[Vol. 9] Chapter 18: The Start of Cooperation
The God of Paradox thought for a moment before speaking.
[That child… I call it Yan. Right now, its power is unstable. If it wants to hide and avoid being found, the only way is to stay in an environment completely opposite to its own element. And you’ve already seen Yan’s power, so even across the whole Origin Realm, there are only a few places that could cover its presence.]
Miss Priestess raised an eyebrow, a strange light flickering in her eyes.
“So, the far northern ice plains again?”
[For now, that seems like the most likely place it’s hiding.]
“…What an amazing coincidence~”
Coincidence, my ass.
In truth, Violet didn’t believe this was just random chance. Whether it was Princess Nolan Sinong’s actions in the Snow Country, or the incredible vision she once saw through that wooden puppet, both pointed to something huge and world-changing happening beneath the endless northern ice fields.
And as if that wasn’t enough, she had just learned that the last [Key of Three Moons] appeared in the north. Now, even the God of Paradox’s escaped creation had also run there. This was practically like some invisible force was secretly guiding her to that place.
Of course, it was unlikely that Exmont planned this. Or even if he was involved, he was probably not the one pulling the strings.
Was this part of Hen’s arrangement… or maybe the work of another hidden power?
Either way, even knowing something suspicious was going on, Violet had no choice but to go. No matter what was happening there, only by going herself and learning more could she take step after step closer to the truth.
“That’s enough for today. But Exmont, before you leave, I still have a few small questions.”
[Go ahead.]
After a bit of thought, the Priestess carefully asked.
“A thousand years ago, during that [Divine Catastrophe], did you take part in the battle?”
She expected him to avoid answering. But surprisingly, the god simply shook his head without hesitation.
[Of course not. Not just me, almost none of the current council members personally joined that battle for different reasons. That’s exactly why we were lucky enough to survive until today.]
…Almost none?
“So… you actually don’t even know who the gods were fighting back then, do you?”
Exmont stayed silent for a long time, then gave a small nod and answered simply.
[You could say that.]
“I see…”
Violet nodded slightly, thoughtful, but didn’t push further. Instead, she quickly changed the subject.
“The barrier surrounding the Human United Kingdom, that was your work, wasn’t it?”
This time, Exmont answered easily.
[Correct. As part of my deal with Young, I agreed to protect this nation, to prevent powerful races from invading and slaughtering the local people at will. But humans are weak, and just raising their strength wasn’t enough to fight against all the foreign races at that time. And since Young refused to allow his whole race to be transformed, I had to use a more troublesome method.]
[That method was using the Law of Order as a template to create a special spirit. It absorbs the faith of the kingdom’s people and draws strength from the land’s leylines. While it doesn’t have strong combat ability on its own, it can continuously release a faint power of law that covers the entire nation, driving away beings far beyond what humans can handle. That way, it perfectly fit his request.]
Miss Priestess’s eyes flickered.
“…The Ancestral Spirit.”
[Yes, I believe that’s what people call it. But in order to give it some special abilities that meet the requirements, I had to make compromises when creating this simulated law spirit. No matter how much faith it absorbs, it will never become stronger, nor can it gain real intelligence to become a true god. So it doesn’t really count as my proper creation, just a decent experimental product.]
“You really do make all kinds of strange things. Is there any way to make certain people immune to the influence of this simulated law?”
The God of Paradox glanced at the black-haired girl but did not ask why she wanted to know. To Him, something that could decide the fate of a nation was still far less valuable than the two pieces of information she had already shared. He simply answered calmly:
[I recall that humans built temples to worship the so-called Ancestral Spirit. There are many across this country. Inside those temples, there is a trace of its spiritual essence. I can give you a token. If the person you choose carries it and touches that essence once, the spirit will record their aura, and the simulated law will no longer reject them.]
“Alright, then I’ll trouble you with this matter.”
[No need to thank me. After all, true cooperation means both giving and taking.]
Miss Priestess nodded to herself. To be honest, this talk had gone much smoother than she expected. The God of Paradox had no real concept of good or evil, but when benefits were aligned, He was indeed a very reliable partner. Even if she couldn’t fully trust Him, as long as she kept the limits clear…
She stood up, brushed the hem of her robe, and asked.
“Time to go. Oh… after I find that Yan, how do I contact you?”
Normally, with a god, simply calling out their true name would be enough to draw their attention. But since this was a secret cooperation, she couldn’t do it so openly.
[The Sustainers have invaded this land. For now, Young will mostly remain in this city. At that time, just come seek him again in the same way.]
After saying this, Exmont seemed to hesitate for a moment, then added:
[Be careful… The council’s plan has already begun. You won’t be able to avoid it. No one in this world can.]
The girl gave him a deep look, nodded, and turned to leave.
“I’ll be waiting to see.”
……………………………………
Year 1380, Early Spring.
The long winter finally ended. Life began to awaken across the land. The Goddess Church issued a decree to change the calendar that had been used for over a thousand years. The year when the Goddess descended, scattered the dusk with her divine power, and brought back the light, was officially set as the First Year of Divine Revelation.
That same year, as the invading enemies from another world arrived, and the Goddess’s light shone to protect living beings, the war sweeping across the continent entered a new stage. The outer demons began invading all nations without distinction. In just a few months, their terrifying power caused the deaths of millions.
Like a storm sweeping away fallen leaves, the small and medium-sized countries where the enemies appeared were completely destroyed with no chance to resist. On the ruins of those nations, the outer demons built new ruling powers. The name of the World Sustainers spread like a tidal wave across the Origin Realm, expanding madly in all directions.
Under this threat, the two great alliances that had been fighting for world dominance had no choice but to temporarily put aside their grudges, pull back their armies, and focus on resisting the foreign invaders.
That same spring, the new emperor of the Austre Empire, Xiluo Frederick, officially ascended the throne. He declared that the former emperor, Leonis Frederick, had been assassinated during the invasion of the World Sustainers. He announced war against their forces and at the same time offered a truce to the Holy Empire.
This news was like a stone thrown into water, sending waves spreading everywhere. The entire world was shaken.