Chapter 158: Talking with the Divine (Bonus 1314)

"Mortals..."

Amid the swirling snow and wind around Herbert, a delicate figure formed from frost slowly materialized.

The figure had a petite, exquisitely proportioned frame, like a finely carved ice doll, her entire skin as pale and crystalline as snow, emitting a faint cold glow.

Her ice-blue hair cascaded like a waterfall down to her waist, each strand seemingly forged from ice crystals, shimmering with tiny specks of frost in the dim light.

Her face was delicate, her eyelashes slightly upturned as if dusted with glistening frost, her ice-blue eyes deep and cold, silently gazing at the boy before her.

The girl wore a thin, sheer veil that floated weightlessly in midair.

Her bare toes lightly touched the water's surface, causing the entire lake to freeze solid in an instant.

Herbert stepped onto the now-frozen ice, blinking his eyes.

This one doesn't seem to be a lake spirit.

Out of caution, Herbert did not speak first, silently waiting for Her to address him after stopping him.

The Snow and Ice Goddess, after calling out, also remained silent; she was accustomed to waiting for mortals to speak first before responding.

Thus, an awkward silence settled between them, both standing motionless, staring at each other.

Snow and Ice Goddess: "..." (icy gaze)

Herbert: "..." (confused, scratching his head)

After a brief stalemate, Herbert was the first to break.

She was some idle roadblock with nothing better to do, but he had things to attend to.

So, after a moment's thought, Herbert ventured cautiously: "Um, excuse me... who are you?"

Snow and Ice Goddess:?

"Huh???"

Her frosty expression shifted slightly; she widened her eyes, staring at Herbert as if he were insane.

You don't recognize me?

I look like this, and you still can't tell?

Are you joking?

Herbert:?

"Huh???"

Herbert kept blinking, his eyes clear as a college student's.

Do I have to know you?

I really can't tell!

I'm not lying!

"Hmph."

The goddess looked down at the boy with utter coldness; the boy, in turn, shrugged innocently.

"Sigh."

He sighed helplessly: Even if you stare at me like that, I won't get excited—I'm not that kind of person.

Meanwhile, he had been quietly trying to awaken Valentina in his arms—but unfortunately, Miss Hungry Dragon was sleeping soundly.

No matter what Herbert did, her consciousness refused to stir, utterly lost in an unbreakable dream.

Herbert certainly didn't think Valentina would fail him at such a critical moment; though she was dense, she was always reliable.

Thus, the only possible explanation for this situation was that this person had restrained Valentina, preventing her from waking.

"..."

This realization made Herbert's heart sink slightly—her power might far exceed what he had assumed.

Epic? Saint? Or... suddenly, a thought flashed through his mind, making his heart leap.

He looked at the barefoot girl floating before him and asked uncertainly: "Could it be... the Snow and Ice Goddess?"

"Hmph! You finally stopped pretending to be stupid."

The Snow and Ice Goddess snorted; she believed Herbert had been deliberately feigning ignorance, pretending not to recognize Her.

Only now, under Her authority, had he finally confessed honestly.

That's more like it!

How could anyone not recognize me?

Herbert observed Her subtle expressions and picked up on something—silently swallowing the words he had originally intended to say.

Something like "I thought you were a lake spirit!"—better not say that; it might provoke Her.

From their earlier interaction, Herbert had already deduced some key traits of the Snow and Ice Goddess—proud... but possibly not very smart.

So Herbert first bowed respectfully to Her, then asked calmly: "Why has the Goddess blocked my path here?"

Almost all mortals in this world would lower their heads and prostrate themselves before a divine avatar.

But Herbert would not.

He did not worship the gods.

Moreover, as a Holy Knight of the Mist Monastery, he had no need to kneel before a deity of such modest power.

A modicum of respect was sufficient.

The Grand Archbishop, though terrifyingly powerful as a hypothetical enemy, was utterly dependable as an ally.

Herbert watched the Snow and Ice Goddess silently, awaiting Her reply.

Divine Lady, please mind your words!

We will not initiate aggression, but we will never passively endure attack.

We reserve the right to deploy the Invincible Elder when necessary!

"... Heh, you really believe so firmly that he can protect you?"

The Ice and Snow Goddess also read the meaning in Herbert's eyes, and sneered: "Mortal, dare to use him to threaten me? You've got some nerve."

"I'm not sure."

Herbert raised an eyebrow, shrugged, and asked with a smile: "Then do you want to try?"

"Right now, right here, kill me, and then you can find out whether His Eminence the Archbishop will actually notice."

"See whether he'll avenge me upon my murderer…"

Herbert's smile was brilliant, with not a trace of fear on him; there was even a hint of excitement in his eyes.

Come on.

Kill me!

Right now!

Herbert winked at the Ice and Snow Goddess, the mockery in his smile quite thick.

I dare to die.

But you… dare to make a move?

"…"

The Ice and Snow Goddess fell silent.

This place wasn't far from the Mist Monastery.

What she had here was only an ice-and-snow avatar; the other party, however, was the genuine true body.

Losing one avatar wasn't a big deal, but if she truly made an enemy of him, then… would she really have to seek the shelter of the God of Winter for something like this?

Whether she'd fall or suffer grievous injury was another matter, but the embarrassment — that would truly be embarrassing.

Besides, He Himself didn't actually want to make a move against Herbert.

If He truly wanted to harm him, there was no need to appear at all — He could simply let him lose his way in the blizzard and die in the Mist Mountains.

Gazing quietly at the youth for a long while, He slowly shook His head and said lightly: "Mortal, you seem to harbor a strong malice toward me."

Throwing the blame back, are we?

Herbert paid no heed to the little trick the other party had used; such a petty move couldn't ruffle him at all — it almost made him want to laugh.

Way too low-level, my friend.

He smiled elegantly, shook his head, and said: "Honored Lady of Snow, I believe you must have some misunderstanding about me."

"I have always held you in the deepest respect."

Herbert looked at the Ice and Snow Goddess, and the knowledge he'd later crammed flashed through his mind.

【Ice and Snow Goddess · Hecaias】

This goddess is also called the "Lady of Snow," or the "Winter Maiden."

The former carries more respect, while the latter — for certain reasons — She rather dislikes.

Herbert's choice of address was meant to show his respect for the Ice and Snow Goddess — at least on the surface.

He gazed at the goddess, saw the upward arch of her brow, knew She was in a good mood now, and after a soft chuckle continued:

"You see, if I truly harbored malice toward you, then I wouldn't have entrusted the faith of the Frost Crystal Kingdom to your Ninde Sect, would I?"

"On the contrary, I hold you in utterly sincere reverence."

With a face full of sincerity, he bowed once more while holding Valentina:

"I admire every effort you've made to protect nature, and I'm grateful for every ice-and-snow creature you've protected."

"Every life has its value; no life should be harmed. Nature has its laws, and you are one of the guardians of that order."

"You are the protector of frost and snow!"

"You are the sentinel of the ice plains!"

……

Herbert kept going like this, without repeating a single word, for a full ten minutes.

And after Herbert finished this whole string of flowery flattery, the Ice and Snow Goddess's expression had clearly softened a great deal — well, actually, a very great deal.

She thought she was hiding it well, but in truth the corners of her mouth had almost split to her ears.

Hehe~

The original aloof, tight-lipped expression was completely gone; what remained was only a slightly shy yet slightly pleased little look.

She wrinkled her nose and lifted her chin slightly.

So this is how I actually look in others' eyes!

Mm.

Even she herself hadn't noticed — she was actually this outstanding…

"Ahem!"

Her gaze shifted aside, she glanced to the side, then gave a small cough:

"Mm… you, not bad at all. It's been a long time since I've heard a human speak such words."

Although She very much wanted to gain more of humanity's faith, the Ice and Snow Goddess actually didn't have much goodwill toward humans.

Hunters always liked to go out in winter to slaughter the snow-plains animals that were already living such harsh lives; She had always believed that humans were disrupting the cycle of winter's laws.

And Herbert, as a human, being able to utter such heartfelt words truly surprised Her a great deal.

Perhaps, mm, it was time to change Her view of humans…

"The fact that I say these things has nothing to do with my being human — humans too are a part of nature."

"I think this way entirely because everything you've done is right!"

Herbert straightened his back and said with deep feeling: "Not just humans — every living being ought to express its gratitude to you!"

The last line was spoken so loudly that his voice echoed across the entire surface of the lake.

The Ice and Snow Goddess finally couldn't fend it off any longer, waved a hand at him, and said awkwardly, "Ahem! Alright, alright, you… don't need to say any more."

Alright, shut up already.

Even She herself could barely stand to listen any longer.

The Ice and Snow Goddess was so embarrassed she was about to dig a hole through the ice beneath her feet.

But Herbert had no intention of letting Her off the hook.

He clenched his fist and shouted even louder, "No! As long as you still hold a misunderstanding against me, I'll keep going! You are the most beautiful creation of nature, the embodiment of ice and snow, you are—"

"Enough! Don't say any more! I know you meant no harm!!!"

The Ice and Snow Maiden covered her face with one hand and fanned at Herbert with the other, sending out a blast of air mixed with ice shards.

Quick, shut the hell up!

"Oh, alright."

Once he was sure the Ice and Snow Maiden had already broken composure and that pushing further would be overdoing it, Herbert decisively stopped, nodding and smiling at Her.

Heh.

I've only used thirty percent of my power, and you already can't take it?

You're so weak!

"Then, Lady of Snow, now that the misunderstanding has been cleared up, could you tell me the reason for stopping me here?"

"…"

And after being subjected to Herbert's barrage of flattery, the Ice and Snow Goddess could no longer keep a straight face.

She first glared at Herbert, then said helplessly, "I've come to bestow a reward upon you."

At this point, She naturally couldn't say that She had come to spy because of Herbert's irreverent behavior in the temple earlier…

She could only use this seemingly legitimate reason to explain Her current behavior.

"You said… a reward?"

"Yes. Although the final outcome hasn't been seen yet, the future of the Frost Crystal Kingdom can already be foreseen."

The Ice and Snow Goddess's eyes flashed with a vision of Frost Crystal King's City, seeing Leila excitedly donning legendary heavy armor, knowing the final outcome was already sealed.

Whether those nobles survived or not would have no effect on the outcome.

From this day forth, Her faith would take root thoroughly in the Frost Crystal Kingdom through this opportunity.

A full hundred years ahead of the original plan!

It wouldn't be long—perhaps within ten years—once the faith of the first batch of believers had solidified completely, She would receive a bountiful harvest of faith.

When that time came, the Ice and Snow Goddess might be able to use this opportunity to advance Herself, and even successfully break free from the protection of the God of Winter.

Although the God of Winter had always treated Her well, that overly exaggerated maternal nature of His left Her feeling utterly drained.

She had long suffered from this, but lacked the strength to resist.

But now, the Ice and Snow Goddess could already see hope.

And the source of all this hope was this young man.

It was he who had directed it all on that stage and created this miracle.

To be fair, She truly did owe him a reward.

"I shall bestow a reward upon you."

Herbert thought for a moment, shook his head slightly, and smiled, "May I refuse? I actually don't need you to bestow anything upon me."

Some rewards can be accepted.

But some rewards, once taken, probably wouldn't be so simple.

"Mortal, sheathe your arrogance."

Upon hearing Herbert's refusal, the Ice and Snow Goddess shook her head slightly and said calmly, "A deity's bestowal has never cared whether you are willing to accept it."

Herbert let out a soft sigh upon hearing this.

Just as expected.

Forced affection again…

Whoosh—

The wind and snow, calm for some time, stirred once more, restoring the Ice and Snow Goddess's expression to its former aloofness and indifference.

She drifted lightly into midair, gazing down at the youth below with eyes full of divinity.

The Goddess addressed the mortal in an even tone, extending an invitation, speaking what She considered the most enticing reward!

She said:

"You…"

"Would you like to become my Chosen?"

Although it's the third watch of the night, it's still a ten-thousand-character update!

Extra chapter progress: (14/97), we'll win!

Begging for monthly tickets ahhhh~

The new book's monthly ticket ranking has dropped to 8th, sob sob.

The gap to the top 100 of the overall ranking actually isn't much.

If we can make the top 100 by month's end, next month we can get a fan title issued!

Everyone, let's go!

By the way, the reward total plus 4 extra chapters current progress (59/100), over halfway, probably by year's end we can get one extra chapter from this.

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(End of this chapter)