Chapter 249 Early Winter

"An old woman who crossed the wilderness?"

In the palace of Eleusis, the majestic and calm king confirmed with his daughters again, and he got a positive answer.

The old woman called herself Moir. She was stranded in this remote country because of an accident.

She hoped that the king here would allow her to stay here for a while, and she was willing to do some work within her ability as a reward for living here.

Of course, Kleus would not believe such words.

Many years have passed since the great flood, and the strange beasts that migrated from other parts of the earth have reoccupied the wilderness. Those who can walk alone in different cities in this era are often those who have broken the limits of mortals and have incredible abilities.

Like Kleus's father, the founder of Eleusis, he was such an existence when he was alive. And it was because of his leadership that this human team did not perish on the road.

But it is precisely because of this that the king knows very well what kind of power they have and what kind of characteristics they have. But according to his daughter's description, the other party does not seem to be such a strong man, at least not in the direction of human practice.

Then, apart from this, there are not many possibilities left.

The legend of witchcraft has not yet spread among the new generation of humans, so the first thing that Kleus thought of was the messenger of God - or even the gods themselves.

Such a being came to his country... Thinking about the people who are now suffering from disasters, the king solemnly instructed his daughter:

"You have done a good job... Since she wants to stay here and doesn't want us to know her identity, let's do our best to satisfy her."

"No matter who she is, as long as we are not wrong, there will be no disaster. Go prepare the dinner and take out our best things."

"Yes, father."

Hearing this, the three daughters nodded in response. They went to prepare the dinner under Kleus' arrangement. This was a banquet that had been prepared long ago.

It was originally to celebrate the birth of Kleus' second son Demophon, but now it can just be used to welcome this mysterious woman who came from afar.

As for Kleus himself, he has more important things to do. In order to prevent someone from accidentally offending Moir, he must warn everyone who comes into contact with her in advance, not seeking merit, but seeking no fault.

…

The Palace of Eleusis, where the previous king once lived.

“Thank you for your hospitality, you are such a kind person.”

She said thank you, and then signaled the other party to leave as if she was waving away a servant. Until now, Moir had not even noticed what the daughter of the mortal king was called.

After the other party left, Moir looked at the residence. It was very simple, but it was also the best place among mortals, so she sat on the chair and was quite satisfied with the hospitality she received.

“It’s barely livable... It’s a good country.”

Although her disguise was full of loopholes in the eyes of others, Moir herself thought she did a good job. No one noticed her difference. Everything they did was from the heart. After all, in her cognition, the wilderness was very safe, and she had tried her best to be ‘humble’.

In this case, it was indeed beyond her expectation that the daughter of the king of this human country could treat her so politely.

"Well... probably just the treatment as a guest."

"There's nowhere to go anyway, so I'll just stay here for a while. I wonder what kind of job they'll assign to me, and what life as a mortal is like?"

Meir, or the goddess of fertility Demeter, finally recovered a little from her sadness and became a little interested in everything in front of her.

Since the war of gods, the goddess who controls the growth of all things has stayed on Mount Olympus. This is not because she likes it here, but only on the mountain of gods can Demeter feel a little safe.

Not for herself, but for her daughter Persephone. This daughter that Zeus forced to give birth to did not disgust Demeter, on the contrary, she valued this child so much. But what worried the goddess was that her daughter's divine power was so weak, and her appearance was so beautiful.

So Demeter raised her in a valley called Enna, and let the nymphs take care of her. In order to prevent the gods from discovering her whereabouts, even the goddess herself rarely went to visit her.

This was even more so after the war of gods. The goddess didn't want Zeus to find out where her child was, so she held back her emotions and never went to visit her. Until this day, the longing for her daughter made Demeter quietly walk down the sacred mountain and come to that secret valley, but the result disappointed her.

There was nothing there for a long time, whether it was Persephone or the nymphs she had captured, they were not here.

This valley was like no one had lived there for hundreds of years, and it was desolate and deserted everywhere. This made the goddess panic instantly, and the scene in front of her reminded her of her past.

So in panic, Demeter stopped the silver car that was traveling at night. She sought a sign from the goddess of the magic net, who was said to be able to use the stars to predict the future, and for some reason, Hecate also responded to her.

"According to the stars, it happened on a rainy evening, when day and night alternated."

"The moon has not risen yet, but the sun has not set yet. This is the answer I can give you."

The words of the goddess of the magic net were very suggestive, so Demeter left in a hurry after getting an accurate prediction. She stopped the sun god when the sun was about to rise and asked him about everything he had seen. Under her questioning, Helios was still hiding something at first, but in the end he had to tell her the result.

"I don't know why this happened... Your Highness Demeter, I only saw that on that day, in the hidden valley you mentioned, the earth cracked, and the ruler of the underworld drove her chariot away."

Finally getting the whereabouts of her daughter, the goddess couldn't help but feel angry. She immediately returned to Olympus and asked Zeus to punish Hades for his recklessness and bring Persephone back to the world.

However, what shocked her was that the king of gods rejected her request because he had promised Hades a condition, and now it was time for him to fulfill his promise.

So in the temple of Mount Olympus, the angry Demeter took off her golden rod and inserted it in front of the throne of her main god. She used the artifact as a medium and her authority to order all things to stop growing and wither and decay.

"Bring my daughter back to the human world, Zeus, otherwise, you will lose everything you have now!"

Demeter left the sacred mountain after saying a harsh word. From then on, the earth lost its harvest. Unless Persephone returned to Olympus, she would never give in.

She believed that the gods would never want to lose it again after realizing the benefits of faith, and she was not asking for their interests, but just to get her daughter back.

This was a reasonable request, and in the end, the gods would definitely compromise.

"... I'll stay here for the time being."

The long-term and macro-operation authority did not bring physical fatigue to Demeter, but it made it difficult for her spirit to rest. It would be good to stay in this human country for a while.

Thinking of this, the goddess continued to maintain her disguised old face, leaning on the bed, closing her eyes and resting.

······

"It's spring again..."

The cold wind blew across the land, bringing a scene different from spring, summer and autumn.

Dozens of miles away from Silver Moon City, next to an artificially opened stream, Nuo sat on a wooden wheelchair spliced ​​by craftsmen, watching this scene with some emotion.

The dry trees on both sides of the stream witnessed the beginning of the year, but unfortunately, affected by the invisible and intangible laws, none of them sprouted.

This different climate surprised everyone, but compared to the Kingdom of Eleusis thousands of miles away, Silver Moon City was not worried about it.

On the one hand, Nuo had already stored enough food. As early as after making a prophecy to the Lord of Fertility, the Goddess of the Magic Net conveyed a message to the residents of this city. On the other hand, it was also because this "cold winter" that Chaos had never experienced before could not really affect them.

When the first "winter" season came, the cycle of the four seasons touched the angels beside the reincarnation well. So Eunomia, the ruler of spring and rebirth, bestowed extra blessings on this country, allowing their farmland and cities to welcome spring as promised.

This place is just too far away, otherwise, these trees would not have become like this. But through them, Nuo saw more things.

"Famine... The last time was a flood, what is this time... Or is it not that they want to exterminate humans again, but just a hint of struggle?"

He made a guess casually, and then shook his head. In any case, Silver Moon City will not suffer because of this.

Nuo looked at Cohen behind the wheelchair. This 'old guy' who had known him for a long time was looking at the western sky, wondering what he was thinking.

"Whatever it is, Cohen, I probably can't see its result, but you should be able to."

Although his face still maintained the same appearance as before, the sense of decay of the end of life had already permeated Nuo's body. In contrast, Cohen, who he nicknamed 'old guy', was no different from before, without a single change.

The life of the Golden Man King is so long that it is unimaginable. As the divinity in his body grows stronger, his life span is close to eternity. Aging is no longer seen in him. Even if another ten thousand years pass, his appearance will not be much different from now.

But Nuo is different. He is not an immortal, nor a person with outstanding talent in the extraordinary path. He is not even like the newborns who have the blood of the water fairy and have a life span far more than ordinary people. He is just an ordinary bronze human.

In other words, when Nuo puts all his energy into Silver Moon City, it is impossible for him to make any extraordinary achievements in other fields. His survival to this day is the result of various factors.

But if he does not seek change, seek a deeper qualitative change in his soul or body, then this is already Nuo's limit. Perhaps this year, perhaps next year, he will step into the end of his life and end this brilliant life.

"...If you want, you can actually live longer, even forever, and witness these changes yourself."

Ken held onto the handle of his wheelchair after being drawn back by Nuo's voice.

This was not the first time he had faced the death of a friend. Even as early as when the golden human reached the end of his lifespan, he did not even know that it was sadness. But no matter how many times he had experienced it, if possible, Cohen did not want to experience it again.

But he also knew very well that Nuo would not agree.

Sure enough, after listening to Cohen's words, Nuo just waved his hand.

"No need, Cohen, I have lived long enough."

"The eternal one is the omniscient and all-seeing Lord, the angels and the Holy Spirit in his kingdom. I will live there, not in the world forever."

"What about Silver Moon City, don't you want to continue to lead it to open up?"

Interrupting Nuo's words, Cohen pointed to the plains in the distance.

"Aren't you planning to build a town somewhere else, to establish an earthly religious country... This still requires your existence."

"No, Cohen, although I think I have done a good job over the years, maybe people in the future will do better?"

Waving his hand, compared to Cohen, Nuo is very open-minded.

If he wanted, he could actually get a gift from the angels and have eternal life, because Nuo's achievements over the years have long made the angels in the spiritual world recognize the piety of this mortal. However, this is not what he wants, and he thinks Silver Moon City does not need it.

"Eternal life requires an eternal master, and people who only live for hundreds of years only need a pope who lives for hundreds of years. Only change can bring development. This is the experience I have learned over the years."

"But you, Cohen, although you have stayed in Silver Moon City for so long, have you really found the answer in your heart?"

He smiled faintly and looked at his old friend who had known him for many years. Perhaps it was because he was a bystander, Nuo could see that Cohen had not been able to let go of many things between "God and man".

The beautiful life of the people in Silver Moon City made him temporarily put those thoughts aside and buried them in his heart, but putting them aside does not mean forgetting.

"...You are right, I haven't found it yet."

His inner thoughts were pointed out, and the memories of the past surged into his heart again. After a moment of silence, Cohen looked at Nuo sitting in a wheelchair and asked:

"Aren't you angry?"

"Why are you angry?"

Nuo asked back with a smile.

"Of course, it's because I'm not as pious as you."

"No, it's not a sin to have doubts. In fact, blind faith is the farthest distance from true faith."

Shaking his head, Nuo didn't explain any more. He just looked at Cohen and finally suggested:

"Since you still have doubts, Cohen, why don't you try it yourself?"

"Try what?"

"Naturally, try to become the same person as the beings on Mount Olympus."

Leaning back on the chair, Nuo smiled and said:

"Only by becoming one yourself can your doubts be truly explained, and compared to others, you also have this opportunity."

"You are special... Cohen, perhaps all this is arranged by the Lord."

"..."

"...Maybe"

After a long silence, Cohen pushed Nuo's wheelchair and walked away.

"I have no idea what I'm talking about. And maybe the higher I stand and the stronger I am, the further I will be from faith like yours."

"It doesn't matter."

Shaking his head, Nuo looked at every scene around him in his wheelchair.

He was familiar with everything here, but it didn't prevent him from being more familiar with it before he left the world.

"To approach the truth is to approach the Lord. Do what you want, Cohen, I still support you."

"..."

Silence again, looking at his friend in front of him, Cohen looked up and looked at the world shrouded in early winter.

"... Nuo, at least in you, I think it is faith that is great because of you."

"Thank you, but I am just practicing my own beliefs."

The voices of the two people faded away and gradually became inaudible in the cold wind. The four seasons gradually returned to their positions, the time sequence tended to be complete, and a long winter came.