?THE NEW GODWARDEN
When Little Salty Cat and the others opened their eyes, they found themselves inside a magnificent and towering temple…
Demacia had been summoned by the goddess once before, and the others had also witnessed the interaction between Demacia and the goddess through the cutscene he recorded, so they were somewhat mentally prepared for the current situation.
However, as they looked around and took in their surroundings, they were surprised to find that this was not the temple they had seen in the previous cutscene, which appeared to be situated in the midst of the stars.
Nevertheless, the temple’s style and grandeur still remained the same, with its vast space, colossal pillars, and splendid and immaculate architecture. The only notable difference this time around lay within the background scenery on either side.
Instead of the previous deep and enchanting cosmic skies, they found themselves surrounded by an ancient and dense forest!
The temple seemed to be perched high above a mountain, granting them a panoramic view of the majestic and breathtaking forest below.
This perspective bore some resemblance to the sight of the Elven Forest as seen from the World Tree, but this imaginary forest was evidently much more abundant than its real counterpart.
The greenery landscape bore a striking resemblance to Elven Forest, but upon closer inspection, they could discern that the plants here appeared even more older and denser than that of the Elven Forest. Furthermore, this forest was teeming with valuable and even legendary species of trees…
The players even caught sight of towering cedar trees reaching hundreds of meters in height!
Hundreds of meters!
Such trees were exceedingly rare, even within the Elven Forest, wherein Cedar trdo not exceed thirty meters in height. The players marveled at the fact that these precious tree species, considered the epitome of luck by others, can be seen just about everywhere in this forest.
Subconsciously, the three of them began calculating in their minds how much contribution points they could amass just by using these Cedar trees as building materials and exchanging them with the Saintess…
And the results were somewhat astounding.
Little Salty Cat, for one, had a feeling that her entire savings wouldn’t amount to a single tree in this forest…
Not to mention, these huge cedar trees are just the most common and inconspicuous tree species in this entire forest, and there are numerous other plants that they cannot name, but it is evident that they are also extraordinary!
If the Elven Forest evokes a sense of an ethereal forest distanced from the mundane world, then this enchanting forest, abundant with richness, mystery, and ancient beauty, bears strong resemblance to the mythical Garden of Eden portrayed in biblical tales.
Even from this significant distance, the three players can sense the strong life force emanating from this entire forest.
This nearly overflowing lifeforce permeated the grand temple, merging with its unique divine aura, thereby instilling a sense of reverence and insignificance within the hearts of the three players…
They were even shocked to discover that each breath they took could slightly increase their experience points, and their personal attributes on their status screen would also experience a modest enhancement!
This revelation left the summoned players even more astonished and elated.
Almost instinctively, all three of them took a deeper breath, hoping to absorb more experience points at the moment.
They even felt a faint impulse to meditate and train in this place!
Where exactly were they?
Why is the vitality and magic in the air so rich?
Just as the group was overwhelmed with awe, a warm and dignified voice echoed through the hall, snapping them back to reality.
“Chosen ones, we meet again.”
Little Salty Cat and the others instinctively looked up and saw the goddess seated atop the magnificent throne crafted with gold, stone, vines, flowers, and branches, positioned at the center of the temple.
Evé Yggdrasill.
In contrast to her previous incarnations and the image she had portrayed back in the introductory cutscene, the present goddess did not enveloped herself in radiant light.
Instead, she simply sits on the throne, one hand supporting her chin, her gentle gaze fixed upon the group, accompanied by a soft smile.
There is no arrogance nor sense of distance reflected in her countenance, yet the players find themselves unable to conjure any irreverent thoughts towards her…
On the contrary, the moment they lay eyes upon the goddess, apart from being amazed, they also feel an indescribable sense of awe and reverence…
This emotion is rather peculiar. Logically speaking, even when confronted with the most spectacular scenes, simply knowing that it is just a cutscene from a game, players wouldn’t normally experience such profound emotions. At most, they would just feel awe and appreciation for the beautifully crafted CGI and such…
However they now had an strong impulse to pay respect and worship a mere 3D game character!
It was so weird.
As a matter of fact, this feeling can be felt every time the goddess appeared within the game, but it was even more pronounced this time!
For a moment, the summoned players unconsciously calmed their minds and their expressions became increasingly more respectful.
In actuality, it is somewhat normal for players to instinctively develop this sense of reverence because the current place they are in at the moment was no longer the mindscape initially created by Evé, but rather her Celestial Domain!
The Celestial Domain and the True God’s are one, an existence between reality and illusion.
The Celestial Domain can be considered the embodiment of Evé’s mindscape and divinity. As long as her divine power is abundant, she has the ability to create nearly anything she has witnessed within her own domain, granted she comprehends its essence fully.
Of course, the things she manifests through her imagination can only exist within the confines of her Celestial Domain. If she wants to take them out of the domain, then Evé must spend additional divine power to truly manifest them in reality…
Such is the case with many divine artifacts, as deities often create these items within their Celestial Domain before manifesting them into reality.
Moreover, the emotions of a True God have the ability to influence everything within their own Celestial Domain, including the other beings that’s within it!
Therefore, even though the three players believed themselves to be merely participating in a game, upon entering Eve’s Celestial Domain, the mindset of these summoned players was subconsciously influenced by her power, leading them to develop a sincere reverence for Evé from the depths of their hearts.
Of course, the persuasive power of these emotional influences is not potent enough to instantly compel people to become her followers, but it was sufficient to make Evé appear commanding or authoritative figure.
Little Salty Cat and the two others saw Evé wave at them gently, and then they felt a soft power enter their bodies, sweeping away all their fatigue.
Afterwards, they joyfully discovered that the debuffs inflicted upon their bodies have completely disappeared.
Not only that, their statuses were also fully restored, and even their fatigue value was reset to zero.
The group looked at each other and simultaneously bowed to Evé.
“Praise the goddess!”
Evé simply nodded and slightly smiled at them.
“You’re excused.”
As soon as the goddess finished speaking, system messages appeared in the vision of the group once again…
【?】
【Entering the storyline】
【Initiating dialogue mode. Please select a representative to communicate with the goddess.】
Little Salty Cat took a deep breath and after exchanging glances with the other two, once again became the representative. At the same time, Tomato and Demacia found themselves losing control of their bodies once more.
Once the representative was chosen, the solemn and sacred voice of the goddess resounded again.
“I am aware of your purpose in coming here. Your choice is correct. The Lord of Darkness and Shadows is an enemy, not a friend. This is merely the enemy’s deception.”
Then… a dialogue box appeared in front of Little Salty Cat:
【Option A: Supreme Goddess, how should we proceed next?】
【Option B: Supreme Goddess, how should we deal with this matter?】
【Option C: Supreme Goddess, please guide us in the direction to move forward!】
Little Salty Cat: “…..”
She felt… she seemed to finally understand why Demacia had once stated that it wouldn’t matter who the representative would be, as anyone could easily choose the right dialogue options.
She tugged at the corner of her mouth and replied,
“Supreme Goddess, please guide us in the direction to move forward!”
Evé nodded with satisfaction and said, “Intervening in the religious dispute among the true gods is somewhat difficult with your current strength. I will send another one of my Godwarden to negotiate with the followers of Hela, the Goddess of Death. From now on, you will follow her arrangements…”
After speaking, the goddess then gestured towards the players’ side, as countless radiant particles began to gather there…
Under the astonished gaze of the group, a tall figure gradually materialized from the particles that converged together.
It was an elven woman dressed in black armor, appearing to be about sixteen or seventeen years old. She had long deep silver hair and a pair of enigmatic crimson-purple eyes. Her facial features were delicate, and she wore a kind of chilling aura that instinctively frightens people.
If there were other true gods present, they would instantly recognize it as an aura bearing the divinity of death!
However, soon, this aura of death was completely concealed, and this female newcomer swiftly became just like an ordinary elf, emanating a vibrant lifeforce.
Another powerful godwarden! A new NPC!
The eyes of the three players lit up.
After this mysterious elf appeared, she immediately bowed respectfully to the goddess, with her expression filled with reverence.
“Praise the Great Goddess, I am godwarden Zero, and I will faithfully follow your arrangements.”
Upon hearing her words, the goddess sitting on the divine throne seemed quite satisfied. She smirked and smiled at the group once again.
“This is Zero, she will be my representative. I have informed her of all my arrangements. From now on, you will follow her instructions.”
With that, she waved her hand.
Then, the radiant light engulfed the three players once more…
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