Rome must fall.

Chapter 317: The Sacred Temple of Danu

Walking on the thick fallen leaves, accompanied by the sound of bells, I felt as if I was integrated into the nature, leaving behind all the fatigue and distracting thoughts along the way... I didn't know how far I had walked in a daze, and I saw a door appear on the path ahead.

Two thick white boulders, more than one person tall, stand on both sides of the path, and a thinner white stone slab is placed on top of the two boulders, forming a stone gate.

From a distance, the two white boulders appear to be a man and a woman standing. When you get closer, you can see no obvious signs of carving, as if they were naturally formed.

There is a semicircular mark carved in the middle of the stone slab on the top, just like a wave in the river. When the sunlight shines on it through the gaps between the leaves, the mark actually emits a dazzling five-color light.

The people of Segestica and the slaves of Skodischi, who had a complex of worshipping the holy stone, came here and all fell to their knees.

The druid who led the way whispered, "Hurry up and get up. Once you pass through this holy stone door, you will reach the temple!"

Pro, the only one who did not kneel, was the first to pass through the stone gate, and Selesis quickly stood up and followed closely behind him.

As soon as he stepped over the stone gate, he felt the light was dazzling. He quickly closed his eyes, then slowly opened them. After a while, he could see clearly again.

It turned out that the path I had walked on before was surrounded by dense trees with lush branches and leaves, which blocked the sunlight and made the light very dim. But here, it was a flat green area, and the sunlight poured down without hindrance. Compared with before, it was naturally very bright, and my eyes could not adapt for a while.

But for simple villagers like Serisis, this was a display of the power of the goddess Danu, which made them even more awed.

At this time, the villagers who crossed the stone gate focused their eyes on the center of the green space, which was full of small white flowers, densely packed and layered, as if a white carpet was laid, making the temple look more holy.

Some villagers had seen this kind of white flower when grazing before. It is scattered in the mountains and fields, blooming in late autumn and lasting until the spring of the following year. But for there to be so many, so dense, and so beautifully blooming like now, it must be the blessing of the goddess Danu!
The villagers, becoming more and more awed, quietly turned their gazes toward the towering figure in the center.

The statue of Goddess Danu is more than three meters tall. She holds a lively and lovely child in her left hand and holds a water jar on her head with her right hand. Her body is slightly leaning forward, and the water in the jar pours down and turns into a robe draped over her body, light and gorgeous, like brocade in the clouds, which not only highlights her graceful and graceful figure, but also brings out her solemnity and majesty as a deity.

His face is gentle, like a lotus in early summer, fresh and natural; His eyes are deep and clear, as if he can see through everyone's heart; He smiles, as warm and bright as the spring sunshine, but his brows reveal a look of compassion, as if he can see through all the sufferings in the world; His lips are slightly open, as if he is asking every believer who comes to worship Him with concern: "Child, how have you been recently?"

Serisis gazed at the goddess Danu, feeling extremely kind, and suddenly reminded him of his mother whom he had forgotten for many years. On that day when he was about to be sent to Savatoi, his mother hugged him tightly and repeatedly gave him instructions. The concern and reluctance in her eyes were just like the goddess Danu at this moment...

Before he knew it, hot tears flowed down his cheeks. When Seris was about to wipe them away with his hand, he heard someone crying next to him. He turned his head quietly and saw that it was Lerdus, who was already in tears.

"This is a sacred place. Please try to remain quiet!" A deep voice came from the front.

Just now, the villagers' attention was attracted by the statue. At this time, Seris looked in the direction of the sound and found that on both sides of the statue stood an old man with a crown of flowers, a long robe, long hair and beard.

The person who spoke looked very familiar to Celisis. He opened his eyes wide and looked carefully: it was Hermica, the former high priest of Segestica.

Not only Selesis, many villagers also recognized Hermicas. After all, every summer he would hold a sacrificial ceremony for the tribe's harvest. Village No. 21 was relatively close to the main village, and most of the villagers would go to join in the fun and watch, so they were not unfamiliar with this priest.

But at this moment, everyone was not surprised as to "why Hermigas appeared here", because they felt that the goddess Danu was so great, and it was natural for Hermigas to join Nyx and become the goddess' priest.

"Please ask the assistant priest to arrange for the believers to come forward to worship!" the old priest on the other side said softly.

Immediately, four young druids in robes and grass crowns came over from the edge of the green space.

Only then did everyone notice that there was a circle of forty young men in long robes standing in front of the oak forest on the outskirts of the green space.

The four young druids walked into the crowd and asked the ten villagers in the front row to walk in front of the white flower and face the goddess statue. Among the ten people was Selysis, but not Pro because he was already a formal member of the tribe and did not need to swear an oath in front of the statue. The further Selysis walked, the clearer the face of the goddess became. The pair of clear eyes seemed to move with his movements, always looking at him with a kind smile, which made his heart beat faster and excited.

In fact, every villager who came forward had the same feeling as Serisis.

"Please ask the descendant of the goddess Danu, the high priest of the Nyx tribe, and the leader Maximus to bless the believers and guide them to take the oath!" The old druid said solemnly, then bowed his head, and the other druids also bent down.

A young man walked out from behind the statue of Goddess Danu. He was also wearing a robe, but with a golden crown on his head. The sunlight shone on him, emitting a dazzling halo that was impossible to look directly at.

Celisis and the others lowered their heads unconsciously, but they were greatly shocked in their hearts: Maximus?! This is the leader of the Nix who defeated Andres and Cabros and destroyed Segestica!

Selysis couldn't help but be curious, so he stole a glance and found that the young tribal leader was standing calmly beside the altar in front of the statue of the goddess Danu. At a glance, the leader seemed to be next to the lively and lovely child on the right, and then the goddess, and the three seemed to be on the same plane.

Selysis suddenly felt that the chief looked familiar. He looked at the statue of the child next to him. A flash of lightning flashed through his mind, and he trembled all over: the child looked very similar to Chief Nix... Could it be that the child held by the goddess Danu was Chief Nix? ! ... No wonder! No wonder the druid just now said that Chief Nix was the offspring of the goddess Danu! ...

Thinking of this, Seriss only felt that Maximus in front of him was extremely noble and majestic. His eyes were clear and deep, extremely similar to the face of the statue of the goddess Danu, as if they could absorb a person's entire mind.

Celisis lowered his upper body even lower, but he was extremely excited in his heart.

Maximus began to speak, his voice was melodious, like a gentle breeze: "Billions of years ago, our world was in chaos, and in the chaos the great goddess Danu was born... After who knows how many years, the goddess was born, and then there was land, rivers gushed out of the ground, and there began to be light, and then there was darkness, and then spring, summer, autumn and winter, and it kept repeating. As time went on, all things grew... and finally we humans were born!"

Maximus' voice became louder, striking everyone's heart: "Goddess Danu is the mother of the earth and the source of water! She is the mother of all things and the mother of all of us humans! Now, she protects my Nyx tribe and is the patron saint of my Nyx tribe!

Whether it is the Illyrians, the Pannonians, the Scodisci... or any other race living in this mountainous area, this plain, or this land, as long as they are willing to join Nyx and worship him devoutly, he will surely bless them! If they become enemies of Nyx, he will surely despise them! People of the goddess, raise your heads! "

Celithis and the others raised their heads obediently. At this moment, the statue of the goddess Danu and the leader Maximus in front of them were no longer so dazzling. The sun still shone on them, but it looked bright and warm.

At this time, a group of young men in long robes came up to them and handed each of them a small wooden jar containing soil mixed with water. The young men gestured for them to hold the jar with their left hand and press the palm of their right hand lightly on the soil.

Celisses and the others all obeyed and did as they were told.

Maximus said: "The soil in your hands is the most fertile soil in this land, and the water in your hands is the purest water melted from the snow on the top of the mountain. The soil and water are both transformed from the body of the goddess. Your thoughts and ideas will be known to the goddess through them. Now-"

Maximus's expression was solemn, and his voice became heavy and deep: "I ask! You answer! Face the goddess and make your most faithful promise!"

"Can you honor Goddess Danu for life?!"

"Yes!" Everyone answered in unison without hesitation.

"Can you be loyal to the Nix tribe and never betray?!"

"Yes!" Everyone's answer was still in unison. At this moment, what they thought in their hearts was not "If we don't swear, the land we have obtained will be lost" and so on, but "The goddess Danu protects the Nyx, and the leader of the Nyx is the offspring of the goddess, so how could we betray the Nyx..." Such a firm thought.

"Can we live in peace with people of other races in the Nix tribe, such as the Skodishchi, and create a beautiful home together?!"

"Yes!" Seris answered quickly, but others hesitated. However, in this sacred place, facing the goddess' all-embracing smile and Maximus' majesty, they finally made up their minds and answered in the affirmative.

(End of this chapter)