I Am Not Goblin Slayer

Chapter 341: The Majesty of a God’s Descent

Gauss, as a "senior," felt quite gratified to see the newcomers he knew getting on the right track and slowly growing stronger.After chatting for a while with Mira and the others, who were so excited they were practically incoherent, the group began walking towards the direction of Lakeside Town.

"Has anything interesting happened in the town lately?"

Gauss inquired about the town's situation.

Mira shook her head.

"The festival some time ago was already the liveliest the town has been in recent years. But I've heard that in the last month or two, the number of monsters crawling out of Blue Lake seems to have increased a bit," Mira answered honestly.

For the town's residents, tranquility was the norm; no news was the best news.

As she walked, Mira couldn't help but look up at Gauss.

She felt that compared to their last meeting, the aura of a powerful individual around Gauss had grown stronger.

As the saying goes, clothes make the man, and Gauss was naturally no exception.

Previously, he had only worn an ordinary black mage robe, unassuming and keeping a low profile. Now, however, he was clad in a magnificent white robe. Coupled with his gradually accumulating prestige, it naturally lent him an air of calm composure.

Gauss and the others didn't deliberately hide themselves. After all, his purpose for this trip was to "submit" the lake god's commission, which couldn't be kept secret from others anyway.

He strode openly into Lakeside Town and was, of course, recognized by many townsfolk the moment he arrived.

He had, after all, stayed here for quite some time. Many people in the town had seen him, and even after he left, news about him kept coming, so discussions about him had never really died down.

The townsfolk who recognized Gauss at the town gates were buzzing with excitement.

"Lord Gauss, would you like some fruit? Grown in my own garden."

"Welcome back to Lakeside Town."

In the eyes of the locals of Lakeside Town, Gauss was considered half one of their own.

Regardless of whether Gauss knew it or not, at least that's what they believed in their hearts.

Especially after hearing that Gauss had been received by the legendary Lake God, this perception became even more widespread.

The only regret for the townsfolk was that Gauss's meeting with the Lake God took place in Fisherman's Song Town, meaning many missed the chance to witness the Lake God's descent with their own eyes.

Gauss responded to the crowd's enthusiasm.

Beyond that, however, there wasn't much other interaction. There were simply too many people; if he stopped even for a moment, he might get stuck on the road.

...

The next day, the temperature dropped a bit more.

Cart after cart, laden with supplies and pulled by beasts, continuously poured into the town.

In such weather, commoners preferred to rest by a lit wood-burning stove at home rather than go out.

However, for most people, this was destined to remain a luxury.

Firstly, they still needed to hustle to make a living; secondly, staying home long-term and burning firewood was also an expense. Once their supply ran out, they either had to go chop wood in the wilderness themselves or spend money to buy it at the market or from neighbors.

Fortunately, Lakeside Town was rich in resources and was generally a prosperous small town. Pedestrians on the streets bundled themselves up tightly, somewhat shielding themselves from the frost brought by the biting wind.

"Haaa—"

Most people on the streets were busy with their usual work, exhaling small puffs of white mist.

Although the weather was rather harsh, they were used to it. Or perhaps, this work was already second nature to them, a craft possibly passed down from their grandfathers, great-grandfathers, to them, and then to their children, grandchildren, and future generations who would also engage in this work for a lifetime.

Chopping wood, gathering herbs, netting fish, cleaning sewers, shoveling snow and sweeping streets, weaving, loading and unloading goods...

In short, this world wasn't only about grand adventurers.

For most people, these ordinary, day-to-day trivialities were everything they knew.

However, on just such an ordinary day, the town quietly began to buzz.

A piece of news rapidly spread throughout the entire settlement.

"Have you heard? Mr. Gauss has returned to town."

Someone, during a work break, mysteriously chatted with a companion.

"But why? Didn't he just leave not long ago?"

"Shh... I'll tell you, but don't go spreading it around recklessly."

"Don't worry, my lips are sealed."

"I heard Mr. Gauss has a sweetheart in town..."

"..."

"I happened to see that important person and his companions at the town gates yesterday while unloading goods. He even smiled at me."

"He was wearing a very beautiful outfit. I heard from others that a single set of his clothes could buy half the town."

"Hiss... That can't be right?"

"Can't be? That's just because you haven't seen the world. Do you know about dragons? Dragons are merely his mounts. Other important people ride horses at best, but Lord Gauss rides a dragon."

"A dragon! That's a giant beast even great nobles can't ride!"

"Let me put it this way: Lord Miles in our town, who boasts of owning shops on half a street and is the richest man in Lakeside Town—compared to Lord Gauss, he's a pauper! No different from us!"

"Hey, hey, hey! What are you all chatting about over there?"

"Hurry up and unload the goods!"

"Alright, alright."

...

Gauss's party finished breakfast and walked out from the inn onto the street.

This morning's goal was to head to Blue Lake.

He just didn't know if the Lake God, Mete, needed to hibernate during winter.

But Gauss still planned to go check the situation first.

Ever since they left the inn, they had become the focal point of the street. Under the covert gazes of the crowd, everyone quickly noticed his direction was towards Blue Lake.

Blue Lake... Gauss...

Combining these two terms, a guess slowly surfaced in everyone's minds.

Some people with nothing better to do immediately followed behind. If it really was what they suspected, missing it would likely lead to much regret later.

Who would miss the chance to see a deity with their own eyes? Especially one so closely tied to the place they lived.

Even just a glimpse would be an experience envied by people from neighboring towns.

"Hurry, hurry, hurry!"

"Go to Blue Lake quickly! Something big is happening!"

"Boss, my stomach hurts..."

"Stop shouting, your boss has already left."

...

By the time Gauss reached the lakeshore, a considerable crowd had unknowingly gathered behind him on the lakeside.

The lake's edge had already frozen over with a thin layer of ice, but it hadn't yet frozen the entire Blue Lake.

Seeing that nothing happened around him after arriving at the lakeshore, Gauss guessed the Lake God might be "sleeping too soundly." So, he could only take out his Water Sword, pierce through the thin ice, and plunge it into the lake water.

Instantly, the lake surface around the sword began to emit a beautiful fluorescent blue light.

The sword seemed to be communicating with this giant lake.

It released a wisp of aura that quickly seeped into the water, swimming towards the deep center of the lake.

...

"Mira, don't rush."

"Quick, quick, quick, Rod, it's all because of you. And you little brats, George and the others."

The female archer Mira, who had met Gauss a few times, kept urging her companions behind her and the group of kids clamoring to follow.

She didn't want to miss this rare opportunity.

Arriving at the lakeshore in a whirlwind, she found the edge already crowded with many people.

She led her group, found a gap, and squeezed in.

Finally standing still, she hurriedly turned her gaze to the lake surface.

She had arrived just in time.

After a period of communication.

A certain will, deep in slumber within the lake's depths, gradually awakened.

Crack, crack, crack.

The ice surface rapidly fractured.

The next moment, it dissolved into countless icy mist, revealing the familiar vast expanse of azure lake surface before everyone's eyes.

Even the winter's bitter cold was briefly swept away.

Everyone knew that because of Gauss's arrival, the Lake God had awakened once more.

Above the lake surface in front of Gauss, a mass of water vapor slowly gathered, finally forming a beautiful humanoid figure.

This figure was the epitome of softness and beauty, as if the very essence of all water in the world.

She was composed of flowing water, draped in pale blue mist, her long hair behind her like a cascading waterfall, appearing holy and beautiful.

The incarnation of the Lake God, Mete, had descended.

The townsfolk of Lakeside Town, including Mira and her little friends, were witnessing a deity's visage for the first time. That sanctity, transcending mundane beauty and striking directly at the soul, made them almost forget themselves and their surroundings, leaving only pure awe and shock.

Mete's attention first fell upon Gauss.

[Adventurer Gauss, I sense a familiar power upon you. It seems your journey northward has already led you to meet the Mountain Spirit of the Snowy Peaks.]

Whether it was Gauss's preconception or not, he always felt a hint of just-awakened laziness in the Lake God Mete's voice, even though the face—only he could clearly see—was as gentle as spring water and radiated a dignified divinity.

But before, he hadn't really noticed it. Ever since meeting the Mountain Spirit, Aisvier, he felt this deity of his might not be that dignified after all.

"I have fulfilled my mission, Lord Mete."

Of course, this thought only flashed through Gauss's mind.

Regardless of the truth, the fact was he had received the Lake God Mete's favor.

"I have reached Isthm, the source of the Tarna River, and there I met your sister, Her Highness Aisvier, the Mountain Spirit of the Snowy Peaks."

Then, Gauss truthfully relayed all the information he had learned from the Mountain Spirit to the Lake God Mete before him.

[So... that is how it is. I understand now...]

After listening to his account, the water flowing around the Lake God Mete rippled slightly, as if digesting this information.

A moment later, she let out a soft sigh, and that ethereal voice sounded again.

[Aisvier... So her burden has already grown so heavy... Malice from the depths of the earth?]

Her gaze seemed to penetrate through Gauss, looking towards the distant direction of the snowy mountains.

A long time later, she refocused her attention on Gauss.

[Thank you, Gauss. The information you bring is of utmost importance.]

[Since that is the case, please step forward and receive the baptism I previously promised you.]

Mete revealed a gentle smile.

Under the watchful eyes of the others, Gauss was enveloped by the water beneath him and gradually carried towards the center of the lake.

Then, that clear water completely enveloped him. The phantom of the Lake Goddess, floating above the water, gently embraced him and sank into the depths of the lake.

"He's gone!"

Everyone besides Gauss couldn't hear the conversation between Gauss and the Lake God Mete.

However, the scene of the Lake Goddess gently embracing Gauss and taking him beneath the water's surface was witnessed by all.

A good while passed, and Gauss showed no sign of resurfacing.

"Won't he drown?"

"With the Goddess's protection, he'll naturally be fine."

...

The discussions on the shore were also the worries in the hearts of Aria and the others.

Seeing that Gauss likely wouldn't return anytime soon, they waited a while longer with no result and had to temporarily leave the lakeshore.

They could only console themselves that there probably wouldn't be any major issues.

As the source of the Tarna River, the Mountain Spirit Aisvier was so powerful that even that adult dragon obeyed her command. Even if the Lake Goddess wasn't quite a match for her sister, she surely wouldn't be far behind. If she truly intended to harm Gauss, she could have just acted directly; there was no need for such elaborate proceedings.

Beneath the lake surface.

Gauss only felt himself sinking into a warm embrace, like that of a mother. A power that brought peace of mind enveloped him.

It carried him, continuously sinking deeper into the lake.

The light was gradually swallowed bit by bit.

Pale blue, azure blue, and finally, the water body turned to pitch black.

It was as if he had fallen into an extremely quiet world.

All noise was left behind, as if returning to the primordial state of life.

"Lord Mete? Lord Mete?"

He tried to communicate with the Lake God, but she seemed unresponsive.

His body continued to sink.

He didn't know how much time passed.

His feet touched a stretch of fine sand.

Unlike the ink-black water above, this place was at the bottom of Blue Lake, yet the water emitted a strange, flowing light like a starry sea.

[This place is the Heart of Blue Lake, and also the source of my being.]

Mete's voice sounded, more ethereal than on the shore, but lacking that laziness, carrying instead a touch of solemnity.

She reached out her hand, not touching Gauss, but the water currents around Gauss began to accelerate their rotation, forming a slow yet stable vortex.

The luminous glows around the vortex were constantly drawn into it, then poured into Gauss's body one after another.

In an instant, Gauss felt an indescribable coolness sweep through his entire body.

This power was gentle yet vast, seemingly washing and scouring his body.

The first changes occurred in Gauss's skin and organs.

He clearly felt as if he had completely merged with the water. The water flow was no longer an external object but seemed like an extension of his own senses, a part of his body.

Without needing to consciously concentrate, he could clearly sense every slight disturbance in the water flow within a radius of a hundred meters. He seemed able to "hear" the murmurs of fish, shrimp, and other aquatic life.

His skin pores slightly expanded. After a brief discomfort, he felt as if he could breathe autonomously underwater.

Impurities in his blood were slowly drawn out from within his body.

His spirit and mana also benefited, like a clear spring pouring in, nourishing this "pond."

And it was continuously expanding the boundaries of the "pond" of his soul power.

Beside him, the power of the Godwater previously bestowed by Mete also constantly changed form as if possessing life.

Sometimes transforming into flying shuttles circling around him, sometimes reassembling into a flowing water longbow...

In this state, Gauss gradually fell into a deep sleep.

[Sigh...]

[This expenditure will require another period of dormancy.]

Mete looked at Gauss within the water.

She could naturally detect that hidden power Aisvier had placed upon Gauss.

Aisvier must have her reasons for doing this.

She was also willing to invest a portion of her power in advance in this human who was rather pleasing to her eye.

[Sigh.]

She thought of Aisvier's prophecy about the future. The resurgence of the world's "dark side" wouldn't only affect the fate of humans and other races; it would also have a profound impact on natural spirits like them.

She and Aisvier were both born a long time ago, when natural spirits were far from as scarce as they are now.

But the world's rules had undergone several changes, forcing special existences like them, born from the prime material plane, to gradually lose the power of their heyday.

They had to overcome the erosive force of those rules through slumber. Aisvier was likely able to maintain long-term wakefulness under the rule's power only by resisting another malevolent will.

Their situation was already among the best. Many natural spirits had uncontrollably merged with the world itself. A powerful and dangerous new will was awakening.

This land was welcoming changes unseen for tens of millions of years.

When the time came, gods and demon lords would once again lay hands on the land, prying at the power of the laws...

An unknown amount of time passed.

From the originally calm lake surface, a figure in white robes slowly emerged.

The moment he reached the surface, as if stimulated by the sunlight, Gauss slowly opened his eyes.

His face left the water's surface. The cool lake water gently lapped against his cheeks, like a tender kiss.

He was dazed for a moment.

Gazing at the morning sun in the sky.

It took a long while for his brain to gradually regain clarity.

He remembered why he was on the lake surface.

Pushing his upper body up from the water, he sat on the lake surface and looked around.

"Lord Mete?"

For a long time, the lake surface gave no response.

The Lake Goddess had likely fallen into slumber again.

Fortunately, he had already received the reward for this trip. Gauss looked down at himself.

He was sitting on the water's surface as if on solid ground. This was also one of the benefits brought by the Lake Goddess's baptism this time.

His body seemed to have undergone a transformation.

Now, water was a very familiar and close existence to him.

If any townsfolk of Lakeside Town were here, observing Gauss sitting on the lake, they would be surprised to find that, much like when the Lake Goddess descended, he now possessed a somewhat transcendent aura, even if only in this place, at this moment.

"Constitution +1"

"Charisma +1"

"Constitution: 13 → 14"

"Charisma: 14 (13) → 14"

His Constitution had increased by one point. While his Charisma numerical value hadn't changed, the bonus from the equipment, the Moonlight Robe, had now been overridden by his true base value.

The attribute increase was just one part of the bodily changes. At a deeper level, there was also his affinity for water magic.

Gauss faintly realized he probably needed to start collecting some water-element spells.

Wait, his Storage Bag already contained a 4th-circle water-element spell—the gift from Praelius of Longdi Fort.

And...

He looked at the Water Transformation Armament not far away.

Now it too had undergone new changes, turning from its original blue to a gilded blue, and its volume had also increased considerably.

With a slight clenching of his hand, that body of water rapidly surged towards him, then transformed into a blue longsword shimmering with golden edges.

"Swish!"

A chilling gleam flashed!

The sharp blade reflected half of his handsome face.

"Lake Goddess Sword. Sword of Mete."

He gently swung the sword in his hand, and the surrounding lake water instantly surged with towering waves.

The waters of Blue Lake were obeying his command.

"Hahaha—"

A sense of effortless mastery welled up in Gauss's heart.

In this domain of Blue Lake, wielding the Lake Goddess Sword, he could command even more powerful natural forces.

He even felt that if the battle with Cecilia, the Dragon Seeker, had taken place here that day, he should have been able to kill her along with her bone dragon.

This was the power of a "home ground."

He reined in this strange, magnificent power.

Instinct told him this power didn't belong to him; it was more like borrowing the might of Mete.

For example, that Water Ghost that surfaced about a hundred meters away had already died in the surge of the earlier towering waves, but his Monster Encyclopedia showed no change.

Clearly, the kills generated by controlling the lake just now weren't counted as his.

"Never mind, never mind."

He was already very satisfied with this brand-new weapon.

He tightened his grip on the sword.

Near bodies of water, especially freshwater areas, this weapon would be enhanced, and its restraining effect on evil forces would be strengthened.

Of course, the degree of amplification was far less than in Blue Lake's waters. Here, he could borrow Mete's power; in other bodies of water, that effect wouldn't be present.

After familiarizing himself with everything, Gauss opened the map in his mind and began walking towards the direction of Lakeside Town.

He was already some distance away from Lakeside Town's location.

Morning.

Some fishermen were taking advantage of the recent, rare thaw of Blue Lake to cast their nets.

On a fishing boat, a fisherman glanced inadvertently towards the center of the lake, swallowed hard, and quickly patted his companion to look in that direction together.

In the distance, on the lake surface, a white figure was slowly walking on water, approaching.

For a moment, their vision grew somewhat hazy.

It was as if they had returned to that scene from several days ago.

As if... divine majesty had descended once more.