Chapter 677
The True Image of the Nine Pillar Gods
The end of the endless corridor, in the twenty-first ring. It was a holy and radiant circular hall, like a grand cathedral.
Upon entering, Eivass’s first sight was this:
The wooden floor was crimson, and the ceiling was dark red. It looked as if they were inside the heart of some giant monster.
Thousands of white candles of varying heights burned in the room, filling it with a faint, sacred aroma.
The statues of the Nine Pillar Gods were arranged in a fan shape, enshrined within their respective square niches, in order. They appeared like giant paintings, except these paintings were recessed into the walls, and the sacred images of the Nine Pillar Gods within the “paintings” appeared in differently colored squares, in various poses.
In the left and right corners of each “picture frame,” different offerings were placed. They were basically various flowers, different gems, and candles of different colors, arranged in sequential quantities.
From left to right, the Nine Pillar Gods were arranged by sacred number.
As is well known, the Nine Pillar Gods have different avatars. However, the Church had its own unique definition of the “official image” of the Nine Pillar Gods.
While other countries’ churches might have religious paintings, they would not have complete statues, nor would they permit any form of unauthorized drawing – this was the “authority” and “discourse control” wielded by the Church. Only in the temples that exclusively revered a single Pillar God would sacred images be enshrined.
And usually, only here could one see the highest-level sacred images of the Nine Pillar Gods simultaneously.
— The Hengwo on the far left looked like a voluptuous young maiden.
She knelt on the ground, facing a lake, with her hands crossed over her chest or shoulder. She wore almost no clothing, only semi-transparent black crystal shaped like tentacles, tightly binding her from behind while covering her crucial parts.
She had extremely long, straight black hair, and her face could not be seen because her head was bowed. Her long hair trailed all the way to the ground, mingling with her calves and feet. But the hair that touched the ground turned into black snakes.
And the tentacles, surging from the depths of darkness like vines, spread all the way to the deep red vortex behind her. The tentacles were blood-red near the vortex, and dark, wolf-like golden vertical pupils faintly appeared from within the vortex.
To the right of Hengwo was the Twin.
But the image of the Twin was not a mirror.
It looked like a beauty sitting on a chair.
Two almost identical individuals, with similarly light golden hair, sat back-to-back on a chair resembling a multi-tiered cake, appearing like butterflies horizontally duplicated by a mirror.
Both had shoulder-length hair and emerald green pupils, possessing the same exquisite beauty. Yet, one could discern subtle differences in expression, indicating the left was male and the right was female.
The male had his left leg curled up on the chair, while his right leg was relaxed and hanging down. His left fist supported his cheek, giving off an air of relaxed indolence, with his head and eyes lowered.
The female Twin was the opposite, curling her right leg and playfully kicking her left leg forward. She slightly tilted her head up, her left index and middle fingers touching her chin, her head held high. Both gazed outwards from the picture, their smiles seeming friendly yet perhaps with a hint of mischief.
Even the offerings placed in the left and right corners of the shrine were perfectly symmetrical.
Eivass had never seen these two Pillar Gods before. Therefore, he examined them carefully, committing them to memory.
Moving one step further to the right, they encountered the most common Candlemaster.
The Candlemaster was a giant red crystal stag with branching antlers. White candle flames burned on each of its antlers – this was no different.
The Great Philosopher was a hunched old man. He wore a hooded robe, his eye sockets deeply sunken, and one eye was pure white, while his other deep blue eye was unfathomably profound, like a bottomless ice lake.
His mouth was shriveled like an old man’s, and it looked as if it were sewn shut with black thread. The old man’s right hand hung low, as if hiding something in his sleeve. His raised left hand held up a stone tablet, upon which ancient characters like electrical sparks danced. From his raised left arm, one could see the muscles hidden beneath the robe.
The Hourglass was also an old man, but he appeared much more energetic.
He wore a yellow robe, with a white beard and white hair. His slightly long, lean, and aged face was incredibly solemn. Behind him was a giant hourglass with constantly flowing sand, and his hands were clasped within his sleeves in front of him.
The sixth, the Lord of Scales and Feathers, revealed a form different from Eivass’s understanding.
His entire being was shrouded in shadow, and vaguely, one could only see his swaying emerald feathers and deep blue scales. His form seemed to be constantly changing, one moment green, the next blue. However, due to the large mass of shadow, only a tiny fraction of his exposed features could be seen.
The Silver Crown Dragon was a white dragon slumbering coiled on an iceberg. It wore a majestic and sacred silver crown on its head, and its wings were a brilliant silver-gray. The palpable chilling aura emanated from the shrine as if melting dry ice at room temperature, continuously flowing outwards…
Eivass quickly scanned past the Pillar Gods he had already seen – the Silver Crown Dragon and the Father of Snakes – and looked at the last one, Amber.
— Based on the Pillar Gods Eivass had already seen, there shouldn’t be too much of a difference. The most unusual one among them was the Boss… but considering the Boss was also the god of concealment and change, it was understandable for him to display a special image.
The Pillar God of the Twilight Path, “Amber,” was actually a white-haired girl encased in amber-colored crystal.
She wore no ornaments or clothing, appearing as if she were sealed or buried here.
She curled up like an infant, as if struggling to embrace something. Her snow-white hair naturally curved, as if forming a cocoon to subtly envelop her. Yet, this crystal seemed not to be crystal, for the hair within it could still faintly float, as if suspended in amniotic fluid.
Eivass’s sharp eyes also spotted a pair of small, pure white wings extending from Amber’s ears. Two large, pure white wings extended from her back, crossing in front to cover her body, which her long hair barely concealed. On either side of her feet, which the wings failed to cover, were a pair of wings about the same size as those on her ears.
The girl’s body was so fair it was almost transparent… or rather, this was the kind of ethereal “transparency” the sculptor intended to convey. More eye-catching than her body were her three pairs of pure white wings.
“…So, this is what Amber looks like?”
Eivass murmured, “Amber is a Harpy…”
This was the first time Eivass had seen Amber’s appearance – the Great Cathedral of the Candle Holder in Avalon did not enshrine sacred images or paintings of Amber. He didn’t even know if Amber was male or female, or of what race… Considering that Amber became a Pillar God during the “Cicada Molting Incident,” she should have a defined gender.
Eivass did not know the lifespan of harpies, nor whether they appeared young or old.
However, judging from Amber’s facial features, there was still a sense of youthfulness. From a human perspective, she looked at most fifteen or sixteen years old.
This caused Eivass to hesitate slightly.
Amber… as the “God of Peak Attainment, God of Perfect Eternity,” why did she look so young?
He recalled that since the Cicada Molting Incident, Amber had always been the strongest Pillar God.
And the image of a Pillar God should be closer to when they ascended – of course, there was no evidence for this, it was merely a conclusion Eivass drew from experience and intuition. But if that were the case, then Amber was far too young…
In front of these nine sacred statues, there was a long table, longer than usual.
At this moment, the Pure White Saintess was not kneeling before the Nine Pillar Gods as usual, but sat in the center of the long table, facing Eivass and his party as they approached the sacred statues.
She had her eyes slightly closed, softly chanting a melodious holy song. It was a sacred music capable of cleansing the soul; just listening to it felt healing – this was no exaggeration. People suffering from illness might indeed be cured just by hearing this song.
The Saintess’s seat was directly in front of the Hourglass, and in the very center of the circular room.
On the other side of the long table, there were only three seats in total. The seat to the Saintess’s right was empty.
And the person to the Saintess’s left was Master Janis, who was looking at Isabel with surprise.
“…You’re here?”
Janis whispered.
Isabel’s lips curved upwards, and she placed a finger to her lips, silently forming the words: “It’s a secret.”
Although she was responding to Janis, Isabel’s gaze was almost uncontrollably drawn to the Pure White Saintess.
To be precise, it was drawn to the Saintess’s chest, resting on the table.
At this moment, the Pure White Saintess’s index, middle, and ring fingers were touching, forming a pyramid on the table. But this was not a pyramid formed by sheer will… rather, she was resting her arms on her chest.
Isabel: ???
So… so big…
The young half-elf queen’s eyes widened, and she marveled silently.
— It’s so big, is it really reasonable?
She puffed her cheeks, silently questioning nature.
She subtly turned her head to look at Eivass, and found that Eivass was not staring at the Pure White Saintess, but was casting sidelong glances at the Pillar God Amber. She then secretly breathed a sigh of relief.
Upon seeing Eivass, the Pure White Saintess nodded slightly to her left, signaling Eivass to approach: “In front of the Lord of Scales and Feathers.”
“Understood, Your Highness,”
Eivass replied and pulled Isabel to the side as they walked.
Soon, Eivass found his designated spot directly in front of the Lord of Scales and Feathers.
On the back of the giant chair, which resembled those used in Ascension Rituals, “Eivass” was written in elven calligraphy. There were also two small chairs on either side.
After Eivass and the two others sat down, several elven girls wearing nun’s habits soon arrived to serve them drinks.
It was a liquid as translucent and clear as a ruby.
Eivass twitched his nose.
— This is Sacred Tree No. 1.
He identified the taste of the fine wine based on its aroma alone.
After the girl with long gray hair meticulously poured three cups of wine, Eivass smiled and said softly to her, “Thank you.”
The girl was slightly startled, and then looked at Eivass, who had a smile on his face. Only then did she clearly see the face of this young Cardinal.
“…Human?”
The girl’s originally expressionless, doll-like face involuntarily showed a hint of surprise and joy. Her eyes revealed an intense “I want to touch him” desire. But she subconsciously glanced at the photographer at the entrance of the room and finally suppressed the desire in her heart.
“You’re so cute,”
The girl whispered, “Cardinal.”
Then, the girl bowed slightly with a shallow smile and turned to leave.
After the girl left, Isabel quietly asked, “Who is she? A maid to the Pope?”
“No,” Eivass said softly, “If we hadn’t been here… she would be the candidate Saintess of this generation.”
“…Such a young child?”
“Don’t look at her age, she’s probably close to a hundred even if she hasn’t reached it yet,”
Eivass casually said, then raised his head and looked around.
From here, one could hear Her Highness the Saintess singing up close. And the drink was the world’s finest wine, Sacred Tree No. 1, brewed with the blood of an Apostle… All in all, it was truly satisfying.
He had arrived early, so there weren’t many people around Eivass yet. Only Hengwo and the Twin’s area had more people, and he was among the first to arrive in this section.
Suddenly, Eivass felt a gentle push on his shoulder from behind.
He turned his head to the right and saw Lily already turned back, looking at the other person.
The young man behind him smiled and waved at Eivass.
He had changed into a white robe, so Eivass didn’t recognize him at first. Only when he saw his radiant smile did he realize it was Cardinal Siegfried, codenamed “Topaz.”
He was accompanied by a silver-haired woman and a strong brown-haired man. Both were pure-blooded elves.
“My wife, Kriemhild.”
Siegfried said with a smile, putting his arm around the man’s shoulder, “This is my brother. Which one is your wife?”
“This one.”
Eivass chuckled and tugged at Isabel’s hand, “Her name is Isabel.”
“A half-elf…”
Siegfried looked at Isabel thoughtfully, “She looks a little familiar.”
Humans possessed a cute-factor bonus for elves, akin to how cats and dogs are to humans—however, for half-elves, this special charm was immediately lost.
Although in human aesthetics, half-elves might even be cuter than pure-blooded elves. Because they possessed both the nobility and exquisite features of elves, as well as the rounded facial contours of humans. But in elven aesthetics… half-elves were probably akin to furries. Among extreme elven purists, they might even be considered bizarre to the point of disgust.
Only a few elves were particularly fond of half-elves, and Siegfried was clearly not among them.
This was actually one of the reasons why half-elves found it difficult to attain high status in the Church – even elves were superficial when it came to looks. It was just a matter of different aesthetics.
“So everyone brings their wives?”
Eivass suddenly felt more confident.
He had been worried that bringing Isabel might break some rule.
“Not necessarily. For example, Cardinal Fafnir…”
Siegfried whispered.
Just then, Cardinal Fafnir walked over.
(End of this chapter)
