Chapter 53 Loss
East of the Nemean Plain lies Canaan.
That fertile land surrounded by three mountains and with a river flowing through it.
An unprecedented and grand banquet is being held at this moment...
Barrels of freshly brewed wine and chunks of roasted, crispy, fatty meat were delivered to the town center.
A huge bonfire rose in the center of the snow, melting all the surrounding snowdrifts. The heavy snow covering the wilderness and mountains in sight could not dampen the Canaanites' fiery enthusiasm.
Nearly a hundred people in the village stopped all work and brought out various pastries carefully made by the women of their homes to share with all their fellow villagers...
Even those lame people with difficulty walking joined the lively banquet, leaning on their canes and limping along.
They sat around the campfire, drinking and singing.
Celebrating this rare day.
Some have even suggested designating this day of the year as a Canaanite festival.
To celebrate the return of the Messiah.
Yara held his wife's hand, and in his other hand he carried a scroll of documents as they walked through the crowd.
Seeing this, everyone made way for him, allowing him to walk unimpeded to the campfire in the center of the village.
Yara greeted his fellow villagers with a smile.
Walking slowly through the night and firelight...
It was as if he were traveling in another country.
He was still wearing that golden-brown lion skin.
The fur swayed in the wind, like a king's cloak...
He slowly walked towards the campfire, as if ascending his throne...
Amidst the admiring gazes of the crowd.
The uncrowned king of Canaan.
Finally, I stood before the campfire, at the very center of the banquet area.
Upon seeing this, everyone fell silent, looking at Yara with curiosity and reverence...
Most of the villagers had already learned about Yara's deeds from old Tyr in the morning.
Any one of those achievements would be considered great.
Slaying the Nemean Lion, defeating the Olympian gods, and pacifying the city of Argos...
Furthermore, this Messiah, who was like a god, was their leader...
How could this not evoke feelings of pride and admiration?
Yara saw that everyone had quieted down.
He held the scroll of contract high in his hands, and in the firelight, he shouted—
"This land..."
"We have already received a promise from the current King of Argos..."
From this day forward.
"Canaan, the Canaan of the Canaanites!"
See here.
The Canaanites cheered and hailed the name of the Messiah.
The wine in his hand was poured high into the air.
Illuminated by the firelight, they resembled countless shattered stars.
As night fell, draped in stars, and the silver moon shone at midnight, the atmosphere of the celebration reached its climax...
Seeing this, Yara waved his hands in the firelight and addressed the crowd:
"Praise God, Canaanites!"
"All of this is a gift from the Lord of Heaven..."
"As long as the sun and the moon remain, we shall praise them for all eternity—"
At this moment, the Canaanites realized the truth, and they all knelt down on the ground, facing the rising bonfire, weeping, and praising the invisible supreme being in their simple, rustic language:
"God is great, no further words are needed!"
"The Olympian gods don't care about us...they're all a bunch of damned blind men! But God has eyes, God loves us!"
The clan elder and the pockmarked man were also moved to tears, and the atmosphere reached its peak.
He seemed to remember something and spoke briefly with the pockmarked man.
Upon hearing this, the pockmarked man immediately left the banquet...
When he returned, he brought with him a young girl wearing a pure white Heaton dress.
The girl, bound with ropes and with tears in her eyes, was pushed and shoved to the campfire.
She looked young, around 16 years old, in the prime of her life.
Yara frowned upon seeing this, somewhat puzzled by the pockmarked man's behavior.
However, the pockmarked man, looking excited, led the girl to Yara, even with a hint of pride in his expression. He smiled and said to Yara:
"Yara, this is a slave girl..."
"A while ago, before you returned, some caravans passed through our village..."
"They tried to sell us slaves, but we refused. Canaan has abundant land...we don't need so many slaves..."
"However, I heard from the merchant that if it's used for sacrificial offerings..."
"Slaves, especially young female slaves...they are the best..."
"I also heard them say that in the past, some villages suffered from disasters, and when they sacrificed young girls to the gods, the disasters immediately subsided... and afterwards, their grain production and livestock reproduction increased several times over..."
"The Olympian gods all loved maidens... surely God was no exception..."
"So, I discussed it with the clan elders and we traded some grain for a young girl..."
"After all, there will always be times when we worship God..."
"At this time, aside from ordinary livestock, using those slave girls as sacrifices would be most appropriate..."
The pockmarked man pushed the young and beautiful girl forward, illuminating her entire face in the firelight.
In the firelight, the girl looked pitiful, her eyes revealing a look of fear and despair...
Upon hearing the pockmarked man's account...
The girl kept sobbing, while the Canaanites around her were singing and celebrating.
No one felt sorry for or sympathized with the girl.
Upon hearing this, Yara was stunned, and a sudden surge of anger welled up inside him.
immediately.
Snap—
A slap landed heavily on the pockmarked face.
The pockmarked man was completely dumbfounded.
Covering his face in disbelief, he stared at Yara, who had suddenly flared up.
The surrounding Canaanites also noticed the situation and gradually quieted down, casting curious and puzzled glances...
They didn't understand; everything was fine just a moment ago.
Why did Yara suddenly get angry?
"Let her go."
Yara spoke, his tone carrying an undeniable authority.
The pockmarked man was still puzzled. He asked:
"What?"
I said... let her go!
Yara roared, his face clearly showing his displeasure.
Upon seeing this, the pockmarked man, with a conspicuous red handprint on his face, stood up.
Reluctantly, following the Messiah's will, they could only untie the ropes binding the girl...
The girl was taken aback, her eyes filled with surprise and doubt. She looked at Yara, then at the Canaanites around her, and then lifted her skirt and ran out barefoot.
The crowd spontaneously made way for her, watching her figure disappear into the snow.
Only after the girl had fled did everyone turn around and cast questioning glances at Yara.
Yara's face was extremely gloomy.
The entire celebration fell silent as a result.
People looked at each other, puzzled as to what the Messiah intended...
The pockmarked man was slapped and was feeling down, so he didn't dare to provoke Yara again.
I had no choice but to lower my head and stand silently behind them.
At this time.
The elder came over; as the second most prestigious person in Canaan, he had become the subject of gossip.
In the firelight, the elder, leaning on his cane, asked with a mixture of surprise and uncertainty:
"Yara, what exactly is going on..."
Looking at the familiar and kind faces of his fellow countrymen, Yara felt an immense pang of heartache.
It even seemed as if the world had dimmed a bit.
In the end, his utter despair transformed into a sigh in the night—
"You never understand God…"
"They don't understand me either..."
"Just blindly worshipping an idol..."
"Whatever, what is that..."
...