Summoned the Goddess?!!

The reception room of the temple.

"No!" Tissaia de Veris roared, her eyebrows furrowing. "The Sorceress of Aretuza are not under the command of any other faction; this is a prerequisite for us to uphold the Ancient Covenant of the Novigrad Alliance..."

"But large-scale operations always need a commander..." the Old Duke retorted helplessly.

"Then let us take command!" Tissaia declared righteously. "We, Aretuza, also have considerable knowledge of Evil God and Monster's Nest ..."

Ianna sat between the two, her expression not looking good.

Vesemir stood bored in the corner, listening to the discussions, or rather arguments, between the three forces of the Temple of Melitele, the Aretuza Academy, and Arland, given that the Evil God was about to descend within a day.

They argued over command of the army, the direction of the Summoning Ritual, the distribution of spoils of war, and compensation for the wounded...

to be honest.

He is not completely ignorant of politics.

Being old enough means having seen and experienced a great deal of people and things.

The School of the Wolf of Witchers focuses on hunting monsters, but that doesn't mean they completely avoid contact with humans.

Conversely, when a Witcher from the School of the Wolf becomes Witcher Master, he will inevitably come into contact with more people, especially those of higher status, whether by choice or by force.

Correct their cognition, analyze their hidden meanings, satisfy their desires, and reject their delusions...

When the people you come into contact with change from commoners and village chiefs to wealthy merchants and nobles, how you get along with the clients inevitably becomes a matter of politics.

Was the heir abducted by the "monster" truly an accident?

The strange monster commissioned by the nobleman to be killed, is it really a monster, or not a human?

There are also people who fall in love with goats, Leshen spirits who are worshipped as gods, and night demons who only exploit but never kill...

The Witcher Master simply prefers to solve problems with a sword and doesn't want to get involved.

Therefore, he knew that the noise in front of him was normal.

The more urgent the situation, the more important it is to reach a conclusion on command authority, interests, objectives, and strategies in advance.

Otherwise, in future battles, every overlooked possibility will foreshadow the final outcome.

certainly.

Even among all the similar "discussions" that Vesemir had experienced, Tissaia de Veres of Aretuza was the most radical, the most greedy, and the most calculating.

After the war, all the monsters... especially the remains and materials related to the Evil God, belonged to Aretuza, which was just an appetizer.

After all, there is no other sorcerer's academy here, and neither the temple nor Arland cares about these foul and strange materials.

The core of the current debate, however, is the issue of command over the team.

Tissaia de Veris "greedily" demanded that command of the temple priests and the elite soldiers of Arland be placed entirely in the hands of the Sorceress.

This is something that is difficult for the other two parties to accept.

On the one hand, Tissaia would inevitably use their subordinates as cannon fodder to protect the Sorceress, but as locals with a more relevant interest, both the temple and the Arland side were already aware of this.

On the other hand, Sorceress are just Sorceress; engrossed in the mysteries of magic, they have never been on the battlefield and have no experience commanding large armies.

This is something that neither side can accept.

after all.

The situation is dire; the Sorceress can open a portal and leave immediately.

Having a way out means they will inevitably lack the determination to fight to the death when commanding, and thus be able to maximize the fighting power of both sides.

Command authority not only affects the casualties of both sides in battle, but it also directly relates to the final outcome—whether the Evil God can be banished.

How could the Temple of Melitele and Arland possibly back down so easily?

but...

Vesemir looked at the awkward smiles on the faces of Ianna, Nannick, the Old Duke, and Arthur, but he could read the dissatisfaction, humiliation, and helplessness hidden behind those smiles.

He knew.

The temple and Arland will eventually have to grant Tissaia's aggressive request.

"The Temple of Melitele has fallen into decline..." Vesemir sighed inwardly.

I remember that a hundred years ago, if a similar disaster occurred, the temple would act as a mediator.

The appointment of commanders was mostly decided by the people of the temple.

Why?

Because temples are accountable to the gods, the effects of breaking a priest's oath to the gods are very significant.

The punishments range from a single, devastating bolt of lightning, like that of Cliff, which strikes to death without hesitation, to a divine punishment that strips the Oathbreaker of all Divine Power and marks them with the Oathbreaker's mark.

therefore.

Even though the temples of that time, like the Temple of Melitele today, had blurred boundaries with the powers of Arland, other factions were willing to trust the candidates chosen by the temples.

But nowadays...

Everyone knows that Meritellie has not descended to earth or interfered in the affairs of the temple for many years.

The temple decides its own course of action against those Oathbreaker, and no miracles have occurred in a long time.

Therefore, it's understandable that Tissaia de Veres is so radical and greedy.

They were invited to come to the rescue, and their willingness to risk their lives and honor the old covenant is already a testament to their high moral character.

To then ask her to hand over the life of the Sorceress of her academy to the locals, the Temple of Melitele and the nobles of Arland, would indeed be asking too much of a question.

But...

What about the Evil God?

What should we do if Evil God is about to resurrect and descend?

Although Sorceress are much better than male wizards, the torment of magic during awakening and Aretuza's strict sterilization policy make Aretuza's Sorceress particularly extreme, not only are they very easily agitated, but they also have extremely strong desires for all kinds of things.

This is not a good quality for someone who wants to be a leader of an army.

Could it be that we really believe what Tissaia de Veres said, that Aretuza has studied Monster's Nest and Evil God, making her the most suitable person to lead this team to defeat the Evil God?

"Damn it..." Vesemir cursed inwardly, "Ianna never had much confidence in stopping the Evil God's descent, and now she's being directed by these crazy women, how can she possibly succeed?"

"Will this team tasked with slaying the Evil God really be able to lure away enough ghouls for them?"

to be honest.

Vesemir now had to consider another problem—

How can he persuade Ailin to give up?

"Um?!!"

The discussion in the reception room abruptly stopped.

Vesemir was suddenly struck by a sharp gaze, a real, piercing one that made his head throb.

"Hmph~"

"Crazy woman..." he groaned, quickly and skillfully emptying his mind.

"Alright, stop arguing." Ianna waved her hand, drawing everyone's attention.

She and the Old Duke exchanged a helpless glance and sighed:

"Regarding the command, we'll answer..."

Before Ianna could finish speaking, she suddenly jumped up from her seat in shock.

Tissaia de Veris's expression changed drastically. She snapped her fingers to create a pale purple magical barrier around herself and then peered up at the sky.

"Buzz!"

The Wolf Emblem on Vesemir's chest hummed violently.

The Old Duke looked around helplessly.

"What's wrong?"

"The Evil God has arrived?"

The long, drawn-out prayers echoed in the iconostasis, over and over again.

From the second time onwards, ethereal echoes respond, the true voice and the echo overlap, the echoes strike the orderly stone wall engraved with murals, and reflect back even more praises.

The candles lit before the icon turned golden and shone brightly, instantly transforming the simple and unadorned sanctuary into a solemn and holy place, like a divine kingdom.

Ailin stared blankly at the benevolent statue with gold trim.

He hadn't expected such a magnificent phenomenon to occur when he completed the "Meritellie's Concealment Ritual" in the icon room, and a strong sense of anticipation immediately rose in his heart.

Before the echo faded and the vision disappeared, they hurriedly prayed. "Praise be to the Mother of All Things... Bless the harvest... Bless the harvest... Bless the harvest..."

This seemed particularly worldly and... impious, especially given the surrounding atmosphere where it sounded as if countless people were bowing in prayer.

"Eh~"

Suddenly, a playful female voice sighed in the hazy distance, its tone helpless. "That's not how you use a concealment ritual."

The girl's sacred voice echoed in the icon room, and seemed to echo in his mind as well.

Ailin was stunned and had no time to react.

In a daze, the golden flames at the edge of the three saints' statues converged on the girl's face.

A beautiful young woman, dressed in a pure white silk dress and wearing a wreath woven from gold leaves and branches, gracefully emerged from the statue.

His divine golden eyes looked at him with a complex expression.

Holy crap!

I actually summoned the goddess!

Ailin shuddered, his throat dry, and he swallowed hard.

Oh my god!

He was only thinking about getting a share of the harvest blessing and opening the boxes.

The repeated prayers gradually faded away.

The young girl, Meritellie, took a few steps closer to him, looked up and met his gaze, and furrowed her delicate eyebrows.

Ailin remembered something and immediately squatted down, lowering his body.

"Goddess... uh... goodnight?"

"You woke me up just to say 'goodnight'?" The girl raised an eyebrow. "I don't have much time for you."

He pointed behind Ailin.

The ritual circle representing the young girl, the pregnant woman, and the old woman lit up with golden light, just like last time, and then dimmed along the circle from a point on the edge like a fuse, only the dimming speed was several times faster than last time.

Five minutes at most...

After calculating the time, Ailin quickly turned around, intending to ask the goddess for a "blessing of harvest," but his mouth opened and then he said, "Goddess, the Evil God on the southern slope of Mahakam..."

"I know." The girl nodded slightly. "Unfortunately, most of my power is used to resist the erosion of the White Frost. My Divine Power cannot leave the temple and cannot drive away the Evil God."

He sighed in an old-fashioned manner and circled around Ailin once:

"If it weren't for the recent Conjunction of the Spheres that disrupted space and broke some of the White Frost's seal, even if you filled this place with concealment arrays, it would be useless..."

"Oh, right..."

The girl tilted her head, then suddenly stopped, pointing her slender, pale index finger at the ritual array on the ground, staring intently at Ailin:

"I clearly told you it was a 'concealment' ritual, how did you know this ritual could contact me?"

Ailin thought for a moment, then awkwardly avoided the girl's gaze.

[Title: Meritellie's Concealment Ritual]

[Note: In essence, this is not a concealment ritual, but more like remotely transmitting a message like "Mom, I'm hungry." All subsequent concealment processes will be remotely controlled by the recipient of the message using Divine Power.]

The divine wall in his mind remained unchanged, which relieved Ailin.

The notes in the Witcher's Handbook's Notes are truly blasphemous!

"Fine, don't tell me then!" The girl shook her head angrily.

"It's not exactly a proper method," Ailin said, quickly changing the subject as he looked at the girl who appeared to be much younger than him but was actually at least several hundred years older. "Does the goddess have any abilities that she can use right now that could be effective against Evil God or ghouls?"

"Yes! I can bestow Divine Power and Divine Art upon Ianna, granting holy shields and divine power to the warriors who fight against the Evil God," the girl smiled sweetly, a delighted smile appearing on Ailin's face, before her tone shifted, "But... are you sure?"

"Confirm what?" He was taken aback.

"Divine Power is limited."

The girl continued circling around Ailin:

"Although I don't know why a demon hunter like you is so eager for a bountiful harvest, the Divine Power sustained by the Conjunction of the Spheres is only enough to accomplish one thing..."

"Blessing of Harvest or Holy Shield and Holy Power?"

"Holy Shield and Holy Power." Ailin said without hesitation.

Ultimately, it all comes down to expelling the Evil God.

The surprise of opening the treasure chest was too great. Even if a red-quality fusion treasure chest appears again, skills like the Path of the Beast Roar will still require training and unlocking.

Golden treasure chests contain more blueprints and recipes, but the probability of finding the exact recipe that is useful to the Evil God is extremely low.

However, the stronger the people led by Ianna to attack the Evil God, the more carnivorous creatures they can attract, which can effectively weaken the Summoning Ritual.

and...

You can collect more treasure chests if you run out.

Once a person dies, they can never be brought back to life.

"What a good child!"

A kind smile appeared on the girl's face, but Ailin simply blinked and transformed back into a pregnant woman with a large belly.

He gently removed the gold ornament from his chest and tossed it into the air.

"Whoosh~"

The gold ornament hovered in mid-air for a moment, then suddenly transformed into a thick beam of light that shot upwards, piercing through the roof and breaking through the gloomy sky.

Ailin was forced to close his eyes due to the blinding light.

A gentle breeze carries the scent of sun-dried rice.

She's lying to you.

The pregnant woman's tranquil voice gradually became ethereal, as if it were mixed with the bright morning air of the fields.

He opened his eyes.

The pregnant woman transformed back into a young girl, her golden body becoming transparent.

He hovered in mid-air, cradling his cheeks. Soft, golden hair shimmered and swayed before his eyes.

Every breath is filled with the fresh scents of rice paddies, wheat fields, and fruit trees.

What are you trying to lie to me about?

Ailin was about to ask.

The girl's full lips gently touched his forehead, slightly warm.

"Don't forget your mission, Child of Miracle," He said softly.

Ailin still had questions to ask.

"Whoosh~"

The girl closed her golden eyes.

In an instant, a howling wind suddenly blew through the closed icon room, forcing the Witcher to raise his hand to shield himself.

When he struggled to look again, all that remained where Meritellie had been was a dazzling golden light, falling like rain.

"The Child of Miracle..."

"Time is running out in this world."