TGS - Chapter 35
Chapter 35: City of the Sun God
Lotus’s first reaction was… what welcome banquet?
Immediately after, she felt a little guilty.
After her divine position had stabilized, as the main god of the river, she should have remained in the temple and waited for the other gods to inform her of various matters. But at that time, her mind was completely occupied with the Princess, so she had returned to the mortal realm on her own before the other deities could arrive.
After that, the main gods hadn't tried to contact her, and Lotus just acted as if nothing had happened.
Anyway, this group of gods slept for years at a time. She could perfectly well continue to accompany Alyuin. Even if she had to leave, it would at least be after the Princess's coming-of-age ceremony—that was something she had promised.
The white rabbit in her arms made a gesture of resting its chin on its paw. Its long ears drooped on either side, and its short tail swayed gently. For a moment, it didn't look like a rabbit, but more like a fox.
"You seem to be hesitating. Why? It's just going back to attend a banquet."
At this moment, Alyuin sensed something was wrong and said suspiciously, "This rabbit is a bit strange."
Lotus said softly, "It's Adia's messenger."
Just as the blue heron was Lotus's messenger, the messenger of the Goddess of Love and Desire was a pure white wild rabbit, symbolizing the hazy affection of youth.
Unlike Adia's arrow, which represented true love, the Solancians explained the stirrings of a young heart like this:
When you face someone and suddenly feel a white rabbit kicking wildly in your chest, that is the Goddess of Love guiding you to enjoy the beauty of hazy love.
The carefree times are the most fleeting. Cherish this white rabbit, for youth, once gone, never returns.
Alyuin had clearly thought of this saying as well. Her eyes widened imperceptibly, and she immediately turned her head to observe Lotus's expression.
The white rabbit suddenly glanced at the Princess, its crimson eyes seeming to hold a human-like, playful smile, as if to say—
I know what's on your mind.
Alyuin's heart tightened, but her expression remained impassive.
"Lotus, did it say something? Is it relaying a message from the Goddess Adia?"
Lotus didn't notice the suppressed tension in the Princess's eyes. She just sighed and said, "Yes, Adia wants me to go back for something."
The panic of having all her secret feelings exposed by the Goddess of Love and Desire seemed less important at this moment. Alyuin's heart sank, her fingers curling slightly at her side as she said in a low voice, "You're going back again."
Her tone was somewhere between a subtle question and a statement, sounding somewhat aggrieved, as if she wanted to ask but didn't dare.
Lotus paused and turned to look at the white rabbit.
The white rabbit was nonchalantly scratching its ear with its paw. Noticing Lotus's gaze, it said, "What's wrong?"
Adia's tone was casual, and still, only Lotus, being a fellow deity, could hear it.
The river goddess tried to use the same method to make her voice audible only to the white rabbit.
"Thank you for your enthusiasm, but I can't go back for the time being."
"Is it because of this Princess of Solancia?"
The white rabbit was full of interest.
Lotus said lightly, "I have my reasons."
"Well, you can, but you might delay important matters." The rabbit said with difficulty, "Although it's called a welcome banquet, there's also serious business to attend to. We're always one short of eight, which is a real headache for us."
Lotus was unconcerned. "Adia, stop teasing me."
The rabbit: "Hmm?"
"If it were really that urgent, you wouldn't have waited until now to inform me. Besides me, have those other main gods who are still sleeping woken up yet?"
The white rabbit let out a long sigh, as if a game had been forced to end. Lotus could almost imagine the Goddess of Love herself shrugging helplessly in her temple.
"Alright, alright. The only main gods awake right now are you, me, and the Sun and Moon. The others will wake up at the appropriate time. We do have serious business, but you don't have to leave the mortal realm. You just need to send an avatar within a few months."
Lotus smiled. "I see. Thank you."
The rabbit said grumpily, "Don't thank me. You're no fun at all, not easy to fool in the slightest."
After speaking, the willful messenger of the Goddess of Love kicked its legs and leaped into a nearby thicket, quickly disappearing from sight.
Lotus shook her head.
What a strange sense of humor. Just to announce a banquet, she has to say half and hide the other half. Is it fun to watch a junior struggle?
Compared to Adia, the forgetful but earnest Moon Goddess Anmila was a breath of fresh air in the divine realm. Oh, but she almost forgot that Anmila's brother also liked to joke around.
So far, Lotus had only met three of the main gods, and two of them were exceptionally unreliable. This couldn't help but make her deeply suspicious about the character of these so-called main gods.
Lotus's gaze shifted, and she noticed the Princess sitting to the side with her head lowered, staring blankly at something, lost in thought.
"Don't worry, I'm not leaving," Lotus said, patting the Princess's head reassuringly.
Alyuin didn't look up. Her eyes were hidden in the shadow of her bangs, her expression unreadable. She only said in a reasonable tone, "It's alright. You don't need to consider me."
Lotus said, "I promised I wouldn't leave before your coming-of-age ceremony. I still have to preside over the ritual, have you forgotten?"
"But you just said the Goddess of Love was calling you back..."
"There is no matter in the Kingdom of the Gods that I must handle personally. Most importantly, I will not break my promise to you."
Lotus thought for a moment, then with a sense of helplessness, she briefly explained the Goddess of Love's childish trick to Alyuin.
Alyuin: "..."
This was a bit beyond her comprehension. There was actually a god who was so reckless?
No.
The Princess's heart grew cold as she suddenly realized the Goddess of Love's prank wasn't aimed at Lotus, but at her.
How could feelings related to love escape the eyes of the Goddess of Love and Desire?
Perhaps the Goddess of Love just wanted to see how she would react after learning that Lotus was about to leave again.
Alyuin was so angry she laughed. She said gloomily, "We really should have had roasted rabbit today."
Lotus: "?"
"It's nothing. Just a passing thought."
The Princess pouted, picked up the roasted fish in front of her, a trace of doubt still in her heart.
The Goddess of Love could sense her thoughts, yet she didn't explain them to Lotus, only using a prank to test her. What was her true intention?
A warning, curiosity, or simple amusement?
No matter the era, divining the intentions of a god was never an easy task. Alyuin couldn't reach a conclusion and could only choose to wait and see.
After that, the messenger of the Goddess Adia never appeared again.
After a day's journey, Surinia, the City of the Sun God, was close at hand.
This was a special main city.
Several hundred years ago, the city of Surinia and the vast region surrounding it did not belong to Solancia. The Solancian king of that time led an army to conquer this land, incorporating it into the kingdom's territory.
However, the unique geographical environment and local customs made the people of this land quite different from the Solancians. They were unruly, and simply dispatching a city lord to govern here would not have been reassuring.
The reigning Solancian king at the time eventually came up with a suitable solution.
—The God-Concubine system.
He sent his eldest daughter to Surinia, enfeoffed her as the God-Concubine of the Sun God Suriel, and granted her territory, authority, and an army, making her the supreme master of Surinia to manage the native inhabitants.
In exchange for this lofty status, the God-Concubine could never leave the City of the Sun God for her entire life. She was forbidden from marrying or having children, and had to maintain her chastity for her nominal husband.
Since then, every king's eldest daughter would be sent to the God-Concubine at a young age to be educated, growing up in Surinia as her adopted daughter and successor, until she replaced her aunt to become the new God-Concubine.
The God-Concubine system has been passed down through generations to this day. Even though the foreign tribes of the south have now completely integrated into Solancian civilization and become an inseparable part of Solancia, this system has been preserved and not abolished.
Becoming the God-Concubine of Surinia—this was once the fate Alyuin was meant to face.
However, the former king doted on his daughter and couldn't bear to send his only daughter to the distant south, so he casually found an excuse to refuse.
The years turned, and the former king's eldest daughter, who should have been sent to the City of the Sun God in her youth, finally arrived at her aunt's domain as she neared adulthood.
The city of the Sun God was brilliant and grand. Standing before the walls built of white stone, one could feel a brightness like bathing in sunlight, as if it were truly a city built by a god.
The caravan stopped before the gates of Surinia. After a brief negotiation, an official came forward politely to greet them and lead them into the city.
The caravan master and the official were old acquaintances. After exchanging a few pleasantries, the master introduced with a beaming smile, "This is Princess Alyuin."
Alyuin nodded.
The official was startled, but a flash of pleasant surprise crossed his eyes. "Why has Your Highness the Princess come?"
Alyuin said concisely, "I am the Deputy Commander of the Third Army Corps. My mission is to escort this caravan."
"Oh, so that's how it is. I thought..."
The official didn't finish his sentence, but his disappointment was plain to see.
He composed himself and continued, "If you wish to visit Her Highness the God-Concubine, the next few days might not be suitable. Her Highness does not like to receive guests on sunny days."
Alyuin said, "No, you misunderstand. I have no intention of visiting my aunt immediately."
The official stammered, "But, that's not in accordance with etiquette—"
"Etiquette? What etiquette? I am here on a mission. Just treat me as an ordinary caravan guard."
Alyuin's tone was sincere. She then turned to the caravan master and said, "Are there any interesting places nearby? I'd like to take my teacher for a look around. This is our first time here."
The official: "..."
That's not right! An ordinary caravan guard wouldn't be thinking about finding places to have fun!
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