TGS - Chapter 203
Chapter 203: The Divine Marriage
On the surface, it seemed Lotus had escaped the prophecy of 【Destiny】, and the final crisis of the divine war had been resolved. It was a joyous outcome for all.
However, it was not yet over.
A power that shatters balance cannot remain unrestrained. A Creator God cannot exist in the world for long; this was written into the rules.
As long as Lotus was the Primordial Water, possessing the authority of a Creator, similar situations would arise again and again, attempting to pull her back onto her fated trajectory, like a ticking time bomb.
Once, twice, Alyuin might be able to call back Lotus’s self, preventing her from being completely assimilated by the rules, but this was no long-term solution.
If a call failed, or if she wasn’t in time… the consequences were unimaginable.
Faced with this situation, Lotus pondered for a moment and decided to attempt something unprecedented.
She would strip away the divinity and chaotic authority belonging to the Creator and seal them away.
An ordinary seal would not suffice. It needed, at the very least, strict and effective restrictions. Otherwise, if she could simply break the seal and reclaim her divine power at will, what difference would there be from the present? The rules would not acknowledge it.
Thus, taking advantage of the fact that all the main gods—including Alyuin, who would become one of them—were present, Lotus gave a brief explanation. The gods returned to the Kingdom of the Gods together, landing on the stone platform in the center of the floating island.
This was Alyuin’s first time in the legendary Kingdom of the Gods.
The princess stood beside Lotus, looking around with novelty and wonder in her eyes.
The area was filled with strange, unknown flowers and plants. By a thicket of budding shrubs, small, winged sprites peeked out. The trees were lush, and in the distance stood the majestic silhouettes of temples.
The Kingdom of the Gods was born from human mythology. Even though this place was not like the mortal realm, there was a subtle sense of connection.
There was no time to waste.
The main gods were about to take their positions as they had in the past to maintain the god power field, but they discovered that the layout of the divine power circuits on the stone platform had changed.
The previous eight positions had shifted, leaving a new spot open between Lotus and Adia, the Goddess of Love. The eight-pointed star had become a nine-pointed star. The inscribed power circuits had been erased and overlaid, becoming more complex and closer to perfection.
It seemed that although Alyuin was still a "demigod" and could not wield any divine power, the mythological space had sensed her presence and created a place for the Goddess of War.
Lotus understood and gave Alyuin a slight nod.
As if sensing something, the princess stepped onto the stone platform and stood in the empty position.
The first half of the sealing was completed by Lotus alone.
She separated her Creator divinity from her River Goddess divinity. The former immediately turned into an irregular, gray, misty crystal, while the latter fell back into her chest, once again the frost-blue sapphire it had always been.
Without any pause, Lotus tossed the Creator divinity into the center of the stone platform, burying it beneath the stone, while simultaneously using a portion of her separated chaotic divine power to set up the seal.
The divinity itself was an inanimate object and would remain quietly in place. When the seal was complete, the last trace of the Creator’s power she had reserved was also used up.
At this moment, aside from still bearing the title of the Primordial Water, Lotus had almost no connection left to chaos. From her divinity to her authority, she belonged solely to the River Goddess, through and through.
But this was not enough.
Lotus raised her hand and added two constraints to the seal—or rather, to herself.
First, the seal could only be broken if a divine war began again and an enemy with power that shattered the balance appeared.
Second, the seal could only be broken with the unanimous consent of the nine main gods of Solancia.
Nine orbs of light, each a different color, merged into the foreheads of those present. From then on, under the condition that both points were met, Lotus could reclaim her chaotic divinity and fight once more as a Creator God.
—We pledge not to be the first to use the Primordial Water.
It was a vow of that nature.
Lotus vaguely sensed that the prying gaze of the rules had finally dissipated.
The rules had accepted this arrangement.
Ultimately, what 【The World】 forbade was not the existence of a Creator God itself, but the Creator’s authority that transcended balance. As long as the chaotic divine power did not appear, the rules would not attempt to assimilate her.
With that, the divine war was settled.
Lotus and Alyuin departed first, returning to the city of Surinia in the mortal realm.
The other main gods desperately wanted to return to their own temples and fall into a deep slumber, but they could not.
The other two pantheons that participated in the divine war were almost completely annihilated. The few minor gods of Kasnie that survived were hiding within Kasnie’s borders, too afraid to cause trouble.
In other words, it was time for the Solancian pantheon to influence the factors on the battlefield.
Weather, wind direction, climate change… on the battlefields between Solancia and Kasnie, the natural conditions would favor Solancia. Although it would cause almost no change to the natural world as a whole, it would be more conducive for the princess to formulate tactical plans, reducing the probability of plans being derailed by sudden environmental shifts.
For the enemy, the situation was the complete opposite.
The prosperous cities built along the coastline were once the jewels of Solancia. They had shone brightly by the sea, only to be seized and tarnished by the Kasnie army.
And now, Alyuin was reclaiming these pearls one by one, returning them whole to the map of Solancia.
It was undeniable that Horst’s brother, Taz, the former Lord of Bananna, had put his expertise to good use in the coastal battles.
But even this naval veteran felt that the campaign had gone far too smoothly. To put it in a way familiar to Solancians, it was as if the great gods themselves were helping them.
Of course, he would never know that every time the generals gathered for a meeting in the council hall or the commander’s tent, several main gods were listening in from behind a standing screen.
Whether they understood the tactical arrangements or not, they influenced natural factors within the scope permitted by the rules, their contributions remaining hidden and unsung.
The front line advanced steadily, recapturing one city after another.
Compared to the horrific slaughter that occurred when the Sanur army occupied cities, the damage caused by Kasnie’s year-long occupation was less severe, which was a small mercy amidst the misfortune.
Finally, the Kasnie army suffered continuous defeats and was forced to retreat from the remaining coastal cities, concentrating in their last foothold in Solancia: Bananna City.
“How could this be?”
Kaimon slammed his palm on the table. The generals on either side dared not meet the prince’s gaze and lowered their heads.
They wanted to ask the same question!
The coastal cities of Solancia had been occupied by the Kasnie army for the longest time and were under their firmest control. Logically, they should have been able to hold out for much longer. But for some reason, they were utterly powerless against the Solancians.
The disparity in military strength and tactical planning was certainly one reason, but there was a more bewildering problem: Kasnie was just too unlucky.
Their plans before a battle would be perfect, but on the day of, they would find the wind blowing in the wrong direction when they wanted to fire arrows. Such things happening once was normal, but for them to consistently fail was highly unusual.
It was as if… as if they had lost the protection of their gods, and even heaven and earth were against them.
Kaimon gritted his teeth.
He wasn't sure when it started, but his aunt, a priestess of the Goddess of the Mind, could no longer receive divine oracles. Even when Kaimon, the prince himself, presided over the rituals, it was to no avail.
Although the Goddess of the Mind had rarely offered guidance on war strategy, at least when they had oracles, they weren't this unlucky!
Kaimon knew in his heart that even if his tactical plans hadn't been ruined by the changing natural conditions, Kasnie would have only lost more slowly. But he was unwilling to accept this, and could only curse under his breath, “This damned Solancian weather!”
No matter how hard it was for Kaimon to accept, the battle for Bananna—a fight of offense and defense, and also the final battle between the two armies on Solancian soil—finally erupted.
It was a great battle that lasted ten days.
Among the Solancian army were some of the very soldiers who had once desperately broken out of Bananna. Now incorporated into the besieging army, they were filled with the flames of vengeance and a pure will to fight, shooting fire arrows and hurling javelins and boulders at the city walls.
This will permeated the entire army, as if a god of war was among them, spreading their wings, holding the torch of victory, and swinging the invincible blade at the enemy’s throat.
Alyuin raised her hand, and an arrow struck the Kasnie flag fluttering on the city wall.
Under the relentless assault of the siege, the Kasnie army was unable to hold the city. If they didn't want to be trapped and annihilated, their only option was to break out.
The tables had turned. Not long ago, they had forced the defenders of Bananna to flee their homeland. Now, a year later, Kasnie was forced to flee in defeat.
Worse still, their escape was far more difficult than the Solancians’ had been—the Solancians could flee in any direction on land, but the Kasnie forces could only escape to the sea on their remaining warships.
In the end, Kaimon was cornered less than a mile from where the warships were docked.
Once at sea, the people of Kasnie feared no storm or enemy, but the prerequisite was that he had to get to the sea.
Kaimon looked for an opportunity to break through the encirclement when suddenly the hairs on the back of his neck stood on end. He instinctively dodged, avoiding a sword strike from his side.
“Alyu—in!” Kaimon was both horrified and enraged.
The response was another sword strike.
Alyuin had no intention of wasting words. Her pair of golden eyes, visible behind her helmet, searched for her opponent’s weakness. Her gaze was cold and chilling, yet also brilliant and dazzling.
The supreme commanders of the two armies engaged in battle.
Kaimon was a commander, but also Kasnie’s most outstanding individual warrior. Kasnie’s terrain was not suitable for riding, yet he had practiced horsemanship and mounted combat since childhood, all for the day he could seize the vast plains of Solancia and reap the lives of its people.
Kaimon was born for this.
He was certain of it.
If he were facing Motis, Lena, Taz, or Shalu—any other general of Solancia—Kaimon could have won and escaped, boarding a warship and sailing into the sea. Unfortunately for him, he was facing Alyuin.
Before long, their blades had clashed over a hundred times, the flashes of steel too fast for the eye to follow.
The Kasnie prince was covered in sword wounds, the webbing of his hand was split, and he could barely hold his saber, yet he still intended to strike—in that instant, his movement froze.
His pupils dilated, and Kaimon stared down in a daze.
Opposite him, Alyuin cleanly withdrew her blade. Blood gushed from Kaimon’s heart as the princess stared at him coldly, flicking the blood from her sword’s edge.
Kaimon could no longer hold on and slumped from his horse.
In another world, Kaimon had indeed fulfilled his lifelong ambition.
Invading a Solancia rife with rebellion, his fleet was invincible, his legions terrifying. Kaimon, or perhaps his son, would have become the ruler of this land, until another people drove the Kasnie out…
But that was long destined not to happen.
The riderless warhorse tried to flee the battlefield. Its hooves trampled over Kaimon’s body, the heavy horseshoes landing without eliciting a human cry of pain. He was dead.
The Kasnie army was utterly defeated.
Scattered soldiers fled to the warships, setting sail to retreat from Solancia. On their way, several ships were set ablaze by fire arrows. In the end, only a handful of warships returned to the sea.
The silhouettes of the ships grew smaller and smaller, until they were just tiny black dots, as if marking the end of this protracted war.
On the coast, the cleanup of the remaining Kasnie soldiers was not yet complete, but most Solancian soldiers looked around and saw no sign of the enemy. Some looked for their friends, while others raised their weapons high, letting out hoarse cheers and roars.
“Solancia!”
“The gods protect us! May Solancia last forever!”
Amidst the noisy background, Alyuin tilted her head slightly.
She looked at Lotus, who was standing not far away with her fellow main gods.
Lotus looked up and smiled faintly.
The sea breeze blew, the scent of blood still lingering in the air.
This war was finally over. Bananna City needed to be rebuilt, and Solancia would find new life after the war.
But at this moment, the series of future events seemed to have nothing to do with the goddess and the demigod on the coast. They simply gazed at each other quietly, their eyes filled with an emotion only they could understand.
There was no sound in that moment.
In Akhet, every household had hung a fresh branch by their door.
The roads of the royal city had been swept exceptionally clean. The main road, paved with white flagstones, was cordoned off, lined on both sides by the Royal Guard in uniform armor, their discipline strict.
The atmosphere should have been solemn, but the fresh flowers worn on the guards’ shoulders added a touch of vibrant, gentle color to the scene.
Beyond the guards’ cordon, the public was free to move about.
A little girl, not even as tall as an adult’s thigh, toddled over to the head of the guard line and shouted, her words slurred but cheerful, “Celebrate—blessings! Happy Majesty!”
The guard at the head of the line—Shalu, also wearing a flower—raised an eyebrow. She took a piece of honey candy wrapped in leaf paper from her pocket and placed it in the little girl’s palm. The girl thanked her happily and ran back to her mother to show off her treat.
Half a year had flown by since the end of the war. After ample rest and preparation, this day had finally arrived—a particularly special day.
It was the festival day of the Goddess Lotus.
It was also the day Princess Alyuin would be crowned Queen and hold her wedding on the same day.
Holding the coronation and wedding ceremony on the same day was, strictly speaking, unprecedented, but not so strange as to be shocking. What truly astonished and dumbfounded people was that Her Majesty Alyuin’s marriage partner was a god.
The Goddess of the Yilu River, Lotus.
Although new myths said that Her Majesty Alyuin was the reincarnation of the War Goddess and had some sort of indescribable relationship with the River Goddess, these were just legends, and many people hadn't taken them seriously. It wasn't until the news of the divine marriage and coronation was released together that people were stunned.
The coronation procedure was fixed, but a divine marriage… how would the wedding be held?
Would the other protagonist of the wedding even appear?
Was she going to marry a statue or stone tablet of the Goddess Lotus, or would an actress from a mythological play or a priestess of the River Goddess serve as a symbol?
There were many questions, none of which were answered, which only fueled the public’s curiosity to an unprecedented level.
On the day of the ceremony, people rushed out of their homes early in the morning to watch the spectacle. Later, nearly everyone came out to try and witness the event, emptying the streets. The scene was comparable to the massive crowds that had welcomed the princess’s triumphant return six months ago.
Shalu was in charge of maintaining order among the spectators, preventing any chaos or rule-breaking, and handing out candy to sweet-tongued children offering blessings. Shalu, the former leader of the slave rebel army, found the job quite agreeable.
Just then, the crowd behind the honor guard erupted in cheers.
A magnificent, open-air flower chariot slowly approached on the road ahead. The chariot was painted with gold lacquer, the royal crest engraved on its side, and it was pulled by four handsome white horses.
Two rows of guards cleared the path in front, while handmaidens followed behind, scattering flower petals along the way.
Upon the flower-wreathed seat, the woman who was about to formally ascend the throne sat with regal poise.
The robes worn by Solancian monarchs for formal occasions had no uniform style, but they all shared the common feature of magnificent gold ornamentation.
Crescent moon earrings, openwork bracelets, a serpent-headed armlet, and several thin gold bands on her forearm that jingled with the slight jostle of the chariot. A three-tiered necklace inlaid with lapis lazuli, rubies, and jasper had a gold tassel hanging below it, its strands distinct, decorating the cape that extended from the neckband.
Amidst the heavy gold ornaments, only a Snowtu-shaped amulet on her chest was the most striking. Alyuin gently caressed the blue chalcedony bead at its center and casually lifted her gaze.
Her hair was like satin, her golden eyes sharp and bright. The princess’s own beauty was more dazzling than her gold ornaments and fine clothes. She was heroic and sharp, yet also beautiful and elegant. Her bow and sword were hung behind her seat. She was the god of war in the mortal realm.
The chariot parade was a tradition for the coronation of a Solancian monarch. Before proceeding to the temple for the ceremony, every monarch had to ride in a chariot for a lap around Akhet’s main street to meet the people. Only after that would the formal coronation take place.
As the chariot traveled along the road to the temple complex, in the central plaza of the temples, the head court maidservant, Kurda, was busy confirming the arrangements for the ceremony.
The head maidservant was calm and capable, having arranged every preparation in an orderly fashion. There was just one thing that left the ever-professional Kurda at a loss.
That was the arrangement for the wedding ceremony.
A month ago, when Kurda had asked the princess for instructions on the wedding plans, Alyuin had been very attentive. She had summoned the priests, masters of ceremony, and trusted ministers to discuss the divine marriage in detail.
The wedding ceremony of a Solancian monarch had always followed the principle of "supreme simplicity"—that is, the arrangements had to reflect the honor of the royal family, but the procedure could not be overly cumbersome, preferably concluding within half a day.
After all, the set of gold ornaments worn by the royal family for formal occasions was extremely heavy. It was manageable for the king, but for the queen… according to historical records, there had been cases of a queen fainting from exhaustion midway through her wedding.
While everyone else was at a loss about the arrangements for the divine marriage, Alyuin sat in the main seat, her gaze falling on the empty space beside her, her red lips moving slightly as if she were talking to herself.
Then the princess made the final decision, omitting the procession to receive the bride and starting the ceremony directly at the temple. The subsequent arrangements would follow tradition, all of which were procedures that required two people to cooperate.
That being said, the other protagonist of the wedding was a god. How could she cooperate with the ceremony? Were they to find a priestess to play the role of the goddess?
Surely they weren't going to complete these procedures with a statue?
The stone statues in the temple were not easy to move.
Imagining the new queen holding a small statue while receiving the congratulations of her subjects, everyone present thought: “…”
Alyuin offered no explanation for this, only instructing Kurda to leave the best viewing platform in the temple plaza empty and forbid anyone from ascending it.
“That is the seat for our honored guests,” the princess had said meaningfully.
Kurda seemed to understand, yet not fully. In any case, she followed the royal command and left the platform empty.
Now, as the coronation and divine marriage ceremony was about to begin, all the nobles and ministers, except for the guards following the princess’s parade, were already in place in the plaza. Some looked at the empty platform, inevitably confused.
No one could see that the platform was actually filled with gods in their spiritual forms.
After the great war with Kasnie ended, the main gods had not, in fact, returned to their respective temples to sleep. One of the reasons was Lotus’s wedding.
A wedding—the word was somewhat distant for the gods. The marital relationships of deities in legends were merely human imagination. The camaraderie and collegial feelings among the main gods were perfectly platonic—except for Lotus, they were all single.
Some gods had been married when they were human, but those memories were long gone. A very small number of subordinate gods and sprites did have romantic relationships, but none were heard to have married like humans.
Under these circumstances, the wedding of one of their colleagues, Lotus, and a future colleague, Alyuin, was truly a piece of good gossip that could be talked about for a hundred years. No one wanted to miss it.
“What do you plan to do in a bit?” Adia asked with interest. “Are you going to appear in a human incarnation? Or as a blue heron…”
Lotus smiled lightly. “I’ll keep it a secret for now.”
The Goddess of Love pouted. “Fine, maintain the mystery. Human tricks.”
Taking advantage of the fact that humans couldn't see objects wrapped in divine power, the gods had brought the round tables, chairs, sweet wine, and pastries they often used for feasts in the Kingdom of the Gods. The atmosphere was relaxed and cheerful, a stark contrast to the human nobles in the plaza who could only stand and wait for the princess’s chariot.
One could only say, it was a good thing people couldn't see them.
At this moment, the main gods were seated around the round table.
Suojia watched En eat sweet cakes with a benevolent expression. The sun and moon twin gods chatted in low voices. The God of Wisdom muttered to himself, writing and calculating. The Death God was as withdrawn as ever, but the Ravens by his side were very happy, as could be told from the wedding melody that still hadn't changed.
Only two Ravens were unusual, standing on the table in front of Lotus, craning their necks in anticipation.
They had reason to be excited. After all, this was the coronation and wedding of their daughter.
Finally, under the watchful eyes of the crowd, the princess’s flower chariot arrived at the entrance of the plaza.
Alyuin swung herself down from the high seat, landing steadily. She wore pure white boots under her magnificent long robe, the soles stepping onto the scarlet carpet that covered the ground as she walked step by step to the front of the River Goddess’s temple.
Behind her, the honor guard marched in neat formation. This army, tempered by blood and fire, could not hide the grim aura forged on the battlefield, even when adorned with flowers.
Everyone present fell silent.
Alyuin looked at the platform that was empty in others’ eyes, blinked, and the corners of her lips curled up.
Only then did she turn back to face the temple’s sacrificial altar and the tall statue of the River Goddess behind it.
First to begin was the coronation ceremony.
High Priestess Rhea stood to one side, holding a scroll filled with writing, proclaiming the princess’s merits—outstanding military achievements, brilliant political accomplishments. Among all the past monarchs of Solancia, one would be hard-pressed to find an ancestor who had achieved so much before ascending the throne.
After the proclamation, the petite priestess rolled up the long scroll.
On the altar before Alyuin rested a crown made of pure gold. An eagle’s head jutted forward, with multiple pairs of wings carved behind it. Lapis lazuli was inlaid in every golden feather, and a large malachite at the top of the crown symbolized the supreme royal authority, from the founding of Solancia to the present day.
It rested on red silk in a box of fragrant wood.
The High Priestess was supposed to place this king’s crown on Alyuin’s head, but when it came to this step, Rhea did not pick up the crown, nor did Alyuin move. She calmly faced the plaza and delivered her speech, and the ceremony continued on.
In the original plan, the steps of the coronation and the wedding were closely linked.
After the speech, the coronation ceremony would be over, and the wedding ceremony would begin.
The problem was, with only one person, how could a wedding be held?
Kurda stood in a corner to the side, looking at the princess’s—no, she should be called the queen, but she hadn't been formally crowned yet—side. It was empty. There was no actress symbolizing the goddess, nor was there a statue.
…Could it be that Her Majesty really intended to hold the wedding while holding a small statue?
Kurda gasped.
The head maidservant was deeply worried.
Not far away, Lotus rose from the round table on the platform and took a few steps through the air to the front of the temple.
She exchanged a look with Alyuin, and her spiritual body landed on the statue, slowly merging with it.
Alyuin took half a step forward and raised her right hand, palm up.
In the next moment, everyone witnessed a miracle.
A hand, fair, flawless, and slender, emerged from the statue’s hand and gently landed in Alyuin’s palm.
Alyuin pulled slightly, drawing it toward her.
An upper arm encircled by a thin gold armlet, gentle frost-blue eyes, long hair like a silver cloud, a simple robe, and the white silk sash draped behind her—all gradually emerged from the statue, clearly visible to everyone.
The figure landed on the ground before the altar, as light as if she had no weight.
She smiled faintly in the sunlight, dressed exactly like the statue behind her. Although her face was not very similar to the statue’s, it made people feel that this was how a god should be.
This was how the River Goddess should be.
For a moment, there was dead silence, followed by an uproar from the entire crowd.
Those present—whether nobles, wealthy merchants, or priests—had no prior knowledge that a real deity would descend. They had thought it would be a symbolic ceremony.
But now…
This was a real god!
They were completely unaware that a whole nest of gods was on the viewing platform not far away.
Nor did anyone notice that the black-haired, blue-eyed court lady, Lorja, who was always by the princess’s side, was not present today.
Under the breathless gaze of the people and the novel, joyful gazes of her divine colleagues, Lotus picked up the crown resting on the altar.
She gently smoothed Alyuin’s bangs and personally placed the crown on her head.
On the crown, the eagle’s head was raised, its golden wings spread as if to fly. The golden chains representing its tail feathers draped backward, covering her satin-like black hair.
With this, Alyuin was the queen of this kingdom in name and in fact.
From the young princess exiled to the borderlands to the crowned queen of today, she had walked step by step, and in the end, it was her most beloved and trusted goddess who personally crowned her.
Lotus seemed to see the child from all those years ago, looking up at her earnestly, her eyes curving into a smile.
The next second, the illusion dissipated. The tall and slender Queen of Solancia was lowering her head to press a kiss to the goddess’s knuckles. She raised her eyelashes, her golden eyes flashing with a bright smile.
They swore their vows to each other.
—“I will love you forever.”
Under the brilliant light of the sun, their two hands rested together, holding on tightly.
Of course, they would love each other forever.
Just like the legend of the River Goddess and the Queen of Solancia, it would continue with the myths. Everyone would know that the Queen and the Goddess had once spoken words of love to each other.
Even in a future more distant than distant, when the civilization of Solancia comes to an end, when the shadows of all myths disappear in the long river of years, until time erases all remaining traces.
Love and faith will, in the end, be eternally one.
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