Act 2: Goddess of Divinity

[Part 1: Noble Lineage]

Flavia followed Mr. Sirius to the Banquet Hall, where Meteor and Duran, two exceptional psionicists, decided to join her.

After passing through numerous doors and rooms, the three finally stopped on the second floor of the church, near the South Garden.

Duran was on edge. She could clearly feel an eerie and intense Inspiration Pressure emanating from all parts of the cathedral, whether it was the strange artifacts in the display cases, the plant or fur specimens in the flower room, the animal heads on the walls, or the full-body armor statues on both sides of the corridors—all of these things seemed to have been blessed by a spiritual ritual.

Without a doubt, the owner of this church possessed powerful psychic abilities, or Lady Goelia had raised a group of very powerful old mages.

Meteor showed no unusual expression, perhaps because he had seen too many such scenes. When he was studying at the Galahad Magic Academy, the spiritual pressure he felt in that castle full of psionic catalysts was much stronger.

On the other side, Mr. Sirius stood by the entrance to the Banquet Hall, bowing slightly to the three distinguished guests as a brief farewell.

"Gloria is waiting in the hall."

As he said this, the polite butler stood by the door, gently pushed it open, letting in a sliver of light from the Banquet Hall, and then remained motionless.

Flavia's green stone pendant was glowing, and she could feel the ever-changing spiritual pressure in the church. However, she did not intend to back down—after all, this journey was her only option, and relying on the two silver coins in her pocket to lead everyone out of the church and back to Sendai from East Malaysia would probably not be so easy.

At this time, Her Majesty the Queen of the Fairy Tale Kingdom still held beautiful expectations and fantasies about the hosts of the Church of Dionysus. After all, it was their first time coming to this unfamiliar continent. They did not understand the human suffering in Shambhala, nor had they seen the demons and monsters of Great Xia. As for Gloria, the duchess from the Western Continent, they could only get some information from the innkeeper outside the Que Mountain Street. She seemed to be a kind and benevolent Orthodox Christian who believed in a benevolent god.

And so, Flavia took the lead and pushed the door open to go in, with Duran and Meteor following closely behind.

In the magnificent Banquet Hall, the host stood beside the head seat at the long, north-facing table, not sitting down to wait.

--He was an elegant person who appeared serene, aloof, and whose gender was difficult to discern.

Gloria Sebastian was very tall, almost 190 centimeters. When Meteor first saw this woman, he was stunned for a moment. He rarely saw a woman of this stature; she was the type that he couldn't help but glance at if he bumped into her on the street.

The duchess's features had an eerie youthful quality, giving her the "boyish" look of a thirteen or fourteen-year-old, like an angel in a religious painting. Her long, curly blonde hair cascaded naturally over her shoulders. If Sirius hadn't emphasized the duchess's gender, coupled with her dark red striped bard's robes and pumpkin trousers tucked tightly around her calves, the duchess's appearance would have been far too androgynous.

"Welcome, esteemed guests!" Gloria called out loudly, waving her arms to create a gust of wind. Several lights in the brightly lit Banquet Hall immediately went out, no longer as glaring as before. "Did Parker and the two ladies discuss my affairs?"

Flavia felt an inexplicable sense of familiarity upon seeing this tall woman.

"Lady Goelia! Thank you so much for your hospitality. It is thanks to kind nobles like you that my crew and I were able to find this safe haven."

Gloria's smile widened, her eyes turning into thin slits when she laughed, making it impossible to guess the duchess's true age—until the three distinguished guests were formally seated, and her noble lineage was explained in a few words.

The food trucks come in from outside, and appetizers and main courses are served together.

Before even lifting the lid, Meteor could smell the aroma from the plate.

"--Oh no! Don't open it yet! Don't open it yet!"

Lady Goelia crossed her arms and looked at the man with a smug and triumphant air. It seemed that the two of them shared the same personality and a strange sense of fun.

"Sir Knight, what do you want to do?"

Meteor stuck to a metal lid and sniffed it carefully.

"Let me guess what this is."

Gloria: "There's no reward even if you guess right."

"It's okay! I just wanted to play a little game. I made something for my wife at home. She has a very keen sense of smell, and she likes to play like this too!" Meteor's nostrils flared, trying to sniff out some strange poisonous properties from the plates. He had studied in Galahad for so many years and had acquired some basic skills of the Red Stone People —including the part that Teacher Victor lacked the most, namely, poison identification.

"This is... this is a black truffle confit duck leg."

"This, this, this one with the stronger smell is pan-fried sole."

"And this... It smells so fishy, is it a snail?"

Gloria replied, "That's right, it's snails stewed in wine."

As the lids were opened one by one, Meteor's shouts were always accurate, which amazed Flavia. She never expected that the General of Tears would have such abilities, completely unlike the reckless and rude man she remembered.

Looking at the table full of delicious dishes, Duran wanted to say something, but Meteor had already answered her with her eyes—there was nothing wrong with the food, she could eat it without worry.

Flavia and Duran each took out a small vial of a condiment, a special supplement for crossbreeding, which blood donors could also use to ensure adequate levels of human nutrients in their bodies; it was a very important trace element.

After they had eaten and drunk their fill, and while Meteor Rice was still feeling irritated and mentally vulnerable, Lady Goelia brought up another matter.

"I also have a gift for these three distinguished guests."

Flavia waved her hands hastily, her tummy bulging from eating. "No, no, no! Lady Gloria, this meal is enough!"

"Hahaha! I come from Amitlan. When you travel and make new friends, you always want to give them a thoughtful gift." Gloria patiently explained, "It's nothing precious, just like dessert."

She beckoned, and Sirius, the steward who had been waiting outside for a long time, came in with an iron tray, placed three glasses of golden wine on the table, and then quickly retreated.

"This is a beer brewed from barley in my hometown. It's not intoxicating and tastes great."

In that instant, Bu Liuxing awoke from his drowsy state.

He could feel powerful surges of psionic energy emanating from the wine glass.

Duran's face turned extremely pale, not because of the sudden change in psionic energy and spiritual pressure, but because her rich and exciting life as a blood donor had given her some experience that allowed her to identify the elemental essence belonging to humans. If the human content in the supplement was merely enough to fill her stomach, then the human elemental essence contained in this seemingly clear beer far exceeded her imagination.

Flavia's mind was blank; she was dizzy from being too full after dinner. But when she smelled the rich aroma of the wine, wicked thoughts immediately took over.

[Drink it! Silly girl!]

[Drink it! How long has it been since you tasted its flavor?!]

[Perhaps just a little bit will allow you to recall our sweet memories!~]

She instinctively grabbed the wine glass and brought the bizarre "human flesh liquid" to her lips.

Bu Liuxing suddenly launched an attack, leaping forward in a desperate leap!

In that instant, a die slipped from Lady Goelia's palm.

Her movements were elegant and her gestures gentle. She casually tugged at the corner of the tablecloth, and when the Twenty-sided Die landed and revealed "18", her eyes were full of doting affection as she looked at Flavia, a refreshing feeling like a spring breeze.

It was this casual tug at the tablecloth that caused five or six tablecloths piled high on the long table to fall in front of Meteor. The agile General of Tears was almost completely unprepared for this sudden event. He couldn't muster his full strength to punch Flavia. In just a moment of hesitation, Meteor stepped on the slippery semi-circular iron cover with his front foot, followed by his back foot, and fell flat on his face.

His spirit was startled by this sudden and strange phenomenon. [Mr. Wei Meng] leaned against the wall to brace against the meteor's torso, and with great difficulty, he managed to straighten the more than 90 kilograms of flesh.

Fortunately, Flavia didn't drink the drink.

--She was startled awake by the sudden fall of the meteor, and a wicked thought seemed to pop up in her mind, muttering a few words before immediately hiding deeper inside.

Gloria showed no sign of frustration or resentment.

On the contrary, this nobleman possessed extraordinary bearing, his eyes filled with curiosity and fervor, as if he had discovered a worthy challenger.

"Gloria," Duran's tone turned grim, her face becoming venomous, "This drink isn't what you said; there's something wrong with it."

Meteor staggered to the table, his waist still aching from the sudden twist of the movement, and joined Duran in questioning him.

"I can sense the special nature of this [gift], Ms. Sebastian —are you a cannibal?"

Flavia then realized that the rich, mellow scent was not the fragrance of barley, but rather the [human scent] that made the Blood-giving Monster so eager to devour it, which terrified her.

"Gloria"

She still used honorifics, unlike her resolute use of the term "General of Tears."

Why are you serving us this?

Gloria held nothing back; she was a free-spirited and unrestrained person, so she got straight to the point.

"Drink this glass of wine, and the three guests will come to the gambling table and play a game with me."

Meteor shouted, "What are you playing? Are you trying to turn me into Blood-giving Monster?"

If he hadn't been without a gun, he would have already resorted to violence.

Gloria shook her head, maintaining her elegant demeanor, her smile unchanged.

"You call us ogres and Blood-giving Monster? Sir Knight, have you considered the feelings of these two young ladies?"

At that moment, both Duran and Flavia's expressions changed.

They followed behind the nameless men, doing post-war work on the expedition route. The idea of bringing happiness with candy was born from this arduous work, day after day, year after year.

Even knowing their true bloodline origins, no one has ever looked down on them.

This was just a casual remark from Gloria, and the Black and White Snake didn't take it to heart, but it always caused a little bit of mental damage, just a tiny bit.

The meteor needs to expend energy to explain these things; he always has to go back and say something.

I wasn't talking about you. I didn't mean that.

Duran: "Keep a close eye on your enemy, General of Tears."

Gloria clapped softly, as if she had just enjoyed a good show.

Her expression remained arrogant, with an air of looking down on all living beings.

"To be honest, this pathetic barrier has always existed; it's like the nameless General of Tears despair."

"A businessman told me about this; he wanted to brainwash me—"

"--By believing in the Madness Butterfly and spreading its doctrines and virus, we can reach a joyful world where all things are one. There will be no more racism, no more isolationism, no more people and animals, no more borders and religious beliefs."

"I don't believe in this stuff. I say it's bullshit."

[Part ②: Blood and Wine]

Lady Goelia paced back and forth around the long table, casting a slender shadow before the fireplace.

"If you had a gun, things might be much simpler, right? We don't have much to talk about then. But that would be so boring, so tedious!"

"I don't want your lives, I just want to talk to you about this sensitive topic, and let's seal our friendship with a drink, it's that simple."

"Hey!" Meteor found it absurd. "Where does this woman get the courage? Does she even know who she's talking to?"

Duran: "I'm completely clueless too."

"Come on! Try it all, General of Tears!" Gloria waved defiantly at Meteor. "To explain the whole story, I am the Immortals you've been looking for—but unlike the other unfortunate souls in the Alliance, I am powerful."

"The Unified Holy Church is nothing more than a tool to me. Only after you have witnessed my power will you understand how precious this gift is."

"Judas is just a child, he wants to use the great power of the Dagda's Cauldron to hide behind the gods, but I am different."

When Gloria Sebastian spoke these bold words, she showed no sign of stage fright or shyness, and even though she was a member of the council, she never took Judas seriously.

"I am the true god, like the eternal goddess of abundance, I am the master of the dice of destiny."

"If you're not willing to drink this glass of wine, and you're not willing to sit at the gambling table, you'll never win."

"How about it."

Before Gloria could finish speaking, Meteor grabbed a fork and threw it fiercely!

A flash of silver light, and the die fell from Gloria's left hand to her right.

--The powerful projectile struck the buttons of her choir gown, but aside from the buttons splitting, she was almost unharmed.

Meteor was stunned for a moment. He couldn't quite understand this power, so he used whatever he could find on the table and threw it away.

In an instant, Mr. Wei Meng and Meteor's four arms began to dance wildly, sending duck bones, snail shells, plates, knives, and large spoons flying towards Lady Goelia.

But the Immortals remained calm, slightly shifting his body to dodge the attacks, while the sound of dice continued to roll.

She continued to smile, even when she was occasionally bruised, seemingly due to her divine powers failing and her repeated attempts to dodge flying projectiles failing. These harmless projectiles actually hit her face and body, but she didn't care at all.

On the other hand, Meteor was becoming increasingly uncertain--

--Because the hit rate was too low! It was completely different from his expected result!

He was a soldier who had undergone rigorous training and survived in complex battlefields. Even a small category of combat skills, such as throwing weapons, was a refined skill honed through countless repetitions.

At a straight-line distance of only twenty-six feet, with good visibility and no crosswind interference --

--He just threw more than thirty things, all originally aimed at Gloria's head, but only the sweet soup bowl and a raw egg hit the target. All the other throws missed due to some inexplicable [external factors]!

Whether it was because Gloria's ornament deflected the attack, or because Mr. Wei Meng's knife struck the frisbee in front of him, for a moment, Meteor even considered dispelling his spirit, thinking that his spirit was being disobedient and causing trouble.

He strode forward, refusing to take any chances, determined to confront Gloria's Holy Blood Body head-on!

"Sir Knight, I admire your courage!" Lady Goelia casually peeled the eggshell off her forehead; these weak and powerless flying devices couldn't even scratch her.

She tore off her wet choir coat, which had been slightly disheveled from the bowl of sweet soup. Now she was left in only a loose shirt, and like the fiery-hearted Red Stone People before her, she opened her arms and strode forward toward Bu Liuxing.

This is a direct confrontation between forces, consisting of only two rounds.

--Meteor darted forward, attempting to grab the Blood-giving Monster by the lower limbs.

Gloria leaned forward, adopting a low position similar to that of a bison wrestling.

In that instant, A Xing felt as if he had crashed into a dump truck!

An incredible amount of strength emanated from Lady Goelia's massive 190-centimeter frame.

"I am Dionysus! I am the embodiment of Amon! I am with the sun! I am the master of fate!"

The second round of the ground fighting had just begun when [Mr. Wei Meng]'s crimson spirit suddenly activated and exerted its power. As a result, Meteor's shoulder and neck became ice cold. Gloria had completely pinned him down, pressing down on the back of General of Tears's neck and back in a high position, pressing him firmly onto the carpet, like a warrior subduing a tiger.

No matter how much the meteor struggled, the unicorn warrior's spirit avatar had just emerged when Lady Goelia delivered a vicious knee strike that sent it back into his body.

"Let's make a bet, my lord!"

Duran looked utterly incredulous.

--The General of Tears actually lost in close-quarters combat!

Such a complete defeat? In the blink of an eye! Even Soul Might couldn't harm Gloria?!

The elegant hostess slowly released the meteor; she did not kill it.

On the one hand, Meteor's skeleton was too large for her to complete the entire strangulation lock. On the other hand, she didn't want to bite Meteor's neck, for a simple reason.

"Since this drink doesn't suit the Knight's taste, shall we have another one?"

Gloria was determined to tame the Ming De; she believed she had the ability.

--She General of Tears would kneel before the statue of the goddess Amon with heartfelt admiration; her physical essence, mental state, and spiritual power gave her the right to do so.

Bu Liuxing was completely astonished; he never expected to lose in his area of expertise.

However, it seemed that Bok was a little too slow in his initial wrestling move. His reach and height were not an advantage over Gloria, and by the time he realized something was wrong, it was too late.

After escaping, Meteor rolled and got up, his shoulders, neck, and ribs aching slightly. He roared angrily, his face full of rage.

"What exactly do you want to do? What are you trying to say?"

Gloria returned to the altar, immersed her face in the hot water of the copper basin, and washed her face thoroughly, cleaning the dust and sweet soup from her front and chin.

"We have no mortal enmity to begin with. Besides, if I kill you, the two young ladies will probably be heartbroken and weep. They will never speak of friendship with me again, and in the end, all that will be left for us is hatred."

Gloria tilted her head and blew Flavia a kiss.

Flavia blushed and her heart raced.

"She's so charming."

Duran was completely baffled.

"Were you serious when you wiped your drool just now?!"

Gloria continued, "The gift on the table is the work of the royal brewer of Amitlan, who brewed elixirs for Judas and nurtured the celestial embryo in the Dagda's Cauldron. These three cups of barley wine are indeed filled with human flesh—I also prepared this gift for the two ladies out of consideration for their tastes."

"Then, General of Tears, I sincerely invite you to drink another cup of wine and have a fair and square knightly duel."

As she said this, she took a cup and used her sharp fingernails to cut her wrist.

"Use my blood as the catalyst, you are the Red Stone People that the Madness Butterfly loves most."

The dark red holy blood was poured out, and the duchess gently wiped her wrist; the wound healed itself without medicine.

"Drink this blood, and you will become my Blood-giving Retinue, a servant of Dionysus, and receive a die that will change your destiny—only by stealing divine power can you defeat the gods."

"Judging from your primordial abundance, I estimate that you should be able to resist the erosion of the holy blood. Using the Universal Elixir within one hour and forty minutes will turn you back into Homo sapiens —but it will only be a small sip, just a tiny bit, about twenty-five milliliters."

After speaking her mind, Gloria took off her scarf, which was stained with sweat and pheromones, and threw it over as a challenge to a duel.

"Shall we make a bet? If you win, you can take my head."

"If I win, you will become the ogre you speak of, the Blood-giving Monster, my servant."

Duran tried to stop her, clinging to a sliver of hope that the General of Tears wouldn't fall for her trick.

--It's over! Meteor couldn't resist that temptation at all! Ms. Duran was too naive!

"How do we gamble? When does it start?"

Bu Liuxing took the scarf, unable to detect any trace of a lie; a wildfire was burning within him.

"I truly appreciate your kindness! This enthusiasm reminds me of Teacher Victor."

"Gloria Sebastian! Without a doubt! You are a warrior worthy of respect."