Goddess Kaleidoscope

Thanks to the agricultural technology upgrade led by Lu De and the widespread application of the fertilizer "Jin Ke La", coupled with favorable weather throughout the year, Songshu Town has ushered in an unprecedented bumper harvest this year. The cultivated land area has nearly doubled compared to last year, and the total grain output is more than six times higher than last year. The variety of non-staple foods has also been greatly enriched!

The undeniable "agricultural miracle" was witnessed by everyone in the town, and no one doubted whether the Medicine Goddess Evelina truly possessed the divine title of "abundance." Compared to the barren Earth Mother Goddess, the Medicine Goddess's abundance was clearly visible!

However, Lud was not satisfied with the results he had achieved. A six-fold increase in production sounded impressive, but in essence, it was only because the foundation of primitive agriculture was too low that the progress seemed so significant.

Back when Songshu Town was just a small village of 400 people, the land developed around the village was less than 1,000 mu. The main crops were wheat and potatoes. The average yield of wheat was only 100 to 200 jin per mu, while potatoes were slightly higher, reaching about 300 to 400 jin. This was only if the weather was good. If there was a slight disaster, the yield could be halved, or even result in no harvest at all.

After Lude took actual power, he spent more than two years leading the villagers to build water conservancy projects and improve planting techniques. Of course, the most important thing was to use the unscientific power of magic to improve crops and make fertilizers. This year's bumper harvest is the result of all these efforts.

Even so, compared to modern agriculture on Earth, it is still far inferior in terms of yield alone. Although Lu De had never been a farmer in his previous life, when he took his parents back to his hometown in the countryside for holidays, he would listen to the neighbors chatting and learn that the local wheat yield was around 1,000 jin per mu, and potatoes could yield several thousand jin.

Unless Rud relentlessly pours divine power into the fields to nourish every crop and make it grow at high speed, it would be difficult to reach the level of Earth in this extremely backward world.

Of course! While using divine magic to accelerate the ripening of conventional crops on a large scale is not feasible and would be counterproductive, it is still very promising if used only on high-value crops with a small planting area.

Ludlow had a greenhouse used for breeding, where he directly used divine magic to cultivate those particularly delicate spices and medicinal herbs.

In a sense, holding a food festival was not just a passing interest of Lu De, or a prelude to the introduction of the Goddess of the Hearth, but rather a testament to his passion for food as a time traveler from the Celestial Empire—a cultural gene deeply ingrained in his bones!

However, to Lud's dismay, due to the previous mass invitations, lords, merchant representatives, and religious figures from all around the town arrived in Pine Town one after another, and even the old mage Hamilton, who loved spicy food, came with several of his apprentices.

Besides these old acquaintances whom he invited, there were also some "new friends" whom Lud didn't know but who knew him, who came to his door on their own initiative.

These were all prominent figures who came out of respect for Lu De. It was impossible for him to just leave them aside; he had to meet them. As a result, Lu De had been extremely busy receiving guests these past few days, and he was even more exhausted than usual.

"Damn! This isn't quite what I expected!"

"Master, someone's looking for you again. Come out and greet the customer!"

"...Fuck!"

Urged on by Aina's carefree urging, Lud, who had already met with six groups of people since morning, didn't even have time to drink a sip of water before rushing off to the main hall of the temple. As he approached the main hall, Lud noticed Hydra sneaking around the corner of the corridor, peeking into the hall from the doorway.

When Snake Girl heard Lude approaching from behind, she rushed forward to stop him, then hurriedly pointed to the hall and said...

"Master! Master! Something terrible has happened!"

"What's wrong? Why are you so panicked?"

“A female mage has come outside. I’ve seen her before!”

"Ok?"

After some questioning, Lude learned that the visitors waiting in the hall were also magicians from the Three-Person Tower, and that the woman in the lead, like Hamilton, was one of the three chief masters, the water archmage Debra Augustine.

This woman, supposedly a member of the Durand royal family and the current King's aunt, possessed extraordinary magical talent. She was chosen as the last disciple by the previous chief mage and rose through the ranks from apprentice to archmage in just twenty-five years. She not only inherited her mentor's chief position but also received the name "Augustin." In the magical world, this is the highest recognition of master-disciple succession, essentially a master acknowledging that their disciple has surpassed them.

It's worth mentioning that this character is probably the strongest in the three-person tower. Even Hamilton, who claims to be able to go toe-to-toe with a dragon, would shrink back and admit that he couldn't beat her when he talked about her in casual conversation, which shows just how powerful she is.

As for why Hydra was so panicked, it was because during Lud's time in Oyster Harbor earlier this year, he had sent Snake Girl to ambush Evanrus at sea, so that after succeeding, she would stay at sea for a few more days to make her presence known, so as not to arouse suspicion that Evanrus's death was an assassination.

As a result, the commotion caused by the snake girl alarmed the Duran royal family, who dispatched a special punitive fleet to besiege her. Debra also participated in this operation, which gave Hydra a psychological trauma. When she suddenly saw this woman appear in the temple, she subconsciously thought that she had come for revenge.

After learning about the situation, Lude guessed that this mage Debra was probably not after Hydra, but rather wanted to capture Hamilton.

The old bald man arrived late at night two days ago. After meeting him, he boasted that he had shaken off "troublesome pursuers" and told Lud not to reveal his whereabouts easily. He said he would stay in town for a few days in disguise and leave after the food festival.

It seems that this guy hasn't shaken off the pursuers he mentioned!

Feeling that his guess was probably pretty accurate, Lude comforted Hydra, telling her not to panic and that he would go and meet this water-elemental archmage.

After tidying up his slightly disheveled appearance caused by Hydra's collision with someone, Lude strolled into the hall with Aina, where they were greeted by a female mage dressed in a sea-blue mage robe.

At first glance, the other person appeared to be around thirty years old, with a thick head of golden wavy hair and a beautiful face. His eyes were always closed, but when the other person turned his head to "look" at him, Lu De clearly felt a strong gaze, which made his heart tremble slightly.

"Welcome, Master Augustine. I am Lud."

"Greetings, Master Lu De. We have long admired your esteemed name, and we are deeply impressed by your righteous deeds in Oyster Harbor."

As Debra spoke, she first offered Ludwig the respect due to a mage, then raised her head and asked him directly.

"Master Lude, has Hamilton from our institute ever visited?"

"He...he said he hadn't been here."

End of this chapter

After hesitating for less than three seconds, Ludd decisively betrayed Hamilton. Debra paused for a moment, then gave a knowing smile.

"So, where is he now?"

“He’s not in town right now. A few months ago, a labyrinth built by a demon appeared in the forest to the north. Hamilton said he was interested, so he took a few apprentices there first. If nothing unexpected happens, he should be back by the day after tomorrow when the town’s food festival opens. You might as well wait for him in town.”

"In that case, I'll stay in town for a few more days and wait for that guy to walk right into my trap."

As Debra said this, a smile remained on her face, but Ludwig felt a tremor in his heart. Although he couldn't see her eyes, he understood the subtle atmosphere at that moment and couldn't help but silently mourn for Hamilton for a second.

Out of respect for humanity's most powerful figures, Rudd invited Debra and her companions to sit in the garden behind the temple, and asked Aina and Hydra to prepare tea and refreshments. Debra seemed quite interested in Rudd, this religious figure with a rather unusual reputation, and readily agreed.

So the group moved to the temple's back garden, where Rudd had originally grown vegetables, and for a time there stood a pottery kiln. Later, as living conditions improved, the vegetable garden was moved to a greenhouse, and the kiln was placed underground, which restored the garden to its original state.

Lude invited Debra for two reasons: first, to make her his friend, and second, to expand his network of connections through Debra, a member of the royal family, which he would need when he moved south to the capital in the future.

For the past three years, Lud has been holed up in the northern border of the kingdom, focusing on development. Ultimately, this was because he lacked the strength to compete for survival space in the urban areas dominated by the major sects, so he turned to the strategy of surrounding the cities from the countryside.

Now that Songshu Town, its "base," has taken shape, the Medicine God Cult is developing in all aspects and everything is moving in a prosperous direction. Lu De naturally has the confidence to turn his attention back to the big cities.

It should be understood that, in terms of religious development alone, densely populated large cities have a huge advantage that local towns and villages cannot match, and are more suitable for the primordial fire to be ignited.

According to the tests Lu De had conducted before, the primordial fire within his body was most effective within a radius of three kilometers centered on him. As the distance increased, the effect began to rapidly diminish, eventually becoming completely ineffective at around eight kilometers.

In comparison, other sects that use temples and statues as collection points for their faith may only have an effective range of a few hundred meters, far less than the primordial fire. However, these large sects occupy major cities, and the problem of a small effective collection area can be compensated for by the population density in the city.

Back in Oyster Harbor, Lud had already witnessed the power of big cities. Hundreds of thousands of people watched his meticulously crafted "Resurrection Show" live. The surge of faith in a short period, coupled with the blessing of the Primal Fire, allowed him to collect the equivalent of a year's worth of people from Pine Village in just a few minutes.

If it weren't for his attachment to Pine Town, which he could completely control, Lud would have genuinely intended to establish a foothold in Oyster Harbor instead of just opening a branch base.

The development of the Medicine God Cult is now showing signs of entering a bottleneck period. Although Aina is about to break through to the third stage smoothly, the breakthroughs in the first three stages are not difficult at all. Once the total faith value reaches that standard, it will be a natural process. The breakthrough from the third stage to the fourth stage is the real first threshold and the watershed that distinguishes lower-level gods from middle-level gods.

If she continues to remain confined to a corner of the world, then even when Lud dies of old age, Aina will likely still be a lower-ranking deity of the third order.

Having developed to this point, expansion is now an inevitable path.

As the group chatted, Aina and Hydra approached, carrying tea and a fruit platter. Aina walked ahead, while Hydra deliberately hid behind her, trying to prevent Debra from seeing her. However, Debra, who had kept her eyes closed, suddenly looked in their direction, her expression initially surprised but quickly turning to excitement.

"Master Luther, are these two nuns your disciples?"

"Yes, her name is Aina, and the one hiding in the back is called Hydra. They have been practicing with me for many years, and they are both very good children."

“Oh! Is that Hydra in the back? Master Lud, I have a favor to ask. May I ask Sister Hydra to come forward a little? I would like to take a closer look at her.”

"Uh... is there a problem?"

“I ‘saw’ an elemental affinity in her that far surpasses that of ordinary people, and like me, she is a water element specialist. This child can be described as a magical prodigy, one in a million. It’s such a waste to have her be a nun! Master, I have a favor to ask. Could you entrust this child to me? I am willing to take her as my disciple. She has the potential to inherit my mantle, and perhaps she will even surpass me in the future!”

As Debra spoke, her tone grew increasingly agitated. Finally, she stood up and pounced on Hydra, grabbing her hands in one swift motion. The snake girl was so frightened that she nearly had a heart attack. She let out a scream and fled behind Lud as if trying to escape.

Lude was also surprised by Debra's sudden outburst, and could only cough awkwardly a few times to remind her to be mindful of the situation.

“Ms. Debra, you have frightened my disciple.”

"Uh, I'm sorry, I was just a little too excited to see such outstanding talent. Please forgive me, but please let me take a good look at this child again."

"Wait, wait! Calm down, Archmage Debra. You're confusing me too. You suddenly say my disciple Hydra is a magical prodigy, but what's the evidence?"

"Evidence? Of course, it's what I see with these eyes!"

"???"

Seeing the puzzled looks on Lud and the others' faces, Debra, who was much calmer than before, explained to them. It turned out that the reason Debra kept her eyes closed but seemed to be able to see everything was because she had practiced a unique secret technique of the Augustine lineage—the Arcane Eye.

Listening to the other party's description, Lu De thought that this secret technique was somewhat similar to the "mind's eye" that often appears in various comics. It involves actively abandoning conventional vision in exchange for super-sensory perception that allows one to directly see the essence of elements.

Debra, who possesses the Arcane Eye, can not only directly see whether a person has the potential to cultivate magic, but also predict the magic that the opponent is preparing by observing the flow and changes of magical elements in the opponent's body. In this way, she can take targeted countermeasures, or even interfere first, disrupt the opponent's magic formula, and trigger a strong backlash effect.

Hydra, who encountered Debra in her serpent form on the open sea, was defeated by this very tactic. Because the magic used by monsters is very simple, and Hydra happened to use water magic, which Debra excelled at, Hydra was completely outmatched. She had three spells interrupted in a row, suffering internal injuries and causing considerable psychological trauma to the snake girl.

End of this chapter

Because her true form is that of a top-tier magical beast lord, even though Lud used the Book of Ashes to forcibly "femaleize" her into human form, Hydra still possesses the world's most advanced elemental affinity, which is a necessary innate condition for becoming a top-tier mage.

Mistakenly believing she had discovered a rare "magical genius" whose elemental affinity happened to be the same as her own—water—Debra wished she could pick up Hydra and sprint back with her to become a magical girl.

Seeing that Debra was getting more and more excited, and her breathing was getting heavier and heavier, like that of a pervert, Ludwig could only stand between her and Hydra, and then casually cast a mental calming spell on her, forcing this middle-aged witch to calm down.

"Master, have some self-respect! You've frightened the child."

"Uh...sorry..."

After being hit in the face with a mind-awakening spell by Rudd, Debra realized that she had just lost her composure and scared the little girl so much that she hid completely behind Rudd.

Furthermore, the divine spell that Lud had just cast made her realize that the seemingly young priest in front of her was actually older than Hamilton. He had been resurrected by multiple gods and rejuvenated to his current appearance. He was not only a saint but also a chosen one of the gods.

Hamilton was initially fooled by Lud's instantaneous divine spell, mistakenly believing that he was a top expert of the same level as himself, or even higher. After all, when priests and mages of the same level fight, priests who borrow power from the gods have a natural advantage.

Debra asked herself honestly, she had been very polite not to have fired a single offensive divine spell when she tried to poach someone's apprentice to their face.

So, realizing what had happened, Debra hurriedly apologized to Rudd, making amends for her rude behavior. However, she did not give up on taking Hydra as her apprentice. After a moment's consideration, she tried to persuade Rudd to let her teach Hydra, because she had the qualifications to become a Grand Magister.

Despite Debra's earnest persuasion, Lud thought to himself that if he weren't worried that Hydra would expose the truth that he wasn't human, he would actually like to send the snake girl to Debra's side to learn magic. Debra was one of the most outstanding magic masters in all of human society. For her to take on a disciple so proactively was like being spotted on the street by Academician Ma Weiming on Earth and having him insist on teaching you how to make an electromagnetic cannon—a dream come true for many!

After thinking it over, Lude felt it would be a pity to just refuse outright, so he came up with a plan.

“Master Debra, I understand your eagerness to find talent, but Hydra is, after all, my disciple, like my daughter. It’s not appropriate for you to suddenly say you want to take her away from me.”

“Master Lude, I know this is impolite, but… this girl’s elemental affinity is unlike anything I’ve ever seen, and she’s also a water-type like me. She’s practically a disciple tailor-made for me. Please believe me, if I let her come back to the Three-Person Tower with me to train, I will train her to become the world’s number one water-type magician. She has the potential!”

Debra spoke with absolute certainty, confident that her Arcane Eyes were not mistaken. Hydra, simply by standing there, was almost completely enveloped by the water element in the air. Among all the mages in the Three-Person Tower, even Debra herself did not possess such a level of charisma.

It's no exaggeration to say that Debra was completely captivated by Hydra the moment she saw her, and now she's single-mindedly focused on taking the girl as her apprentice. Her original mission to capture Hamilton has been completely forgotten.

At this point, Ludwig spoke to Debra in a consultative tone.

“Master Debra, I trust your judgment, but the conditions for becoming an excellent magician are certainly not limited to elemental affinity alone. Learning ability and personal interest are equally crucial. How about this? You can try teaching Hydra here first. If this child truly enjoys learning magic and has the desire to do so, I, as an elder, will definitely support her.”

Rudd's words were quite tactful, and Debra thought about it and felt that it was indeed a good idea. She wasn't the kind of old-fashioned person who couldn't understand human relationships. If she really tried to force Hydra to come back to her unwillingly, it would be difficult for the girl to wholeheartedly learn magic if she had a resistant attitude.

Lude's suggestion was clearly to let himself spend some time getting to know the girl in her familiar environment, and then find a way to abduct her once they were familiar with each other.

Debra would never have been so accommodating to an ordinary apprentice, but this girl's talent was truly unparalleled in Debra's life; she was captivated at first sight.