Chapter 20: Goddess of Joy!
Gloria returned to Modo City the next day.
She brought back many alchemical devices and immediately immersed herself in frantic research.
Soren did not tell her about Sherek; as a mortal, he felt he couldn’t help her and thought informing her would only make Gloria worry.
Vivian awoke in her demigod form.
Currently, the only thing the little girl lacked was a divine profession; as long as she had one, she could advance to [Weak Divine Power].
A lot had happened during this time.
First, the Goddess of Luck appeared in the City of Wealth, seemingly related to the legendary Coins of Luck. Soren, blessed by the Goddess of Misfortune, was unsure whether he should approach this goddess. Then, the elves and orcs erupted into war again, although this time it was on a much smaller scale, as both pantheons seemed to have restrained themselves significantly. The civil strife among the Drow had ceased, and the Spider Queen had apparently regained control over everything, with signs of unification gradually appearing within the Underdark.
Things were more serious in the Rosad Duchy.
As Soren had suspected, the Duchess of Red Dragon was indeed backed by a demon lord.
Moreover, she was the legendary Queen of Lust.
The daughter of the Lord of Hell – Asmothiels!
This was like poking a hornet’s nest; even the Church of the Lord of Radiance was starting to have headaches. Dealing with the Queen of Lust wasn’t overly difficult, but if she brought Asmothiels out of hiding, it would require the Lord of Radiance himself to deal with it.
By the way!
There is another criterion for Great Divinity; besides the God of Death – Ye Ge, the other is the Lord of Hell – Asmothiels.
He has experienced the ancient wars and has killed countless ancient demons.
The Queen of Lust should be the first demon lord to appear in front of the public, as Asmothiels’s daughter. She has always tried to prove her abilities, not relying on her father’s power but achieving the position of demon lord through her own strength. Therefore, the mess created by the Church of Radiance would not be easily resolved; at the very least, the clash between demons and the Church would continue for a while.
Soren kept an eye on the outside world.
However, knowing about Sherek made him reluctant to involve himself in many matters.
Recent news was related to the halfling race, which is not very populous. Halflings also have their own pantheon.
This time, the halfling’s guardian goddess – Yudala seemed to have appeared.
This goddess, who created the halfling race, appeared in the Shire area and even clashed with a certain deity.
The identity of that deity is still undetermined.
Additionally!
One of the earlier incidents was clarified.
The previously mentioned Death Valley, which suddenly exuded a strong life aura, was clearly a miracle produced when a deity responsible for [Life] fell to the mortal realm.
This goddess is Angreces!
The elven goddess of life! Also the wife of the main god Corellon Larethian in the elven pantheon! She replaced the Spider Queen, Rose, to become the matron of the elven pantheon!
Angreces governs the domains of life, spring, birth, fertility, and agriculture.
It was because she fell to the mortal plane that the Death Valley showed signs of vibrant life; she has since returned to the elven pantheon.
As for why she only went to see her husband now, the outside world has no knowledge of it.
Days passed quickly.
The third wave of the Saint’s Cataclysm was still brewing, and the figures of demons began to appear frequently. It seemed that after the previous waves of probing, they had become more proactive than demons.
To demons, the Material Plane is a treasure trove!
A large number of quality souls await their harvest, which can greatly enhance their power and status.
Recently.
Modo City began to see some particularly special people.
Most of these people were women, all young, beautiful, and talented singers and dancers. Most of these beautiful women were bards, dancers, performers, etc. They wore a special emblem on their chests, featuring a triangular shape made of three differently colored (yellow, orange, red) six-pointed stars.
This is the emblem of the Goddess of Joy!
It’s unclear when the devotees of the Goddess of Joy began to arrive uninvited.
Now, Modo Harbor can see many performers serving the Goddess of Joy. They either sing and dance in taverns or perform their talents directly in the streets, causing passersby to pause and watch, occasionally breaking out into applause. These beautiful women have remarkable skills. Their stunning dances have brought joy to Modo Harbor.
Soren has continuously monitored these happenings, yet he has no intention of intervening directly.
The Goddess of Joy has her own mission.
Currently, due to the Saint’s Cataclysm, many places no longer have a joyous atmosphere.
When war and chaos emerge, deities like the Goddess of Joy can find themselves in awkward positions, which is why her followers came to Modo City. Currently, the Material Plane, specifically Modo City, Arendelle, and the Northern Assembly, are among the few places where they can bring forth joy; as for those starving in other locations, they simply lack the energy to watch their dances and songs.
The Goddess of Joy – Liela.
She is the goddess who governs joy, happiness, dance, festive celebrations, and freedom, with domains including chaos, enchantment, family, kindness, and more.
She is a kind goddess who likes to indulge freely.
She is also one of the more hedonistic deities, having little ambition. Many of her followers are extremely devout and quite popular across the world, regarded as bearers of joy. Her temples often hold grand celebrations to raise funds, which are then channeled into seemingly unplanned uses—such as beautifying a public area or spending lavishly to hold a grand banquet for stern local lords.
In simple terms, this goddess and her followers have a somewhat quirky style.
Once, the Goddess of Wealth and the Goddess of Joy were very close allies, but after the previous Lady Wealth got into trouble during tumultuous times, some of her followers began to shift towards the Lady of Joy, leading to a significant cooling of the relationship between the two goddesses.
The Goddess of Joy’s enemy is the Goddess of Pain and Torment – Lavita.
She is a goddess who governs pain, harm, suffering, torment, misery, and torture, also known as the Whip Maiden mentioned earlier.
The hatred between these two goddesses has long been established.
Back during the last period of turmoil, the High Priestess of the Goddess of Joy, Clanah Angelos (who was once the lover of the Goddess of Joy), was murdered by the local forces of the Lavita cult. Under the Goddess of Joy’s orders, her followers formed an assassination cult called the [Crimson Minstrels], which began to perform around the world, cleverly disguising their lethal dances while using hidden blades in their dancing shoes to take the lives of the followers of the Pain Maiden.
Since that time, the struggle between the two divine churches has never ceased.
…
The sea can accommodate a hundred rivers, and it has great tolerance.
Soren showed sufficient tolerance towards the arrival of the devotees of the Goddess of Joy. He sent people to give these performers a piece of land to build a small temple to honor the Goddess of Joy.
Of course.
This did not come without a price; Soren was struggling with Vivian’s divine profession, so he had a strong interest in the position of the Whip Maiden – Lavita.
Originally, he planned to have the High Priestess contact them.
However, considering that the Goddess of Joy seemed to be a well-known goddess of lycanthropy, he thought it might be better for him to have a chance to interact with her himself.
…
(PS: Second update. Please pay attention.) (To be continued ~^~)
