In the early morning, before the sun had risen, Simon sat naked in the snow in a corner of the monastery courtyard, grabbing a handful of snow with his right hand, compacting it into a ball, and rubbing it over his body.
On the cold, windy mountaintop, the accumulated snow was as loose as sand; it wasn't flakes, but tiny ice pellets.
The surface of the snowballs was rough and hard, and rubbing them against his warm skin brought a stinging, icy sensation.
The ice and snow melted, leaving faint traces of water, which were then evaporated by his body heat, carrying away the warmth from his body.
This pain reminded Simon of similar wounds.
Skin being cut, torn off piece by piece, fascia scraped away, red blood continuously staining the flesh, and white connective tissue twitching incessantly.
Simon frowned.
Even a tough man like him had his vision blacken from the pain when he peeled his own skin.
Not far away, Jonas and Dilo crouched behind a pine tree, peeking.
"How about it? I told you so," Jonas said, quite pleased.
"Is this what a real man is like?" Dilo exclaimed in admiration, "But what are those black spots on Mr. Baishan's body?"
"Those are enchanted tattoos, they can grant people great power."
"Do you have any?"
"No," Jonas shrugged, "Mr. said he'd tattoo me when I grow up; my skin area is still too small now."
The Troll's body continuously grew larger, allowing for more runes to be tattooed.
However, as the skin grew, the previous magical tattoos would become distorted and deformed.
He had to cut off his original skin, then grow new skin using high-speed regenerative bloodline magic, and re-tattoo himself, taking the opportunity to upgrade some of the outdated enchantments.
Magic resistance, three-elemental resistance, barrier spell, iron armor spell, levitation spell, underwater breathing spell, and he also replaced the redundant Healing Spell.
Due to the increased area for enchantments, the efficiency of each spell also improved.
This task took him two days, two very difficult days, and he still remembered the fresh and cruel pain.
If his body size continued to grow, he would have to change his skin multiple times in the future.
Of course, Simon could endure it, but he didn't want Jonas to go through such self-mutilation.
Dilo mumbled, "I want one too."
"That's not hard, I can do it, but let's wait a bit longer…"
Simon carefully examined his fingers: rough pores, broad knuckles, intricate runes.
As soon as he clenched his fist, the runes would light up.
This feeling was different.
…
The Troll sat in the shrine corridor, in front of him a translucent crystal with simple, ink-stained patterns carved on its surface, representing a profound state of enlightenment.
There were many such simple shrines in the corridor, with a crystal wall in front and a window behind, holding a jug of purified water.
To Simon's right was Master Arngeir, and further to the right was Master Einarth; the other two were nowhere to be seen.
No one spoke.
The charcoal brazier and candles in the great hall were also silent; even the sounds of breathing, heartbeats, and dripping candle wax became clear.
One must believe in Kyne.
The Nords' faith has a strong element of primitive animal worship.
The Nordic Pantheon consists of nine gods: Fox, Hawk, Whale, Bear, Wolf, Moth, Owl, Snake, and Dragon.
Kyne corresponds to the Hawk; she is the warrior-wife of the Nord chief god Shor, the Goddess of Storms, the Kiss of the End, and also Kynareth, one of the Divines in the Imperial Pantheon.
However, relatively speaking, Kynareth in the Imperial Pantheon is a gentle deity, protecting sailors and blessing newborns, but in Nord mythology, Kyne is a more violent god who grants Dragon Shouts to mortals to fight dragons.
To comprehend Kyne's realm is to let one's heart accompany the sky, merging into it.
The Nords are known as the Children of the Sky, and not without reason.
Many primitive religious beliefs directly originate from natural phenomena and wild animals.
What is different about the elder scrolls world is that gods truly exist.
Therefore, attributing the origin of natural phenomena and creatures to the mighty power of gods is entirely correct, even if it may not be perfect in every detail.
To study the gods here, one cannot separate their personality from their authority, but neither can one conflate the two.
Gods are not personified natural phenomena; the relationship between them is more complex.
In fact, this relationship varies depending on the type of god.
The Divines are also called Aedra, meaning Ancestors.
The Daedra are also called Daedra, meaning Non-Ancestors.
Both are et'Ada (original spirits), the difference being that the Aedra participated in the creation of Mundus, while the Daedra stood by.
The Divines, because of their participation in creation, were exhausted to the point of collapse, becoming fragmented existences.
For example, the eight stars in Mundus are the bodies of the Eight Divines.
Their wills transformed into a certain presence echoing in the world, capable of receiving prayers and responding.
However, their will in the mortal realm is heavily influenced by believers, changing its existential qualities based on mortal thoughts, and being personified by the minds of all beings.
The Daedra, on the other hand, are still alive and well, so they retain their own thoughts and are not distorted by the will of mortals.
Thus, the process of believing in Kyne is actually participating in her transformation, like a large-scale game where if one's conviction (chips) is strong enough, there are more opportunities to gain benefits.
Therefore, the Way of the Voice embodies a path of mutual benefit between man and god.
Simon could sincerely believe in a god, and this belief was not shameful, because it was not about suppressing his rationality and emotions within an ignorant religious ideology, but about embarking on a path of return—man returning to god.
It was also because Lu Yuan Bodhisattva was not in this world; otherwise, Simon, as this avatar, could simply believe in the Bodhisattva, which would be more convenient.
Simon had been praying devoutly for half a month.
Nothing had improved.
His prayers were quite distinctive in that he asked for nothing at all—he knew it was useless.
Simon merely expressed gratitude to Kyne, his traditional deity, out of recognition for his Nord lineage.
Thank you, Divines, for creating this wonderful world; thank you, Divines, for protecting humanity to this day.
You've worked hard!
Each time he prayed, besides thanking the Divines, he meditated and sat in Zen, gradually establishing a connection with a lofty will—that was the sky, it was Kyne.
Master Arngeir turned his head, looking at the meditating Troll, a faint glow seeming to linger on his body, fleeting and leaving no trace.
The two Greybeards exchanged glances, and the silence became even more meaningful.
…
A familiar power surged within the Troll.
This was like inner energy, yet different.
A power emerging from the gap between body and mind, more substantial than mental power, yet more formless than magic energy.
This wondrous power—a combination of essence, qi, and spirit—had a strong affinity for magic energy, and it was not stored in the magic energy core.
This power felt as if his body and soul were cleaved apart; he could feel a flowing current surrounding the soul's outer shell, and beyond that was the physical body.
The clash between soul and body continuously generated this power—it originated from a certain frequency; without this frequency, one could not possess this power.
This frequency of the mind was faith.
The Troll unclenched his fist, and the glow of his tattoos dimmed.
He raised his head; the sky was clear, yet a star seemed to shine above him—Kyne's star.
It turned out to be the authority granted by the Divines; quite good.
Holy light? Divine power? Psionics?
Simon pondered as he bathed.
Since faith arises from the heart, let's call it heart power.
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