Getting Lumi settled down in the village temple was easy. Since it was already built, there was not much to renovate.
But Aiden had still instructed the dwarfs to install electric circuits as well as plumbing in the facility to make it more comfortable for Lumi and others to stay.
Lumi looked incredibly taken with the bathroom, the auto-heating pool, and the sanitary advancements Aiden had introduced.
Another thing that fascinated her was the kitchen and all the new utilities Aiden had put in there...especially the fridge that kept things cool and fresh for much longer.
"You can cook here and offer the meals to Goddess Apophis. But it would be for the best if you spent two days in the main temple to show your devotion. Send the offerings you collect every two days through the portal. But if you need to come through, send a message along. I have blocked the human crossover for now, but I will unlock it for you when it’s time."
Aiden told Lumi everything she needed to know, and she picked up things quickly.
She had never served in the temple before, but her upbringing had been close to the people who did. So she knew the temple etiquettes before Aiden told her.
"Do well and live a good life."
Goddess Apophis told Lumi before she settled down against Aiden’s body. She was exhausted after being awake these past couple of days, and it was finally time for her to rest.
Once the matter with Lumi was settled, Aiden came back to the main temple and quickly checked up with the dwarfs.
Most of the work here was done already, but there was still too much to do. Slowly, the temple started to take shape, and Aiden looked at his notifications proudly.
[Goddess Apophis has gained a new follower]
[Current number of followers: 510]
[Reward: +0.02% Divinity]
For the first time, Goddess Apophis’s follower count had increased over 500, which was nice. But it also meant that other pests had finally set their eyes on his goddess.
One such force was the temple in the village Lumi had come from.
By now, the news of what Lumi did had spread across her village, and it reached the commoners as well.
They discussed how she chose a temple in the other village over her own, and at first, people felt enraged and betrayed by her. But as time passed and more of her actions came to light, people began to see her in a new light.
Moreover, the fact that she had asked for help from the temple and how cruel her husband was under his mask began to quickly make its way around as well.
It made people start questioning the temple and its ethics.
It was a well-known fact that the temple accepted all donations. And the more you donated, the more likely you were to be close with the temple.
But did that mean they were willing to forgive any sin if you could pay enough? What about killing or stalking? Would that also be forgiven?
That made the faith in the nearby temple shake, and the temple noticed.
At the same time, another rumor hit the village, and it was about the money Lumi had given her servants before she donated her wealth.
The rumors said that she had paid their wages for 15 more years before she let the servants go because that was what her goddess wanted.
This was a generosity that the villagers had never imagined, much less seen. Usually, when such things happened, no one cared about the servants who were the most affected by this.
"What a kind goddess. I suddenly feel like I would be happy if I prayed to her as well."
"You are right. I feel like she would listen to me and help me out if I asked her for it."
People began to slowly see Goddess Apophis in a new light, and her recognition slowly started to rise among the nearby village.
But of course, how could the temple, which was losing its influence, bear this? They needed to do something.
So they decided to call for a healing mass where they would offer free services to the people...or, that was what was supposed to happen.
But the greedy priests who had been pampered by this village all this time could not bear to give away their services for free.
So, despite the fact that it was advertised as ’free’ service, they began to charge people for their services, causing a lot of people to cry out in outrage.
"What’s this? I was told that I don’t need to pay for getting treated. So why are you demanding money from me?"
An old lady asked, feeling her temper shatter, almost as if she was being mocked. But the priest gave her a mocking glance at her words.
"Listen, old lass. We told you that you are free to come here, but we are not going to waste our precious talent treating you all for free. Do you even realize how much that will set us all back?"
Every priest present sang the same tune, and it finally felt like it was enough for the villagers who had supported them for so long.
"Tsk, I bet the Snake Goddess won’t treat me like this if I asked her for help. In fact, I heard that her priest even distributed medicine for free when people went to pray. The ones who are taking advantage of us are you people."
More and more people began to agree with this outlook, and the priests who thought they had the upper hand suddenly felt struck.
"Hey, it’s nothing like this. How can you doubt our god’s sincerity?"
They asked, but the angry masses were already out of control. In their anger, they praised the Snake Goddess, which fueled her power and made an enemy out of the local temple.
Finally, the priests had to retreat, but they made sure to keep this humiliation in their minds.
’This is all that snake goddess’s fault. If she were not here, then these people wouldn’t have turned on us.’
It was the priests’ fault, but they refused to acknowledge it. And that was how the seed of anger sprouted in their minds.
...
...
Note