Chapter 56

The chaotic ballad composed of sharp abyssal language echoed through the dimly lit hall. Amavre knelt before the altar adorned with bones and entrails, then rose to her feet.

"Let's begin," she said.

The red-robed figures standing around the hall lit the bonfires and sprinkled a mixture of yellow and black powder into them.

The flames suddenly swelled, casting an eerie dark red glow that filled the entire hall. The air, already murky, was now filled with the smell of sulfur.

Then, each of the red-robed figures picked up the wooden buckets stacked in the corner, dipped their brushes into the buckets, and began to paint the floor with the thick, sticky liquid made from the blood of various creatures.

Amavre watched all of this with satisfaction. At this moment, a woman descended from the stairs leading to the upper level. She wore a thin garment made of a single piece of white gauze, revealing her snow-white arms, slender abdomen, and long legs. The degree of exposure of her clothing could even be compared to a bikini on Earth, and it was hard to imagine that a woman would wear such clothing in public in this world. Moreover, Amavre referred to her as a "priestess."

"Is everything ready, Priestess Dina, the devout follower of the goddess Lielia?" Amavre asked in a tone of authority.

Priestess Dina had long, alluring phoenix eyes and a delicate oval face. Her graceful figure and mature charm made her irresistible to men in her daily life. However, she now had to show the utmost obedience to Amavre.

"Everything is ready, Lady Amavre. Most of the invited nobles have already arrived. The party can begin on time," she said, lowering her head without looking at Amavre, but her eyes were filled with hatred.

Amavre seemed to see through her thoughts and sneered, "A priestess of the great goddess Lielia, the head of the Bluewater City diocese, and the most respected lady of the Amber Mask, are you not satisfied? Put away your worthless pride! A great upheaval is coming, and even your goddess has already submitted to the masters. You can only obediently serve us."

"Of course, Lady Amavre," Dina said, bowing her head.

"Go and greet those poor sacrifices. They have the right to enjoy their final moments of pleasure before they die," Amavre waved her hand, dismissing the priestess.

...

Two horse-drawn carriages left the East Gate of Bluewater City. The black carriages were unremarkable, but the emblem on the doors—a staff adorned with a towering iceberg—made all the other carriages and pedestrians on the road give way.

It was the family crest of the Antalor family, the Staff Lords.

The carriages headed straight for the eastern outskirts of Bluewater City, turning onto a forest path leading to the Whispering Forest. After about an hour of traveling through the dense trees, a light suddenly appeared in the dark forest at dusk.

The path ahead opened up, and the carriages entered a large clearing in the forest. There, an elegant ancient castle stood, its intricate carvings blending seamlessly with nature, clearly the work of elves. The long-abandoned castle was now bustling with activity, with luxurious carriages arriving from time to time.

A handsome man wearing only leather shorts and exposing his muscular upper body came to the Antalor family's carriage, opened the door, and welcomed the guests inside.

A young man with black hair and black eyes, dressed in a mage's robe, stepped out of the carriage. He turned, extended his hand, and helped another lady out of the carriage.

"Thank you, Gordan," the green-haired girl with a curvaceous figure said.

"You're welcome, I'm happy to serve," Gordan said, looking at Shalaya with a gentle expression.

From the other carriage, Dorn Lannister stepped down with a proud and confident air, also accompanied by a lady, a mature and beautiful noblewoman named Yurian. When Gordan learned that Dorn had managed to get the daughter of the Bluewater City lord, Count Yurian, he showed no surprise, which somewhat diminished Dorn's pleasure in boasting.

On his first day off after becoming a magic advisor, Dorn had dragged Gordan to attend this secret party held in a forest castle.

Held in such a secluded place, a party attended only by nobles, and most importantly, organized by a priestess of the goddess Lielia, the goddess of pleasure, piqued Gordan's curiosity and even a bit of a thrill. Lielia is a neutral-chaotic deity whose doctrine pursues pure, unbound pleasure. Due to the conflict with the love goddess Elisha, there are not many intelligent beings in the material plane who worship her, mostly wealthy and spiritually empty hedonists or naturally licentious bards.

In certain upper-class circles, followers of Lielia often hold special, private gatherings. The content of these gatherings is understood by those who know. Gordan suspected that today's party might be of that nature, but seeing Dorn's enthusiastic appearance, it seemed to be just a regular party for young men and women to socialize and revel.

Unlike Gordan, who had various complex thoughts, Shalaya was very happy. Although they had not verbally confirmed their relationship, after several intimate encounters, they had tacitly acknowledged each other. On her day off, he could bring her to a "banquet" — at least that's what the half-elf ranger thought, and Shalaya was very pleased.

She even wore a new silk strapless dress from the southern city of Wilfast. The emerald green color complemented her hair, and the design that exposed a small part of her snow-white chest and round shoulders was both bold and cute, and Gordan was very satisfied with her attire.

Shalaya, seeing the handsome waiter in only leather shorts, asked in a low voice, "Why is he dressed so little?"

"Because he is a servant of the goddess Lielia," Gordan pointed to a beautiful woman in the distance, who was only wrapped in a piece of gauze, and said, "Most priests of the gods like to wear sacred robes, but the goddess of pleasure encourages her followers to wear various garments that highlight the natural beauty of the human body."

"Such a... goddess," Shalaya hesitated, not saying the derogatory adjective.

The four of them entered the castle hall. Forty-eight tree lamps emitted a soft yellow light, casting a slightly hazy and intimate glow over the entire hall.

Two staircases curved to the left and right, leading to the second floor. In the middle, against the wall, stood a statue of the goddess of pleasure. The goddess, draped in a light veil, with a curvaceous figure that highlighted her feminine charm, had a beautiful face with an alluring expression. Just looking at her made one feel hot all over.

"How strange," Gordan thought.

The hall had ten long tables, and on the tables covered with luxurious tablecloths were various exquisite foods served on silver platters. Guests could help themselves, enjoying the food with refreshing wine and pleasant conversation.

Gordan looked around and noticed that the participants in this banquet were all upper-class people in luxurious clothing. The women were all beautiful, and the men, even if not handsome, were at least young and strong, with no short, fat, old, or ugly ones. After looking around for a while, he found that Dorn and Miss Yurian had disappeared somewhere, so he decided to focus on the delicious food.

At that moment, a tall, handsome young man walked over.

"Good evening, Baron Freeman. And the beautiful Miss Shalaya, the adventure we shared last time was unforgettable," Koyan said, escorting a petite blonde girl, and bowed gracefully to Gordan.

"Good evening, Mr. Koyan. It has been nearly twenty days since we last met at the Dwarven master's workshop," Gordan replied with a bow.

Mentioning the Dwarven blacksmith's workshop, Koyan seemed to recall an unpleasant memory. His lips twitched slightly, but he suppressed his emotions and did not show them.

"Enjoy your triumph! Tonight will be your last pleasure. I will witness your miserable death," Koyan looked at Gordan and Shalaya with a meaningful glance and then left.

"Gordan, during our last adventure, Koyan and I didn't do anything..." Shalaya defended herself, her expression anxious, fearing that Gordan might misunderstand her.

"I'm not that stupid; I can tell he was trying to sow discord," Gordan said, biting Shalaya's earlobe, which made her smile sweetly.

The temperature in the hall was gradually rising, and the sweet, intoxicating smell of alcohol was becoming more intense.

A commotion broke out, and Gordan and Shalaya looked over to see a disheveled girl being sandwiched between two men, kissing passionately, their tongues entwined, and heavy breathing could be heard. The onlookers not only found this strange but also cheered and even poured red wine on them.

"Gordan, what's going on?" Shalaya tightly gripped the man's arm.

"Something's strange," Gordan said. He wondered if the party was really going in the direction he had guessed.

The atmosphere of the party became increasingly bizarre and passionate. Gordan was curious, but if it was that kind of party, he would only watch and not participate, and he certainly wouldn't involve Shalaya. He was a selfish man and didn't want others to have his girl.

At this moment, he noticed that the castle's main doors had been tightly closed and secured with three large bolts. No one could open the doors without the strength of a hill giant.

Gordan snatched the wine glass from Shalaya's hand, "Don't drink the wine, and don't eat the food. I suspect they've been drugged. Let's go to a less conspicuous place."

He led Shalaya through the crowded and chaotic crowd to the shadow behind a wall sculpture.

The scene became increasingly chaotic, with many men and women, under the influence of alcohol, embracing each other and passionately seeking each other's bodies.

Amidst the licentious laughter and heavy breathing, a mature and beautiful woman, apparently a priestess of Lielia, appeared in the hall, followed by ten muscular men in leather shorts, each holding a censer. A light pink smoke rose from the censers, enveloping the hall in a veil of desire. Everyone felt as if they were floating, including Gordan.

Gordan struggled to stay清醒. He observed the changes in the hall with a serious expression, taking two milky white potions from his dimensional bag and handing one to Shalaya.

The mature beauty stood before the statue of the goddess Lielia, raised her hands high with the goddess's emblem, and began to sing a melodious and alluring song.

When the song reached its highest note, the statue suddenly emitted a pink halo that enveloped the entire hall.

"Quick, drink the potion!" Gordan felt dizzy, and a primal desire was rising in his heart.