Chapter 38

After receiving the plot points, Li Jia took out her phone and made a call to Lina.

Lina was overjoyed to receive Li Jia's call and asked her best friend what she needed.

Li Jia then told Lina about the plot points the system had mentioned, and Lina knew that Li Jia had a romance quest to complete.

Without saying a word, Lina agreed and hung up the phone. She went back to her room and spent a long time tidying up a small cloth bag containing some changes of clothes and snacks.

Carrying a small cloth bag, I ran towards the Water Mirror Palace, which was located deep in the Ephesus meadow.

At that moment, Artemis was sitting on a soft couch by the window, her fingertips holding a yellowed ancient book. Moonlight shone through the carved window lattice onto her, even the strands of her hair gleamed with a soft luster.

Hearing the "whoosh whoosh whoosh" of footsteps, he smiled.

Artemis knew it was her.

A slight smile played on her lips as she looked up and saw a fluffy little penguin burst through the door, its round body carrying a small cloth bag almost half its height. A knowing glint appeared in her eyes.

Artemis looked down at her, took out a crescent-shaped nameplate from her sleeve, its silver surface gleaming with a faint blue light, and handed it to her.

He bent down and whispered in her ear, "This piece can't be given away anymore."

"Lina, you can't help me incur so many favors."

After saying that, he gently flicked her little head.

The little penguin clutched the crescent-shaped name tag, her face flushed red, heat radiating from her ear tips to her neck. Her little claws gripped the hem of her clothes, and she didn't even dare to lift her head. It turned out she knew everything.

Fortunately, Lina usually transforms into a fluffy little penguin at night; otherwise, it would be quite embarrassing if she revealed her human form at this moment.

"Let's go, I'll take you to the hot spring valley."

Artemis said, then picked up the little penguin and boarded the Spirit Deer Star Chariot.

Each deity's mode of transportation is related to their own soul and divine power.

Artemis's chariot was pulled by a herd of silver-tailed deer, led by a female deer standing in the middle of the chariot, who took the lead in guiding them forward. The remaining seven divine deer formed a team to pull her chariot.

The blue-haired goddess boarded the spirit deer chariot, gently raised the reins, and the herd of deer moved forward on the starlight.

As the chariot drove through the night, silver starlight spilled from beneath its wheels, leaving long streaks across the dark sky.

The stardust fell onto the blades of grass in the Ephesus meadow, like a handful of shattered diamonds, escorting the goddess holding her little penguin all the way toward the hot springs.

The little penguin nestled in Artemis's arms, watching the receding starlight below, and couldn't help but whisper in amazement, "How beautiful!"

The blue-haired goddess smiled and agreed, "Yes, the moonlight is so beautiful."

The Spirit Deer Star Chariot stopped at the entrance of the Hot Spring Stream, and Artemis politely tapped the wind chimes at the door with her divine sense.

The woman lying on the bed in the deep palace opened her eyes, sensing the divine power of Artemis as she inquired.

After receiving permission, the door to the hot spring opened by itself, and Artemis entered carrying the little penguin. The door then closed automatically.

"Wow, this is so high-tech, it's an automatic door."

The little penguin exclaimed.

Although Artemis didn't understand what she meant by "automatic door," judging from the words, she was probably shocked that the door would open automatically.

After thinking for a moment, he explained, "Each god's residence has a restriction placed inside; without the permission of the residence's owner, one cannot step inside."

"Can't we just pry it open or dig a hole and crawl in?"

Artemis pinched her chubby cheeks and laughed, "No, if he tries to force his way in, the restrictions of the hot spring will burn him to ashes."

Lina nodded, raising her tiny, flipper-like hands in a thumbs-up gesture.

This expresses approval of this incredibly powerful defensive equipment, which is similar to a nuclear missile.

"Then why isn't it in the Ephesus Grasslands? If it is, and I gave the name tag to Li Jia, why am I still able to come and go in the Ephesus Grasslands?"

The little penguin blinked and asked in confusion.

"The restrictions on the Ephesian meadows only apply to people; there are no restrictions on animals. Animals can live freely in Ephesus, far away from poachers."

"Just like when I found you in Elfen Valley, except I didn't expect you to come back to me on your own initiative."

"Lina."

"As for why, that's a secret. Anyway, you already have a new brand name."

After Artemis finished speaking, she moved a tuft of gray hair on the top of her head.

Lina didn't think too much about it. Anyway, she already had a new name tag, which was even better looking than the previous one. Perhaps she was afraid that Lina would just give it away again.

This time, Artemis used her divine power to engrave her name on the back of the crescent-shaped name tag: Lina.

It can't be wiped off no matter what I do.

Her penguin-form arms were too short to reach her neck, so she glanced at Artemis.

He immediately understood and put it around her neck. Lina held the sparkly name tag, completely captivated by it.

The fluffy head nuzzled Artemis's fingers, its eyes filled with joy.

Now she'll never lose her designer clothes again.

Artemis carried the little penguin into the deep hall, where Hera stood at the door waiting with a sleepy-eyed Li Jia.

"I'm sorry to bother you so late."

Artemis put down the little penguin and apologized to Hera. Li Jia was still asleep and was standing crookedly. Hera patted Li Jia on the back to wake her up and make her stand up straight.

Hera said calmly, "It was Li Jia who invited Lina to visit the hot spring pool. There's no question of bothering her. Besides, she spent most of her school years studying in your area. If we're talking about bothering her, it's us who are bothering her."

"That's right, that's right. How can we only go to your house to play all the time? You should come to my house to play too."

Upon seeing Lina, Li Jia immediately snapped out of her daze, walked over to Lina, took her little hand, and said in a tone that suggested, "We're like family."

"How many days will you stay?"

Li Jia knew that the task she had asked Lina to do would take several days to complete, so she looked up at Artemis with her bright, sparkling eyes and pleaded, "I really like Lina. Could the Goddess of the Hunt please let her stay with me for a few more days?"

Upon hearing this, the little penguin immediately shook its fluffy head and looked at Artemis with expectant eyes.

Artemis patted the gray hair on her head, a smile hidden in her eyes: "Since it's your request, I'll grant it, just don't take her away to cause trouble."

Li Jia immediately grabbed Lina's little hand and cheered. Lina, being pulled along, swayed slightly with her round body, and raised her other little hand high.

After seeing Artemis off, Li Jia said that she couldn't sleep in the inner palace with Hera for the next few days; she would sleep in the guest room with Lina.

Hera gave a wry smile, unsure whether inviting her friend over was a good thing or a bad thing.

Since it would only be a few days anyway, it would pass quickly, so he agreed and let Winslow choose a clean and tidy palace for the two of them to stay in.

During the day, Hera would go to the Temple of Marion to handle some business, and Doreen would go with her. Li Jia wrote Winslow a dozen extremely complicated new recipes and asked her to keep busy, thus sending her away.

She and Lina were the only two people in the entire hot spring valley.

The two cautiously closed the door and hid under a wool blanket. Later, because it was too hot, they gave up discussing it inside and instead hid under the bed to "conspire".

Li Jia wrote down all the information the system had given her on a piece of paper.

Characters: Zeus (perpetrator), Demeter (victim)

Location: Kutabo Valley

Task requirements: Promote the relationship between the perpetrator and the victim, try to force it to grow too fast, then let the victim see the true colors of the scumbag as soon as possible and cut the seedlings off decisively. Finally, provide psychological counseling and postpartum care after the breakup.

Lina even drew a mind map for him and put a big X over Zeus's name.

Upon learning of Demeter's deeds, Lina was furious and insisted that she and Li Jia get this matter settled.

Since the plot couldn't prevent Demeter from meeting and falling in love with Zeus, all they could do was heal Demeter's wounds and provide her with psychological support.

Lina, being a soon-to-be-graduated master's student in psychology, knew all too well that if emotions couldn't be managed, one would be trapped in a dead end; otherwise, there wouldn't be so many heartbroken men and women who were troubled by love and lived with lifelong regrets.

After some revisions, the general direction was settled, and Li Jia stuffed the paper into a gap under the bed.

With the plan set, Li Jia was to make a trip to Xiangcheng Quandu as usual.

After she became entangled with Hera, Li Jia possessed half of Hera's divine power, and correspondingly, she needed to shoulder half of Hera's responsibilities.

Hera knew she was a lazy bum who didn't want to run around doing chores, so she relieved her of the duties of the Temple of Marriage and transferred the Fragrant City Spring to her name.

Hera could tell that the little one enjoyed exploring the capital city, and that she would love it and take good care of its people.

Lina also wanted to go to Xiangcheng Quandu, so Li Jia notified Winslow a day in advance to go together.

The two had just crawled out from under the bed when they heard Winslow's boisterous voice coming from outside the door: "Are you ready? The carriage is ready, or the capital will close soon!"

Li Jia and Lina jogged out, and Winslow was leaning against the carriage. When he saw Li Jia and Lina come out, he waved the money bag in his hand: "Don't worry, I'll cover all the expenses for today."

Lina transforms into human form during the day; she's a cute girl with big eyes. Once the three of them get to know each other, none of them are quiet and reserved.

That completely opened up the conversation, from the southeast to the northwest, and of course, as the relationship warmed up, all sorts of gossip also came up.

The three of them rode in a carriage into Xiangcheng Quandu. The aroma of food wafted from the shops on both sides of the street, which whetted Li Jia's appetite. However, they had important business to attend to, so there was no rush to eat.

The residents of Xiangchengquandu all knew Winslow and Doreen. Hera had never shown her true face, and Li Jia followed Winslow, so everyone assumed she was from the Temple of Marriage.

Li Jia enjoys going to Xiangcheng Quandu with Winslow to eat delicious food, wander around, speak up when she sees injustice, take action when necessary, and help them solve problems whenever they arise.

Just past the street corner, the blacksmith's shop bell jingled, and the old blacksmith clutched the blueprints that Li Jia had left behind last time.

Upon seeing that it was Li Jia, he immediately came forward and happily handed her three slingshots: "I thought you had forgotten about this, Miss Li Jia, but this is the first time I've ever seen a tool like this for shooting birds."

"And Miss Li Jia, the prototype of the improved sickle and curved plow that you gave me last time is finished. You can take a look and see what aspects need improvement."

Li Jia bent down to examine the farm tools, her fingertips tracing the curve of the plowshare: "If the plowshare is polished smoother, it will be easier to reduce the amount of mud sticking to it."

She casually pulled out a new blueprint, which showed a simple pulley with bearings: "I'd also like to trouble you with this. It will save the villagers half the effort when carrying water to irrigate their fields."

"no problem!"

The old blacksmith quickly took the blueprints: "The pulley blueprints you gave me last time were a great help. This time, it's the same old deal: 30% off!"

"The compensation must be sufficient."

Li Jia smiled and handed over the gold coins: "But you can still keep the blueprints."

Solving problems with modern science is much more efficient. Li Jia University majored in industrial design and drew some simple and convenient tools, which is easy for him.

Living off the mountains and rivers, the people of Xiangcheng, the capital of springs, rely mainly on tourism and agriculture for their income. It is a famous tourist city that integrates forests and hot springs, attracting many tourists with its abundant hot spring resources and high forest coverage.

Li Jia then drew up blueprints for improved agricultural tools such as curved plows and sickles, and guided blacksmiths in forging them. He also made simple pulleys using wood and ropes to help transport heavy objects and lift water for irrigation.

It helped them improve their efficiency, and improved efficiency is equivalent to increased income.

Instead of talking empty words and shouting slogans, which are meaningless, it's better to do something useful. Li Jia has genuinely helped them.

The people of Xiangcheng Quandu know that Her Majesty Hera has an extremely devout servant.

Everyone likes Li Jia and no one dislikes or discriminates against her because of her status as an apprentice.

Leaving the blacksmith shop, Winslow pulled them into a dessert shop. As soon as they sat down, they overheard people at the next table talking about rumors in the Ktabo Valley: "Have you heard? The Goddess of Agriculture has been going over the mountain a lot lately, as if she's waiting for someone."

Li Jia and Lina exchanged a glance, both seeing the understanding in each other's eyes.

Lina poked at the honey cake on the plate: "This looks like it's going to be very interesting."

With a honey cake in his mouth, Winslow mumbled, "What's interesting? You guys want to go to the Kutabo Valley?"

"If you want to go, I can put in a good word for you. I know the forest ranger in the valley, so I can talk to him."

Li Jia gave Lina a look, then turned and grabbed Winslow's left arm pitifully, saying, "That's great! I want to take Lina to the Ktabo Valley. I heard that irises bloom everywhere there."

Lina, sensing the situation, grabbed Winslow's right arm: "Winslow, you're the best~"

However, this is true. Li Jia had seen records in the data provided by the system that the streams in the Ketabo Valley were planted with irises, which happened to be Demeter's favorite flower.

The plot hints that Zeus often used iris bushes as cover to meet with Demeter.

Surrounded by two sweet and soft-smelling girls, who wouldn't be moved?

Winslow was indeed so charmed that he seemed to have drifted off into his own world, swallowing the cake in his mouth very quickly: "Irises, they're in full bloom right now, pink and purple carpeting the stream."

She slapped the table and agreed: "I'll go and tell the forest ranger to reserve a good spot for you to enjoy the flowers in advance."

After eating and drinking her fill, Li Jia also went to Luoshangfang, where she had delivered a letter to the Goddess of Textiles the night before.

Inside were two sets of clothing patterns and measurements she needed, along with two sets of patterns for modern, sexy swimsuits, just to do her a favor.

Li Jia received the clothes, held them up to herself a couple of times, and found them to be just the right size. She thanked the Goddess of Textiles and left Luoshangfang with a beaming smile.

Although the Goddess of Weaving didn't understand why Li Jia wanted two sets of such strange clothes, she felt that this child's ideas had always been different from others.

Aesthetic sense is a very personal thing. Not changing one's aesthetic sense because of other people's opinions is itself a kind of aesthetic ability.

Winslow wasn't interested in admiring the flowers, so he stayed in the hot spring to guard the house. Li Jia now had the ability to protect herself; to be precise, apart from gods, ordinary mortals really had no way to deal with her.

Winslow spoke with the ranger on their behalf, and arranged for the entrance to be opened for them ahead of schedule the next morning.

The Ktabo Valley is in bloom. To prevent the flowers from being trampled, there are designated times for entering the valley. The entrance to the valley is only open from noon to dusk.

Winslow instructed Li Jia to return before dark, and Li Jia replied that she understood and would definitely return before Hera discovered her.