https://novelcool.info/chapter/Chapter-302-The-Scale-Gold-Assembly-Part-2-/12969981/
Chapter 303: The Weighing Gold Assembly (Part 2)
Chapter 303: The Weighing Gold Assembly (Part 2)
"Ssss."
"Ssss?"
"Ssssss!"
As the sun slowly set on the horizon, a soft yet dense hissing sound echoed across the vast rice fields. Countless snakes slithered in unison towards a specific direction, their movements synchronized and purposeful.
When the sun finally disappeared, and the cold moonlight bathed the land, a small altar stood in the center of the rice fields, now a playground for snakes of various sizes and colors. They coiled around the slender pillars surrounding the altar, their eyes filled with anticipation as they gazed upon a black sculpture at its center.
'That blackball python with purple and black scales should be the officiating deacon of this ceremony.'
A striped snake, with six small blue dots on its forehead and a large red dot under its chin, flicked its tail towards the blackball python, the only one coiled around the serpent sculpture. It then turned to the tiny red snake beside it and asked, "Are you sure about this, Tom? Are you certain that if this deacon snake is absent, you can directly take its place without any conditions?"
After hearing Tom's question, Leon looked at the dazzling 【Weighing Gold Selection (Wealth-Changing)】 in the slot and nodded firmly.
"Alright then."
The striped snake glanced at him doubtfully and said, "If you're really confident, it'll be much easier for us to act... In a moment, I'll do something to get rid of that deacon. When the chaos starts, you can quickly slither up to the serpent idol and coil around it. That way, you can send a signal of danger and lure it back."
"Just be careful to stay near the tail or as far from the snake's head as possible. And only make brief contact; your selection as a chosen one is suspicious, so prolonged contact might expose you."
Leon nodded.
"Okay, you go ahead and get ready!"
After giving these instructions, Tom, in the form of the striped snake, slithered backward through the gaps between the rice stalks, while Leon, following his advice, squeezed through the dense crowd of snakes towards the central sculpture of the altar.
...
"Ssss~"
A somewhat aged hiss accompanied the blackball python coiled around the serpent idol as it lifted its triangular head slightly, looking down at the snakes below with an air of superiority. In a strange, human-like voice, it spoke, "Shedding old scales, wearing an endless tail, hunting and devouring the beasts of wealth, tempting the forbidden fruit..."
After introducing itself, the purple-black python spat out a letter and, with a raspy, elderly voice, addressed the snakes below, "When the guide brought you here, they must have already informed you that this time, the Serpent Spirit will descend in its physical form.
So, not only will you be able to connect with the Serpent Spirit spiritually, but you will also have the rare opportunity to witness its sacred body with your own eyes, to touch its magnificent scales. You are the luckiest group of believers!"
"Ssss!"
"Ssssss!"
The snakes coiled around the altar hissed in excitement upon hearing the blackball python's words. They raised their heads, their eyes filled with anticipation, hoping to witness the descent of the Holy Spirit as promised. Some, overcome with excitement, even left the pillars and slithered towards the altar.
"Silence!"
The purple-black python on the black snake sculpture raised its head slightly and hissed, silencing the overly enthusiastic believers. It then opened its massive mouth, revealing two rows of fine, sharp teeth as it spoke with a strange, half-smile expression.
"Don't be impatient. Even the wildflowers by the roadside, no matter how brilliant, cannot be planted in a pure gold pot. It is the rarity that makes something precious.
This supreme blessing of facing the Holy Spirit directly cannot be granted indiscriminately to everyone, as it would not only fail to showcase the Serpent Spirit's benevolence but also contradict the tenets of our Lord. So come, show your devotion to our Lord!"
As it spoke with fervent passion, a small black and white crown appeared on the head of the purple-black python... or rather, a three-headed snake with black scales and white spots. It turned towards the expectant snakes below and spat out a forked snake tongue, black and white intertwined.
"Offer wealth, and health shall be bestowed."
The white snake head on the left spoke solemnly, opening its mouth slowly towards the crowd below.
"Offer love, and power shall be granted."
The black snake head on the right grinned, its mouth widening with a playful expression.
"Offer your soul, and peace shall be yours.
"The grey serpent head in the center finished speaking, its eyes cold and indifferent as it opened its mouth, revealing a set of fine, backward-growing teeth.
'Come!'
After the three-headed snake crown on top finished explaining the rules and opened its mouths in succession, the blackball python followed suit, its mouth splitting into a grin as it spoke.
'There are three ways to show your loyalty to our master. You can choose any one of them to make your offerings. Go to the direction they face and present your gifts, and our master will bestow upon you a corresponding reward.'
'After everyone has completed their offerings, the person with the highest-valued offering in each category will earn the honor of an audience with the Serpent Spirit. They will be able to directly face the Serpent Spirit's divine body and receive its blessings!'
...
Is this... a mutated auction? In the end, out of these three transactions, the top three bidders will get to pay their respects to the Serpent Spirit?
Lyon watched as people rushed forward, one after another, with coins between their teeth. To avoid standing out, Lyon imitated the other snakes and stood before the white Wealth Head, holding a coin in his mouth.
'Ding!'
Accompanied by a slightly muddy ringing sound, a fierce wind swept through Lyon's soul, carrying with it a black iron coin that suddenly appeared in Lyon's mouth. The meaning of this coin also became clear in Lyon's mind.
8 copper wheels, 5 silver wheels, and 7 bronze wheels.
This was all the money Lyon had left after paying the rent for the Happiness Apartment, the tuition fees for William and Melanie, purchasing supplements for Anna's health, and buying a pile of supplies in the Mirror World.
Lyon looked at the other snakes who had chosen the Wealth Head, their mouths filled with bright, shimmering silver coins. Then he glanced at the dull, dark iron coin in his own mouth and silently swallowed it back, searching for other coins to offer.
Maybe I should change...
It wasn't that Lyon was reluctant to part with his money; it was just that everyone else was offering so much, and he didn't want to stand out by offering so little. No, it's not that I'm reluctant to spend money, absolutely not!
Lyon carefully put away all his belongings, his red serpent body writhing as he changed his offering target. As the wind blew through his soul, several new coins appeared in his mouth.
Unlike the previous dark iron coin, these two coins shone with a brilliant silver light, with hints of gold mixed in. The largest one was so bright it was almost blinding, like the midday sun.
William, Melanie, and Anna...
After the meanings of these three coins became clear in Lyon's mind, he didn't hesitate. He tilted his head back and swallowed the coins, then turned away from the second Love Head and headed towards the direction of the third Soul Head.
However, just as a gentle breeze blowing towards the mountains, Lyon approached the third serpent head, but his soul remained as solid as an iron mountain, unmoved by the wind. No coins appeared in his mouth either.
Hmm? Sensing the delay from the three-headed snake crown, the blackball python on the giant serpent sculpture slightly twisted its body and looked towards a small red serpent that was darting back and forth in all three directions.
It couldn't extract even a fragment of its soul... It neither relied on nor expected anything from our master, and it didn't even believe in any god? Unsatisfied, the blackball python glanced at the red serpent, which, upon noticing its gaze, quickly retreated.
After all, whether it was the Serpent Spirit or our god, they wouldn't force their followers to offer faith. As long as one had enough wealth and was willing to trade, they would be allowed into the secret shrine. Although this red serpent was irreverent, it wasn't considered a sin in the Scale Gold Sect's doctrine. There was no reason to punish it.
However, even those steadfast non-believers, after entering this assembly and witnessing the true god's might, would still feel some reverence, even if they continued to withhold their faith.
But in this red serpent's soul, there seemed to be no reverence at all. The three-headed snake crown circled in its soul several times, but it couldn't even manifest the cheapest foil. Such an ignorant and shallow soul was indeed a bit disappointing.
...
Had he been noticed? Sensing the gaze of the 'Snake Bishop' on the altar, Lyon's heart tightened, and he instinctively retreated into the crowd of snakes.
Senior Tom had said he would take care of that bishop, but there had been no movement since. To avoid disrupting the plan, Lyon decided to remain hidden and try not to draw attention.
The "Snake Bishop" had three small snake heads, which seemed to represent money, love, and life. After careful consideration, it appeared that only the snake head representing wealth was willing to accept a price that Li Yong could barely afford.
He had no choice, it seemed that this time he would have to spend his money! After making up his mind, Li Yong didn't hesitate to switch positions and swam towards the white Wealth Head.
However, during the time he switched between three different snake heads and returned to the first one, most of the "Follower Snakes" had already completed their offerings and were eagerly looking at the central sculpture of the altar. This made the small red snake that was swimming horizontally stand out even more.
The "Snake Bishop" was already displeased, and when it saw the small red snake throw a miserable iron coin towards the Wealth Head, it couldn't help but react. The Snake Bishop slid down from the snake spirit sculpture, used its purple-black snake tongue to pick up the lowly iron coin, and then, in the form of a Poison Ball Python, spoke in a dull tone:
"Generosity is a virtue, and the Snake Spirit is not a stingy god. After you generously offer your wealth, he will generously give you more."
The Snake Bishop took the iron coin, which was worth 8 gold, 5 silver, and 7 copper, and bit it into pieces. Looking at the small red snake, which was trembling with fear, the purple-black python spoke coldly:
"Our Scale Gold Sect's doctrine does not advocate for forced transactions, but using something as lowly as this as an offering is an insult to the Snake Spirit.
You foolish person who does not respect the gods, I hope you can think carefully and make a more rational judgment, offering something more valuable to the Snake Spirit, such as your beloved..."
Just then, a large amount of liquid silver exploded between the two snakes, and the purple-black python was pierced by the liquid silver, which was as thin as a needle. Even the Three-Headed Snake Crown on its head was not spared and was split in two by the suddenly condensed silver blade.
"You damn... don't want my money, just return it to me! Why did you bite it to pieces?" Li Yong angrily shouted, controlling the silver that had transformed from Pioni's buttocks to instantly tear the python apart.
Just then, a Striped Snake appeared in the center of the altar, and Li Yong knew that Tom had made his move. The Snake Bishop, who had lost its body, shouted, "Not a follower!"
After reviving from the altar, the Snake Bishop realized something was wrong and let out a loud shout. The Three-Headed Snake Crown on its head was restored, and it emitted a cold hissing sound.
The Follower Snakes, who were standing between Li Yong and the Snake Bishop, were blown down by the invisible spiritual storm, like wheat cut by a scythe.
As the storm swept through, the Follower Snakes' human souls were torn out of their bodies, and they let out blood-curdling screams. However, just as the storm was about to engulf Li Yong's soul, a loud rooster crowing sound came from above the altar, and the storm instantly dissipated.
The Snake Bishop was shocked to see a Serpent Eagle suddenly appear and bite down on the white snake head of the Three-Headed Snake Crown. A Honey Badger then climbed onto its head and bit down on the black snake head, while a Weasel climbed up from behind and pulled on the remaining gray snake head, breaking it off.
The Three-Headed Snake Crown was torn to pieces and swallowed by the three predators. The Snake Bishop reacted, transformed back into its human form, and tried to grab the Serpent Eagle to retrieve the crown. However, the Serpent Eagle suddenly disappeared, leaving behind only a few broken gray feathers. A massive Rooster Beak, over 30 meters wide, then burst through the top of the secret shrine, aiming straight for the Snake Bishop.
(End of Chapter)
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