This is a collapsed and dilapidated temple.
The symbols of Mother Nature and the Elf Rune Stele have long been destroyed by sharp tools and desecrated with foul blood.
And the original statue of the Goddess has been smashed, replaced by a wooden male deity dressed in leather, wielding a battleaxe and a longbow.
That is the God of Winter and Hunting—Uller.
Beneath the statue, an old, hunchbacked Goblin is prostrating in worship.
He is wearing a shabby Mage Robe looted from a Human Caravan, a ridiculous felt hat on his head, and in front of him is a crystal emitting a faint green light.
"Great God of Winter and Hunting, this is the third Divine Blood Crystal your servant has found this month. Only seven more and I will have gathered the minimum of thirty-three required for sacrifice to you."
His body stoops, his eyes cloudy, and the wrinkles on his face almost etched into his bones, his expression one of fervent devotion.
Since Uller's true form resides in the Heavenly Realm, a sacrifice across two realms requires tremendous energy. Thus, to conserve Divine Power, He only allows His subjects to collect enough offerings for a mass sacrifice, otherwise limiting communication with believers to simple interactions.
As the Goblin prays, the statue exudes a faint golden glow, gently brushing over his body.
For a moment, the old Goblin feels his aged body rejuvenated.
"Praise the God of Winter and Hunting!"
The old Goblin is slightly overjoyed, bowing his head even deeper.
After completing his prayers to the Divine, the old Goblin stands up.
He straightens the felt hat on his head and carefully picks up the Skull Wand hidden beneath him, inlaid with a large Treasure Bead. He lovingly wipes it clean in his arms before walking out of the ruined temple, satisfied.
The old Goblin is named Gululu, an 11th level Black Iron Lower Goblin Priest.
However, Gululu prefers to call himself a High Priest because among the Goblin tribes in the Feilengcui Ruins, he is the strongest, and the other three Goblin Priests are no match for him, bowing their heads in submission.
His strength does not come from a profound Divine Favor but because, before being recruited by Uller, he had encountered a fortunate event and obtained a Magic Wand, becoming a rare Goblin Spellcaster.
Moreover, he possesses mysterious Undead Magic!
It is with Undead Magic that he can firmly suppress the other two Goblin Priests of the same level.
But, he is already too old.
Under normal circumstances, he would live no more than three more years.
Fortunately, Uller's emergence gave him hope. This great deity has promised that if he can gather thirty-three Divine Blood Crystals from the World Tree this year, he will be granted rebirth.
Gululu's luck is not bad.
For reasons unknown, the Divine Blood Crystals of the World Tree, lost in the Elf Forest since the war of the gods a thousand years ago, were almost forgotten, and it was only recently that Uller secretly began looking for them.
Thus, for believers, as long as they work hard, collecting some crystals is not too difficult.
With the power of his tribe, he has amassed a total of twenty-six in just a few months.
"So, strength is indeed the foundation of one's standing in this world!"
Gululu caresses his Skull Wand, muttering indulgently to himself.
Exiting the temple, Gululu arrives on the streets of the Feilengcui Ruins.
However, looking at the empty expanse of broken walls and remnants, his old eyebrows gradually furrow.
"How come so many are missing?"
Gululu looks around and spots a Goblin fast asleep.
He snorts and walks over, kicking the other awake.
The kicked Goblin becomes furiously angry, ready to fight back with its stick, but upon seeing who it is, its demeanor changes instantly, lying on the ground as docile as a chick, while whining "ah-ah-ah" and kissing the toes of Gululu's feet...
A trace of disdain flashes through Gululu's eyes.
He has little regard for these low intelligence kin.
In his view, although they share the same appearance, they are essentially two different species.
This bunch of feeble-minded wretches can't even speak the common tongue!
If not for the fact that the undead summoned by his magic cannot touch the Divine Blood Crystals, and thus cannot fulfill his treasure-hunting needs, why would he bother with this rabble?
However, to achieve his goal, the strength of his tribe is still indispensable at the moment.
With this thought, he kicks the Goblin on the ground and asks,
"Where are the others? Why has the number decreased so suddenly?"
After hearing Gululu's words, the Goblin's face shows a hint of bewilderment before it suddenly seems to realize something. It starts to scream "ah-ah-ah" while making gestures.
"Hmm? You're saying they saw a human woman passing by the ruins outside? They went to capture her?"
Gululu frowned.
The goblin nodded repeatedly.
Having received the confirmation, Gululu's eyes narrowed slightly.
"Human woman?"
The nearest Human Kingdom to the Elf Forest was hundreds of kilometers away, and human caravans only passed by here in the summer. Where did this human woman come from?
These idiots are probably going mad for females!
It pushed away the goblin that had replied and started walking towards the edge of the Feilengcui Ruins.
However, as Gululu progressed, its expression grew darker and more somber.
It found that the number of goblins in the ruins had diminished more than it had anticipated.
"Probably at least two hundred have run away..."
It gritted its teeth.
Amidst Gululu's journey, a disturbance arose from the southwest of the Feilengcui Ruins.
Gululu's eyebrows raised, and it walked over without changing its demeanor...
...
At the southwestern entrance of the Feilengcui Ruins.
A disguised Demacia, as always, was flaunting himself provocatively.
Moreover, to attract more elite monsters, he boldly ventured into the interior of the ruins.
"Come on, my little cuties!"
Watching the goblins drawn to himself, Demacia sneered inwardly.
However, suddenly, a sense of crisis stemming from instinct rose within him.
Demacia tensed up, feeling as if a vicious snake had locked onto him...
The perception of an elf body is very sharp.
Demacia almost subconsciously turned his head, looking in a certain direction.
And when he saw the source of the crisis clearly, his scalp tingled with numbness.
On a dilapidated stele in the ruins, a goblin wrapped in a sinister mage robe was coldly watching him.
It was the Goblin High Priest Gululu.
The eerie and terrifying aura emanating from him could be distinctly felt by Demacia even from tens of meters away.
"Damn... Unlucky, definitely got the BOSS's attention!"
Feeling the other's gaze, Demacia inwardly lamented.
"Time to split..."
Without a moment of hesitation, he turned and fled.
"Human woman, eh..."
Gululu let out a light chuckle.
From the first glance, it recognized that this so-called "woman" seemed to have a disguise spell cast on her.
Could it be a mercenary?
Gululu speculated in its heart.
However, since it had discovered the other party, it had no intention to let them escape.
Two hundred missing goblins were not a small number!
Definitely need to catch this wretched scoundrel!
Gululu thought furiously to itself.
It wasn't concerned about whether there was an unseen mercenary force behind the other party because if they didn't dare to face it openly, it indicated that they knew their own strength was inferior to his.
Having to resort to underhanded tactics even against goblins, this was a clear sign of guilt!
With these thoughts, Gululu decisively waved its giant Skull Wand, from which an immensely chilly energy emanated from the Treasure Bead.
Accompanied by the strange fluctuations of energy, skeletal hands emerged from beneath Demacia's feet, reaching out and fiercely grasping towards his legs...
Meanwhile, at the same time, in the Divine Space, the Divine Soul of Eve trembled, suddenly feeling a slow surge of a stirring from the depths of her soul.