So... you can’t speak too definitively.
Aaliyah scratched her head.
...
Considering the Lake God’s blessing still needs to wait for notice, Gauss and his group can’t leave Yuge Town for these two days.
Although, according to past experiences, this blessing ceremony seems more like a symbolic coronation, practically useless.
It’s just another title as a Lake God’s favored.
But having won the championship, Gauss still doesn’t intend to waste this opportunity, at least it’s good to gain a special title.
Even though he believes the existence of a "Lake God" in the lake is a small probability event, even a reputation boost is not a useless thing in the adventurer world.
During this waiting, two days passed in the blink of an eye.
Because they had to wait for the guild’s notice, Gauss didn’t go far and rested in the town for two days.
During that time, he met the local mayor.
The other party was a somewhat elegant-looking middle-aged man; even though Gauss took the championship that was supposed to belong to his son Herbert, he showed no resentment, at least not on the surface.
On the contrary, he highly praised Gauss and even tried to match him with his youngest daughter, but Gauss politely declined.
After politely declining, the mayor only regretfully expressed that Gauss was welcome to visit anytime during his stay in Yuge Town.
Judging by his looks, he hadn’t given up the idea of becoming Gauss’s father-in-law.
Apart from meeting the local authority, Gauss also familiarized himself with the two newly acquired Magic Items.
The effect of the magic pot was better than he imagined.
The food cooked by it was significantly different in taste and appearance compared to ordinary food made using the same method.
It’s truly "delicious food that shines."
Natural Magic naturally integrates into the dishes during cooking, enhancing the taste while making the ingredients release beautiful glows.
Moreover, if the ingredients used contain considerable special energy, the magic pot can fully activate the energy within, achieving a more nourishing effect.
Initially, Gauss and his team were busy, fighting monsters, practicing skills, consuming a lot of energy, and nearing exhaustion.
But because of the magic pot and the special magic cuisine it cooked, in just two days, everyone’s fatigue was swept away, and their energy was even more vigorous than before.
Like being recharged, fully revived.
So, you can’t really blame Gauss for gradually developing a tendency to become a foodie.
Eating is a crucial matter for adventurers.
Even the strongest adventurer can’t do without food supplies.
Food provides the necessary energy for activities; without sufficient logistical support, professionals, as such energy-consuming machines, wouldn’t last more than a few days before losing strength due to energy depletion.
Moreover, delicious food can provide physiological pleasure, making one’s mood and condition better, and this excellent state helps clear the mind and increases efficiency in training.
As for the Moonlight Robe he’s wearing, after getting familiar with it, Gauss appreciates its effect more and has become somewhat inseparable from it.
Apart from the time he lent it to Aaliyah and daily washing, it almost never left Gauss.
Wearing it makes Gauss’s magic power more active.
Also, because of its effect, Gauss discovered his fireball technique had a significant breakthrough.
Simply put, he can now use dragon language chanting and breath casting to greatly reduce the long preparation time for the fireball technique.
In the past, the fireball technique wasn’t used often; on one hand, its destructive power was too strong, not needed for everyday use, giving a humorous sense of using a cannon to kill mosquitoes; on the other hand, the preparation time was too long, spending that preparation time, he might have already dealt with many monsters by directly attacking.
But now, with the Moonlight Robe and various enhancements, he finally mastered this powerful group attack spell completely.
Moreover, he’s now able to reduce the fireball technique’s power, bringing its destruction to a relatively suitable level.
Sometimes too much spell power is not necessarily a benefit.
"Knock, knock, knock!"
Just as Gauss was pondering about the time and considering whether to inquire the guild about the progress, someone knocked on his room’s door.
"Lord Gauss, this year’s Lake God blessing ceremony is ready, are you deciding to receive the blessing tonight or tomorrow night?"
"Tonight, please."
Gauss didn’t intend to drag it out any longer.
"Alright, then please arrive at this location before the moon is full tonight..." The staff person informed Gauss of the specific address.
The marked spot is the junction of the Tarnar River and Blue Lake, where the locals’ ancestors reportedly encountered the generous Lake God.
"Has it finally come?"
After seeing off the staff, a few partners gathered with some anticipation.
Although they’ve been eating and drinking well these past few days, all of them were somewhat curious about the legendary Lake God.
Stories of gods and spirits always inspire imagination.
"Our elders back home said that certain unique mountains and lakes might harbor ancient spirits. They may not be gods but possess great power and are temperamental. Treat them well, and you’ll receive protection; anger them, and you’ll bring disaster." Albena shared.
She comes from a special lineage with giant blood.
"Spirits, huh..."
...
As the time for the Lake God blessing ceremony is finally set.
Yuge Town gradually became lively.
"Knock, knock, knock!"
Beside the lake, from commoners to nobles, everyone came to the lake, devoutly throwing their prepared black bread and various foods into the water.
But unfortunately, their Lake God didn’t emerge from the water to respond to their call.
Of course, this didn’t dampen the enthusiasm of some believers.
Gauss noticed this Blue Lake area, unlike his initial imagination, indeed had a group of believers.
They claimed to have seen the Lake God in dreams, and others shared stories of being mysteriously lifted from the water after falling in, and still others told of miraculous recoveries from severe illness after drinking the lake water without money for medicine.
"I’ve seen the deity!"
By Blue Lake, there were poor people in coarse cloth declaring with conviction.
Seeing those people’s steadfast expressions, Gauss was uncertain whether there was truly a "god" here.
But he wasn’t surprised by the birth of believers; even in the world he came from, where miracles didn’t manifest, there were fervent believers.
Worshipping natural environments like lakes isn’t unusual; he’s heard of cultures that worship animals, whereby "love the house and its crows," even consuming animal feces and holding celebrations.
The sky gradually darkened.
As dusk arrived, the witching hour, Gauss and his group left the inn, unhurriedly heading toward the predetermined location.
"Is that Gauss?"
"No wonder he is about to receive the Lake God’s blessing."
"I’m so jealous, I also want the favor of the Lake God."
Some believers expressed their envy openly.
While some adventurers were relatively calm.
Though some commoners firmly believed in the Lake God, according to past experiences, nothing unusual should happen during this blessing ceremony.
The hunting competition has not been held for the first time; after accumulating to this day, it’s unknown how many champions have been born.
Among them were both locals and adventurers attracted from afar, yet regardless of what kind of adventurer, none encountered the legendary Lake God during this so-called blessing ceremony.
They felt Gauss would be no exception.
Though he slayed more monsters, had greater strength, appeared slightly handsome, he wasn’t fundamentally different from others, just two eyes and a mouth.
"It seems there are more people."
As the crowd surrounded them, the Gauss team walked toward the blessing location, and Serdur particularly noticed the change in the number of people.
"Probably residents from nearby towns and villages came to watch the excitement?" Gauss didn’t mind.
The night slowly descended.
The full moon hung high, spilling its cold moonlight down, brightly illuminating the shallows at the junction of Blue Lake and Tarnar River as if it were daylight.
Gauss looked up at the moon; he couldn’t tell whether it was psychological, but tonight’s moon seemed exceptionally round.