Chapter 1392: Chapter 85: The Ancient Greek God of Pyramid Schemes
The young man in the cave opened his eyes and looked at the elder in front of him excitedly:
“Sir, is that Paradise?”
Just now, his soul was guided by a mysterious force into a wonderful kingdom.
There, in crystal-clear rivers flowed nectar sweeter than honey, richer than milk, and on both banks grew strange flowers and exotic fruits that never withered, the air was filled with the fragrance of musk and dragon’s breath. People wore silken garments woven with golden threads and lived in palaces built of green jade, with their domes inlaid with dazzling gemstones, reflecting colorful glows. Under the sheltering forgetfulness tree, sacred creations known as “angels” played heavenly music, while the breeze brought the unique peace and joy of Paradise.
There, neither scorching heat nor severe cold existed, nor were there sickness or sorrow, only eternal harmony and the blessings of the Deities. The highest paradise close to the Heavenly God’s throne, with the Fountain of Life flowing everywhere, could grant those who enjoyed it ultimate fulfillment, reaching the bliss of body and spirit.
Luo En nodded, smiling:
“Usually, I call it the [Divine Paradise]—Eden.”
“How can I get there?”
The young man asked eagerly, his eyes full of desire.
In this era of conflict among the gods and the rise of great nations, life was too bitter, and human beings suffered too much.
There was too little equality and too little joy for them.
Hunger, thirst, birth, aging, sickness, death, resentment, love, and hatred—all kinds of sufferings were like nooses around everyone’s necks, accompanying them until they stepped into death.
Thus, when every child was born, they often arrived crying, and no one came out laughing.
Therefore, he urgently wanted to break free from this arduous journey of life.
“You are a righteous man, and if you wish, I can send you in right now,” Luo En’s gaze was deep, “but only you alone.”
The young man’s face first showed ecstasy, but he soon fell into a struggle.
Finally, after a long period of thought, he shook his head: “Thank you for your kindness, but I’m afraid I’m not that fortunate.”
“Why?” Luo En was somewhat curious.
The young man smiled bitterly: “Because I have an elderly grandfather waiting for support at home, and there are clansmen on the island who are not able to get enough food waiting for help. If I leave, what will happen to them?”
He was born in the Gulei Tribe of the Hashim Clan in the city of Mecca on the Arabian Peninsula. His ancestors once had the authority to oversee the Mecca Kaaba’s sacrificial rituals and convene the Gulei Tribe’s meetings, which was quite influential. But as the Persian Empire advanced into the Arabian Peninsula, everything changed.
The indigenous people on the island were no match for the Persian army and all became slaves to the Persians, bearing heavy taxes and forced labor since then.
But although the Arabian Peninsula was vast, its land was barren, mostly uninhabitable, with very few oases, and extremely scarce living resources, unable to support a large population nor provide sufficient produce. Therefore, they had to leave their homes to find new living spaces or engage in foreign trade to exchange for the survival resources they needed.
From that time on, in order to survive, his clan gradually joined the merchant caravans.
But being away from home, they not only endured the oppression and bullying of the Persians but also had to be wary of various fearsome magic beasts and natural disasters, making this path destined to be full of hardship and danger.
Because of this, his father Abdullah perished on a business trip before he was born, and later, his mother passed away when he was six years old. It was his grandfather, relying on the support of their clansmen, who raised him to adulthood.
If he alone entered Paradise while his grandfather and clansmen suffered outside, what meaning would this blessing have?
The young man paused in silence for a moment and asked, with some reluctance,
“Isn’t there a way for all my clansmen to live such a life?”
“As I told you, what belongs to the King goes to the King, what belongs to the Tax Collector goes to the Tax Collector. Similarly, what belongs to the gods belongs to the gods, and what belongs to humans belongs to humans, that’s the rule.”
“So it’s impossible, right?” The young man was quite disappointed.
Luo En shook his head and said:
“What I mean is, rather than relying solely on God’s mercy, why not use your own strength to create a [Heaven on Earth] for the Arabians?”
The young man’s heart trembled, his previously dim eyes instantly brightened, even radiating an unprecedented light.
It seemed he had found the path he was meant to take.
“I’m afraid the Empire won’t allow us independence. Moreover, the people on the island daren’t easily resist.”
“Because we are not united.”
The young man revealed a bittersweet expression and recounted the plight and challenges faced by the Arabians.
The Arabian Peninsula, with its dry climate, sparse inland vegetation, and scarce resources, had led the indigenous people to adopt a nomadic lifestyle as their primary way of life. Thus, since the time of Abraham, the lifestyle of the Arabians had remained largely unchanged.
During this period, Arabians usually formed clan tribes based on blood ties, with each tribe being self-governing, managed by tribal leaders known as Said or Sheikh, who handled tribal affairs. They wore loose robes, and headscarves, and sustained themselves on dates, goat’s milk, or camel’s milk. Most clansmen lived simple lives of pastoralism, hunting, and trade, living nomadically.
Before the Persians arrived, they could barely maintain self-sufficiency.
But after the Persians came, the extremely harsh living conditions and heavy taxes often left the Arabians struggling to feed themselves, leading to rampant plunder within the peninsula.