[Vol. 9] Chapter 15: The Secret Talk of Two Gods
Hearing the priestess’s straightforward evaluation, Exmont stayed silent for a while, as if lost in thought. After a long pause, he suddenly continued from the girl’s earlier question, in a way that seemed to have no clear logic.
[These are all my creations. You should know, my divine power lies in creation, creating formations, techniques, objects, and even living beings. This is not only my joy, but also a way to increase my own strength.]
[But making a truly satisfying creation is not easy. Even after tens of thousands of years, only a little more than a hundred works are worthy of being placed here. They are my beloved children, and that is why they are qualified to share faith and offerings in this temple. The faith they receive also flows back equally to me. Can you understand this?]
Violet raised an eyebrow.
“For example, like the existence of the [Five Reversed Gods]?”
He didn’t seem surprised that she knew this name. Exmont gave a slight nod.
[Indeed, they are my five most outstanding children. Even among all my creations over tens of thousands of years, very few have reached a godhood level. Their birth required not only my effort and focus, but also the right timing and fate, things that cannot be forced, only encountered by chance.]
“Oh… I’ve always been curious. The beings you create with your reversal power, are they directly controlled by you? Or do they become completely independent, able to act freely, and even survive on their own if their creator disappears?”
Exmont silently glanced at her.
[No, but also yes.]
“What do you mean by that?”
Like a patient teacher, the god explained further.
[I am not a true Creator. The beings I create naturally have certain limits. For example, they may need a reference template, or like in your case, they cannot fully exist without me. But… there are exceptions. At least one child managed to achieve independence. Unfortunately…]
“...Constantius?”
At that name, the God of Subversion’s voice carried a trace of surprise for the first time.
[You actually know her?]
“Well, I’ve dealt with the vampire race quite a lot. Some things may be kept secret, but there are always people who know. You, of all beings, should understand that better than me, right?”
[So it was that child… No wonder. Constantius was a gifted and thoughtful one. She created a new race. If she had chosen a steady path, her achievements by now would not be any less than mine. But with one wrong choice… all her efforts were lost.]
Hm? From the way he said it, he also believes that Vampire Ancestor Constantius is already dead?
Violet kept a calm face, but her thoughts ran deep. Whether it was Lucine or Exmont, those closely tied to Constantius, all of them were firmly convinced that Constantius had fallen. Such beings wouldn’t be easily fooled. If that’s the case, then who exactly was the Constantius that appeared before Shadow, handing over the [Blade of Shadow] to her?
Shadow had no reason to lie. So… was that person pretending to be Constantius? But for what purpose?
Seeing the girl fall silent, not willing to dig deeper into the topic, the God of Subversion paused briefly, then changed the subject.
[Alright, let’s talk about the real matter. Violet, the reason I asked Young to bring you here today is that I have a request I want to entrust to you.]
“Oh? A request? For me?”
Ending her thoughts, the black-haired girl lifted her head with some surprise and a bit of amusement. She studied the faint gray mist under Exmont’s hood that hid his face, then tapped the table lightly with her finger.
“Tell me, Exmont, do you misunderstand our relationship? I’m not your subordinate, nor could you call me a partner. Honestly, even calling us enemies wouldn’t be wrong. The Council just made a big move against me not long ago, and you, as one of its members, instead of asking someone else, you came to me for a request?”
The God of Subversion shook his head without denying or agreeing, his tone still calm.
[These matters don’t conflict. Just because we were enemies before doesn’t mean we can’t work together now. I may be a member of the Council, but that’s not my only identity. The Twilight Council cannot fully represent my position. Just like you, Violet, while being yourself, you can also act under the name of the Spirit Fox Shrine Maiden.]
[In this world, interests and cause-and-effect are complicated. We all play different roles in different places. We may not change appearances like Musk, but we can never be summed up in just one way. And without even hearing the details of my request, how can you be so sure you’ll refuse?]
“Interesting~”
It seemed his words pleased Violet quite a bit. Her silver-blue eyes narrowed slightly, and her voice carried a trace of hidden amusement.
“Fine, I’ll listen to your request. But before that, you have to show some sincerity, what exactly do you know about my relationship with that annoying fox Dawn, and where did you get that information from?”
He quietly met the girl’s gaze, and after a long pause, spoke in a low voice.
[You may not know this, but the reason Musk once sent an avatar into the Origin Realm was because he became curious about your existence. Gods rejected by the world can’t easily return to reality, so he made a deal with me, to cooperate in uncovering the mystery of a sudden-appearing light-type deity.]
[Many of Musk’s actions in the Origin Realm had to be prepared through me. That’s why, when he was killed, I was the first to arrive at the scene and recover some remnants. But what was strange was this, although it was the Spirit Fox Shrine Maiden who killed Musk, the light that destroyed his body carried a completely different aura.]
[I preserved some samples in time and compared them repeatedly. I found that the essence of that power wasn’t without trace, it was extremely similar to your own abilities. Then, just recently, when you openly used that power again in the Origin Realm, I finally confirmed without doubt, the Spirit Fox Shrine Maiden is you. That is why I decided to invite you.]
“So that’s how it is…?”
Violet stared at him suspiciously for a moment, but in the end, she didn’t try to deny it. After all, Exmont’s explanation was logical, and she herself had considered this possibility before.
About the fact that she was actually that annoying fox, the priestess hadn’t told many people. Those who did know were all absolutely trustworthy and had no reason to leak it. Even if, by chance, the secret got out, it wouldn’t affect Violet too much. At worst, she’d just run into more trouble when traveling outside.
So she wasn’t afraid of the God of Paradox using it as blackmail. She was only curious and puzzled about how he had found out.