[Vol. 7] Chapter 29: The Price of Blessings
"What? Boss! What did I say wrong this time?"
"Haha, no, no, nothing at all! I just think your perspective really fits your usual style~"
Seeing the black-haired girl wave her hands and shake her head with a smile, Queen Anies couldn’t help but chuckle as well. The originally solemn and serious atmosphere of the ritual seemed to lighten at that moment.
It wasn’t surprising that Le Qiaoqiao thought this way. In fact, this was how most people viewed the distant and mysterious gods, as all-powerful beings who, like a mother, unconditionally protected their followers. But they often failed to realize that every blessing granted always came with a price.
The truth was, almost no god would respond to prayers for no reason. There was no benefit in it for them, nor any real value.
The gods had countless believers, and to them, short-lived mortals were like fleeting dust in the wind. The number of people constantly praying to them was immeasurable. If they answered every single prayer, wouldn’t they be overwhelmed?
Besides, the faith power that an individual could offer was nothing compared to the divine energy a god had to spend to grant a prayer. It was an incredibly unbalanced trade. Unless there were special circumstances, no god would willingly make such a deal.
That’s why the most important factor was the offering.
As expected, Hongyan immediately added, "Your Majesty must have offered something truly valuable, something that god couldn’t refuse, to receive this help. But if I may be frank, the scene when that god revealed its power felt eerie and ominous… Can it really be trusted?"
If anyone else from the Emerald Sea, especially the merfolk, had heard such doubts, they would likely be displeased, some might even be furious. After all, although the Sea Goddess Vier didn’t have a structured religious order, she was widely recognized as the most well-known deity of the ocean.
It was said that before setting sail, sailors only needed to hold a simple ritual, offering prayers and tributes to Goddess Vier, and they would have a significantly lower chance of encountering harsh weather and storms. However, if someone disrespected the goddess, especially by cursing or mocking her in public, they were far more likely to run into disasters at sea, increasing the risk of shipwrecks.
Of course, some people believe this is just survivorship bias or the result of unknown factors exaggerating the pattern. There is no direct evidence proving that faith in the Sea Goddess Vier is absolutely linked to the likelihood of maritime accidents.
Still, since worshiping a god doesn’t really require much effort, many think, Why not? Even if it’s just fairytales, praying to the goddess now and then brings some peace of mind. Over time, this mindset has made faith in Goddess Vier widespread among sailors, even in Eastern Sea Pearls.
But it seemed that Queen Anies was not one of those believers.
"Miss Hongyan… right? You seem rational and highly observant. You’re correct, although we borrowed its power to find Nitila, that does not mean it is a friend to our people."
After a brief pause, she lowered her voice so that only the four of them could hear.
"If you ask me, that was nothing more than a simple transaction. Not even a true collaboration. If not for certain circumstances, I would never have offered it a tribute so easily."
"In the end, this was just a test."
Hearing this, the priestess immediately understood.
So Queen Anies wasn’t comfortable with whatever had been summoned. In fact, she seemed to fear and resent it. She had even referred to it as ‘it’, as if deliberately avoiding calling it by name.
As expected, the queen knew something and likely quite a lot.
Before they could discuss further, Elder Longbei of the Sanfin Tribe finished examining the patients. The dozen or so merfolk who had, in some sense, served as offerings. Looking somewhat excited, he quickly approached Queen Anies.
"Your Majesty, good news!"
"Oh? Elder Longbei, how are they?"
The old merfolk nodded repeatedly, his face brimming with joy.
"Just as Your Majesty predicted, these children are no longer showing any signs of contamination, and their overall condition is improving rapidly. If they continue to rest for a few more days, they should fully recover. This is the first successful case of recovery!"
Hearing this, Queen Anies didn’t seem particularly surprised. She simply gave a slight nod, her expression unreadable.
"That’s good… but continue to monitor them closely, especially their mental state. Even if they seem completely healed, they must be observed for at least a month. Report to me immediately if anything changes, understood?"
"Yes, Your Majesty. I will do as you command."
The old merfolk elder bowed respectfully, but after a moment, he hesitated as if there was more he wanted to say.
"Um… Your Majesty..."
"What is it?"
"Well… I just wanted to ask for your decision. There are still over a thousand warriors who have retreated from the front lines, all suffering from various levels of contamination and awaiting treatment. Since we’ve now confirmed that performing a ritual for Goddess Vier can purify the contamination, should we consider using this method on a larger scale?"
"No."
"Uh…?"
Queen Anies rejected the idea almost immediately, leaving the old merfolk elder visibly surprised and confused.
Seeing Elder Longbei’s puzzled expression, the Queen sighed and explained patiently.
"Elder Longbei, I understand that you are a kind and noble healer who doesn’t want to see our people suffer. But this method of treatment is… dangerous. Think about it, Goddess Vier has already granted us two great blessings: first, helping us find Nitila, and second, healing our people. That alone is an immense gift."
"Once or twice might be acceptable, but if we continuously hold rituals, asking for her help again and again… how do you think the goddess will react? If our greed offends her, the consequences could be disastrous."
"This..."
The old merfolk elder froze for a moment, a few cold sweats forming on his forehead as he realized the potential consequences. Overcome with respect and a newfound sense of caution, he nodded repeatedly.
"Yes… Yes, Your Majesty, you are absolutely right. I was being reckless and short-sighted. But… if we cannot fully rely on Goddess Vier, then how will we save the rest of our people who are still suffering?"
It seemed Queen Anies had already considered this possibility, as she immediately responded,
"For now, continue using our original methods to slow the progression of their condition. We’ll wait until the observation period for these recovered individuals is over before making any further decisions. In the meantime, Elder Longbei, I will have to trouble you to continue your work."
"… I see. I suppose that’s our only option for now." The elder let out a weary sigh before bowing slightly. "I shall take my leave, then."
With that, he turned and returned to tending to the patients, leaving the Queen with a moment to pick up the previous conversation.
"Miss Violet, in your opinion, are those people truly healed?"
The black-haired girl, suddenly put on the spot, simply shrugged.
"Who knows? At least on the surface, they seem fine."
Seeing that Violet had no intention of delving deeper into the matter, Queen Anies didn’t press further. Instead, she smoothly changed the topic.
"I see…"
"In any case, now that we’ve confirmed Nitila’s location, it’s time to take action. As expected… so that’s where she is. Haha, looks like she couldn’t wait any longer."
"It seems Your Majesty already knows both why Nitila disappeared and where she is now?"
The merfolk Queen gave a small nod, her deep and wise eyes flashing with an almost imperceptible chill.
"Of course I do. After all… the same thing happened to her father years ago."