车生活

“If you choose this, then I will teach you how to make ships of different sizes, the skills needed to navigate the seas, and the ability to identify directions by the stars and compass.”

Having placed several chess pieces on the wooden ship, Laine blew gently at the sails, and the little ship began to circle the rim of the wooden basin.

Watching this scene, Ande felt some temptation.

The tribe was located next to a river, so he knew it was difficult for humans to stay in water for long periods. But with this thing called ‘ship,’ all these problems could be solved.

Yet after hesitating for a moment, Ande still shook his head.

“…Priest, I remember the creator once said that the great Divine King forbade humans from approaching the ocean.”

Exploring islands, catching fish, all sounded very useful, but the premise was set upon the ability to step into the ocean; small rivers didn’t require these.

To prevent the secrets related to faith from leaking prematurely, Zeus not only refrained from building a temple for his foster parents, promoting their names, but he also set the ocean as a forbidden zone for humans.

Mortals could not defy the commands of the Divine King, so this thing named ‘ship’ naturally had no place to be used.

“Then let’s look at the third option, but this is the last one.”

After being rejected twice in a row, Laine showed no sign of irritation. The table was now considerably emptier, with only various sizes of figurines remaining.

Some were tall, some were boldly stout, and they included both men and women. However, for some reason, Ande always felt that they looked a bit like the statues in the temple.

“The third one is drama. And these in front of you, I call them puppets.”

“A complete drama needs ‘actors,’ but puppetry is different. It doesn’t need assistance from others; it is a form of theater that only you can perform.”

As he spoke, Laine’s fingers quivered slightly. Without any extraordinary power, the puppets in front of him suddenly came to life.

Ande was startled at first, but upon closer observation, he quickly discovered the secret within.

Threads, thin and transparent, extended from Laine’s fingertips, binding the joints of the puppets. A slight wiggle of the fingers would make the puppets dance along.

“Re-enact the past, fabricate lies, you can substitute the lives that exist or don’t exist in reality with puppets, and perform scenes that have occurred in the past or only exist in your imagination.”

“If you choose this, then I will teach you how to select materials, to carve, how to make threads, and how to arrange a play.”

“You can choose to use them to praise the gods or to enact the world in your heart. However you decide, it’s entirely up to your own thoughts.”

“Praise the gods, enact the world?”

His eyes brightening, Ande couldn’t help but repeat Laine’s words.

Chess and sailing were interesting, but they both had their disadvantages. In comparison, drama not only had ‘value’ but was also fun. Watching the puppets dancing on the table, a sincere longing sprouted in Ande’s young heart.

Although he hadn’t tried it yet, he was already fond of the feeling. Just a flick of the fingers and everything could unfold just as he imagined, which sounded extraordinary.

“I choose the third.”

“Are you sure?”

With a smile, Laine’s expression was somewhat profound.

“Once you’ve made your choice, you can’t change it. I will teach you the knowledge related to your choice, in order to repay your hospitality for these days and in the future. But after you’ve learned, the rest of the journey is up to you to walk.”

“I’m sure.”

He nodded affirmatively; among the three choices, the last one was undoubtedly the most in line with Ande’s wishes.

To learn skills, especially such interesting ones, he felt truly blessed by the gods at that moment, to have encountered such good fortune.

“Alright, then. Since that’s the case, we’ll start our lessons tomorrow. But before that, go and chop some more wood.”

Smiling, Laine pointed to the wooden frame that Ande had just set down.

“As a beginner, while learning knowledge is important, practice is also indispensable.”

“Ah? Alright, then.”

Despite a bitter expression, Ande picked up the bamboo basket and put it on his back again.

If chopping more wood meant learning a skill, who knows how many people would be eager to do it.

With the basket on his back, he walked out of the small courtyard, while behind him, Laine caressed the puppet in his hand as he watched Ande’s retreating figure.

If only the audience were considered, Ande’s choice wasn’t particularly good.

Humans are currently forbidden to sail, but in the future, the sea will undoubtedly become an indispensable part of human life, and even at the end of the Bronze Age, there would have been a place for it. The current humans weren’t yet talking about spiritual entertainment, but in the future, chess would definitely become a more widely spread form of entertainment than drama.

But Laine thought that perhaps for Ande, his choice had no errors.

After all, there were still gods in this world, and Laine wouldn’t treat him the way he did Hecate. Thinking like this, some choices that look good might actually be a mistake.

“And there’s him—”

Gently tapping on the table, Laine’s gaze pierced through the walls, casting a glance at the neighboring stone house.

The owner of the house was named Kolon, a ‘Second Order’ of the Bronze Humanity, a ‘craftsman’ responsible for making stoves and also a student of the priest of Hestia’s temple, the goddess of fire and protection. Of course, the key point was, he was the Bronze Human who had refused Laine’s request to stay.