Chapter 111: The Goddess Has Arrived

Watching the fishermen on the shore quickly organize into a team, Feng Xue couldn't help but admire the efficiency of these "natives"—in just a few short minutes, the dugout canoe was already paddling toward that broken plank.

Seeing that the priest beside him who had been staring at him had no intention of joining in, Feng Xue asked casually:

"Is that person from the village?"

"Mm, he and two other villagers went out to sea to fish ten days ago and never came back. Everyone thought they had already perished."

The priest's voice was very cool and clear, yet carried an emotion that AI lacked—clearly, beneath that calm exterior, she was feeling happy about a villager's narrow escape from death.

"Ten days?" Feng Xue frowned, but then connected it with the super Terra people's physical constitution in this world, and ultimately didn't dwell on it, simply asking:

"I thought you folks only fished nearby—I didn't expect you'd run into shipwrecks too."

"Generally speaking, the surrounding catch is already enough for the villagers' consumption, but the unpredictability of ocean currents will occasionally carry fishing boats away from shore. Add to that the occasional good prey—when villagers can't help but chase after it. Even though the Goddess has advised against it time and again, you can't stop people once their blood is up."

The priest explained some details to Feng Xue at an even pace, even occasionally tossing out some meteorological and oceanographic terminology that Feng Xue, a modern person, couldn't quite understand—without a doubt, this should be the Goddess's潜移默化 influence.

As they talked, the shipwrecked villager had already been brought back by the dugout canoe. Seven or eight burly men hoisted him up and ran toward the Goddess's temple. Although Feng Xue was very curious whether the Goddess would also prescribe beast medicine to her own believers, seeing that the man only had three days of lifespan left on his head—god knew whether he could be saved. If he couldn't be pulled through, and he, this "heretic," was still present, things would be hard to explain.

Muttering to himself about the wisdom of the ancients concerning suspicion arising from improper situations, Feng Xue took out the 【Fire Transformation】 and 【Wind Transformation】 jade talismans to quickly process the caught fish into dried fish, then turned around and went back to his tent to begin studying and cultivating. By this time, he could already feel the salty, damp sea breeze blowing from the northeast of the island.

The sky at present was already more than half dyed black, and even through the tent, Feng Xue could feel the pressure of a storm about to break.

But the atmosphere in the village at this moment was not as oppressive as the weather—everyone was gathered around the just-rescued villager, listening to him recount his ten days at sea.

Whether it was because the Goddess's potions were truly f***ing awesome, or because the super Terra people's constitution was incomparably robust—in any case, this fisherman who had been on the brink of death just hours ago was now sitting in the village full of vigor, eloquently recounting his harrowing ten-day drift.

No one asked what had become of the others who had gone out to sea with him, because for fishermen, every person who narrowly survives a shipwreck is a miracle. Even family members who had lost their loved ones could not turn joy into sorrow and recrimination at this moment.

Gradually, a pattering of light rain began to fall, but no one had any intention of going home. For those who made their living by fishing, this bit of rain was nothing. Of course, more importantly, several days of heavy rain might follow and would trap them indoors—rather than going back now to face that inevitable multi-day "little black room," better to chat a while longer first.

But these matters had nothing to do with Feng Xue. He simply took out an inflatable waterproof mat and laid it beneath the tent, then secured it with pegs to prevent his tent from being washed away by the rain, and immediately continued his day's study.

Back then, in order to make the most of the three pentads' time, his approach to the knowledge imparted by Li Qianbei had been one of not seeking thorough understanding—he simply memorized everything, and creating an entry counted as passing. Now that he wanted to use the wu-xi methods to nurture a Void God, he had to study carefully to avoid unexpected oversights.

Just as Feng Xue was continuously studying the knowledge imparted by Li Qianbei, a figure appeared outside the tent. The usually very zen doggo suddenly straightened up, and even Fina adjusted her position. Although Feng Xue appeared unmoved, his fingers had already rested on his belt. Immediately after, he heard a voice from outside the door—warm with a touch of playfulness:

"Hi hi, may I interrupt for a moment?"

"..." Feng Xue was cringed out by this greeting that carried a bit of a vtuber's streaming tone. Apparently noticing this, the voice gave two light coughs and said again:

"Sorry, I have some matters I'd like to ask for your help with—may I come in?"

Although the other's voice was very polite, Feng Xue still took two slight steps back, reached out and put his arm around Fina's shoulder, ensuring he could knock this woman out at any moment, and only then said:

"Please come in."

As his words fell, the zipper door of the tent was opened, and a somewhat unfamiliar but vaguely familiar female face appeared outside the tent. Although a fine rain was falling outside, there wasn't a single trace of water on her body. Feng Xue activated his Qi-Gazing Technique and immediately saw the thin layer of spiritual light on her body.

"She is one of the Weather Goddess's priestesses—the one standing third to the left of the high priestess's left hand during the sacrificial rite earlier."

Sara issued the prompt without any scruple, but Feng Xue just shot this doggo a look, then said in a respectful tone:

"Lady Weather Goddess, may I ask what instructions you have for this outsider?"

"Weather Goddess?!" Not just Sara—even Fina, who had shown no reaction at all being held in Feng Xue's arms, visibly trembled. This "priestess" merely smiled, and her tone became lively again:

"What, I've been seen through! Then no need to pretend! I am the Weather Goddess, Little Xiao Fengling!"

"..."

"..."

"..."

Discovering that the atmosphere in the tent had gone cold again, the Weather Goddess sighed and said:

"Sigh, don't be so serious! Those believers are all so stiff and rigid—it's not often we get a few outsiders, give me some reaction!"

"If you want to chat, I don't mind, but could we talk business first?"

Through the 【Observing Heaven's Lifespan】 vision, Feng Xue could clearly see the number 62177 above the Weather Goddess's head—this was clearly not a lifespan befitting a goddess. In other words, the other party was not "disguised as a priestess," but a deity who had possessed a believer through means like a spirit-summoning technique.

And judging from the personality displayed by the island's current residents, she shouldn't be the type to possess a believer just for a chat.

"It's a deal then!" Little Xiao Fengling, hearing Feng Xue's words, nodded in satisfaction, and only then said:

"Actually, that islander who was just rescued—there's a bit of a problem!"

"?" Feng Xue's brow rose, and he immediately realized things weren't simple. He had originally assumed that drifting at sea for ten days was due to the special constitution of super Terra people, but now it seemed there was more to it?

(End of this chapter)