Gospel of Blood-Chapter 556 : Artemis’ Conviction

Charlotte’s first thought upon hearing Artemis bring up the Sun Temple was that the Moon Goddess Artemis would indeed be interested in matters concerning the Sun Temple!

This was understandable, considering that Helios, the Sun God and one of the two primary Gods of the elves, was Artemis’ brother.

With this in mind, Charlotte nodded and said,

“Yes, they are the true controllers behind the Old Gods Alliance, and they are the enemies I came to ask Oceanus to deal with.”

Hearing Charlotte’s words, Artemis couldn’t help but look at Oceanus, who, usually rugged and bold, now appeared uncharacteristically serious.

Oceanus nodded at Artemis and said solemnly.

“Yes, the Sun Temple is a church that appeared in the Northern Frontier three years ago and is also the enemy of Eternal Night.”

Artemis frowned and said,

“Your Grace Oceanus, you should understand what the term ‘Sun Temple’ signifies for us elves.”

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Oceanus nodded.

“Of course, a ‘temple’ naturally worships a God, and with the prefix ‘Sun’, it refers to a God associated with the sun. To my knowledge, there has only ever been one God named the Sun God, and that is the elves’ Sun God, Helios.”

At this point, Oceanus couldn’t help but add.

“I believe I conveyed this information to the elves two years ago. Haven’t you received it?”

Artemis fell silent.

Seeing her complex and somewhat forlorn expression, Oceanus seemed to guess something.

With a look of anger, he cursed.

“Wait… could it be that the elves didn’t inform you? Is the rumor true? Did they really betray you?”

Artemis shook her head and sighed.

“No, it’s not their fault.”

“My brother… no, the Sun God Helios has long been a taboo topic among the elves.”

“Although I am the current protector of the elves, my special relationship with Helios makes them nervous and sensitive about this matter.”

“It is quite normal for the Elder Council to suppress this information.”

Oceanus was both amused and exasperated.

“You don’t need to make excuses for them. You’re too kind-hearted. In my opinion, among all the races in this world, only the elves dare to be so disrespectful to their Gods. Just because they have some means to constrain Gods, they become so arrogant. They neglect their own guardian deity—such descendants are not worth your concern!”

Artemis sighed.

“Your Grace Oceanus, it’s not their fault. After all… the elves’ homeland was destroyed by my brother.”

“But that was Helios, not you! I remember that Helios had been coveting the power of creation for a long time. These foolish long-eared ones are just venting their anger on you because you’re kind. You saved them and brought them to the Eastern Continent as their protector. In my opinion, they should report any information regarding the ‘Sun God’ to you immediately!”

Oceanus said with a frown.

Artemis responded with a wry smile.

Artemis sighed and said,

“But my special relationship with Helios makes trust… once lost, very difficult to rebuild.”

Charlotte pondered over Artemis’s words, recalling the rumors she had heard while secretly seeking Artemis’ contact over the past three and a half years.

These were things Charlotte hadn’t known before her recent journey. In the future, these might have become secrets known only within the elf community.

Unlike the unwavering faith in the Moon Goddess that Charlotte knew from the future, in this era, the faith in Artemis among the elves was not solid.

More precisely, like Oceanus, there were no temples or priests dedicated to Artemis among the elves. Charlotte discovered this while covertly investigating the areas controlled by the elves.

Further investigation revealed that Artemis’ position among the elves seemed awkward. Although she was the only true God of the elves and their protector, the elves seemed very wary of her.

In her secret visits, Charlotte only found a few elves who wholeheartedly regarded her as their guardian.

On the contrary, many elves believed that the destruction of the Western Continent was due to both Artemis and Helios, and that saving the elves and bringing them to the Eastern Continent was merely Artemis’ “atonement.”

When Charlotte first heard this rumor, she thought the elves’ caution and wariness towards Artemis might be the “historical truth.”

However, after getting to know Oceanus, she overturned this belief.

Although Oceanus had been severely injured and fell into a deep sleep on the day of the Western Continent’s destruction, he had been quite knowledgeable about the internal affairs of the elves.

Over the three years of their acquaintance, they rarely had major disagreements, except once concerning Artemis.

At that time, Charlotte mentioned the rumor, which instantly enraged Oceanus.

He then told her about the secrets of the elves before the destruction of the Western Continent, confirming that Artemis had always opposed Helios’ ambitious plans.

Yet, for some unknown reason, this fact seemed unknown to most elves in the current era.

From that moment, Charlotte realized that, as Oceanus had just said, the elves’ attitude towards Artemis was merely the anger of the ignorant.

Ultimately, it was due to Artemis’ soft nature and awkward position, combined with the highly developed magical abilities of the elves, which made them lack reverence for the Gods and possess methods to resist them.

These internal and external factors led to their disrespect and distrust of Artemis, despite her being their guardian.

Only good people get blamed.

Charlotte even suspected that this situation might be what the elven council wanted. For a ruling class of a race with means to counter Gods, it would be undesirable to have a higher-ranking, more powerful God above them.

Thinking of this, Charlotte couldn’t help but say,

“They are just spoiled children. Only when they have completely disappointed their mother will they realize their regret.”

Artemis sighed.

“Their concerns are not unfounded. After all… I have indeed been searching for the whereabouts of the Sun’s followers.”

Charlotte’s heart skipped a beat.

“Why are you looking for the Sun’s followers?”

Artemis’s expression grew serious.

“Those who worship my brother are fanatics who follow his doctrines. Although my brother—the Sun God—fell into eternal slumber with the destruction of the old continent, many of his followers escaped the catastrophe. These lunatics are always preparing to awaken my brother. Their plans pose a great threat and disaster to the elves and the world, so I have been secretly tracking them.”

Oceanus frowned.

“Don’t the elves know about this?”

Artemis sighed and gave a wry smile.

“Sun and Moon are two sides of the same coin. Although I disagree with my brother, the elves see it as tacit approval or agreement with his attempts, thus losing their trust.”

“Lost trust is hard to regain. So, all I can do is investigate these things alone and let time prove everything.”

But this only deepened the misunderstanding, and Oceanus’s message got stuck within the elves, never reaching Artemis.

Charlotte thought silently.

With these thoughts in mind, she looked at the Moon Goddess before her.

Beautiful, gentle, and righteous.

When she mentioned the elves, her clear eyes were filled with sorrow, regret, and guilt.

It wasn’t an act, it was sincere.

Furthermore, those bright eyes, like moonlight, held hope and conviction for the future. She seemed to believe that she could regain the elves’ trust through her actions and atone for the harm Helios caused.

However, knowing the future, Charlotte felt a twinge of sadness.

Artemis’ wish was indeed fulfilled. In the future, everything was “rectified.”

The elves respected and worshipped her. But her hopes and beliefs were probably shattered.

For a God who loved her race to give up on them, she must have faced unprecedented betrayal and frustration.

Charlotte couldn’t imagine what it was, but to make such a devoted guardian deity despair must have been a “fatal” blow to the soul.

“Your Grace Artemis, if the Sun Temple is indeed backed by followers of the Sun God, and if… the Sun God’s will has ‘awakened’, what will you do?”

Charlotte asked.

Artemis shook her head.

“That’s impossible. My brother… the Sun God’s will perished with the destruction of the Western Continent. If there is a ‘Sun God’ awakening, it won’t be the Sun God of the past.”

She then looked serious.

“Lady Lilith, from your words, is the Sun Temple acting under a ‘divine will’?”

Charlotte sighed.

“They are not just following a ‘divine will.’ They… can even ‘create Gods.’”

“Create… Gods?!”

Hearing this, Artemis’ eyes widened, and her always calm expression finally changed.