Chapter 242: I

"Why is your skin in such terrible condition?" Lisa exclaimed in distress. "Don't you ever wash your face? Enlarged pores, dull complexion, rough texture, blackheads—good heavens, how old are you? Sixty already?"

Throughout the entire process, Shiludi was dazed, like a puppet on strings, utterly passive under Lisa's ministrations, because she barely understood half of what was being said.

Originally, when she said "even if you put a crystal mountain right in front of me," she'd just wanted to test whether the other woman had a crystal mountain—if she did, Shiludi might still consider it.

But the woman didn't even produce a crystal; she simply summoned a delicate, dewy young wife who immediately grabbed Shiludi's hand and launched into a scolding—so logically, too, because the woman's skin was undeniably softer, like a freshly peeled egg.

"Sister, how do you do it? Why is your skin so soft?" Shiludi asked.

"Of course it's skincare," Lisa replied. "First tell me how old you are."

"Thirty." Shiludi answered.

"Oh my, you're only thirty? Your skin looks like it's sixty or seventy! Have you never done any skincare? Look at my face—I'm over a thousand years old." Lisa lamented bitterly.

"Pfft…" Shiludi instinctively glanced at Lisa's ears—not an elf. What other long-lived race could live over a thousand years?

"First, tell me how you wash your face?" Lisa asked seriously.

Lisa's expression made Shiludi feel like she was back in her teens, being quizzed by her mentor; she quickly answered obediently: "I just wash with water, then wipe dry with a cloth."

"A cloth? What kind of cloth? Hemp? Cotton? Suede? Silk? How often do you replace it? How do you clean and dry it?" Lisa pressed.

"Huh?" Shiludi was stunned. She'd only heard of cotton and hemp—were there really so many kinds? And you had to replace them? And dry them?

Isn't washing your face just rinsing it, hanging it up to use again at night, and throwing it away when it's worn out?

"Good heavens, that's your face—how can you treat it like that? Just rinse? Use it until it's rotten? Good heavens, how filthy! All that grime touches your skin, multiplies on the cloth, then touches your skin again—do you want your face to rot too? Look at you, your blackheads—you've definitely never used facial cleanser."

"Huh? What's facial cleanser?"

"Moisturizing water? Skin lotion? Face mask? Good heavens, you've never used any of these? How rough is your life? Exfoliation? Nail care? Hair treatment? None of it? Oh, my Goddess of Beauty—you're squandering the body the Goddess bestowed upon you, wasting the most beautiful sight on earth. Come, sister will give you the full treatment."

Without another word, Lisa dragged Shiludi into Meishencheng and opened a whole new world to her.

Aisiduoliya hurried after them; Lisa's earlier words had sparked her own interest.

Shiludi went through the entire beauty regimen—nail care, skin treatment, hair removal, exfoliation, brightening—in a daze. When it was done and she stood before the mirror, she was stunned—who was that person in the mirror? How beautiful!

Shiludi had extraordinary talent; since childhood she'd been heavily nurtured, rising from apprentice to Arcane Mage by age thirty, just one step away from touching the truth of magic.

Moreover, she was a high-tier Spatial Mage—a rare, abstract magic requiring immense time and effort, which meant that during her studies at the Mage Tower, she even ran to the restroom.

With no time even for the toilet, how could she have time for beauty routines? Since childhood, she'd washed her face with water only—today was the first time she'd ever heard of facial cleanser.

But no one else knew about it either, unless they'd been to Meishencheng—it was a specialty of the city.

Purified holy water, mixed with a small amount of essence and soapberry liquid, produced rich foam with powerful cleansing ability. The raw soapberry liquid slightly irritated and damaged the skin, but the essence repaired it, making it safe even for sensitive skin.

After washing with facial cleanser, the greasy, sticky feeling vanished completely—her face felt utterly different.

Good heavens, why was her face so smooth? Shiludi couldn't stop touching her own skin. Aisiduoliya couldn't resist reaching out to feel it too, then asked: "Do you sell facial cleanser? How much?"

A nearby maid quickly replied: "Fifty crystals per bottle—it lasts a month."

Lisa never responded to price questions; her public identity was Priestess of the Goddess of Beauty—talking about money lowered her dignity.

Aisiduoliya felt nothing, but Shiludi sucked in a sharp breath—fifty crystals for such a tiny bottle? Only for a month? Is this robbery?

Lisa smiled: "Easier than robbery. Lie down, let me check your teeth."

She pulled Shiludi into a chair and continued her ministrations.

Shiludi had stopped thinking entirely and obediently opened her mouth.

"Your teeth are healthy—no orthodontics needed. Just a bit yellow—whitening will fix it." As she spoke, she cast a spot-removal spell, applying it to the teeth; the slightly yellow teeth instantly returned to their natural milky white, gleaming brightly.

After finishing the teeth, Lisa gently ran her fingers through Shiludi's hair and said: "Your hair is thin. Do you shed a lot?"

At this question, Shiludi's eyes instantly welled up: "Yes, I shed heavily—especially during exams."

This was likely an unavoidable problem for every young, accomplished mage—overuse of the mind, late nights, high oil and salt intake, infrequent washing, excessive sebum clogging follicles…

Shiludi doubted whether her hair would even last until forty; many of her senior students were bald by thirty.

Outsiders saw mages as elegant figures in flowing robes and pointed hoods—but Shiludi knew that once those hoods were removed, most were bald.

She refused to become like those senior students—if she went bald, she'd rather shave her head entirely.

But the more she feared going bald, the more she stressed, and the more her hair fell out. She'd consulted many mages—of every school—but none could offer a solution.

"If there were a solution, would we still be bald?" one senior snapped angrily—he thought she was rubbing salt in his wound, since he still had hair.

Shiludi had long learned not to think about it anymore—bald? Just shave it. But now Lisa had suddenly brought it up, and all her anxiety surged back; she gazed at Lisa with a wounded look and complained: "Why bring this up? It can't be fixed…"

Before she finished speaking, Lisa replied: "Hair is complicated—it requires the Master's personal attention, and results are slow. It takes a whole night. How about staying here tonight? Sister will arrange a sand bath for you?"

Shiludi swallowed the rest of her words and asked in astonishment: "C-can hair grow back?"

Lisa spoke as if it were obvious: "Of course. We're Meishencheng—if no one had hair, how could we be beautiful?"

"I… this… sister, let me just take a moment." Shiludi took a deep breath, thought for a moment, then suddenly asked: "Sister, if I believe in the Goddess of Beauty now… is it still too late?"

…

On the open land between Donghe and Meishencheng, Angr had amassed vast quantities of silk fluff, first enhancing the soil's water retention, then mixing in fertilizers such as bird droppings and dragon soil, dividing the land into plots, and planting various crops—mostly breadfruit trees.

This new crop, taken from the Druids, showed great potential as a staple food, especially suited to desert environments—drought-resistant and able to grow in sandy soil.

It stores water in its trunk and fruit during wet periods, then consumes those reserves during droughts to survive.

Its leaves are sparse, minimizing evaporation, making it ideal for large-scale cultivation.

A few bamboo plants were grown sparingly as a control experiment, but even if they survived, he had no intention of planting bamboo in the desert—it was too water-intensive.

After handing Shiludi over to Lisa, he'd been busy here nonstop; both he and Na Geer is agreed that in the art of seduction, Lisa's skill was a hundred and twenty times greater than theirs.

If Lisa couldn't sway someone, that person was either unshakably resolute or utterly devoid of desire.

Unexpectedly, while planting, a transparent flame suddenly rose before Angr.

What is this? Angr tilted his head, about to reach out and touch it—when the Huangtong Dragon lunged forward and clung tightly to him.

"O-Oh, the Flame of Collective Belief! What did you do!?" Na Geer is cried in trembling voice.

Angr tilted his head.

Na Geer is dragged Angr back two steps, but the transparent flame drifted after them, step for step.

"It's definitely your Flame of Collective Belief—what did you do? Did you plant something special in the farm again?" Na Geer is rushed back to Anxi Palace, then sprinted around the farm—but saw no unusual changes.

"There's nothing here—why did the Flame of Collective Belief appear? What did you do?" Na Geer is was nearly incoherent, repeating "what did you do?" three times—but Angr remained utterly confused.

"What is this?" Angr tilted his head, puzzled.

"Damn it, you don't even know what it is? How did you ignite it? The Flame of Collective Belief—it's the precursor to divine flame, the precursor to a god's essence! Ignite it, and you may ignite divine flame, acquire a god's essence, and become a true deity!" Na Geer is shouted in frenzy.

Angr tilted his head and said blankly: "Aren't I already? Aren't you?"

Huh… right. Why am I so worked up? I'm already the God of Knowledge—a true deity.

Na Geer is snapped to attention, suddenly realizing this.

No wonder—the child had barely enjoyed a few good days after becoming a god before being captured. He could boast all he wanted, but he had no sense of being a deity.

Once aware of this, Na Geer is calmed down quickly, no longer losing composure—but still excited. The Flame of Collective Belief—this was only the second time she'd ever witnessed its ignition, after her own.

This… was the beginning of godhood.

The Flame of Collective Belief was the first step toward godhood. If a powerful being already had many followers—like Na Geer is once did—but still couldn't ignite divine flame, it was because they lacked the Flame of Collective Belief.

This flame was strange—it could ignite itself, or be ignited by others—even non-believers.

In Na Geer is's understanding, the Flame of Collective Belief was like a pivot point; once ignited, scattered beliefs found their center and converged, strengthening the flame.

When the flame grew large enough, it transformed into divine flame, then into a god's essence, forming a network of faith.

The Flame of Collective Belief was crucial—hence why Na Geer is had once envied Angr's fanatical followers, because this flame was often ignited by the most fervent believers.

But not always—Na Geer is's own Flame of Collective Belief had ignited spontaneously; the Harvest Goddess's had been ignited by nobles and landlords. It was just… confusing.

Angr had done nothing but till his fields—and yet, the Flame of Collective Belief had ignited. Was he the Goddess of Luck? Had he ignited the Goddess of Luck's flame?

"Touch it. See what it is," Na Geer is said.

Angr raised his hand and gently touched the transparent flame.

The Flame of Collective Belief shot into Angr's body in a flash; a flood of information surged into his soul.

He stood frozen for a long while, then turned his head with a strange expression.

Na Geer is burst out: "How? What happened? Who ignited the Flame of Collective Belief? What god's essence? Did you awaken a divine technique?"

Angr said: "Shiludi. Goddess of Beauty. No divine technique."

As he spoke, Angr held out his palm; Shiludi's face appeared there, her eyes filled with hope, and a voice echoed: "Such wonderful things—I must share them with my senior students. Is it still too late to believe in the Goddess of Beauty?"

"Was it that sentence that ignited the Flame of Collective Belief?" Na Geer is mused. "Why? What was the key? 'Wonderful things'? 'Share'? Or 'believe in the Goddess of Beauty'?"

Na Geer is speculated wildly, but without more samples to compare, she still couldn't understand how Shiludi had ignited the Flame of Collective Belief.

"So now you have two god's essences? Goddess of Beauty? What's the use?" Na Geer is asked.

Angr shook his head: "Three. God of Knowledge."

"The God of Knowledge essence is mine…" Na Geer is exploded in outrage—she was already reduced to one essence and now he was stealing it?

But as soon as she spoke, she remembered: yes, she was Angr's subordinate deity—technically, her essence belonged to him too.

"Damn it…"

Things were getting out of control. Because Shiludi had ignited the Flame of Collective Belief, it was a great gift—and by the principle of equivalence, Lisa could no longer lure her with "free packages"; she had to offer direct gifts.

Upon receiving Angr's instruction, Lisa paused, then smiled: "Shiludi, lifetime full treatment—free. How's that?"

Shiludi, unaware this was an equivalent exchange, thought Lisa was making a condition. The woman who had previously declared she wouldn't even look at a crystal mountain immediately grabbed Lisa's hand: "No problem, sister—I'll do anything you ask."

PS: I've developed the same problem as Harvey—my intervertebral disc is slightly herniated; sitting causes lower back pain.