Chapter 05
"Enter the sacred mountain and step into the forbidden area of the temple."
The blue-haired waitress's gentle voice rang in my ears.
“Remember, your fears will become reality, and only those who truly surrender will reach the end.”
Li Jia was puzzled. The God Lord should have been in the temple, so why was he here?
It had absolutely nothing to do with the plot that was flooding her mind.
According to the original story, no one would choose Hera. Hera was proud and disdained to be chosen by anyone. She had never had any servants before marrying Zeus.
Could it be because of my appearance?
Is the plot starting to go astray?
system.
Li Jia called out to it softly and raised her own question.
"Because you, Master, firmly chose the target, the plot has changed. This is a good thing for our mission. As long as the Goddess of Spring is born smoothly and the war of the gods is stopped, everything will be settled."
Can I see her favorability rating?
Li Jia had read many strategy guides, so she knew that there was such a thing as "favorability".
She needs to know what kind of importance and presence she holds in the hearts of those she is trying to win over.
In this era where human life is treated like dirt, she needs to cling to others to survive.
She wants to live.
To live on at any cost.
Li Jia touched her collarbone; the place where the woman had touched still had a lingering warmth, which burned her a little.
"Of course, my master."
"We are Western-style strategy guides, and we have our own progress tracking tools. We don't have progress bars, but we do have affection hourglasses."
After she finished speaking, a silver necklace was hung around Li Jia's neck. An hourglass was set in the center of a pendant. The top of the hourglass was covered with dense, flowing gold sand, while the bottom was empty of sand.
"Once all the sand in the hourglass has fallen, the favorability rating will reach 100%."
Li Jia picked up the hourglass and played with it.
I thought to myself.
This deity is truly stingy; he wouldn't even spare her a grain of sand.
But Li Jia was not discouraged. The ending of the game was important, but the process of completing it would make her tremble with excitement.
She enjoys challenges and the adrenaline rush.
She is not a normal person.
She knew this from the first time Li Jia killed a parrot when she was eight years old, picking out the feathers from its skin one by one with nail clippers.
The parrot was a gift from Li Jia's stepmother, or more accurately, her father's girlfriend at the time. Li Jia disliked this woman who approached her with ulterior motives.
She also resented her father's heartlessness; after being married for less than three months, her mother had passed away and he wanted to bring a new wife into the family.
She dismembered the parrot's body into parts and packed them into an exquisite gift box. When the woman came to her house again, almost with a fawning smile, Li Jia handed her the box and told her to open it at home.
As expected, the woman was terrified. Her father sent her to a sanatorium, and she never saw him again except to pay the fees on time.
Li Jia learned from the head nurse that he had remarried.
That woman.
Oh, no, that's not right.
She is a stepmother.
His new wife was carrying his new child.
Li Jia was fortunate enough to taste a piece of wedding candy that he had shared with someone else.
The little girl frowned.
It's so bitter.
The burning sensation after swallowing the vow ice crystal brought her back to her senses.
She followed the group, moving towards the palace gate one by one. Only eight out of ten people stepped through the gate, and the other two were almost carbonized and torn apart by sword blades the moment they entered.
"Those who do not submit absolutely shall not approach the sacred mountain even half a step."
The blonde waitress's deep voice rang out again from the crowd.
Apollo's sun and Athena's bronze sword are the irrefutable evidence left by the ice crystals of the oath.
The number of attendants decreased from ten to eight, but this made no difference to Li Jia.
She was the only one who chose red.
She was the only one who chose Hera.
Inside the temple, the three chief deities sat separately, with an inextinguishable sacred fire burning on the central altar. The flames leaped in the bronze vessels, making crackling sounds.
The supreme deity, seated at the head of the table, exuded an aura that surpassed all things. His thick, long hair cascaded down like a waterfall. He rested his chin on his hand, gazing at the scene within the sacred fire, where the chosen ones appeared before the gods.
"Having chosen you, yet fearing you, humanity is as greedy as ever."
Zeus gripped the Thunder Spear tightly in his hand, its surface crackling with a purplish-gold current, like the roar of a thousand dragons.
"It's just that two tactless people died. I much prefer cute and obedient little girls to men."
Apollo was dressed in an exquisite robe, with a gilded sash wrapped around his shoulders, and held a golden-feathered bow. His golden hair and blue eyes conveyed an extremely disdainful tone.
He and Artemis are twin gods, one being the sun and the other the moon.
The Golden Feather Bow and the Silver Feather Bow were gifts bestowed upon the brother and sister by the sacred mountain.
As the sun god, whether standing or walking, his presence creates ripples wherever he goes, as if light itself is materializing and moving.
"It's not necessarily a bad thing if someone serves me tea and water, or wipes my sword hilt when I return from battle."
The goddess of war is clad in armor, the plates of which are protected by ancient and timeless divine patterns. Each piece of armor flows with divine blessings, as if a thousand years of wisdom is flowing within it.
Unlike ordinary goddesses, Athena did not pursue fair and delicate skin. Her bare arms, with their wheat-colored muscle lines, contained inexhaustible divine power. She reached out and teased the black-eyed owl perched on her shoulder, laughing.
"I find this so boring. Sitting here watching these idiots is less appealing than going back to tend to my newly opened violet orchard."
The wheat tassel earrings swayed with Demeter's emotions, her smile as warm as the spring sun, her eyes radiating the loving glow of Mother Earth, as if she were recalling her lovely, vibrant plants.
"But to think that someone would choose Hera over you, Apollo, you're a real failure."
A beautiful and charming goddess appeared before the sun god. Her words were full of teasing laughter as she watched the crowd in the sacred fire with great interest. Every move she made was delightful.
“Aphrodite, what does this have to do with you? Today is not the day to choose your servants.”
The proud sun god immediately retaliated, and the goddess of beauty smiled, covered her lips, and bowed her head to apologize to him.
"I admire this little girl. Her courage to challenge the most capricious god in the entire divine realm is enough to pique my curiosity."
Poseidon, the god of the sea, had deep blue-gray eyes as unfathomable as the ocean abyss, and every strand of his hair was imbued with the fragrance of sea salt.
"It's something to look forward to."
It is unclear who uttered this exclamation, but the gazes of all the gods were drawn to the foot of the mountain.
The eight people who successfully entered the mountain formed five passages on the staircase leading to the sacred mountain, and each person went to the entrance that they were supposed to enter according to their color.
Apart from Lina and Li Jia, the rest are in pairs.
“Li Jia”.
Before entering the passage.
Lina called out to her, muttering earnestly, "You'll get what you want too."
"Thank you for your kind words."
Li Jia stepped onto the red stairs one by one. After passing through the passage, she entered a boundless forest. Following the instructions, she went deep into the dense forest.
The further you go in, the more the air is filled with a putrid stench, mixed with the faint cries of a baby, like a kitten's weak, delicate sobs.
These are fragments unearthed from the depths of memory.
Li Jia continued walking inside, and she saw herself.
Or perhaps this is the original owner's memory, and the scene it transforms into is what the original owner feared.
Cercy is an ordinary peasant girl, while Finrick is a descendant of nobility. They meet at the horse farm, where he is attracted to her kindness and vivacity, and she is captivated by his gentlemanly manners and classless character. The two thoughtful young people quickly fall in love and pledge their lives to each other.
Regardless of the era, the topic of marrying someone of equal social standing seems to be unavoidable.
Ultimately, Finrick left his family, relinquished his title, and married Celsis in the North. Finrick traveled overseas as a merchant, and after the birth of his daughter, Ricard, he had to venture to more distant seas to make a living in order to support his wife and daughter. His business grew bigger and more prosperous.
The original female lead's memories touched Li Jia's heart, and she experienced things she had never experienced before.
Cersi's kisses and Finrick's embrace captivated her, making it impossible for her to let go.
It wasn't until the ship carrying Finrick and Celcy sank in the Atlantic that Li Jia saw the little girl's hidden pain.
The scene shifts again, with the salty winds of the Baltic Strait carrying a fierce storm, slapping against the cheeks of the young original heroine, who clutches her father's hand tightly, refusing to let go.
"Hold on tight to the mast, Li Jia!"
The mother stuffed her into the storage compartment and wrapped her in an oil-soaked canvas. The girl huddled in the damp darkness, hearing the desperate sound of planks breaking on the deck. The waves, like mad beasts, repeatedly tossed the ship into the air and then crashed it into the abyss.
The storage compartment's insulation was breached by a giant wave, and the girl was swept towards the stern by the seawater. She saw her mother staggering towards her in the torrential rain, her long brown-grey hair flying in the storm.
"catch!"
The mother pushed her toward the last lifeboat, but was struck by a suddenly broken mast.
The little girl cried and reached out, but only touched her mother's slipping fingertips.
“My dear daughter! Row! Head southwest, there’s a lighthouse there…”
The girl saw his last smile on the crest of a wave. Three days later, she was rescued by a merchant ship from Firas, and the bodies of her parents were also recovered.
Conrad brought a will bearing her father's name, and Li Jia secretly saw him take her father's silver coins.
She's too weak; she can't do anything.
They didn't even dare to ask for their father's belongings back.
The brown soil that should have been moist and fertile under Li Jia's feet was instantly covered with thorns. The little girl squatted in the middle of the thorn bush with her hands wrapped around her knees. The thorns moved closer to the little girl, and her tender, small sobs came intermittently from the center.
Is this what she fears?
Without any hesitation, Li Jia took a step forward. The moment she stepped onto the thorns, the sharp thorns pierced the soles of her shoes. She took off her shoes and walked barefoot into the thorns.
The little girl looked up at her, her eyes filled with disbelief.
"you……"
After walking a certain distance, Li Jia's feet were already covered in blood and flesh.
"Don't cry."
She crouched down to be at eye level with the girl and said with a smile.
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