Diary of the Improper Monster Girl Transformation.

Chapter 374 The Favor of the Gods (6K views, please subscribe!)
On the western side of Eldar territory, on a newly scorched earth that had been roughly cleared, a somewhat rudimentary altar had just been erected.

Nine massive, dark gray rocks formed the base of the altar, upon which nine ancient star charts were depicted in pale bone pigment.

The bluish-glowing metal softened amidst the hissing flames, and the molten metal was gently poured down, meandering along the surface of the altar and gradually solidifying into intricate ancient runes.

Mysterious runes intertwine, gleaming with a faint blue fluorescence under the sunlight.

The enormous altar has three tiers, each slightly smaller than the one above, forming a stepped structure.

At the top center is an irregular black fragment, a fragment of the Pool of Heroes.

Although the fragment of the Heroic Spirit Pool is only a small part of the original, it is by no means small—otherwise, Herbert and Valentina would not have been able to bathe in it.

Its surface is pitted and uneven, emitting an eerie, faint glow, yet at the same time exuding a mysterious aura that draws attention.

With the blessing of the altar, this aura was amplified continuously, shocking everyone present.

"This is the altar for communicating with the gods..."

Invited to the visit, Misser hid most of his body underground, only sticking out half of his head, which he used as a stool to support his miniature puppet on his head.

The puppet stroked its chin and nodded thoughtfully: "It's truly amazing that I was able to connect with the gods even though I didn't sense much magical energy fluctuation!"

Although she had lived in the human world for a long time and had done a lot of business, she did not have much contact with the Church of God.

The righteous church would not accept such an outcast as her, while too much contact with the evil church would risk getting her into trouble.

This was the first time she had ever witnessed a divine altar in person.

I've learned something new.

Not to mention the bewildered mushroom merchant Misser, even Joanna, a member of the Church of God, was shocked by the sight before her.

However, the reason she was shocked was different from Miser's.

She doesn't understand.

As the saying goes, laymen watch the spectacle, while experts see the details.

Joanna couldn't understand why such a simple altar could actually work.

Misser assumed that such a simple altar was the norm and didn't think there was anything special about it.

However, in reality, even the lowest-level altar is several times more complex than what we see here.

Lacking both materials and form, it was so crude that it even made her think it was a shamanic altar of some wild, false god.

It's very simple, extremely simple.

But it was precisely this simple altar, which Joanna found perplexing, that actually connected with the gods.

If she were to set up such an altar, the Ice and Snow Goddess would not only ignore her, but might even punish her after finding out about it!
Well, the specific punishment is probably to ignore her prayers for six months.

As for why the punishment was only for six months, and not longer, it's probably because after six months, Hecaias himself would be unable to resist contacting Joanna on his own.

Yes, at most six months later, the Ice Goddess will break the ice on her own because she can't resist anymore.

Don't ask why, just know that all cat goddesses with a stray feline nature are like this.

Petting cats is an art.

If you make it happy today, it might become indifferent to you tomorrow.

But if you ignore it for a long time, it will come running up to you and rub its tail against your calves.

The same principle applies to dealing with goddesses like these.

Actively trying to please Him might earn you favor or dislike; it doesn't guarantee you'll be loved.

However, if you ignore Him for a long time, He may come to you on his own initiative to see what's wrong with you.

Of course, it's easier said than done; not everyone has the courage or the qualifications to actually do it.

If you provoke a cat, it might scratch you at most, leaving a mark. A vaccination and some bleeding will solve the problem.

If all else fails, you can send it away.

But the goddesses of this world can truly unleash divine punishment.

Remember, goddesses are mostly vengeful.

And cat goddesses with poor brains are the best of the best in this category.

At least Joanna didn't have the courage to tease the Ice Goddess; she didn't want to lose the goddess's favor.

Of course, her desire to convert to the Goddess of Winter was another matter entirely—it was about wanting to improve herself!
"Ugh……"

After a moment's thought, Joanna sighed deeply, attributing the miracle before her to just two words—pampering.

Herbert was loved by the gods.

She felt an unimaginable amount of affection from him.

This seemingly harmless white-haired boy is deeply loved by the god he serves.

It's really enviable.

Behind her, most of the priestess's group thought the same thing.

They looked at Herbert's tall and slender figure with envy, their eyes filled with sincere admiration and respect.

I envy this extravagant pampering, and admire that he deserves to be pampered.

The gods' favor is never without reason. There must be something about Herbert that they are unaware of, but that the gods appreciate.

"..."

Among the group, Yunier, the chosen one, stood out with a different expression than the others. Her small mouth was slightly open, and she kept blinking.

The goddess of winter also turned her gaze in that direction.

Even He marveled at the favor Herbert received.

This favor has far exceeded the limits that a person favored by the gods can receive, and is almost like being treated as a divine child.

The gods would only be so devoted to their own offspring, especially their most beloved offspring.

However, He had already confirmed that Herbert had absolutely no divine bloodline and was not a descendant of any god.

Herbert was not the son of God.

So, what exactly made him so favored by that god?

This question only fueled the goddess of winter's interest in the secrets surrounding Herbert.

He was really curious.

Very good, young man, you have once again successfully caught my attention!
However, in order not to alert the enemy, Euphemia did not expose herself, but instead hid herself even more carefully.

At least for now, He doesn't want to easily have a direct conflict with that deity whose true identity is unknown.

As for whether He will step forward in the future to compete for Herbert, we'll have to wait and see how things develop.

“We need to let Eunice spend more time with Herbert in the future; their relationship isn’t close enough yet.”

Although the Goddess of Winter wants to bring Yunier and Herbert closer, she will not control her body to do anything.

"Hmm...let her continue to maintain a good relationship with that Theresa, anyway, they were good friends to begin with."

"Given this trajectory, she will naturally have more contact with Herbert."

……

Of course, one person had to be excluded from the shocked crowd.

Herbert looked at the altar before him, his lips twitching slightly, clearly not satisfied.

"Tsk, this doesn't seem quite right."

Logically speaking, the altar should have been made of higher-grade magical materials.

For example, replacing ordinary rocks with purified obsidian coated with the blood of frost giants, or replacing ordinary pigments used to draw star charts with magical pigments made from dragon bone powder...

Herbert initially envisioned the same thing; wasn't that quite bold?
But in the end, he gave up.

A high-EQ explanation: Herbert was an animal rights activist, and he was unwilling to kill other innocent creatures for his own selfish reasons.

A low-EQ response: "I don't have money."

With limited resources, we could only make do with whatever materials were available.

In any case, what matters in this summoning is the other parts, not these "channels" for communicating with the gods.

He doesn't need to use an altar to communicate with the gods at all.

Because the gods are here.

He didn't need to be summoned at all; He had already set his sights on this place long ago—well, actually, He never left at all.

If it weren't for the need to conceal their activities, Herbert wouldn't have even needed to prepare an altar; he could have simply had Nenasha summon the heroic spirits.

This "summoning" altar is just for show, so as not to scare anyone else.

"Um……"

Herbert hesitated for a moment, asking himself, "I mean, isn't this a bit too stingy? Should we add something else?"

Even he felt that this approach was a bit too perfunctory.

then……

Herbert was mercilessly roasted by Nenasha.

"What are you talking about?"

Nenasha replied irritably, "That's enough, it's not some important ritual, just awakening a few heroic spirits, why make it so complicated?"

It's not a big deal.

Herbert pursed his lips and muttered to himself, "Oh, I was just trying to create some kind of ritual to provide you with some emotional value."

The first milk tea of ​​autumn, a thoughtful little gift for Valentine's Day, a year-end summary, a heartfelt confession for an anniversary...

Isn't this exactly the emotional value you're looking for?

"I already said I don't need it."

As a result, Miss Harmony, who had never fallen into a consumer trap before, ignored Herbert's good intentions and punched him in the face with her "moral blackmail".

"What emotional value? What sense of ritual? I have absolutely no idea what you're talking about."

He nonchalantly retorted, "Besides, it's for me, not for anyone else. If I think it's okay, isn't that enough?"

Herbert thought about it and realized that while the words were crude, the reasoning was sound.

Also.

Since He, the one who received the gift, didn't say anything, I, the one who gave the gift, shouldn't worry about it.

He gave a soft "oh".

"Oh……"

However, even though the logic is sound, it's still hard to be happy when your good intentions are rejected.

【“…”】

Sensing Herbert's low spirits, Nenasa hesitated for a moment before unusually explaining, "Herbert, I'm not complaining to you, it's just really unnecessary."

"If you ever really want to send me something in the future, of course you can, and I'll gladly accept it."

If Herbert wanted to give her a gift, Nenasha would certainly accept it gladly.

It's good to have good intentions; no one dislikes a person with good intentions, and no one dislikes the feeling of being loved by others.

But this good intention should be used in a useful way.

The most important thing about giving gifts is not to impress yourself, but to see if the recipient likes them and needs them.

Writing a short essay of tens of thousands of words to express deep affection for someone exhausts you, and while it may seem like you have boundless love, it's only good for fooling children.

But in reality, such gifts are far less satisfying than gifts that the recipient truly needs. The real key to gift-giving is to cater to the recipient's preferences.

Moreover, someone who truly loves you will never accept your one-sided efforts without any burden.

They will appreciate your efforts and be moved by your sincerity.

Most importantly, they will respond and give you an equal return.

Instead of using high-sounding words or cheap gifts to appease them.

"But I hope you'll choose something else, rather than this meaningless ceremony."

"Instead of wasting resources on these useless things, I'd rather you use them on yourself, improve your strength as soon as possible, and fulfill our promise to each other."

Eh?
Herbert blinked, surprised that he had been lectured by Nenasha in this regard, and nodded rather helplessly.

"Well, since you've put it that way... alright, let's do it your way."

He shrugged and said helplessly, "You're the boss here now. It was given to you anyway, so you're in charge."

Herbert was not angry at all; on the contrary, he found the current situation quite amusing.

He wasn't actually unhappy just now; he just didn't know what to say.

As a result, he felt somewhat uncomfortable after Nenasha explained it so carefully.

Not right.

Why are you acting so serious, so like a virtuous wife and loving mother?

Where did my frivolous little devil go?
Give it back to me!
Whoever you are, please get out of Nenasha's body right now!
As if hearing Herbert's inner cry, Nenasha, who was in virtuous mode just a second ago, immediately broke down and reverted to her true nature as a comedic goddess.

"Hmph~ That's right! I'm the boss!"

He made a rather cute, strange noise, hummed smugly, and quickly asked, "How was it? Weren't you touched? Did you suddenly fall in love with me?"

"Is there?! Is there?!"

In response, Herbert, who was in a good mood, echoed Him repeatedly, saying, "I love it, I love it so much!"

"Look how much better my acting has become! Hehe! Hahaha!"

He seemed to have lost all pretense and burst into triumphant laughter.

Hearing the arrogant, triumphant laughter echoing in his mind, Herbert's lips curled up slightly, and he chuckled softly as well.

"hehe."

Since Nenasha is so adorable this time, I'll refrain from pointing out that I sensed a hint of guilt and shyness in her voice.
Rather than saying that Nenasha couldn't continue her performance, it's more accurate to say that she suddenly realized what she had just done and then used laughter to cover up her embarrassment.

Herbert, being kind-hearted, decided not to expose His little trick this time.

He raised his head, looked at the darkening sky, and nodded slightly.

"Well, it's almost time."

It was not far from the twilight hour that Nenasha had requested.

"Hahaha, cough cough cough... um, I'm ready, I can start anytime."

He turned his head, nodded to the centaur lady who was standing quietly to the side carrying a cloth bag and with her eyes lowered, and smiled, "Sophia, go, go and awaken your people."

Sophia lowered her head and respectfully replied, "As you command."

She walked slowly forward, stepped onto the altar, opened the cloth bag in her hand, and poured the contents inside.

One by one, amber-colored soul crystals, with tiny silver glints flowing inside, slid out of the bag and gently fell into the pool.

The moment the soul crystal core came into contact with the pool water, the entire altar trembled violently!
hum-

The runes that had been calm suddenly lit up, like torches that had been lit. The light spread rapidly along the rune trails to the scorched earth around the altar, causing the onlookers to retreat.

When the last Soul Crystal was added, the Heroic Spirit Pool suddenly erupted with a dazzling light.

The light, like a giant pillar, shot straight into the sky, dispelling the fog and illuminating the wilderness.

Everyone stared blankly at the scene, never expecting such a commotion to suddenly occur.

Moreover, those who were shocked by this dramatic change were far more than just the people present!
Although the light dissipated quickly, it did not spread very far, only illuminating an area of ​​a few miles.

But at the very moment the light appeared, several figures in the depths of the Misty Mountains trembled violently.

!!!

They vaguely sensed something, and suddenly their gazes were all turned towards the direction of the light, their eyes seeming to pierce through layers of mist.

Those ancient and lifeless gazes seemed to come alive at this moment, bursting with sharp light!

That excited look in his eyes was like that of a lost person who had been wandering for a long time finally seeing a signpost to guide them forward.

"That is……"

"That feeling again!"

"My Lord..."

"Are you still there?"

"My lord!"

They were excited for a moment, wanting to rush in that direction to welcome the return of the gods.

But just as they were about to take action, it was as if they had been doused with a bucket of cold water, and they all came to a standstill.

"..."

They stood frozen in place, lost in thought, hesitant, until finally they fell silent, the flames in their eyes slowly dying out.

They've been disappointed far too many times.

I don't want to be disappointed again.

Moreover, they may not have been without other thoughts in their hearts.

So many years have passed, and the gods are no longer the gods of the past.

And they are no longer who they used to be.

……

"...Oh? Not a single one is coming?"

Nenasha silently observed for a moment, unsurprised by their reactions. She let out a soft, cold laugh: "Heh, you bunch of guys, just you wait, you'll regret this sooner or later."

He was not surprised by the "betrayal" of those people, but he was not particularly happy either.

I can understand their thoughts, but I still cannot forgive their choices.

She is also a goddess who holds grudges.

Nena was in a good mood today and, unusually, took the initiative to extend an olive branch, showing divine favor by giving them a chance to repent.

Who knew they would be completely ungrateful!

Humph.

You all just wait for me.

When the time comes, I will definitely make you guys pay a heavy price!

"Forget about them, it's time to get down to business." Nenasha grumbled inwardly for a while, but she didn't stop working.

He melted down those discarded soul cores, changed their form, and awakened the dormant will within them.

Finally, the change began.

The dissipating pillar of light transformed into countless tiny specks of light, which began to converge in mid-air, forming a giant cocoon of light.

The cocoon of light continued to expand, as if it were breathing, as if it were alive.

A moment later, accompanied by a low rumble, the cocoon of light suddenly shattered.

Crack crack crack... Boom!

Countless rays of light scattered in all directions like shooting stars, or like a shower of dazzling flowers falling from the sky.

Amidst the light, dozens of figures gradually appeared, and one after another, resurrected heroic spirits silently descended.

They were dressed in different clothes; some wore armor, some wore mage robes, and some wore leather armor...

Furthermore, although the Heroic Spirits retain human form, none of them are human; they are all non-human races.

Elves, dwarves, halflings... and among them are two centaur heroes like Sophia.

Their strength is not great; the highest level they reach is only high-level, and they have never reached the legendary level.

However, when the heroic spirits gather together, the impact is far greater than that of a legendary powerhouse!
Even though they were standing quietly on the altar with their eyes closed, the air around them was trembling slightly.

Because they represent not ordinary people, but the will of the gods!
A gentle breeze swept by, causing the heroic spirits who had been keeping their eyes closed to slowly open them.

"……Um?"

"who is it?"

"Who woke me up..."

They slowly opened their eyes, looking at the long-lost world with puzzlement.

The heroic spirits felt they had forgotten a lot, but they still remembered the emptiness before they fell into a coma.

They were very unwilling to fall into a deep sleep like that.

then……

All the heroic spirits stopped looking as they saw an unfamiliar figure.

The tall, slender boy stood quietly beneath the golden sunset, offering them a gentle smile.

"Who?"

"That is……"

No.

There's no need to ask.

Even though it has changed its appearance.

They could still recognize that figure.

Without any words or instructions, the heroic spirits rushed down from the altar and knelt before that figure.

This is the god they want to follow!

Even though His appearance has changed, even though He has forgotten the past.

They will still follow Him steadfastly, prostrating themselves at His feet.

"My Lord..."

The spirits shed tears of emotion, bowing their heads and sobbing.

"You've finally returned!"

I was not abandoned.

The gods still mercifully favored these lost sheep.

"Return?"

The white-haired, gray-eyed god lowered his gaze, looking down at the servants prostrate on the ground, a slight smile playing on his lips:
"No, this is far from a return."

This return was far from the future he had promised Neyana.

"However, it is still far from enough."

Herbert smiled slightly and thought to himself, "But at least, we've taken another step toward our goal."

(End of this chapter)