Chapter 553.2: Danger (2)
Chapter 553.2: Danger (2)
“!”
In the Moonsoul Tower, Roel awoke on a spacious bed and immediately shot upright. He was startled by his foreign surroundings, but he slowly recalled what had happened over the past day.
It was already afternoon. Brilliant sunlight shone in through the windows, bringing warmth into the room. Scarlet flowers flaunted their beautiful bloom on the balcony to melodious chirping. The vibrant atmosphere lifted his spirits.
His meeting with Edavia was his most successful first encounter with an ancient god. While Edavia had quite an eccentric personality, she had expressed her willingness to cooperate with him in order to overcome this trial. Even so, he was still hesitant to trust her right away.
This was the first time Roel had come into contact with an evil god, and Grandar and the others weren’t around to offer him any advice. There were far too many precedents of overconfident fools contracting with an evil god, thinking that they could outwit the latter, only to be led around by their noses and eventually suffer a tragic fate.
Roel didn’t want to follow in their footsteps, so he was going to thoroughly consider whether he should establish a contract with Edavia or not.
He sifted through the information he had gathered from his conversation with Edavia, and he thought that there was some credibility to what she had divulged thus far. For one, she had no reason to lie to him about the Inner Sanctum, especially since it was disadvantageous to her.
But the final tip she left me… Roel thought with a frown.
He wasn’t so naive as to think that he would be safe in the heart of the Mother Goddess’ faction, but he also didn’t think that someone would be so determined to take his life. It also didn’t help that he hadn’t inherited the memories of the original Kingmaker, so he was clueless as to who his enemies might be.
Tok tok tok.
A series of light and careful knocks snapped Roel out of his thoughts.
“Come in,” he said.
The door opened. It was Adola dressed in a maid uniform.
Roel felt both amused and apologetic to see the valiant general roleplaying as a maid because of him. Adola was clearly unaccustomed to her new role, evident by her reddened face as she walked into the room.
“Lord Roel, you’re awake.”
“I must have slept for quite a while. It doesn’t look like it’s morning anymore.”
“Yes, it’s already nearing noon. We have started preparing your lunch, and it’ll be delivered here very soon.”
“It’ll be delivered here?” Roel mumbled contemplatively under his breath.
Sensing the dissatisfaction in Roel’s words, Adola apologized in a fluster.
“My deepest apologies, Lord Roel, but your activities are currently limited to only this room. I’m afraid that anything beyond that will require…”
“You don’t have to apologize. I am not blind to the position I am in. Has the Mother Goddess arranged for any meeting with me?”
“Yes, I was just about to inform you.” Adola was pleasantly surprised to hear the question; she had been at a loss as to how she should raise the matter. “The Mother Goddess wishes to have dinner with you after sunset. If you have any requests, feel free to tell me in advance.”
The Mother Goddess wishes to have dinner with me? Roel raised his eyebrows before nodding in agreement.
He had to get close to the Mother Goddess in order to uncover Her true nature and goals, which would help him to deduce the original Kingmaker’s decision. At the same time, if he could win Her trust and regain his freedom, he would have much more space to maneuver.
Most importantly of all, he had to verify whether the one who harbored killing intent toward him was the Mother Goddess.
The Mother Goddess had spared his life and even treated him generously for his submission, but She could have changed Her mind. For all he knew, Her subordinates could have convinced Her to exterminate the Kingmaker to remove an unknown variable once and for all.
I have to meet the Mother Goddess and clarify that I have no intention of siding with anyone. That’ll allow me to live long enough to clear this trial, Roel thought.
For the time being, he desperately needed his powers to be unsealed, especially after hearing Edavia’s warning. Otherwise, he would be helpless in the event that anyone attempted to harm him.
Till then…
Roel glanced at Adola, who was overjoyed to have received a positive answer, and he breathed a sigh of relief. At the very least, he didn’t think that someone who wore her feelings on her face would be dangerous. Regardless, he would make sure to keep his guard up.
After lunch, Roel settled down in the sky garden specially prepared for him and admired the vast fields and mountains while quietly deciding on his next move. When the sun finally began to set, Adola and the other high elves entered the room to prepare him for the dinner banquet.
“I heard that our Mother Goddess canceled the military inspection to make time for this dinner banquet. She cares a lot about you, Lord Roel.” Adola excitedly revealed her intelligence.
“I see…” Roel nodded.
After long hours of trying out different suits and dressing up, the sun finally descended beneath the horizon. The night banquet finally commenced.
…
The excitement over the Mother Goddess’ night banquet was palpable in the Moonsoul Tower. This topic dominated the conversations, and expectant smiles could be seen everywhere. It was uncommon for them to have such a celebration.
As a being transcending the gods, the Mother Goddess had no need for sustenance. Her boundless power pulsated across the world as soon as the moon replaced the sun in the sky. Food was nothing more than a formality to Her.
In essence, this banquet was the Mother Goddess’ reward to her followers. It was an utmost honor for one to be able to share a meal with Her, and this was a momentous event that one could brag about for one’s entire life.
However, this banquet wasn’t a private event either. The Mother Goddess’ closest subordinates, consisting of the race leaders who had pledged their loyalty to Her, were usually invited for it. From another perspective, this was essentially an upper echelon meeting carried out in the form of a dinner, though it only happened once in a few years.
In the Moonsoul Tower’s kitchen, top chefs were nitpicking their dishes to ensure that everything was perfect before they served them to the leaders of the Mother Goddess’ faction.
At the highest floor of the Moonsoul Tower, Roel quietly stood in front of a painting to admire the artwork while discreetly keeping an eye out on his surroundings.
The situation was different from what he had expected. He had thought that it would be a private meal between him and the Mother Goddess, where they would chat under the moonlight, but the banquet turned out to be an official event involving Her subjects too. This put him at a loss.
Is she trying to use this banquet to tie me in with her faction?
This was the first thought that floated in Roel’s mind, but he quickly realized that something was amiss. None of the race leaders had stepped forward to initiate a conversation with him; on the contrary, they were keeping their distance and gossiping about him.
Their disrespectful behavior made it plainly clear that they didn’t see him as one of their own, and that their goal for this banquet wasn’t to persuade him to join their side.
For the time being, Roel decided to pay them no heed. He kept his eyes on the painting while pondering his next move.
Meanwhile, the middle-aged High Elf Chief stared at Roel with sharp eyes. A group of powerful officials were gathered around him.
“Micher, you know how the Mother Goddess feels about him. Are you confident about this?” the leader of the Blood Clan asked.
Micher placed his hand on his bulging chest pocket, and his eyes steeled with determination.
“Don’t worry. I’ll reveal his true face today. I believe that the Mother Goddess will turn Her back on that sly traitor! He has to die today!”