Goddess Kaleidoscope

"Oh! So the God of War can also be enshrined in your temple."

"That's one way to understand it; the key is to seek common ground while reserving differences."

"Haha! Then we should have a good chat sometime."

Amidst laughter and conversation, all the dishes on the table were served. Narad knew that apart from Rud, the guests present were all ordinary farmers, and there was no point in going through too much formality. So he simply raised his glass to the God of War and then invited everyone to start eating.

The elders remained quite reserved, and having never learned the dining customs of high society, they felt very uncomfortable with the knives and forks in front of them. Old Rom, on the other hand, was very relaxed, eating and drinking as he pleased, though his manners were by no means elegant.

Lude didn't really know much about the dining etiquette of this world, but fortunately he had eaten Western food in his previous life, so at least he didn't have any problems using knives and forks.

Narad, standing to the side, observed Lud discreetly. Although Lud's eating posture was not very standard and had obvious "personal habits," he was able to naturally exude a touch of elegance while eating, and he was tasting and enjoying the food, unlike the village chief Rom who was simply "eating."

Noticing Narad's gaze, Lud knew exactly what the guy was looking at. In his past life as a policeman, he often judged a person's background by their eating posture; certain subtle details revealed unintentionally in their actions often contained a wealth of information.

"Want to find out my secrets? Dream on!"

End of this chapter

"Is the food to your liking?"

"This roast meat is very good, but the broth is a little undercooked. If the chef could adjust the combination of spices, it would be even more perfect."

"It sounds like you're a gourmet."

"I wouldn't call myself a gourmet; I just enjoy eating. Everyone needs a hobby in life, otherwise life would be too boring, don't you think?"

Lude picked up a napkin and wiped his mouth. He only tasted each dish on the table, and although the table looked very rich and smelled quite strong, Lude felt that it was only average.

Similar to medieval Europe on the other side of the world, spices are expensive luxuries here. The common people can only afford salt and a few local seasonings that can be grown locally, while the wealthy and powerful use more seasonings in their cooking as a way to "show off their wealth".

This is why Lude only gave the roast meat a good review after trying all the dishes, because roast meat does taste better with more seasoning.

Seeing that his "luxury meal" did not elicit the expected response from Lud, Narad suddenly realized that this priest from a small sect who always wore a linen robe and mingled with peasants was probably of extraordinary origin, which would likely have a significant impact on what he was about to discuss.

When Narad first arrived in Pine Village, he didn't really take Lud and his little-known sect seriously, but he later obtained a potion from a merchant, which quickly changed his mind.

This bottle is said to be a recovery potion produced by the Medicine God Cult, possessing powerful effects comparable to divine magic; there is simply no product on the market that can compare to it.

As astute as Narad was, he naturally understood the immense value of this medicine.

In fact, as a priest of the Cult of the God of War, Narad was well aware of his sect's strengths and weaknesses. Their divine magic primarily focused on self-enhancement and combat buffs.

An army of a few hundred men can increase its combat power by about 50% for a certain period of time if it has a high-ranking priest of the Cult of War like Narad in its ranks!

However, in terms of healing magic, the War God Cult can only be described as utterly terrible.

It's not that it can't be used, but that its effectiveness is far inferior to other sects.

Therefore, when Narad discovered that the Medicine God Cult of Pine Village was very skilled in healing magic and could make such powerful recovery medicine, the idea of ​​"recruiting" them naturally came to mind.

Seeking refuge with larger religious sects is also a common survival tactic used by some smaller sects. Having food given by others is always better than starving to death.

Therefore, Narad's purpose in inviting Lud to a banquet is self-evident.

Treat me to a meal, and I'll take you in as my dog!

In front of Lud, Narad had his disciple bring over a small medicine bottle, which was the recovery potion that Lud had recently sold to the merchant.

With the first batch of twenty bottles of potion, Lude made a fortune of a thousand gold coins and established a long-term cooperative relationship with the merchants. The merchants who bought the potions from him were confident that they could take the potions to big cities and sell them for more than three times the price!

However, this matter was not kept secret. In addition, Lud was eager to further expand the pharmaceutical market and increase the financial resources of his church, so he even took the initiative to promote it and placed a lot of advertisements.

Looking at Narad who had taken out the potion, Lud had already vaguely guessed what the other party was thinking.

"What? Lord Narad also needs medicine?"

"Of course we need it! Our priests of the Cult of War are not skilled in healing magic, as you must have heard."

"Indeed, I have heard some very interesting rumors that your religion's enhancement magic is unparalleled in the world, capable of turning a flock of sheep into lions, but your healing magic leaves scars even after treating a cut."

"Although there is some exaggeration, it is basically close to the truth."

Narad shrugged with a smile, not denying it. After all, this was considered a classic "war-insulting joke" in religious circles, and sometimes even the priests of the God of War would use it to mock themselves.

"Our War God Cult has 30 million followers and over 2,000 priests, yet we are often ridiculed by other cults because we are not skilled in healing magic. We are helpless about it!"

"So...you want to buy goods from me?"

"To be more precise, it was an invitation."

"Haha! Lord Narad, I am very skilled in healing divine magic because I am a priest of the Medicine God Cult. If I were to convert to your War God Cult, wouldn't I become just like you?"

"No, no, no! You don't understand what I mean. The invitation I'm referring to isn't just for you alone. Perhaps you don't know, but our War God Cult isn't the kind of barbaric religion that refuses to coexist peacefully with other sects. In fact, we often provide shelter to weaker sects, protecting them from persecution by radical sects like the Holy Light Cult and the Four Seasons Goddess Cult. Our War God Cult is just, compassionate, and committed to helping the weak and oppressed—that's the secret to our continued growth and strength!"

"The way you're saying that makes you sound like the world's policeman!"

After listening to Narad's boasting, Lud smiled on the outside, but inwardly he couldn't help but think, "I didn't believe your nonsense!"

The War God Cult's claim to be a peaceful sect is as absurd and laughable as a wolf claiming it doesn't eat meat.

However, Lud understood Narad's meaning; he valued the strengths of his Medicine God Cult in healing magic.

From a short-term perspective, temporarily submitting to the War God Cult isn't entirely without its advantages. At least this leader is truly powerful, and even if it's just to save face, he certainly won't allow other cults to attack the Medicine God Cult, which isn't strong enough yet.

The problem is, if you really acknowledge this elder brother, no one can guarantee that the other party won't interfere with your sect.

Therefore, after weighing the pros and cons, Lud decided to use delaying tactics, neither refusing outright nor agreeing outright, to keep Narad calm for the time being.

So Lud pretended to be somewhat interested, and in a very subtle yet perfectly timed tone, asked Narad what benefits he could gain if his entire sect sided with the Cult of the God of War. Narad, of course, launched into a long boast, and several traitorous elders present chimed in, so the meal wasn't a complete waste.

Seeing that the time was almost right, Lud said that this matter was of great importance, and that he was not the only one who could make decisions for the entire sect. Some of his church members were preaching elsewhere, and he needed some time to consider the matter and also to persuade his colleagues.

Narad smiled and said that it was no problem, as he would be staying in Pine Village for a long time and he was patient enough to wait.

End of this chapter

The meal, at least on the surface, seemed to have been a pleasant affair for both the host and guests.

Lud played along, while Narad believed that the terms he offered were so generous that the other party had no reason to refuse.

After several rounds of drinks and dishes, Lu De realized that they had talked enough and said that he was getting old and his energy was not as good as that of young people. He was already feeling a bit too tired and wanted to go back to rest.

Seeing that it was indeed getting late, Narad personally escorted everyone to the camp gate and said that once he finished his work, he would definitely bring gifts to pay a personal visit to the temple of Rud.

Watching Lude walk away with the help of the mercenary, Narad smiled and continued waving, while subtly speaking to the bald disciple beside him.

"Eru, pass on a message to your second brother, tell him to step up his efforts these next few days and try to cause as much trouble as possible for the Church of Medicine God."

"Mentor, didn't we just extend an olive branch?"

"Can't I ask him to answer quickly?"

"I understand, I will go and do it now."

Meanwhile, on the other side, Ludwig, feigning drunkenness, staggered towards the temple with Hume's support. Because he was being carried, Ludwig's head, swaying back and forth, easily bumped into Hume's chest, much to the amusement of the Goddess of Thieves.

"I'm telling you, taking advantage of me while you're pretending to be drunk, you're really getting bolder and bolder!"

"Consider it a reward for me! You've seen how tired I've been lately."

"Ha! Okay then!"

Hume sighed with a wry smile. She admitted that Lude had indeed been extremely busy lately, with a workload so heavy that even she, the God of Thieves, was having a headache.

But Ludwig really did grit his teeth and persevere all along, only occasionally managing to squeeze the demons dry.

Back at the temple, Rudd returned to normal as soon as he entered. He was about to take off his mask when he looked up and saw Romian walking towards him. The little girl seemed to have been waiting for him.

"Mentor, you're back."

"Yeah, I'm back. Why aren't you asleep yet?"

"Teacher, you've gone out to a banquet, and I thought you might drink a lot of alcohol, so I'm making an egg drop soup in the kitchen to help you sober up when you get back."

"Oh! Good boy! You're much better than your two senior sisters."

Looking at the sensible and good girl in front of him, Lu De patted her head affectionately.

The next morning, Lud got up early as usual, preparing to go to the newly built school in town to teach the children.

Since the establishment of a dedicated school, the temple in Lud has fully recovered its function as a religious site, with villagers coming to pray every day.

After Ludwig left for school, Shanis, as the senior nun, was officially in charge of the temple. Having studied with Ludwig for so long, Aina and Shanis were now fully capable of fulfilling their duties as nuns, guiding the villagers who came to pray.

Since spring plowing is not yet fully finished, most of the village's labor force is busy in the fields, so the work at the temple is relatively leisurely. It is mainly the elderly and some women who come to the temple to pray for their families.

The two goddesses were quite bored after only a dozen or so people had come in since the store opened all morning. They sat on the bench and, having nothing to do, counted the light of faith drifting in from outside to pass the time.

"Senior sister, I'm so bored, let's play Connect Four!"

"I'm not playing anymore, you're always cheating. How can you pretend you can't count and insist on calling four pieces five?"

"Let's play! Otherwise, sitting here like this is too boring."

"Sigh! If only a few fools would come knocking on my door and cause trouble!"

The two nuns were chatting idly, seemingly summoned by Shanis. Before long, a noisy commotion indeed arose at the temple entrance.

So the two of them rushed to the door and saw Fallen Leaf in his "macho man form" confronting seven or eight guys who didn't look like decent people at all.

"Brother, I've told you so many times, we really are here to join the religion, please have mercy and accept us!"

"That's right! We're very sincere!"

"How interesting! Some believers are even turned down when they're offered to us. Do you look down on us poor people?"

A few thugs gathered at the door. When Shanis saw that there really were some clueless people at the door, a glint of excitement flashed in her eyes. She couldn't help but put her hands together to thank herself for appearing.

But just as she was about to rush forward to fight, Aina pulled her back.

"Senior sister, what are you doing?"

"Of course we should go up and teach them a lesson!"

"But Master told us not to cause trouble these next few days, or he'll cut back on our snacks. Don't be impulsive!"

At Aina's urging, Shanis didn't rush out rashly. Instead, she hid with Aina by the door and waited to see how to deal with the fallen leaves.

The group of thugs looked unfamiliar and didn't seem to be locals.