The white-robed High Priestess spread her arms to signal the six people to place their hands on it for the test, one by one.
The six exchanged glances and couldn't help but frown slightly.
"This is a necessary procedure for participating in this hunt, all heroes must pass this test."
Seeing the doubtful expressions on everyone's faces, the High Priestess imdiately pursed her lips and earnestly explained the reason.
"After all, in order to deal effectively with the Beast Disaster, we need to verify everyone's identity and capabilities and ensure the safety of all as much as possible."
Listening to the tactful explanation, Luo En and the others looked at each other and nodded slightly.
Simply put, it was to prevent enemy spies from infiltrating and to ensure their own safety; on the other hand, it was to assess the level of the recruited hero units to make appropriate plans for the expedition.
This test was not chosen to be conducted upon their entry to the Royal Palace to et the King of Arcadia, but was formally initiated after the negotiation had ended, showing them enough respect.
Once they understood the reasons, everyone had no objections, they stepped forward one after another to place their palm on the surface of the crystal ball, injecting Aether Magic Power.
Instantly, the Magic Circle Diagram activated, and three golden beams of light rose one after the other, the athyst of Mingyue, the silver-white of the bright moon, and the golden Sun divine seals successively took shape.
Devotees of Hecate, Goddess of the Hunt Artemis's kin, and ssengers of the God of Light, Apollo...
All of them were blessed by gods!
The white-robed High Priestess, looking at such a high-quality collection of golden light, was rather shocked, then her solemn gaze finally fell on Luo En, who had not yet been tested.
"It's your turn."
Luo En nodded lightly, stepped forward and placed his hand on the crystal ball, a grapevine bursting forth from the earth, lush and dripping with vitality, its clusters of grapes refracting a glimring white light.
A follower of the Dionysian Sect?
The white-robed High Priestess couldn't help but take a few extra glances at Luo En but soon shook her head sowhat disinterestedly.
It was just an ordinary level, a false excitent.
However, the High Priestess clearly did not notice that within the white light, there was a hint of iridescence, nor would she imagine that the most valuable card of the six was the one before her.
Suddenly, as if realizing her behavior was a bit impolite, she quickly averted her gaze and smiled as she spoke.
"Heroes responding to the call are now arriving from various places and will need so ti to gather, so the official day to enter the mountains and clear out the Magic Beasts is tentatively set for three days from now. In the anti, why don't you all rest up in the city? The Temple will arrange accommodations for you."
As she spoke, she waved her hand to summon a relatively young priestess, tasked her with leading Luo En and the others to check in within the city, and continued to oversee the registration and review of the heroes.
"Next one! Yes, that's right, place your hand on the crystal ball and inject your Magic Power..."
"Bang!"
The sound of the crystal ball shattering resounded through the hall, along with the anguished screams and curses of so poor soul covered in blood.
"What kind of trash is this? Such poor quality!"
At this ti, Luo En, who was already at the door, paused in his step and then couldn't help but quicken his pace, muttering to himself.
It seed that he still needed to practice controlling his strength.
~~
Stepping out of the Royal Palace and onto the main street, everyone finally set aside the burden on their minds and were in the mood to appreciate the local customs and culture of Arcadia.
"Greetings, dear friend, please allow to take a little of your precious ti to introduce you to our Heavenly Father and Savior..."
Watching the believers along the way, dressed in black robes, proficiently preaching to passersby, distributing towels, biscuits, small cups of sweet wine, hand-copied scriptures, and other such things, Luo En finally understood why the High Priestess had lost interest in him.
The reason is simple: worshippers of the Dionysian Sect are anything but rare in Arcadia; on the contrary, they're a di a dozen.
As the religious leader behind the scenes of the Dionysian Sect, one of the high priests looked at his followers zealously spreading the teachings on his behalf, unsure whether to laugh or cry.
It seed that because of Arcadia's fertile ground for proselytizing, Luo En, on his way, encountered two other groups scrambling for devotees with his Dionysian Sect.
One faction, their garnts adorned with moon and star patterns, liked to lure newcors into their fold with gimmicks of alchemy, making simple issues more complicated.
They are from the Hers Trisgistus Sector, nad after Hers Trisgistus, aning "Thrice-Great Hers," worshipping the foreign god of wisdom, Thoth, the ancient God of ssengers, Hers, and Hers of Olympus, the God of Extre Speed.
These three deities form the trinity at the core of the Hers Trisgistus Sector's beliefs.
According to their doctrine, the Hers Trisgistus Sector believes that mankind's venture into the world is a spiritual journey, and in the end, they should unite with the divine and achieve balance with the natural world. Hence, a large portion of the Hers Trisgistus Sector's texts ntions astrology, alchemy, and the use of magic, trying to teach people to harness and master the forces of nature, thereby attracting many ordinary people with curiosity.
Thrice-Great Hers? A trinity of gods?
Hers, make sure you pay the royalties later, you little rascal.
Luo En, who had continuously pirated and altered mythological content, found it ironic that he should see himself imitated and infringed upon one day.
Although that God of Speed from Olympus was born in a cave in Arcadia, considering this land his holy ground.
But ever since his son Pan died, Hers's ties to this land had drastically weakened, and due to Arcadia's own rugged customs that worshiped the strong, he was gradually outcompeted by Artemis.
The Moon Temple, serving the Goddess of the Hunt, thus beca the predominant faith in Arcadia, indisputably supre.
The white-robed High Priestess who had tested Luo En and his companions was from the Moon Temple.
In order to regain a foothold in the region of Arcadia, that resourceful and Speedy God started a religious reformation, gradually developed the Hers Trisgistus Sector, and dispatched his disciples to propagate his teachings in this land.
True to his reputation as the God of Comrce, his mind is indeed nimble.
Luo En gave a fair assessnt and then turned his attention to the other group competing with the Dionysian Sect for territory.
"Oh rciful Goddess, I thank you, grant food."
A hundred or so people cramd into a cramped and dark little house, freely distributing and drinking freshly brewed barley porridge, and then, drunk-like, leaned against walls and the ground, falling into a deep slumber.
At the sa ti, wisps of black mist escaped from those who had consud the barley porridge, gradually dissipating into the air.
As these impurity-like substances were expelled from their bodies, the devotees appeared to be purified from the inside out, their brows relaxed, their complexions serene, their breathing steady, and their whole bodies seed to radiate a lustrous glow.
Slling the scent of the porridge coming through the door cracks, Luo En couldn't help but sneeze.
Hygieian Porridge, no wonder it felt a little familiar.
If he rembered correctly, this was a favorite ingredient in the secret rituals of the Eleusinian Esoteric Sect.
This sect worshiped the Agriculture Goddess Deter and Persephone, Queen of the Underworld, hoping through specific foods and rituals to attain immortality and endless life.
In the original myth, while searching for her daughter Persephone, the Agriculture Goddess Deter had used the nectar of Hygieian Porridge to cleanse the body of a city-state prince she had nurtured, and at night, she would place him over the fire to purge his mortal parts, hoping to make him immortal,
And the Ocean Goddess Tethys dipping her son Achilles into the waters of Styx to grant him an indestructible body was also influenced by the Eleusinian mysteries.
Since to mortals, forever life and immortality are almost irresistible temptations, the spread of the Eleusinian Esoteric Sect was quite rapid. Not long after Artemis had left, this foreign sect managed to attract a large following in Arcadia.
Walking down the street, Luo En stopped himself for the third ti from slipping his hand into his pocket, observing the various figures in the city, and murmured sarcastically to himself.
The Moon Temple that believes in Artemis, the Dionysian Sect that believes in himself, the secretly ford Hers Trisgistus Sector by Hers, and the older Eleusinian Esoteric Sect that worships the Agriculture Goddess Deter and Persephone, Queen of the Underworld...
Top it all off with the "Beast Disaster" associated with the divinity of Typhon...
Indeed, the land of Arcadia is teeming with life, a veritable hotbed of contention.
Reviews
All reviews (0)