Goddess Kaleidoscope

End of this chapter

Perhaps it was a rare moment of conscience, or perhaps he was afraid that if he didn't agree, Lud would just lie down on the ground, but Evan Ruth finally compromised and wrote a document to lend the vacant land north of East Street to the health department free of charge until the pandemic ended.

Only after the other party left satisfied did Evanlus, who had been thoroughly ripped off, finally breathe a sigh of relief.

"Damn it, this old man looks like a refined gentleman, how come he's so skilled at being a scoundrel?"

Meanwhile, Lud returned to the quarantine zone with the agreement document from the Church of the Four Seasons. The dwarven construction team, which had been prepared in advance, immediately began work, striving to set up four hundred tents within two days to serve as isolation wards for patients with mild symptoms.

After arranging everything, Lude made another round of inspections in the intensive care unit before returning to his residence. As soon as he entered the room, he saw Aina lying in bed, looking soft and glowing.

Aina's current state began early this morning. The divine power within her body has reached a state of saturation, and the excess can only be temporarily stored by Lude until she breaks through and is then transferred to him.

The problem now is that Lude only knows that Aina needs to break through, but he doesn't know how to help her. Among the gods he knows, only Hume has been through this, but that guy has been away on business for more than half a year, disappearing without a trace like a runaway husky, so he can't be counted on at all.

Left with no other option, as Aina began to glow uncontrollably, Lude had to ask her to take sick leave and hide in her room to avoid being discovered and having to explain herself.

When Lud returned, Aina only glanced up slightly upon hearing the door open. Seeing that it was Lud who came in, she turned over with relief, hugged her pillow, and continued sleeping, as lazy as a big cat that had eaten too much.

Lude stepped forward, patted her on the shoulder, and asked.

"Hey, wake up! How are you feeling right now?"

"It's still the same as before... I don't feel uncomfortable... it's just... I'm so sleepy that I don't want to move..."

"Then sit up first, and I will examine your body."

Urged on by Lude, Aina, who was so sleepy she could barely keep her eyes open, reluctantly sat up. Lude reached out and pressed her crown, and the primordial fire, under his control, extended many tentacles that burrowed into Aina's body and wandered around.

Through these tentacles, Lude could clearly "see" that the divine power within Aina's body had become as viscous as yogurt. He had previously tried to "ignite" something within Aina's body, just as he had done when activating her divine consciousness, hoping to help her break through, but it seemed that his posture was incorrect, and after a long time, there was no reaction.

After stirring with his "tentacles" for a while, Aina's condition was no different from yesterday. As soon as he moved his hand away, Aina fell asleep instantly on the bed.

Seeing this, Lude shook his head helplessly, took off his coat, and went to the other bed to sleep. The fatigue from a busy day made Lude fall asleep quickly.

Lude slept in a daze, not knowing how long he had been asleep. He vaguely felt a light flashing in front of his eyes and instinctively thought it was daylight outside the window. But when he opened his eyes, he was startled.

Aina was still fast asleep, hugging her pillow, but her body seemed to float in mid-air as if weightless, landing right above Lud's head.

Lude was startled. He thought to himself that it was a good thing the room's doors and windows were tightly closed, otherwise this silly girl would have drifted out like that without anyone noticing. It was secondary that she might have been seen by someone; if she had drifted out to sea with the wind, that would have been a real problem.

Left with no other choice, Lude carefully got up, stood aside and observed for a moment to confirm that Aina was indeed unconscious. Only then did he gently push her back to his bed and try to use the blanket to press her back onto the bed.

But Aina was like a hydrogen balloon; no matter how hard Lud tried, he couldn't push her down. The buoyancy was so great that it could lift him up into the sky as well. He couldn't wake her up at all.

Finally, having exhausted all other options, Ludwig found a thin hemp rope and tied it around Aina's wrist. The result was that she looked even more like a balloon than before!

"Oh no! What do we do now?"

Looking troubled, Lude scratched his head and saw through the crack in the wooden window that it was already bright outside. If nothing unexpected happened, Romian, who had a good sleep schedule, should have woken up by now and would probably come to wake him up in a little while.

If the Dragon Girl were to see her senior sister transformed into a glowing, magical girl balloon, she would undoubtedly have to explain herself at length. And as if to prove the old saying, "What you fear most is what happens," someone knocked on the door precisely on time, and Romian's voice came through.

"Master, are you awake? I've brought you breakfast."

"I'm awake. Leave breakfast at the door... No, wait! Romi'an, come in for a moment."

After a moment's consideration, Lud felt that he couldn't just keep it a secret. At least on Romian's side, Lud had already considered her one of his own and had long been preparing to gradually integrate her into a part of the core. And now was the perfect opportunity.

So Lude called out to the dragon girl who was about to leave and opened the door for her to come inside. As soon as Romian entered, she saw her senior sister floating in mid-air and was immediately stunned.

"Master! What's wrong with Senior Sister...?"

"Calm down, Romianne, and listen carefully as I explain in detail. Your senior sister is currently going through a very important and special period, and she may need our help in the future."

In front of Romian, Rude earnestly told her a closely guarded "secret"—her senior sister Aina, although she usually seemed silly and silly, was not an ordinary human, but a "child of God" with divine blood.

Lud claims that sixteen years ago, he found Aina as an infant during a terrible blizzard. An ordinary baby would probably have perished in the cold winter, but Aina was protected by a divine power and did not freeze to death in the snow.

At first glance, Rude knew that this child was the legendary "Child of God," possessing divine blood, and coincidentally, she shared the same lineage as Rude, both belonging to the Goddess of Medicine, Evelina.

Rudd believed that the merciful goddess had taken pity on the child and could not bear to see her freeze to death in the wilderness, so she gave her her own bloodline and guided Rudd to meet her in the deep mountains amidst a raging storm.

After that, Lude adopted Aina and raised her with great care. Now she has grown into such a beautiful young woman.

Although she usually acts carefree and silly, Lude has always been very clear in her heart that she contains a powerful force, a gift from the goddess, which will awaken one day!

End of this chapter

Lude's words were mostly made up on the spot. He didn't directly tell Romian that Aina was actually the Medicine Goddess Evelina, but instead used the term "Son of God" to explain Aina's current state, which made it easier for her to accept.

Although it is a fabricated claim, the "Son of God" does indeed exist, and is considered a secret within religious circles.

Many deities can grant an ordinary mortal their own bloodline by "giving blood," and some male deities even personally engage in close contact with mortal women.

These children of the gods can be considered natural-born priests. Their shared bloodline gives them excellent compatibility with the divine power of the same origin, making their divine spells more powerful and less burdensome on themselves.

Interestingly, the Son of God and the Chosen One are not the same. The Son of God can be the Chosen One, but the Chosen One is not necessarily the Son of God.

Lude believed that Aina was a human abandoned baby who received a blood donation. However, because she received a blood donation from a god during infancy, she exhibited many amazing characteristics as she grew up. The most prominent feature was her appearance, which made her look more and more like a goddess.

After listening to Lude's explanation, Romian was deeply shocked. Being the child of God was secondary. The main thing was that she never expected that her senior sister, who usually seemed so optimistic, had such a tragic background. She was cruelly abandoned by her parents in the wilderness when she was still an infant.

In contrast, Romianne's childhood before the sudden tragedy could at least be considered happy. She had a loving mother, and although her biological father rarely appeared, he always entrusted his friend Byrne to send letters and living expenses to her and her mother.

Thinking of this, Luo Mi'an secretly resolved that once her senior sister regained consciousness, she would treat her even better.

"Master, what can we do for Senior Sister now?"

"Let's wait and see for now. Currently, only you and I, master and disciple, know about this. The main reason is that given her condition, we can't let outsiders find out. The identity of the Child of God is special, and I'm worried that someone might have some ulterior motives towards her."

"I understand, Master. I will definitely protect my senior sister."

"Yes! I'm entrusting this matter to you. Your master is getting old and can't protect your senior sisters forever. Although you started your training later than your two senior sisters, Luo Mi'an, you have great talent and a more mature and strong character, so I trust you completely. If I'm not around one day, promise me you'll take good care of these two troublesome silly girls. Cough cough..."

Seeing Lude's solemn expression, as if he were making a will, Romian suddenly felt nervous and uneasy. After her family suffered a tragedy, it was Lude who gave the all-weather Romian a new place to stay, cared for her deeply, and even disregarded her mixed-race demi-human identity, allowing her to join the Medicine God Cult. Now, she had become a glorious apprentice priest.

So, without realizing it, Romian projected her feelings for her father onto Ludwig. Now that Ludwig says he's dying, Romian is terrified, afraid of losing another loved one.

"Master, please don't say that. I... I can't bear to see you leave..."

"Silly child, birth, aging, sickness and death are things that we mortals cannot avoid. As long as we live without regrets, death is not something to be afraid of."

Smiling, Lu De patted the dragon girl's head, gave her a few more instructions, and then finished his breakfast before leaving the room to begin his new day's work.

Under Ludwig's command and arrangements, the work in the isolation ward was carried out in an orderly manner. The patients received proper care, and with priests keeping a close watch on the critically ill patients as a safety net, the mortality rate was directly suppressed to the lowest level, while the number of mild cases was recovering in batches of hundreds every day.

All of this will be compiled into data and posted on the bulletin board every morning, boosting the morale and confidence of the entire city.

"This is simply a miracle!"

Inside the quarantine zone, the priests of the various religious groups affiliated with the Health Bureau witnessed everything. Before this, they had never imagined that mortals could truly save themselves without the help of gods, and that powerful divine magic was merely a last resort.

Some people are overjoyed because, through their personal participation in this massive anti-epidemic effort, they have learned a lot of useful skills from Lud, which they can then use for their own purposes.

Others worry that if mortals can save themselves, their dependence on gods and religion will decrease, which could be a dangerous sign that shakes their very foundations.

But regardless of what people think, at least when Luther is mentioned, everyone gives him a thumbs up, praising him as a capable priest with saintly qualities.

However, what worries many people is that this saint may be overworked. In recent days, his health has visibly deteriorated. He is often seen coughing incessantly, and sometimes he suddenly becomes unsteady on his feet, swaying as if he may faint at any moment.

Many patients initially thought that Master Lu De had been infected, but later they realized that he was actually exhausted. Working at such a high intensity every day would be unbearable for anyone, let alone a man nearing seventy, even for someone in their prime.

Although the people were ignorant, they were not without gratitude. Everyone had witnessed everything that Rudd had done for them. As a result, many patients chose to convert to the cult of medicine that Rudd belonged to, and prayed devoutly to the goddess for Rudd every day.

Time flies, and three weeks have passed.

Half of the time since the pledge made to the lord has passed, and the total number of infected people in the entire viscountty has exceeded 30,000.

To the public's delight, the number of new daily cases has fallen below twenty, soon to drop into single digits. Meanwhile, within the quarantine zone, the first batch of recovered patients, after a two-week observation period, have finally been approved for release.

Thanks to the health bureau's tireless health promotion efforts over the past month, people have learned that these self-healers defeated the plague on their own without relying entirely on divine magic. As a result, they have gained resistance to this evil plague, and this buff is expected to last for a considerable period of time, preventing them from contracting the disease again.

As a result, the original prejudice and discrimination vanished, replaced by respect. After all, the title of "defeating evil spirits" sounds very prestigious, and once the self-healers leave the quarantine area, they will not only not be ostracized, but will even be more popular than before.

Out of a sense of ceremony, Lud specially arranged a send-off ceremony for this group of one thousand self-healed individuals on the day they were to leave the quarantine area. The atmosphere was like a graduation ceremony. The self-healed individuals lined up and, amidst the applause of the surrounding medical staff, came to Lud one by one to receive their recovery certificates. Then, they walked out the door with their heads held high and embraced the relatives and friends who came to greet them.

Gazing at this heartwarming and inspiring scene, Ludwig couldn't help but look up at the sky at a 45-degree angle. Those around him thought he was moved by the sight, but in reality, Ludwig was observing the torrent of faith in the sky, which resembled a river of stars.

During the days that Aina was in a deep sleep, most of these faiths were collected by Lude because Aina could no longer eat. Now that they have finally resumed flowing, it means that the girl is finally about to wake up!

End of this chapter

Counting the days, it had been twenty-two days since Aina fell into a deep sleep, and she had been floating like a balloon for twenty-two days. The light emanating from her body was getting stronger and stronger, so much so that Lud had to wear a thick, completely opaque eye mask in his room just to be able to sleep.

Therefore, noticing that the flow of faith had resumed, Lud deduced that Aina must have completed her breakthrough and might already be awake.

After the discharge ceremony, Ludwig made an excuse that he was feeling unwell and wanted to go back to his room to rest. He gave Romian a wink and then quickly left the scene, heading straight back to his room.

Previously, Lude had written to Fallen Leaf, who remained in Pine Tree Town, for advice. Most gods' first breakthrough was very easy. Basically, once they had gathered enough faith, it would happen naturally. Falling into hibernation was a normal phenomenon, and she would wake up once she completed her breakthrough.

So when Lude came back, Aina was indeed awake, but she looked a little bit... oh no!

Because Aina had been drifting aimlessly around the room during her sleep, and the light emanating from her body was getting stronger and stronger, Lude and Romian could only try to secure her to the bed with ropes. They wrapped her up from head to toe with many ropes like a pig being tied up, and covered her body except for her head with a blanket.

As a result, when Aina woke up, she found herself bound hand and foot to the bed and unable to move.

When Lud returned, Aina must have struggled for quite a while, but the dozen or so ropes bound her tightly from all sides. So, after struggling for a long time, she not only failed to break free, but the ropes shifted and misaligned, tightening some parts of her body even more than before.

Fortunately, Lud returned in time, and Aina didn't shout or attract attention, otherwise the matter might have been difficult to explain!

With Lud's help, Aina freed herself from her restraints, and as she stood up, she rubbed her wrists and complained to Lud.

"Master, why did you tie me up?"

"Do you know how long you've been asleep? A full twenty-two days, and you've been flying around aimlessly the whole time! I tied you up to prevent you from flying away. Besides, even if I hadn't come, couldn't you have untied yourself with divine magic?"

"Oh right! How could I forget that I'm a goddess?"

Lud: "..."

Clearly, the improvement brought by the breakthrough in rank couldn't make up for Aina's innate weakness in intelligence. However, if you only look at her appearance, the growth is indeed very significant. It's as if she has transformed from a junior high or high school student into a female college student. Her pretty face is still pure, but she has gained a touch of mature womanly charm. Her hair has grown longer, she has grown taller, and even her breasts have become larger! They've made her nun's habit, which was originally quite well-fitting, look rather tight.

In addition, the rank increase also increased Aina's "capacity" by an order of magnitude.

Since waking up, Aina has been frantically absorbing the faith power generated around her. Even when Lude injected all the faith he had been holding and storing for nearly a month into her body, he only received the slightly unpleasant comment, "That's it? Not satisfying at all."