NOVPUBAfter sunset, the forest dwellers gathered at the Sacred Mountain’s forest gathering ground to join the festivities.
Every beast and demon who could participate had already joined the forest dweller group led by the sea eagle. Each of them had to prove their worth first. Also, no evil creatures were allowed to enter the Sacred Mountain.
The disciples had also gathered there, without exception.
Ely opened the event with a speech to express her happiness because they received some new friends this year. She could see many new faces in the forest dweller group.
Regardless of what happened in the last few weeks, they would always end up victorious, which should always be. They would still eradicate the evil they encountered. Still, they would not actively hunt the evil unless their target was in a catastrophic danger level.
The most important thing was always safety first. Nobody wished to lose their brothers and sisters. Therefore, reckless actions were prohibited.
After Ely’s speech, it was a dinner party. Ely wasn’t the only one who cooked the food there. Several of her disciples and forest dwellers did the job for it.
"Please taste my new signature recipe, shrine priestess. It’s a delicious seafood soup. I caught them from a nearby river this afternoon." Ranee tried her best to leave a good impression.
"Aww, thank you." Ely took the bowl onto her tray. It was nearly full, and she felt there was no way she could finish them all. However, everyone wanted her to taste their dishes...
"Hmm, this is a bit strange. I haven’t seen the dark knight demon anywhere. Does he go into seclusion and hate events like this? He is a bad guy, after all. Never mind, it’s his loss. Nobody cares about him." Ranee muttered softly while checking her surroundings vigilantly.
She was ready to ask the shrine priestess for protection if that bad guy dared to appear before her.
"Hmm, you look so afraid of him. Has he ever hurt you?" Ely was pretty amused. She always gave vague answers whenever Ranee brought up the topic of the dark knight demon.
"Hmm, I don’t like him. Shrine priestess, if he comes to bully me, I implore you to help me!" Ranee stated her request without a preamble.
"Fufu, nobody can bully you here. As long as you are a good spider, no one will bully you here. Today is a festive day. You should enjoy it with everyone rather than worrying about the unnecessary." Ely replied with a subtle smile.
She then walked back to the primary table. It was time for her to have dinner with everyone.
Ranee bowed slightly. She then straightened her back and chuckled in satisfaction. "Heehee~ I succeeded. My bright new life... I’m coming~."
Hearing that, Ely could only shake her head in amusement. She was clueless about why Ranee felt pressured because of the dark knight demon. She never bullied this Spider Queen!
"Wow, this is wonderful. Ely, please have a taste." Sylvia fed Ely with her chopsticks.
"Uh, ah." Ely had just sat down, and a crispy croquette was shoved into her mouth.
"It’s delicious, right? I took part in making this." Sylvia felt proud of it.
Ely covered her mouth while chewing it. She swallowed it and commented. "Mm, yes, you’re actually good at cooking."
"You only helped me grind the meat. I’m the chef." Yuuki rolled her eyes. She usually would ban Sylvia from the kitchen, but she was making an exception today.
"Then, at least the meat grinded by me is perfectly seasoned."
"That’s the seasoning from Ely."
"It’s still my meat. I hunt and choose the best game."
"Well..."
Sylvia and Yuuki exchanged arguments again, but Yuuki gave in.
"Grind the meat?" Ely muttered under her breath. She shook her head and sampled the dishes.
"Master, please have a taste of my Sakura mochi too." Jophiel offered a desert near her master’s mouth.
"Sakura mochi? Does it have Sakura’s elements in it?" Ely threw a little joke and looked at her surroundings. She found Sakura was nearby, enjoying the fun with many elemental spirits.
"Hmm, no. It’s just the color." Jophiel shook her head.
Ely then opened her mouth and ate it. "It’s chewy and sweet."
"Heehee~" Jophiel was happy.
Several other disciples then tried to feed their master as well, but Ely raised her hand to politely decline. She hadn’t even tasted any of the food on her tray.
It was a festive dinner party where everyone enjoyed dinner together and shared happiness.
"Master, please come play fireworks with us." Jophiel asked enthusiastically. She and her junior sisters already had some sparklers in hand.
"Um, okay." Ely wiped her mouth with a tissue, then played sparklers in the field with her disciples.
"It’s so nice to enjoy an event like this... A peace and togetherness." Michael muttered under his breath as he sipped his grape juice.
"One can only appreciate peace when they have experienced the chaos." Azrael looked up at the starry night sky with a few thoughts in mind.
"This is our piece of heaven. But, some entities and variables want to destroy our happiness. Our master’s wish... We need to eradicate those Heavenly Demon seeds and the big evils." Gabriella smiled warmly as she watched her master and junior sisters dance and have fun full of laughter while playing sparklers.
Several forest dwellers then liven up the event by dancing and singing. Various pleasant chirps and noises enveloped the happy occasion.
"Hmm~" Sylvia rested her cheek against her hand with a mysterious smile. She could see Ely’s disciples were well-motivated.
After that, the event that everyone had been waiting for finally arrived. After everyone was satisfied with the dinner party, the ultimate dessert was distributed by the shrine priestess to everyone.
"May the New Year bless you with health, wealth and happiness." Ely conveyed her wishes after she gave everyone a pack of New Year’s cakes and a red envelope.
"O-oh~ Thank you!" Evelyn received the gift with pleasure. 𝓃𝓸𝓋𝓹𝓾𝓫.𝒸ℴ𝓶
"Red envelope? It’s thin but hard as crystal, and it’s not paper money like currency on Earth." Sylvia fumbled with the red envelope before opening it.
She found a thin piece of blue crystal with several inscriptions and symbols like a talisman. At first glance, she thought it was a new kind of charm or talisman.
"It’s a magic crystal talisman. It can boost your luck when you want to advance to a higher rank. Whether it’s cultivation or the magic method, it will protect you from negativity. You can use it to accompany you while cultivating, meditating, or the like." Ely explained in a pleased tone.
Even though they were mass-produced items, the materials she used were all of the highest quality. She personally monitored each item’s production to ensure the final product’s quality.
"The cake is so... wonderful! The perfectly balanced sweets and the dao in it... I can almost see the great enlightenment to achieve the Demo-God. I feel everything is so balanced now. Ugh..." Ranee received an epiphany and a blast after eating the new year’s cake given by the shrine priestess.
When she regained her composure, she found her cake had been eaten.
She then glanced sideways and tried to bargain with the closest carnivorous animals. "Hey, bobcat and that dog over there. You’re a carnivore and shouldn’t be eating cake. How about you trade your cake for a chest full of treasure?"
The nearby animals just scoffed and growled at Ranee. They devoured their cakes and secured their red envelopes.
"Pfft, haha. Little girl, you need to be grateful for what you’ve got. Also, don’t be a bully by forcing others to give you their cakes." Zi Xuan advised the grumbling spider lady.
"Hmph, fine. I was just trying to bargain." Ranee snorted and clarified her action. She didn’t want to leave a bad impression on this event.
The New Year’s lively event then continued until past midnight. After that, Ely excused herself as she was already tired and sleepy. Her friends and disciples also went with her to the shrine abode.
The all-night party would continue for those who wish to continue. And, of course, the forest dwellers would party all night, especially the nocturnal ones.
"Someone mysteriously entered the fifth mountain formation region. Is this a lost human? What should we do about him?" Uriel reported the situation to Gabriella. She also showed her magic device, and an unknown human-like creature was detected.
Gabriella looked up. Her master and the others were already on their way to the shrine abode. She had to handle this matter with the available disciples first.
"Someone suspicious? He might be a spy or an intruder. Let’s handle him right away." Michael frowned.
"Should we eliminate the intruder without alerting our master?" Azrael fiddled with his switchblade.
"Someone lost? Was it a coincidence? I don’t think so." Raguel folded his arms over his chest.
"Hmm, let’s check it out." Gabriella looked at the fifth great mountain.
The five of them then rushed to the possible intruder’s location quickly.
