"Command the Escort Samurai to prepare to extinguish the fire!"
"I will follow your will."
Bertade nodded respectfully. He didn’t leave but simply sent the Escort to prepare. Then he cautiously asked.
"Your Highness, do you want to evacuate for a bit..."
Xiulote looked at the hot air balloon about a hundred meters above and shook his head.
"The landing point is seventy to eighty meters to the west; it won’t burn here... Hmm, the hot air balloon itself doesn’t have much fuel, the fire looks big, but it will die out soon."
Apprentices below the altar were in chaos, while the people on the altar remained exceptionally calm. The King narrowed his eyes, watching the remnants of the burning hot air balloon. In just a short while, the flames began to weaken. Debris from the balloon fell faster and faster, soon dropping to fifty meters below!
"Gobble gobble, gobble gobble gobble!"
The fire finally reached the bottom of the hot air balloon, burning through half of the ropes connecting the basket, which immediately tipped over. The not-so-fat turkey, ascending to heaven, screamed in terror and leaped out, jumping from forty meters high!
The not-so-fat turkey fluttered its wings, flames on the tail feathers, falling like the Golden Crow! Its not-so-fat body, as agile as the murals of flying divinities, appeared somewhat enchanting against the backdrop of the flames from the hot air balloon. Then, after a long arc and vigorous flapping, it hit the ground with a thud right in front of the King.
"Gobble gobble! Gobble gobble gobble!!"
The not-so-fat turkey struggled frantically for a while and then stood up from the dirt, its tail feathers’ flames already extinguished by the wind. Following that, it looked around in bewilderment at the bipeds before it and then waggled its plump bottom.
"Gobble? Gobble? Gobble gobble!"
The spread wings provided gliding force; the fluffy feathers cushioned the impact. This not-so-fat turkey, after circling in the sky for a couple hundred meters, miraculously remained unharmed!
The King’s eyes widened as he watched the not-so-fat turkey a few meters away. Then he turned his head back to the Eye of the Chief Divine, now burned down to just a few fragments. The squad of Imperial Guard Warriors were beating out the remaining fire, which would soon be completely extinguished.
"What a... a... celestial fowl!"
Bravo reappeared beside the King at some point, his face showing surprise, as he pointed to the landed not-so-fat turkey and shouted to everyone.
"A blessing from the Chief Divine! The divine turkey flew to the heavens and returned unharmed—this is an auspicious omen from the Chief Divine!!..."
Xiulote blinked, glanced at Bravo’s deliberate expression, and quickly understood. He slowly nodded and proclaimed loudly.
"High Priest Bravo is right! The Eye of the Chief Divine was offered to the Chief Divine, and the turkey returned safely. This is the auspicious omen of blessing upon the Kingdom by the deities! Praise to the Chief Divine, may the deities protect the Kingdom!"
"Praise to the Chief Divine, may the deities protect the Kingdom!"
Priest apprentices paused for a moment; the quick-reacting ones had already begun shouting, while the slower ones were still dazed.
Bravo suggested with a smile.
"Supreme High Priest, we should immediately send out messengers to inform the priests in the city of this omen! To prevent the public from needless speculation... This turkey should also be honored and kept as a sign of the divine presence, allowing the public to witness it!"
"Indeed! High Priest Bravo, your words are very apt. This... divine turkey, I entrust it to you!"
Xiulote nodded slightly, calmly instructing his trusted aides. A dozen of them immediately headed out to various parts of the city with the message.
Then, the King looked around, gazing at each young and earnest face. He pondered for a moment and left his final instruction.
"My students, the Mystery of Deities is but the Law of Nature! If we comprehend it, we can harness the Force of Nature to fly through the heavens, dive into the seas, move mountains and fill lakes, achieving many great feats!... However, in the journey to explore the Mystery of Deities, everything won’t always go smoothly! Failure is common, while success is the rare harvest. But never be disheartened! For success is born out of failure!"