TGS - Chapter 158
Chapter 158: The Victory Banquet
Adorned with snowtu flowers, inlaid with blue chalcedony, and draped in a white dress with silk scarves—this was indeed the standardized image of the River Goddess across all regions.
The features of each of the main gods were clearly carved on the temple statues. Anyone who had seen them with their own eyes would never mistake them.
And Hephit, as expected of a city lord who had seen the world.
Faced with such a scene, he was only stunned for a moment before lowering his head and bowing deeply.
Lotus gave a placid nod in response.
Having the precedent of Alyuin's parents, Lotus didn't find this sudden. Compared to Lord Hephit, who had also retained his consciousness, she was more concerned about the dazed, expressionless spirits drifting toward the Yilu River.
Could it be that most souls were like this, unable to remain lucid after death?
Collecting her thoughts, Lotus asked, "Are you lingering here because you have some unfulfilled wish?"
Hephit paused, then looked in Lena's direction.
After the baptism ritual, the coffin would be sealed. As his daughter, as the city lord's only living relative, this step was naturally to be completed by Lena.
She hummed a low tune to send off the departed souls. Lotus had heard the Ravens play the same melody before.
On the banks of the Yilu River, the dead and the living occupied the same land, yet neither could perceive the other's existence. If anything could profoundly illustrate the separation between life and death, it was this very moment.
Lotus almost thought Lord Hephit would soon request to see his daughter one last time, but he did not.
After just one glance, Hephit averted his gaze. "Failing to defend Digebia was my greatest mistake. To see Her Majesty reclaim the city and preside over our funeral rites... I have no more regrets."
The hale and hearty old man looked up and asked respectfully, "If I may be so bold, why are you here...?"
Lotus considered for a moment. "I am Alyuin's guardian."
Hephit murmured, "So the rumors were true."
Lotus knew which rumors he meant—the guardian deity and the divinely favored one. This was the story that had spread when Alyuin "borrowed" her name to refuse Horst's arrangements. Given the princess's demonstrated talents and abilities, many Solancians firmly believed it.
"I once witnessed your divine miracle. At the festival of the Goddess Anmila, the messenger you sent delivered a snowtu flower, demonstrating your favor." Hephit recalled, filled with emotion. "Were you there then as well?"
Lotus nodded.
Not only was she there, but she had also played the role of the blue heron messenger. She was the one who had personally—with her own beak—delivered the snowtu flower to the princess.
With this thought, Lotus lowered her eyes to look at the princess's expression.
At this moment, Alyuin, with the aid of divine power, could sense the spiritual body and naturally could also overhear her conversation with Lord Hephit. It was just inconvenient to show it in front of everyone.
But one look at the smile in Alyuin's eyes was enough to know that she, too, must have remembered the scene from that day.
The flower-bearing blue heron was actually the goddess herself...
Hephit was completely unaware of Alyuin's observation. He stood stunned for a moment, the tense wrinkles at the corners of his mouth relaxing, revealing a sense of relief.
"This is wonderful," the old city lord said, bowing again.
During the days he was trapped in his mortal shell, Hephit had heard much about the current situation. The reliable ally Kasnie, according to the Sanur, and the foreigners arranged in Solancia's various cities to incite the people—all of it made him deeply feel the internal and external threats, making it difficult to find peace.
But with the River Goddess protecting the princess and Solancia, he could finally set his mind at ease and answer the call of the Yilu River and the underworld for departed souls.
Following his comrades-in-arms, the old city lord was the last to step into the Yilu River.
It was clear that souls sank beneath the surface when traveling upstream through the Yilu River. Otherwise, every time Lotus looked at the river, she would probably see the strange sight of spirits floating past on the water.
The same was true for Hephit.
Before sinking beneath the water, the old city lord's gaze remained fixed on the riverbank. And so, he saw Alyuin make a salute in his direction.
Left hand on her shoulder, a slight bow—it was not the nod of a ruler to a subordinate city lord, but the farewell salute of a soldier to a superior officer.
Hephit had received the same salute before, in Digebia City, when the fourteen-year-old princess had consulted the convoluted laws to win herself the opportunity to join the army and earn merits.
That day, in the reception hall of the city lord's manor, Alyuin had saluted just like that, then raised her head, her brilliant golden eyes concealing all her ambition and determination.
It was also on that day that Hephit had inexplicably realized this young woman would go very far.
The next moment, the river water submerged the spirit's line of sight.
The deceased sank uncontrollably into the river's depths, swept swiftly away against the current at a speed comparable to a wooden boat traveling downstream.
The unprepared city lord: "..."
Wait, so the princess, who had been silent this whole time, could see spirits?
On the shore, the living still bowed their heads, praying for the dead.
All the souls had been sent to the underworld in the Kingdom of the Gods, concluding the most important part of the ceremony. After fulfilling her duties as presider, Alyuin walked to an open space away from the crowd.
"It seems very few people remain lucid after death," Alyuin said, gazing at the calm surface of the river. "I had thought everyone was like my father and mother."
Lotus wanted to say something, but thinking of the contents of the letter she had sent to Priestess Rhea, she chose not to bring that matter up at this time. She said gently, "You will not lose those things."
Alyuin's tone was light, the end of her words even lighter. "Of course not. Not even death could make me forget."
Lotus: "You..."
Alyuin: "Hm?"
Lotus said calmly, "You're not old, yet you're already pondering matters of the afterlife? Focus on healing your wounds first."
Alyuin smiled. "You're right."
On the night of the funeral, a victory banquet was held as was customary.
The location was the city lord's manor. It was both a celebration of victory and a remembrance of fallen comrades. The generals were in the manor's banquet hall, while the common soldiers were in the barracks, but the food and drink provided were the same for both.
They raised their cups in celebration and also raised them to toast the spirits. The atmosphere, a mix of jubilation and sorrow, possessed a strange harmony.
Alyuin sat at the head of the hall, but there was more than one seat there.
Two high-backed chairs of equal stature were placed there. The one beside the princess was empty—at least, it was to others' eyes.
In reality, Lotus was sitting right there.
...So why did a spiritual body need a chair?
"Because I cannot let you be without a seat befitting your station," Alyuin said righteously. "You don't have to sit in it, but it must be there."
If she hadn't been worried it would look too strange, Alyuin would have even considered sitting in the first seat to the left, leaving the single seat at the head empty—just thinking about that scene was suffocating.
So Lotus sat in the "befitting" seat, her gaze sweeping over the center of the banquet hall before she silently looked away. Out of sight, out of mind.
Yes, just like at any banquet attended by nobles, the beautiful melody of a harp echoed through the hall.
It was a traditional piece of music celebrating victory, usually accompanied by the exquisite dancing of female dancers. The empty space in the middle of the hall was prepared for this purpose, to provide all the guests with a beautiful visual and auditory experience.
But there was none.
Right now, the ones playing the harp in the banquet hall were a group of burly generals. Even the old general who had once debated with the princess had joined in, playing the harp with great enthusiasm.
As for whether the music was pleasant to the ear, it was certainly listenable. After all, many of the generals came from noble families, and musicianship was a required course for them. Even if they hadn't practiced much after joining the army, they could still play passably after picking it up again.
However, in terms of visual effect...
Fortunately, no one came up to dance, or the scene might have been even more indescribable. Even now, many people were staring down at the plates in front of them, refusing to look up toward the center no matter what.
It was as if by doing so, they could hypnotize themselves into believing it wasn't their eye-searing colleagues playing the harp.
Glancing around, Lotus felt a bit nostalgic for the Goddess of Performing Arts. When she had returned to the Kingdom of the Gods for a banquet, she had seen her singing and playing.
However, in the past few years, the banquets of Solancia's nobility had been characterized by extravagance. When Lotus was playing the role of a lady-in-waiting, she would occasionally attend banquets with the princess and had seen no shortage of absurd scenes.
Why had things changed to this?
Receiving the goddess's questioning gaze, Alyuin took a light sip of mead and said casually, "In Akhet, I found it an eyesore, so I had them clean things up a bit."
In the royal city, after Horst fled, Alyuin naturally took control of the throne.
Soon after, a banquet was organized. The atmosphere among the royal city's nobles was predictable, and in the princess's eyes at the time, "eyesore" was hardly enough to describe it. She immediately ordered a rectification.
Not only did it curb the extravagant and chaotic customs of the nobility, but it also prevented some opportunistic individuals from using the occasion to falsely report accounts and line their own pockets. It killed two birds with one stone.
As for the indispensable music and dancing at banquets?
The princess's original words were: "Have I forbidden you from enjoying song and dance?"
Her intention was that as long as they didn't misbehave at the banquets, musicians, songstresses, female dancers, and male performers were not forbidden. Someone had to set the mood, after all.
But the nobles, who had been scared witless by the princess's methods, misunderstood her. They either prepared no song and dance, resulting in a group of people sitting with the solemn atmosphere of a council meeting, or they had their own younger generation perform, which also served as a test of their musical studies.
As a result, the number of completely unnecessary banquets in the royal city was reduced by more than half, which could be considered a good thing.
Sitting at the head of the hall with a panoramic view of the entire banquet hall, Lotus sighed softly.
But why must she torment her eyes?
Alyuin couldn't hold back a charming smile that tugged at the corners of her lips. She whispered, "If you don't like it, you can just look at me."
"Whatever song you wish to hear, I can play it. Whatever dance you wish to see, I can learn it. There's nothing worth looking at with them."
Lotus thought to herself that it was hard to disagree with the last half of that sentence. Then she heard the princess continue, "Or, would you be willing to play a song for me?"
When it's just the two of us.
Alyuin placed the hand closer to Lotus on the table, palm up, her long, beautiful fingers naturally relaxed.
Her other hand still held a wine cup, looking more like a work of art than the exquisitely crafted vessel itself. She gazed into Lotus's eyes with a smile that wasn't obvious enough to draw the attention of others.
Lotus placed her hand on top of it.
Their fingers intertwined, honey-colored skin and translucent, icy white tangling together.
Just then, a member of the Royal Guard standing behind them looked at the princess's outstretched hand on the table, her expression conflicted.
Her Majesty's attendants from the royal city hadn't come to the border. But shouldn't a good member of the Royal Guard also serve as an attendant?
So, she gave a look to her colleague beside her and slipped out through the back door of the banquet hall.
A moment later, the guard returned with what she had found.
"Your Majesty, please!"
The guard presented a silver platter.
Use what? Lotus subconsciously turned her head to look, only to see a somewhat familiar set of implements on the platter.
It included a long golden pipe inlaid with small gemstones, a small jade bowl, and powder held in an agate box, all exuding a faint, subtle aroma mixed with spices, mint, and tobacco.
Lotus's gaze fell upon the long pipe.
She had seen something similar before, with the God-Concubine in the City of the Sun God, and at many banquets thereafter—it was a smoking pipe.
Lotus blinked. Her silver lashes lifted, and her gaze fixed on the princess.
Alyuin: "..."
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