"At least you're honest."
Xia De also admitted this. Most of the promises he made would be fulfilled. Honesty was one of the few qualities he was proud of.
Then the four of them voted for the best poem, so Xia De naturally got the petals from the other three, and his own petal was given to Mr. Leiman. His poem was written by someone else, and Mr. Leiman was indeed better at writing poems.
As before, the butterfly goddess herself could also give two petals to indicate her likes and dislikes. So the two petals floated out, passing over the gold and silver utensils and delicacies on the table, one landing on Mr. Lyman's hand and the other landing on Sister Perry's hand.
So far, Shade has received six petals, Witch Blanchett has one, Sister Perry has one, and Mr. Leman has four. Although Mr. Leman is in the lead, there are still six petals waiting to be given in the final round, so it cannot be said that Mr. Leman will definitely be the final winner.
After this round, the god did not give gifts to each person individually, but directly announced the third activity of the banquet:
"The original plan was for you to tell the story about the butterfly, but I already got the story."
She smiled at Xia De, and Xia De's guess turned out to be wrong:
"So what do we do in the end?"
He asked quietly, very worried that the remaining time would not be enough for him to solve the problem. But the god just pointed to the group of butterflies circling around the underground skylight above their heads:
"Mortals, finally, show me your understanding of the beauty of butterflies. Here are 178,753 butterflies. Each of you choose the one you think is the most beautiful, and then you can judge among yourselves. Just call them, and they will fly to you."
So the three witches immediately looked up, and then were forced to squint because the sky was too bright.
Only Shade looked at the god, who smiled and said:
"Outside guest, you don't want to choose me, do you?"
"You are certainly the most beautiful of all butterflies, but I don't have the courage to blaspheme."
Xia De said softly, praising the beauty of the god's descending form. As for what the god's true form looked like, he couldn't see through the illusion of the Thousand-Eyed Illusion Butterfly, who was also known as the "God of Illusion".
The butterfly god still keeps smiling:
"Why don't you go pick a butterfly? Wait a minute, other mortals will pick my most beautiful butterfly."
Xia De shook his head slightly:
"Your butterflies are not nearly as beautiful to me as mine."
A group of red butterflies flew out of his sleeves, and then divided into two groups and gathered on the left and right sides behind him. The dense group of red butterflies gathered into a slightly scary human form. With the use of the spell, the flashing butterflies finally formed the appearance of Grace in a white dress and Helen in a black dress. Of course, it was their mature appearance in their twenties.
Xia De smiled and looked back at the two of them, then turned around and picked up the red wine glass at hand to greet the Butterfly God:
"Look, God of butterflies, these are my butterflies. They were originally favored by a respectable drinker, but fortunately I snatched them from the Duke by the lake at night."
"From being in the Duke's cage to being imprisoned in your cage?"
The god asked softly, and he also picked up the goblet and clinked it with Xia De in the air.
Xia De sipped his red wine and shook his head slightly:
"I didn't imprison them. What imprisoned them was their mission and the power of that city."
This refers to Fort Midhill.
"No, you have indeed woven a new cage. It is far more terrifying than the city and the mission. It is an emotional cage. The Duke only wants the ownership of the body and soul, but you want more. After all, they could not escape the fence. They can only dance in your palm."
Qianmu Huandie said meaningfully, and Xia De did not refute:
"But at least my palm is big enough, and... we mortals, even relics, are still mortals to a being like you. Who else can truly escape and gain true freedom?"
God smiled and shook his head, no longer entangled with Shade on this issue:
"But I admit that your two butterflies are indeed beautiful. Stories can endow girls with charm, which is common to all races. You have just told me their stories, otherwise I would not acknowledge their charm."
Xia De put down the wine glass, suppressed the discomfort and dizziness, and looked directly into the god's eyes:
"Their names are Grace White and Helen Black. You already know their location. Please help them if you can."
This is what has happened, but Shad must ensure that it will still happen.
"The favor that Tree Father has for you is truly terrifying."
The Butterfly God said softly:
"I will go and see your butterflies, and see what the twin butterflies that have not yet grown up look like. Although they have already accepted the power of the Twin Gods, this does not prevent me from blessing the butterflies I like."
Xia De nodded slightly, and Grace and Helen behind him turned into a group of red butterflies and dispersed.
He picked up the last petal he had not given away:
"I always believe that Miss Grace White and Miss Helen Blake are the most beautiful butterflies in my heart. I firmly believe this."
"So, your last petal is for yourself?"
"No, their beauty does not require my acknowledgement. You and that respectable vampire duke both said that unusual stories and experiences make girls more attractive. Their charm lies in mine."
He tapped his chest and gave the last petal to Sister Perry, who took it without knowing why, and Shade whispered "thank you".
Sister Perry had no idea why.
The god smiled without commenting, while the other three people who looked up and squinted their eyes to observe the butterflies also found their respective butterflies one by one.
"God, I picked this one."
The first to speak was the witch Ms. Blackett, who had the best eyesight among the three.
The butterfly chosen by the witch is blue-purple in color, with a gorgeous metallic luster on its wings, and the ends of its front wings have dark blue, azure blue, and light blue changes, and the bottom of the wings have rows of eye-shaped spots. This is a very gorgeous butterfly. After being chosen by the witch, it flew around her and finally landed on the witch's hair, like a gorgeous blue-purple metallic hair accessory.
"I will give the petals to myself, the most beautiful butterfly."
The gorgeous middle-aged witch's words were also full of confidence.
"God, please allow me to choose this one."
Next is Sister Perry, but what is somewhat surprising is that the butterfly flying from high in the sky actually looks like two dry leaves. The ventral side of the wings is the color of dead leaves, and when it is at rest, there is a dark brown horizontal line from the top corner of the front wing to the hip corner of the hind wing, plus several diagonal lines, which look like leaf veins.
“Being one with nature and the earth, I love this butterfly.”
As the nun spoke, she stretched out her hand, letting the butterfly land on the tip of her right index finger, and then gave herself the petal.
Finally it was Mr. Leman's turn. He stared blankly at the butterflies flying all over the sky, and finally shook his head, without making any choice:
"I'm sorry, God. The butterflies I admire must have the characteristics of a human girl. This is why I came here. I don't want to go against my true thoughts in front of you and give the title of the most beautiful butterfly to a butterfly I don't like. There is no most beautiful butterfly here, and I won't make a choice."
Then he took out his leaf and handed it to the witch Blackett:
"The butterfly chosen by this lady is relatively beautiful... I don't understand why the girl who appeared behind the gentleman over there is also considered a butterfly. She looks just human."
Thus, Shade had six petals, the witch Ms. Blackett had three, Sister Perry had three, and Mr. Lyman had four.
All the mortals closed their eyes, waiting for the final "judgment", while Shade looked at the god:
"The last two petals you give will determine who will gain the favor of your scroll."
He reminded softly, and the last two petals flew up from the god's hand, and then spun around the big, scary round table. They did not stop next to someone immediately, and the god smiled and asked:
"Mortals, you have come here for your own purposes and participated in this banquet where you may lose your life and soul. Before the final result appears, I allow you to express your wishes for the last time."
"For greater power."
The witch remained firm on this.
"To touch the extraordinary."
The nun whispered softly.
"To find the girl I love."
Although the scale was a bit smaller, Mr. Laiman did not feel ashamed at all.
Finally, God looked at Shad. Shad came here without any wishes, just to complete the task of the tree father, but now he has a wish:
"In order to obtain the God-summoning ritual that calls upon you, and also to witness the end of this story, who has gained the favor of the God's Scroll?"
God smiled and clapped his hands, and two petals fell into the hands of Ms. Brachett and Sister Perry respectively.
Everyone was stunned for a moment.
"Why?"
Shade asked in confusion.
“What are we doing?”
The butterfly god said gently.
"At... a party?"
"Yes, everyone should enjoy this moment at the banquet of the earth and butterflies. I don't quite understand."
The lazy lady held up her face with her right hand and looked at Xia De:
"Why have you been so wary of me from the beginning?"
As he spoke, the orchestral music became louder, and more light shone from above the underground cave, allowing everyone to bathe in the light:
"It's really interesting to see you coming and going cautiously. But... isn't this a party?"