Chapter 19 Fate and Belief
What do you think fate is?
Aroha turned his back to them and asked a question that silenced both the Desperate Ones and Dionysus.
After much despair, the man finally said, "It is the nature of the world that determines our identities. Gods, monsters, humans, livestock, and even plants all have life, but they are born different."
"Gods are high above and control everything; monsters are free and play everywhere; humans each have their own mission, which vary greatly; livestock are ignorant and uncivilized, and plants have life but no consciousness."
From his words, Araha sensed a vague dissatisfaction with the gods, envy of the monsters, indifference towards livestock and plants, and above all, a feeling of being too different from other humans.
Arahasa did not answer this question, but instead looked at Dionysus.
The god of wine from Olympus took a sip of his wine before saying, "I think destiny is just a possible trajectory of the future."
Whether this future trajectory will come true depends on a combination of external and internal factors, such as whether there is a divine force at work, whether someone is instigating it, and whether one has such a belief in one's own heart.
"When everything comes together, the destiny ordained by God may truly come true."
As a deity prophesied by the three Fates of another world to have the destiny of a god-king, Dionysus had pondered this question long ago.
After joining the "Putta" school, and combining his understanding with the teachings of Arahu, he ultimately arrived at this conclusion.
After they both finished speaking, Aroha laughed and said, "You two have perhaps both spoken about one aspect of fate: one's innate identity and one's choices after birth."
He couldn't use the prophecy from his past life to break down the word "fate" into two parts: "destiny" and "fortune." He could only simply describe it as his innate identity and the choices he made later in life.
Fate is an extremely powerful authority.
In any world, the deity who holds the reins of destiny may not be the strongest, but they are certainly someone that no god would dare to offend easily.
Arhat can only speak in general terms; he cannot truly express the essence of such powerful authority in just a few words.
Let alone him, even the sun god Ra probably couldn't know everything about fate.
Otherwise, Egypt wouldn't be such a "disaster-ridden" place.
"Moses' fate was predetermined, but he also made that choice himself."
Aroha did not reveal Moses' fate, but they would know when Moses reappeared.
However, when that time comes, the whole of Egypt will likely undergo a major upheaval.
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On the other hand, after Moses killed a soldier who was bullying a Hebrew, he was accused of being the murderer by the Hebrews he had helped.
He knew he was also a Hebrew and had received the relevant education from childhood. He was saddened by the "ingratitude" of his fellow people.
This adopted son of the pharaoh's princess, who was known as one of the four disciples of the "Ptah" school and was always welcomed by all the temple priests, felt ashamed and guilty.
Unwilling to meet with his fellow Botswana followers, he left behind a note written on papyrus and fled Memphis.
Moses wandered in the wilderness for an unknown amount of time, seemingly leaving behind the world of the Egyptians and arriving in a strange land called "Midian".
Not long after he arrived in Midian, while resting by a well, he saw the seven daughters of Jethro, the priest, coming out to fetch water for their sheep.
Other shepherds came over and tried to drive them away, but Moses intervened and helped the priest's daughters drink from the sheep.
When Jethro learned of this, he invited Moses to live with them and gave him one of their daughters, Zipporah, as his wife.
He began to change. This "god-lover," who was once known for his eloquence in the "Ptah" school and often left his fellow scholars and priests of various temples speechless and unable to respond, began to fall silent.
He worked hard, herded sheep, and wandered the wilderness. From time to time, he would encounter a mysterious girl named Sariel who would teach him the power of faith.
This was a special power, originating from the mind. Although it could not make his body strong, nor could it rival the power of the gods that Ammon and others longed for, it made Moses very satisfied.
Soon, Moses also had children. He lived in this "pure land," as if he had forgotten the past and lived there peacefully, year after year.
However, the "Ptah" school did not undergo significant changes after Moses' departure.
The idea he spread within his school of thought, that the original essence was a deity, became even more popular after his passing.
This was not Arakha's intention, but he did not stop it.
This world is ultimately a world where gods walk on the earth. Placing one's hopes on gods is undoubtedly the choice most people would make. Forcible intervention will simply be ineffective.
With priests from various temples also actively promoting this idea, it's no surprise that it spread rapidly.
Even the priests of the Temple of the Sun God came several times to persuade Alaka to admit that his original essence was the sun god Ra.
Of course, Araha refused.
His refusal made the "Putta" school realize that even if the original essence was indeed a deity, it should not be the sun god, but something above the sun god.
Disciples kept asking Araha to give this original essence a more convenient name.
Of course, Arahastra has a name, which is—the Way.
However, he did not spread the word.
The Tao that can be spoken of is not the eternal Tao.
He was certain that the day before he uttered the word "Tao," a deity named "Ta" would be known as the supreme god among these fanatical disciples.
The Arhat walks among humans to preach, not to spread faith like other deities.
Faith had no effect on the complete formation of his divine realm or his path to becoming a supreme god.
"Teacher, you look so much older!"
On this day, Dionysus, the god of wine, brought his newly brewed wine for Aramean to taste.
Only then did he notice that his teacher, who was originally a deity, was beginning to age, just like a mortal.
Previously, he hadn't paid much attention to the fact that he had just gone from a teenager to a middle-aged man, thinking that his teacher might find the image of a middle-aged man more authoritative.
But now, he could clearly see that Aroha's temples had turned white.
Aroh tasted his newly brewed wine, praised it as always, and then sighed and said, "I hope that in the eyes of the world, Buta is just a mortal who has experienced the birth, aging, sickness and death that all mortals have."
Dionysus was puzzled, but he kept the matter firmly in mind.
Thirty years after Moses left, a hearty laugh echoed from the forest, some distance from where Aroha lived.
That laughter belonged to none other than Amon, whom his disciples called the "Seeker," but whom priests from all over the land called the "Blasphemer