Chapter 15

After she had eaten and drunk her fill, Winslow packed some cookies and a sealed bottle of milk for her, putting them into Li Jia's custom-made Kuromi backpack.

Li Jia looked at her with gratitude. What is a good sister?

This is what good sisters are like.

To be honest, this little cloth bag can hold quite a lot.

Winslow liked it quite a bit, so Li Jia drew her a pattern of a cinnamon dog and asked her to give it to the textile goddess.

The textile goddess personally took charge, and her efficiency was extremely high; what was delivered in the morning was finished by noon.

The textile goddess tried to ask Li Jia if she could have these blueprints, as she wanted to mass-produce them. Li Jia waved her hand and generously agreed.

The textile goddess was overjoyed; these were styles she had never seen before. She promised Li Jia that she would make all the clothes for free from now on.

Li Jia was a little embarrassed by her praise, so she could only draw more modern clothing patterns for her in the future.

Since the gods wanted to take Li Jia out, Winslow found it quite boring to stay alone in the hot spring pool, so he simply changed his clothes and went out with them.

"That's quite unusual; it's the first time I've seen you go to the Temple of Marriage with me."

Doreen touched the knife at her waist and smiled, a rare occurrence for her.

"Hmph, mind your own business. It's good to go out and relax once in a while."

Winslow turned his head and, with her support, climbed into the limousine.

Winslow's legs weren't as long as Doreen's, so she couldn't take a single step up like Doreen did. Doreen had to bring over a small stool to help her up.

At the entrance to the hot springs, Hera's personal peacock chariot was waiting.

The peacock's magnificent tail feathers signify its extremely noble status, and the eye-like patterns on its plumage subtly imply its oversight of order, representing that divine authority cannot be overstepped even slightly.

The peacock became Hera's chariot, highlighting her nobility and majesty.

Seeing the real thing in front of her was a completely different experience from the AI-replicated picture in the book. Li Jia felt very excited, like a primary school student going on a field trip.

As expected of Hera, everything she does has to be the most flamboyant.

This is so cool!

"How much longer are you going to watch?"

Seeing that Li Jia looked like she had never seen the world before, Hera sighed, reached out her hand, and gestured for her to help her onto the chariot.

"It's natural to be a little curious when you see it for the first time."

Li Jia stuck out her tongue playfully.

She was certain that if archaeologists saw all this with their own eyes, they would be no less surprised and excited than she was, and might even be digging around with shovels by now.

"Then take a look more; the more you look, the less strange it will seem."

Hera remained calm, whispered in her ear, and then helped her onto the chariot.

Li Jia blushed. Why did this naughty devil always seem to like getting close to her, and always say things that flirt with her, making her blush and her heart race?

What happened?

This is completely different from the Hera that Li Jia saw in the book... Shouldn't she be an unattainable beauty?!

aloof and ascetic

Untouched by smoke and dust

That's what the book says!

This is completely inconsistent with her public image.

Is it because she transmigrated into this world that she's out of character (OOC)?

Before she could figure it out, the tank took off, and Winslow ran to Li Jia's side and chatted with her.

The rising sun dyed the sky a magnificent molten gold, and the clouds and the horizon merged into a beautiful jade, reflecting each other's brilliance.

A gilded chariot was rolling over fluffy clouds, its wheels kicking up fine dust as they turned, like scattered fragments of the Milky Way. The peacock sculpture on the roof of the chariot spread its blue wings, and its tail tip occasionally swept across the drifting mist, bringing with it a string of fleeting, beautiful fluorescence.

Li Jia leaned against the railing, and Hera carefully wrapped her arms around her waist to prevent her from falling.

Below, a surging sea of ​​clouds stretches out, with rolling mountains forming mirror-like waves.

Li Jia was mesmerized by the beautiful scenery.

As the chariot passed, the clouds dispersed to both sides like a startled flock of sheep, revealing the dark blue outline of the mountains in the distance, and the winding ribbon of light at the foot of the mountains, woven from the lights of thousands of homes, like a galaxy.

Farmers working early in the wheat fields under the clouds recognized Hera's chariot and rose to pray.

That feels pretty good.

Li Jia understood what it meant to borrow someone else's power.

So this is what happens when a dog bullies its master's power.

No, it feels like someone is abusing their power.

"How about it? It's prestigious to be Her Majesty Hera's servant."

Winslow squeezed next to her and whispered that she had to let Li Jia know just how powerful Her Majesty Hera was, and that becoming her servant was definitely not a bad deal.

Of course, Winslow thought Li Jia was very good and more than a match for Her Majesty Hera; no one she set her sights on was bad.

After a while, the peacock-shaped open-top chariot stopped at a palace suspended in mid-air above the sky, supported by four white marble pillars at its four corners for stability.

The pillar is entwined with a sculpture of a red-eyed silver snake. The snake's scales gleam eerily under the glass lamps hanging from the dome, as if it is about to break free of its restraints and burst through the palace into the heavens.

Below the palace is the Temple of Marriage in the human world. The altar in the very center of the temple is made of colorful stone. The goddess statue on the altar is dressed in a long red and black robe. Her beautiful face is hidden behind a draped veil, with only a pair of red eyes showing.

It seems to contain ancient, unmelting ice and snow, yet also seems to hold the warmth of life for all things.

The hall was so quiet that you could hear the crackling of the candles burning, and the sandalwood incense rising from the incense burner swirled and turned into mist at the feet of the statue.

In a daze, it felt like the air currents brushing against the fingertips of a deity, carrying an inviolable majesty.

Hera and Doreen entered the palace to sort out the marriage tokens that hadn't been dealt with the day before, and Winslow took on the role of guide.

According to Li Jia's own understanding, the Temple of Marriage is equivalent to the Civil Affairs Bureau in modern society.

Every day, many people come to the temple of marriage in the human world to pray for marriage, to form a bond, or to resolve a karmic entanglement.

To put it simply, it's about marriage and divorce, and some unresolved emotional issues that Hera needs to handle.

If you like each other and want to get married, or if you dislike each other and want to get divorced, just throw your marriage contract into the contract bucket, and it will automatically be registered or dissolved in the oracle.

If either party disagrees, Hera will decide whether to dissolve the contract based on the two people's life stories. If the dissenting party reacts excessively, Hera can directly impose disciplinary action.

Upon hearing this, Li Jia thought, "Isn't this a good thing?"

This can minimize the risk. It is said that even a day as husband and wife is worth a hundred days of kindness, but some relationships still end up being very ugly.

Husbands and wives are like birds in the same forest; when disaster strikes, they fly away separately. It is fortunate if they can part amicably.

This reminded Li Jia of her neighbor aunt from her previous life, when her mother was still alive and the three of them lived happily together.

From the time Li Jia could remember, every few days, there would be women crying, shouting, and cursing from the neighbors downstairs, mixed with the cries of little girls begging for mercy.

In Li Jia's memory, the male homeowner downstairs would beat his wife when he was drunk, complaining that she hadn't given him a son, which made him feel listless and without purpose in his work. After the verbal abuse, the tables, chairs, and benches would be smashed to pieces in a mess.

At two o'clock in the morning, the woman's cries for help echoed throughout the corridor. Li's mother couldn't bear it anymore and was about to call the police, but Li's father stopped her, saying, "Even an upright official can't settle family disputes. If you call the police, they will beat you even more. Just bear with it, the child will grow up and it will be fine."

What Mr. Li said was true. The neighbors had made fewer than a few dozen calls to the police, but when the police came, they would just give them a verbal warning. It was common for couples to quarrel in bed and then make up in bed.

One day after school, Li Jia saw her neighbor aunt rushing downstairs with her luggage. Her face was bruised and swollen, and she was unrecognizable. She ran away in a panic when she saw Li Jia.

Later, someone asked Li Jia if she had seen this aunt. Li Jia didn't know why, but she was afraid that she had lied the first time and said that she hadn't seen her.

Then the news spread that Old Zhang's wife had run off with someone else, abandoning even her own flesh and blood, and people were outraged by the irresponsibility and heartlessness of women.

Later, Li's mother passed away, and Li Jia moved into a sanatorium.

As Li Jia grew older and gained more experience, she came to understand her aunt's actions. If life were protected by law, and if the police had taken action, the tragedy would not have occurred.

When a woman's life cannot be guaranteed, anything else is nonsense.

However, Li Jia herself also found it strange that intentional homicide could be punished with the death penalty, but as long as she was married, she could only be sentenced to eleven years, or even have a suspended sentence or a reduced sentence.

After being released from prison, the perpetrator can start a new life, so what wrong did the victim do?

Unilateral divorce is no longer acceptable; the other party's consent is required. Perhaps to improve marriage rates, a cooling-off period for divorce has now been added.

In comparison, Li Jia genuinely felt that the Temple of Marriage was doing a great service and truly protecting women's rights.

Inside the palace, a serene energy filled the air. Hera sat at her desk, her gaze sweeping over the scrolls, her fingertips lightly tracing the pages as if touching the story behind each word.

As the sun rose, its warm light shone down from the top of the sky, casting a halo around the golden hair at her temples.

At this moment, Li Jia suddenly understood that justice is not just cold, hard rules, but Hera's careful consideration of the protagonists in the Book of Fate over countless days and nights.

It is the responsibility to do everything in one's power to uphold "reason" even when faced with a situation where it is known that it is difficult to achieve both.

Selfless and impartial.

These eight words shone brighter and brighter in Li Jia's heart.

As Li Jia watched the deity bending over the desk to process the marriage scrolls, her expression grew increasingly gentle.

Seeing Doreen and Hera engrossed in their official duties, Winslow patted Li Jia on the shoulder and said he would take her to see the human world.

Li Jia has been staying in the hot spring valley ever since she arrived here, and hasn't had a chance to go out and see the outside world. After consulting with Hera, she saw the little guy's longing expression.

Hera didn't say anything and acquiesced, only instructing Winslow to keep an eye on the person and make sure he was back before dark.

Winslow hadn't been to the human world in a long time, so he quickly nodded in agreement. The two of them, carrying their little backpacks, went out of the palace gate one after the other.

As Winslow stepped out of the palace, Hera's oracle floated into her ears: "Remember to take her to lunch."

Okay, okay, I'm really impressed.

Winslow rolled her eyes. She wasn't stupid; how could she let someone starve to death?

"What’s wrong with you?"

Seeing Winslow roll his eyes so hard he looked like he was about to faint, Li Jia asked curiously.

"It's nothing, I just choked on my water," Winslow said casually.

Li Jia looked left and right but didn't see her drink any water. Maybe non-humans drink water in a different way.

But Winslow and Doreen aren't gods, nor are they immortal. So what are they? And will I die?

Forget it, Li Jia originally wanted to ask, but then she thought, who asks about work when they're out having fun?

Be a fun person; when you play, play hard, and when you work (strategy), work hard (strategy).