God of Wisdom, Hermes

This was, of course, not the power of meditation.

If they had been like Gilgamesh, living by strength and muscle, then Xu Zhi's malformed crow-like body would have been slapped to death the moment he appeared casually before them, instantly reduced to pulp.

But these Witches were as physically weak as ordinary people and lived by their mental power. With the Insect Nest Sub-Brain's assistance, they naturally could not harm him.

In truth, he was merely an ordinary, malformed, weak little creature.

"Who are you?"

The Witches looked slightly shocked. It was their first time seeing an intelligent species other than humans that could speak: a strange, black-feathered, three-eyed avian creature.

"An intelligent species other than humans..."

Their breathing gradually quickened.

They recalled the ancient myths, Gilgamesh's story. An intelligent species other than humans was the great Wisdom Giant Beast—the Creator.

They held their breath, no longer having any desire to fight. The three women did not even bother to put on clothes, standing straight in the distance with their perfect, graceful bodies bare as they stared at this incomprehensible creature.

"Y-you... are a god?"

Medea's voice trembled as she could not help asking.

This world had originally possessed no concept of gods.

At first, there had only been the term Wisdom Giant Beast. But after the terrifying truth of the world-destroying Great Flood, the creatures of the land had finally come to recognize the existence of gods.

This mysterious intelligent species before them could speak, and judging by his size, he was not the great Creator, the lofty supreme god towering into the clouds. Perhaps he was another kind of deity.

People had speculated about this long ago.

Humans were not the first intelligent species to appear on this land, but they were the only intelligent species capable of reproducing in great numbers!

There ought to be other intelligent species in this world.

Perhaps after the great supreme Creator made the world, he had also created many powerful species. Countless failed, violent, mindless, incomplete, terrifying creatures had once been born. Only after countless failed experiments had humans, these weak but naturally fertile intelligent species, come into being.

Perhaps this mysterious and powerful creature before them was one of the perfect intelligent species personally created through the Creator's experiments.

"A god?"

Xu Zhi smiled gently. Standing atop the height on two crow talons, he shook his lush black feathers, as mysterious as a crow messenger from myth. "God... if that is what you believe, then I am a god."

Xu Zhi had never wanted to become a god.

But since they all thought so, then he might as well be one.

Also, could you girls put on some clothes? Xu Zhi considered himself a crow. Though he had no physical reaction right now, his human way of thinking still made him feel somewhat overheated. I have a girlfriend, even if she's only a girlfriend in name.

After thinking for a moment, he said, "I am one of the intelligent species once created by the Creator. Unlike you, though I am powerful, I have no ability to reproduce. I am unique. I was named Hermes, God of Wisdom, charged with governing the wisdom of all living beings. You may also call me by another name, Mercury. I have come to kindle the flame for the backward Babylon Tribe and bring you the truth of this world."

Hiss! Everyone held their breath.

Circe could not help asking, "Great God of Wisdom Hermes, what is the truth of this world?"

Xu Zhi smiled. "Truth is every rule of the world, the source of all power. Everything you see is encompassed within truth. I will now impart to the mortals of the land the threefold knowledge of truth: meditation, alchemy, and witchcraft."

The truth of the world.

Meditation, alchemy, witchcraft.

Everyone's expressions completely changed.

Back then, Gilgamesh had received three treasures of civilization. Now, were they about to receive three kinds of knowledge of truth?

"We... actually encountered a god from legend." One beautiful Witch wearing a flower wreath could not stop trembling with excitement. Her pretty face was flushed red, and her voice shook as softly as a mosquito's buzz. "It feels like a dream."

It was as though they had gone through a dream.

They could scarcely imagine that they were personally experiencing one of Gilgamesh's mythic tales, seeing a great god with their own eyes.

Xu Zhi was speechless.

Their shock was only natural. This meeting, the conversation between a god from the heavens and the people of Babylon, would be recorded in later generations with lavish detail.

"Meditation, alchemy, witchcraft... what are they?" Medea could not help asking.

Xu Zhi smiled, but when his voice emerged through the crow's throat, it became a shrill, hoarse, sinister, and eerie cry. "Meditation is a path for cultivating the spirit. It gives you the foundation to become gods and leads to the path of great lives such as ourselves. You may, like me, govern the duties of this world, serve the lofty Creator, and listen to his teachings in the God of Creation's temple."

Become gods... Their breathing quickened. This implied terrifying information. Could they rival this mysterious and bizarre powerful creature before them and become one of the gods who ruled the world?

To truly step onto the path of immortality—that was forbidden territory even the ancient Hero King Gilgamesh had never entered!!

Xu Zhi ignored the people already immersed in shock.

"Alchemy is the mysterious study of creating life, a path to pry open the Gate of Truth. If you can master such knowledge, you shall obtain the glory of the world's ultimate meaning. All obscurity and incomprehensibility in this world will vanish from around you."

His voice was not loud, yet it carried an exceedingly eerie magic, resounding across Aimiya Pool with its snowy-white sprays, drifting to the summit of the valley, then floating faintly farther into the distance.

"All things under heaven generate and restrain one another, and exchange with one another. This is the principle of alchemy. The mysteries of alchemy all lie within the 'Trinity Formula': one substance pleases another substance, one substance restrains another substance, and one substance governs another substance."

What was this exactly!?

They were entranced, understanding only part of what they heard and feeling that it was profound and obscure.

They listened in rapt fascination, as though hearing celestial music. Every corner of their marrow seemed to stir. Though they were confused, they did not dare ask questions. They could only press their lips together and strain to memorize every word, terrified of remembering even one incorrectly.

Every word here was extraordinarily difficult to understand, yet each one surely carried profound meaning and contained the truth of the world.

Seeing their reverence, Xu Zhi began explaining the third kind of knowledge. "Witchcraft is a miraculous power. It can allow your spirit to separate earth from fire, sun and moon from lightning, and flame from the ocean. Following this principle, many extraordinary transformations shall arise from that single thing."

Wind, rain, thunder, lightning—could the spirit transform everything? "What kind of great, inconceivable power is this?" Everyone's minds went completely blank. They could no longer remain calm. Inconceivable words struck and stirred them, leaving them with unparalleled shock.