I Am Not Goblin Slayer

Chapter 311: Lake Goddess Mothella

The shore was bustling with activity at this moment.Besides prominent figures like the Mayor and President Robin, there were even more townsfolk and adventurers who had come upon hearing the news.

They stood on slightly higher slopes in the distance, craning their necks in anticipation while conversing in low voices.

When Gauss and his group arrived, they immediately became the center of attention.

Even those who hadn't seen Gauss before quickly realized he was the protagonist of tonight's event the moment they laid eyes on him.

He seemed to possess a unique power that made people unconsciously focus their attention on him.

Or perhaps, many great achievers possessed this quality.

Whether it was founding monarchs who pioneered through hardships, heroes who later made their names, or legendary figures who left profound marks in the long river of history - they were all like this.

Gauss walked to the edge of the altar.

Though called an altar, it was actually a pure white platform by the lakeside.

The Lake God faith here hadn't developed to the scale of forming a church, but they had invited a locally respected elder to preside over the ceremony.

Mayor Helsun watched this scene with a smile on his face.

"Tonight coincides with the full moon, making it the perfect time for the blessing ceremony. Gauss, please step forward."

Gauss maintained a calm expression, nodding slightly in response. After exchanging a few quiet words with his teammates, he followed the elder leading the ceremony.

He walked slowly toward the circular altar paved with white pebbles by the water's edge.

In the center of the altar, various offerings symbolizing harvest and reverence had already been arranged.

Black bread, white bread, plump golden wheat ears, berries hanging with crystal dew drops, and so on...

Gauss looked around and noticed they were mostly food items.

Perhaps because in the story, the Lake God's first appearance was related to food falling into water, creating a certain path dependency for subsequent sacrificial activities.

It seemed the local Lake God was quite the foodie deity.

"Please stand here."

The elder proactively hung a specially made wreath of wheat ears around Gauss's neck.

Then Gauss took a few more steps toward the lake.

Moonlight poured down, gently enveloping his moon-white robe. The silk-like white fabric seemed to be penetrated by moonlight, emitting a faint snowy glow.

It was as if moonlight had solidified into substance and was being worn by him.

The crowd watching from the distant slopes unconsciously fell silent, their gazes focused on him.

Gauss took a few steps forward.

With each step, the curious expression on his face deepened.

Because at this moment, he truly felt the surrounding air seemed to have undergone some change.

It felt as if some invisible presence was slowly awakening.

"Look over there!"

Someone in the crowd watching the water surface suddenly lowered their voice to speak to those around them.

The wind before Gauss suddenly stirred. The originally mirror-smooth lake surface rippled with circles of pale blue fluorescent waves.

The fluorescence didn't come from the moonlight above, but emanated from deep within the lake itself, pure and elegant in its glow.

At the center of the ripples, the lake water seemed to awaken.

Bubbles large and small rose from beneath the lake surface.

At first there were only a few, but soon more and more appeared. Sky-blue bubbles detached from the lake surface, rapidly gathering in the air before Gauss.

Could it be... could there really be a "Lake God"?

Gauss blinked his eyes.

Not far from him, the elder who had been preparing to continue presiding over the blessing ceremony was also stunned.

Who am I? Where am I? What was I supposed to do here?

Whether the blessing ceremony could summon the Lake God - he came to preside over it every year, how could he not know?

This was his first time encountering such a situation, leaving him momentarily at a loss, his pupils suddenly contracting.

So the blessing could actually summon the Lake God?

The onlookers on the shore were also dumbfounded.

They instinctively covered their gaping mouths.

A few devout believers even shed two streams of clear tears, kneeling on the ground and performing prayer gestures toward Gauss and the "Lake God."

Even Gauss, bathed in moonlight by the lakeside, seemed to become sacred in their eyes.

The bubbles swirled and condensed under the moonlight, finally outlining a huge, elegant humanoid silhouette.

It didn't have a specific form, more like flowing water.

But unlike water elementals or water genies, the moment it appeared, one could sense its sacred nature.

Gauss, facing it directly, felt this most strongly.

He quietly observed the other.

At the same time, he could feel that it was observing him as well.

Was it truly a deity?

Gauss was curious about its existence.

It could be some kind of spirit beyond ordinary understanding, or perhaps an incarnation of some deity, but in any case, it wasn't an ordinary creature.

It didn't seem to care about other humans, focusing its attention solely on Gauss.

Gauss felt an ancient, vast, and gentle consciousness sweep over him.

It penetrated his protective field, passed through his Moonlight Robe, went through his skin and flesh...

He felt somewhat uncomfortable, as if standing naked before the other.

Fortunately, in Gauss's vague perception, the Adventurer's Manual deep within his body seemed to remain very concealed.

The commotion on the shore, whether exclamations, noise, or prayers, seemed to be stripped away. An invisible barrier enveloped his surroundings.

At this moment, the world contained only Gauss and the ancient will before him.

An ethereal voice sounded in Gauss's heart.

[Ancient Watcher's Blood... it has been long since it last descended upon the Prime Material Plane.]

Gauss suppressed the surging emotions in his heart, trying to remain calm.

He similarly attempted to respond with condensed mental energy.

"I greet you, Guardian of Blue Lake. My name is Gauss, an adventurer passing through this land."

Gauss didn't explain anything about the hunting competition or the Lake God's blessing. For such an unknown existence, it probably didn't care about these human activities.

Otherwise, in previous Lake God blessing ceremonies, it should have appeared, and other onlookers wouldn't be so surprised, showing expressions as if witnessing a divine miracle.

As for why it had descended before him this time.

Gauss guessed it probably related to the Ancient Watcher's Blood mentioned in its words?

Was it related to [Ghost Form]? Or [Sturdy Scale Bloodline]?

This so-called Watcher's Blood seemed to have piqued the other's interest.

He pondered silently.

[Adventurer]

The Lake God's will rippled.

For some reason, Gauss actually sensed a human-like contemplation and pause from it.

After a moment, as if having received some information.

It refocused its attention on Gauss.

[So this much time has passed in the Prime Material Plane]

"Could you be a deity?" Gauss wondered.

He noticed its mention of the Prime Material Plane.

As far as he knew, most deities in this world didn't reside in the Prime Material Plane, but rather in the Outer Planes, possessing their own divine realms that served as their power cores.

Deities possessed immensely powerful strength, but their true forms were restricted by rules and couldn't directly enter the Prime Material Plane, only able to influence the world through believers, avatars, chosen ones, and celestial servants.

[Deity?]

It neither confirmed nor firmly denied this.

It merely continued speaking in a gentle voice.

[My name is Mete, the coalesced will of this body of water.]

[Adventurer Gauss, have you come seeking my blessing?]

It continued.

"According to the procedure, I came for this purpose." Hearing the Lake God's question, Gauss didn't pretend otherwise and answered sincerely.

But unexpectedly, the water-formed body before him slowly shook its head.

[The threads of fate upon you are chaotic and dazzling, intertwined with too many possibilities... An ordinary blessing given to you would be like pouring a cup of water into a lake, vanishing in an instant.]

[Moreover, there is an evil mark entangled upon you.]

"An evil mark?"

Gauss blinked.

He hadn't felt anything.

On the contrary, his journey had been smooth sailing all along.

He looked down at his body.

Nothing unusual.

[Step forward.]

Lake God Mete continued.

Hearing this, Gauss hesitated for a moment before taking a few steps toward it.

His feet stepped onto the lake surface.

Ripples spread across the water, but unexpectedly, he felt as if stepping on some resilient fabric, not sinking into the water.

Gauss walked before it.

It slowly placed its arm on Gauss's head.

Then Gauss felt some deep green mark slowly emerging on his body.

"What is this?"

[This is a mark, possibly from some devil, demon, or unknown evil god.]

[It left this mark on you to facilitate finding you when needed.]

[This mark isn't a curse. Besides revealing your location, it won't cause you any harm.]

Gauss nodded with some understanding.

Simultaneously, he began frantically recalling in his mind when this so-called mark had appeared on him.

Before long, he had a guess.

His experiences with similar supernatural matters were actually quite limited. Besides this encounter with the Lake God, there was only that one time...

His memories returned to when he had just leveled up to become a professional.

At that time, Gauss's team didn't have as many members as now. He and Aria, who had just joined the team then, accepted a commission to clear out ratfolk in the church cellar.

If he remembered correctly, the final words of that ratfolk elder who seemed to be conducting some evil ritual were.

"Lord Vespertilia... will be watching you."

So, was that when the mark was placed on him?

Because he only had nightmares for one night, with no subsequent discomfort, and no special abnormalities were detected.

He had forgotten about that matter.

Thinking it was just the ramblings of a cornered ratfolk in its final moments.

He never expected to actually be marked.

Although according to Lake God Mete's words, it wouldn't cause him any harm or negative effects, it could indicate his specific location when that existence wanted information about him.

This feeling of being targeted made him somewhat uneasy.

So, he decisively made a request to the Lake God Mete before him.

"Great Mete, since you can perceive this mark, could you please remove it from me?"

The water-formed figure rippled slightly, an ethereal voice tinged with apology sounding in Gauss's heart.

[I cannot do that.]

This reply made Gauss's heart sink slightly.

[The origin of this mark isn't a curse on the material or energy level, but something deeper, closer to conceptual and oath-based binding.]

[Some creature, at the cost of its life, created a sufficiently profound "causal entanglement" between you and the master it serves. This unilateral "declaration" was recorded by the rules of the Prime Material Plane.]

[My power originates from this Blue Lake, governing lake waters, nourishment, and harvest. I'm not skilled at resolving such forces.]

[However, you needn't worry. Whether for high-level devils, demons, or evil gods, their time dimensions are much longer than ordinary people's. It's possible that a normal human lifespan would end before the mark leads to any encounter.]

[If you wish, I can help conceal this mark for a period of time.]

Lake God Mete spoke many words unhurriedly.

What it said actually made sense.

For high-level devils, demons, and evil gods, they might even have transcended lifespan limitations. Dozens or hundreds of years might be just like taking a nap to them.

This was also why Gauss had been marked for some time without any abnormalities.

Although this mark was placed by the ratfolk elder at the cost of its life, the master it served might not necessarily care.

Or even if it noticed, it might not immediately focus on him.

Perhaps right now, the other side was "sleeping."

By the time it woke up, decades might have passed.

Ultimately, for evil gods, the priority of information transmitted by followers of different levels would certainly vary.

There might be countless pieces of information from followers during certain periods, and they couldn't possibly "read" every one.

And that ratfolk elder was undoubtedly not a powerful creature.

"Then I'll trouble you, great Mete."

Gauss, seeking help from a deity, maintained excellent manners.

Mete's transparent body nodded slowly.

It then condensed a deep blue water sphere before itself.

The water sphere eventually separated from it and merged into Gauss's body.

Gauss suddenly felt his body become much lighter.

[I have given you a portion of my origin power. It can suppress the mark's emitted aura, thus blocking its function.]

[Additionally, you can borrow its power to form weapons.]

[Whether blades, swords, spears, or any weapon, you can freely transform it.]

[Consider this my special "blessing" to you.]

Lake God Mete said gently.

[As for this mark, when your power becomes sufficiently strong, such external "marks" should be repelled and cleared by your own being.]

"Thank you! Great and generous Mete."

Gauss expressed sincere gratitude to it.

Although he didn't know why, it had indeed been very kind to him.

And the legends truly didn't deceive - the Lake God of this place was indeed a very generous and benevolent deity.

Right away, it gifted a water-based weapon that could freely change forms, which sounded excellent.

And the unknown mark's aura had been shielded as well.

[Don't thank me just yet.]

[I also have a request to make of you here.]

Before Gauss could finish marveling at its generosity in his heart, the voice of Lake God Mete before him immediately followed.