Chapter 53
The following spring, the goddess of spring was born in the field of Polo.
Demeter named her beloved daughter Persephone, in the name of the earth, and tied the power of the seasons to her small wrist.
From then on, spring, summer, autumn and winter had their own place to belong.
A new deity has been born on the sacred mountain, and she is a lovely and powerful female deity. This is an extremely rare event, and all living beings come to offer their congratulations with gifts.
The rice bells in the wheat fields of Polo rang for three days in a row.
On the day of the baptism of the new gods, the gods all come following the breath of new life.
Athena wove a small cradle from olive branches, with unfading flower buds adorning the branches. Aphrodite brought a swaddle soaked in nectar, and when her fingertips gently caressed the baby's cheek, even the air was tinged with a soft, warm pink. Artemis hung silver bells formed from moonlight beside the cradle, which jingled melodiously in the breeze.
To their surprise, they actually saw the most unlikely god to appear here—Hera, the goddess of marriage.
Li Jia was holding Persephone, sitting under the flower vines. Persephone's cheeks were chubby, and the fluffy white flower bud skirt made the little baby look like a glutinous rice ball that had just been rolled in frosting.
Everyone adores her; the little girl doesn't suddenly cry or fuss, she's friendly with strangers, and she smiles happily in anyone's arms, melting everyone's hearts.
Meanwhile, Hera, holding the gift Li Jia had given to the baby, opened the wooden box and took out a set of rubber hand rattles. The six small rattles gleamed softly in the sunlight.
She specially commissioned a carpenter to make rubber handbells for Persephone. A set of six features six different shapes: a rabbit, a bear, a rocking horse, an owl, a bee, and an elephant.
Seeing Persephone reaching out her little hand to grab it, Hera handed her the rabbit-shaped one.
Lina gave Persephone a little ant-shaped scooter, but Persephone is too young now and can only play with it when he is three years old.
The little guy's eyes lit up when he saw the toys, and he kept asking to ride the scooter, but Demeter refused, laughing and saying, "You're too young now. When you're a little older, your two godmothers will take you to play."
As if she understood her mother's words, Persephone instantly nestled obediently in Li Jia's arms, holding the rabbit rattle that Li had given her.
It wasn't until Persephone yawned slightly and her eyelids started to droop that Demeter took the opportunity to pull her into her arms: "It's time for a nap."
If this child isn't allowed to leave soon, some god with possessiveness written all over his face might just raise the temperature of this wheat field to the point where it could scorch the wheat ears.
Li Jia's attention was entirely focused on Persephone, and Hera was determined never to have children.
Demeter carried the child toward the temple, and behind her came Aphrodite's amused voice: "I didn't expect the goddess of marriage to attend such a gathering. I thought you hated crying children the most."
There was a brief silence in the air. Hera carried the empty wooden box, her ear tips turning a barely perceptible red.
She glanced at Aphrodite's mischievous eyes, then looked in the direction where Persephone had disappeared, and finally just snorted softly, "...I just think that child isn't noisy."
Aphrodite found it amazing that a god who cared nothing for any other than his own duties would come to visit a little baby.
"And one more thing, I am this child's godmother."
Hera spoke softly, leaving all the gods except Artemis quite astonished.
Did you hear that right? A deity who is usually aloof and cold would call herself a child's godmother.
The significance of this is self-evident. Hera's power is known to all gods and mortals, and her willingness to speak out carries only one unspoken message:
She's got this kid under her wing.
Li Jia's lips curled up slightly; husband and wife are one.
She's the child's godmother, so she is too.
Demeter had actually considered this invitation for Baptismal Day long ago.
The unpleasantness at Poseidon's birthday banquet led to him not receiving an invitation from Demeter for the children's baptism.
Demeter sent a separate invitation to Queen Amphitrite, inviting her to bring her children for a get-together.
Their children will grow up to become powerful figures in their respective religious circles, and it is not a bad thing to know and have a close relationship with them.
Poseidon was displeased that Demeter had bypassed him by inviting Amphitrite to the baptism of the goddess of spring.
But since he and Amphitrite were one, her receiving it was equivalent to him receiving it as well, so it wouldn't be considered a loss of face for him, both morally and logically.
It's much better than someone who's been completely erased from Demeter's memory.
His people relied on the mountains and rivers for sustenance, making a living through agriculture and fishing. Demeter, the Mother Earth, was in charge of agriculture, and Poseidon did not want to offend her.
Apollo and the other gods, Demeter sent out invitations one after another, each one filled with sincerity, and the entire Polo wheat field was enveloped in the joy of this baptismal day.
Except for Zeus.
A month later, the entire Baptismal Day had been completed, and Zeus had not received any letters or secret messages about Demeter.
His story of disguising himself as a farmer to win Demeter's affections spread throughout Mount Olympus.
Fortunately, he was a man, and a male deity revered by the world. It was just a matter of adding a few more embellishments to his scandalous life, providing fodder for conversation for future generations.
Zeus couldn't understand why Demeter would so easily give up her starlight bloodline. If she hadn't extracted that wisp of his starlight, with both her mother and father being gods, the power of their child would probably have surpassed all the new generation of gods.
Zeus was somewhat displeased when he heard that Demeter had given birth to a daughter. He couldn't help but lament Demeter's lack of appreciation. Even if he had deceived her, did the love he gave her have to be fake?
It's so embarrassing that they've severed all ties with me.
If she were to successfully register their marriage now, he would have one more powerful son who would inherit his and Demeter's divine power.
Suddenly remembering the prophecy, Zeus broke out in a cold sweat, muttering repeatedly: "It's better to have a daughter, it's better to have a daughter."
He also considered whether he could lower his head and use the same trick he always used: women's hearts are extremely soft, and he could win her over by shedding a few tears.
Unfortunately, he oversimplified the issue.
When he arrived at the Polo wheat field in the middle of the night, he found a sign next to the wheat field that read: Zeus and his hounds are not allowed to enter!
He was furious and wanted to confront Demeter, only to find that her goddess had placed a restriction on him, preventing him from stepping into the Poromea field.
Zeus attempted to forcefully break through the barrier, only to discover that the original wood-colored starlight was now covered with a layer of red starlight.
This is a warning from the god of marriage; he shall never set foot in the fields of Poirot for the rest of his life.
He then slunk away.
Meanwhile, in the Poirot field, Demeter was sitting by the crib, watching Persephone sleeping soundly.
The little guy frowned slightly, still clutching the rabbit rattle in his hand, occasionally shaking it unconsciously.
Outside the window, the wheat fields rippled gently, and the spring breeze carried the fragrance of flowers into the palace. Demeter leaned down and gently kissed her daughter's forehead, whispering, "My little spring, don't be afraid, Mommy will always protect you."
The power of the seasons shimmered gently on Persephone's wrist, and the pale green starlight seemed to echo her mother's words.
It also signifies a newborn female deity, growing slowly and vigorously with the vitality of spring.
Persephone grew up day by day, slowly transforming from a baby into a babbling toddler.
One morning, when Li Jia looked in the mirror after waking up, she discovered that her once smooth and delicate skin had begun to become dull, and nasolabial folds were slowly creeping around her eyes.
Life force was quietly slipping away from her body.
Old age came upon her.
Although Li Jia had accepted the fact that she would die long ago, she still felt somewhat saddened when she actually foresaw it.
When she arrived here, the system had already clearly told her that she could not connect with any of the spirit-binding lamps in the book and share lifespan.
The reason she couldn't connect was that in the world of the book, she was just a random piece of code. She couldn't break the established database, and she had already changed many erroneous codes. This was the best ending for her.
Is it aging?
Li Jia touched her cheek. It seemed too cruel to let her lover watch her grow old day by day and eventually die in front of her.
system.
Li Jia called its name softly.
"Master, what's wrong?"
How much longer do I have to live?
The system rummaged through its database, hesitated, and after much deliberation, finally emitted a crackling electrical sound.
"Master, in this world, the length of your lifespan doesn't matter. After all, this is just a bunch of virtual data. This is a world in a book. The shorter your lifespan, the better for you to go back."
The system chose a reasonable angle to explain to Li Jia; it could tell that Li Jia had developed some feelings for the person she was pursuing.
It is a system that has received countless missions from small worlds, and its tolerance is quite high. It is used to men and women, men and men, women and women...
As for why the failure rate is so high.
Because the guides it had previously led would inevitably betray it halfway through the mission, insisting on staying in the world of the book, thus causing the mission to fail.
If the ending were good, the system might not be so angry.
In reality, all the sweet words spoken in the heat of love will eventually be worn down by reality. Data from different times and spaces, if they insist on merging, will only end up looking at each other with mutual disgust.
The target loses interest in the pursuer, ultimately leading to the pursuer being eliminated by data.
To put it bluntly, the people who accept the mission are all dead. If you cannot complete the mission, the entire book will end, the data will be sealed, and you will also disappear.
The system doesn't want Li Jia to be erased from the data; she was the first top student it had ever mentored, and it hopes she can successfully return to the real world.
Live well.
Tell me, how much longer do I have? I can already feel this body aging.
Compared to the system's ambiguity, Li Jia was much calmer and asked calmly.
Reborn as a human, I have good friends and a lover.
It was something she could never have imagined in her past life. Life is about experiences, and she has no regrets. She only regrets that the time was too short and that she could have spent more time with her.
"Master, the average lifespan of ancient Greeks was estimated to be between 20 and 30 years. Your body has ingested poisonous herbs, so your bodily functions should have been damaged long ago."
"Because of the system's task, you have been resurrected in this body. Now that the task is nearing completion, the data will be slowly extracted, and your body will return to normal."
How much longer?
Li Jia understood what the system meant: the mission was complete, the game was over, and everything would return to its original state.
The system's electrical hum paused for a moment, then it finally relaxed and said...
"Your body can only last for three more years at most. After three years, it will return to its original state."
Three years.
It was much, much shorter than she had imagined.
To restore the original state is, in essence, to move towards extinction.
Li Jia understood. She didn't ask any more questions, but simply hummed in response. In the mirror, the fine lines at the corners of her eyes seemed to have deepened.
"Actually, every time you take a bath, the person you're being pursued in will pour a lot of divine power into the hot spring to prolong your life. Countless times, while you are fast asleep, the person you're being pursued in has tried to connect your lifeline with hers, but has failed each time."
"Because you are just a set of data."
Li Jia was stunned. She remembered that every time she took a bath, the water always had a faint warmth, and no matter how long she soaked, she never felt cold. She also remembered that when she occasionally woke up at night, she could always feel soft breathing beside her, as if someone was watching over her.
It turns out that those extraordinary acts of kindness were all the result of someone's quiet hard work behind the scenes.
Trying to keep her.
It turned out that she didn't want to leave either; she had a premonition in her heart, but she never said it out loud.
She raised her hand to touch the fine lines in the mirror; this time, her fingertips did not tremble.
Three years may be a short time, but she has already gained so much.
Li Jia went to Demeter and gave her a general description of the seeds she needed. Although Demeter had never seen the plant Li Jia described, she was the goddess of agriculture.
If there are no plants available, grafting can be created; these are all minor issues.
She quickly gave Li Jia the white seeds she wanted, explaining that this was the first time she had cultivated such a thing, and she didn't know if it could flower and bear fruit normally. Moreover, the growth cycle of this seed was very long, requiring at least three years to cultivate.
It also comes with two large bottles of Li Jia's divine power essence. Soaking the seeds in it for a few days will increase the germination rate.
Li Jia patiently placed the white seeds in a disc, poured in the Nongshen original solution, and three days later, the seeds were plump and began to sprout.
Li Jia took a small shovel and planted the seeds one by one at the old site of the rose grove, as she had promised Hera.
She owed her a rose grove, and three years later, she would repay her with a new grove.
During this time, Winslow and Doreen wanted to help her loosen the soil and fertilize, but Li Jia refused and asked them to keep it a secret. Li Jia farmed at home during the day and Hera only returned at night, so she did not notice anything unusual about her.
Li Jia breathed a sigh of relief; the gift's growth period was three years.
Sincerity moves mountains. Will the seeds she planted with sincerity taste even sweeter when they ripen?
It is impossible to verify.
Because she was no longer with us by then.
Three years passed quickly, so quickly that Li Jia couldn't even tell where she was from. She only knew that she was happy to be by her side.
Hera amended the laws of marriage, so that all things in the world, regardless of gender, could be registered in the marriage history if they loved each other. This was the greatest respect for marriage.
It is tragic to marry someone you don't love, but are forced to marry because of gender or to continue the family line.
For a time, the temple was incredibly popular, with Winslow Dorine and Li Jia having to work 24-hour shifts. This situation lasted for a month before things returned to normal.
It seems that it's not that people don't want to get married, it just depends on who the other person is.
Gradually, the people of Xiangcheng Quandu learned about the relationship between Li Jia and Hera.
Li Jia is approachable, and everyone likes this down-to-earth little goddess.
Before they knew it, Li Jia and Hera had spent two wonderful years in Xiangcheng Quandu.
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