Chapter 26
In the afternoon, there was a pop quiz, a test paper graded out of 100.
Tian frowned as she looked at their papers. What were they even listening to in class? They were writing down questions they had already covered in class.
"Li Jia, 59."
"Lina, 58."
As school was about to end, Tian stuffed the textbook into Hera's hands and said in the most kind tone possible, "Your Majesty Hera, when you get home, you can help Li Jia study grammar and reinforce your knowledge."
—
Li Jia put the test paper into the crevice at the very bottom of her schoolbag. How could she dare let the devil know? He would kill her with his crickets.
"Take it out."
Li Jia remained motionless, like a turtle.
"Take it out and let me see it. Don't make me say it twice."
Playing dead is ineffective owo
She had no choice but to pull the test paper out from the very back and hand it to Hera with trembling hands, fearing that Hera might get so angry that she would have a breakdown. Li Jia felt she needed to give her a heads-up.
"I'm just one point away from passing. I still have 59 points left. If I get one more multiple-choice question right, I'll have 60 points."
Rounding up, that's 60. That's more than half of a perfect score, which is already pretty impressive.
“I got 59, while Lina only got 58.”
Sorry, my dear friend.
"I swear I will pass the next pop quiz."
We'll set the goal first; whether it can be achieved will only be known on the day itself.
Hera ignored Li Jia's excuses. Sitting on her chariot, she flipped through Li Jia's papers and sneered, "Are you doing this on purpose? Which of the following is an ancient Greek writer? What were you thinking? You chose Pythagoras."
Because it looks like Godzilla, she didn't recognize any of the other three names written on it.
"Pythagoras was a famous mathematician in ancient Greece. What are your thoughts on that?"
"Does the Vance family not value education? I vaguely remember that the North and Olli have long allowed girls to attend school, how come they don't even know the most basic character Mingzhi?"
Tian is right, we need to prepare in advance; it's terrible to be completely clueless when asked questions.
"..."
She knew nothing about Western mathematicians; she only knew Hua Luogeng from the East.
Completely without any means of rebuttal, Hera now looked at her as if she were illiterate. How could she explain that she was highly educated?
How can this be explained reasonably?
Should I tell her that I'm not from this era and therefore can't understand their questions? But that would expose my true identity.
Or you could say you have amnesia; you actually learned it, but you've forgotten it all, which doesn't make logical sense.
Sigh, forget it. It's better to let Hera think I'm illiterate. No matter how you explain it, it just seems extremely illogical.
Li Jia looked away and muttered, "Because I'm a bit slow."
Hera rolled the test paper into a tube, gently tapped her head, and looked up to say, "Early bird catches the worm. Diligence can make up for lack of talent. I will come back earlier in the evenings to help you with your preparation. I don't expect you to be super smart, but at least you should know the most basic common sense."
The little guy looked dejected: "Then Your Majesty, you must come back soon. I don't want to have to work overtime to study when I get home at night."
Hearing Li Jia's childlike ramblings, Hera's heart pounded like a damp, oppressive rainstorm. As the rain subsided, she realized that the misty vapor was already covered with countless signs of terminal illness.
Back at the hot spring valley, the meal was already laid out in the deep hall, all of which were Li Jia's favorite dishes: osmanthus wine, creamy truffle potatoes, tenderly pan-fried steak, and a porcelain bowl of borscht.
Winslow has lost the right to have dinner with Li Jia, because someone else would prefer to have dinner with her.
Two sets of pink bunny cutlery were on the table. Just as Li Jia was about to sneak a bite of a small potato, she heard, "Go wash your hands, it's time to eat."
Li Jia said "Oh" and ran happily to the pond in the small garden to wash her hands clean.
Because of Li Jia's presence, she has more and more belongings in the deep palace, and she likes pink, cute, and girlish things.
The so-called small wooden shelf specifically for snacks, the round plush blanket that Li Jia said she could use for yoga stretching and weight loss, but in reality she used it most of the time to nap, and the beanbag chair that she liked to curl up on to read storybooks.
Her scent permeated the temple; one's breath was steady when near her.
Gods do not need to eat or sleep.
I don’t know when it started, but Hera would leave a light on for Li Jia and prepare food for her. After dealing with some tricky things, she would start paying attention to local specialties and interesting things in different places, and wonder if Li Jia would like them.
Hera found herself enjoying watching Li Jia eat. Li Jia didn't eat like a lady; she ate very carelessly, stuffing her mouth full like a hoarding hamster.
Rice grains would sometimes fall onto the table, and she would pick them up and eat them, muttering to herself, "It didn't take more than three seconds, it didn't take more than three seconds."
The more mysteries surrounding her, the more Hera felt she couldn't hold onto her. Only at night, when she lay in her arms, did Hera feel that the little one was truly and real beside her.
After dinner, Li Jia summoned Huang Quan and took a nice bath.
Although the name of this private hot spring was rather sinister, once she soaked in it, her internal organs felt incredibly comfortable, and she felt her skin becoming better and softer. What woman wouldn't love beauty, especially a young girl under eighteen?
The longer she stayed here, the more attached she became to this place. She loved the hot spring valley, the fragrant city of springs, and everything about it.
She also likes the owner of this place.
Lost in thought, Li Jia fell asleep again.
Hera: "..."
I don't know where she gets so much sleep, or is it that mortals are just much weaker in terms of physical condition?
She was given a great deal of divine power in the underworld, which had the effect of prolonging life. Her lifeline could not be connected to hers, and she would age and die normally like a mortal, and then leave her.
Whenever Hera thought about this, she felt extremely anxious and agitated; the indescribable palpitations were driving her crazy.
As a deity, she cannot interfere with the life and death of mortals.
She hated this feeling, the despair she couldn't control. She wouldn't let Li Jia leave her; she would take back her Spirit-Binding Lamp and grant her eternal life. What did the price matter?
Li Jia was neither at the Hot Spring Valley nor at the Temple of Marriage today. With her not by her side, Hera kept thinking about her, wondering how she was doing and whether she was doing well.
She listened to her, but didn't receive a single greeting from her all day.
Hera: "You heartless little thing, what am I going to do with you?"
He sighed silently, kissed her forehead, lifted her out of the private bath, and carried her to the bed.
...
When Li Jia woke up, she was met with a pair of red eyes.
All right.
She had gotten used to it; Hera often liked to talk to her in the middle of the night, which was probably just a small part of one of her quirks.
I can understand, I can understand. After all, Hera is the boss, and the boss can talk whenever he wants.
"You slept a little longer today. Were you tired from school?"
When Li Jia heard her ask her question, she nodded obediently. Studying really takes a lot of brainpower.
Hera: "Then you'll fail the test."
Can you please stop being so hurtful?
Seeing that she remained silent, Hera said with a stern face, "Why didn't you come to me today?"
Li Jia: "?"
In novels, this thing is usually only used in life-or-death situations, and she was having a great time chatting with Lina, so why would she suddenly call her out of the blue?
Li Jia wondered if Hera had separation anxiety, otherwise why she always liked to go over Hera's daily life with her late at night.
But Li Jia doesn't dislike Hera's behavior because she likes being cared for and enjoys the feeling of being valued.
After careful consideration and word-by-word analysis, Li Jia came to a conclusion: the boss wanted her to make the call.
She dared not say that she had forgotten because she was chatting with Lina.
"Because Your Majesty is very busy. I'm not a child. How can I keep calling you about trivial matters?"
Li Jia came up with a flawless reason, flattered the boss, and even rehearsed the wording several times in her mind. She thought the boss wouldn't be angry now.
"This is no small matter."
The incoherent statement left Li Jia completely confused.
Seeing that she was still confused, Hera touched her forehead: "Your problems are not small matters to me. I am selfish, so from now on, you can only tell me about these things, okay?"
It was almost like coaxing a child.
Li Jia smiled sweetly at her: "Okay, I will only tell His Majesty from now on, and I will also tell His Majesty immediately if I encounter anything interesting."
Sensing Hera's possessiveness, Li Jia decided to use gentleness to overcome her strength; going along with her wouldn't be too difficult.
Why do people have to say things out of spite? Why do they have to compete to see who is more stubborn and who is less willing to admit defeat?
According to Li Jia, it should be a competition of who is braver and more determined.
It's no big deal to give way a little.
Hera was satisfied with Li Jia's answer. It was still dark, so Hera pulled the blanket up for her and chuckled, "Sleep a little longer."
Li Jia immediately closed her eyes. Thank goodness! She already knew exactly what her boss needed; as long as she didn't mess with her, she was fine.
The next day at school, Hera woke her up an hour early to preview the textbook. At first, Li Jia couldn't get up, but Hera urged her to get up every day. With a human alarm clock, it was hard for her not to get up.
After half an hour of grammar lessons, Doreen taught her the simplest swordsmanship. Li Jia disliked fighting and killing the most; she lived in a society governed by the rule of law and wouldn't even dare to kill a chicken.
Winslow rolled his eyes at her: "His Majesty doesn't mean you have to kill people, but that you have the ability to protect yourself. The Temple of Marriage has always been like this: we don't offend others unless they offend us, and if they offend us, we will retaliate."
She still seemed uninterested.
Hera told her to focus, and she touched the ring on her finger. Soon, a miniature version of the Judgment Sword was in her hand.
A 1:1 replica.
Li Jia loved it; what girl doesn't like something sparkly?
Hera pinched Li Jia's cheek: "Now you can finally focus on your studies?"
Li Jia saluted her: "Yes, sir, I promise to study hard and never bring shame to His Majesty or the Judgment Bureau."
"Can I have some accessories made for my sword? It doesn't look very nice just sitting there bare." Li Jia really liked the sword and hugged Xiao Pandao in her arms, touching it again and again.
“Yes, the secondary ring has already recognized its master. What you do with it is up to you.” Hera smoothed her hair. “Your sword is a part of the Path of Judgment, possessing half of its power.”
Li Jia started thinking about what kind of cool scabbard or tassel she could make for Xiao Pandao. In martial arts novels, she saw that the sword was the swordsman's life, and the swordsman was also the sword's destiny.
For some reason, Li Jia always had the illusion that it was a token of their love.
He took the sword and practiced a basic set of sword techniques with Doreen. Although he wasn't very proficient, he could still imitate her moves quite well and looked decent.
She practiced diligently for over half a month without missing a single day, and Xiao Pandao became adept at using it; it was a sword born for her.
Li Jia felt that Artemis was a very gentle goddess, and she gradually came to understand why Lina wanted to stay by the side of the goddess of the hunt forever.
“Li Jia, I love Artemis, and I know that better than anyone else.”
One afternoon, while taking a nap at the table, Li Jia asked Lina why she was willing to stay by Artemis's side. Lina's answer shocked Li Jia but was also expected.
"Did you tell her?" Li Jia paused, then asked casually.
“No, I won’t tell her.” Lina’s eyes darkened. “Artemis is the moon goddess. Her divine power comes from her purity. On the first day I arrived here, Lota warned me that Artemis would not fall in love with anyone, she would not marry anyone, and she would not get involved in marriage.”
"Therefore, all I ask for in this life is to stay by Artemis's side."
Li Jia lowered her head and remained silent. After a while, she said sullenly, "If you don't tell her, and she doesn't know how you feel, won't you be resentful?"
"Li Jia, happiness doesn't require conditions for me. Being able to stay by Artemis's side is happiness for me."
“I can give up titles, status, and everything else. After all, this is our first meeting. My wish is to stay by the side of the Goddess of the Hunt forever. You wished me to have my wish fulfilled, and now I have had my wish fulfilled.”
Lina glanced at her bewildered best friend. "The bystander sees more of the game than the player," she thought, and then, with a smile, she lifted her sleeve and propped her chin on her hand. "So, did you get what you wanted?"
Did you get what you wanted?
Li Jia asked herself, how did she effortlessly reach Hera's side and possess everything she had never had in her past life? Here, she no longer had to worry about the troubles of the past, and everything she had was given to her by a woman.
Li Jia's eyelashes fluttered slightly, and she softly replied, "My wish has been fulfilled."
"That's good."
——
Before they knew it, Li Jia and Lina had been staying at Artemis's residence for almost half a year. During this time, they went through failing courses, retaking exams, failing again, and passing again. In the end, they achieved a perfect score of 80 and 81 in the final exams, respectively.
After receiving their report cards, the two-month winter break began. Tian didn't let the break stop her from studying. She prepared winter break homework for the two of them and specifically instructed Hera to supervise Li Jia's homework and, ideally, to preview the next semester's schedule. She also gave Hera an extra copy of the new textbook.
Three years of college entrance exams and five years of mock exams—it's the same old formula, the same familiar taste.
What did I do to deserve this? To live in a different world, I still have to do winter break homework. It's so tedious and exhausting.
Li Jia: Stand up and laugh at the world, lie down and live out your life.
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