"?"

Gauss silently placed a question mark in his mind.

But he was indeed a bit curious at the moment, what was the Lake God Motera about to ask him to do?

Though it hadn’t directly admitted to being a deity, even as the will arising naturally from the Blue Lake before him, its stature was clearly beyond what ordinary creatures could match.

What could a humble Level 5 Professional like him possibly do to help it?

"Please speak, great Motera."

[To the north, the Blue Lake connects to the Tarna River, whose waters flow a thousand miles, originating from a majestic snow mountain.]

[Within the eternal snow and ice, a will was born akin to my own - my sister, the spirit of the snow mountain, Aisweir. She guards the pristine mountain ranges and the river’s source.]

[However, in recent years, more and more impurities and filth have begun to flow from upstream of the Tarna River.]

[I am a spirit of the lake, my power is rooted in these still waters, making it difficult to stray far from the source.]

[I awoke this time partly to meet you, and also troubled by this matter.]

[So, my request to you is to journey north along the Tarna River to the snow mountain and investigate the source of the contamination for me.]

[As advance payment, I have bestowed upon you a waterform armament. Should you successfully investigate and resolve the source of contamination, I will perform a true "blessing baptism" upon you with the power of the Blue Lake’s essence.]

Motera’s voice remained ethereal.

Gauss understood its meaning as well. Simply put, it was asking him to continue north along the Tarna River to reach the snow mountain and investigate the source of the pollution.

But...

Gauss pondered for a moment.

It wasn’t that he found the request particularly daunting.

It was just that this wouldn’t be a short journey to complete.

If he remembered correctly, the snow mountain marked on the map wasn’t close to his current location at the Blue Lake.

Though his route was planned to head north all along, reaching the snow mountain could take an unknown amount of time.

"It might take me some time to reach the snow mountain."

Gauss voiced his hesitation.

[No matter, time for you humans is exceedingly brief to me.]

[Take your time.]

Motera showed no concern for Gauss’s worries.

Decades might equate to a nap for it, but for an ordinary human, it could be a lifetime.

"Then, I am willing to accept your commission." Gauss nodded after considering it.

If the commission wasn’t urgent, he was willing to accept it.

It could be treated as a side quest, and if he happened to be near the commission’s location, he could investigate it.

On the one hand, he did owe the Lake God Motera a favor, making it hard to refuse. On the other hand, he thought building a good rapport with a nature spirit could be quite beneficial.

[Good.]

[Awaiting good news...]

After Gauss agreed cleanly, Motera’s waterform outline began to slowly dissipate, and its voice gradually faded.

When the voice finally vanished, the massive outline in the water completely dissolved, melting into the lake water as blue as a sea of stars.

The lake surface returned to calm, the moonlight remained unchanged, as if everything that happened was merely an illusion.

Time in Gauss’s Perception seemed to resume flowing.

"Boom—"

Noisy human voices surged into his ears.

"Lord Gauss, has the Lake God already?"

A gentle power lifted Gauss back to the shore.

The priest who accompanied Gauss to the lakeside cautiously inquired.

Although he wasn’t far from Gauss, Gauss seemed enveloped by an invisible barrier along with that divine figure.

These outsiders could only vaguely see the silhouette within, unable to know what Gauss and the Lake God conversed about. 𝗳𝚛𝗲𝕖𝚠𝚎𝚋𝗻𝗼𝕧𝗲𝐥.𝚌𝚘𝐦

One thing was certain, though – Gauss had indeed received the true blessing of the Lake God.

"The Lake God has gone to rest."

Gauss simply explained.

He wasn’t prepared to share too much about the Lake God with others.

From the brief exchange just now, he also vaguely sensed the "character" of the Lake God Motera, who seemed to prefer tranquility.

Moreover, there was no reaction to others, not even the most devout believers.

The awakening was merely due to its own interest sparked by him, and it wished for him to investigate at the snow mountain source.

So, he planned to avoid doing anything unnecessary. This was Motera’s domain; if it had any interest in spreading faith, doubtlessly countless methods could broaden the faith.

Since it hadn’t done so, it indicated no such interest.

"Alright, I’ll go back to rest now. I’m a bit tired."

"Have everyone disperse; the ceremony is over."

Surrounded by so many people, gazing at him either with fanatical worship or curious probing, Gauss also felt slightly uncomfortable.

After giving a word to the priest, the priest dared ask no more questions.

He quickly organized people to clear a path.

Gauss’s teammates gathered around, but they also knew this wasn’t the right time to inquire, so they simply followed Gauss away from the lakeside.

However, Gauss underestimated the impact of the Lake God’s descent.

The road back was already jam-packed.

Some kneeled in fervor by the roadside, as though in the presence of a holy son, while numerous town folk who originally hadn’t come to the lakeside tonight flocked here, eager to glimpse the earthly representative of the Lake God.