Chapter 506 Wait!
The dome of the Moon Temple was looming in the morning mist, and twelve maids dressed in silver gauze carried a bathtub inlaid with moonstones into the fasting room.
Queen Jessica took off the emerald scepter that symbolized worldly power and completed the purification ceremony before ascending the throne in the spring water filled with the fragrance of night dew roses.
The moon phase diagram painted with mithril at the bottom of the bath ripples with the water and is reflected on the dome to form flowing star trails.
At the same time, the High Priest of the Moon Merlin was debugging seven ancestral star-patterned rings in the sacred room.
These rings, forged by the first Pope of the Moon Temple using "Spirit", will be infused with the blessings of the seven elements during the coronation ceremony.
When the last fire-patterned ring felt hot in his palm, Merlin put it into the ebony box with satisfaction. The laurel relief on the lid of the box suddenly glowed fluorescently - this was the blessing of the moon goddess Selene.
When the morning bell rang for the ninth time, Jessica walked into the meditation room wearing a plain white linen robe.
Three hundred and sixty long beeswax candles were lit one by one behind her, and the shadows of successive popes suddenly emerged from the mural of the Moon Goddess on the wall.
When she placed the moonstone symbolizing wisdom on her forehead, Merlin and Elsa quietly arrived with a coronation suit consisting of seventy-two magical instruments.
"Your Majesty, this is a coronation robe specially made according to your astrolabe." Elsa unfolded a robe woven from star silk. The constellation map inlaid with moonlight mother-of-pearl showed different phases as the light changed.
When Jessica put on this holy robe weighing twelve kilograms, the hem of her skirt automatically dropped to form a three-meter-long train, leaving a light blue moonlight trail on the ground with every step she took.
Jessica stood at the ninety-nine white jade steps in front of the Moon Temple, looking up at the golden altar at the top.
Merlin held a scepter inlaid with a prophecy crystal and began to read the three-hour "Revelation of the Moon Goddess".
After each paragraph is read, a star map corresponding to the phase of the moon will rise from the magic circle in front of the steps.
When the last chapter was read, the sky suddenly darkened, night and moonlight came, and then a meteor shower fell from the sky. This spectacle made the elves watching exclaim in amazement.
When Jessica appeared in front of the people again, her eyes had turned into a deep purple-black color. Elsa, the High Priestess of the Moon, held up the Moon Goddess Crown made of pure gold. The thirty-six diamonds on the crown corresponded to the thirty-six branches of the elves.
Merlin took a step forward at this time, the moonlight shining on his body, and then an ethereal voice that did not belong to him echoed throughout the Elf Forest.
The moon goddess Selene descended upon Merlin, and he looked at Jessica and asked softly.
";Moon chaser with noble blood, are you willing to pledge your life to become the Moon God's spokesperson in the world?";
";I am willing to swear by my blood to protect the elves forever.";
As the crown fell, the moonstones throughout the Elf Forest lit up at the same time, moonlight poured down from the sky, and the blessing of the Moon Goddess descended upon the entire Elf Forest.
The moment Jessica put on the Moon Goddess's Crown, the moonstones in the entire Elf Forest suddenly burst out with brilliant light.
The silver-winged nightingales perched on the World Tree were awakened by this strange sight and flapped their wings to rush into the night sky. Their tail feathers streaked across the moonlight, outlining a flowing moon phase pattern in the sky.
";O Moon Goddess..."; A white-haired old elf knelt down first, his wrinkled hands trembling as he touched the cold stone slabs. Tears welled up in his cloudy eyes again, ";You are finally back...";
As if some mysterious switch had been pressed, the elves knelt on one knee at the same time.
The girls sobbed with their foreheads pressed against the hems of their laurel-embroidered skirts, the veins on the hands of the young warriors bulged as they gripped the hilts of their swords, and even the most naughty children quieted down, staring with wide eyes at the constellations that were constantly reorganizing in the sky.
Jessica stood on the top of the hundred-meter-high Moon Temple, her sleeves lifted by the night wind, revealing the list of popes of all ages embroidered with silver thread on the lining.
She could clearly feel the surging power of faith of her people gathering along the veins of the moonstone, condensing into countless transparent light butterflies in the void, flapping their wings and flying towards the depths of the Moon Temple - there, the Moon Goddess Selene was holding Merlin's hand, with glowing threads of faith wrapped around their fingertips.
"Well done, my Pope." Selene's lolita form was faintly visible in the moonlight. She reached out to catch a light butterfly and watched it turn into glittering stardust in her palm. "If this continues, I will be able to recover some of my power soon."
After the coronation ceremony, Jessica convened the first plenary meeting of the Moon Temple in a thousand years.
In the council hall supported by seventy-two giant moonstone pillars, Jessica's voice echoed in the dome: "Since the Moon Goddess no longer responds to believers, the seat of the Saint of the Moon Temple has been vacant for many years. Today, I declare in the name of the Pope-";
Her eyes swept across the clergy of the Moon Temple below the stage, and finally stopped on Merlin and Elsa, "Restart the Saint Selection System."
"A saint must possess three qualities:" Jessica's voice became ethereal, "a pure soul, resonance with the moon goddess, and..."
She looked at Merlin and Elsa, "The High Priest's approval."
As soon as Jessica finished speaking, the air in the council hall seemed to freeze.
Jessica continued, "Among the elves, the only one who is qualified to serve as the Saint of the Moon Temple is Alicia."
Merlin turned around and asked Elsa, "What can you gain by being a saint?"
Elsa said calmly, "Status, reputation, power..." She deliberately dragged out the last word, "Most importantly, the Saint is the reserve for the next Pope."
"What are the opinions of the two high priests?" Jessica's voice was filled with unquestionable authority.
Merlin nodded. "Princess Alicia is certainly qualified."
Jessica looked at Elsa again, and Elsa leaned back in her chair and nodded.
"In that case..." Jessica was about to announce.
“Wait a minute!”
Merlin's voice echoed throughout the meeting hall, and all the elves looked in his direction.
Merlin smiled and said, "Although I said that Alicia is qualified to be a saint, I didn't say that others can't be a saint."
In an instant, whispers were heard in the temple. Jessica frowned and said that as far as she knew, except Alicia, no one seemed qualified to be the Saint of the Moon Temple. Alicia's excellence was obvious to all.
Merlin shook his head and said, "I have a candidate here, do you want to hear it?"
Jessica said, "High Priest Merlin, please speak."
She thought to herself that she would see who Merlin could recommend.
Merlin looked around and said with a smile, "I recommend Stacy to become the Saint of the Moon Temple."
Stacy? Who is it? The priests and elves of the Moon Temple present looked at each other in bewilderment. It was obvious that no one had heard of this name.
However, when Jessica heard the name, her pupils shrank suddenly. Elsa next to her also showed a look of shock and turned her head to stare at Merlin.
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