Chapter 36 Sun God?
After subduing the Bonecrusher Tribe, Brian looked down at William's lifelike corpse, his gaze flickering slightly.
He thought for a moment, then turned to Tancred beside him and said, "Come with me."
Since becoming the second-in-command, ruling over more than forty Ogres under Brian, Tancred's excitement was palpable. Realizing that all this was granted by Brian, he spoke with reverence, "Yes, Master."
The Bonecrusher Tribe's buildings were mostly stone houses that were haphazardly scattered in a bowl-shaped basin.
The biting Cold Wind of the far northern Ice Field was blocked by the basin's barrier, making the temperature here somewhat more comfortable. It was a decent place to settle for most creatures.
As Brian inspected the conditions of the Bonecrusher Tribe, he walked towards William's house.
Having scouted the enemy's position earlier, he knew where William's residence was. In a minute or two, he arrived at a twenty-foot-high stone house.
The twenty-foot-high stone house, covering a hundred square feet, looked like a black stone beast crouching on the ground. The wooden door alone was ten feet high.
Given William's size, the stone house was appropriately proportioned.
As for the dragon's body proportions, excluding the Dragon Wings and the longer neck, the rest of the body was similar to a feline. Brian folded his Dragon Wings and entered the stone house.
Inside, Brian examined the interior arrangement.
Various animal skins were spread on the ground, a faint beastly smell permeated the air. Against the wall was a large stone bed, which was also covered with animal skins. The walls were etched with cultural imprints passed down by the Ogres...
Brian's eyes quickly fell on a black wooden sculpture.
The moment he saw the Obsidian Statue, his heart tightened, and a serious, wary expression appeared on his face.
It was a spherical sculpture, supported by a base resembling vine roots. At first glance, it seemed like a black Sun Sculpture with a circle of flames extending outward.
But upon closer inspection, it became clear that these were actually dense tentacles, each with numerous eyeballs.
The main body of the Sun Sculpture was also covered with countless eyes, simple yet lifelike, sending chills down one's spine with its eerie, sinister aura.
"Tancred, what is this?" without taking his eyes off the statue, Brian asked Tancred.
Tancred blinked and said, "Master, this is the Sun God, we, the Bonecrusher Tribe, worship."
Though he spoke with respect, it was clear that his reverence was not heartfelt, unlike the devout and fanatical William.
Brian was stunned. "You call this thing the Sun God?"
It clearly looked like a sculpture of an Evil God, a figure so distant from the Sun God who should embody authority over light and life.
What kind of fool would mistake this thing for the Sun God?
Suddenly, Brian felt a strong urge to closely observe and study the Obsidian Statue.
A few seconds later, his gaze became dazed without realizing it, and he stared fixedly at the statue's dense eyes, moving closer step by step.
Tancred watched Brian's actions curiously, sensing something was wrong but not daring to interrupt.
Meanwhile, whispers began to echo in Brian's mind.
Strangely, though he had never heard this language before, he understood its meaning.
"He is born in the black mist, and he is the creator of the black mist."
"He brings darkness. He brings light."
"He writes life. He rewrites death."
...
"He is the creator of everything. He is the supreme sun."
‘The sun... How could the sun bring darkness?’ Brian suddenly snapped out of it.
After coming to his senses, he was horrified to realize that he was less than six feet away from the Obsidian Statue without knowing how he got there. His Dragon Claws were extended, reaching out to touch this mysterious sculpture.
With a flap of his Dragon Wings, Brian retreated to the doorway in an instant, staring intently at the Sun Sculpture, fully alert.
He grunted, "It can influence my mind!"
A dragon's spirit was incredibly resilient, with a basal vascular structure in the brain that can directly resist many psychic spells. Even Dragon's Might was a result of their formidable spirit. As a Time Dragon, he had an exceptional mental capacity, necessary to perceive the River of Time.
But now, he had been influenced by an inconspicuous Sun Sculpture, which shocked him.
'This statue must contain substantial Evil God power, otherwise, it couldn't have affected me...' Brian thought solemnly.
If he hadn't broken free from the whispers in time, he might have gradually been influenced, becoming a devout follower of this 'Sun God.'
Tancred who was unaffected, watched Brian's reaction with a puzzled expression, not understanding what his master was doing.
Brian had no time to care about Tancred's gaze. He looked at the Sun Sculpture, feeling as if the tentacles were coming to life, writhing, and the eyes were spinning into vortices. Whispers began to echo in his ears again, making him want to approach, his gaze becoming dazed.
Fortunately, Brian was mentally prepared.
As soon as he sensed something wrong, he immediately broke free, his gaze clearing. "William's strange behavior originates from this. Evil God... gods... are not entities I can provoke or touch right now."
He vaguely guessed that the Sun Sculpture influenced minds through the eyes, so he quickly turned his head, avoiding direct eye contact with the statue.
Sure enough, once he stopped looking at the eyes, the strange feelings disappeared.
When Brian's eyes flickered as he closed them, he exhaled an icy blue Dragon's Breath, encasing the Sun Sculpture layer by layer in ice, turning it into an opaque ice block.
Opening his eyes slightly, Brian saw the ice block and was no longer affected.
He breathed a sigh of relief and solemnly asked Tancred, "Where did this Sun Sculpture come from? Are there any similar items in other houses? And how did you come to worship this Sun God? Tell me everything you know."
Tancred, not understanding, still followed Brian's orders and relayed information about the Sun Sculpture.
A few minutes later, Brian pondered Tancred's words deeply.
Tancred didn't know the exact origin of the Sun Sculpture. William had brought it back from one of his outings, claiming it was a statue of the Sun God and instructing the Bonecrusher Tribe to worship the Sun God.
However, according to Tancred, apart from William, who was a devout believer, the other Ogres were only nominally worshipping.
Brian contemplated silently how to handle the Sun Sculpture.
The thought of it being related to a god made him extremely cautious.
Gods, who held dominion over the world, were the most powerful immortal beings across countless planes. Even as a Newborn Dragon, and even if he reached a hundred years old, he would need to approach gods with caution.
The five-headed Evil Dragon, immortal after, chaos after, the dragon queen Tiamat, whose name echoed across countless worlds, had witnessed the rise and fall of countless civilizations.
Yet in the realm of gods, she was merely a lesser deity, highlighting the terrifying power of gods.
Of course, she was a dragon first, then a god. Divine rank didn't necessarily represent true strength.
