Offering a blessing

The sacred fire of the fire sacrifice burned brightly, and offerings were continuously poured into Agni's mouth. But even the best food can be overwhelming if overindulged, Agni was no exception at this moment.

Bai Mo kept recalling the records in the Mahabharata, that the fire Agni had lost his energy balance due to his twelve years of constant eating, and decided to burn the Khandava Forest to restore balance.

"Kama, I have a question. What would happen if this guy really threw up?"

"Everyone present except you, me, and Krishna has turned to ashes. What else could Vulcan possibly spew out of his mouth? Besides, his belly is full of ghee, an excellent fuel for combustion."

Although Kama spoke with a hint of mockery, he clicked his tongue at the sight of the god of fire, and then took out an arrow from somewhere. This arrow was different from the others; it had no flowers, but only four green leaves.

"Um, Master, how about you do me a small favor? You're very good at controlling life force, right? Could you help me inject some life force into this? It should be of some help to that poor wretch."

Bai Mo looked at Kama with some surprise, somewhat taken aback by her actions. Agni had devoured a large part of Khandava Forest for its life force, and Kama's actions were undoubtedly helping him.

This is something new.

"Okay, leave it to me. I'm also worried about not having anything to throw in as an offering."

Bai Mo didn't ask any further questions, which made Kama smile.

He took the arrow, then stood up abruptly. The King Drupada looked at this stranger with a hint of doubt in his eyes, as he did not recall ever inviting this person before him.

Bai Mo slowly stepped forward, activated the Asura Way, and a dark and mysterious power surged into his body like a vortex. Green grass visibly grew on the surrounding grass, and green leaves gradually sprouted from the arrow in Bai Mo's hand.

Looking from the sky, this lush green stretches all the way to the sea, with patches of green even appearing on the beach.

The surrounding Brahmins sensed this immense life force and let out a soft groan. Agni's gaze went straight up; he stared intently at the arrow in Bai Mo's hand, as if he were about to pounce at it any second.

The first wave of Brahmins' offerings was almost complete, and Bai Mo's actions undoubtedly attracted everyone's attention. The King Drupada looked at the arrow in Bai Mo's hand and showed a somewhat conflicted expression.

He turned to the high priest beside him and asked, "Was this immortal invited?"

"No, Your Majesty, we have no acquaintance with immortals of that caliber."

"Should we stop him from putting in the sacrifice?"

Fire sacrifices are like precision machining, allowing no room for error. If done wrong, not only will all the blessings bestowed by the Brahmins be wasted, but the king will also bear the wrath of the gods.

"Or perhaps we should stop it? Eliminating this unstable factor will still lead to success, so why take the risk?"

King Drupada nodded slightly upon hearing this. Since he was absolutely certain, why should he increase the risk of uncertainty? Just as he was about to stop him, the sacrificial fire behind him suddenly jumped up, as if slapping him.

"Ah!"

A distinct burn mark appeared on the King Drupada's arm, and with a thud, the bowl of ghee he was holding fell to the ground. Turning around, he saw Agni staring at him with a look that said, "I'm warning you, you'd better not move."

"He just doesn't know the situation, why bother?" Bai Mo laughed. It was clear that Agni was very dissatisfied with the King Drupada's act of adding ghee to his food, and since he wanted to stop Bai Mo, he naturally punished him.

Agni glanced at the King Drupada with annoyance, then, under the horrified gazes of the crowd, clasped his hands together and nodded slightly to Bai Mo.

The Brahmins' eyes nearly popped out of their sockets. To be treated like this by the gods, this person must be the most Brahmin among Brahmins!

Then, Bai Mo threw the arrow in his hand into the fire. Instantly, the sultry heat of the flames disappeared, and everyone even felt a coolness from the fire. Agni even showed an expression of relief, as if a long-awaited rain had come after a drought.

"Hail!" "Hail!"

The Brahmins cheered for the gods' joy, and the King Drupada, disregarding the burn marks on his arm, quickly stepped forward and greeted Bai Mo with a smile.

"I thought the Lakshmi had stopped watching over me, causing me to lose half of my kingdom. But your arrival has made me realize that my life has not yet hit rock bottom."

Thank you for coming, great Brahmin.

Bai Mo had come to terms with how these people addressed him as a Brahmin. He explained to himself that Brahmin was just a title, and people were called that because they had some connection with God, so it was reasonable for him to be called that; it was a sign of respect for the culture.

However, Bai Mo didn't have a good impression of the King Drupada, and he only acted this way because of Kama and Agni.

"Lakshmi has never neglected you, Your Majesty; you are a blessed man."

Hearing this, King Drupada was overjoyed, but Bai Mo changed the subject and said, "However, no matter how much luck favors us, everything a person experiences in the end is a result of cause and effect."

Otherwise, no amount of good fortune can turn bad karma into good results.

After leaving those words, Bai Mo returned to his seat. The King Drupada clasped his hands together and bowed deeply to him, then turned to look at the high priest, his eyes revealing displeasure.

The burns on his arm made it impossible for him to use his arm properly.

"You can go back now. This fire ceremony doesn't need your leadership."

Then, ignoring the high priest's aggrieved gaze, King Drupada ordered his men to take him back. Bai Mo watched this scene from the side, his brows furrowing slightly, feeling as if his words had been like dry grass thrown into a fire.

He silently returned to Kama's side, drank the tea in his hand in one gulp, and Kama refilled his cup.

"Aren't you afraid I'll cause trouble? You didn't even ask me a question."

"Although you don't have the best personality, you're not a fool who acts without considering the consequences. Besides, you helped Agni out of a sense of shared suffering, right? Seeing this guy, I can somewhat imagine your previous working environment."

Upon hearing Bai Mo's words, Kama revealed a hint of melancholy in his eyes.

"Yeah, that's what God is like. He does all sorts of incomprehensible stupid things all the time. Two of the three at the very top are big troublemakers."

Below, there were a bunch of abnormal people and Rakshasa, and Asura eyeing them menacingly. This was my previous work environment. What were these people thinking? Why didn't they try drinking twelve-year-old ghee themselves?

Kama complained without reservation, and as a fellow India deity, she felt some sympathy for Agni's plight. There were just some people whose thought processes she simply couldn't understand.

Agni was relatively better off, as he was mainly responsible for fire sacrifices. Kama, as the god of love, was often sacrificed when someone wanted to woo another. Kama was also well aware that once one was tainted by love, one essentially had to say goodbye to intelligence.

"But the Agni who received the sacrifices was also revered, and people would praise your name at weddings, wouldn't they?"

Bai Mo asked, but Kama shook her head in annoyance. She casually picked a wildflower, touched the petals with her fingers, and the flower quickly withered and died.

"Master, there is no flower on Daichi that does not wither, but there will never be a shortage of blooming flowers. Just like lovers, one day the passion will fade, but the world will never lack young and beautiful people."

"And after this happened, how do you think those who offered themselves to me in exchange for love would view me?"

Kama casually tossed away the withered flower, letting out a sneer, "Besides, how steadfast can the love in the heart of someone who sacrifices himself to the god of love be? How much respect can he have for his beloved?"

True, heartfelt love needs no divine intervention.

Hearing this, Bai Mo nodded slightly, recalling his encounters with a certain Cupid. Indeed, the results were mostly tragic.

"Then at least treat the time you're working with me as a vacation."

"Hmm, at least you're a pretty good boss. I like bosses who don't ask about work the most. Master, could I use your leg as a pillow?"

"No."