"Come on, Supreme Goddess, please say yes. There are countless women out there who need your help."
"No."
"Goddess, I'm begging you!"
"It's not up for discussion."
"..."
After much pleading, Thalia completely abandoned all pretense of dignity as the leader of Themyscira.
But no matter how much she cried and pleaded, she couldn't sway Sylvia in the slightest.
Everyone says Goddess Sylvia is as cold as ice, and it seems they're right.
Finally, after all her efforts were in vain, Thalia knew there was no hope left and carefully packed away her books.
Her voice quivered slightly, "I understand. Since you really don't want the position, I won't force you. But just so you know, our Single Women's Alliance will always see you as our spiritual leader, forever remembered!"
Sylvia: "..."
She really wanted to say that the whole 'Uselessness of Spiritual Partners' was just some nonsense she blurted out in a moment of folly, and she regretted it now.
But seeing Thalia's sincere, almost tearful face, she just couldn't bring herself to say it.
Thalia, looking utterly dejected, started to leave, but then turned around, "Oh, Supreme Goddess, our Single Women's Alliance has come up with the most beautiful blessing as our doctrine."
"May I share this blessing with you?"
"Uh, sure, go ahead." Sylvia felt a twinge of guilt and nodded slightly.
Thalia stood up straight, very serious, and said solemnly, "On behalf of the Single Women's Alliance, I wish the Supreme Goddess a lifetime of singleness."
"Yikes, weird, why does it feel a bit chilly?" After saying what she considered the most beautiful blessing, Thalia suddenly felt a significant drop in temperature around her.
And there seemed to be a faint hint of murderous intent mingling with the cold.
"Uh, Supreme Goddess, I'll be going now." Realizing something was off, Thalia decided to cut her losses and quickly made her escape.
Watching her retreating figure, Sylvia could only feel her mouth twitch awkwardly.
Writing that book, 'Uselessness of Spiritual Partners,' was probably the biggest blunder of her life. Every time she thought about her mindset back then, Sylvia wished she could just wrap herself in a blanket and roll around in bed in embarrassment.
Long ago, she had stopped mentioning anything about 'Uselessness of Spiritual Partners.'
But who would have thought, instead of fading into obscurity, the book had become more popular over time!
She wondered what the fanatics of 'Uselessness of Spiritual Partners' would think if they knew about Timothy...
Sylvia patted her cheeks to calm down, then raised her voice slightly, calling out, "Come in."
Timothy entered the room, and the first thing he did was close the door behind him.
"Why are you closing the door?"
The candlelight flickered in the room as Timothy approached.
For some reason, Sylvia, who had just been aloof and constantly exuding an emperor-level aura, couldn't help but avert her gaze.
Timothy chuckled, "Just to avoid eavesdroppers."
"You didn't have to..." Sylvia coughed lightly, then remembered the serious matter at hand, "I heard that some disciples have accused you of colluding with the elders and using force against them?"
Timothy sighed, "The collusion accusation is just because they think there's something fishy about me becoming a deacon disciple as soon as I arrived at Sky Sanctuary. As for using force... do I look like that kind of violent person?"
"So that's the collusion..." Sylvia thought about it, realizing that she was the one who had made Timothy a deacon disciple right away!
So that disciple Felix was indirectly blaming her.
Thinking it over, she quickly responded, "Alright, then you handle this matter yourself."
"That's exactly what I intended." Timothy's smile was benign as he cracked his knuckles.
Felix really was a clever little devil, complaining all the way up to his own wife.
He wondered what Felix's face would look like if he knew the truth.
Although he couldn't publicly reveal his relationship with Goddess Sylvia just yet, as long as he used the system wisely and improved quickly, that moment wouldn't be too far off.
"By the way, I have something I was just about to show you." Inside the chamber, Timothy snapped off a branch from a potted plant and bent it into a circle, securing it with his spiritual energy.
He then pulled out a bottle of bubble liquid he had received as a system reward.
"What's this?" Sylvia asked curiously as she watched Timothy dip the bent branch into the bubble liquid, creating a thin film across the circle.
"This liquid doesn't contain any spiritual energy, and it smells quite odd. I've never seen anything like it."
"You're clueless, huh? This is a new hybrid material I invented. I've named it the 'Super Invincible, Super-Sized, Colorful Bubble Liquid.'"
"Super Invincible, Super-Sized, Colorful Bubble Liquid?"
"Cough, yes." Timothy felt a bit embarrassed by the name he had come up with on the fly, so he quickly changed the subject and gently stirred the circular branch in the bubble liquid a few times.
Then, he lifted the branch out.
"Watch this."
When Timothy blew gently into the circular frame.
Instantly, seven or eight medium-sized colorful bubbles floated into the air.
"This is..." Sylvia's eyes lit up, clearly intrigued.
Timothy changed his technique slightly, blowing a bit harder, and dozens of smaller bubbles flew up into the air.
After several rounds, bubbles filled the space above their heads.
The quality of the bubble liquid provided by the system was excellent.
These bubbles floated in the air, not only were they durable and not easily burst, but under the light, they reflected extremely beautiful, colorful glows.
Taking a deep breath and using steady control, Timothy then blew a bubble as big as a head.
The bubble floated among the others, dancing in the air.
Under the light, they created a stunning display.
Looking up, Sylvia's eyes sparkled like stars, her curiosity unmistakable.
"How did you do this?" She gently popped a colorful bubble, completely captivated, and reached out to gently touch another.
"It's all done with this. Give it a try." Timothy handed the bubble-soaked stick to Sylvia.
She took the stick and blew gently.
But with a "pop," the bubble burst before it could even form.
"What's going on?" Sylvia looked puzzled.
"It takes a bit of technique to get it right. Let me show you."
Timothy stepped forward to take the stick back.
But this step brought him and Sylvia face to face, mere inches apart.
Under the candlelight, her stunning beauty seemed like the most flawless jade in the world, without a single imperfection.
"You..."
Only three inches apart, under the colorful light, Sylvia's gaze was mesmerizing, her breath slightly heated.