I Hate Systems

"Our God?"

At the suspicion of the villagers, Pnolli nodded, "Yes, you heard it right. The God I pray towards is our representative."

"He's the God of Humanity."

"The God of Humanity…?" The Village Head asked in surprise, "Does that mean we are all his believers?"

"Not exactly." Pnolli shook his head, "The God of Humanity doesn't solicit any religion centred around him. Our faith towards him is more transactional in nature than devotion as other Deities require."

"Basically, as long as we are humans, we can seek his blessings." He concluded.

"What's…his Symbol?" The Village Head asked, surprising Pnolli. Upon seeing the latter's reaction, he continued, "Yes, I know some things regarding Deities. When I was young, I came across a Spirit who I helped once. In response, I was taught a lot of things regarding faith and Deities."

"Then it should be simpler to explain." Pnolli pointed at his shadow, "Human shadow is his symbol. And the mode of bestowal is…"

He thumped his chest loudly, "Our heartbeats! When you work hard and you can hear the sound of your heartbeats, you gain the qualification to gain his blessing."

"All hardworking humans seeking to better their lives are eligible."

"Is that true?"

"Then, can we also gain his support?"

"Is it safe to believe his words?"

"Everyone, calm down." The Village Head appeased the discussions as he said, "I'll experiment first. If something happens to me, end my life. This old body has lived long enough anyway."

It was apparent that Pnolli couldn't be trusted, for he was a stranger. But despite that, gaining a Deity's favour was valuable enough. Hence, the Village Head was more than happy to wage his life on the possibility of a better future.

Under Pnolli's instruction, the Village Head picked up his plough and ploughed the land with familiarity, staring at his shadow while working. He back faced the sun, making it convenient for himself.

As he continued to plough, his heartrate gradually accelerated as he thought in mind, praying, 'The harvest this month has been poor as compared to usual. God of Humanity, if you exist, please show me a solution.'

Boom!

His shadow seemed to flicker for an instant when immediately, a surge of information poured into his mind, causing the Village Head to pause in shock as immediately, "Ha…"

He laughed boisterously, "Hahahaha!"

"Village Head? What's happening to you?" The villagers asked in concern as a couple of them raised their shovels, intending to deal with him if he was affected by something strange.

"It's nothing. I was just enlightened." The Village Head convinced them that he was alright and faced Pnolli to ask, "The God of Humanity blesses us with knowledge and experience?"

"Yes, you're right about that." Pnolli nodded, "Thanks to that, my village has been able to develop at a fast pace. Everyone is a lot more knowledgeable and experienced than their age shows. And my sister, the current Village Head is the most knowledgeable and experienced of us all."

"Just consider carpentry skills. She can make wood works on the level of artisans that have dedicated more than five decades of their life to the field. She had only been at it for a few months though." Pnolli said in pride, "The other Deities can bless us formidable power, but the God of Humanity is subtle in actions."

"He grants us knowledge and experience in wielding that knowledge, nothing more, nothing less." He concluded.

"I'm able to notice it too. But," The Village Head asked in seriousness, "Why couldn't I feel anything different when I tried to become a follower of his faith?"

"There's none." Pnolli smiled, shocking everyone who heard him. He continued, "You can belong to another faith and still pray to the God of Humanity. If you need something, you ask, and you'll receive it. The God of Humanity is our representative and only seeks our betterment without restricting us in any way."

"After all, that's the way of humans."

"The way of humans…" The Village Head muttered in enlightenment. He then asked in worry, "Does that mean I can never become a Spirit of the God of Humanity?"

"That's not possible." Pnolli said, "But, if the village is ever in crisis, you can temporarily gain the power of a Spirit to solve your problems. That's why I've embarked on a journey."

He continued, "I plan to visit every village and tell them of the existence of the God of Humanity. That way, if their village is truly in a crisis, they could pray to him for help without offending their Deity, if they are serving one. The God of Humanity would personally send a delegate to mediate any conflict between two or more groups of humans as long as people who believe in him exist there."

Pnolli was given residence in the village after that as he stayed there for a month, getting to know the culture and tradition of the village. In that time, he also imparted the seven commandments of the God of Humanity and observed them develop their village upon gaining blessings.

The village was situated around areas with rich mineral deposits. And hence, they were given the knowledge that allowed them to better make use of their resources and create ways to live better lives.

Minerals were extracted for various purposes, including medicine. The village began to develop gradually as the lives of the people were taking a turn for the better.

Finally, after a month's stay, Pnolli summoned everyone to address, "Even if you were to serve a Deity in the future, never forget that the God of Humanity has your back. When you wake up in the morning, pray to him about your previous day's experiences. Record your memories in him."

"That way, your future generations can access those memories in times of necessity and survive a crisis." With that, Pnolli thumped his chest, watching everyone do the same.

His shadow came to life and covered his body, surprising everyone as a pair of wings unfurled and took him to the skies, "With that, I'll take my leave. Live happy lives!"

"Thank you!" The villagers thumped their chests and watched Pnolli disappear into the sky in a matter of seconds.

"So, that's the power a Spirit under the God of Humanity possesses." The Village Head muttered with a longing expression before expressing his doubt, "How does that memory thing work again?"

"It works, Village Head." One of the younger generations from the village said chirpily, "Yesterday, I inherited the memory of someone fishing at a lake. He caught a fish in a specific way to avoid its poisonous fins from harming him. Thanks to that, I now understand why uncle honkloh died three years ago."

"Also, I saw your memories too." He said in excitement, "It was when you met that Spirit during your childhood."