Yarra’s Adventure Notes
Chapter 470 - 36 - Priest of the Sea God_1

Chapter 470: Chapter 36 - Priest of the Sea God_1

Crossing the lengthy seafloor canyon was like crossing a dark tunnel. The deeper they went into the canyon, the wider the sides expanded, with the high walls of the gorge disappearing into the distant seawater. Shrouded in dark water all around, it seemed as though they were in a void. Only the luminescent path composed of corals and phosphorescent algae existed, like a bridge in the void, piercing through the vast darkness, and diving into another vast darkness.

As they advanced along the seafloor canyon, the coral trees used as road lights became denser, and the light grew brighter. The seaweeds growing on the coral trees gradually diminished, and the fishes shuttling between seaweeds became fewer. The surrounding environment became solemn bit by bit, allowing the first-time visitors to gradually feel the majesty of the deity.

"It’s getting brighter," Catherine said in a low voice, "Does that mean we’re getting closer to the Storm God Temple?"

"Yes, the Storm God Temple is just ahead." Nancy, who was also in charge of welcoming guests, pointed to a bright spot in the darkness at the end of the line of sight and said, "The brightest point there is where the temple is located. You will be able to recognize it once you get a little closer. It’s a distinctive building; there’s no way you will mistake it."

Indeed, there was no mistake. After walking a little bit further, they discovered that it was not just a spot of light, but an entire Light Curtain. It was the brightness emitted by the entire temple. The temple itself was a giant luminary, emitting a cold light in the deep and dark sea water, signaling every passing creature that this was the territory of the deity.

Upon getting a bit closer, the girls finally saw the temple for what it was, something beyond their wildest dreams. Rather than calling it a building, it was more like a coral reef of astonishing size. Composing the whole structure were gigantic corals, which were wrapped in brown phosphorescent algae, forming a gigantic light source in the shape of a building.

Just like the temples on shore, there was a short pilgrimage road before the Storm God Temple. Along this road, apart from the coral trees used as street lamps, twenty coral-made pillars were erected on each side. Using specific methods, the Sea Race accelerated the growth and death of corals, allowing coral insects to replace each other rapidly in prescribed shapes at designated positions. The remains of dead coral insects accumulated bit by bit, forming these thick coral columns seen before them.

At the end of the twenty coral columns was a temple staircase also formed by corals. A mermaid was standing alone in front of the staircase, waiting quietly for the guests’ arrival. From a distance, the mermaid seemed to look just like Lanna, with brown hair scattered on her smooth shoulders and a fish scale-made bra wrapped around her chest. Her slender waist gently swayed with the undercurrents. However, upon closer observation, it became apparent that she only bore some similarity to Lanna, and the differences were quite apparent. Compared to Lanna’s youthful and immature aspect, this mermaid was mature, stable, and warm. Evidently, this mature version of Lanna was the representative of the God of Ocean and Storms, Carleto, on earth. She was the highest priestess in charge of religious affairs in the deep sea, the spiritual leader of the Sea Race and also Lanna’s mother. This was Doris, a demigod who once made marine magical beasts of the demigod rank retreat with just her singing.

"Madam Doris." Dailys and Nancy, who had been leading the way, hastened a few steps to bow before Doris with tail bent: "In accordance with your instructions, we have received our six distinguished guests."

"Thank you for your hard work." Despite the low pitch caused by her vocal cords, Doris’s voice carried an unspeakable gentleness and affection that endeared her to people: "I’m very glad to meet you all, the heroes of our Sea Race. The undercurrents in the deep sea have brought the omen of your arrival, and the gods have sent down the prophecy of your ultimate victory. None of us will forget your hard work and contributions whenever we raise our cups of purple conch wine in a toast and prayer. All of us will keep cheering for our heroes, keep singing for our conquerors. Lastly, I would like, on behalf of all the priests of the Storm God Temple and the two tribes of merfolk and Naga, to express my gratitude. Thank you all for answering our call for help to solve this major crisis that concerns the fate of the entire Sea Race."

"I...ahem..." Catherine, although very good at negotiating with people, whether nobles or commoners, leaders or ordinary members, had not had any exposure to such religiously formatted language. Lina, although knowledgeable in religious matters, had only been exposed to middle-ranked etiquette. This highest-level interaction, substituting the will of the gods, was an unknown to her. Not just her, but even many popes or archbishops of mainland religions hadn’t seen actual cases, let alone knowing how to respond correctly.

"In the name of fearlessness and righteousness, and in the knightly manner, we pay our mortal respects to the ruler of the ocean and storms," Pannis murmured beside Catherine amidst the turbulence of the water. But barely had he said a few words when Doris turned her gaze towards him, a smile of gentle mockery and reproach on her face. Although her expression was warm and friendly, it held an unspoken authority, like an elder sister reproving her younger brother with a look. This expression and gaze caused Pannis’s voice to drop lower and lower, until he finally stopped with a rub at his temple: "May the holy ocean never dry up, may... okay, okay, I shut up now."

Doris’s smile softened even more; her eyes were now almost crinkled in amusement. She paid no further attention to Pannis, who was pretending to examine the coral steps. Instead, she approached the girls on her own initiative and said softly, "No need for all that formality. The welcome ritual on behalf of the gods just now is over, and the eyes of the gods have withdrawn. So, it’s okay to relax now."

"Thank you, Priestess Doris." Doris’ smile seemed to be naturally infectious, capable of bridging distances with just one look. Under the influence of her smile, the girls quickly shed their customary restraints, relaxed in their garb. Catherine spoke, "We heard about you from Lanna so many times, it’s good to finally meet you."

"This is the first time Lanna has made friends with beings of other races. If you are her friends, then you are our family." Doris gently beat each girl’s back with her long fishtail, then reached out to poke Lanna’s face. "This little silly was actually very excited when she got back last time, hehe."

"Mother." Lanna knocked off Doris’s fingers discontentedly, "When was I happy?"

"Hehe." Doris gave a mysterious smile, ignoring the sulking Lanna. She took Lina and Vivian’s hands and walked towards the temple stairs. "Let’s go, we can talk about anything inside the temple. You should be at ease; after all, we’re family here. Isn’t that right, Sir who pretends to be a coral pillar?"

"Uh, hehe." Pannis was standing next to a coral pillar, trying to stay as hidden as possible to avoid drawing attention. Doris, however, was not so kind. The mentioned Pannis scratched his head, gave up the idea of continuing to hide behind the pillar, and walked out of the shade with a bitter smile, reluctantly saying, "It’s been a while, Doris."

Doris tilted her head sweetly as if she had heard nothing and stared at Pannis silently, which made the atmosphere awkward. Amid the awkwardness, Pannis forcefully pulled at his own hair and gritted his teeth and said, "Long time no see, Doris...sister."

Doris laughed. Her gentle smile seemed to make the surrounding seaweed flourish lavishly. The girls had to admit that they couldn’t mimic her smile, which carried a mature grace derived from the passage of time, a smile Lanna had never seen on her mother’s face. Doris continued to smile gently and struggled to pet Pannis’s hair due to their height difference. Pannis bent down with a bitter smile, playing along with her actions, which seemed to satisfy Doris. Her fishtail patted the ground unconsciously, and she said in a low voice, "It indeed has been a long time, you heartless fellow. So many things happened, yet you never thought to come and see me. Did you really consider me as your sister? Well, never mind, as long as you are here now. Let’s go in first, we can have a good talk at our old spot tonight."

"Yes." Pannis suddenly felt as if something deep inside him had been gently touched. He took a deep breath and then nearly choked to death: "You guys go first, after all, this is their first visit."

"Come on, girls." Doris nodded, slid to the girls’ side, and pushed them forward like a friendly next-door auntie, saying, "Let’s rest in the temple for a while. Even with the Amphibian Beads, diving deep into the sea can still cause fatigue. It takes two days of deep-sea resting to get used to it. Lanna doesn’t understand this, dare I say some people also don’t? They have no idea how to be gentle with girls. So, let me take good care of you for these two days. Please don’t refuse, this mission is not a simple one, only with a good state of preparation can you succeed."

"Thank you then." Catherine thought for a moment and nodded in agreement. "Doris...umm..."

"Call her Auntie." Pannis hadn’t finished his sentence when he suddenly flew off. The fishtail of a merfolk might seem like a beautiful work of art, but in fact, it possesses a great deal of strength. With an effortless swing of her tail, Doris sent Pannis flying off, embedding him into a coral pillar’s shadow as he’d wished.

"Hehe, Auntie Doris." The girls gave a sympathetic look at Pannis, who was stuck in the coral pillar, and giggled softly.

"Let’s go, be prepared, you’ll be in for a surprise in the temple." (To be continued. If you like this work, please vote for it on qidian.com. Your support is my greatest motivation. Mobile users please read on m.qidian.com.)