473: Chapter 38: Family Banquet_1 473: Chapter 38: Family Banquet_1 The banquet was held in the hall behind the temple.
The banquet hall of the temple was not often used, only during large-scale events where representatives from all over the underwater world gathered at the Storm God Temple would it be put to use.
Because it was underwater, there was no presence of dust or dirt.
So, even if it wasn’t used for a year, there would be no terrible sight of chairs and tables covered in dust.
Thus, when the doors were opened, a simple cleaning was enough to welco new guests.
“Mother seems really happy today.” As it was a family banquet, Doris didn’t order the temple guards and lower-ranked priests to prepare.
Everyone did the work themselves.
This seemingly irregular behavior actually effectively closed the distance between the girls from the adventure team and Lanna and Lamia, representatives of the Sea Race.
Subconsciously, it was telling everyone that they were not outsiders, employees, or employers, but close friends.
The girls also liked Doris’s attitude very much, and they cheerfully tidied up the spacious banquet hall with Lanna.
In the midst of their tasks, Lanna said reflectively, “I haven’t seen my mother showing such a happy expression for many years.
Especially in the past decade, my mother has always been troubled by sothing.
It’s rare for her to enjoy a day like today.”
“Is the work of a priest that tiring?” Lina asked curiously, “According to what I know, a temple that does not need to compete for faith shouldn’t have too many complicated tasks to do, right?”
“However, as the faith center of the underwater world, the Storm God Temple needs to coordinate the disputes and contradictions between various ocean races and individuals, especially those powerful individuals.” Lanna said in a troubled manner.
“They are all trivial matters, for instance, who stole soone else’s hunting ground, who disturbed soone’s sleep, who took soone else’s pet as food, etc.
If left unresolved, those reckless ones would start fighting, and once they fight, typically half of the ocean would get disturbed.
Then, other idle individuals also join in the excitent, leading to a massive war involving multiple races that affects half of the ocean.
After they fight to their heart’s content and go back to sleep, the temple then has to clean up the aftermath.
Thus, these matters cannot be ignored.
But the problem is, there’s no right or wrong in their disputes and the only ans to resolve them are through constant diation.
Hence, the thing that the upper-rank priests of the Temple fear the most is when those seeking diation co to them, as their visit hardly ever brings good news.”
“That sounds dreadful.” Catherine said with a wry smile, “It seems like an arbitration court in the city, which specifically deals with these trivial disputes.
I know several arbitrators in the arbitration court, and most are reaching baldness at a young age.
It turns out the underwater world is similar.
But, does Aunt Doris also have to deal with these matters?”
“Not really.
What my mother has been worried about for these years is sothing else.” Lanna gave a sigh, “It is what I have ntioned to you before—the problem concerning the area that drives the Sea Race crazy.
I suspect that my mother, along with several powerful beings in the deep sea, has been watching that area through the undercurrents for the past few decades.
Because every once in a while, she would lock herself up in the prayer room and always co out looking weak and exhausted, as if she’s overusing her vitality.
She wouldn’t explain it whenever I ask her about it, leaving with no choice but to make wild guesses.”
“Don’t worry.” Catherine placed a hand on Lanna’s shoulder and said seriously, “Now that we’re here, we’ll definitely do our best to solve this issue, so that your mother won’t have to worry about it anymore.”
“Thank you, guys.” Lanna nodded with vigor.
“I apologize for threatening you with rewards the first ti we t.”
“Haha, it’s nothing.
We understand that you had no choice, it won’t bother us.” Catherine clapped her hands, saying loudly, “Great, we’re done cleaning.
What should we do next?
Should we go to the kitchen to help Aunt Doris?”
“Absolutely not!” Lanna quickly stopped Catherine, “Our kitchen is located outside the temple so it’s underwater.
You just got cleaned, and you would have to wash up again when you co back.
Plus, the Sea Race’s way of cooking is different from other races.
We cook with magic and race-based talents, worth noting that your help wouldn’t work there.”
“I’ve heard about this before.” Lina adjusted her glasses, “I’ve been curious to know, what about races without magic abilities?
Do they need to get help from the Sea Race who do have magical abilities?”
“They would eat raw.” Lanna answered matter-of-factly, “Sea races like us who are half-humanoids all have certain magic abilities.
Those who don’t have any magic abilities and are in their ocean forms, usually resemble beasts.
They devour their food directly and only on land would they eat cooked food.”
“Um, it sounds quite savage, but this might be a characteristic of their race.
Other races probably aren’t in a position to judge.” Catherine responded, “Speaking of which, this is my first ti eating Sea Race’s food.
I’ve never tried it before.
Pannis, with all the knowledge you’ve learned from your old friends, didn’t you learn Sea Race’s cooking thods?”
“I couldn’t learn.” Pannis said, “That’s only useful underwater and requires a special way of controlling magic, which land races cannot possibly imitate.”
“Oh, I see now.” Catherine raised her eyebrows suddenly, “Hey, what are you doing?”
“Slacking off, huh?” Pannis, who was spacing out on a chair nearby, answered on reflex when he heard Catherine’s question, then imdiately sprang into action, exclaiming, “No, no, no, I was actually pondering a problem, yes, pondering a problem.”
“I’ll give up saying anything more to you.” Catherine gave up, tapping her forehead and said, “Anything more on your end, what exactly is your relationship with Priestess Doris?
You two seem to be quite familiar.”
“Well, let’s put it this way, we’re good friends,” Pannis replied.
“We, a group of friends, once lived in the deep sea for a while, a few months if I recall correctly.
She also once…
oh, it doesn’t matter, we’re pretty close anyway.”
“Strange, how co I didn’t know?” Lanna queried in confusion.
“I should know about such matters.”
“You happened to be away then,” explained Pannis.
“Aren’t you always running off on your adventures, disappearing for half a year at a ti?”
“This feels like an excuse.” Lanna voiced her discontent.
“You definitely are hiding sothing from .
My mother is also in on this, you two are colluding against .
Hmph, anything that requires collusion from you two isn’t simple.
I get it now.
You likely might be my father.”
“My God, I give up,” Pannis moaned, his head bowed over the table.
“Think whatever you want, may Lord Caleto bless , how did Doris end up with such a stubborn daughter.”
“Are you finished?” Doris’s voice floated in from outside the banquet hall.
“Lanna and Lamia, you two hurry and help, there’s too much for to carry all on my own.
Please co to the kitchen with .”
Most Sea Race food is either boiled, fried, or baked.
Their cooking thods are unique.
Take boiling for instance, they form a ball of water in front of them using magic, then slow-cook the food within it.
Once the ball of water reaches the boiling point, it can’t turn into vapor due to the external water pressure, looking still and silent, but internally its temperatures are scorching hot.
This hot water cooks the food within.
This thod requires a strict isolation of the water inside and outside the ball, and also needs to limit the heat within the ball.
If these asures are not t, the food’s taste will significantly diminish.
Baking and frying are similar thods, the only difference being that for baking, the water inside the ball becos air and for frying, they use high temperatures on the surface of the water ball to directly cook the food.
Like Pannis said, unless they are in the deep sea, they can’t use these thods.
Soon, under the efforts of the three Sea Race mbers, the banquet table was laden with over ten dishes.
Prepared by the High Priestess herself, this food would surely make countless other Sea Race mbers envious.
The banquet table, primarily full of fish, shellfish, crustaceans, and complented by various edible algae, looked incredibly rich.
Particularly special was a food item known as bread seaweed.
This type of seaweed grows at the bottom of the deep sea and has a fluffy strip body.
After cutting a section and heating it in water, the strip of seaweed expands and its texture becos soft.
Although it doesn’t lt as easily in water like real bread, the taste is very similar to it, making it one of the staple diets of the Sea Race.
Eight people, seated at one end of the banquet table, began the peculiar family feast after expressing their thanks to the Sea God for this blessed al as per Doris’s instructions.
The girls were savoring deep-sea culinary arts for the first ti, finding this flavor distinct from land cuisine a novel experience.
However, even the novelty of the food couldn’t offset the confusion in their hearts.
As the al ti ca to a temporary halt, Catherine put down her utensils and asked seriously: “Priestess Doris, since we t, I have sothing I’ve been aning to ask.”
“About the deity’s chosen ones?” Doris’s friendly and gentle eyes suddenly deepened, as if she had entirely transford from the girl-next-door to a wise elder.
She smiled faintly and said, “I think it’s about ti you asked.”
“Yes,” Catherine nodded.
“On the Road of Faith, the two high-ranking priestesses who greeted us ntioned the deity’s chosen ones.
We thought it was Pannis, but they said it was actually .
Even I don’t know that I am one of the deity’s chosen ones, let alone know which deity’s favor I have received.”
“Indeed, it’s not Pannis.
Pannis is sothing else.
You are the deity’s chosen one,” Doris stated seriously.
“But why this is, I do not know.
This is the Oracle bestowed directly by Lord Caleto.
As you would know, Lord Caleto and the Wisdom God share a close relationship.
The Wisdom God’s observation and prophecy skills are the strongest among the deities, so it’s possible that Lord Caleto received so special ssage from the Wisdom God.
Regardless of where the news ca from, your status as a deity’s chosen one has been affird by a deity.
I think they probably won’t make a mistake.” (To be continued.
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