Chapter 99 Salem
Mount Hermon's waist rises majestically, its summit cascading with melted snow, the source of the Jordan River, nourishing the lush jungle below.
As God and Haniya emerged from the primeval forest, they gradually saw signs of human habitation. They traversed mountains, forded rivers, crossed valleys, and waded through yellow sands until a city came into view.
"This city feels so familiar," Haniya said after looking around for a while.
"This city is called Salem," God said.
"Salem? Isn't this the city I built in Heaven with the Archangel..." He didn't finish, but Yahweh walked away, his silver robes tracing a merciless arc in the air.
Hanya felt displeased that everyone around him was staring at his face.
"Wait for me, Yahweh! Don't walk so fast!" He covered his face and chased after him.
Salem was a new city, its founding date unknown, unlike any other, for its ruler was a priest.
Melchizet, king of Salem, proclaimed himself King of Priests, serving the Most High God.
Like the city's emergence, no one knew his origins; he appeared as if out of nowhere. Every six days, he would preach and give alms in the incense-filled temple.
At first, people came for the free food at the temple; later, they discovered the priest's healing abilities; and still later, they sought him out to mediate disputes.
Nothing makes a king more than the worship of his people.
The king conquered the inhabitants with his benevolence, and his wisdom and justice were renowned throughout Canaan.
God and Haniah spent six days in the forest, coinciding with the seventh day of their pilgrimage.
They mingled with the people who believed in the Creator God, joining those who had set aside all their worldly affairs, to come to Melchizet's temple to hear the sacred teachings.
Not everyone could understand it, but the calming incense and warm, plentiful food in the temple brought a brief, eerie peace to these wandering, restless souls.
They worshipped Melchizedek, and thus worshipped the god whom Melchizedek himself worshipped, and believed in the god Melchizedek had led them to believe in.
This was a rather strange scene.
Because none of them had seen God, nor had any heard the legend of creation, yet Melchizedek's steadfast veneration of the creator god created a distorted yet harmonious peace throughout the city.
Peace in faith.
The King of Salem, clad in white robes and adorned with a magnificent golden headdress, appeared as if coated in gold in the sunlight.
"God loves mercy, compassion, and chastity more than blood sacrifices, praise, and incense..."
He sang as he was worshipped, captivated by his extraordinary demeanor and character, for he had achieved what they could not.
Melchizedek was handsome, wealthy, wise, and most importantly, mysterious—a quality that instilled fear in all.
His enigmatic origins fueled speculation among the many Canaanite kings.
Only God saw through his origins: no father, no mother, no genealogy, born of a single day, and destined for an unknown end.
The Son's growth was astonishing; he had already mastered the art of manifesting his will.
The Messiah established the holy city in Canaan, a land once rife with paganism, seeking to prove something to God.
God chose this place as the first stop at Mount Hermon—wasn't it also to witness his efforts?
"Therefore, we do not need to bow down at His feet."
We do not need to constantly chant praises to Him.
We do not need to fill His temples with precious gifts.
But rather, we should treat the world with equal integrity, generosity, and mercy.
"To draw near to divinity with one's feeble heart is difficult; it may be an unattainable height, yet it is the only way to walk with God."
A believer, undaunted by hardship, inquired about how to do so, but judging from the reverent and devoted expression on his face, he was likely not thinking of walking with God, but rather how to walk with Melchizedek, to reach the same level as Melchizedek.
The priest smiled kindly and answered him gently.
"That is the commandment."
To uphold the commandment, to pursue moral purity.
Haneya blinked upon hearing this. "Isn't that like our Heaven? Humans can't do that, can they?"
God shook his head. Even Hania saw things more clearly than the Messiah.
Humans lack the awareness and aptitude of angels. Their self-control and passion can only last until the end of this indoctrination; after today, nothing will change.
God foresaw the outcome, feeling neither sorrow nor joy, but watching Melchizedek's unwavering perseverance, He did not leave. Hania, losing interest in the utterly unoriginal things he'd heard in Heaven, quietly left Yahweh and headed outside the temple.
He'd already seen it; the streets outside were filled with all sorts of novelties.
To spread the word to more people, Melchizedek had opened Salem to everyone. Among those who came were believers and non-believers. The faithful had paused their daily lives, but these vendors hadn't.
At these times, they would gather in groups near the temple, seizing the opportunity to do business.
Hanya was curiously examining a demon mask. A vendor stared intently at his face. Hania frowned, then put the mask on. The grotesque mask seemed to awaken the vendor's senses; he smiled warmly.
"Would you like one? You really look perfect in this mask."
"I think so too," Hania said, pressing the mask against his face to reduce the stares.
"Then I'll take it," he said, putting on the mask and turning to leave. "Wait a minute, you haven't paid yet!" the vendor called out hastily.
"Money?"
"Only 5 kirazos," the vendor chuckled.
Kirrazos…silver?
Hanya was a little confused, then he noticed several tarnished silver coins in a jar the vendor kept close to his body. His eyes lit up, and a silver horn, as gleaming as a star, appeared in his palm.
"Of course, I almost forgot."
He said this, and just as he was about to hand over the silver, a pair of hands gripped his wrists.
Meeting Yahweh's 'stern' gaze, the Seraphim lowered his head guiltily.
"I'm sorry…" he said softly, putting the mask back on the stall.
"No, it's alright," the vendor stared blankly at the beautiful face, a hint of amazement and infatuation flashing in his eyes.
"I'll give you whatever you want, no matter how much you need!"
He shouted at the two departing figures with all his might, but in the end, clutching the gold coin in his hand, he forgot why he had been staring in that direction.
"How strange," he muttered, then tossed the glittering gold coin into the jar. At the same time, the silver coins that had been at the bottom of the jar disappeared.
Back at the temple with Yahweh, Hania was as listless as a wilted eggplant.
"Do you know that Michael emphasized that angels should avoid using magic in the mortal realm?"
Hania nodded. "He said we angels are far superior to humans."
"We can look down on them, we can pity them, we can even ignore them…" he said shamefully, "but we cannot insult them with magic when they are struggling to survive."
Yahweh was neither right nor wrong.
Inside the temple, believers prayed devoutly, hoping for divine protection. God emerged with Hania, looking at her dejected expression, and spoke gently:
"Randomly interfering in the human world will disrupt their existing lives; that's only one aspect."
"You can exchange wisdom, strength, or any part of your body for value, but you cannot arbitrarily manipulate money and disrupt the existing monetary system."
"To gain something, you must give something." Recklessness will only invite the backlash of greed.
His gaze was far-reaching, his golden eyes seemingly containing a myriad of things, yet also seeming to hold only Hania. The angel felt the warmth of the brush against his head, his eyes fixed on Yahweh.
"I don't want you to come into this world only to learn bad things."
"I understand," Hania said sadly, because she truly loved that mask.
"Barter is a fundamental law of nature, and even I must abide by it."
"Even you?" Hania looked up, wanting to ask, 'Who are you?' but his attention was drawn to what Yahweh handed him.
"A mask!" He exclaimed, his eyes crinkling with surprise. "Where did you get this?!"
"I bought it," God said, watching Hania eagerly put on the mask, thinking to himself that the child's taste wasn't very good.
"Really?" Amid Hania's skepticism, God produced a gold coin.
"Why are you so rich?!"
The law of this world is equivalent exchange; nothing is more valuable than creation.
Therefore, God is very rich.
"The money for the mask is just a loan," God said coldly, dodging an angel who tried to reach for the gold coin in his hand. "Raphael will organize a make-up exam when we get back, and I hope you get an excellent score."
"Why are you so concerned about my grades!" Hania protested. "I'm already an archangel of the fourth day! Why would Raphael make me take an exam with the little angels?"
God meant what he said, even if it wasn't the angel academy's assessment period, so he remained silent.
Hania succumbed to his domineering gaze.
"Alright, alright, I know. You're meddling more than God!" he said, a sly glint in his bright eyes.
"But it's only one gold coin. According to the principle of equivalent exchange, I can only promise you an excellent score in one exam."
In reality, it was only five silver coins.
God coldly placed the few dirty silver coins he had retrieved into the shrine.
It's alright, the street is still long, Haniya will eventually catch up on his missed grades.
Clever tricks won't work on gods.
You provide the great god Danmu's [Hebrew Mythology] with a story of the arduous formation of a world.