In a fleeting moment, Maximus took a championship medal from the Attendant's hand.

Gowes respectfully bowed his head, allowing Maximus to hang it around his neck personally.

"May the Danu Goddess bless you!" Maximus offered his blessing.

"Thank you, Leader!" Gowes once again bowed respectfully and then left.

The next team member stepped forward...

After Gowes left Maximus' sight, he finally picked up the medal to examine it closely. It was no different from the championship medals of previous years, all cast in brass, double the size of regular copper coins, and felt quite heavy in hand.

The front of the medal bore an engraving of the Danu Goddess Statue, with an inscription "Divine Bless the Champion" below; the back featured a portrait of Leader Maximus, the only difference being a "4th Edition" inscription below. The designs on the medal were exquisite, the texture polished smoothly and finely, imbued with a sacred significance, making Gowes reluctant to part with it.

After all the members of the Snowdia team had been received by Leader Maximus and had medals placed on them, Torrelugo led them, raised the goddess statue high, circled the field three times, and received applause from the audience.

Finally, they came before the towering Danu Goddess Statue. The priests made way, allowing them to kneel and pray, thanking the goddess for granting them the glory of victory!

"Woo!!!..." The copper horn sounded again, causing a large commotion outside the stadium.

The audience, who had been sitting in place, made way for a spacious path under the guidance of the soldiers maintaining order. A giant wicker white ram, with wooden wheels underfoot, was slowly pushed toward the center of the field by more than ten strong men.

Once the white ram stood in the center of the field, Maximus rose from his seat, walked down the stand, crossed the field, and approached the statue...

As he advanced, the previously restless crowd gradually quieted down. They watched their great leader, the tribe's High Priest, and Divine Son of the Danu Goddess with respect, as he walked steadily to the statue. The priests, led by Emmerich and Hemijias, stood behind him.

He stood tall and upright, his expression devout and solemn, his robes white and immaculate. He stretched out his hands towards the statue, leaned forward, and gazed intently at the face of the statue, his lips beginning to move… His every action was unlike that of praying by other priests or believers; it was like a wanderer seeing his caring mother, pouring out his desires in longing...

Every Nix tribesman present could not help but feel excited: the leader must be praying to the Danu Goddess, praying that the goddess would once again bestow a bountiful harvest on the Nix Tribe this year!

Before long, Maximus withdrew his hands, and the other priests lifted their heads, concluding their prayers.

Maximus bent down, picked up a torch placed before the temporary altar of the statue, and lit the brazier on the altar.

Then he raised the torch and walked slowly towards the center of the field, Emmerich and Hemijias each leading other priests to light another torch, according to prior arrangements, walking towards the grassy animals around the field.

The giant white ram was set ablaze by Maximus, quickly becoming a huge bonfire.

"Woo!!!..." The sound of the copper horn again resonated inside and outside the arena.

Immediately after, ten large leather drums were struck, the rhythmic drumming resonated with everyone's heartstrings. It was also a signal for the senior leaders and guests of the Nix Tribe in the stands to flock to the center of the field, holding hands with Maximus, forming a circle around the burning white ram.

The Guard soldiers then formed another large circle outside, and the closest people surged forward, creating another large circle outside.

The remaining people ran towards the nearest burning animals, forming one large circle after another, dancing simple dances to the melody formed by the horn and drums, and loudly singing hymns to praise the goddess and hope for a plentiful harvest.

Burning woven grass animals and praying for a good harvest in summer is a long-standing Celtic tradition, with no one knowing its origin.

When the Nix Tribe decided to hold the summer festival, the priests declared to the public: the Danu Goddess is the Mother of All Things, unwilling to allow the slaughter of animals for offerings or let her adherents incur the loss of livestock nurtured over years; thus, long ago, humanity was enlightened to use grass-woven animals for sacrifice, and as long as the sincerity was enough, she would generously respond, reflecting the compassion and greatness of the Danu Goddess!

Previously, the exciting rugby final had thrilled the Nix people, but they were after all just spectators, whereas now everyone was participating, regardless of status or gender, young and old, all holding hands, singing and dancing with abandon…

Not only in this stadium but also in Ophelia, Snowdia, Westeni, Todleduo, Sirinos… similar lively scenes were occurring, turning the entire Nix Tribe into a sea of joy for the day.

The flames reflected the joyful smiles of the tribesmen, dispelling the fatigue and troubles of their bodies, leaving only a splendid vision of the future...

..........................................

That day at dusk, Karsipengpas walked through the streets of Ophelia East Village.

Although the summer festival was over, the waves of celebration still lingered in the town, with the air filled with the aroma of roasted meat and fried fish, as each household prepared a sumptuous and delicious dinner to reward themselves for the day's exhausting celebration.

Here and there, Nix tribesmen gathered by the roadside, discussing the thrilling rugby final earlier in the day, even passionately arguing over which player performed better. But when Karsipengpas passed by, they would smile politely at him, even though they might not know him.

Ah! Prosperous and warm-hearted Nix people... Karsipengpas felt the ease and friendliness displayed by the townsfolk, recalling their wariness and alerts when first entering the mountainous region, his heart filled with numerous sentiments.

He arrived at Ophelia School, informing the gatekeeper of whom he was looking for, and shortly thereafter, Rochemnix appeared before him.

The nearly twenty-year-old second son had grown taller and stronger, and his demeanor had become refined. Compared to when he first arrived, he seemed like a completely different person, with the only constant being the lively gaze revealing his spirited energy.

Rochemnix wasn't surprised by Karsipengpas' visit; he spoke up, "Father, are you here to take me out for dinner? That's great! I heard the newly brewed beer from the tribe's brewery is excellent, but I haven't tried it yet!"

Karsipengpas shook his head and earnestly said, "Son, I can't take you to dine at the embassy. And if I take you to a restaurant in town, I have no paper money. If you really want to drink beer, I could ask Maximus to help us—"

"I forgot you're not a Nix, father, so you can't buy alcohol." Rochemnix scratched his head, muttering, "Oh well, there's no need to make a fuss about a small matter. I guess I'll have to ask Lord Pigeris to get me a few cans of beer."

Karsipengpas was surprised: "Son, when did you become so close with Pigeris?!"

"We're not close. It's just that the Commerce Department entrusted my teacher with some tasks, but my teacher is too focused on his research to handle them, so we students help out. Since last year, we have been assisting the Commerce Department a lot. Asking them for a few cans of beer is something they wouldn't refuse."

Karsipengpas was curious but also concerned, holding back his words.

Seeing this, Rochemnix said considerately, "Actually, nothing important. They mainly provide us with detailed information about the farmland in various towns collected by the Agricultural Department and the growth conditions of the wheat. Based on these data, we're to estimate how much grain might be harvested after the autumn harvest, and the Commerce Department uses our calculations to guide their taxation.

Also, the Commerce Department gives us monthly trade data from various markets in the tribe, and we calculate the circulation rate of paper money to infer whether the tribe's currency issuance is too high or lacking…"

Rochemnix, seeing his father looking bewildered, quickly curtailed his enthusiasm and simply said, "Essentially, they let us do some calculations. It's not overly difficult, just rather tedious. We've put in a lot of effort, so asking Lord Pigeris for a few cans of beer as compensation is only fair."

Karsipengpas didn't fully understand his son's words but could see he wasn't being unreasonable, so he didn't press further, turning instead to express concern: "How are you doing here now?"

"I'm doing well!" Rochemnix responded without hesitation: "My teacher is erudite, especially in arithmetic, where he has deep insights. I've learned a lot from him and can apply what I've learned in practice…

The relationship with my classmates is also great. We often discuss issues and work for the tribe together…

Moreover, Leader Maximus has always been considerate of me, specifically having Lord Pigeris vacate a house near the school for me to live in. And because I assist the Commerce Department and sometimes teach newcomers arithmetic, Lord Kefisofon has been specially instructed to give me an additional salary…"

"Knowing you're doing well here puts my mind at ease!"

Karsipengpas, looking at his spirited second son, was filled with emotions: Initially, assigning Rochemnix to liaison duties with the Nix Tribe was partly an effort to have this mischievous boy focus on work. Little did he expect him to develop a passion for arithmetic, smoothly advancing to the advanced class at Nix School, and even catching Matthiad's eye, becoming his personal student...

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