TGS - Chapter 174
Chapter 174: Submission
Sheli Pu was silent for a moment.
“You said I wouldn’t betray civilization.”
Lotus replied, “Then let’s continue discussing this issue.”
The originally serious topic, under the current circumstances, seemed not so heavy.
For some reason, Sheli Pu actually felt a little relieved.
…It would be even better if she couldn’t see the god and the human in front of her holding hands.
Lotus spoke first, “As far as I know, you are not valued in the Sanur pantheon. Aside from the tribe of the shaman we just met, the people of the other tribes are unwilling to take the sheep as their faith totem.”
There was nothing to refute. Sheli Pu remained silent.
“If gods were bound by a restriction to be loyal to their pantheon, I wouldn’t say anything more. Your godhead is right here, and I can destroy it at any time without leaving any future trouble.” Lotus paused. “But you don’t have to be destroyed along with the Sanur.”
Sheli Pu lowered her head. Lotus could almost see a sorrowful conflict on the sheep’s face. Her horizontal pupils were brimming with tears, as if she were about to start twiddling her fingers—or rather, her hooves—in the next second.
Lotus sighed helplessly in her heart.
Having already killed the Wild Fox God, she certainly wouldn’t mind killing a sheep-headed one. The problem was, Lotus truly felt it was unnecessary.
The unification of the Sanur had only happened a few years ago. Now, the tribe that believed in Sheli Pu had already chosen to submit to Solancia, and it was done under the god’s own instruction.
Yet the very god who gave the instruction was unwilling to submit herself. She couldn’t fight, had the self-awareness to run whenever she saw another god, and would turn into her sheep form if she couldn’t win. When tied up, all she could do was bleat. No matter how you looked at it, she was a pitiful little thing.
Most importantly—
Lotus lowered her eyes, the sheep god’s godhead reflected in her pupils.
The godheads of most deities resembled gemstones, but the one before her was a milky-white, fluffy ball. The surface was ringed with the pattern of a sheep’s horn. It looked soft, but was brittle to the touch.
In Sanur mythology, the powers of the various beast-headed deities were not clearly described, but they had obviously all developed their own applications of divine power.
As a high god wholeheartedly worshipped by a tribe, even if Sheli Pu couldn’t fight, she must have an area of expertise, an ability that only she could master.
It was highly likely to be healing-related—Lotus had high hopes for the fluffy sheep. The only deity in Solancia with healing abilities was Askle, the God of Medicine. Although he was a professional when it came to treatment, he was, after all, a subordinate god with weaker divine power, so there were inevitably times when he fell short.
Sheli Pu was different.
If they could have a high god skilled in healing and recovery, not to mention distant possibilities, just look at Adia and Suriel who were injured not long ago. Perhaps they could have fully recovered and wouldn't have had to fall into a deep slumber.
Based on these hopes, Lotus was more inclined to turn Sheli Pu to her side rather than shatter her godhead here, leaving the divine position vacant and waiting for who knows how long for a new sheep god to be born.
Lotus was already extremely patient and didn’t mind expending a few more words.
Because her Snow Goddess form was too cold and imposing, she consciously softened her tone, making it gentler. She started by talking about Ashino, the vanguard of defectors, her persuasive attitude bordering on patient guidance.
Alyuin’s arm tightened slightly as she turned her head to look at her.
That tone of patient, coaxing guidance, like speaking to a child, had always been exclusive to the Princess in her younger years. And after Lotus confirmed that the child’s mind was far more mature than her peers, a similar tone had rarely appeared.
How to put it… it felt like something wonderful that belonged only to her, something she wanted to keep as a private collection, was being displayed for others to see, even though neither the one displaying it nor the one viewing it was aware.
Just then, Lotus happened to say, “You asked me earlier what I would choose if Solancia faced destruction.”
“My answer is that only the people themselves are most important. As long as the people of Solancia still need and believe in their gods, I will be with them.”
Lotus looked directly at the sheep god. “You saw the shaman’s attitude. Even if they are incorporated into Solancia in the future, this tribe will still need you.”
Sheli Pu was clearly beginning to waver.
Lotus waited unhurriedly for her to make her final decision, while at the same time pressing her fingertips down, tightening her grip on the godhead.
If Sheli Pu, after thinking it over, still didn’t intend to change her mind, Lotus would have no choice but to immediately destroy the brittle white crystal.
It would be a pity, but it was the safest option.
Just as the atmosphere became extremely quiet, Alyuin suddenly spoke, breaking the silence.
“It took a long time for Lotus to awaken, didn’t it?”
Lotus was taken aback for a moment, then suddenly understood the Princess’s intention. She nodded and said, “Yes. From the very beginning of Solancia’s founding until recently, a full thousand years have passed.”
“If the Sheep Goddess fades away with the Sanur civilization, who knows when a new god for this tribe will appear again. Without a god to watch over them, things will be very difficult, won’t they?” Alyuin answered her own question. “Of course they will. This is a divine war involving all the gods, isn’t it?”
Those words sounded inexplicably terrifying.
Sheli Pu almost wanted to ask, How do you, a human princess, know so much!
Her gaze swept over their clasped hands, and the reason seemed self-evident. She had no choice but to swallow the words that were about to tumble out and instead say—
“Is that a threat?” Sheli Pu said, her voice trembling.
Alyuin replied calmly, “You can take it as one.”
This veiled threat was actually quite effective.
Sheli Pu’s heart was already leaning in one direction, but she was still wavering. With her personality, making a decision that concerned her entire future required more time for consideration, the courage to move forward, or a strong dose of medicine.
Alyuin’s threat was just such a medicine.
Just as Lotus had said, what was truly important were the humans themselves.
If the people of her tribe no longer needed her, scattered across the lands of Solancia and converted to the Solancian pantheon, then it wouldn’t matter if she disappeared now.
But they hadn’t.
To prevent the Solancian Princess—who had dealings with a god, and seemingly very deep dealings at that—from treating these people like refugees without a divine patron to be ordered about at will, Sheli Pu couldn’t just dissipate.
Otherwise, who in the divine world would back the sole remaining branch of the Sanur?
The sheep had to stand tall, of course!
Once she understood this point, the idea of living and dying with the name of her civilization was no longer so strong.
Sheli Pu’s ears drooped, resting docilely at her sides.
She said, “What should I do?”
Lotus blinked.
She’s been turned to our side just like that?
Their clasped hands naturally lowered. Under the cover of the Snow Goddess’s wide, plush sleeves, Alyuin moved past Lotus’s thumb and lightly traced two lines on her palm. Her neatly trimmed nails created a faint, ticklish sensation.
It was as if to say: I did a good job, didn’t I?
Lotus chuckled and ruffled the Princess’s hair with her transparent divine power.
Only then did she ask Sheli Pu, “Aside from combat, what special domains do you have?”
Sheli Pu: “Protecting livestock for better breeding and growth?”
This could be considered the sheep god’s primary divine right. It overlapped a bit with the domains of the Earth Goddess, the God of Life and Death, and even the Goddess of Love. However, if they were to Solancianize the sheep totem’s mythology, she could be positioned as a goddess of shepherding.
Lotus: “What else?” Healing, give me healing.
Sheli Pu then listed them one by one: “Also white clouds, food and drink, midwifery, protection of young children, the expeller of injuries and illnesses, promoting the lush growth of water and grass…”
It seemed to be related to healing. Lotus’s eyes brightened slightly.
Sheli Pu was still counting: “…purity, hope, time—”
Time.
Lotus looked up, her breathing rhythm seeming to falter for an instant.
Her consciousness seemed to be pulled back into the dream she had while slumbering. Countless golden instruments encircled by Ouroboros rotated frame by frame behind the silhouette, like a clock face without hands.
“The only chance to return to your homeland,” the silhouette had said. “Once you miss it, there won’t be another.”
Could this chance be referring to Sheli Pu?
Lotus had no intention of returning to her original world. Perhaps she occasionally missed her life there, but she had no lingering attachment to the modern era. She had parents connected by blood, but no deeply cherished loved ones—whereas here, she had Alyuin.
Despite this, Lotus still asked unconsciously, “Time?”
Sheli Pu turned her head from side to side, showing off the curved horns on her head. “Humans discovered that a sheep’s horns thicken in parts as they age, adding rings of texture. They can use this to judge a sheep’s age.”
“So, some Sanur people use sheep horn patterns to represent time and timekeeping, and somehow that evolved into one of my divine domains.” She paused, a little embarrassed. “But it’s almost useless. Maybe because it’s not a domain that a god born from civilization can touch.”
“Then, what can you do with it?”
“Automatically tell time with divine power? Also, sometimes it shows flashbacks of certain past scenes, but that’s not under my control. It’s mostly things that happened before I was born. The few times I’ve seen it, I’ve been completely bewildered.”
Sheli Pu’s tone carried a hint of uncertainty. It was obvious that even she herself couldn’t master the divine right of this domain.
Lotus: “…”
Well, that makes sense. 【Spacetime】 was the power of that silhouette, just like 【The World】 and 【Destiny】. It was completely separate from the gods born of human civilization; the two had nothing to do with each other.
With the abilities Sheli Pu possessed, it was only natural that she couldn’t make people travel through time.
She had probably overthought it.
For some reason, Lotus let out a sigh of relief.
Turning to look at the Princess, she saw that Alyuin was also looking at her. It was as if she hadn’t expected the goddess to turn back so suddenly and was caught red-handed.
Lotus smiled faintly.
Alyuin’s gaze softened, and she returned the smile, her beautiful cat-like eyes tracing an enchanting line at the corners.
As the two of them smiled at each other, Sheli Pu’s eyes widened, as if the previous conversation had made her think of something.
She first observed Lotus and Alyuin in turn with the eye on one side of her head, then carefully turned her head to look again with the eye on the other side.
The sheep god wasn’t a real sheep, but she did have sheep’s eyes, and her rectangular pupils had some sheep-like characteristics.
For example, she was better at catching distant figures than observing expressions up close.
Another example was a common problem for all beast-headed deities—they weren’t very good at recognizing people.
After confirming it several times like this, the sheep god’s expression became hesitant, as if she wanted to say something but was holding back. It was to a degree not much different from the Death God when he was with the raven-form former king and queen.
Although… but.
Maybe all human faces look more or less the same, and there’s actually no connection. Things have finally settled down, so there’s no need to stir up trouble.
So, the sheep god silently clamped her mouth shut.
After the decision was made, Alyuin had the Sanur tribe’s shaman summoned. She informed him that his request to continue worshipping the sheep god had been granted. The tribe’s warriors would be incorporated into Solancia’s provisional military structure to participate in the upcoming battle with Kasnie, and the rest of the people would also be properly settled.
“After the war, the Sheep Goddess’s temple will be included in the reconstruction plans,” Alyuin said. “From now on, you are the priest of Sheli Pu.”
The change in title from shaman to priest spoke volumes, but the new priest was actually very reassured by it.
The tribe had been preserved intact, along with the goddess Sheli Pu. That was enough.
Meanwhile, the sheep god remained in the camp. Her godhead was temporarily kept by Lotus, so she couldn’t use much of her divine power. It would be returned to its rightful owner when they got back to Solancia and had Sheli Pu examine the injured deities.
With one matter settled, Alyuin still couldn’t relax.
They had just dealt with the Sanur tribe, but there was a pile of organizational work to be done. Meanwhile, within Solancia’s borders, the invading Kasnian army had already broken through the coastal defense line centered on Bananna City and was advancing like a hot knife through butter toward the City of the Sun God, deeper in the heartland.
The situation remained grim. The Kingdom of Kasnie, which had incited the Sanur to act as a vanguard to deplete their enemy’s forces, would surely be even more difficult to deal with.
Even if the tasks of taking stock and reorganizing were mostly handled by her subordinates, the Princess was still busy.
Everything had to be expedited, because they were now in a race against time with the Kasnian army.
The Snow Goddess incarnation sat to the side, keeping time. When the Princess had been reviewing documents and handling official business for a certain period, she would pinch her chin, pull her in for a kiss, and massage the area around her eyes with her cool fingertips, which had a very soothing effect.
Of course, Alyuin was very self-disciplined. After relaxing for a moment, she would sit back down and continue working on her own.
But she couldn’t help but feel a little resentful.
“When I’m finally free…”
Lotus heard Alyuin muttering behind the desk and chuckled. “I’m looking forward to it.”
Alyuin’s hand paused. The white paste on her reed pen left an inconspicuous white dot on the dark brown paper. “You are interfering with official business, Your Eminence Lotus.”
Lotus: “Then shall I wait outside?”
She feigned to stand up, and her sleeve was immediately held down by the Princess’s left hand.
Alyuin continued writing with her right hand as if nothing were happening. Her cold, beautiful, and majestic face was quite deceptive; no one could have guessed what her other hand was doing under the desk.
Lotus pulled her sleeve back and placed her palm on top of Alyuin’s hand.
Alyuin flipped her hand over and pressed down.
Lotus pulled her hand out and placed it on top again.
After this repeated three or four times, Lotus shrugged and stopped moving.
Who could argue when the kitty’s paw always had to be on top?
Finally, all preparations were complete. The Solancian army, with more abundant equipment and supplies than when they arrived, mounted their fine warhorses and set off on the road back to their own country.
At the same time, Lotus’s true body, along with the other main gods, was in the city of Surinia. This city, the next target of the Kasnian army’s assault, was now like a storm about to break, with dark undercurrents swirling.
The reason for the impending storm was, naturally, the advance of the Kasnian army.
It was called an advance, but they were actually coming by warship.
The prosperity of the Yilu River had made Solancia’s waterways highly developed. The wide river running from north to south was large enough for Kasnian warships to pass through, and the wind blowing from the sea this season could even allow the ships to travel against the current, further upstream.
With the domains of Lotus and the God of the Sky, they could hinder them somewhat, but with three major deities still remaining in the Kasnian pantheon, the Solancian gods couldn’t go all out to create environmental conditions favorable to their side.
The swirling undercurrents, on the other hand, were mostly due to the arrival of Taz and Romuer.
The former Crown Prince, now the descendant of a traitor.
The former king of Solancia’s own brother, now a supporter of the rebellion.
They brought troops, but they also brought controversy. Both were at the top of the royal city’s bounty list, thorns in the side of the current leader. In this special period, what was the most appropriate way to treat them?
The God-Concubine Naimaer had never been one to manage affairs, especially after the Princess became the de facto ruler. She had begun to simply wait for the God-Concubine system to be abolished so she could leave this sun-drenched city and find a place with perennial rain to live a carefree life.
If not for the war, her wish would likely have already come true.
When it came to Kasnie, Naimaer was probably one of the people who held the deepest resentment.
As the officials and generals of Surinia argued heatedly, Naimaer stood up, quite impatiently.
The God-Concubine’s long-established authority remained, and she was the current ruler’s only remaining close blood relative. Unless absolutely necessary, no one wanted to oppose her.
Thus, the dispute was temporarily suppressed.
They would do as the God-Concubine said: first, arrange for the two to stay in the Sky-Reaching Tower. To prevent Taz’s soldiers from causing trouble, they would temporarily refrain from measures like house arrest, merely assigning people to watch them. Then, they would send messages to the Princess’s side and to Akhet, and await a response.
When Lotus saw Romuer, she almost thought the former Crown Prince was a different person.
He was a few years older than the Princess, but now he looked as if he had aged a dozen years. His entire demeanor was calmer, and he was weary from the inside out.
The almost naive temperament that his parents had deliberately cultivated with a mask of righteousness, and the illusion that everything he saw was benevolent, had all dissipated from him.
Perhaps he had been tempered by life in Bananna, or perhaps Romuer had come to understand his father’s actions.
From a conversation between Romuer and Taz, Lotus heard a piece of news.
Horst had become a captive of the Kasnian army.
It was after several escape attempts, when there was nowhere left to run, that he, along with his wealth, was caught in one fell swoop by the enemy.
Most importantly, the Kasnian commander had declared that if their siege of the City of the Sun God dragged on, they would drag Horst to the front lines between the two armies and use him as a target to practice their archery and get a feel for their bows, then offer his heart as a sacrifice to the gods.
Lotus: “…”
Was this a case of the wicked being tormented by the wicked?
Sacrificing hearts was entirely a vile Sanur custom. The Kasnian gods shouldn’t accept such a thing; after all, civilization was supposed to advance, not regress.
Speaking of the Kasnian gods, since the end of the first round of battle, the three deities led by Perseus had not reappeared. It was unknown whether they were plotting something, or if they simply knew they would be beaten badly if they showed themselves.
The Solancian pantheon was seriously good at fighting.
But recalling Perseus’s attitude, Lotus still felt a faint unease in her heart.
What, exactly, was the Goddess of the Mind relying on?
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