Chapter 228

Just as Daksha was lost in thought, two voices came from the doorway.

He then turned around and found that it was none other than the Love God Kama and Rati, whom he had specially invited. His face immediately broke into a harmonious smile.

"Rati, Kama, you've arrived."

"Father, it's been a long time."

"Greetings, father-in-law."

"Hahaha, Kama, it's been a long time! I'm so sorry I couldn't attend your and Rati's wedding because of some unforeseen circumstances. I have to apologize for that."

Daksha smiled at the two of them. "You Rati shouldn't have had any conflicts, right? If you have, be sure to tell me, and I'll teach her a lesson."

"Uh, no..."

Kama, somewhat taken aback by Daksha's enthusiasm, quickly shook his head.

"That's good. As husband and wife, we should get along well... By the way, would you like to change Kama clothes? I understand that you've been busy with work for too long and haven't dressed up much, but as your lover, Rati should dress her up nicely. After all, I'm her father. Come in quickly, I'll arrange for someone to help you change."

Daksha said this simply because Kama and Rati were dressed too plainly, which embarrassed him.

In Daksha's view, one must always consider face or prestige. After all, most of the gods and Rishi he invited were prominent figures, and the Deity and Rishi who attended the ceremony were dressed in rather gorgeous and captivating attire.

Seeing the clothing adorned with symbols of Deity, one realizes that these are the most favored decorations among the Great God and Rishi.

There is a magnificent red color; that is Fire God Agni.

There is a refreshing blue, that is the sea god Varuna.

The vibrant green is the Wind God Vayu.

There are also delicate pure white and solemn black, these are the Death God Yama and his sister Yami.

There were also people dressed in various styles, adorned with gold and silver embroidery, ribbons or beads, exquisite flowers, or fresh flowers that were picked precisely at this time of day.

It can be said to be dazzling.

"Oh, it looks really good on you. Father really put a lot of thought into choosing it."

After entering and being led to a room by the attendant, Rati, who had changed his clothes, said with a beaming smile.

Daksha's wife prepared many different styles of clothing; in other words, these were all custom-designed and tailor-made for the guests.

However...

Kama, with his arms folded and his expression calm, said:

"To be honest, isn't your father being a little too enthusiastic?"

Kama was puzzled, wondering why Daksha would send him two invitations. The first one was quite ordinary, while the second one was covered in gold and silver treasures, clearly indicating its great value.

This was because Vritra had said, "My lord says that Kama, the Love God, will also come," which prompted Daksha to work overtime and write his own version in order to reconnect with Kama, whom he hadn't seen for so many years. After all, in his view, his son-in-law, the god of Love God, might already be involved with the god Kavia, so it was good to make some preparations in advance.

However, Kama was unaware of this, and therefore wondered why he had suddenly become so enthusiastic.

"It really is like a completely different person, but oh well..."

Rati, however, didn't seem to care much about that.

"But Kama, aren't you going to change?"

"No, I'm used to wearing them, I don't really want to."

"Indeed Kama, you basically never change your clothes..."

"Hmm, that's because I have many identical sets."

Kama wore a very proud smile.

"You're truly amazing, Kama."

Rati clapped his hands. "But I have to go see little Sati now, so I'll be going now. Kama, you can wander around for a bit."

"Hmph, do you think I'm some little kid? I'm Love God."

For some reason, after so many years, Kama still looks like a child, while even Rati has grown up quite a bit.

"Yes, yes, Kama, you work so hard, you're really amazing."

Rati smiled again, then immediately left the room, leaving Kama alone.

"Damn it, Rati, you're using that childish talk to me..."

Kama couldn't help but grit his teeth and say this. After Rati left, Kama looked at himself in the full-length mirror in the room. Although Kama sometimes looked at himself in the river, he rarely had the chance to see his whole body like that.

After pondering for a long time, Kama inexplicably opened Rati's dresses and took out the one he felt looked the best.

"... It's a bit too big..."

"Even though each one is much larger than my own body, "Love God murmured.

Even so, Kama picked it up, intending to turn around in front of the mirror and see how it looked. He turned slowly, so that the skirt wouldn't flutter, but would float lightly and slowly with his movements.

After a while, Kama put it back without any expression.

"What am I doing...?"

After uttering this remark, Kama left the room and went to the Hall where the Ritual was being prepared.

The Ceiling is a crystal Hall, luxurious and sparkling with crystals, supported by embossed silver latticework of various patterns. On this enormous decoration, which resembles a greenhouse or a giant birdcage, one can see the various symbols of the Aspected God and all sorts of things.

Even through this Age of Gods crystal, one can still see the brightness of the sunlight.

Beneath this, in a grand ballroom overflowing with gods, flowers, and food, small circles of people chatted and danced.

However, despite being gods and Rishi, Kama saw no difference from humans. When Kama was fulfilling his duties as the Love God, Kama saw many similar scenes. In the palaces that seemed to boast of wealth and glory, there was only profit and vanity, scheming and Desire surging undercurrents, and empty praise that was obviously just for show. In short, it was very boring.

Even with such a lavish Ritual, Kama only participated out of necessity due to his status, and never genuinely wanted to participate.

Kama had already figured out what would happen next: he would simply find some unfamiliar gods and Rishi to sit with, listen to their conversation, and then force himself to return their smiles...

That's Vritra?

Kama blinked, seemingly unable to believe his eyes, but then he thought that Vritra was already a follower of the god Kavia, so it was normal for him to be invited.

Perhaps out of curiosity, or perhaps because he felt that Vritra was a little easier to talk to, Kama chose to sit next to her.

"Yo, Vritra, long time no see."

After being suddenly spoken to like this, Vritra snapped out of his eating and turned his gaze to Kama, who was sitting opposite him.

"It's you, little brat."

Vritra may have wanted to laugh, but the effect he projected was more like ferocity.

"..."

Upon hearing this, Kama's eyes widened, then he took a deep breath and slowly said, "I didn't expect you Vritra, to be invited as well."

"Hmm, I'm the strongest follower under my master, it would be abnormal not to be invited."

It's clearly because you're the only follower of the god Kavia...

Kama thought to himself, but a smile still appeared on his face.

"That's certainly true... By the way Vritra, have you stopped drinking?"

"Hmm... I don't drink alcohol. I get sleepy easily when I drink it, and my master doesn't seem to like it either."

"Yeah, that's good. I don't drink either, so I rarely go to festivals or anything like that."

Kama's friendliness did not elicit a favorable response from Vritra; instead, she abruptly raised the corners of her golden eyes.

"... That's strange. You're nothing special, so why do I pay so much attention to you besides calling you? Is it because I want to take care of a child?"

"What do you mean by that, Vritra?"

Kama gripped his blouse tightly with his hands, which were resting on his knees; it was a light purple garment he had worn for many years.

"My Lord says that Daksha will invite you."

Vritra said this matter-of-factly, which annoyed Kama.

Why did the god Kavia focus on himself?

Was it a coincidence that Vritra was sending him home while he was unconscious?

The Jalandhara also coincidentally saved me and invited me to participate in the Jalandhara's praise ceremony.

The two are clearly unrelated beings, not siblings or anything, at most they both have "Gavia" in their names... Speaking of which, how did Vritra become a follower of the god Kavia?

Kama knew that each of the Aspected God had their own retinues, but Vritra became a retinue after the Ocean of Milk. Was it only to save his own life? If so, why would the god Kavia agree to it? Such a treacherous fellow...

After taking a bite of food, Kama watched as Vritra across from him resumed his gluttonous eating and drinking.

No, it's not necessarily that he has impure intentions; he's just single-minded, that former Asuras King.

Then Kama thought of something else: When did Vritra stop wearing her veil?

Before the Ocean of Milk, Vritra always wore a purplish-black veil that covered his face, revealing only his golden eyes. This was an extreme case, but even when he was severely injured by Indra, he never took it off, as if taking it off would signify something.

Kama was curious.

"... What happened to my face?"

Kama blinked at Vritra's abrupt question.

"... Something's suddenly strange. You used to always wear a veil, Vritra, why are you like this now—"

Haha, you mean this?

Upon hearing this, Vritra immediately took something out of his pocket and placed it on the table.

Kama glanced at it and saw that the veil that Vritra used to wear every day was now simply folded up and placed there.

"Hmm, you're not wearing it anymore...?"

"Of course I won't wear it."

Vritra gently touched the veil, then gave Kama a radiant smile.

"I have already sworn allegiance to my Lord, so I hope that my Lord can see my face every day, hehe."

"Well..."

Kama's gaze shifted back and forth between the veil and Vritra's smile, and he gave a vague nod.

For some reason, Love God sensed something subtle...

"The mighty, Divine Power, and Wisdom Rishi, Daksha, welcomes all the esteemed Rishi to this palace."

Just as Kama and Vritra were talking, Daksha's Ritual began. He sat in the highest seat, listening with a smile to the opening remarks from his attendants below.

"Daksha's wealth and prosperity are all bestowed by Brahma. His riches and generosity are known throughout the Three Worlds. Today, on this auspicious day, Daksha's daughter, Sati, who possesses all virtues, will complete her wedding with Great God. All of you guests must observe the rules, behave properly, and do your utmost to help Daksha Satya Yuga complete this Ritual."

As he listened, Kama realized that the reason why the god Kavia had specifically instructed Vritra to call him was for the sake of Shiva and Sati.

But there was no need for that, was there? I was bound to come anyway... Kavia, you've gone to unnecessary trouble.

The attendant waved his hand high and shouted:

"Attention, everyone! Daksha's daughter, the epitome of virtue and good fortune, Sati has arrived!"

As the sound rang out, Sati, holding a wreath and dressed in a wedding gown that, while not exactly revealing her figure, subtly conformed to her body, drew everyone's attention to Sati, including Kama, except for Vritra, who was still munching on his food.

The girl slowly approached Daksha, followed by her sisters. Judging from the layout of the Hall, Sati and Daksha were standing opposite the statue of Shiva.

Suddenly, Daksha's expression changed, and he said angrily:

"Shiva! This is Sati's wedding, how could he not come!"

The Rishi and gods present exchanged glances, unsure of what to say.

In fact, although Daksha appeared angry, he was secretly delighted. He was certain that Shiva hadn't come when he closed the Great Gate, so he was prepared to reprimand the absent Shiva as soon as Sati appeared, thus naturally severing their relationship.

"Shiva, you, the Aspected God prophecy, did not attend my daughter Sati's wedding. This is not only disregard for the face of my father, Brahma, but also disregard for Sati, and an act despised by all the gods! Shiva, you—"

Daksha, feigning a look of gritted teeth, suddenly stood up and raised a hand towards the Shiva statue.

"Such humiliation towards me and Sati is unacceptable. From this day forward, I declare—"

"Wrong."

Sati did not turn to face Sati, but merely spoke, and slowly walked towards the Shiva statue, "My beloved, Lord Shiva is on the way; as long as I wait, he will appear."

And so, under the watchful eyes of the gods, Sati, with a calm expression and holding a red wreath, walked step by step toward the statue of Shiva.

Her figure looked so resolute.