Now that his goddess was asleep, Aiden decided to start looking around their surroundings.
The first thing he noticed was that the small room he had reconstructed barely covered any area in the protected barrier the snake goddess had enacted. Apart from the main room, there were a lot of destroyed areas.
He came across a dried up pond, some broken spaces that looked like a praying hall and even all kinds of sleeping chambers. But none of them had the advanced technology he was used to from modern times.
Based on this, Aiden drew a few conclusions- he was either in a parallel world where technology had not advanced or he had somehow landed in the past.
It was also possible that his goddess’s temple lacked basic necessities like plumbing and lighting because she was abandoned, but Aiden refused to entertain that thought.
After all, he did not want to get angry at his goddess’s future followers and risk showing his bad side.
"Unforutnately, as much as I want to get started on reconstructing this space, I don’t have skills or tools to do that. I should first focus on what I can."
So he headed back to the main hall where his goddess was and noticed that she looked uncomfortable on a rough surface. So he gathered a few soft leaves and carefully made a soft bed.
He placed it beside his goddess and she unconsciously slithered her way into his poorly made bed before curling her body tightly.
Aiden wanted to keep looking at the beautiful scaly body in front of him but his eyes were starting to feel tired. He wanted to stay awake, but his body had other plans. And before Aiden knew it, he had fallen asleep.
...
When he woke up next, his goddess was nowhere to be found and that made Aiden panic. He instantly started to look around for her when he sensed an intimidating yet familiar presence beside him.
He looked down, only to see that beautiful body slithering its way toward his head.
"Goddess Apophis, where did you go? I was looking around for you."
Aiden asked, relief finally filling his body after seeing the goddess safe and sound. And the fact that she was trying to curl around his neck with her small body also fielded him with fondness.
In the end, the goddess gave up because of her small size and her clear words spoke directly inside Aiden’s mind.
"Follow me. I have found food for you. Unfortunately, my territory is not powerful enough to grow anything to sustain you. So I shall lend you my protection while outside this barrier."
It was fascinating to hear a voice whisper words directly in Aiden’s mind, but he controlled his excitement. He did not want to overwhelm his goddess in case she could read his thoughts.
For now, Aiden followed her instructions and reached the barrier. He touched it lightly and his hand passed through it instantly.
Passing through the barrier felt like passing through fast-moving wind pressing him back inside. But it did not hurt to cross the barrier.
Soon, Aiden was outside the barrier and he instantly noticed how lush the area outside the barrier was. It looked different from the area inside the barrier.
"My barrier is my protected land. There was a time when it used to be even more luxurious than this forest. My power made it flow with abundance and my followers enjoyed all kinds of luxuries. Unfortunately, I no longer have power to sustain that luxury."
The goddess pounded subdued, but not defeated. Instead, her next words were filled with determination.
"I shall regain my power and authority soon with your help. And once I do, I will lavish you in all kinds of riches and jewels. My first follower, start preparing for your wish. Once I have my power back, I will grant you whatever you wish."
Aiden nodded to show that he was hearing the goddess. He had not doubted her for even a second.
He would make sure his beloved goddess got to stand on top of everyone sooner or later.
For now, he needed to forge for food and meat to offer his beloved goddess.
Aiden picked some fruits but he was not sure if this would be enough as an offering. Snakes were strictly carnivores so his goddess wouldn’t be able to partake in the offerings if this was all he had...
Maybe her human side could digest fruits.
But luck turned out to be on his side. He noticed the shadow of a small rabbit trying to run away and he instantly ran after it to try and catch it.
"Goddess Apophis, I will catch you with a decent means today, so please accept it when I make an offer to you."
Aiden told her and the snake deity nodded as she clung to his wrist.
The rabbit was fast and it almost got away before it got caught by a trap laid out by someone in the forest.
The design of the trap was familiar and Aiden knew that taking this prey would be stealing.
But he had run around so much for the rabbit and a small trap was not going to stop him from getting the offering for his goddess.
So he broke the trap and pulled out the dead rabbit from it.
"Lady Apephis, let’s head back and prepare for dinner now. Please let me know if you want me to catch anything else for you. I will make sure to present it to you."
Aiden felt confident when he made that offer, but the look in his snake goddess’s eyes made him flinch.
"Don’t push yourself too much. You are just a human and you can get hurt. I don’t want to lose my only follower because he was too enthusiastic and got himself in trouble."
The snake looked a little upset which made Aiden feel like he had made a mistake. His head dropped and the goddess decided to console him.
Her small tail patted his wrist and she looked away as she spoke.
"Still, it is not bad to be offered things so sincerely. Once I regain my power, I will share it with you. And then you can fulfill the offerings I ask for."
The goddess looked away when she said these words, but her feelings were being conveyed clearly. Aiden felt a smile blooming on his face and he nodded toward the goddess.
"Of course, my lady. I will make sure to offer you only the best things in life."