Just as Clementine expected, following the strange lamp-posts, although the thick fog had not dissipated, the artificial traces in the surrounding environment that she sensed through the Swirl of her lightning ring were gradually increasing.
Walking in the fog was somewhat inconvenient.
After discovering that the stone lamps could illuminate the mist, Clementine simply dismantled a less conspicuous one from a corner.
Due to the lack of a handle, it was difficult to carry, so this improvised path-finding light was temporarily coiled within her tail, casting light around as she moved.
With her vision obscured, her other senses were amplified.
Clementine could already faintly hear human voices coming from the fog, and beyond that, she caught the faint scent of blood not far away.
Sensing no threat, the lightning dragon did not intend to hide her figure and quickened her pace, following the sound.
Accompanied by lengthy and convoluted prayers, the lightning dragon from a foreign land thus intruded upon the sacrificial venue, an event the indigenous people participating in the ritual had never imagined.
A man who appeared to be a priest stepped out, blocking the lightning dragon’s path.
“Who are you?
We have surely never met, and where do you come from?
Why intrude upon the ceremony of worship?
Lord Thunderbird will blame such an irreverent person as you!” The priest’s tone clearly carried a hint of panic; this uninvited guest had evidently brought him unknown intimidation.
Clementine did not answer his question, only opening her mouth to interrupt: “Because this ritual—no, this tragedy—must stop.” The worship mentioned by the middle-aged man, and the blood aura faintly lingering in the distance—combining these two, it was not difficult for Clementine to judge the situation here.
Towards an unknown and powerful exotic beast, the ignorant tribe feared her power and attributed the opportunities they obtained to his grace, electing a shaman to seek protection through blood sacrifices and avoid punishment.
In the distant past, such occurrences were not unique, and Clementine had no interest in criticizing it further.
But Makoto would care about such things; the loving Narukami never accepted such sacrifices and would be saddened by the senseless loss of life.
Therefore, the moment she encountered this ritual, the thought in Clementine’s mind was to stop it.
The middle-aged priest still wanted to say a few threatening words to make this uninvited guest retreat, but his tone became distorted due to the sudden golden lightning.
Lightning rose from beneath Clementine’s feet, surrounding the entire venue.
Although they were merely mortals unable to control Elemental Power, they could still feel the danger and pressure that followed them like a shadow.
Sounds of begging and pleading erupted in a panic all around, with most praying for the existence known as “Lord Thunderbird” to come and rescue or protect them.
Clementine pondered for a moment.
Now she needed to determine the attitude of this Thunderbird, so she decided to proactively look for him.
If the other party was willing to submit, she could help Makoto incorporate this island into the territory of Inazuma and relocate the people under his rule elsewhere.
She considered herself not entirely unskilled at reasoning, and had prepared a bit for a direct confrontation with this Thunderbird.
Thunder rumbled, bringing rain.
Clementine heard the clear, long cry of a bird and the sound of flapping wings, as a huge shadow that blocked out the sky descended.
Although still being threatened by Clementine, the crowd had become excited, and some had even excitedly prostrated themselves.
The Thunderbird did not pay attention to these diverse crowds, finding a place to land on her own.
After settling down, her gaze focused in Clementine’s direction.
“Dragon whom I have never met, why have you appeared here?
Do you wish to inhabit this land, or do you hope to take away these tiny humans?” “I arrived on this land first, and I do not wish to leave.
The little one who can sing has already made an unfulfilled promise to me; please let him stay and keep me company.” Does that mean she can make concessions on everything except those two things?
Surprisingly easy to talk to.
Clementine thought to herself.
The Thunderbird was not a Archon; if it really came to blows, the lightning dragon was confident she could win with a high probability, which was the plan she had made earlier.
At this moment, the Thunderbird’s attitude, which could be called unprincipled, actually surprised her.
“These people are not subjects under your protection?
Then why do they still use blood sacrifice to worship you?” Perhaps because he had not encountered an existence that could be considered a fellow creature for a long time, the Thunderbird was quite willing to say a few more words at this moment.
“These tiny humans, whether they exist or not, have nothing to do with lives like yours and mine, right?
They accidentally picked up a feather I shed, and then worshipped the feather, viewing lightning and rain as my punishment and grace.
But lightning is merely my breathing; I have done nothing from beginning to end, right?” “Rituals like this, perhaps they happen often?
I do not know, I do not care about such things; I only came to listen to the interesting melodies of the little one who can sing.” As the Thunderbird spoke, he searched with his gaze for the person he wanted to find.
Clementine followed his line of sight, and in the low visibility, the first thing she saw was the blood in the golden cup.
She could not help but be secretly shocked; the special person this bird wanted to find was really about to be sent to heaven to meet him by this bunch of unruly people.
She looked again and again, confirming there were no eerie fragments beside the blood, and the child next to it was still lively, only then did she set her heart at ease.
It seemed she had arrived just in time, not letting this sacrifice actually succeed, otherwise, this bird might not have been able to communicate with her so calmly.
The Thunderbird was evidently also caught off guard by this situation.
The giant beast’s anger shook the mountains, and in an instant, the original altar was overturned by gale and lightning.
Clementine was a bit helpless; she had not expected that the people hiding here were unruly enough to anger the Archon they were worshipping with a sacrifice.
But for now, she had to try her best to stop the enraged Thunderbird.
The slender dragon body lay between the Thunderbird and the humans; the giant dragon used golden lightning to dissipate the gale stirred up by the Thunderbird.
Clementine had a plan; with quick eyes and a fast tail, she hooked up the child the Thunderbird valued and brought her before the Thunderbird, signaling the other party to soothe this irritable bird.
This method was immediately effective; the Thunderbird was very willing to listen to this child’s words.
Clementine listened from the side and roughly figured out the cause and effect of this matter.
The Thunderbird evidently, like herself, did not possess the quality of loving humans like a Archon; in the past, the Thunderbird did not care what these humans did, and whether there were sacrifices or worship, it simply did not catch this bird’s eye.
Until the Thunderbird was attracted by the child’s singing and formed a strange bond and a promise to sing again with him.
But in the eyes of these mortals, the favor of a deity meant wanting the believer to accompany them by their side in another way, so the child who was deeply valued by the Thunderbird became the Thunderbird’s sacrifice.
The Thunderbird did not know of the child’s willingness to sacrifice and dedicate himself, and the child did not understand that the Thunderbird simply felt that the singing and companionship were precious.
Just like that, the two parties who should have been moving towards each other were, due to a twist of fate, nearly involved in a tragedy of eternal separation.
It might not seem tempting right now but who knows what the future holds?
“And If you’re enjoying it, drop a Power Stone for me!”