Mortals could not watch, nor could they welcome them. They could only bend and bow, feeling the great ones passing through the dense forest and arriving at the edge of the clearing.
The old man holding the lantern walked in front, followed by the young man in the silver robe, and finally the lady in the black robe.
The guardian tried to get up from the end of the long table, but his body was unable to move.
"I haven't attended this kind of feast for thousands of years."
The three gods sat down at the table respectively. The kind old man placed the oil lamp on the long table. Then, fireflies appeared on the table and in the woods. The faint yellow light was not very bright, but it was enough to illuminate the place.
The black mud silently receded under the sun's rays, green grass and flowers spread out with the long table as the center, and the earth temporarily returned to normal because of the power of the gods.
As for Shade, whose divine power burned, she had little power left because of the fight with the Stone Heart Demon. So she did not use her divine power, but in order to get the best banquet, she took out the ruby and flicked away the remaining copper coins of the emperor's banquet.
"Next, there will be an unparalleled banquet."
Coins and gems clattered onto the table, and the gold and silver utensils and sumptuous food soon covered the table. Fireflies gathered above the table, and the gaps between the plates became golden candlesticks. The dazzling candlelight gave everyone a warm light as the night was about to end. This night was really too long.
The lady in the black robe did not speak, but trembled her fingers a few times, and the originally simple stone round stool chair transformed into a gorgeous backrest chair with a hollow pattern on the back and armrests engraved with dense patterns.
The simple long table was slightly raised, and lines that were almost invisible to the naked eye appeared on the originally flat table top, until on this huge table top, a pattern of the sun rising from behind the mountains was formed.
The snow had stopped, the black mud and snow had melted, and underfoot was a land covered with green grass and flowers. Red butterflies and fireflies danced in the open space like a tide, and flowers grew on the ground flowing through the black mud.
Helen Grace, who looked about eighteen years old, walked out of the woods, bowed to the gods at the table with a smile, and sat down next to Shad.
After waiting for a while, Yin Luna, wearing a wreath on her head and holding a scale in her hands, and Sister Defulin, holding a black sickle, also walked out of the woods. After bowing respectfully, they chose their seats at the table.
Then, Luvia and Sirius said goodbye to the witches and walked out of the forest together. In another direction, a middle-aged man from the Church of the Sun and an old woman from the Church of Nature also came to the open space.
The four of them bowed to the gods at the table together, and then sat down at the table.
At this point, of the twelve seats at the long table, only the single seat at the end on the other side opposite the guardian was unoccupied.
The silver-robed god took out four flowers. The flowers represented spring, which were gifts from friends in the Fifth Age; the flowers represented summer, which came from the flower girl's flowers watered with Yin Luna's blood; the flowers from autumn, which represented reproduction and desire; and the flowers from winter, which were given by the woman with a heart of stone who died in winter.
"Flying Flower Curse."
With the last bit of divine power, four flowers flew out of the god's hands and instantly turned into millions of petals, flying around the open space. Then the petrified forest returned to its original appearance, with vines entwined around the thick trunks and flowers blooming on the land and in the forest.
The old woman holding the lantern looked around with a smile, and she made tiny specks of light fly out from the oil lamp.
So, the animals that died in the nearby area tonight were restored to life by the power of miracles. Then they crossed the woods together and came to the open space by the river illuminated by fireflies and red butterflies in the night. Then they lay quietly on the grass and watched tonight's banquet.
The dark clouds had dispersed, leaving only the Milky Way hanging upside down overhead. The three moons, although not as bright as when the silver-robed god had just appeared, were still so beautiful in the night sky.
So, surrounded by the twinkling lights, against the backdrop of green grass and flowers, beside the long banquet table, under the gaze of everyone, the guardian sitting at the end of the long table pressed his left hand on the fragment of the Heart of the Earth and held up the wooden wine glass in front of him with his right hand.
The people at the table and the gods also raised their glasses, and the guardian said loudly:
"The guardian of the earth chosen by destiny hereby declares—"
He looked at the gods and people at the table. At the same time, the stone in his hand flashed with light, and a huge golden Holy Grail appeared above his head. In the thick steam behind him, the thirteen-ring life ring slowly appeared.
A pale golden light emanated from his body, and the sound of prayers, which overlapped with thousands of voices, came from nowhere. The wind blew in the forest, and the treetops rustled in the wind, as if ancient souls were listening to the oath.
"I will use everything I have to protect the land beneath my feet until the very end."
The soul that had become solid because of the black mud now became completely transparent. In that soul, four small flowers of exactly the same shape but different colors floated out from the chest.
The light of the golden Holy Grail above his head enveloped him, and four small flowers slowly floated into the mouth of the Holy Grail. In an instant, the golden light rushed into the night sky, but also illuminated the flowers of the four seasons scattered around, presented by Xia De, and the wreath on Yin Luna's head.
In the shadow of the Holy Grail, the four flowers disappeared, and instead, an ancient rune took shape. Shade, who still had the last bit of divine burning power, interpreted the rune as "Earth".
"May the earth be with you and me!"
The guardian loudly expressed his wish at the moment, and the stone in his left hand instantly resonated with the huge shadow of the Holy Grail above his head. The life ring belonging to the Thirteen Ring Warlock gradually rose into the air until it overlapped with the Holy Grail.
White light shone down from the starry sky, enveloping the strange soul at the end of the long table. A ritual halo composed of thirteen different-colored light points appeared among the flowers and green grass on the ground.
The huge ritual array included everyone at the long table, but then the circle continued to shrink until it reached the feet of the guardian. Thirteen light spots rose from the ground, and the pure white light column turned into a golden color. The thirteen light spot ritual array merged with the Holy Grail behind it, and then the golden shock wave spread to the surroundings.
This power, which seemed to have come from eternity, gradually spread to the entire Randall River Valley. From the sky to the depths of the earth, the black mud gradually faded away. Even the heart of the earth deep underground resonated with it at this moment.
Thus, when the life ring above the guardian's head completely overlapped with the shadow of the Holy Grail, and the brass ring melted and became a dark golden Holy Grail, the gods and people who were holding their cups at the table drank the wine in their hands at the same time:
"Respect, the Ancient God Mother Earth!"
The power of the earth was activated by the ancient ritual. The gathered power strengthened the body and soul of every mortal present. But in addition to the arrival of the original power of the earth, the madness of the earth also materialized.
When all eleven wine glasses were put down, the mortals saw that in the empty seat opposite the Chosen One of the Earth, there sat a dark figure made of black mud.
The madness and distortion of the earth is essentially a natural phenomenon, and there is no concrete substance. However, due to the ancient ritual, the feast gathers the power of the earth to entertain the guests, but also attracts the source of distortion.
The concept of "Crazy Earth" was now embodied in this dark figure. After sealing it, the earth would be able to regain a brief peace.
So the Chosen One of the Earth wanted to ask for help from the gods at the table, but Shad held up his hand to stop him.
He already felt a little dizzy at this moment, but he still endured it and reached out to touch the last "Holy Grail of Flowers".
He didn't need to say much, the black mud figure at the twelfth position turned into a pitch-black liquid, flew into the holy grail, and turned into bubbling black mud.
Shade, who maintained the last bit of strength in his god form, looked around at the people and gods at the table.
The female figure of the Stone Heart Demon had no expression on her face, and the old man holding the lantern stared at her with an indescribable look. Mortals could not see through the face of the god, but they all understood what great things she was going to do.
The girl with purple eyes suddenly remembered the "Sacrifice" that Shade had drawn at the end of the three divination cards yesterday evening.
She wanted to speak to stop him, but Shad had already picked up the cup and drank all the mud.
At this point, the madness that originated from the distortion of the earth itself completely disappeared. Although the distortion would still occur again, and although the scars left in the earth would still exist, at least tonight's events were over.
“Ahem!”
Throwing away the clay holy grail that had shattered because it contained substances that should not be contained, Shade covered his neck and coughed violently as if he was poisoned.
The evil god in the form of a woman shook her head and turned into a dark point of light and flew into the sky. The dilapidated stone statue on the seat slowly turned into dust.
The kind old man also shook his head, but seemed to approve. Holy white light spots also dissipated from his body, revealing the original appearance of the sackcloth-robed monk. He smiled and looked around, then opened his arms and faced the starry sky, dissipating into light spots and flying into the cold night sky.
"Go on bravely."
Only the voice of God remained, echoing in Shad's head.
The feast was over, and the most important guests left. The figure in the silver robe coughed a few more times, and then turned into a silver spot of light.
The cluster of light, accompanied by the red butterfly, flew into the night sky and towards the moon.
The night had reached its final moments, and the original seat of the silver-robed god was now empty amid the despair of Sirius Grande Lathers.
“This is the myth.”
Someone was whispering in admiration at the table, but no one could hear the sound of tears falling on the green grass and breaking the dewdrops.