The speed of Al's "sliding kneel" was something Lileath—who was used to the fanatical, chivalric loyalty of Bretonnian knights and the pride maintained within the devotion of Ulthuan Elves—found a bit hard to adjust to.
However, Lileath was not the Reveler. If it were the Reveler, she would certainly have mocked Al: Why is my son so arrogant before and so submissive now?
The Lady of the Lake or the Moon Maiden of the Elves, Al's stepmother, was a "green tea" goddess—the kind who had played many people. But she was also a scheming goddess who placed great importance on ritual and her personal image. Though, after the truth of the Lady of the Lake was exposed during the Great War, and after her theft of the sacred fire led to the fall of Middenheim and a whole bunch of her messes were laid bare, it was a question how much of that image remained. Currently, she seemed to have only a faint influence left within the Elves.
Furthermore, although the Knights of the Carcassonne Round Table still maintained their faith in the so-called "Knightly Virtues and the Lady's Teachings," Lileath was likely too embarrassed to seek out her group of simps whom she had used up in the mortal realm and intended to use up in the afterlife, those who had luckily survived the End Times.
Whether the knights would kneel in prayer or turn and run if Lileath manifested before them was also a question.
So Al was willing to kiss this Goddess's feet. Although the rapid shift in attitude was unappealing, Lileath still gave him face. After all, a mother-son relationship needs both sides to work at it to remain stable.
[In that case, my child, you must first satisfy three of my conditions.]
Al laughed heartily. As long as it didn't violate his internal code of conduct, let alone three, even three hundred...
"Good! Which three?"
[First, you must build twelve altars for me. Each altar must have a beautiful and pure virgin serving as my priestess.]
Al nodded. I get the point, but why emphasize "pure" and "virgin" so much?
[And for each altar, you must provide a squad of Relic Guardians. They must be human.]
A minor issue. After all, this kind of thing definitely required professional alignment—or rather, alignment of faith. The tribal Beastmen were currently Al and the Four Mothers' base; only a tiny minority worshipped the All-Father besides the Loving Mother. Lileath couldn't get a foothold there even if she tried.
[Slaughter over thirty thousand Greenskins. Use their corpses to perform a blood sacrifice to me at the altars. The forest will consume them entirely.]
Al felt his arm growing hot. The Bloodmother's mark was glowing.
Such a large-scale blood sacrifice would be a first for the tribe, and it was to be offered to Lileath.
Obviously, his Furious Mom would be very displeased. However, the urgent priority was solving the problem: if he didn't hit the Greenskins hard, they wouldn't go north; but if he hit them too hard, he feared they would fight him to the death, and he'd be blocking the blade for the Northerners for nothing.
At a time like this, as the shared son of the Four Mothers, the General of the Mortal Realm, and the Everchosen, Al had to show the decisiveness of a commander: "When the general is in the field, he need not obey all the sovereign's orders—smash the radio! Smash it all!"
He put his hands behind his back and continued: "Perfectly acceptable. I will immediately replan an ambush against the Greenskins. I will surely crush the enemy vanguard in one blow."
Altars and blood sacrifice—that counted as two conditions.
"Seems pretty simple," Al thought. He wondered what the third one was.
[The last one... I want you to convince Helen von Johnson, that Grand Sister of Sigmar, to hand her loyalty into our shared hands—yours and mine. From now on, she shall fight in the name of the Goddess and the Son of God.]
[YOU WISH FOR DEATH!!!]
Before Al could even open his mouth, a roar filled with the sound of clashing metal swept through his mental space like a violent warp storm.
The Mad Mother, the war-hungry, eternally burning Mother of Strife, had arrived.
The Furious Mom's temper was clearly not one to be provoked, and this request seemed excessive even to Al.
Setting aside the fact that Grand Sister Helen had been personally summoned by the Bloodmother—a treatment that made her a Chosen Champion at least, with potential for daemonhood in the future—whisking away such a mortal follower was basically equivalent to "NTR-ing" someone's newly wedded bride.
It was enough to make the Dwarfs write a full page in their little book.
Moreover, the Grand Sister herself was currently creating a "Version 2.0" of the Bloodmother's faith. Combining it with the knowledge Al had imparted to cause chaos, she was well on her way to expanding the Bloodmother's domain, bringing all the exploited into the fold. It was a grand undertaking that promised to sweep from the Old World to the New World with blood-red banners.
Forget whether the Bloodmother was willing; even if she were, the Grand Sister likely wouldn't be.
I left Sigmar to join the Bloodmother because I believe the Bloodmother is correct, pertinent, and solves problems at their root (by blood-sacrificing the problem-makers).
Lileath? The Lady of the Lake? Don't know her...
Al valued the Grand Sister highly and didn't want to over-manipulate or ignore her will. Otherwise, he wouldn't have delegated so much power, allowing her to be practically self-contained and independent while still receiving supplies from the tribe.
"Absolutely impossible!"
On matters concerning principles and bottom lines, Al had to show absolute resolve!
Otherwise, before the Greenskins even attacked, the Bloodmother would be on her Skull Throne testing which axe felt better in her hand.
"The Grand Sister is someone summoned by the Bloodmother. I intend to have her travel to various regions in the future to spread influence and unify the people's hearts. It concerns my future grand enterprise; the foundation cannot be shaken."
In the mental space, the Bloodmother's fury was nearly tangible, frantically searching for the dodging Lileath, wanting to engage in a PK [Player Kill] on Al's "terminal" across the network. The Loving Mother and the All-Knowing Mom were just sitting on the sidelines watching the show.
Instead, the ultimate thrill-seeker, Reveler Mom, was absent. It felt very strange.
Lileath, running to avoid the pursuit, perhaps realized that if she truly enraged the Bloodmother, an axe might actually be cleaved into the moon. She immediately changed her tune:
[If that is the case, I can change the condition—you must promise me that in the future, you will have your biological mother, Celestine from the Empire, come to my altar on a pilgrimage and become my Chosen.]
[I do not require her to abandon her faith in Sigmar, but you must ensure her altar always features my idol.]
[Complete the first two conditions, and I will help you accelerate the transformation of Piña. It will become a true 'Magical Forest' much faster. At the same time, I will shroud this land in mists. As long as the twelve altars are not destroyed, no mindless enemy will ever return from this place alive—except for your tribe.]
Al smacked his fist into his palm.
Yes, yes, yes! That's exactly what I want! That's it!
"It's a deal!"
"Send word to the Knightly Order. Invite them to the palace for a council!"
Having abandoned the ambush and chosen to retreat, Al, who had been frustrated by the threat of the Greenskins possessing absolute numerical superiority, felt the gloom in his chest sweep away. He was greatly pleased.
He even affectionately invited the Goddess's small idol from the shrine, holding it in both hands and looking up at it.
He sighed with emotion: "The one who solves my worries and difficulties is Mother Lileath!"
Meanwhile, he was constantly sending private messages to the Bloodmother, frantically sucking up to the first and most doting mother. Bloodmother Mom is the best... I'm just taking what I need from her. When it comes to filial piety, it's always for the four Great Goddesses...
This scene was witnessed by the red-striped knight and his party, who had hurried over with the knight leaders.
They all knelt on one knee in the hall to show dual respect to their secular ruler and the Goddess of their faith.
Al solemnly placed the Goddess's idol back into the shrine, walked before the red-striped knight's group, and said in a heavy voice: "I have received... help from the Goddess."
He had intended to say "revelation" or "guidance," but suddenly felt that Lileath's revelation or guidance didn't sound like a good thing anymore, so he changed his wording.
"I wish to build twelve altars for the Goddess. Regarding the details and specifications, I need your participation. Once the altars are built, we must also prepare a squad of Holy Ground Guardians; you will be responsible for selecting the candidates. How does that sound?"
The red-striped knight named Samael, leader of the fleur-de-lis, sword, and grail order—at least of the chapter that had come to Estalia—smote his chest with his hand.
"For the World of Virtue! Your will be done!"
The knights decisively took their orders and left.
Execution power: Max.
Al was in a great mood, feeling the Greenskin matter was no longer a concern.
The widow Marlena, dressed as a maid but unable to hide her seductive, mature figure, arrived at the perfect time to remind Al of his meal.
Al, in high spirits, took off his mask and placed it on the throne, then grabbed the widow's hand.
"How about we go... outside today."
The smiling boy proposed his condition. And what could a gentle, kind, and considerate weak young widow—helpless against her capricious master—do but accept?
The widow's face flushed slightly. She reached back and untied her ponytail, slightly altering her hairstyle. She let Al lead her by the hand, heading straight out of the palace.
She didn't know what kind of shameful service the Everchosen would make her perform. It was truly...