A Night on the Holy Mountain / A Feast Bestowed by a God

Enya walked at the front, clearing the way as she spoke softly.

Her voice wasn't loud, but it contained a mysterious power that Suika could hear clearly even in the wind and snow.

"Watch out, there's a turn here..." After walking for a while, Enya stopped and pointed in another direction to warn Suika who was following behind her.

Chapter 308 An Unexpected Night on the Holy Mountain

As they talked, the three of them had already covered a quarter of the distance, stopping and starting along the way.

Upon arriving at the side of a cave, Enya said, "Let's rest here for a couple of minutes!"

After the three entered the cave, Suika realized that this cave was unusual.

Suika rarely uses the phrase "perfectly shaped" to describe a hole, but if she had to describe this thing in front of her, then "perfectly shaped" would be the right word.

Two meters into the cave, a zigzag bend completely blocks out the wind and snow.

Suika discovered that even without any extra barriers blocking the outside, the temperature inside the cave was still significantly higher than outside.

The interior was very clean and tidy, and there were also some stone benches and other similar items.

But none of that matters; a safe haven in this kind of weather can be a lifesaver for travelers.

"This place is usually a resting place for pilgrims, so we can stop here for two minutes as well."

Based on my experience, the wind and snow outside will subside for a while in two minutes, and we can take that opportunity to make it all the way to our lodging halfway up the mountain."

Enya stood beside Suika, and the two looked calmly at the wind and snow outside the cave.

"You're the owner here, of course we'll listen to you."

Suika did not refuse Enya's arrangement.

To be precise, that's just her personality. If you speak reasonably and logically, she won't mind even if it delays your trip.

"By the way, I heard Miss Suika is a messenger. How far is it from that Great Yan to Kjerag?"

Enya looked at Suika, her eyes filled with curiosity about the outside world.

"How far... well, how do I put it?"

The carriage we're in today will travel eastward from Kjerag, following the main road without rest. It will probably take about half a year to reach Lungmen of the Great Yan, which is where I started.

And my journey over the past year and a half hasn't been a straight line either...

Suika recounted some interesting events that happened to her between leaving Lungmen and arriving in Great Yan, which made Enya's face full of smiles.

Life outside is so colorful!

"Actually, that's not entirely true. What I just mentioned were interesting stories, but along this journey, I saw more ordinary people struggling to survive on this land."

Suika sighed as she spoke.

"Enya, you've always called me a messenger, but do you know what kind of messenger I am?"

"Isn't a messenger just a messenger? Like Weiss, as far as I know, he's a messenger for the Silverash family." Enya seemed a little puzzled by Suika's question.

Suika shook her head. "I am Catastrophe Messenger, a death harbinger in the eyes of ordinary people, and an ominous symbol in the eyes of most."

Kjerag is protected by Kjeragandr, and the Catastrophe is kept at bay by the blizzards.

But beyond Kjerag, how to observe, record, and avoid Catastrophe is a very sophisticated science.

The Catastrophe Messenger do these things: we observe Catastrophe, forecast Catastrophe, and remind people in towns and villages along their path to take precautions.

Because he frequently travels to different regions, he occasionally works part-time as a messenger.

Suika finished speaking, Enya looked at her in surprise.

"I've heard of Catastrophe Messenger, but I always thought they were strange, mysterious, and elusive people!"

Enya's words brought a knowing smile to everyone's faces.

Indeed, in the eyes of many ordinary people, this is pretty much the image of Catastrophe Messenger.

In the eyes of those at the top... the Catastrophe Messenger is probably the person they least want to meet.

After all, if you encounter other people, the worst you'll lose is a tiny bit of property.

But encountering Catastrophe Messenger... might require abandoning one's home and leaving one's hometown.

Suika already knew how people perceived the Catastrophe Messenger.

Most Catastrophe Messenger, when interacting with people, will not reveal their identities unless required by their job, but will instead use other professions such as messenger to cover them up.

This is so that, under normal circumstances, people won't be afraid of being "fooled by the masses."

"Suika, you call yourself a demon, but this horn of yours really looks just like Etafian's!"

As they walked up the mountain again, Enya watched Suika deliberately jump up and tap on tree branches with her horn before being buried in snow and then crawling out in a disheveled Suika, and she chuckled.

"Among ghosts, those with horns as large as mine are indeed rare, and most ghosts have horns on their foreheads."

I guess I've gone astray... maybe!

Suika felt a sharp pain on her forehead and guessed that Shanghai was unhappy with her getting covered in snow from her playful antics.

Suika shook the snow off Shanghai, brushed it away, and then pressed it onto her head.

The two then walked and talked.

The main thing was that Enya was asking Suika about things happening outside.

Suika is always ready to answer any questions.

Enya listened with delight to the diverse customs and traditions from various regions.

"That's wonderful, it's a pity I can't go to those places..."

Hearing Enya's exclamation, Suika patted her chest and then pulled out a camera.

"Ahem, let me introduce you. The person in front of you is both Catastrophe Messenger and a photographer of nature and culture."

If you're interested in the scenery outside, I'll have my partner make a copy of my photography collection and send it to you.

Although it's just a static image, you can still see a lot of scenery outside that's different from Kjerag.

"Really? Then thank you in advance." Enya's eyes lit up. As a saintess, she rarely had the opportunity to leave Kjerag.

She had long been prepared to dedicate her entire life to Kjeragandr.

But she wouldn't refuse the opportunity to connect with the outside world through other means.

"Of course, I'll have someone send the photo album to Silverash family when I get back, and they can then give it to you. How does that sound?"

Enya frowned slightly when she heard the name Silverash, but didn't show it; instead, she nodded.

Sure!

We've arrived! This is where I usually live!

Enya stopped in her tracks, Suika followed her gaze. Not far away, a temple stood.

As they entered the temple with Enya, a wave of warmth washed over them, dispelling the chill from their bodies.

"The mountain path ahead is even more difficult, and the sun is about to set."

So let's rest for the night, have some hot tea and a snack, and continue our journey tomorrow morning, aiming to reach the summit by noon and return before sunset."

Enya pointed to the road leading up the mountain and said.

Following her finger, all I could see was a vast expanse of white snow. There was no road, and I couldn't even tell the difference between the left and right sides.

Seeing Suika's puzzled look, Enya smiled.

"I've walked this mountain path countless times, I know it by heart. Don't worry, I will bring you safely up the mountain and back safely."

Come on, have a bowl of ginger tea to warm you up...

Enya saw Yara bring out a cup of hot tea and handed it to Suika.

Chapter 309 The Feast Descended by the Gods

"Life must be tough for you guys living up in the mountains!"

Even with Kjeragandr's help, the deserted state of the temple on the mountain made Suika feel a pang of heartache.

How lonely it must be for two people to live like this.

"There were still quite a few people inside the temple after the snow melted, but I sent them all down the mountain because of the snow."

After all, more people mean more food needs, and the mountain's reserves are limited in winter, making it difficult to send food up from the foot of the mountain.

"Two people are barely enough, but with more mouths to feed, they'll go hungry in the later days."

Noticing Suika's expression, Enya pointed to an open space not far away and said calmly.

So, in winter, it's just the two of you up here?

"That's usually how it is, but nobody comes here in winter, so there's not much need for tidying up."

After the snow melts, before people come to worship at the mountain, our people will come up first to clean the mountain path, so no one will notice that the temple is a bit messy."

Enya playfully stuck out her tongue.

"Will my presence reduce your food portions?" Suika astutely grasped the key point in Enya's words.

"Eating for one or two days won't have any impact on one person, since we store food for six months. But even if winter is long, it won't last more than five months."

Yara answered Suika's question.

After hearing this, Suika nodded, and seeing that Yara had stood up to go to the kitchen, she stopped her.

"Head Maid Yara, there's no need for you to prepare the meals. I'll take care of the food for the next two days..."

Upon hearing Suika's words, the two looked at her, assuming she was about to demonstrate her culinary skills.

Suika stretched out her hand and snapped her fingers lightly.

Then, to their astonishment, Enya and Yara saw dishes of delicious food appear out of thin air in front of them.

"This is?"

Even Yara's eyes were filled with admiration at this moment.

She could sense that Suika's magic was transporting food directly from a great distance.

She also knows this spell, but only within Kjerag.

The fact that the other party brought these foods directly into Kjerag from the outside could be a big deal or a small deal for them.

However, considering that Suika's smug, silly grin showed that she hadn't thought about it at all, Yara didn't stop her. Instead, she smiled as she watched the food spread all over the house.

"It smells so good... Is this really edible?" Enya thought the food was created by magic. Although it smelled delicious and made her stomach rumble, she just stared at the food curiously without any intention of eating it.

"Of course, it's edible! Don't believe me? Look!" As she spoke, Suika removed a thigh from a roasted Fowlbeast on the table and happily put it into her mouth.

"Enya, Enya, it's so delicious!" Just as Enya was still in shock, Yara's voice came from the side. She turned her head and saw that Yara was holding a fork and picking up a piece of cut shrimp meat and feeding it to herself.

Seeing that the two of them had started eating, Enya didn't care where the food came from. After all, just as she had said before, no one would come to the temple in this weather, and naturally no one would find out that they were having a big meal there.

Half an hour later, the three of them lay on the white fur sofa in the same position, clutching their stomachs and burping.

"Ugh, there's too much, we can't possibly finish it... What a waste..."

Looking at the food that was 20% eaten, Enya had a regretful expression on her face.

"It's alright, just consider it as something I created with magic. It'll disappear when I dispel the spell..."

After saying that, Suika raised her hand and snapped her fingers again.

But to her astonishment, she discovered that the food that had disappeared was all that they hadn't touched, while all that had been eaten, even if only a little bit, remained.

She paused for a second or two before looking at Yara not far away. At that moment, Yara also happened to be looking at her and winked with a smile.

Although she wanted to ask her how she did it, she knew it wasn't the right time yet.

Curiosity is understandable, given that I've used this ability many times myself, but neither the Emperor, nor the Patriot, nor the operators on Rhodes Island could discern its source, let alone intercept something that should have dissipated.

"Hmm, that's much less... If we refrigerate this food, it should last us at least five or six days!"

Enya counted on her fingers and realized that even though some of the food had been eaten, quite a bit was still left over.

"How about I get you some more later?" Seeing Eun -Suika couldn't resist reaching out and touching Enya ear.

Enya didn't resist, but instead squinted and hummed softly, clearly enjoying herself immensely thanks to Suika's decades-old experience as a RUA cat.

"No need, after all, we are a temple. Having the opportunity to sample the delicacies of the outside world is enough. As the Holy Maiden, I should set a good example..."