Labh Salem was a broader, more complex world than Anfang.
Thankfully, being able to put things into perspective was an art that Eren had learned and mastered ever since his rebirth in the second timeline.
Eren wasn't disheartened by the fact that being a Grandmaster-ranked entity wasn't a sign of greatness in Labh Salem.
Instead, he was content in knowing that he wasn't starting from scratch in a new world. His A-Rank still meant something here. He just needed to raise his standards to match with his current reality.
Eren discussed various things with Reen and told her his plans for the future. Reen was always talkative by nature. She liked turning tight-lipped Eren into someone who would tell her anything and everything he had going on in his mind.
And by doing that, she felt special, knowing that she was one of the only two people Eren could talk his heart out with. Of course, the other person was Alephee.
The carriage proceeded to approach a certain district within Brol City as Eren and Reen talked with each other. Unlike the colts used in Anfang, the carriages in Labh Salem were being pulled by spectral steeds which were almost invisible to the naked eye. The mortals could not even see these spectral steeds with their mortal senses.
The intent-based magic was a norm in Labh Salem. It expressed itself via various means, from spirits to spiritual force-driven artifacts and potions. Eren had been keeping tabs on every minute detail around him ever since he had boarded the carriage. Though he played it cool, he couldn't help but be fascinated by everything he saw and witnessed with his own senses.
To the uncaring eye, the subtle differences between Anfang and Labh Salem might seem superficial. However, Eren could tell how fundamentally different Anfang had been from the worlds that had the existence of gods woven into their social fabrics.
He could see people praise their patrons gods before greeting each other. He could see people offering their food to the pyres lit in their gods' names. He could see temples dedicated to various divine beings and parishes built around them.
Being from Anfang, these sightings were a completely different experience for Eren. He felt that gods' existence was so woven into the fabric of Labh Salem's reality that it was almost impossible to make people forget about gods.
It might take something like a divine formation and a period of a few millennia to make Labh Salem as godless as Anfang had been. Not that he wanted to do something like this in this world.
'It is indeed surprising that people put so much of their trust in gods, Erni. Why do they keep attributing everything in their life to be the grace or punishments of the gods they are worshipping?'
Reen was also paying attention to how people talked all around in the surroundings as their carriage crossed through the Ishgaar's parish. They could see a giant white marble like structure that was Ishgaar's temple right in front of us in the distance.
'It's simple, Reen darling,' Eren narrowed his eyes before speaking to Reen.
'Some people don't want to take responsibility for whatever they do in their lives. They want to live as carefreely as they can. And putting their trust in gods they worship is perhaps the easiest way to do that.
Or perhaps they want to see and experience something different than the reality they live in. Gods offer hope– a promise of a better future to their ardent followers.
To the one who has lost all hope, this promise is the raft they look for that'd save them from drowning,' Eren said and sighed. He pondered for a bit before expounding on his thoughts.
'Not that I find the practices of Labh Salem unpleasant or disheartening. To be honest, I could have used some of that faith when I was at my lowest point in the previous timeline, struggling to make ends meet and just survive.
I can not say for sure but it might have helped me. It would have at least helped me hold hope for a better tomorrow. Sometimes that very hope is all you need to see colors in your monochrome life.
Hope doesn't need to come into reality for people to see its effects. Even if stays as an illusion, it can still do what it was supposed to do– make people not give in to their despairs.'
'I get what you are trying to say, Erni. And this might sound redundant, but why look for something illusory in the first place? Gods can't care for each of their followers, can they? Don't you think the promise of any kind of intervention from gods is nothing but a mirage for most of their followers?
Having hope– having faith in something that might not happen will only lead to people having regrets later in their lives.'
Reen said to Eren, explaining her point of view on this matter. She sounded like she was a bit irritated with Labh Salem's regular lifestyle.
Eren smiled lightly when he heard Reen's words. He felt that Reen was very much attached to the fundamentals of Anfang, probably more than him. He pressed his lips against each other while looking outside as he spoke further on the matter.
'Having faith in something is not a bad thing, Reen darling. It is a privilege not everyone has access to. Especially someone like us who, for better or worse, learn to deal with our problems on our own.
People cope and live their lives according to what they were taught by the bubble they live in. We would have been like them as well if we were born here. To them, we from the Land of the Faithless, are strange and savage creatures.
Being from Anfang, I can never put my trust in any potential divine intervention. I can never trust gods to do my bidding. I can never pray to them in the hopes of making my life easier. I can never ask them to take care of my problems for me, financial or otherwise.
However, I have nothing against people who could do what I can't. As long as their faith doesn't get in the way of what I want from my life, I couldn't care less about how they operate.
Kekeke. If anything, I would like to have a few believers to myself as well. It would be so easy to use them simply by giving them something to believe in,' Eren chuckled as he said.
After all, Eren was a demi-god. He had to say that he had a better chance of growing his divinity in Labh Salem than in Anfang.
