CHAPTER 621

【 THE BLESSINGS OF THE GODDESS OF LIFE 】

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Saintess Alice’s speech lasted for about twenty minutes, and throughout that time the crowd remained completely silent.

Her clear and gentle voice was the only sound in the plaza, steady and calm, carrying with it both warmth and reverence.

When the images on the crystal display screen finally faded away, the Saintess quietly closed the manuscript in her hands. Her face was composed, though her expression still showed traces of deep emotion.

The venue once again fell into silence.

With steady movements, Saintess Alice lifted her head and turned. Facing the statue of the goddess that stood before the temple, her expression shifted into one of pure devotion. She then mouthed a silent prayer before lowering herself onto her knees in reverence.

Her action spread quickly as the sound of her movement drew the attention of the crowd, and immediately the elven believers present followed her example, kneeling and bowing their heads together.

Their movement seemed to served as a signal. After the believers knelt, the Chosen Ones among the crowd also began to kneel as well, one after another.

The number of kneeling figures grew rapidly. Within moments, the entire gathering of elves had turned toward the goddess’s statue and bowed in unison.

Even Little Salty Cat, seated among the honored guests, left her chair and dropped to one knee.

In a short span of time, the entire city became the setting of a solemn and remarkable sight with elves from every quarter, whether they be players or natives, gathered in unity, kneeling together in reverence before the statue of the goddess.

This time, the system had not imposed any form of forced compliance. This was a spontaneous action by the players.

Of course, whether some of them were motivated by the desire to raise the goddess’s favorability or to improve their reputation towards the natives is another matter.

Yet regardless of their personal intentions, the result was undeniable. At this very moment, the city of Florence bore witness to the grandest and most unified display of worship toward the goddess ever since the launch of Elven Kingdom.

Even the invited guests were moved. Though they did not knelt down, they bowed their heads respectfully toward the statue of the goddess.

At that moment, Alice’s fervent and impassioned voice rang out once more through the sound amplification array, echoing across the entire venue:

“The road before us is long, and the future stretches far ahead…

We give thanks unto you, Oʼ Great Goddess of Life, Guardian of Nature, and Patron Deity of the Elves, Her Grace Evé.

May you forever shield us, and may you forever guide us on our path.

O Great Evé, your divine will shall always be the direction of our path forward!”

Her voice carried clearly across the entire plaza, reaching every corner without losing strength.

Almost immediately, the voices of the elven believers and elemental fairies rose together in response, their words united as one:

“O Great Evé, your divine will shall always be the direction of our path forward!”

The amplification array spread their voices far beyond the square, making them resound across the city.

The Chosen Ones, stirred by the chants around them, soon joined in.

In moments, tens of thousands of elves were praying together, their combined voices so powerful that the sound rolled like thunder and seemed to shake the ground beneath their feet:

“O Great Evé, your divine will shall always be the direction of our path forward!”

The intensity of the display left the guests deeply shaken.

Then, as the elves prayed in unison, the holy statue of the Goddess of Life standing before the temple suddenly burst forth with radiant light.

From the distance came the faint but unmistakable sound of ethereal hymns, as if sung by unseen choirs, while countless golden motes of light appeared along the horizon.

These motes shone brighter, purer, and more sacred than even the most brilliant magic the elemental fairies had displayed.

They drifted down in endless streams, swirling gracefully as they spread across the venue until the entire city of Florence was enveloped in their glow, transformed into a vast and shimmering sea of light.

At the same time, every plant in the city, which had begun to wither with the advance of late autumn, suddenly came back to life. Branches sprouted fresh shoots, leaves unfurled in vibrant green, flowers blossomed in full color, and fruits ripened where none had been before.

In an instant, the autumn-colored city was transformed into a vast ocean of green, as though spring and summer had returned at once.

Every tree, shrub, and blade of grass seemed to respond with awareness, all turning slightly toward the temple as if bowing in reverence to the goddess.

“A miracle! This is… a miracle!”

Tonglu murmured.

Although he was not a follower of the Goddess of Life, Tonglu could not suppress the surge of emotion he felt before such a display of divine power.

That emotion deepened when the golden motes of light began to flow into his body.

The countless motes, which had moments ago been drifting gently in the air, suddenly quickened their pace as each sought out the nearest living being with unerring precision.

Elemental fairies, native believers, Chosen Ones—every one in the city soon became shrouded in radiant brilliance. Even the honored guests were drawn into the light.

Tonglu raised his hand and saw the faint glow surrounding him. A gentle warmth coursed through his body, sinking deep into his flesh and bones, as though a hidden strength long dormant was being drawn out.

In that instant, he became acutely aware of his own life force. It surged and boiled within him like a rising tide, while his body underwent a rapid transformation under the divine light’s influence.

As a legendary-rank warrior, Tonglu had always possessed immense vitality. Yet now he could feel that his life force had ascended to an even greater heights.

Vitality represented resilience and recovery, and it was also linked to one’s lifespan.

As a legendary-rank expert able to faintly perceive the remainder of his life, Tonglu was overjoyed to realize that his lifespan was slowly increasing.

By his estimation, he had just gained at least five more years of life!

The brilliance around him lingered for several more seconds before gradually dimming and then fading away.

When the light finally dispersed, Tonglu felt as though he had been completely reborn, his entire body brimming with strength.

Although his rank had not increased, it was as if he had grown younger by more than ten years.

Sensing the change within himself, Tonglu’s expression lit up with delight. Even his black beard quivered slightly.

“What a miraculous blessing! So this is the blessing of the Goddess of Life!” he exclaimed excitedly.

He was not the only one who had lost composure. The Dark-Dwarves leader, Firebeard, along with other visiting guests, also looked visibly elated.

Every one of them had felt the change in their bodies. Even if they had not noticed their extended lifespans, they could still clearly sense that their long-standing ailments had vanished, with their physical condition restored to the peak of their youth.

However, the most overjoyed of all were the elven Chosen Ones. Their faces were bright with smiles, their eyes darting about, their energy restless and eager.

Saintess Alice raised her head, gazed joyfully at the goddess’s statue, then quickly bowed again with fervent devotion, proclaiming:

“Praise be to Nature, praise be to Life, praise be to the great Goddess Evé! Your Divine Grace, we thank you for your blessing!”

Following her words, the voices of everyone began to rise one by one, scattered at first, but eventually merging into a united chant:

“Praise be to Nature, praise be to Life, praise be to the great Goddess Evé! Your Divine Grace, we thank you for your blessing!”

Their chants rang out, loud and resonant.

As though in response to their prayers, at that moment everyone present sensed a sacred and majestic will sweeping across the whole venue.

Then, within each person’s heart, an ethereal and melodious voice resounded:

“Rejoice in the harvest, my children.”

The voice was gentle and affectionate, yet at the same time imbued with a divine authority that stirred irresistible reverence. No one could bring themselves to harbor the slightest thought of disrespect.

Without a doubt, it was the voice of the Goddess of Life herself. She had spoken to them directly, bestowing her oracle and declaring the commencement of the Harvest Festival.

The elven believers were overcome with emotion. Many dropped to their knees again, tears streaming down their faces as their devotion swelled to its peak.

The elderly in particular, who had lived through centuries of longing, wept openly. These were not tears of sorrow, but of joy and awe, for the moment they had dreamed of through generations had finally arrived.

As the divine light faded and the ethereal hymn ceased, the plaza suddenly erupted with excitement, the atmosphere shifting to lively celebration.

The Chosen Ones chattered endlessly, their spirits lifted.

Even Tonglu who’s seated among the honored guests, clearly heard their exclamations:

“Hahaha, I finally got the buff!”

“Praise the goddess!”

“Unbelievable! Two weeks of double EXP and double the rate of contribution points, plus doubled recovery speed and shop discounts—this buff is insane!”

“Good heavens, just…wow!”

“Long live the goddess!”

Tonglu: “…”

What sort of nonsense are they talking about?

His expression was blank with bewilderment.

At that moment, the voice of Saintess Alice rang out once more:

“Her Grace the Goddess has already bestowed her blessing!

Thereby, I now declare the Harvest Festival has officially begun. Let us march in procession and rejoice together, let us celebrate the harvest of this year!”

Her voice spread outward, echoing across the skies of Florence.

Tonglu instinctively glanced at the packed venue, a thought crossing his mind:

With so many people, how could a procession even move?

Wouldn’t they be crushed together, unable to walk at all?

He doubted even the elves had expected so many of their kind to gather like this.

Yet his doubts did not last long.

For the moment Alice announced the festival’s beginning, the elves within the hall immediately sprang into action.

—No, to be precise, it was not the elves in general, but the Chosen Ones instead.

In an instant, more than ninety percent of them leapt to their feet, scattering in all directions without a word.

They surged out like a black tide, some bounding away over rooftops, others sweeping through the crowd as though in desperate haste, disappearing almost immediately.

Within moments, more than half of the Chosen Ones in the plaza were suddenly gone.

Tonglu: “…”

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