The Sky Beast and Shelly

The temple in Thunder City was a branch of the Temple of Life. With numerous such temples across the world, people commonly referred to this one simply as the Thunder Temple.

Several stone demons pulled a tall, broad, multi-story wooden divine palanquin. The grand procession departed from the Thunder Temple, traversing the wide streets.

Upon the divine palanquin, the snake woman Lise sat cross-legged, adorned with golden accessories that shimmered in the sunlight. A delicate, thin veil partially hid her face, and flowing curtains obscured her figure.

At this moment, she represented the Sky Beast God, inspecting the mortal realm.

Below her, a large group of young men and women followed, dressed in specially made garments that made them look like servants from the kingdom of god.

The Thunder Temple, this mortal faith sect, seemed almost like a living being at this moment.

When someone has a deficiency, they often become even more eager to display strength in that very area. Fearing others will uncover their flaw, they do everything possible to hide it.

The less legitimacy they had in the eyes of the divine being, the fewer divine oracles they received. This made them try even harder to prove that the god was constantly granting them revelations, that they were bathed in divine favor, and that this kingdom was under the god's protection.

The witch's descent into the mortal realm became the proof of their legitimacy, the evidence they so desperately needed.

They wished for everyone to know, proclaiming everywhere that the apostle chosen by the Sky Beast God had appeared.

Thus, the current scene unfolded.

Before the witch sacrifice began, they were eager to stage such a procession, letting the god's chosen one represent the divine being and accept the worship of the faithful.

After all, once the witch sacrifice was completed, the witch and her servants would all return to the god's kingdom, and they would no longer be able to hold such spectacles.

The believers of Thunder City were also enthusiastic about participating in this worship.

Some even traveled from distant places just to worship the "Holy Maiden" once.

Ku-ku-ku-ku-ku~

The stone spheres at the base of the stone demons rolled, their sounds making the ground tremble slowly.

"Apostle of the divine being, please protect me."

"Great Sky Beast God, I have finally seen your apostle."

"God who rules the sky and thunder..."

Wherever the procession passed, believers prostrated themselves devoutly on the ground, watching the trembling grains of sand and speaking words of prayer.

"Holy Maiden! It truly is the Holy Maiden!" Someone rushed forward in a fervor, only to be blocked.

"Look how dignified she is, how noble! She is an existence descended from the Kingdom of God, merely borrowing this mortal form to be born in the world."

With the halo of being god-chosen, Lise seemed to glow in the eyes of mortals.

The snake woman sat high above. From this angle, everyone had to look up at her, yet no one dared to truly look directly at her or meet her gaze.

Lise watched the eyes of tens of thousands of people. They looked at her as if she were a divine being. At first, she felt uncertain and uneasy.

But later, she gradually became calm and composed.

The Chief Divine Servant of Thunder Temple explained to her that the people were not worshiping her. They were worshiping the divine being.

Lise was simply acting as the divine being's representative, receiving the worship of these people.

Viewed in this light, it became easier to embrace.

Acting on behalf of the divine being was a matter of great honor.

Lise lifted her head, her demeanor proud and dignified, embodying the majesty of the divine being she now represented.

"This is Her Holiness speaking."

"Under the divine temple, I act within the mortal realm."

"I am the witch, and I accept their faith on behalf of the divine being."

Before, Lise had harbored a trace of doubt about being the chosen one. Thoughts of insecurity and questions like How could the god choose me? would occasionally surface in her heart.

But now, she believed without hesitation or uncertainty.

So many people were saying she was the god's apostle. Among them were the temple's divine servants, his majesty the king, noble ministers, and even everyone in Thunder City and throughout the entire Thunderlake Kingdom.

If so many people were saying she was, then she must be.

Lise did not realize that her status as the god's apostle was not determined by the divine servants, the king, or even the kingdom and its people.

It was decided by the silent stone statue in the temple and the divine being watching over the mortal realm from the sea of clouds.

The king approached the divine palanquin, lowering himself to the ground in reverence.

"Holy Maiden," he began. "May the divine being always guide us, and may the divine being always protect this kingdom."

The king and nobles bowed humbly, their heads lowered.

Before the divine being, whether king, noble, or commoner, all shared but one title.

Mortal.

Lise, who had once been an ordinary fishing girl, now stood with a solemn expression, her hands pressed reverently to her chest.

In a calm and commanding voice, she addressed the gathered mortals.

"God will protect you."

She seemed to be growing accustomed to her identity.

Thunder Marsh was surrounded by numerous rivers and a scattering of lakes, both large and small.

Tens of thousands of craftsmen had gathered at a dock not far from Thunder City. It was situated by a bend in a wide river that flowed out from Thunder Marsh.

Now that the witch had been chosen, all that remained was to send the Holy Maiden to the god's kingdom.

Therefore, the Thunderlake Kingdom needed to construct several special, large ships of a particular style.

When the time arrived, the Holy Maiden and her servants would board these ships together to journey to the Kingdom of God in Thunder Marsh.

Building these ships required a significant number of craftsmen and commoners, along with an abundance of suitable materials.

The people of Thunderlake Kingdom, still recovering from the witch selection, were once again gathered in large numbers. Commoners and craftsmen worked tirelessly, building ships day and night without pause.

In addition to the laborers, many Ability Users were called upon to ensure the timely completion of what was meant to be a gift for the divine being.

At this stage, it was not yet a gift, but rather a container meant to hold the gift.

The dock shipbuilding workshop was illuminated by special steam lamps imported from the Land of Sunrise. On a stone platform, Fire Demons cast their glow to light up the darkness, while Ability Users kept watch from the tops of stone towers.

Below, the air was filled with the sounds of shouting, the crack of whips, and the harsh voices of overseers barking orders.

"Work faster, all of you! Don't slow down!"

"Who dares to stop?"

"Get back to work!"

The overseers stood atop the piles of lumber or along the riverbank, their sharp eyes fixed on the laborers drenched in sweat.

"This is the Holy Maiden's vessel! A sacred gift for the divine being!"

"If we miss the deadline, the divine being will send down divine punishment! You will be forbidden from entering the god's kingdom, left to wander in darkness forever, suffering eternal torment!"

"You are building ships for the divine being. Do you understand?"

"If we fail to meet the deadline, we all die!"

Working tirelessly day and night, they gathered massive logs and materials from all around, pouring immense manpower, effort, and even the lives of craftsmen into the task.

The Thunderlake Kingdom finally completed the exquisite vessel on schedule, a ship crafted to hold the sacred gift.

This was no ordinary ship. It was a towering masterpiece, resembling a small mountain gliding along the river, a marvel in the eyes of mortals.

It was not built for war but stood as a breathtaking work of art.

Magnificent and awe-inspiring.

Along the riverbank at the shipbuilding workshop, the craftsmen and laborers stood gazing at the colossal ship. Drenched in sweat and grime and utterly spent, they felt a mix of pride and overwhelming excitement.

"It's complete!"

"It's finally complete!"

"We finished it on time! No delays!"

"We don't have to die. We don't have to die!"

"We won't be banished to darkness after death. The divine being will reward us!"

The craftsmen and laborers stopped their work, some even rushing recklessly into the river to bathe and call out.

These people all seemed crazed. These recent days had indeed driven them to madness.

The overseers, bureaucrats, and ability users responsible for the ship's construction did not bother with the workers. They too were relieved that it was finally built.

On the other side, a smile touched the face of the Chief Divine Servant of Thunder Temple when he received the news. The witch sacrifice was proceeding on schedule.

He came to the temple where Lise resided, speaking with the witch from a great distance outside the great hall.

"Holy Maiden, your ship is complete."

"Here is the design. Please tell me if you find any problems with it."

An attendant brought over the blueprints, delivering them before Lise.

After viewing the design, Lise felt only shock.

But she immediately concealed the shock on her face. As the divine being's apostle, nothing should surprise her. She should face everything with an appearance of unruffled calm.

"I find it quite good."

"Its design resembles clouds. I like it very much."

The Chief Divine Servant of Thunder Temple bowed once more. "Then everything is settled."

The Chief Divine Servant withdrew to arrange the remaining matters.

Lise hurried into the great hall and began yet another round of devout prayer.

She now insisted on holding herself to the highest standards, ensuring her prayer posture mirrored the precision of the old divine servants. The melody of her hymns had to be as beautiful as those sung by renowned singers.

She practiced again and again, yet nothing seemed perfect enough.

The thought of meeting the divine being filled her with anticipation and unease.

She envisioned the exact posture she should adopt to prostrate herself before the divine being and the tone of voice she should use to extol the god's greatness.

Yet the more she thought this way, the more imperfect it seemed.

She prostrated herself before the god until darkness fell.

When she was finally alone, she looked up at the divine statue and felt her heart gradually grow calm.

"How magnificent must the Sky Beast God be?"

"Will I see the god?"

Lise answered her own question. "I will certainly see the god."

At this moment, she suddenly heard the sound of thunder in the distance.

But when it entered her ears, it did not seem like thunder.

She seemed to hear the voice of the god.

A grand voice that expanded between heaven and earth was calling her name.

"Lise~"

Lise was deeply moved, tears streaming down her face.

Despite her devout appearance, she did not truly have faith in the god.

In such a short time, she could not transform from a fishing girl into a genuine believer. She did not even understand what kind of existence a divine being was, nor had she ever reflected on the origins of faith or why she would believe in the Sky Beast God.

She was simply caught up in the role of the Holy Maiden.

People often cannot recognize such distinctions within themselves.

They may not realize that what they call "for your own good" is not always for another's benefit, but a strong desire to exert control. Similarly, what is spoken as love may not always be true love, but an inescapable dependency.

However, when such words are repeated enough times, the heart begins to believe them as truth.

God-Descended City above the Sea of Clouds

At the edge of the Lost Kingdom shrouded in mist, a dreamlike, fairytale-like airship was docked.

At this moment, a girl dressed in a dark gown and red leather boots stood at the very edge of this sky kingdom. Beneath her feet, the cloud layer was thick and dense, resembling soft cotton.

It gave the impression that even if one were to fall, the thick cloud layer would catch them gently, cradling them like a bed.

Shelly clutched the whistle Yin Shen had given her, treasuring it immensely as she wiped it clean.

Then she placed it in her mouth.

Beep beep!

The whistle sounded. It was not especially loud or particularly pleasant to hear.

Still, Shelly was delighted and enjoyed it immensely.

Shelly was summoning the Sky Beast, but the whistle did not seem as effective as the Mother Conch of All Things. This might have been because it was her first time using this method, or perhaps the sound needed some time to reach its ears.

Hmm~

Mm~

The soles of her little leather boots tapped impatiently against the stone. Shelly looked unhappy.

"Why is it so slow?"

She almost wanted to summon forth the Mother Conch of All Things and blow it once in the mortal realm.

Fortunately, the vast sea of clouds soon began to ripple across the entire sky. The immense sea of clouds shifted and gathered, creating a colossal shadow that ascended toward the Mother of Life, Shelly.

The clouds of the clear sky transformed into an enormous shadow. Its size was so immense that mortals looking up from the ground could not see its full form.

Dense cloud layers swirled around Shelly, forming a vortex that seemed to bow in reverence to the Life Sovereign.

The form made of clouds was like an enormous pet showing affection to its master, nuzzling against her leather boots.

This was the Sky Beast's consciousness taking partial form.

Its main body supported the continent and remained immovable, so it could only present itself to its sovereign deity in this way.

Her sovereign deity had called upon her with a "very important" task.

"Hey, big jellyfish!"

"Why were you so slow?"

"Don't you know this whistle is from God Yinsai?"

"I already blew it twice, and you're still not here!"

Shelly was not one to hide her feelings. Her happiness and unhappiness were always visible on her face, and she never concealed her emotions, even in Yin Shen's presence.

In the past, when Yin Shen upset her, she would often sit at the entrance of the Pyramid Temple, humming through her nose from morning until evening.

This was how she eventually obtained the whistle.

The Sky Beast quickly explained itself to the sovereign deity.

The explanation came as soft whispers of wind, and the cloud layer swirled in response.

The Sky Beast felt quite aggrieved. Although the whistle was made by God Yinsai, it was merely a whistle casually crafted by him.

While it held special meaning for Shelly, its power and properties naturally had a vast difference compared to a supreme divine artifact like the Mother Conch of All Things.

Shelly nodded.

"Next time, don't keep me waiting. Only God and Hila can get away with that."

The Sky Beast swirled around Shelly, the clouds brushing against the hem of her garment and her boots, humbly trying to please this sovereign.

She stood on tiptoes at the edge of the God-Descended City, looking at the world below and speaking to the Sky Beast.

"I want to slide down from here, all the way to the sea over there."

"Can you make that happen for me?"

The Sky Beast still made sounds like whispering wind, grand yet with a gentle quality.

Such a powerful deity, a colossal being, was cautious and careful before Shelly.

"Hmm!" Shelly's eyes sparkled with excitement. "A ladder made of clouds? That sounds amazing!"

The Sky Beast's suggestion made Shelly's eyes sparkle with excitement. She found it to be an excellent idea and liked it a lot.

If several such ladders were built in the sky, would the entire Ruhe Beast Island not truly become her playground and back garden?

The sea of clouds in the sky would be her slide, the underground caverns her great maze, and the lava volcanoes her grand fireworks.

"How soon can it be done?"

"Hurry it up."

Shelly did not notice that her words at this moment were exactly the same as those of the overseers beneath the clouds urging the craftsmen and laborers.

Shelly put down her whistle with satisfaction, and the shadow of the Sky Beast dispersed accordingly.

The cloud layer did not disappear but lost control and drifted freely.

Her plan was a complete success. One of her objectives for coming to the mortal realm this time would finally be achieved.

In that sea of Sun Cup Flowers, were there any little spirits who could change into anything?

The little spirits did not have such abilities.

The Wisdom Palace

Meanwhile, the supreme deities observed the recent events unfolding in Thunderlake Kingdom with keen interest.

Yin Shen sat outside the birdcage-shaped glass dome garden on a stone chair in the style of the Trilobite Man civilization. He sat quietly, gazing at the distant sea of clouds and sunlight.

He appeared quite at ease, seeming to enjoy this quiet, peaceful life.

On the other side of the glass dome garden, a golden-haired girl sat in a metal hanging basket.

She was using her Magic Mirror to observe the mortal realm.

Her finger swiped across the mirror's surface, adjusting the view.

"God, it seems the mortals saw us when we descended."

To be precise, it was not Yin Shen and the others who were seen. Rather, the commotion from the Sky Beast welcoming them was seen by the mortals. After that, the Snake People saw Oran's apostle form, leading to the current situation.

As Hila continued watching, she discovered that mortals were preparing to sacrifice to the Sky Beast, sending several ships into the depths of Thunder Marsh.

"They actually want to send people here. Don't they know mortals cannot enter this place?"

"Those people will all die. Mortals cannot survive in a place like this."

The clouds deep within Thunder Marsh were not true clouds, but the breath of the Sky Beast.

Supreme deities could completely disregard these cloud layers, but once mortals and living creatures touched these clouds, they would turn to foam in the blink of an eye.

Before this, only one being had intruded into this place.

However, that being was not human, not even a life form, but a puppet on strings.

"They know, Hila."

Yin Shen appeared to have known all along. He stayed still, His gaze fixed on the distant horizon. He watched the sea of clouds as if searching the edge of the world, and the light on the clouds as if admiring the setting sun.

Hila seemed emotional. Was it sadness? Perhaps also some incomprehension?

"They know, so why would they still send people in?"

Yin Shen faced away from Hila. One could only see the back of the chair.

From this angle, He sat in the center of a crimson sea of flowers, with the sea of clouds and light forming a line in the distance.

He sat in the chair, becoming the central point of this world, the eternal singularity.

"Because this is a sacrifice."

He answered very slowly, and one could not discern any emotion in His voice.

Hila said, "But God does not need their kind of sacrifice."

"The Sky Beast has never demanded their sacrifices, or even paid them any heed."

"Besides, in the eyes of mortals, are divine beings just man-eating monsters?"

Yin Shen answered Hila, "Because in the eyes of mortals, the most precious sacrifice they can offer is themselves."

"Everything else was given to them by the divine being."

"Mortals cannot understand what the god thinks. They only know what they themselves think."

"They use their own hearts to imagine the divine being. They believe what they want to believe."

"When they want to believe, even a cloud in the sky can become a divine miracle."

"When they do not want to believe, even a divine miracle placed before them will not convince them."

Hila sighed. "Why is it that wherever we appear, unfortunate events always occur?"

"We clearly have done nothing, yet such things always happen."

The Eternal Creator, clothed in white robes, still sat with his back turned, speaking to Hila in a light and tranquil voice.

"Every movement of the divine being influences this world, even if you do nothing, Hila."

"When you exist in this world, you are destined to influence it, to influence all people."

"What we do is not to do nothing. We stand at the front of the road."

"As for what comes after, that is left to them to choose."

"They can choose to follow, they can choose other paths, or they can choose to remain where they are."

"Each choice has no right or wrong. What matters is that there is a choice."

The light at the edge of the sky extended further and further, slowly forming a continuous line.

This was because the sun had aligned with the sea of clouds.

This scene was breathtakingly beautiful. Even Hila, the Sovereign of Dreams, felt an indescribable beauty and overwhelming sensation.

Although she had witnessed countless dreams and was the supreme deity who created them, her gaze lingered on the back of God Yinsai, the Creator seated at the point where clouds, flowers, and light converged in perfect harmony.

In her eyes, she saw shadow and light.

She saw flowers and the sea of clouds.

At this moment, she saw the true divine being, the one she believed in with all her heart.

God's voice reached Hila's ears.

"The god in their eyes influences them, but ultimately what determines their own fate is themselves."

"Some people see the shadow of the god and fall into darkness. Some people see light in the god's shadow."

"It is not that the god granted them light and darkness, but that light and darkness already existed within their hearts."

"The god's shadow is merely a mirror, reflecting what lies within their hearts."

"Hila, it is not just we who influence them."

"More than that, they are making choices."

As Saint Tito once said, God entrusted the choice of destiny to people. Destiny lies in their own hands.

Naturally, the people Saint Tito referred to also included the mortal gods of this era, for the god he spoke of was the one True God of the Trilobite Men.

Among these deities, each person also made different choices, and what they saw in their hearts were different shadows and lights.

When they wanted the Creator to be merciful, they firmly believed the Creator was merciful. When they themselves were cold and lofty, they believed the Creator was also cruel, looking down upon the mortal realm, playing a game of harvesting civilizations.

Hila sighed.

She had witnessed this kind of mortal foolishness countless times. There was little she could do except feel helpless and sorrowful.

She had tried to intervene before, even pleading with God Yinsai.

But the final outcome had never aligned with her hopes.

Yin Shen seemed to hear Hila's sigh and spoke one final time.

"Hila, your eyes are filled with compassion, so you see only these compassionate things."

"In Shelly's eyes, this world is an interesting playground, so everything she sees is joyful."

"It is not that disasters occur everywhere we go, but that in every place, unfortunate and fortunate things are happening together. You simply have not discovered or seen them."

"Some people fall into darkness through sacrifice, becoming lost."

"Some people gaze at the sun from within darkness, walking toward light."

At this moment, Shelly entered the garden and overheard the conversation between Hila and Yin Shen. She learned that mortals were sacrificing living people to the Sky Beast.

The Sky Beast was not just a servant to Shelly; it was more like her pet.

Realizing this, Shelly quickly turned and hurried back outside.

Once again, she blew the whistle God Yinsai had given her.

Beep beep~

This time, the Sky Beast came very quickly. The clouds across ten thousand miles of sky were once again controlled by a single will.

Shelly tilted her head and asked the sea of clouds, "Hey, big jellyfish, do you still eat people?"

She paused, then added with a frown, "Snake People aren't Ancestral Fish, you know. They're not your food!"

Although Snake People were not Ancestral Fish, their ancestors were.

Hundreds of millions of years ago, they were food bestowed upon the Trilobite Men by God Yinsai. Over time, the Ancestral Fish of old had long since gone extinct, yet their descendants spread throughout the entire world.

That special, oddly legless lizard Shelly had once chosen was an evolution of the descendants of the Ancestral Fish.

This species, once bred by the Trilobite Men in the lakes of the God-Given Land and accidentally introduced into the ocean through a crevice, had now become an important part of the world's ecology and biological sphere.

In the future, who could say what would emerge or what miracles might be created?

The big jellyfish, hearing the Life Sovereign's question, was quite confused.

Shelly searched for a long time, her gaze sweeping across the mortal earth, before finally understanding what had happened.

"Oh, so they pushed it on you? It wasn't even your idea?"

Shelly no longer gave it much thought. What mattered to her was whether the Sky Beast had erred, or more specifically, whether it had erred before God Yinsai.

Now that it was clear the Sky Beast had not made any mistakes before God Yinsai, she dismissed the matter entirely.

The Life Sovereign turned and left.

The Sky Beast, which had once spoken in gentle whispers, its voice like the wind brushing over grasslands, now chose to act differently.

The cloud layer descended toward the earth, continuously approaching the ground.

At this moment, the Sky Beast let out a roar.

It was no longer a quiet whisper but a thunderous sound that echoed across the heavens and the earth.

The dense clouds rumbled with the force of a storm, unleashing a terrifying power that struck fear into all who heard it.

At the distant dock shipbuilding workshop, everyone paused and looked up, witnessing the sudden and dramatic change in the sky.