The forest was quiet at night, filled only with the faint chirping of cicadas and the distant calls of birds.
In this silence, Elune seemed to hear a soft melody drifting from afar.
Unlike the solemn and dignified hymns of the "Source of All Trees," this sudden music was lively and bright, like children laughing in the summer.
Elune covered her mouth in surprise as the two-dimensional image of the Lord of Pleasure on the forum interface began to tremble violently.
Within the hazy glow, an incomparably magnificent figure slowly emerged.
The distant music swelled, rising higher and higher, like a gale sweeping across an endless wilderness. The vast divine form steadily approached the world she inhabited.
Though Elune couldn't clearly see the Lord of Pleasure's face, she saw Him extend His hands toward her, as if inviting her into that blissful divine kingdom.
She hesitated, unsure whether to take those hands.
After a few seconds of uncertainty, the music reached its climax—and within the joyful melody, she faintly heard the voice of the Lord of Pleasure.
"Excuse me… could you help me out? I'm stuck."
"…???"
Realizing she hadn't misheard, Elune quickly stepped forward, grabbed Lin Xuan's hand, and gave it a light pull.
With a soft pop—like opening a long-sealed bottle—the lower half of the Lord of Pleasure's body finally slipped free from the forum interface.
After steadying himself, Lin Xuan felt slightly embarrassed.
Even though I rehearsed this multiple times… I'm still not used to projecting into reality. Made a mistake on my first try.
Fortunately, only Elune witnessed this. If there had been others… that would've been truly humiliating for a god.
"Ahem." Lin Xuan coughed lightly.
The music instantly stopped, leaving behind an awkward silence.
"Um… I am the Lord of Pleasure—the god who created the game you were just playing," Lin Xuan said after composing himself.
Hearing this, Elune quickly bowed her head in respect, offering a proper natural greeting.
"Greetings, great Lord of Joy. I am Elune, a third-rank priest of the 452nd Temple of the Source of All Trees. I pay my respects to you."
She felt extremely uneasy.
A god descending— even a demigod—was an exceedingly rare event for an ordinary elf like her.
And the Lord of Pleasure… His current popularity rivaled even that of certain spirit gods.
Why would such a being appear before me?
Did I break some rule by defeating Gundyr?
The more she thought, the more uncertain she became.
As a priestess, she had sensed the presence of an evil god within the game the moment she entered it.
But she hadn't paid much attention—after all, the era of demonizing evil gods was long gone.
Now, however, standing before Lin Xuan in person, her thoughts began to spiral.
Seeing her so tense that her head was practically bowed to her chest, Lin Xuan had no choice but to gently release a wave of soothing divine power.
A warm, comforting sensation washed over her, calming her restless mind.
"Don't be nervous. Lift your head. I'm not that scary, am I?" Lin Xuan said gently.
Encouraged, Elune cautiously raised her head.
She gathered her courage and looked at his face—
—and froze.
Where his blurred features had been, several symbols suddenly appeared, forming a simple expression.
Lin Xuan: ⌯'▾'⌯
Elune couldn't help it—she burst into laughter.
Realizing her rudeness, she quickly lowered her head again.
"Ah—sorry! My great Lo—"
"It's fine, don't be nervous," Lin Xuan interrupted with a smile. "I chose this expression specifically to help you relax."
He turned toward the mirror nearby, admiring the emoticon on his face with clear satisfaction.
Not bad. Pretty effective.
Originally, I wanted to use a more exaggerated meme from my previous life… but that might've been too much for her.
This one works better.
Turning back, he looked at the somewhat frail gray elf before him.
He had been observing her ever since she exited the game.
Honestly, he hadn't planned to descend so soon.
But when he saw her standing alone under the moonlight… something stirred within him.
Maybe… even if games can fill the emptiness in one's heart, there are still moments when that emptiness lingers.
Looking at Elune, still shrinking into herself despite his efforts, Lin Xuan decided to get straight to the point.
"Tell me," he said softly, "would you like to become my devout follower?"
"Huh? Me?" Elune froze, startled.
"I—I…" she stammered helplessly. "But I'm still a priestess of the Forest God…"
In her nervousness, she didn't even use the formal title "Source of All Trees."
"It's alright," Lin Xuan said gently. "You're still a novice believer. According to the regulations of the Theocratic Council, novice believers are free to change their faith at any time."
Elune fell silent.
Even if she refused… she might not pass tomorrow's temple assessment anyway.
And ever since becoming a priestess, the Forest God had never responded to her.
She didn't even know if she still had any value.
Compared to that… even though the Lord of Pleasure was only a demigod, becoming a devout follower carried far greater meaning than remaining a neglected priest.
And judging from the forum… everyone believed in his future.
Given her situation, the choice should have been obvious.
Lin Xuan was confident as well—his personal descent already represented the greatest sincerity he could offer.
Elune hesitated.
She was just about to speak—
—but her gaze suddenly fell on a photo frame behind Lin Xuan.
Her heart trembled violently, like ice cracking across the surface of a frozen lake.
Her expression dimmed, and when she spoke, her voice was barely above a whisper.
"I'm sorry… Lord of Pleasure…"
"Could you… give me some time to think?"