The OP Lich is a Returnee, Chapter 132

Chapter 132 – Preparations

One of the reasons I had decided for us to have a small layover on Easter Island was because, shortly before takeoff, Lilah had contacted me, and told me that the property deal in Egypt had gone through. There were some local concerns, of course, but I had the land I needed, and permission to start building a temple to Murena. Which was good, because I needed the work finished before I went there to deal with the seal.

It was just before midnight, local time, when we landed at Easter Island. That put it as almost eight in the morning in Cairo. In other words, the perfect time to pop back and check on things. Once we had checked into our hotel for the night, I teleported over, so I could get to work. Not needing to sleep really was a boon in these situations.

Of course, I was courteous enough to call ahead, so that the local officials knew I was there, before taking a cab to the site. Sure, I could have summoned one of my steeds, but there was no need to go antagonizing the locals like that. There were still deep religious views in the area about magic, in general, and the undead in particular, which I would already be riling up, just with the fact that I needed to come and open the seal, here. There was no reason to cause unneeded problems.

The site that Lilah had purchased was on an undeveloped bit of rocky, desert ground to the southwest of the Giza Necropolis, near the Zewail City of Science and Technology. It was far enough from any of the archaeological sites that there wouldn’t be any issue there, while still being close to the Seal. The fact that it resided on what had been undeveloped land made it easier to finalize the deal, naturally.

A representative of the Egyptian government was waiting for me as I got to the site. Thankfully, it was someone I knew, from the last time I was here, doing a tour of talk shows to honor my classmates. Kontar Safar held himself at ease as I approached, and offered a bow, with his right palm against his forehead. “Salaam aleikum, Lady Akagawa. It is a pleasure to see you again. I understand your patron wished you to build a temple to her, here?”

I offered a bow of my own, though in the Japanese style. “Waaleikum us salam, Mr. Safar. It is indeed a pleasure to be back in Egypt. And yes, I’ve been commanded by one whose power makes mine look insignificant to build her a temple, so that her place in this world is properly cemented. Thankfully, my workers are able to go quickly, since they have magic on their side, and need not stop to rest.”

Safar’s face tightened slightly, and he said, “Lady Akagawa, is there any way I could convince you to either use local workers, or to somehow keep the construction out of the public eye? Having an undead as the priest and guards will be problematic enough, but manageable. Seeing undead moving over the site for days on end, never stopping or sleeping? That will make many nervous, possibly beyond managing.”

I nodded, understandingly. “It is the difference between knowing a thing is happening, but only being faced with it when you intentionally seek it out, compared to knowing that thing is happening, because you see it constantly on display, yes? That is fine. Unfortunately, the timeframe is too short to rely on mortals for such work, unless I push back the unsealing by months, and risk disaster. Once the ground has been prepared, I can place a simple warding around the site, veiling it from view so that people will not need to watch the temple take shape. It will have to come down when the temple is open to the public, of course, but that, as you said, is a more manageable affair.”

Safar sighed as he relaxed. “Thank you for your understanding, Lady Akagawa. I must admit that there were some in the government who were worried about how you would take it if you thought we were disrespecting you with our request.”

“Mr. Safar, I promise you that I never take offense at an honest request, so long as it is made in good faith, and with proper reasons. It is when haughty people start making demands of me that I begin to take offense. So long as your government comes to me in the spirit you just showed, I am always willing to hear you out, at the very least, and reach compromises where I am able.

“However,” I said in a firmer tone, looking him straight in the eye as I did so, “there are things that I cannot compromise on, just as there are things which you cannot compromise on. Things like the Hero Summoning, or the creation of Slave Collars, or other such abominations, are not something which I will allow to exist in this world. I will tear the entire tree up by the roots, rather than allow such things to bear fruit.”

Safar just nodded. It wasn’t like I’d made any secrets of my stance on such things, after all. “As you say, Lady Akagawa, there are some things that cannot be borne. Speaking of which, there are those who wish to know what the services to Murena entail. Not that anyone is saying that you, yourself, engage in such uncouth things as human sacrifice, but, well…”

“It is an unknown, and that makes them nervous, yes? Fine, I will answer your questions while the ground is being prepared.” As I spoke, I opened my pocket dimension, and drew out several Earth mages. Once I set them about preparing the ground by digging out and creating the foundation of the temple, I turned back to Safar.

“Well, I can tell you that Murena does not approve of sacrificing thinking beings in her name. Neither as literal sacrifices, or ‘purging in holy fire’, and all that nonsense. She is the Goddess of Death, but also the Goddess of the Hunt. She would be far more honored by a hunter asking for her blessing before finding food to feed his family than for a thousand lives to be ended, offering up their blood and souls to her. This is why her bow is named Mercy, for her arrows bring about the end of suffering and pain.”

Safar nodded slowly. “I see. A goddess more concerned with the welfare of the living, and bringing peace to the dying, rather than collecting power, then?”

“Indeed. Murena actually has a good relationship with her twin brother, Taesis, the God of Life, whose portfolio includes things like bountiful harvests and fertility. To them, Life and Death are like Yin and Yang, if you pardon my bringing in Eastern philosophy. One cannot exist without the other. Without Life, Death ceases to be. Without Death, Life has no meaning.

“However, these forces are not ‘Good’ or ‘Evil’. Life is the magic of healing, yet cancers and infections are functions of Life, as well, and Death mages are the best at treating them. On the other hand, Death can bring ruin and destruction, for Entropy itself is part of Death, and many will weep when a person’s tale comes to an end, but it is the ending that helps to give the story meaning, since a tale that continues on and on, but never actually progresses, becomes dull, and loses anything that made it special.”

“That description is very helpful, Lady Akagawa. I will be sure to pass it on to my superiors. It will also make it easier for the general public to accept. Though, it would also help if there was more on how Murena’s church interacts with other faiths?”

“The pantheons of Onearth were sometimes at odds with each other, of course. The gods are people, same as any others. However, they did not encourage their followers to, say, declare a holy war and stamp out all the nonbelievers. The other races, like the Elves and Dwarves, had their own pantheons, but, in general, the pantheons were more like different families living on the same street. Sometimes there would be a fuss over someone not putting their trash out properly, or such silliness, and sometimes that would come to harsh words, and even some blows traded, but they never sought to kill their neighbors, or burn down their house.”

Safar sighed. “So, much better than the different religions on Earth have been?”

“Mr. Safar, the religions on Earth have, since roughly 200 BCE, been without magic, and, therefore, without the guidance of their gods. Would you expect children who grew up without parents to guide them to behave as anything other than feral brats, who think only of their own needs? I say this not to disparage your faiths, but to tell you that there is no need to lay recriminations on yourselves, or question your faith, for you did the best that you could.”

I paused, and considered whether or not to continue, before deciding that he needed to hear it. “There were gods before the seals were put in place. One of those gods was the god of the Jews, who then became the god of the Christians, and of Islam. However, I do not know what the loss of magic did to those gods. All we know is that they have not answered their followers’ calls since the seals were put in place, most likely because they did not have the mana needed to do so.”

Safar blinked, and straightened to his full height. “What do you think happened to them?”

I sighed, and said, softly, “I do not know. I have found no records of them. However, I do know that at least one being, a Primordial creature who was worshipped as a god at one point, was able to live within the Seal of Water, and has returned to the world at large. As for the others? There is a chance that the lack of mana starved them to death, like a man denied food for months on end. If not, then the low mana levels certainly forced them to retreat from the world. Maybe they were driven into hibernation, or some kind of stasis. Maybe they have not been able to escape whatever plane they call home. Maybe they were forced to live as mortals. Maybe some combination of all of them. But there is the chance that, when the final seal is undone, the gods that were will regain their divinity, and speak with their followers once more.”

“May Allah make it so.”

“If he does, then you, and your government, are going to have to think about how to deal with different faiths. Especially since Egypt is home to older deities than just that of the Abrahamic faiths.”

Safar’s face twitched, showing he obviously hadn’t considered that. Well, this was new ground for everyone, so I couldn’t fault him for that. “Do you have any suggestions on that?”

“Well, I would start by arguing that talk of ‘you shall have no other gods before me’ clearly indicates that there are other gods, so work against any ‘one true god’ talk. That will be the biggest hurdle, but, if other gods make themselves known in visible ways, then that gets easier. After that, play down the idea of forcing conversions by the sword, and the other stuff like that. At the very least, that should keep the pantheons from getting, well, biblical on the country as a whole.”

“So, there would be no need to change the constitution to remove Islam as the state religion, but persecuting different groups could cause problems?”

“Unfortunately,” I sighed, “that is the kind of thing that gets into really sticky territory. I can only tell you what I observed on Onearth. There were countries that were very theocratic, and even had a state religion. However, they did not mandate everyone in the country share that faith. And, so long as the shrines and temples to other gods were not defiled, and their worshippers not unduly persecuted, then the gods stayed out of those sorts of mortal affairs.”

“Unduly persecuted?”

“If a group plans mass murder or treason against a country or its people, then some degree of persecution is warranted, no? But blaming the sons for the sins of their fathers? That is a very different thing.”

“Thank you, Lady Akagawa. I will be sure to pass your wisdom along.”

“Of course, Mr. Safar. As I said, I am always willing to have a pleasant conversation with one willing to learn. Unlike the Americans and Russians, who would not listen until I gave them a warning.” I looked over to the mages, and said, “Ah, it seems that the foundation is prepared. Let me place the warding veil and then the workers can begin.”