Sacrifice

Su Qi floated in the air and observed the people scattered across the mountainside.

His gaze then shifted to a spot where the Gobil brothers were conversing.

Habil, the younger brother, had just returned from herding sheep. He wiped the sweat from his forehead and said to his older brother with a bright smile, "Tomorrow is our day of sacrifice again. Are your offerings ready, brother?"

Ever since that incident, Adan and the other had handed over the sacrificial duties to them, hoping that by doing so, God would pay them a little more attention and favor them slightly.

Consequently, all subsequent sacrifices were performed by them.

Gobil, with a blade of grass in his mouth, paused upon hearing this and replied vaguely, "Mmm-hmm, they're ready..."

"And yours?"

"I've prepared three firstborn lambs and some fat. I think God will like them," Habil said happily.

"Oh, oh..." Gobil responded casually, thinking his brother was incredibly foolish.

God definitely doesn't care about the offerings, so why waste so much food on sacrifices?

Besides, after all these years, God has never shown any signs in response to our sacrifices. They clearly don't care about them.

This brother keeps wasting such good things every time; he's just so stupid!

Wouldn't that stuff be better used for the tribe?

The next morning, the sky was overcast with dark clouds obscuring the sun, but this did not deter the two brothers from their sacrifice.

Habil, the younger brother, had already washed and tidied himself early. Carrying the three lambs and some sheep fat, he was about to head towards the Pyramid Altar on the mountaintop.

Gobil, the older brother, yawned. Seeing his brother urging him on and rushing up the mountain, he suddenly remembered he had forgotten his offering.

He hurriedly ran back into the house, grabbed a Stone Knife, and sprinted towards the fields.

Just as he reached the fields, he was about to bend down and cut some of his family's Grain for the sacrifice.

However, seeing no one around, he instinctively glanced at his neighbor's Grain, his eyes darting around.

Instead of cutting my own, why not cut some from someone else's?

Seizing the opportunity while no one was watching, he discreetly cut a little from each field, quickly accumulating a large bunch of Grain.

Then, he casually picked some Wild Fruit and hurried towards the mountaintop.

Su Qi, floating in the air, frowned. He had clearly witnessed this scene.

Habil, waiting anxiously at the mountaintop, breathed a sigh of relief when he saw his brother running up with the Grain and some fruit.

"Let's begin," he said with a smile.

Two small platforms had been added near the Pyramid Altar. Habil quickly placed the three lambs on them and then slaughtered them with the Stone Knife.

Blood stained the small altars.

He then poured the fine fat onto the altar and ignited it. Flames consumed the offerings.

The fragrant aroma from the burning fat wafted through the air.

Habil then knelt on the ground, his face filled with piety.

As soon as he placed the offerings on the altar, Gobil turned and saw his brother's actions. He didn't pay much attention, simply curling his lip.

It's the same every time anyway. Is there any need to be so solemn? God won't care.

He picked up a Flint, preparing to strike it to start the fire.

Su Qi, hovering above the Pyramid Altar, frowned at Gobil's actions.

This person's behavior and attitude were both problematic.

He pondered whether he should interrupt the man's sacrifice.

However, to intervene would clearly reveal himself, which would be troublesome. If anything were exposed in the movie later, it would be a hassle.

While he was hesitating, Gobil had just started the fire. Before the flames could consume the offerings, a strong gust of wind suddenly blew in.

Whoosh

The wind not only extinguished the newly lit flame but also scattered the Grain and other offerings.

"My offerings!" Gobil exclaimed in panic.

The offerings flew everywhere!

Gobil looked terrified. "What's happening? How could this happen!"

If it were just this, he wouldn't have thought much of it. At most, he'd assume the weather was bad today and it was just bad luck. But as the next scene unfolded, his face froze completely.

As the strong wind passed, the dark clouds in the sky shifted slightly, revealing a gap. A ray of golden light descended from the heavens, precisely illuminating the area around his brother's altar.

The flames burning on the altar appeared somewhat sacred under the sunlight.

Su Qi, who had done nothing and was still hesitating, was speechless.

Gobil, the older brother, looked at the sunlight with disbelief.

Habil, the younger brother, was shocked, followed by immense joy.

"A miracle!" he exclaimed softly.

"God responded to me!"

He was beaming with joy.

While he was excited, he didn't notice his brother's darkening expression.

If it were just the offerings being overturned, it wouldn't be a big deal, but this golden light, like a divine miracle, seemed to imply something.

God had chosen his younger brother's offering and rejected his own...

"Why! What's so good about Habil's offering that God would accept it!"

Looking at his excited younger brother, his face contorted, filled with jealousy.

He was unwilling to accept this.

The God who had never responded before had finally responded, but it had nothing to do with him!

Why Habil? Why was he favored by God!

Consumed by jealousy, Gobil never considered his own past actions or attitude. He simply believed that it was all because of his brother that his offering was not chosen by God.

At the same moment, he felt his position threatened.

In the past two hundred years, not only the population but also people's hearts had changed.

Due to frequent sacrifices and God's continued silence, the tribe had subtly divided into two factions, centering around the two brothers, based on the offerings.

One faction believed that God didn't care about the offerings and that there was no need to waste too many resources on sacrifices, as a sincere heart was enough.

The other faction believed that God was supreme and that their current lives were entirely thanks to God. They shouldn't do anything that would insult God and should offer the best sacrifices to please Him.

The two factions had maintained a good balance before, but now that God had responded, this state of affairs was bound to change!

All of this was based on God not responding. Since God had responded, it was clear that Habil's actions were more pleasing to God, and others would naturally change their behavior.

His status as the eldest son would surely become precarious after this.

His unwillingness was only a small part of it; what he was more jealous of was that Habil had actually received a response from God!

Why didn't God favor him?!

Driven by jealousy, on their way back after the sacrifice, he said to Habil, "Let's go to the fields after we get back. I have something to talk to you about."

His younger brother Habil didn't think much of it, his face still holding a residual joy. "Don't worry, brother, I'll be there."

The two descended the mountain peak.

Su Qi watched their retreating figures, still pondering the inexplicable scene from before.

"I didn't even do anything, did I? A gust of wind blew and scattered the offerings? The dark clouds parted, and the sunlight just happened to shine down?"

His lips twitched.

That coincidental scene, let alone Habil and the others, if he hadn't known he hadn't acted, he would probably have thought he had done it himself.

Thanks to 'Uh Uh Ah Hmm' for the 500 coin tip.

Thanks to 'Endymion00' for the 100 coin tip.