Alrighty, let’s dive into this whimsical anime-style translation! Here we go:
When only the name of the Creator Dragon God was used, there weren’t that many people calling out to me.
At most, it was just Lizardmen or Dragons. Even then, they called on me very rarely, either through direct communication or via Archmages designated as my official channels of contact.
But now that I’m both the master of the Temple of Life and have taken on the role of the Goddess of Life…
“Please heal my illness!”
“My mother is unwell. Please answer my prayers.”
“The wounds from war keep hurting. Somehow, help me…”
“O Goddess of Life! I seek a partner! Give me a beautiful woman who’s good at housework and kind!!”
A flood of prayers from countless people reached me. But seriously, that last one?! I’m the Goddess of Life, not the Goddess of Matchmaking! Creating romantic partners is impossible!!!
Cough. Thinking about it again, there are truly an immeasurable number of sick people in this world. Most of those praying to me were either ill or injured.
Of course, just because someone prays doesn’t mean I can reply instantly with a neat little response.
I tried sending a message back once, hoping it might work, but alas, it failed.
It feels like the messages don’t transmit properly unless sent to Dragons. They always get the messages perfectly fine…
Ah, come to think of it, there was one case where a message did go through successfully—not just Dragons, but also to a Priest devoted to the Goddess of Life. He’s no longer a young man; he’s entering middle age now.
The first time I replied to him, his reaction was so over-the-top that I couldn’t help but burst out laughing without realizing it.
Compared to ordinary people, it seems clear: if someone lacks sufficient faith, my messages won’t reach them.
Dragons revere me as both the Goddess of Life and the Creator Dragon God, so naturally, they receive my messages without issue.
Anyway, since replies are limited like this, I often focus on fulfilling the most desperate prayers instead of answering everyone individually. Helping those suffering from life-related ailments or injuries recover even slightly, ensuring their lives aren’t endangered…
Even though I can’t directly respond to every prayer, I still try to grant the wishes of those in dire need.
In the midst of caring for pitiful lives as the Goddess of Life, while finalizing construction of the Underworld, I received a message from a Priest.
“O Mother of Life, lend me your wisdom.”
Ugh, can we stop calling me “Mother of Life”? It makes me feel like I’ll end up being forced to lay eggs endlessly or something. Not that I’ve ever laid eggs before—I’m female, sure, but that’s beside the point!
Besides, I don’t even have a partner anyway!
Moving on…
“What do you seek my wisdom for?”
“For a long time, I’ve been unable to solve a perplexing question. Alone, I cannot find the answer.”
A riddle? Hmm…
This Priest is quite intelligent among humans, yet he seeks an answer to some unresolved mystery?
What could it be?
“What is the question?”
“What is life?”
That’s awfully vague.
Life… hmm. The ability that lets living creatures breathe and move?
No, that’s just the dictionary definition. That’s not what the kid’s looking for, surely.
Such a broad question, yet one worth pondering deeply.
What is life?
Something irreplaceable, more precious than anything else?
Existence? The journey between birth and death?
As the self-proclaimed Goddess of Life, I can’t clearly define what life itself is. How pathetic am I?
Without giving a definitive answer, I decided to counter-question the Priest.
There’s nothing more foolish than answering a question with another question, but I was curious about his thoughts.
“What do you think life is?”
“Is it the driving force behind movement? Like how warmth flows through the bodies of the living, hearts beat, and breath continues, whereas those without life grow cold and cease to move?”
Hmm. Interesting perspective.
Not entirely wrong, but…
“There’s merit in what you say.”
Without life, one becomes a cold corpse incapable of motion.
“Life has many meanings. What you described is merely one aspect of it.”
“It could be the choices made between birth and death, or perhaps the most invaluable thing beyond comparison.”
I paused briefly before continuing.
“It’s also the power that allows living beings to breathe and move, as well as the force sustaining their existence. The definition of life varies depending on who defines it.”
Very abstract, but that’s all I could offer.
No one in this world had deeply contemplated the concept of life before.
Including myself.
“The definition changes based on the definer…”
The Priest seemed lost in deep thought. Hmm, did he buy it?
He suddenly hit me with such a tough question—it caught me off guard.
And wow, isn’t it hilarious? Here I am claiming to be the Goddess of Life, yet I can’t clearly define what life actually is.
Even though I can freely manipulate vitality and easily boost others’ lifeforce, I can’t explicitly define life itself.
What a ridiculous deity.
If he realizes how inadequate I am, will he be disappointed?
“Thank you, Mother of Life. It feels like the fog clouding my vision has lifted.”
Huh?!
Did he really gain enlightenment from my ambiguous response? Where exactly did he draw that insight from?!
Despite my doubts, the Priest looked extremely satisfied, as if he’d finally solved a problem that had troubled him for ages.
Well… if he’s happy, then I guess that’s good enough. Yep.
With that, I returned to wrapping up the construction of the Underworld.
All seven layers are ready, and the Cloud Whale tasked with retrieving souls is prepared too. Excellent.
Time to open the gates of the Underworld, shall we?
—
The Church of Life, humanity’s first religion—though technically not the absolute first if we include non-human faiths—is now inseparable from human society.
From assisting pregnant women during childbirth to conducting funerals after death.
The Church of Life encompasses everything from human birth to death, said to have originated from Pilgrims who called themselves “Givers of Life.”
These self-proclaimed “Givers of Life” traveled far and wide, helping countless people, yet never settling down in one place. Consequently, they faced prejudice as outsiders.
However, the faith of the Goddess of Life underwent significant change thanks to a person named Haim.
Haim, the first Priest of the Goddess of Life and the only human to hear her voice, was famous for using divine power derived from faith rather than personal vitality to heal others. This marked a stark contrast to the Givers of Life, who relied on their own life energy.
Through his efforts, he transformed the wandering faith of the Goddess of Life into a formalized temple structure, solidifying her worship. He also collaborated with the Givers of Life to compile sacred texts.
Among his notable achievements were documenting the genealogies of gods aiding the Goddess of Life, including the Gods of Birth and Death, and authoring numerous treatises.
Two of his most famous works are “What Is Life?” summarizing the idea that the definition of life varies from person to person, and “A Short Treatise on the Afterlife,” which recorded the structure of the afterlife for the first time.
Especially groundbreaking was his depiction of the afterlife divided into seven layers, suggesting that sins committed in life would result in terrible punishments—a novel concept at the time. This implied a primitive form of moral justice: no matter how well-hidden your sins may be in life, they will catch up to you after death.
This fear of the afterlife lingered in people’s minds for generations, even affecting legendary heroes like Rychlen, who had to resort to clever strategies rather than brute force to navigate the gates of the Underworld.
—
The beginning of the Church of Life.
A book filled with extensive information about the Church of Life, reportedly written with their cooperation.
