Goddess Kaleidoscope

Lude had previously promised Amy that her meals and lodging would be covered while she volunteered in town, and that she would receive a commission for each delivery.

Regarding food, the town was initially worried that they wouldn't be able to feed the red dragon, because Amy was really big, measuring 25 meters from head to tail. According to common sense, this guy's appetite would be enormous, but the reality was not so.

Back when he first met Nidhogg, Lud had specifically asked him about the dragons' habits, including what they ate and how much they ate.

According to Nidhogg, dragons don't actually need to eat. What they rely on to sustain their lives is magic. Therefore, many dragons choose to make their homes in volcanoes or magic crystal mines, where they can sleep soundly without going hungry. Eating is mainly for growing.

Therefore, a dragon's appetite is divided into two parts: when it is growing, it can eat a lot, but after adulthood, it will eat only once every ten days or so, and it will mainly eat monsters with higher "nutritional value".

As for why Nidhogg eats half a wild boar every day, it's simply because he needs to build up his size and therefore requires protein!

Therefore, Lude arranged for Amy's meals to consist mainly of magic crystals, supplemented by various delicacies carefully prepared by a specialist. Once this girl's palate is spoiled, she won't be able to leave the town.

It's worth mentioning that the supply of magic crystals was contracted out to the Steel Whip Clan, and Gulig used this to invest in Lud's "Shunfeng Express Company," thus getting involved.

In the first half of this year, the Steelwhip Clan, who reclaimed the ancient dwarven city, successfully unearthed a new vein of magic crystals underground. The discovery of the vein was considered by the dwarves to be an absolute "miracle."

Legend has it that a dwarf miner who got lost in a natural cave, in his despair from hunger and exhaustion, vaguely heard the sound of a pickaxe striking inside. Thinking it was a fellow miner, he followed the sound and found Lachesis, the youngest of the three sisters, mining at the end of the cave. He instinctively knelt down to worship, but when he looked up again, the goddess was gone, leaving him only a canvas bag on the ground.

The dwarf miner shakily opened the bag and found it contained butter biscuits and a whole jug of juice. With this food, the miner emerged from the cave and led his fellow miners back to the "miracle site." There, in the spot where the goddess had once dug with her pickaxe, they discovered a brand new vein of magic crystals.

This event caused quite a stir among the Steelwhip clan. The rescued members of their own clan and the newly discovered mineral vein deeply moved the dwarves. They believed it to be the protection and blessing of the goddess, which sparked a wave of religious fervor.

Only Rude knew how disheveled Lachesis was when he returned from outside that night. The dusty, dwarf miner was mistaken for a monster from the underworld by Lachesis, who had poor eyesight. He was so frightened by their first meeting that he fled in panic, running straight back to the underground palace, where he pounded his chest and shouted.

"That scared me to death! I encountered a ghost while mining!"

Although the process was somewhat absurd, the outcome was undoubtedly very beneficial to the three sisters, especially the youngest sister, Lachesis, who suddenly became the guardian goddess of many dwarf miners. Every time they went down into the mine, they would first go to pray to her and then carry a coin engraved with the goddess's image as a talisman, asking the goddess to bless them to return safely.

In addition to investing in and providing magic crystals, the dwarves also provided necessary "technical support" to the courier company established by Lud.

Don't be fooled by the fact that a dragon can carry tens of tons of cargo; it all depends on what kind of cargo it carries. Some items are lightweight and bulky, while others are fragile and easily broken. The possibility of carrying living creatures like people and livestock cannot be ignored. The experience of being hoisted and flown a short distance versus flying thousands of kilometers is drastically different for both the dragon and its cargo.

So the dwarven techies decided to use their clan's expertise to create a "special vest" for Amy to make deliveries.

This specially designed vest resembles a giant basketball hoop. Thanks to the dragon's ability to automatically create a wind-resistant field around its body during flight, its design didn't need to consider wind resistance. The vest theoretically has a maximum load capacity of forty tons, which is attached to Amy's abdomen via six crisscrossing straps made of steel cables to ensure even weight distribution and prevent discomfort during flight.

The dwarves have already begun making the vests, which are expected to be completed within a week. Among the first batch of goods that Amy is to deliver, in addition to tons of chili peppers, there are also some more expensive and exquisite items, destined for Flamewood City, where the Black Hand Brotherhood is located.

That evening, Lude made her routine contact with Hume to find out how things were going on her end. Learning that the infighting within the Black Hand Brotherhood remained at the level of mere verbal sparring and showed no signs of escalating, Hume felt that she and Fallen Leaf should take initiative and see if they could add fuel to the fire and make it burn even brighter.

Ludd hesitated for a long time before saying Hume's idea. Instead of saying the overly blunt "Don't be reckless," he used a more emotionally intelligent approach, telling Hume not to rush to end the game and to wait until he was ready before delivering a major blow.

Having dissuaded the restless Hume, Ludd knew he did need to tighten his grip, but the problem was that they had no informants within the Brotherhood of the Black Hand. Hume was fine with infiltrating and stealing something, but if he were to infiltrate enemy territory as an undercover agent, given her current abilities, she might very well develop into an "infiltrator," which was definitely not the scenario Ludd wanted to see!

End of this chapter

In an inconspicuous little wooden house on the north side of Pine Tree Town, Trin, who had been placed there by Lud, had been staying indoors for a long time, spending most of his time reading or daydreaming. His life was very monotonous, but it gave him an environment where he could think quietly.

Now, Trin is all alone. He has lost his original body and his status as the eldest son of the Navarro family. He has gone from being a young master surrounded by servants to a deformed child with an ugly appearance. Even without Lud locking him in the room, Trin is ashamed to see people.

The ups and downs of life left Terlin feeling lost and helpless. He was shocked to discover that without the protection of his family, he had suddenly become a useless person. Not to mention the ability to make a living, he couldn't even do basic life skills that a three-year-old child in a common family could master, such as dressing and washing. This young master, who was used to having maids do things for him, was completely helpless.

Left with no other choice, Trilling, who still had some sense of shame, was too embarrassed to ask Lud to find him another servant. He didn't even dare to tell Lud that he couldn't even dress himself properly and had to learn how to do it all himself.

Every night, Lud would bring food to visit Trin and chat with him for a while. After learning that Trin loved theater, he would also bring some books.

Despite being a spoiled brat from a mafia family, Trin received an aristocratic education from a young age. His father even sent him to study at a prestigious university in the Canary Islands when he was fifteen, so his cultural level is quite high.

Through casual conversation, Lude learned that Trinn had always harbored a passion for the arts. During his studies in the Empire, he developed a love for poetry and drama and even considered becoming a playwright. However, he was hampered by his family background. His father hoped that he would take over the family business and become a powerful underworld tycoon, and Trinn dared not disobey his father.

Interestingly, Trin himself mentioned that when he was still in Yanmu City, he heard about a new group of dancers called the Rainbow Dance Troupe who became a sensation with their play "Romeo and Juliet." Everyone who saw it praised it highly, which piqued Trin's interest.

Unfortunately, Terlin didn't get to see the Rainbow Dance Troupe arrive in Flamewood City for their tour before his father sent him out to lead a team to hunt down the necromancer.

Trin's father's original intention was to hope that his son could accumulate some merits through this mission, paving the way for his future rise to power. Otherwise, he would not have sent the old steward, Sajin, a master of ancient martial arts, to accompany him. In the end, however, an accident still occurred.

When the Rainbow Dance Troupe was mentioned, Trin's tone was full of regret. Lude hadn't expected that this spoiled brat would have such a side.

Out of goodwill and a slight sense of guilt for using him against the Brotherhood of the Black Hand, Lude took the initiative to tell him that he was the sponsor of the Rainbow Circus and even showed him some script manuscripts that he had not yet given to Servis, which made the previously depressed Trinn ecstatic.

Of all the manuscripts Ludd showed Trinn, his favorite was *The Count of the Cave*, based on Alexandre Dumas' *The Count of Monte Cristo*. Ludd had read the original novel more than once and remembered the main plot very well; all he needed to do was localize it.

Trilling had never read a "feel-good" novel with such a dramatic and exciting plot. After receiving the manuscript, he was immediately engrossed in it and couldn't tear himself away.

Unfortunately, Lud has only "translated" about two-thirds of the novel so far, which has turned Trin, who was just getting to the crucial part but had to stop abruptly, into a relentless nagging machine, nagging him every time Lud comes to deliver food.

"Master, where's today's update?"

As usual, Lude quietly arrived at the hut where Trin was housed late at night. Tired of being pressured to update his chapters, Lude decided to reduce his visits, so this time he brought enough food for a week. However, to Lude's slight surprise, Trin didn't urge him to update his chapters this time, but instead asked him if there was any news from Yanmu City.

"Not yet. As you know, it's a month and a half's journey from here to Yanmu City. By the time news gets here, it might be half a year or more. What's wrong? Are you homesick?"

"Yes, today is the anniversary of my mother's death. I should have gone to her grave to lay flowers..."

When Trin mentioned his deceased mother, his expression turned somewhat somber, and Lud patted him on the shoulder to comfort him.

During the divination ceremony, Lude unexpectedly learned that Trin suspected his mother, who had suddenly passed away three years ago, might not have died from a sudden illness. After all, Yanmu City was not some poor, remote place; it had more than a dozen resident religious sects, and the three major sects were all headed by bishops-level priests. Apart from not knowing the Great Resurrection spell, ordinary sudden illnesses were no problem for them.

Coupled with his father's cryptic attitude, this made Trilling even more suspicious that there was a conspiracy involved.

So at the end of the divination ceremony, Trin asked the "respondent" about the truth of his mother's death three years ago, but Lud gave him a vague answer and temporarily evaded the question.

Lud was completely unaware of the so-called truth. He left Trin with a glimmer of hope through the words of the "Answerer," tricking him into believing that he could question his mother in person, and then left behind the clues of "necromancer" and "blood."

Trilling hadn't forgotten about this, so upon waking, he asked Rudd if he could perform another divination. Although the necromancer was probably dead, his flesh now belonged to Trilling, and obtaining a little blood would be easy.

So Lud held another divination ceremony for Trillin at their hideout. Trillin cut open his palm and released a small bowl of blood, but the divination board showed no sign of responding to him.

Seeing that the divination had failed, Ludwig offered a perfunctory explanation.

"Perhaps... we misunderstood. It's not that we need 'necromancer's blood,' but rather the necromancer and blood themselves."

"Then... then does this not count?"

"Unfortunately, since there's no response, it definitely doesn't count."

After this failed psychic divination, Trinn was depressed for a while, while Lude took advantage of the time he had gained to ask Hume, who was far away in Flamewood City, to help him gather internal information about the Navarro family.

This powerful family in Yanmu City is outwardly a large merchant guild, but in reality, they are a ruthless underworld family. Privately, they are also members of the elders' council of the Black Hand Brotherhood and are secret followers of "the god of thieves, Hume (pseudo)".

When dealing with such a powerful and deeply entrenched force, Lu De didn't think he could recklessly confront them head-on.

End of this chapter

After the harvest festival, Songshu Town has entered late autumn, and the temperature is getting colder day by day. The town's residents have all begun to prepare for winter.

Since the Baron's mansion is still under construction and will likely be fully completed in at least three months, the old lady, Selina, has given up on the idea of ​​moving into the new house before winter and plans to wait until after the winter.

The place where the Baron's family is currently staying was formerly a hotel run by Mayor Rom, located in the heart of town, right in front of the central square.

Given its location, the old lady had recently negotiated with Mayor Rom to convert the hotel into a town hall. They allocated a larger plot of land on the south side of town, near the main road, to build a larger hotel. The Baron's family would pay half of the construction costs as compensation.

The old lady counted the days and realized that six months had passed since her family arrived in the fiefdom. Although they had experienced some setbacks at the beginning, everything had quickly improved since Maine and his gang were brought down.

Because of the misdeeds of Maine and his gang, the old lady, out of remorse and to salvage the reputation of the Baron's family, exempted them from this year's taxes, but this does not mean that the family will have no income this year.

Not long ago, Ludwig came to us personally, expressing his interest in business and hoping to cooperate with the Baron's family.

It turns out that the other party planned to open a large production workshop called "Non-staple Food Company" in the local area, recruit hundreds of locals to work, and make chili sauce from locally grown chilies for sale in other places. They took the initiative to invite the Baron's family to invest in the company with their land ownership, and their factory would not enjoy the privilege of tax exemption for church property.

Lude's behavior puzzled Silina, as it seemed as if the other party was eager to give money to her family!

Lud was quite frank about this. According to the kingdom's laws, Pine Town now belonged to Baron Cork's domain, and the lord was the legally supreme ruler of the region, wielding absolute power of life and death. Lud had no intention of confronting the baron's family, so he hoped to form a strong alliance of interests.

However, the purpose of the alliance between the two sides is not like that of some territories, where the lord and the local religious forces collude to oppress and fool the people in the territory. Instead, they are taking the route of a strong alliance, so that everyone can benefit the region together.

To be honest, the longer Srina spent with Lud, the more incredible she found him! He was completely different from the hypocritical religious figures she had encountered before. But without a doubt, he was a good person who could be completely trusted.

As the old lady was pondering matters related to the factory, a young female assistant knocked and entered. She was one of the talents Lude had recently recommended, and a recent graduate of Brewster Academy. Only seventeen years old, she looked quite immature and didn't seem very reliable.

But after a period of trial use, the old lady was pleasantly surprised to find that these young people were quite capable, and since they were all locals, they understood the local situation. With their assistance, even though the old lady had no governing experience, she was still able to manage the entire territory very well.

"Sandy, what's up?"

"Madam, the guards just reported that a group of men in full armor have arrived at the south gate of the town, claiming to be from the capital."

"From the capital? Are they nobles?"

"I don't know. They didn't identify themselves, but the leader was a knight, and there was a carriage in the procession. They asked to see Master Lud of the Medicine God Cult."

"Oh!"

She inquired further about the group and learned that there were only about twenty people in them. The women in the carriages who had not yet appeared were likely the women. The old lady recalled that when she had discussed this with Lu De not long ago, he had mentioned that some noblemen from the capital would come here to "become monks" before winter and had informed her in advance.

If nothing unexpected happens, the person in the carriage should be the one.

These days, it's not uncommon for noble children to enter the church and become monks. For those large and prosperous families, their offspring with lower heirs often consider this a good way out.

What puzzled the old lady was that nobles in the capital who wanted to become monks could simply go to the local major church. The headquarters of the major sects were all there, and in terms of prosperity, the capital was far superior to Pine Tree Town. There was no need for them to travel all the way here to become monks, unless they were drawn to the Medicine God Sect and Lude and wanted to become disciples of the saints.

Regardless, they weren't there to cause trouble. After the old lady learned a little about the situation, she instructed her assistant to notify the guards to let them pass, and also to send someone to inform the temple.

Meanwhile, at the southern entrance of the town, a group of people stopped by the city gate guards were patiently waiting for a reply. The leading knight was a middle-aged man with a weathered face, wearing exquisitely crafted knight's plate armor, but there was not a single mark of his family crest on his body, clearly indicating that he was deliberately concealing his identity. His younger lieutenant, however, seemed rather impatient.

"Guards, how much longer do we have to wait?"

"Soon, it won't be long before we get to the city hall... Look, they're back already, aren't they?"

Following the direction the guard pointed, the middle-aged knight saw the guard who had left to deliver the message earlier, and a young woman who looked to be no more than twenty years old had returned with him.

"Greetings, Sir Knight. I am an assistant to the City Hall. The Baron has already given his approval, and I will now escort you to the Temple."

"Are you kidding me? A woman can be an assistant?"

“Haven, don’t be rude! Ignore this hothead and please lead the way, Miss Assistant.”

After glancing at his sarcastic second-in-command, the aide Sandy bowed to the rather polite middle-aged knight before leading them to the temple.

In fact, the group didn't need a guide. The town of Pine Trees wasn't very big, and the temple of the Medicine God Cult was located on a small hillside, making it a prominent landmark. The group could see the temple from afar even before they reached the town gate.

However, providing directions is a courtesy for both sides, and such a process is unavoidable.

Soon, the caravan arrived at the foot of the hill in front of the temple gate. The carriages could not go up the steps, so the middle-aged knight came to the carriage door in the middle of the caravan, bowed and spoke to the person inside the carriage.

"Miss, we've arrived."

After the knight finished speaking, there was no response from inside the carriage for a long while. The knight remained standing silently in front of the carriage, head bowed. This scene was observed by Sandy, the assistant officer standing nearby, which aroused her curiosity.

Who exactly are the people on the bus?