258 The new moon Goddess (1)
Selma Payne’s POV:
Only then did I find out that the temple was located in a quiet forest. It was an entire suburb away from the Lycan pack, so it was almost a no man’s land. This was to ensure the peace of the temple and to ensure that I would not be disturbed by any unexpected visitors. The builders had specially chosen this place.
I thought that the temple would be in some secret royal land or somewhere far away from the werewolves’ territory. I didn’t expect it to be so close to the core of the werewolves.
“Aren’t you afraid of being discovered?” I asked, “This is a temple. How low-profile can it be?”
Aldrich, however, replied with a smile, “Why are you afraid of being discovered? This temple worshiped a great, kind, and merciful Holy Spirit, so there was nothing to hide. Anyone who finds this place will instantly understand the warmth and holiness of this place. They will repent their original sins in the temple and be redeemed.”
“You’re saying such mushy words again…”
I pushed him uncomfortably.
That was true. I was not something that couldn’t be seen by others. What was there to be afraid of being discovered? Although the fact that I had only been a god for a minute was indeed ridiculous, there had never been a lack of strange anecdotes about gods in history. Compared to those myths that challenged the bottom line of ethics and the limits of human acceptance, this bit of anecdote of mine wasn’t that shocking.
However…
My honorific title… I asked in a surprisingly low voice, “I mean, what do my kin call me?”
As Aldrich and Kara laughed, I said strangely, “It can’t be something like a one-minute god or a sixty-second god!”
The two of them laughed, and I realized that they had tricked me.
“Of course not, Your Highness,” Kara said. “You should have more trust in your believers.”
“So what is it?” I asked in high spirits.
Pointing at the pattern drawn with silver powder on the dome, Aldrich said, “We call you the ‘New Moon Goddess’.”
The New Moon Goddess?
“Wouldn’t that be the same name as the Moon Goddess?”
“Of course not. The ‘New Moon’ is just a reference. It represents new life, reincarnation, beginning, and dedication, just like what you did to your loved ones.”
Alright, New Moon Goddess, that sounded pretty cool.
We chatted for a while, and a few minutes later, Dorothy arrived.
She gave me a big hug as soon as she came up, then burst into tears. She didn’t say anything for a few minutes and just hugged me and cried.
“Okay, okay,” I comforted her as if I were petting a kitten. “I’m back. Everything is over. You don’t have to worry about me. You must have been very scared these three years, right? I’m sorry, Dorothy. Thank you for your sacrifice. I’ll always be grateful to fate for giving me a friend like you.”
“You just lay there for three whole years! You didn’t say a word. You didn’t do anything. I’ve tried all kinds of methods, but I couldn’t summon your soul!” She complained loudly, “I’m telling you, I’m tired of everything. I’ve already decided that if you don’t wake up this year, I’ll burn your body so that you won’t be able to come back, even if you want to!”
“Okay, okay, okay. I’m sorry. I won’t be so stubborn anymore. Please forgive me, okay?” I played along with her childish complaints and said, “It’s really the last time. To be honest, it doesn’t feel good to wake up and be told that you’ve advanced from a college student to a quasi-societal person. These are the most important years of youth in your life.”
I coaxed Dorothy for a long time before she finally calmed down. Aldrich, left out on the side, looked at us, hugging each other with hidden bitterness, and unwillingly said, “Dorothy is your priestess. She has been in charge of your affairs for the past three years. My god, how long are you going to hug? I’m going to be jealous for real now!”
“Don’t be so petty,” I said as I glared at him. Dorothy left my arms.
She rubbed her red and swollen eyes and cast a recovery spell on herself. She sobbed and said, “Anyway, many things have happened in the past three years, but they’re not big issues. When you’ve fully recovered, I’ll tell you bit by bit.
“I’ll be the one who tells her,” Aldrich corrected.
This person was really childish today!
I held his hand to comfort him, and he reluctantly shut up.
However, Dorothy did not give him any face at all and said bluntly, “You’re not mistaken, we’re ‘fighting for favor’- I know it’s weird to say this. But there’s nothing we can do about it. The nature of the followers makes us instinctively want to be close to our master. There are many records of the followers of an ancient god killing each other for the god’s favor, and in the end, the whole race was exterminated.”
But I was no longer a god.
“Just as I was about to say this, I remembered what Aldrich had said, ‘A contract had nothing to do with one’s status’.”
From my expression, Dorothy understood that I understood. “That’s why you’ll often see this kind of farce for the rest of your life. Your family will come together and fight because of your gaze. Don’t you feel like a female lead of an idol drama?”
“Feel my as*!” I was on the verge of breaking down. “Doesn’t that mean I won’t be able to live in peace for the rest of my life?”
What kind of weird side effect was this? Why did it sound like a little puppy that had not been weaned?
Just as I held my head and fantasized about my miserable life in the future, Dorothy burst out laughing. It was only then that I realized that she had played me.