Castellan, the Player Town.
Golden morning light spilled over the Starfall Forest as a brand-new day quietly arrived.
With the consecutive logging in of most players, the Player Town, which had been somewhat quiet in the early morning, instantly burst into lively activity.
The streets bustled with the clamor of voices. Shouts to form parties for clearing wilderness and the sound of playful banter and laughter rose and fell in waves. Beside them stood rows of newly constructed houses, and the cobblestone roads, warmed and brightened by the morning sun, presented a thriving scene of prosperity.
Many second beta players who had not yet undergone Class Advancement habitually surged toward the Temple of Light in the center of the town, preparing to find Lilith to check in for their daily quests.
But just as they approached the Temple Square, everyone keenly sensed that something was amiss.
Standing right at the entrance of the Temple of Light were six unfamiliar NPCs with completely different temperaments.
As for how the players distinguished them, these NPCs obviously did not have the game nicknames representing players displayed over their heads.
Among the six, there were wind-worn knights clad in old knight armor, a gentle-looking mage holding a staff with a tired expression, and a soft-featured half-elf girl.
All six showed the disheveled signs of long-distance travel, yet their postures were upright and their bearing devout.
“Holy crap! New NPCs!”
“Wait! What am I seeing? Pointy ears? Gasp?! Is that an elf?!”
“Where, where?! What does she look like? Let me see!”
“Don't push, don't push!”
“I knew logging on today would bring something great! This is definitely a precursor to a new main storyline!”
The sharp-nosed players instantly became ecstatic, swarming in from all directions to form a massive, bustling crowd around them.
Everyone was busily calculating in their minds:
New NPCs = new plotlines = new rewards!
Even if the main storyline didn't open up immediately, getting familiar with them early to farm favorability would definitely unlock exclusive quests and hidden benefits later!
Veteran players all knew just how sweet NPC favorability was in this game!
Especially after this game version update, discounts in the game shop were tied to NPC favorability and Reputation!
Meanwhile, the six-person squad returning from Windhaven Town had already been left completely dumbfounded.
As they walked through the completely transformed town streets, looking at the orderly houses, smooth avenues, bustling crowds, and the grand, clean Temple of Light, the eyes of the six were filled with astonishment and wonder.
“Is... is this Castellan?” Levinel stared in a daze, his expression somewhat bewildered, almost failing to hold his staff steady. “Shouldn't this place be a field of broken walls and ruins...?”
Before coming, he had clearly known the specific situation of Castellan.
Compared to the surprise of the other five, Selby was in a daze. Although the Temple of Light before them had been renovated, it still retained its ancient and heavy aura. Frankly, if not for the familiar Temple of Light in front of him, he would have doubted whether he had come to the wrong place.
But a moment later, as if realizing something, his pupils suddenly lit up. All the doubts in his heart were instantly cleared, and his tone carried an irrepressible excitement:
“It's the God-Chosen Ones! They must have descended!”
Thinking about it now, the God-Chosen Ones had descended not long after he received the Goddess's oracle and departed. It must have been the God-Chosen Ones who assisted Lilith, West, and the others in building the town!
“The God-Chosen Ones?” Levinel asked, his voice filled with confusion.
Selby nodded heavily, his gaze devout and fervent as he slowly explained:
“Before I returned to Windhaven Town, Her Ladyship the Goddess had handed down an oracle that in the future, God-Chosen Ones from another world would descend upon this land. Blessed by the Goddess, they will assist us in rebuilding our home and reviving the Church of Light!”
He gazed at the beautiful town, sighing with deep emotion from the bottom of his heart:
“Before this, this place was clearly a pile of ruins, but now it resembles a bustling town... The power of the God-Chosen Ones is truly inconceivable.”
However, he also had doubts in his heart. Along the way, he had seen many people acting strangely and behaving in a lively, erratic manner. They gathered together, making noise and doing whatever they pleased, without a shred of the composure and devotion expected of believers. Those people did not look like believers of the Goddess at all.
Although he had doubts, there was no one to answer them, so he could only suppress them for the time being.
Hearing this, Shiruya's eyes instantly sparkled. All her fatigue vanished, and she asked with a face full of yearning:
“The God-Chosen Ones... Are they divine envoys sent by the Goddess? Are they also beautiful and powerful angels like Lady Mikael?”
Having witnessed the holiness and power of an angel with her own eyes last night, she was currently filled with immense curiosity and yearning toward the God-Chosen Ones.
Just as everyone was lost in thought and whispering among themselves, a gentle, crisp, and healing voice of a young girl slowly echoed from the front of the temple:
“Welcome home, everyone.”
The familiar voice instantly struck everyone's hearts.
Shiruya trembled and abruptly raised her head. When she saw the beautiful blonde figure wearing a priestess's long dress, mist instantly welled up in her eyes.
“Lady Lilith!”
She practically threw herself forward, running over to wrap her arms around Lilith. The worry she had accumulated along the entire journey finally burst through the floodgates, her voice carrying a sob:
“Waaaah... It's so great, it's really so great that you're alright... I was so worried about you the whole way...”
“Lady Lilith.”
Selby, Levinel, and the others also stepped forward, bowing in unison, their expressions filled with respect.
Lilith was slightly startled by Shiruya's hug, but then her lips curved into a gentle smile.
Instead of pushing Shiruya away, she reached out and gently wrapped her arms around the girl who had thrown herself into her embrace, her soft hand lightly patting her back. Her eyes were filled with the warmth of a long-awaited reunion.
“Shiruya, I am fine. It has been a month since we last saw each other. I'm sorry for making you all worry.”
The half-elf girl in her arms did not speak, her shoulders merely trembling as she sobbed.
Seeing this, Lilith's eyes filled with amusement. She raised her hand to ruffle the girl's hair. “There, there. If you keep crying, you're going to turn into a little crybaby.”
But how could Shiruya listen to anything right now? She simply held onto her tightly, as if she had grasped the most comforting haven, refusing to let go even a tiny bit.
To the side, Levinel held his staff, calmly watching the reunion like a relaxed spectator.
Selby wore a warm smile, making no move to interrupt this tender moment.
Phelin and the two young knights sensibly stood to the side, waiting quietly in a gentle and heartwarming atmosphere.
The spectating players were practically swooning over the scene:
“Wow! A heartwarming NPC reunion scene! This is so wholesome!”
“This elf girl is just too sweet and cute! I love her so much!”
“Lilith is the absolute GOAT! The absolute pinnacle of gentleness!”
It took a long time before Shiruya finally managed to calm her emotions.
She suddenly realized that there were many people watching around them, and her cheeks instantly flushed a deep crimson. Her pointed ears twitched, and even the tips of her ears turned bright red. She shyly released her hold and mumbled in a soft voice with her head lowered:
“Lady Lilith...”
Looking at her bashful appearance, the smile in Lilith's eyes deepened. She gently wiped away the remaining tears from the corners of the girl's eyes.
“Alright, there are others watching. Let's go into the temple first.”
“Okay!” Shiruya nodded obediently, taking small steps to stay right by her side.
“Everyone, please follow me.”
Lilith nodded slightly to Selby and the others, then turned and took the lead in walking into the solemn Temple of Light.
The six followed closely behind, stepping into the majestic temple.
The interior of the temple was holy and solemn. A warm light flowed all around them, and the air was filled with a peaceful, sacred aura.
The group voluntarily walked up to the Goddess Statue at the central altar, kneeling and bowing in unison. Their voices, devout and solemn, echoed throughout the entire temple:
“Praise the Light! Praise Life! Praise the great Ruler of Angels, the Lord of Humanity!”
The moment those words left their lips!
The towering and holy Goddess Statue suddenly burst with a soft, warm, pure white halo.
An ethereal and sacred angelic hymn faintly echoed from the depths of the void, and wisps of holy light wrapped around the bodies of the six.
The fatigue from their long journey on foot and the tension from battling the undead vanished without a trace at this moment.
They felt as if they had plunged into a gentle, warm ocean of holy light, their bodies thoroughly refreshed and their minds completely at peace.
In the next second, a holy, majestic, gentle, and warm female voice that looked down upon all living beings clearly resonated in the depths of everyone's minds:
“Welcome home.”
The six of them trembled, and their faces were instantly flooded with irrepressible excitement and devotion.
It was Her Ladyship the Goddess!
The voice said nothing more, offering only those simple words.
But for them, it was already more than enough.
Her Ladyship the Goddess had been watching over them all along!
Rate on N.U.
