Goddess Kaleidoscope

No matter how the representatives tried to persuade him, the Patriarch of the Earth Church refused to listen and insisted that Rud of the Pantheon, or even the goddess of medicine, Evelina herself, come out and publicly kowtow to their worshipped Earth Mother Goddess in apology.

Looking at the patriarch of the Earth Church, who seemed to have hyperthyroidism, Shanis and Aina exchanged a silent glance, deeply agreeing with what their master had mentioned in their theology class about restraining fanatics.

One fan is indeed more annoying than ten haters; this is just too much!

The two sides remained deadlocked for two days. During this time, the Earth Cult seemed to realize that Lud might not actually be alive, so they set up camp in the small square at the foot of the temple mountain, preparing to block the gate and wage a protracted war.

This caused great dissatisfaction among the local townspeople. These people not only insulted the Pantheon and slandered the goddess and the beloved Lord Rudd, but also occupied the "People's Square" in front of the temple, preventing everyone from relaxing there. If it weren't for the nuns from the temple asking everyone to remain restrained, a "holy war" would have almost broken out on the spot.

In fact, given Shanis's fiery temper, she was originally prepared to teach the other party a lesson by taking direct action. Fortunately, the elder goddess of the hearth, Marigius, stopped her and the other goddesses in time.

Although the Pantheon has many powerful gods, their highest level at this stage is only fourth-tier, while the Earth Mother Goddess is a sixth-tier god. If a conflict were to break out between the two sides, and the Earth Mother Goddess were to personally intervene, Pine Tree Town would definitely be doomed regardless of who wins or loses.

Moreover, this matter cannot be resolved by Karius or Kumirard mediating. It's not that she doesn't trust Karius's character, but she has already guessed that the Cult of War must be behind this.

Since Karius could go to the God of War's realm under the guise of being a guest and block the door to prevent Feigolai from supporting the lower realm, Feigolai could naturally follow suit and take the initiative to go find the Holy Lord of Light, VAN.

Therefore, the safest approach right now is to stall until Rude returns, gather all available forces, and leverage Rude's special ability to attack gods. Only then can we truly ensure absolute success.

On the fifth day of the demonstration by the Earth Cult followers in Pine Tree Town, the temple staff were still using the "delaying tactic" to wait for Lud to return from underground, but the local residents were already being driven crazy by these obsessed people who worshipped the Earth Mother.

These people may look crazy, but they're not stupid at all.

They came from the Western Continent. When they entered the Kingdom of Duran, they knew that there was a high probability that the kingdom's soldiers would refuse them entry if they revealed their true identities. So they split their nearly two hundred people into smaller groups and pretended to be a merchant caravan when they passed through the checkpoint. They only revealed their true identities when they arrived in Pine Town.

On their very first day in Pine Tree Town, the Patriarch of the Earth Church pulled off a spectacular performance, staging a "performance art" show for the locals. A group of Earth Church priests, bare-handed, carried copper basins filled with burning charcoal, chanting scriptures at an extremely loud voice as they followed the Patriarch into the town.

The aroma of barbecue lingered wherever this group went, causing many locals who enjoy eating skewers to feel intense physical discomfort.

Self-mutilation was a common religious practice in primitive times, usually symbolizing repentance for one's sins. However, with the development of the times, most sects have abandoned this barbaric and backward behavior. Among the dozen or so branch sects that worship the Earth Mother Goddess, only the self-proclaimed orthodox Earth Religion has stubbornly inherited this barbaric practice as a glorious tradition.

Besides their performance art that was hard to look at, the other behaviors of the Earth Cult members also annoyed and were unacceptable to the locals.

This group occupied the People's Square in front of the temple and set up camp. They built a platform with the materials they brought, and the patriarch and other priests took to the platform every day to give speeches. While listing the various "crimes" of the pantheon, they also preached to the locals in their own way.

"Everyone must have faith in the great Earth Mother Goddess. Only by having faith in the Earth Mother Goddess can one receive salvation and protection. Those who do not believe will die in earthquakes!"

Such a "hardcore" method of proselytizing surprised the locals.

In fact, the origin of the belief in the Earth Mother Goddess lies in the ancient people's fear of natural disasters such as earthquakes and volcanic eruptions. Thus, some "reflective humans" who are accustomed to looking for reasons within themselves believe that they, as ignorant mortals, lacked reverence for Mother Earth, and therefore angered the gods, who then brought down divine punishment.

In order to appease the wrath of the gods, these mortals must always remember that every peaceful day without an earthquake is a "blessing" bestowed upon us by the Earth Mother Goddess, and we should be grateful as long as we are alive.

It's like here on Earth, someone is telling Chinese people that their good life today is all thanks to the mercy shown by those across the ocean, making you want to throw a wave in their face.

After five days, the Earth Cult had become universally disliked in the area. People couldn't stand these lunatics chasing after them, using nothing but intimidation to "persuade" them to join their Earth Cult.

So some people spontaneously went to the lord and petitioned the old lady who was acting as regent to drive these annoying Western lunatics out of the city.

The old lady was also in a dilemma; it wasn't that she didn't want to send them away, but that she couldn't.

Although the kingdom's new constitution has been drafted, it has not yet been formally implemented. As for religious control, due to the complexity of the interest groups involved, the kingdom has reluctantly chosen to continue the old system. The kingdom's government will not prohibit "normal" missionary activities, that is, as long as they do not incite rebellion.

It should be noted that back in the Duchy of Gamlin, the priests of the Church of the Four Seasons attempted to interfere with the ducal succession. In the end, the duke did not expel them, but merely converted to the Church of the God of War as a warning.

Therefore, although the Earth Cult's behavior is annoying, it has not actually crossed the line; following someone around and nagging them is not illegal.

Of course! The old lady didn't say she wouldn't do anything at all. Although she didn't expel the Earth Cult members, she sent a security team to blockade the square, which restricted their movements to some extent.

Meanwhile, those who remained at the temple were also quite frustrated these past few days. Anyone would be unhappy to have such a bunch of lunatics blocking the entrance, making noise and pollution every day with their wailing and howling.

Thankfully, Marigis was there to keep the hot-tempered girls in the house in check and prevent them from fighting, which prevented a bloody conflict.

These days, while waiting for Lud's return, Marigis was also secretly observing. The Earth Cult's excessive actions had already provoked the anger of the locals, and letting this emotion ferment a little wouldn't be a bad thing.

What she feared was not the cult of the Earth, but the Earth Mother Goddess behind them.

It's important to understand that the Earth Cult has grown to its current size for several reasons. Firstly, the cultural environment of the southwestern region of the mainland is suitable for them. But more importantly, the Earth Mother Goddess favors these fanatical believers and has even granted the Earth Cult a unique privilege: the Patriarch can summon her in person through a special ritual.

Other sects that worship the Earth Mother Goddess do not receive this treatment.

"Master, why aren't you back yet!"

Inside the main hall of the temple, because the Earth Cult was blocking the square, believers who wanted to pray could not enter. So, only Aina and a few of her fellow disciples were in the hall at this time, all hoping that someone would return as soon as possible.

Lude was still on his way back. After learning about the situation back home, the expedition team quickened their pace, but they estimated that they would not be able to return until the next day or two at the earliest.

The thought of having to endure two more days made everyone feel down.

Just then, the snake girl Hydra suddenly ran in, saying that something seemed to be happening outside, and that the group of madmen in the square had made a new move.

Upon hearing this, Marigis frowned, a sense of foreboding creeping into her heart. Shanis grabbed the meteor hammer at her feet and charged out, followed closely by Aina and the God of War, Sura. The three leaders of the "pro-war faction" were already prepared for battle, and the others followed suit.

As the group arrived at the main gate, they saw the priests of the Church of Earth forming a circle in the square below the hillside. In the center was the bare-chested patriarch, an old bald man in his fifties, who was being repeatedly whipped by two masked nuns on either side of him, wearing rather "professional" restraints.

Shanis was stunned when she saw this.

"Amazing! In broad daylight, in the square, neither my master nor I have ever played with anything this big..."

"Fuck you! That guy's about to summon the Earth Mother."

The well-informed Marigis immediately recognized what the other person was doing, but unfortunately, it was too late to stop them. The old patriarch was clearly experienced; he had mastered this procedure to perfection.

With a muffled roar from the bit, the patriarch's back tattoo emitted a bright orange-yellow light, followed by a petite and slender figure appearing in the light, radiating considerable divine power.

"Welcome our Lord's arrival! Earth Mother Goddess, may peace prevail forever!"

"May Mother Earth protect us forever!" xN

In the plaza in front of the temple gate, the Patriarch of the Earth Church directly summoned the Earth Mother Goddess. Accompanied by dazzling golden light and surging, overwhelming divine power, the Earth Mother Goddess, whose strength was said to be second only to the three gods, made a dazzling appearance.

When the light faded and the goddesses of the temple saw the true face of the Earth Mother, they almost burst out laughing on the spot, which was quite impolite.

"That's it?"

"Emmm... to be fair, it is indeed peaceful."

According to the information provided by Kumirad, the Earth Mother is one of the few surviving second-generation, or even first-generation, deities. The origins of her worship can be traced back to the primitive tribal period, and her actual age is conservatively estimated to be over seven thousand years old, possibly even tens of thousands. Therefore, if we were to determine her lineage, the three contemporary gods would all have to call her "Grandma."

However, divine power is not something that simply means that those who are older or more senior are necessarily stronger than other younger deities.

The Earth Mother Goddess was once very powerful. Before the outbreak of the divine war, the dwarf kingdom, one of the two great powers of the mortal realm, was her base of influence, and she also had a large following among other races. In that era before the emergence of higher gods, she was one of the most promising deities to break through to higher realms.

However, perhaps because it was born too early, the initial believers who provided it with basic cognitive abilities were not of high quality. In the later stages, it simply accepted faith without any self-improvement. As a result, the Earth Mother Goddess has a fatal weakness that still exists today: she is not smart!

This naive goddess was first tricked during the war of the gods, betraying the dwarves who had always been loyal to her. After the war, she was targeted by other gods, either openly or secretly. Her followers split apart and fell apart, making her the biggest victim in the divine realm.

The reason the other gods targeted her was simple: they couldn't allow a dim-witted, stubborn, and willful fool to become too powerful. If she were to break through to a higher level, the damage she would cause if she lost her temper one day was unimaginable.

And as it turns out, the concerns of the other gods were not unfounded.

The Earth Mother Goddess summoned by the Earth Cult was not a projection, but the real entity. After all, the sixth rank is only at the middle level, so the rejection from the main plane is not too severe. She can come down, but she won't stay for long.

Even so, the aura of a sixth-tier deity's presence still put immense pressure on the newly promoted goddesses of the Pantheon.

A group fight is still worth fighting, but a one-on-one fight is like waiting in line to die!

In front of a crowd of Earth Cultists and many onlookers, the Earth Mother slowly descended to the ground. The Patriarch immediately prostrated himself before his goddess like a lapdog, touching his forehead to her bare feet. It's unclear whether he was genuinely devout or had some peculiar fetish.

"Why are you calling me, my believer?"

"Mother Goddess, we have found the heretics who have blasphemed your divine power. Those wicked people have used despicable and shameless means to fool the poor local people. I wanted to persuade them to abandon their evil ways and embrace the light, but these fools are deeply poisoned and remain stubbornly unrepentant, refusing to believe in the true God. Therefore, as your devout believer and follower, I dare to invite you to come to the mortal world. I believe that once those fools have seen the holy countenance of the Mother Goddess, they will surely awaken to the truth."

The patriarch of the Earth Cult spoke with great righteousness, and calling on the Earth Mother Goddess to descend to earth for a show is a common trick they have always used to expand their mission. Otherwise, this branch of the cult, whose doctrines are not popular, could never have developed to the scale of hundreds of thousands of believers it has today.

The Patriarch believed that as long as he could summon his master to make a public appearance, the Cricket Pantheon would certainly not dare to fight. Perhaps he could even create a sensation in the local area with this genuine miracle and bring this wealthy town of tens of thousands of people under the influence of his Earth Cult.

I may not be able to defeat the three major religions, but surely I can handle the Pantheon?

However, just as the patriarch was secretly pleased with himself, wondering whether he should lick the goddess's little feet a few more times, the temple responded. The previously closed doors suddenly burst open, radiating a rainbow of light, and then one after another, graceful figures emerged from within, lining up in front of the temple—the goddesses of the Pantheon.

The seven goddesses—the Goddess of Medicine, the Goddess of Love, the Goddess of the Hearth, the Goddess of War, the Goddess of Music, the God of Balance, and the God of Wealth—looked down upon the Earth Mother Goddess from her lofty position. The mortals around could not discern the difference in the gods' power, but simply by their imposing aura, the Earth Mother Goddess of the Earth Cult was clearly inferior.

Then, an even more shocking scene unfolded: a series of dragon roars suddenly echoed from the sky, and more than a dozen giant dragons and beasts swooped down from the clouds, flew to the vicinity of the temple, nodded to the seven goddesses, and then began to circle around the temple.

This incredibly impressive performance completely stunned both the Earth Cult and the Earth Mother Goddess.

"???" xN

Looking at the seven unfamiliar goddesses, the Earth Mother was already somewhat "overloaded" because she had never seen these goddesses before, but their surging divine power was indeed undeniable, so she was quite puzzled at the moment.

"Who...are they?"

"Mother Goddess, don't you know?"

"I don't know!?"

Seeing his mother's bewildered and somewhat stupid expression, the patriarch, after a brief moment of surprise, suddenly misunderstood. He jumped up from the ground, broke free of the thorns, and screamed hysterically in a broken voice.

"False gods! You are all false gods!"

"Little brother, you have to be responsible for your words."

Almost as soon as the Patriarch finished speaking, a cold laugh suddenly came from behind the Earth Mother and the Patriarch without warning.

The Earth Mother Goddess was startled. As a sixth-order deity, even if she wasn't very bright, it didn't affect her divine perception. Yet, she didn't even notice when someone suddenly got so close.

Before the Earth Mother could turn around, a man's hand gently pressed on her shoulder. With this seemingly casual touch, the Earth Mother felt all her divine power instantly drained by some mysterious force she had never seen before, and her body went limp. Fortunately, someone supported her from the side so that she wouldn't fall.

The Earth Mother looked to her side in alarm and was astonished to find that the person supporting her was a familiar face—the thief god Hume.

"It's you!"

Long time no see!

Upon seeing that it was the God of Thieves, even though the Earth Mother Goddess wasn't very bright, she understood why someone had gotten so close without her noticing. Then, the Earth Mother Goddess looked to the other side, where a strange young man in white robes stood. He had a kind and benevolent smile, but the words he spoke sent chills down her spine.

"My dear goddess, you wouldn't want to embarrass yourself in front of your followers, would you?"

Because he was worried that something might happen back home, Lude sped up his journey as much as possible and returned a whole day earlier than originally planned, just in time to be summoned by the Earth Mother.

So Ludwig made a quick decision, having Hume, who could completely conceal his presence, cover him. The two of them stealthily approached the Earth Mother and then unexpectedly pinned each other down.

Even though the Earth Mother Goddess possessed the power of a sixth-tier deity, she couldn't withstand encountering Lude, the nemesis of gods. With what seemed like a light touch, the Earth Mother Goddess was as if a hidden switch had been pressed, and her legs instantly went weak, almost causing her to lose her balance.

Looking at the Earth Mother Goddess whom he had "subdued," Lude thought to himself that his timing was perfect, preventing a violent conflict from breaking out. If the two sides had really fought, even if the Pantheon had won against the Earth Mother Goddess with its numerical advantage, Pine Town would likely have been affected and razed to the ground.

At this moment, the Earth Mother Goddess was still in shock. With her intelligence, she couldn't understand why this smiling, white-robed man had the ability to seal away her divine power.

Meanwhile, the Earth God's Patriarch was equally confused. He saw that Lude dared to speak disrespectfully to him, the head of a religion, and even put his dirty hand on his goddess's shoulder. He was about to rebuke the disrespectful person when the dark-skinned female elf next to him shouted first.

"Your Majesty!"