Fortunately, the mayor Helsen quickly mobilized soldiers to manage the order.
And he lent one of his residences to Gauss.
...
"Whew—"
"Finally over."
Gauss entered the residence, sweating profusely.
What a lively night.
"So, what did the Lake God say to you?"
Aaliyah couldn’t hold back her curiosity any longer.
Now that there were no outsiders, her eyes almost sparkled with curiosity written all over them.
Gauss didn’t plan to hide anything from his teammates.
So he briefly explained some of what had just happened.
"I see."
Aaliyah and the others nodded.
"I never thought there was really a Lake God here."
"When He appeared just now, it really gave me a shock."
Although Gauss had already explained Meitela’s identity as the embodiment of nature’s will, for ordinary adventurers, such an identity was no different from a deity.
How many people can witness such a scene even once in their life?
Especially when the person involved is their own captain.
Even now, they seemed a bit dazed.
"After this event, many more towns around Blue Lake will likely start believing in the Lake God," Serdur said softly.
Hearing is not as convincing as seeing. Tonight, it wasn’t just the locals from Yuge Town present; there were a significant number of commoners from other villages and traveling merchants.
These people would quickly spread the story of the Lake God’s descent and Gauss’s encounter.
"Yes, Gauss, you’ll become famous too!" Aaliyah said excitedly.
If it had been a more renowned and influential deity descending because of him, it might have made headlines worldwide.
But even though Meitela was just a regional spirit of nature, His manifestation still held immense power. And with Gauss being the only one to communicate with the Lake God in front of many, titles like Son of God, Chosen One, and Exemplar were inevitable for him.
His reputation in the five towns around Blue Lake would become unmatched.
Even though he was an unknown adventurer from elsewhere before, after tonight, he would become the most influential figure in the region; everything he said or did would carry unparalleled weight.
"Sounds like it’s not necessarily a good thing." Gauss shook his head helplessly.
Recalling the fanatical believers he encountered on the way back, he couldn’t help but shake his head again.
He was just an ordinary adventurer and didn’t want to be burdened with too much divine overlay.
Of course, Gauss knew he probably couldn’t control this.
The influence of the Lake God’s arrival wasn’t something he could sway with just a few words.
Even if he, as the person involved, wanted to deny it, others would still elevate him to a divine pedestal.
"Prepare to leave and continue heading north."
Gauss wasn’t planning on staying in Yuge Town much longer.
He had already made too much of a splash around Blue Lake. It was time to leave quietly.
...
The next morning.
As the mist lingered, Gauss and his companions quietly left Yuge Town.
Shortly after leaving the town, the guards waiting at the gate quickly made their way to the mayor’s residence.
The mayor Helsen, who had been awake all night, had already gotten up. After receiving the news of Gauss’s departure, he breathed a sigh of relief.
It felt like sending off a deity.
His perspective on Gauss had also changed throughout.
Upon first learning of his uniqueness, he naturally tried to prevent his irresponsible son from clashing with him and then did everything to cooperate with Gauss to meet his conditions and send him away quickly, avoiding any unnecessary trouble.
After seeing Gauss’s excellence in person, he couldn’t help but entertain thoughts of pairing him with his younger daughter, wanting to keep Gauss for a while and create opportunities for the young ones to meet.
His "changing face" was understandable.
As someone committed to revitalizing his family, he was truly eager for such a talented young man.
If by luck, his lineage integrated into theirs, it wouldn’t be long before their family flourished in a few generations, improving their bloodline.
However, after witnessing the miracle of the Lake God’s descent, all his "mortal" thoughts were completely extinguished.
When Gauss walked on water, facing the holy figure from the lake silently, Helsen, standing on the shore, understood that this young man’s future was limitless.
Even if there was a slight chance of binding him to his family, the risks were too great to bear.
When deities clash, it’s the little people who suffer.
His family couldn’t afford the potential dangers of standing by Gauss’s side.
"It’s good that he’s gone..."
Helsen gazed out at the mist gradually lifting over Blue Lake, whispering to himself.
"Someone of his stature isn’t meant for our small town."
"Send the order that Lord Gauss heroically won the hunting tournament and received the Lake God’s blessing.
"It’s a glory not just for Yuge Town but the entire Blue Lake. We will erect a monument in the town square to commemorate this event. Additionally, all soldiers and servants who participated in maintaining order last night shall be rewarded."
"Furthermore, declare today as the Blessing Festival."
"From now on, not only will we have the quadrennial Five Towns United Tournament, but also the ’Blessing Festival,’ surely attracting more travelers to our town."
He wanted to record this event in the form of an official festival, enhancing Yuge Town’s reputation and attracting more merchants and attention.
This decision quickly spread throughout the town.
The townspeople reacted enthusiastically to the proposal of establishing the "Blessing Festival."
Many were also looking for a glimpse of Gauss, but upon learning he had already left the town, they could only regret missing the chance to meet the legendary figure.
...
On the road heading north, Gauss was unaware of the arrangements in the small town.
He rode on the back of a chocobo.
He didn’t ride a dragon because flying on a dragon’s back would be too fast, missing out on many monsters along the way.
Plus, the next village wasn’t too far away, so he decided to continue along the Tarlna River.
At that moment, he was playing with a ball of flowing water in his hands, feeling the mysterious power within.
This blue water ball, seemingly alive, was the gift from the Lake God Meitela the previous night.
His companions also focused on the object in his hand.
Gauss had already explained its origin.
Being something from a "deity," it naturally possessed attributes different from mundane objects.
"Shape-shifting?"
Gauss thought to himself.
Soon, the water ball in his hand transformed according to his thoughts.
The water elongated and shaped itself, and in the blink of an eye, solidified into a blue small round shield.
The shield appeared not as solid metal, but with a semi-transparent, flowing water-like texture, showing faint blue glows flowing inside.
Gauss sensed that the capabilities of this water-formed weapon were not as simple as Lake God Meitela suggested last night.
"Wanna try it?"
"Be a bit careful."
He jumped off the chocobo, signaling his companion not far away to attack him.
"I’ll do it!"
Aaliyah raised her hand first.
She then grabbed her magic staff and cast "Rubber Rod Technique."
The staff, shimmering with white light, struck the water shield with considerable force.
"Poof~"
A soft sound echoed.
The force from the staff seemed to be gently absorbed by the shield.
Gauss, holding the water shield, didn’t feel any impact.
Before he could speak,
the shield, having absorbed the impact, momentarily flashed and returned the force entirely to Aaliyah, whose weapon hadn’t yet distanced from the shield.
"Ah!"
Aaliyah screamed.
Her body flew backward.
Seeing this, Ying reacted quickly, flashing behind the airborne Aaliyah.
In the next moment, he appeared behind Aaliyah in mid-air, catching her with a princess carry.
"Oh, thank you, Ying."
"This shield is treacherous."
"I said to be careful, didn’t I?" Gauss smiled, knowing he had already issued a disclaimer and didn’t want to be blamed.
"Lord Gauss, let me try next." As a blacksmith, Albena was also very interested in the water weapon Gauss held.
She rubbed her hands, and in the next moment, a huge double-edged axe appeared in her hands.