[Vol. 9] Chapter 37: The Invitation
“…?”
All the pain and whispers vanished in an instant. Moraya froze slightly in surprise. When she opened her eyes, she saw the priestess still calmly standing by her side.
Then, feeling a slight weight on her shoulder, she turned her head, and was startled to find that the tiny wooden doll, no bigger than a palm, had somehow climbed up without her noticing. It sat there like a child, gently swinging its little legs, even raising a hand to greet her with a carefree smile.
“So, do you understand now what it was that set its eyes on you?”
“……”
Earlier, it had looked like she was on the edge of death, but in truth, the snow girl’s mind had remained very clear. She was fully aware of her condition and understood just how terrifying that force battling her inner seal had been. What shocked her even more, though, was how easily someone had suppressed both powers at once, but now wasn’t the right time to ask about it directly.
Hearing the black-haired girl’s calm and somewhat meaningful question, Moraya stayed silent for a moment before nodding slightly.
“The name you just mentioned… that must be a true god, right?”
“Mm.”
Violet let out a soft hum, perhaps as an answer, perhaps as if speaking to herself, then quickly added.
“The God of a Thousand Eyes and Thousand Hands, the Great Evil God of the Deep Sea, the Sea Goddess. They have many different titles in this world. But yes, They are a true being, a god with considerable power. I believe you just experienced that firsthand.”
Moraya frowned slightly in thought. Then, as if recalling something, her expression suddenly changed.
“The Sea Goddess… the Sea Goddess Vier? Why would She look like that? And I could feel an ominous aura around Her. That doesn’t seem like the natural power of a god. Could it be… that She was cursed by something?”
Although what Moraya said was very close to the truth, the priestess simply shrugged casually.
“Gods are beings whose images are usually shaped by their followers to meet their own needs. Whatever Their true form looks like, people will beautify it to spread faith and influence. For example, the Snow God Sinong you worship in the [Eternal Winter Temple], how can you be sure the image people spread now is exactly the same as the real deity?”
“People act only when there’s something to gain. Gods are not much different in that regard. So… do you really think Their actions are always so noble and selfless, always caring for their believers?”
“……”
Even though she was supposed to be a devout follower of the God of Ice and Snow, Moraya did not get angry at such irreverent words. Instead, she frowned thoughtfully, and even, almost without realizing it, gave a slight nod of agreement.
But then she caught herself, coughed lightly in embarrassment, and changed the topic.
“You’re right. The Sea Goddess Vier is worshipped by the creatures of the Endless Sea. No matter what She truly looks like, by reason and by faith, She shouldn’t appear beneath the Ice Sea, which is under the protection of the great Sinong. So there shouldn’t have been any monsters under the Ice Sea. If that’s the case… then what really happened back then?”
This time, Violet didn’t avoid the question. Instead, she glanced at the tiny wooden doll swaying on Moraya’s shoulder, her lips curling into a mysterious smile.
“Have you heard of the other worlds? Aside from the main world we live in, there are many smaller spaces formed for all kinds of reasons. They cling to the main world, usually cut off from everything else. But as long as certain conditions are met, they can be opened at any time.”
“These spaces don’t have completely fixed anchor points in the real world, and the rules inside them change endlessly. The ‘Inner World’ is one of them. Octavier holds part of the Law of ‘Truth.’ That means They can freely move through any of the Inner Worlds. You may feel They are right in front of you now, but in the next moment, that They could suddenly vanish without a trace.”
Seeing the snow girl frown deeply, clearly trying hard to figure out the meaning of these words but failing to fully understand, the priestess wasn’t surprised. She shook her head, patted the girl’s shoulder, and said,
“There’s no need to force yourself. I already told you, ‘Truth is poison.’ Before your spirit and soul reach a certain level, trying to touch some knowledge will only harm you. Mortals can hardly ever truly understand the authority of gods. That’s why I didn’t tell you these things before.”
“As for why I’m telling you now, Miss Moraya, with your sharp mind, I think you’ve already guessed what I mean, haven’t you?”
The snow girl looked up at her. A trace of complexity and hesitation flashed in her cold, clear eyes.
“So that Sea Goddess appeared here… because of me?”
The priestess slightly nodded. Her smile looked bright and pleasant, yet also strangely like a big bad wolf tempting a child into trouble.
“Miss Moraya… do you want to become a god?”
………………………………………
“I see it! I see it! I see the outline of the city!”
On the thirteenth day after their unexpected encounter with the dragon, the caravan led by Sasha finally welcomed their first piece of good news.
Hearing the latest report brought back by the scout ahead, everyone in the Xavier Merchant Guild was filled with joy and relief. Even the young archer girl who acted as leader let out a long breath, feeling the weight lift from her shoulders.
For some reason, the trade route across the Extreme Cold Zone, which had been surveyed many times and was supposed to be safe, seemed to have gone wrong. Along the way they had run into several dangerous beasts that shouldn’t have been there, forcing them to waste a lot of time.
If not for that frost-blue dragon’s appearance, which by chance scared away the largest gathering of magic-eyed ice apes and the dragon-sleep crawlers, they would have been forced either to take a risky detour or to wait for days. Luckily, the guild had also prepared extra supplies just in case. Thanks to all this, they barely managed to make it out of that deadly icy wilderness before running out of fire crystals.
And now, seeing the city meant they had finally left the Extreme Cold Zone and entered the snow kingdoms. The hardest part of their journey was already over. From here, as long as they followed their planned route, they could resupply along the way and begin selling goods.
The northern snowlands had a unique environment. Rich in useful resources everywhere, like a land full of hidden treasure. But they had one big problem, most of the land wasn’t good for farming, so food production was very low. Because of this, trade between the north and south had always centered around food.
This year, with foreign invasions and the revival of the ‘Northern Calamity,’ disaster after disaster had brought an even wider famine to the north. The smaller and poorer countries suffered the most. So although the Xavier Merchant Guild’s final destination was the capital of the Snow Kingdom, they also planned to sell a large amount of southern grain along the way.
These sacks of coarse grain, worth only a few copper or silver coins in the south, could sell for hundreds of times more in places where everything was plentiful, except food. And they would be snatched up almost the moment they were put up for sale, showing just how huge the profits could be.