Chapter 1264: Pyre
"Greed has taken over them." Aaron lamented while bringing the results of today's hunt to the Church. Even the orphans at the church had been swayed and many would rather help out at the farms. The only ones still devoted were the Nun that took Leia in, Leia herself and young orphans who weren't able to help at the farms.
"It's to be expected, I suppose. There's an easy way for them to get rich and profit. Life will become easier for them and they no longer require hope from a higher being. Such is life." Leia replied in a monotone fashion.
Her expectations for her little paradise were dropping day by day. The more she witnessed human nature the more disappointed she felt. However, now that it had gotten to this point, she wanted to see the end result. It would be unfair of her to end the tests early.
"But wasn't it you who blessed everything to begin with? I'm sure we could probably sort something out and get them back to their senses." Aaron frowned. Before he could say anything more, Leia glared at him silently.
Freezing up, Aaron felt like he was staring down a giant bear, one that he could not defeat. A sense of panic filled his body and he was rooted in place.
"What should we do then? Take away what has made their lives easier so they can go back to barely living off scraps every day? Or should I make more so they can see that abundance of wealth is bad?" Leia asked as Aaron was silent.
"Or should we watch things unfold like we are now and see what they make of this situation?"
Biting his lip, Aaron scratched his head and sighed. It was a painful sight for him to see his beloved hometown being reduced to such a state.
The only things being passed through word of mouth was wealth, profit, harvest and next expected harvest. Hardly anyone talks about anything other than the aforementioned 4 topics.
"Can we even do anything about it? Is watching everything unfold really all that we can do?" Aaron asked, sitting down in defeat.
"I don't know. The only thing I can think of is observing and deriving my own understanding from it. I thought that they wouldn't change if I provided them a better standard of life but clearly I was wrong." Leia sighed.
"Leia." Aaron suddenly called out.
"Hm?"
"Actually, nevermind. It was a stupid thought. Anyways I'll see what I can do to help them out okay? Perhaps all they need is a good conversation and a reminder of who they once were." Aaron smiled and patted Leia's head.
Seeing this, Leia couldn't stay angry and nodded.
"Then I can only pray for your success."
Watching Aaron leave, Leia sat down at the benches facing the statue of the God of Light. She knew that he was a fake god that most likely existed but was a lesser being compared to herself. After all, belief is one of the ways a God could be created.
'Maybe it's time for me to say hi to the god of this world I suppose. Hear his thoughts on the subjects he watched over.' Leia thought to herself.
She had never revealed her divinity before as she was afraid that it could cause the planet to destabilise and collapse. But after many years of exposure to her blessings, this village was the only location she could reveal a fraction of her power.
Enough to attract the attention of the God of this realm and let him know who was superior.
Making her way to her own room, Leia closed the doors and created a feint barrier that isolated her divinity from the commoners in the village.
Taking a deep breath, a brilliant aura flickered from her body as the skies welcomed her presence. The clouds parted momentarily and the villagers thought that it was the wind. However, the truth was a different matter.
In her room, Leia watched as a being of light appeared in front of her and kneeled down without hesitation.
"I apologise for not welcoming you sooner, your highness."
"It's fine, I never intended to show myself anyways. My mother allowed you to govern this world, yes?" Leia asked as the figure nodded his head.
Adjusting his form, he was now a red haired young man in a nobleman's attire.
"God Pyre, you have watched over the humans of this land since the start of its creation. Tell me about your observations thus far." Leia ordered as Pyre bowed his head further.
"Of course your highness. But please, just call me Pyre. I don't deserve the title of God in front of you. As for my observations, I will need to require something more specific."
"Hmm, tell me about their reactions to wealth and poverty. What side is the best for them to enjoy life and fulfill their ambitions?" Leia asked while walking to her bed. Sitting down, she crossed her legs and waited for his answer patiently.
"From all the information I have gathered, I believe that both are necessary, your highness. I've seen rich nobles with a heart of gold, poor commoners with a soul darker than the abyss and those who struggle in between and strive for a better life. It is hard to say which side is 'correct' but the allure of wealth is a difficult wall for them to surpass." Pyre gave Leia his honest opinion.
He wasn't wrong. The allure of wealth and an easier life wasn't something people could just pass up. Especially if they had been suffering before. They may see it as a reward for their efforts and grow complacent.
The original goal of her blessings was simply to act as a sign. A sign that she was watching, a sign that she'd seen their struggles and an encouragement for them to not give up. But if her first reward caused them to cultivate such laziness, there was no reason for her to offer them more. Only when they understood that this was just an encouragement could they finally enjoy the rest of her blessings.
'Maybe I was wrong to bless them so soon. But wealth is harder for the elderly to ignore. While they have little use for it, they could make their descendants live an easier life than what they had to suffer. While the young would overindulge in the wealth given and never learn to work.' Shaking her head, it was a difficult issue for Leia to resolve since it wasn't as easy as just giving everyone everything they needed.
Chaos mentioned that as humans, they always strive for more and that's how they 'live'. Take that away by giving them everything and they'll wither and die.
"Alright, thank you. You can go now."
Bowing deeply, Pyre disappeared from the room.
Now that she was left on her own, Leia wondered what she should do. She had already observed the villagers for an extended period of time and it was unlikely any major changes would happen soon. The only other option was for her to travel and observe the main city in this region. The place where half of their harvest was sent for the nobles. She wanted to see how the city handled the influx of blessed crops and wealth.
'I'll go observe first as the saint of the church. That'll show me what they want me to see and how truthful they are. Once that is done, I'll find out what they're hiding through other means.' With her plan laid out, all she had to do was wait for the next round of merchants to arrive and ask for an escort to the city.
Making her way out of her room, she dismissed the barrier and told her plans to the nun, of how she wanted to visit the city and broaden her views.
Naturally, there were no objections except hiring some guards since her role as the saint was important for them. After all, she's the one that healed all their injuries.
Just as she was about to leave the church to find Aaron, he had returned and almost bumped into Leia.
"Ah you're back, perfect." Leia smiled, causing Aaron to scratch his head in confusion.
"Not sure what you mean by that but okay."
"Oh I just wanted to tell you that I'm going to hire some escorts to take me to the main city in a few days with the next batch of merchants. I want to see the city with my own eyes and how they reacted to our harvest." Leia explained.
"I see… Well that lines up rather perfectly with what I was planning."
Seeing the grin on Aaron's face, Leia's mind was filled with confusion.
"It's not a big plan. Just rallying some people to our cause I suppose. Some helping hands in trying to get everyone to come to their senses and realise how much wealth has changed them." He explained as Leia nodded her head.
She was unsure how effective this plan of his would be but she was looking forward to the results. It may even enlighten her on some answers to her dilemma.