Goddess Kaleidoscope

So, in order to take on a talented student, Debra readily accepted Rudd's suggestion to stay in Pine Town for a while longer and tutor Hydra in basic magic knowledge one-on-one. Rudd watched with a smile as Debra took the bait, while Hydra was completely bewildered, vaguely feeling as if she had been sold out by her master!

As they were talking, Shanes came in to report that Hamilton had just returned and was currently at the guard drill ground north of town. Debra, who had been basking in the glow of having gained such a fine apprentice, instantly turned sharp-eyed upon hearing this.

"Where is that old bald guy?!"

Hamilton's actions around Pinetown these past few days have never escaped Ludd's notice. Five days ago, Ludd took several of his apprentices on a field trip to the maze for on-site research.

With his strength as a fire-type archmage, the first level of the maze, which is equivalent to a beginner's level, was naturally no challenge for him. The newly "refreshed" Dog Brother was easily defeated by him.

To Lu De's utter astonishment, after defeating Dog Brother, the old man did not continue forward. He didn't even glance at the rewards for passing through the BOSS room before rushing towards the still-warm Dog Brother, directing his apprentices to dismember Dog Brother's remains and carry them out of the maze in batches.

The old man actually set his sights on Dog Brother's Golem!

It's no wonder Hamilton was so excited. Golems are a long-lost art of the ratmen, even rarer than the war golems of the dwarves. Apart from a few fragmented remains, no complete golems have ever survived.

So, at least in Hamilton's eyes, Dog was far more tempting than the treasure chests in the maze.

And so, Hamilton successfully brought the disassembled golem out of the maze and transported it back to Pinetown overnight. Upon his return, he couldn't wait to begin his research.

Debra, who had chased him to the town, immediately led her disciples to the town's north gate guard post upon hearing of his return. Lud also went along, prepared to provide medical assistance.

End of this chapter

On the training ground of the guards in the north of the city, Hamilton was proudly displaying the "spoils of war" he had brought out from the demon's labyrinth, as well as the head of naturally curly hair that had grown a few days ago after trying a new type of hair growth tonic. This made his disciples, who were used to being dazzled by the reflection of their teacher's head, feel somewhat uncomfortable.

At Hamilton's feet, the dismembered Dog was displayed piece by piece, like a "dark wizard" that had not been reassembled.

Just then, Hamilton heard someone behind him shout, "Master Ludd is here!" He was eager to show off to his friend, but when he turned around, he saw Debra, who shouldn't have been there, walking quickly toward him.

The bald old monk rubbed his eyes to make sure he wasn't seeing things, then turned and ran away without saying a word.

As a top-tier fire archmage, Hamilton possesses his own unique "travel skill," which allows him to generate a pair of flying fire wheels beneath his feet, enabling him to fly close to the ground at speeds exceeding 100 kilometers per hour, making him a truly first-rate maneuver.

However, Debra had anticipated that Hamilton would use this trick to escape after seeing her. The moment the old mage launched himself, she seemingly casually snapped her fingers, causing the fire wheels under Hamilton's feet to disappear instantly. The old mage staggered and flew out, plunging headfirst into the stable's water trough.

"Hmph! You think you can get away?"

Hamilton's disciples were startled and hurriedly pulled their master out of the trough. Lude, who had followed, quickly stepped forward to take a look and saw that the old man was in a sorry state but not seriously injured. He then quietly retreated to the side, took the small stool that Aina handed him, and sat down to watch the show.

On the way there, Lude asked Debra why she personally led a team to "hunt down" Hamilton. The actual situation was not as simple as the old bald man himself said, that he had simply skipped the regular meeting of the three chiefs.

It turns out that Hamilton was trying to develop a new type of alchemical bomb last month. In order to increase the explosive power of the bomb, Hamilton went to Debra and asked her for a rare material called "Phoenix Feather".

Legend has it that the phoenix possesses the ability to traverse dimensions, freely traveling between different worlds. Although no one in this world has been able to witness the splendor of this divine bird for hundreds of years, there are some special individuals with phoenix bloodlines who can grow "phoenix feathers" on their bodies.

It is worth mentioning that, unlike the way dragons develop subspecies, phoenixes do not form super-friendly relationships with other creatures. However, these kind-hearted divine birds believe that their tears are a panacea and their blood can bring people back to life. Therefore, they will occasionally take the initiative to save some dying creatures, giving them the unique phoenix bloodline.

Debra keeps such a phoenix blood spirit cat. It is said that this old cat has lived for over a thousand years. Its whole body is orange-red and it is not afraid of fire. It has three phoenix feathers on its forehead. It is a spirit pet inherited by the Duran royal family and is currently cared for by Debra.

Hamilton wanted Phoenix Feather to develop bombs, but Debra refused. So the old devil decided to steal them. He set a trap to lure Debra away, then sneaked into her residence and brutally attacked the sleeping spirit cat.

By the time Debra realized something was wrong and rushed back, her beloved pet had already gone bald!

Knowing he would be hunted down, Hamilton fled with several of his accomplices after the crime. Enraged, Debra also gathered her apprentices and launched a nationwide manhunt, eventually catching the old wizard and his party red-handed in Pinetown.

In a one-on-one duel, Hamilton was no match for Debra. One reason was the inherent weakness of magical attributes, but the Arcane Eye was practically a cheat code, widely recognized as the strongest dueling skill in the entire magical world—so overpowered it was practically superhuman.

Having been colleagues for many years and even having a past relationship with him in their youth, Debra was familiar with almost all of Hamilton's commonly used spells. Because of this deep knowledge, her ability to use spell-interrupting techniques to "kill those she knew well" was even more effective. If the unfortunate Hamilton failed to distance himself from this female demon immediately, Debra had the ability to turn this fire saint into a Muggle instantly, preventing him from even igniting a single flame.

At Ludd's signal, the guards quickly set up a cordon, keeping the onlookers at a safe distance. Only Ludd, confident in his ability to instantly activate his shield, took Aina and Hydra to sit in the "VIP seats" nearby, ready to intervene at the right moment to prevent Hamilton from being actually beaten to death.

Hamilton, who had fainted after hitting the water tank, regained consciousness with the help of his disciples. As soon as he opened his eyes, he saw Debra standing less than five meters away from him, surrounded by a light blue aura formed from condensed water elements. She had obviously prepared a powerful attack and was just waiting for him to wake up so she could immediately smear it in his face.

In that life-or-death moment, Hamilton, who truly felt the threat of death, disregarded the dignity of being a grandmaster of magic in public and frantically begged for mercy from his opponent.

"Master Augustine, Ms. Debra! I was wrong, I was wrong, I was really wrong! I haven't even used those three phoenix feathers yet, I'll return them to you right away. Please, you are so kind, please calm down!"

As Hamilton spoke, he frantically winked at one of his disciples, who immediately scrambled to a backpack, pulled out a small box, and respectfully presented it to Debra with both hands.

However, Debra didn't even look at him. She walked straight up to Hamilton, grabbed the old wizard's curly hair that had only grown a few days ago, and squeezed out a sentence through gritted teeth.

"If I pluck all your fur off and then give it back to you, would you be willing?"

"I……"

With Debra gripping his hair—a part of his very being—Hamilton fell silent, his expression becoming extremely conflicted.

At this moment, he noticed Lud, who was sitting on a small stool watching the play not far away. He quickly looked over with a pleading look, and then saw Lud pull out a few very familiar small bottles from his pocket and wave them at him.

Hamilton recognized it as the hair growth serum Ludd had given him a while ago. It seemed that Ludd was trying to convey a message to him... Don't be afraid to pull out some hair, I have plenty of hair growth serum here!

"..."

Fortunately, Debra wasn't really determined to kill Hamilton to avenge her beloved pet. She used intimidation to force Hamilton to sign a series of "treaties of surrender," and then had Ludd, who was present, witness and swear a solemn oath in order to save his life.

Forced to accept the unequal treaty, Hamilton looked dejected, his gaze towards Ludd seemingly blaming him for betraying his brother and leading this female devil astray.

Ludd simply shrugged at this. In a sense, he did betray Hamilton, but at least he sold him for a good price!

End of this chapter

After being thoroughly humiliated by Debra, Hamilton looked as aggrieved as a little girl who had just been bullied, while Ludd chatted and laughed with Debra about their collaborative project right in front of him.

The old monk felt very uncomfortable and wanted to stand up for himself and leave to show his anger. However, he soon realized that the topic the two were talking about also interested him. So he pretended to be sullen and stood to the side with a sullen face, then pricked up his ears and listened intently.

This year's Pine Town Food Festival was not a spur-of-the-moment decision by Lud. Like last year's sports meet on the goddess's birthday, it was a large-scale festival that had been prepared in advance. In addition to religious purposes, it also had the intention of showcasing itself to the outside world.

In the past few days, Lud has made contact with a number of forces, including local lords and envoys, powerful trading guilds, and even some second- or third-tier regional sects and strange social groups that have come seeking his expertise. As long as the visitors do not come with hostility, they are all warmly received by Lud.

Among the representatives from all sides, the mages from the Three-Person Tower were particularly valued by Lud. After all, mages are the most respected "intellectual group" in the world, enjoying a high status comparable to religious figures, and are also an indispensable military force for various countries, representing progressive forces to a certain extent.

However, just like the religious community's attitude towards divine magic, the vast majority of magicians in this world also view magic too militaristically, seeing themselves only as human cannons, and concentrating the application and development of magic on fighting.

However, in Ludwig’s view, while military technology is the foundation for a country’s survival and self-defense and cannot be neglected in the slightest, it does not conflict with the “military-to-civilian” conversion. Magic can also be applied to the field of people’s livelihood.

So Lude had always wanted to collaborate with the Three-Person Tower, and the fact that two of the three chief chefs came at the food festival was a godsend!

As a time traveler, Lu De always believed that his greatest advantage was not the primordial fire, but the knowledge of Earth in his mind. Some things are actually not technically difficult; what's lacking in creating something from nothing is just a very simple "idea".

Thus, by merely revealing some "interesting ideas," Rudd successfully piqued the interest of the two great mages.

Before the formal talks, Lud had conducted thorough research, consulting not only top figures like Hamilton but also those from the lower rungs of society who had been forced into mercenary adventures by poverty. He was somewhat surprised to discover that, regardless of their social class, no mage was ever truly without money!

As a high-level skill, magic not only requires personal talent, but also substantial financial support for learning and using it. Expensive enchanting tools, rare special materials, and elemental crystals as consumables—none of these things are cheap.

Therefore, many magicians are willing to bow down for a pittance and become bodyguards for rich people, just so they can have a sugar daddy to sponsor them.

The three-person tower was supported by the Duran royal family. After all, one of the three chiefs was the king's uncle, and the other was the king's aunt. With two elders holding high positions, the Duran king really didn't dare not pay.

Even so, the three-person tower, which employs hundreds of mages, is still not financially well-off and often has to rely on labor dispatch to earn extra income. The predicament of these organizations and individuals ultimately stems from the fact that many mages only focus on research and lack the business acumen to effectively monetize the technologies they possess.

While magic may not be as effective as divine arts in the field of healing, it is far more universally applicable in other areas than divine arts, which require divine intervention. Although not everyone can use magic, some magical items have extremely low barriers to entry, requiring only the mental power of ordinary people to activate them—making them far more convenient than divine arts.

Lude knew that the Three-Person Tower could essentially be considered the national magic training institution of the Kingdom of Duran. While receiving substantial sponsorship from the royal family, it was also required to send at least ten mid-level magicians to the royal magic corps every year. And in the event of a foreign war, the three chief masters of the Three-Person Tower would also have to rush to the battlefield to fight for the king.

So Lude made his intentions clear from the start: he wanted to collaborate with the Three Towers on technology, and also bring in the dwarves of the Steelwhip Clan to establish a joint research institution at Brewster Academy. He didn't need combat-oriented mages; ideally, they would be academically skilled researchers, like Dave, Hamilton's protégé who was recently engrossed in developing enchanted plants.

Regarding funding, Lud, who was not interested in money, said that he could contribute the majority of the funds, and the results of the development would be shared among the three parties. The profits from commercialization would be distributed according to their respective shares. All these terms and conditions could be clearly stated in the contract, and everyone would follow the rules in the future.

Neither Debra nor Hamilton were old-fashioned; they understood Ludd's meaning immediately, and many of his ideas were quite insightful. They believed that the prospect Ludd described was indeed possible, and therefore they were quite interested in cooperating.

In fact, the Three Towers also planned to open a "branch base" in Pine Town. They were very interested in the maze that had appeared in the area in recent months and wanted to send people over to study the things of the Outland demons. Pine Town, with its excellent conditions in all aspects, was undoubtedly an ideal place to set up a base.

However, the two did not immediately agree. After all, one of the three chiefs was not present, and they couldn't simply ignore his opinion just because they had a two-to-one numerical advantage. This matter had to be handled properly, otherwise it would have a far greater impact on the internal unity of the Three-Man Tower than Hamilton's cat-plucking incident.

Seeing that the two hadn't ruled out the possibility and were indeed showing considerable interest, Lude knew that the matter was at least 50% certain, and smiled as he spoke.

"Haha, there's no need to rush this. It's not something that can be done in a day or two anyway. Why don't you two celebrate the festival together in town first? The food festival is a local specialty, you must try it!"

At Ludd's enthusiastic invitation, Debra figured that since she was already there and wanted to take Hydra as her apprentice, she couldn't refuse him. Hamilton, on the other hand, was a spicy food lover, and as long as Ludd didn't tell her to leave, she was definitely going to eat her fill before going back.

So the group of mages stayed behind. Meanwhile, Pine Town was already filled with big shots from all sides, fully demonstrating Lude's extensive network of connections. The fact that he could gather so many seemingly unrelated but influential figures in various fields together showed his immense power.

End of this chapter

On the day of the food festival, the main street of Songshu Town was decorated with lanterns and colorful decorations. Stalls of all sizes along both sides of the street were busy at work, and the tempting aroma of various foods quietly filled the air. Everyone was immersed in the rich festive atmosphere, and their faces were filled with unspeakable joy.

Looking at the bustling scene, many long-time residents of the town couldn't help but feel a sense of nostalgia. Just three years ago, this place was an obscure border village with only three or four hundred residents who lived in poverty and were powerless against threats such as bandits or monsters.

However, all of this changed with the arrival of Master Rudd. He brought the blessings of the goddesses: health, prosperity, and wisdom. The villagers followed Rudd and now possess all that they had never dared to dream of before.

So many devout elderly people came to the temple early in the morning to pray. While expressing their gratitude to Rudd, they also prayed to the gods, asking the God of Medicine to bless them and their families with good health, and asking the God of Love to let them hold their grandson soon. These wishes turned into faith and were absorbed by Aina and Shanis on the spot.

"That's wonderful, that's wonderful!"

Amidst the festive atmosphere, faith once again surged throughout Pine Tree Town, primarily directed towards Aina. At least within the town, the general public genuinely acknowledged her as a deity of "abundance," which allowed the joy of the harvest to be truly transformed into faith, which Aina embraced entirely.

Shanis and her three sisters were also able to get a share of the profits.

The overall framework of the festival is the "Harvest Thanksgiving Festival," with the food festival being one of its main components. Other sub-festivals include a harvest celebration performance on the first night and a bonfire dance party on the second night, all familiar fare that Lud simply copied.

It's worth mentioning that all of these diverse limited-time events offer "achievements" to be earned.

To this end, Ludlow collaborated with the dwarves to mass-produce a batch of three-headed "miniature clay statues" as exclusive collectibles for the event.

Whether you're a tourist or a local resident, as long as you participate in the limited-time event and meet certain requirements, you can receive a small prize. Those who complete the entire collection can even go to the temple to receive a mysterious "ultimate reward".

The simple-minded people from another world had never seen this kind of marketing tactic before. For a moment, they didn't suspect anything and thought that Master Lu was a really "generous person"!

As the temple bells rang three times, the Harvest Thanksgiving Festival officially began. Food lovers, who had already been attracted by the aroma of food, rushed to the stalls that interested them most.

As a citizen of the Celestial Empire, Lu De had always been obsessed with food; he not only wanted to be full, but also to eat well. Therefore, while continuously expanding and improving agricultural and pastoral production, he also vigorously developed spice cultivation, even resorting to divine power.

Thanks to Lude's tireless efforts, the local cuisine of Pine Town has gradually become more refined and is now quite famous. Many visitors to the town are amazed by the deliciousness of the local dishes. In addition to the extensive use of spices, the cooking methods have also become more diverse.

This food festival was undoubtedly a concentrated showcase of the new food culture in Songshu Town. Nearly a hundred stalls, large and small, were set up, many of which had received personal guidance from Principal Lu De, while others were run by students from the school's culinary department. Principal Lu De's combination of academic credits and scholarships instantly boosted the students' enthusiasm to its peak, with almost the entire culinary department turning out.

However, Lisa, a fellow culinary student, was resentfully excluded because she was the eldest daughter of a baron. Her mother, Madame Srina, was indeed a kind and enlightened lady, but this enlightenment was only relative. So she could allow her daughter to study and make friends with commoners at school, but she forbade her to set up a stall and do things that were inconsistent with her status as a noblewoman.

Left with no other choice, Lisa was forced to make an exception for herself, while also having to take on another task assigned to her by her mother: accompanying other noble children who came to visit the territory to participate in the festival, which was also an obligation of a member of the local lord's family.

To be honest, quite a few nobles from various regions were invited to this festival celebration, including powerful local families like Gamelin and Ramley, as well as lower-ranking nobles from neighboring territories of similar size. These people came only because of Saint Rudd, but as the local lords, the Kirk family could not be impolite in their hospitality.

Lisa harbored some resentment towards her mother's domineering ways, but she could also see that her mother was under immense pressure to support the family. Her mother always told her that the Kirk family's title was earned with the lives of her father and three brothers, and therefore their glory must not be tarnished.

Fortunately, there weren't many noblemen who needed Lisa's company, only nine in total, including the siblings Mochi and Hima, whom she already knew. Rodriguez and Sharo were also there; although both were over twenty, they weren't a generation apart from Lisa in terms of age.