore of the world…
Nono-Datun, who can be said to be a representative of this lower class, has little affinity for magic, lives in the outskirts, and does not feel the need to continue his studies, so he lives his entire life as an ignorant farmer, doing only what he is told to do.
With little education and no wealth, this Nono-Datun cannot even think of going on a pilgrimage, and instead lives as a forest ranger in the village.
To the lower classes, the village’s ‘Dot’ is almost like a god. He is a spirit master with a 6th-grade medal. He is the one who judges the villagers according to the law.
Let alone ‘Dit’ who controls all the nearby villages by ordering the dots. ‘Dutan’ of this huge region who controls all of those Dit. And the Mainiruns that all the Mainiruns can’t even raise their heads against, and the Anraiers who are higher than the Mainiruns, the top of the Anraiers, Ol Chaun, is a very distant existence…
All they can see is the moon in the sky, and they pay their traditional respects to the moon in the sky: they kneel and spread their arms.
He wishes to see Olchaun at least once before he dies, and his wish comes true 30 years later. After meeting him in person, he praises him as a god-like being.
To him, the local officials sent by Ol Chaun are messengers of God, and Ol Chaun is God. Although there are bad local officials sometimes, the inspectors sent by God quickly hunt them down and kill them, so all of this is Ol Chaun’s grace.
Here is a Daton-Patchar hybrid. Born of Dator, not Shujor. A child of a pureblood Patchar from the south and a pureblood Daton from the north, they could not survive in the Holy Land, so they moved to a remote area.
They are different from the ignorant peasants who consider the likes of Detit as messengers of God. They have a different quality of education from the people of the countryside. They are born and just complete the education curriculum, and they can complete the education of Mojan (equivalent to high school) and receive a 9th-grade medal. If they work harder, they can receive the education of Mojun (equivalent to university) and receive a 7th-grade medal. They are just born and diligently complete the education curriculum.
They understand the structure of the country called Datang. They go beyond just doing their own thing and understand how what they do specifically affects the economy and structure of Datang.
Many of them are not satisfied with their own medals. This is because they are clearly aware of their ‘upper class’. After getting the 7th rank and proving their ability, they can finally reach the 6th rank. The minimum for obtaining the mystic.
They make pilgrimages to Datang and act as merchants, and when they settle down, they do not just need labor for agriculture, but also work as craftsmen who require skills, or use their knowledge to become wise men, or take exams to become local officials. In fact, even at this level, if you receive specialized training, you can do something like a village dot.
Their culture is theater, and they believe that all kinds of myths and legends of Datang that are handed down through theater are true. They are aware of the ‘crescent moon with its mouth open downward’ that created all things, the monster Hanjutamal that tries to swallow the moon, and the demons that are not Hanjutamal but are after the stars.
The worship of the Moon is close to the worship of a fervent national leader, and it praises the Moon, the pinnacle of mystery, the mystery of which knows no end.
Here are the Daton mixed bloods. They are almost 70% Daton, but they seem to have mixed bloods. Those born near the Holy Land, they are educated to the point of receiving a 7th grade medal without fail, and those who don’t even get a 7th grade medal are considered lower class.
And of course, they believe that they should have some mystery.
My dream is to come into contact with the mystery, enter the world of the great All Chaun, the Anlair beneath him, the Mainiran… … and become an immortal being by becoming the Mainiran.
If you are a ‘free spirit’ who falls behind here and doesn’t want to have any mystery, you are a rotten lower class person.
Even if the medal is actually 7th grade, it is pathetic that he does not aim for the top while possessing good qualities close to pure blood…
They acquire mysteries and take on traditional titles that give them their names. It is also essential to go on a pilgrimage and learn about the realities of the frontier.
And when the time comes, you will be able to obtain at least a ‘Death’ or 5th-grade medal, and if you go further and become a 4th-grade ‘Dutan’ or ‘Mojang’, there is nothing more you can wish for.
They clearly recognize All Chaun as a ‘political leader’. The mystery has been solved. They also know that many of the stories floating around Datang are hokki (jokes).
However, outwardly, they make a gesture of belief. It would not be good for the lower classes in the frontier to know about that great knowledge.
And sometimes, there are those who truly believe.
Or, among the many jokes, there are those who worship Ol Chaun, who is said to be 19,000 years old and a great being who created civilization since the time when people split stones, and who are considered ‘true’.
They are so highly educated that they believe in things they do not understand.
The mystery is that many things have been revealed, but we still don’t know what magic is, what memes are, what the mind is, where we came from and where we are going.
They believe in the great moon, which is believed to be the source of all things and the core of the self, and they accept and believe in their teachings even more, even though they can see Ol Chaun relatively often, and especially Manum Lapang, the manager of Mainilun, is seen even more often.
Think about what happens after death. What happens after those who do not achieve immortality… … .
Here are pureblooded Datons. Most of them are of All Chaun or Anraier blood. Even if they are not, there are some mixed bloods.
You can even play in Mainilun. Those who can withstand enough magical pressure will receive the best education in Datang, if not the best in the world, and will be raised strictly as Datang’s best workers.
And, like all the chauns, they are raised like Castle Laurent.
All Chaun and Castel Laurent had an idea that was almost beyond atheism, almost anti-theism. They believed that everything in the world can be explained, we just don’t know.
And All Chaun is great, but he is more choleric than you might think, and Castlor Laurent is too smart to even dare approach him.
In the end, the only ones who love them as their ‘mother’ are Manum Lapang and his direct descendants, Laphi. They are guaranteed to receive the best education of the ancient era and acquire powerful mysticism. They are at least 5th grade from the moment they are born.
Instead, the lack of love and self-understanding is filled with art, stories, and metaphysical debates.
Instead of explaining the world, Manum Lapang made them feel it. To them, Ol Chaun is the clear political leader, and Manum Lapang is… …their mother.
Actually, there are also those born to Manum Lapin. Compared to Castel Laurent, who is considered asexual when looking at historical records, Manum Lapin was a typical Daton and really enjoyed having children. She must have literally given birth to close to 10,000 children.
And Manum Lapang also loved parenting. She taught all the legends she had learned from Nononono Hakang as if she were telling stories to her own children.
“Wow! Our Daturn is really amazing!”
“Okay, everyone. Be Datons with great character so that you don’t become a burden to the great All Chaun.”
As a result, pure-blooded Datons grow up to be kind, family-loving people, and propagating the ideals that the All-Chows have cherished since their primitive days, just as their original racial characteristics had been.
This is a clear difference from others who developed violent tendencies after becoming mixed-race.
As a result, something strange happens.
Here is a purebred Daton. He’s not really a name, but everyone calls him All Chaun. He’s the oldest man in the world.
By the way, Ol Chaun is the only one in Datang who does not have any medals. The Anraiers wear their own fancy first-class medals. However, Ol Chaun does not have any medals.
Because a medal is something that a superior gives to a subordinate.
But, who is the superior of this person? It is not like he can give himself a medal.
So, unlike other Datuns, All Chaun does not wear a chest belt to display his medals, and he still carries out his duties with his lean, muscular upper body exposed and with a Datang Oram on his head.
“Hey. Lapang. What is this?”
“yes?”
“Why is this much money for temple construction included in this year’s budget?”
“I don’t know. Medakbo?”
“No, why are you looking at me? Seriously, I… … .”
While doing so, I look for materials to help me.
“’We wish to build temples in each major city, modeled after Mainilun, who worships the great moon.’”
All Chaun had no choice but to ask this.
“why?”
“Uh… … . I just want to build it.”
“No, you can just put up a crescent moon statue.”
“Yes, that’s true. But Dutan says he can’t ignore his citizens’ wishes and wants to build a temple. He asked if he could bring some Manirut and make it a little more grand.”
“Hmm. Well, it doesn’t matter, right? It’s good to have a temple because you can receive a lot of celestial magic.”
All Chaun thinks about it for a moment.
“Well. Yeah. Anyway, there are a lot of Manirut in the Holy Land. Let’s build it, and also use it as a tombstone to enshrine the people who were turned into jewel statues in the past.”
Even without the Main Nine Runs knowing, the Crescent Moon Church has already become the mainstream religion in Datang.
There is a ‘scripture’ that is circulating, which is a mixture of the laws of All Chaun, the love shown by Manum Lapang, celestial beliefs, and the story of Nononono Hakang.
They started making up their own rules and saying, ‘How can you become a Datun and go on a pilgrimage and not even worship the crescent moon?’
Even the whole world demands it.
“Oh, my! You have forgotten the example of the pilgrims who bow down to the crescent moon!”
“… … ? Is there something like that?”
“I heard that in our village, this has been a traditional central etiquette for decades?!”
“Uh… really? What… … . Well, I guess I’ll do it since I received a lot of help… … .”
And then, all of this Chaun acknowledges the crescent moon as a being ‘superior’ to himself.
The doctrine of the Crescent Moon is simple. Of the great celestial bodies in the sky, the closest one to the earth is the crescent moon. From the crescent moon, Datang and mankind were born. The rest abandoned the crescent moon and became barbarians, but we Datang people served the great moon and are thus great beings who have developed to this extent.
“So we have to make it so that even barbarians can live in the Tang!”
“No. All barbarians must be driven out of the Datang!”
There are detailed debates about the doctrine, but even among the intellectual class, there are those who think it is good to use it, or who sincerely believe in it and write scriptures indiscriminately.
“Why are the Raphis so arrogant these days?”
The influence of the priestly class, which had previously been merely an artistic class, also increased dramatically.
“All outsiders who insult our great Datang must be punished!”
“No. We must embrace them all and share our great blood with them to make them all mixed blood!”
“Why are our kids like this these days?!”
“Oh, my! Why don’t you keep the law of the moon? I’m disappointed!”
“?!”
All the chauns and minnies who don’t want to do anything and change anything are now being challenged by fanaticism.