The words “Rotten Goddess” echoed in the carriage, and Cecilia’s face instantly darkened like the bottom of a pot.
She had just finished saying that Goddess Primrose was different in people’s hearts. Now she was being slapped in the face.
“Don’t worry, Goddess.”
“I know a little about mind-control magic.”
Cecilia had already raised her right hand, which was glowing, and her smile was very creepy.
“Better not.” Primrose bent her arm and touched her forehead.
She had a deeper understanding of the current state of the Kingdom of Aezera. This place was a complete mess—a disaster on top of a disaster.
With the Demon Race’s army pressing on the borders outside and the people’s faith collapsing inside, she now had reason to suspect that this world had become Triple-S God-Destroying Difficulty largely because the previous heroes and gods hadn’t done their jobs, giving the Demon Race centuries to develop.
Cecilia slowly lowered her hand. She was only joking; she wouldn’t actually use mind-control magic on civilians.
She hadn’t expected that even Goddess Primrose’s reputation had become this tarnished. It was all because of the previous heroes and the inactive gods, who had dragged down Goddess Primrose’s reputation as well.
However, she also had something to reflect on. She had always stayed in the Royal Capital, dealing with nobles and the decision-makers every day, so her knowledge of the common folk had become somewhat outdated.
It seemed she needed to visit the countryside more often instead of always staying in the Royal Capital.
The carriage jolted along the dirt road for another half hour before finally spotting the towering walls of Tattle Town. As the largest town on the border, Tattle Town was quite impressive in scale.
The walls were entirely built from massive blue stones. The city gate was heavily guarded, with rows of armored soldiers inspecting the crowd coming and going.
Because a great victory had just been won, the atmosphere in the town was still somewhat tense but noticeably more relaxed than before.
Many refugees were pushing carts and carrying bundles, walking into the town.
Lady Consta’s carriage bore the emblem of the lord. As soon as the carriage appeared at the city gate, the soldiers on guard immediately recognized it as the lord’s personal vehicle.
They quickly pushed aside the crowd to make way.
“Greetings, Lady!” the gate captain shouted, and the two rows of soldiers snapped to attention in unison.
The carriage didn’t stop and drove straight into the town.
Through the window, Primrose observed this otherworldly town.
The streets were paved with stone slabs, and the buildings on either side were mostly two or three stories tall, built from wood and stone with red tile roofs.
The streets were bustling with people: civilians in coarse cloth clothes, mercenaries in leather armor, and adventurers in robes holding staffs.
Although they had just experienced the threat of war, most shops were still open. The clanging of hammers came from the blacksmith’s shop, and the smell of baking bread drifted out from the bakery.
Everything felt so real, nothing like the rigid textures of a game.
Lin Naiyue pressed her face against the window, her eyes not enough to take it all in.
“Prim, look! That person has really pointed ears—are they an elf?”
“And that one, the one with cat ears and a tail—is that real?” Lin Naiyue pointed excitedly, like a kid who had just entered an amusement park.
Primrose nodded. “Yes, those are demi-humans—elves, black cat tribe. They’re very common in this world.”
It was necessary for her mother to get to know this otherworld.
“Lord Hero, I hope you will address Her as the Goddess instead of using her name directly,” Cecilia warned coldly.
“It’s fine, Cecilia. You can call me Prim too,” Primrose quickly smoothed things over.
“Huh? I… I can?” Cecilia’s voice immediately became timid. “Forget it. As the Saint who serves the Goddess, how can I be so disrespectful?”
Cecilia quickly waved her hand and lowered her head, not daring to look directly at Primrose.
Seeing this, Primrose didn’t say anything more. Changing the subject would do.
The carriage twisted and turned through the town, finally stopping in front of a very imposing three-story building. The exterior walls were painted white, and the front door was made of fine mahogany, carved with intricate patterns.
A golden sign hung above the door, reading “Golden Rose Inn.” The Golden Rose Inn’s headquarters was in the Royal Capital; this was just one of its remote branches.
Get off and enter.
“Welcome… Eek!”
“The Saint?!”
The receptionist who came forward was a cat-eared girl. She recognized Cecilia immediately, and her originally welcoming expression instantly turned into shock.
Why would the Saint, who was always stationed in the Royal Capital, visit a border town? Was her sudden welcome too presumptuous…? No, more importantly, she had once been in the Royal Capital, squeezed among the crowd, and had seen the Saint’s parade procession from afar.
And now, she was seeing her up close in person! The little catgirl’s heart was both excited and anxious.
Little did she know that on this trip, the Saint was nothing special. Cecilia slightly stepped aside to introduce the woman behind her, who appeared even more noble.
“This is Goddess Primrose, the deity personally enshrined by His Majesty Gabriel, the first king of the Kingdom of Aezera. Right now, I need the best room here to serve the Goddess.”
***
After Cecilia finished, the catgirl began trembling all over.
Primrose. This name—every race within the Kingdom of Aezera knew it.
“Goddess! I-I-I-I’m Mei Fei, nineteen years old, currently employed at…”
As Mei Fei spoke, the fluffy ears on top of her head twitched rapidly, honestly expressing her inner excitement. Twelve out of ten excitement!
As for whether the person in front of her was a real deity—she had no reason to doubt the Saint’s words. Besides, she had once gone to the cathedral to worship Primrose’s divine statue, and the real person looked almost identical to the statue.
But before she could finish, Cecilia interrupted with a smile. “Mei Fei, rather than these things, if you quickly complete the check-in procedures, it might please the Goddess even more.”
Meanwhile, Primrose had just finished surveying the surroundings. Hearing Cecilia’s words, she looked at Mei Fei… at the cat ears on top of her head.
Who could understand? In another world, a catgirl—could anyone really resist touching those fluffy, occasionally twitching ears?
“Can I touch your ears?” Primrose asked.
“Huh? Of-of course!” Mei Fei nodded vigorously and proactively leaned her head forward.
The moment Primrose placed her hand on them, she felt warmth, softness, fluffiness—a plush sensation. As she held them, she could clearly feel occasional twitches in her palm. While being touched, Mei Fei’s long, alluring tail behind her began to wag vigorously.
“Prim, you’re so sly—let me touch too,” Lin Naiyue said from the side.
Primrose naturally stepped aside. Come to think of it, before she transmigrated, her family had a cat, and it was her mom who wanted to keep it.
Once Lin Naiyue started touching, she couldn’t stop. She even pulled Mei Fei into her arms.
“Ahhh, the inside of my ears is really itchy—don’t poke them!”
“Rub rub, mmhm, what a good child…”
After touching, Lin Naiyue looked at Primrose seriously and pressed her palms together. Clap, clap. The sound of hands clapping.
“Great Goddess, I wish my cat at home could become like this.”
Primrose’s face instantly darkened. So this was the first time her mother called her “Goddess”—in this way.
“Don’t make such weird wishes to a deity!”