Chapter 233 Shaya, Blaspheming Abundance! (12,000 characters)
(Two chapters released today, totaling eighteen thousand characters)
Crimson gold divine power ripples, surging within this luxurious and opulent hall.
At this moment, myriad delicate flowers bloomed simultaneously, then slowly faded into nothingness.
Within the spreading ripples, maces, spring water, laurel leaves, and luscious fruits – countless scenes of abundance and prosperity flickered unstably, rising and falling.
Even this entire crimson gold divine hall suddenly became illusory for a moment.
It seemed as if it could collapse at any time.
For the first time, an uncontrollable tremor appeared on the gentle face of the Goddess of Abundance.
On that light screen, the human figure named Shaya Egut possessed a magical allure.
It held her gaze, making it impossible to look away.
Even more, the Goddess of Abundance could acutely sense that within her own mind, absurd and dangerous thoughts were emerging concerning that human figure.
“No…”
“This is wrong.”
Just these whispered words caused her to falter on her crimson gold throne, her ample bosom shaking slightly.
However, the Mother Goddess of Abundance had, after all, ascended to an extremely high step on the divine ladder, and stood at the pinnacle of the post-Great Calamity era.
Despite feeling her soul tremble to the point of near collapse, she managed to suppress the turmoil in her heart with immense willpower.
Then, she sharply extended her flawless, plain white finger.
Crimson gold divine power surged like a torrent, intending to destroy the seductive figure of the youth on the light screen that was ensnaring her senses.
*Boom—*
This crimson gold hall of abundance was pierced by the rampaging divine power, creating a huge hole.
The light screen, condensed by divine power, along with the figure of the black-haired, black-eyed youth on it, shattered into crystalline fragments.
However, even though the divine power light screen was broken.
Within the Goddess of Abundance’s soul, it did not return to normal as she had expected upon the light screen’s destruction.
In fact, it was the exact opposite.
As the figure of the black-haired, black-eyed youth vanished and dissipated into fragments.
A profound sense of emptiness inexplicably arose from the depths of the Goddess of Abundance’s heart.
She felt an emptiness in her chest.
Emotions of void and loss surged like an ocean tide, engulfing her entire being in an instant…
It felt as if something extremely precious, extremely important to her, had been destroyed by her own hands.
What was shattered by the crimson gold divine power was not just the youth’s image, but it seemed, also the Goddess of Abundance’s own heart.
Only infinite emptiness and pain remained.
Heartbreak so intense she couldn’t breathe.
…
*Hoo—*
*Hoo—*
The Goddess of Abundance slumped powerlessly onto her divine throne, breathing heavily. Her fair skin was covered in beads of sweat, and she could no longer maintain her previously dignified and elegant demeanor.
Her surroundings flickered with divine light. Her human-like ears disappeared, replaced by a pair of fluffy wolf ears. The tips of the wolf ears were white, twitching sensitively now, tinged with a hint of redness.
Her once beautiful brown hair began to grow wildly. Fine, downy fur, the same color as her brown hair, sprouted on her neck and wrists.
The Demon Wolf.
This was the Goddess of Abundance’s original race before she stepped onto the divine ladder.
Originally, as she became a Mythological Creature, her life essence underwent sublimation and transformation. She had long since shed the identity of a Demon Wolf, able to freely manifest different Mythological Creature forms based on her mental imagery.
But now, with her soul spiraling out of control and the suppression of reason lost, the Goddess of Abundance could no longer maintain her mental imagery and involuntarily revealed her original form.
*Chirp.*
The Goddess of Abundance’s hazy eyes suddenly flashed with a trace of determination.
Following that.
*Crack—*
It was the sound of something crystalline shattering.
As the sound of shattering crystal echoed, the Goddess of Abundance’s cute face turned ashen white in an instant, completely drained of color.
Crimson gold divine blood seeped from the corners of her mouth. The surrounding Divine Hall of Abundance also dimmed considerably.
However, the Goddess of Abundance’s eyes finally broke free from their hazy blur, regaining a sliver of clarity.
The wolf ears and the fur on her body, which had been gradually transforming from illusory to real, finally stopped growing and began to recede, returning her to her originally plump and soft, fair appearance.
After all, she had emerged from that mythical era, survived the Great Calamity that had caused countless deities to spill blood, and had reached the highest echelon of this era.
Upon sensing the anomaly deep within her soul, the Goddess of Abundance resolutely, and at all costs, shattered a portion of her soul, forcing her will and reason to reawaken amidst the pain of that soul fragmentation.
She gently reached out and wiped away the golden divine blood from her lips, her beautiful eyes still holding a residual shock.
Even though the light screen projection of divine power had been shattered.
However.
Deep within her soul, the figure of the black-haired, black-eyed youth remained indelible.
In fact, it was becoming clearer and more vivid.
She had only known his appearance and name through information transmitted by the Astral Realm and the Golden Elf named Heiser. Before this, they had no prior connection or entanglement.
But at this moment, every smile and frown of that black-haired youth continued to tug at the Goddess of Abundance’s heart, causing her once eternally unchanging soul to ripple time and again.
She was forced to actively avoid thinking about anything related to him. Otherwise, with just a moment’s lapse in attention, she might fall back into the same uncontrolled state.
This experience involuntarily reminded her of the Great Calamity a thousand years ago, which had ended the Glorious Era.
It also caused Mythological Creatures to fall into a state of madness and loss of control.
But compared to the Great Calamity back then, what the Goddess of Abundance faced now was gentler, more peaceful…
Yet, it was also more bizarre and harder to guard against.
She didn’t even know what she had encountered to fall into such a strange predicament.
*Hoo—*
The Goddess of Abundance leaned back on her crimson gold throne, letting out a long sigh, forcibly suppressing the unease surging within her heart.
Then, with immense willpower, she forced herself to monitor the core of her soul – the origin that constructed her Mythological Creature form.
Her mental power radiated outward.
Using the Spirit World as a medium, through those faint, indistinct connections.
She perceived everything within the Prime Material Plane.
She vaguely sensed that something might have happened in the human nation she had established on the Western Continent to gather faith.
However, when she tried to obtain specific information through the prayers of her believers by piercing the barrier between the Astral Realm and the Prime Material Plane.
The Goddess of Abundance was astonished to discover—
The information transmitted through the prayers of her myriad believers was all incredibly peaceful and devout.
“Our Lord, everything is normal.”
“Our Lord, everything is normal.”
“Our Lord, everything is normal.”
Everything is normal?
The Mother Goddess of Abundance was slightly taken aback.
She had initially expected that some deity or powerful being might have attacked her divine kingdom, attempting to extinguish the foundation of her faith.
But now, it seemed that the information conveyed through those devout prayers was entirely of things being well.
Even—
The slivers of faith that nourished her growth, transmitted through the Spirit World to the depths of her soul core, did not carry the aura of fear, unease, collapse, or pollution that the Goddess of Abundance had anticipated.
Instead, they were incredibly rich and pure, superior in both quality and quantity to the faith feedback she had received in the past.
This pure faith power washed over her soul core and divine heart again and again.
It made her long-stagnant divine status, subtly, even give her a premonition of further advancement.
“My faith has not only not collapsed or been plundered by other mythical creatures.”
“Instead, it has become even stronger than before…”
“In other words, the believers who have faith in me have increased, not decreased, and their faith has become much more devout and sincere?”
This situation was completely unexpected by the Goddess of Abundance.
After all, she was quite aware of the situation in her Holy See on the Western Continent.
In the Prime Material Plane at this moment, there were still many half-mad mythical creatures wandering the world. If they lost control, they could any moment destroy human kingdoms and towns.
Those were all lunatics and scum who had lost their minds.
The Goddess of Abundance chose to lie dormant in the Deep Astral Realm to develop, precisely to avoid the covetousness of powerful deities who were eyeing the Throne of Heaven.
Therefore, she naturally did not want to be entangled with those half-mad, heartless, and uncontrolled deities. Whether she could defeat them was a separate matter; even if she won the divine war, her own strength would inevitably be exposed to the sight of other powerful deities, making her a target.
There was always only one “Throne of Heaven” for an era…
The Creator of that time, before opening the Glorious Era, had hunted countless ancient gods and ascended to the Throne of Heaven upon the corpses of myriad old gods.
Thus, the Goddess of Abundance’s attitude towards her Holy See was one of complete laissez-faire, squeezing out the maximum benefit in a short period… She never cared about long-term development, but instead used the most stringent and extreme methods to force her believers to provide faith to her. After all, who knew when those wandering lunatics would go mad and destroy the kingdom? The power of faith naturally needed to be secured early.
With the Goddess of Abundance herself hiding in the Astral Realm and not actively interfering in the affairs of the Prime Material Plane, it was already good to maintain the current situation through the operations of the nobles and high-level members of her Holy See—
How could her faith possibly advance further and spread more prosperously?
Such an unexpected turn of events caused the Goddess of Abundance’s soul to fall into a slight trance.
This trance was merely fleeting, lasting less than the time it took to take a breath.
However.
It was within this moment of trance.
From the distant Deep Astral Realm, a crystalline and brilliant, faint and indistinct thread crossed the vast, boundless astral expanse and pointed straight towards her divine body.
The next moment.
A calm voice slowly sounded deep within the Goddess of Abundance’s soul.
“Come.”
“My child.”
The call was gentle.
It seemed to invite her to fall into a deep sleep, to be led to another, more exalted world.
There was danger.
The Goddess of Abundance’s inner rationality issued a strong warning.
However—
The call seemed to carry a special charm.
It made the Goddess of Abundance feel incredibly intimate and familiar, making her trust the other party involuntarily.
Within the layers of calls, her reason and vigilance were gradually worn away.
Subsequently, she returned towards a more distant direction.
…
The Goddess of Abundance’s dazed consciousness revived once more.
She opened her eyes in confusion, her blurred vision slowly regaining focus.
A swaying white cloth—or rather, a curtain.
A silver window frame.
And old glass.
In the distance, there was a black board, densely written with square-shaped characters.
She looked at the characters for a few moments but was unable to understand the meaning of the strange script.
This was an extremely rare occurrence.
As an ancient demon wolf born before the Glorious Era, the Goddess of Abundance knew almost all languages since the creation of the Prime Material Plane.
Even for the languages of some obscure, uncontacted minor races, she could always find language prototypes and variants with similar structures to deduce their meaning.
However, the script on this blackboard did not resemble any variant of any language known to the Goddess of Abundance—
It was as if it came from another, real world.
The Goddess of Abundance steadied herself and found herself sitting at a rectangular desk.
Her own costume, which had been the magnificent robes of the Divine Hall of Abundance, had inexplicably changed into a blue and white striped uniform with a bow tie at the chest.
The very short pleated skirt made the Goddess of Abundance feel quite unaccustomed.
Unbeknownst to her, in a certain world, her current attire was also called a “sailor uniform.”
But at this moment, the Goddess of Abundance had no time to consider why she was wearing a sailor uniform.
Because…
Opposite her, at the end of dozens of desks, on the podium, stood a handsome and slender figure.
As if sensing the Goddess of Abundance’s awakening, the figure on the podium slightly turned its body.
Only then did the Goddess of Abundance see the full appearance of the figure on the podium.
He had messy black hair, and his dark eyes were as calm as a deep well.
“Welcome to—”
“My world.”
The distant and profound voice made the Goddess of Abundance involuntarily associate it with the Sea of Stars.
But soon, the distant voice suddenly changed.
“What the—”
“Didn’t I tell you to create a scene brimming with majesty and oppressive aura, one that would make people feel tense just by looking at it?”
“I thought you’d give me an ancient Greek Pantheon, or a bronze long table in a gray mist like the Tarot gatherings… Why did you create a classroom?”
“Silver, come explain.”
The clean-faced youth, with a darkened face, grabbed the little mink dozing on his shoulder by the scruff of its neck.
With its fate caught in the youth’s large hand, the furry little mink struggled in mid-air, its ruby-like eyes full of grievance.
“Yingyingying (I clearly did as you, Master, instructed.)”
“Yingyingying (Isn’t this classroom the most majestic, most oppressive, and most tense scene in Master’s memory?)”
Shaya, while holding the little mink, glanced at the large characters written in chalk on the blackboard—
“99 days until the college entrance examination countdown.”
Shaya was silent for a moment: “That is indeed quite oppressive and makes one feel tense.”
“Yingyingying (Right, right!)”
Feeling misunderstood, Silver immediately wagged its fluffy, pure white tail: “Yingyingying (And I chose this place considering what you, Master, intended to do to this wolf.)”
“Yingying, Ying (According to the recordings in Yui’s database, in the folder named ‘study materials’…)
The little mink wagged its tail excitedly, as if seeking merit, and chirped:
“Yingyingying (As long as you come to this place, and then Master takes out a ring pendant from your pocket and waves it in front of her eyes a few times.)”
“Yingyingying (Or take out a remote control, or press something on the ‘hypnosis app’ on your phone.)”
“Yingyingying (Then even the most vigilant and powerful woman will suddenly become obedient and compliant to Master…)”
“Yingying, Ying! (Isn’t this what you wanted to do, Master? To turn this wolf into an obedient chess piece and infiltrate the enemy’s rear.)”
“Yingyingying (I even changed this wolf’s clothes to match those in the videos!)”
“While that’s true…”
“But are those study materials something you guys should be watching?”
Shaya, with a darkened face, picked up the little mink that was zealously seeking praise by the scruff of its neck and threw it back onto his shoulder.
He himself never expected that the study materials he thought were well-hidden would be found by these prankish beasts—
And he had forgotten to lock the folder in Yui’s database. What a mistake.
…
On the podium, Shaya and the little mink were bickering.
But on the other side, the Goddess of Abundance, wearing unfamiliar costumes and sitting at the desk, did not have the leisure of the young man in front of her.
Because she had already recognized his identity.
In the mouth of the Golden Elf Heiser, that being far more powerful than her, the creator of magic and arcane arts, the true pioneer of the Black Tower, a pure-blooded human—
Shaya Egut.
He, who denied the legitimacy of the divine ascent ladder and should be annihilated at all costs, was the great enemy of all Mythical Creatures.
However.
The moment she saw him.
That longing, yearning, reverence, and attachment…
These feelings, which the Goddess of Abundance had already experienced once, surfaced once more from the depths of her soul, welling up in her heart.
And—compared to before, they were dozens, even hundreds of times more intense!
*Snap—*
Abundance’s fair hand tightly gripped the corner of the desk.
“So it’s you!”
“I thought you should still be trapped within the inner world—”
“Moreover, that great change that led to your fall into the Abyss must have consumed a considerable amount of your power…”
“I didn’t expect you to have already awakened, and even to be able to directly interfere with the Prime Material Plane through the World Barrier?”
It was only now that the Mother God of Abundance finally knew the culprit behind her previous anomalies.
It was not, as she had predicted, other powerful Deities vying for the Throne of Heaven.
But simply, an ordinary pure-blooded human, devoid of any Divinity.
Yet, even so, Abundance still could not understand.
What exactly had this person done to her to make her feel such strange emotions towards him?
This feeling was so subtle that the moment they met, that indescribable emotion surged once more, making her want to cast aside her divine Status and, like that little mink before, draw close to him and have him stroke her head.
Abundance fixed her gaze, which flickered between bewilderment, fear, and anger, upon Shaya standing on the podium.
“Where is this place?”
“And what exactly did you do to me?”
…
“Oh?”
Seeing the Mother God of Abundance panting rapidly, as if facing a great enemy, Shaya raised an eyebrow.
“I just wanted to find a breakthrough among the Mythical Creatures.”
“I didn’t expect… you to know quite a lot.”
“To have completely recovered your sanity within a mere millennium after the Great Calamity, when a considerable number of Mythical Creatures were still half-mad, and to begin collecting intelligence and plotting from behind the scenes.”
“So to speak—”
“I’ve caught a big fish on my second cast?”
“All the time spent baiting the hook earlier was apparently worth it.”
Shaya’s eyes lit up.
He looked at the neatly arranged desks in the surrounding classroom, a hint of nostalgia flashing in his eyes.
“To be precise, this place is actually the mental world projected by your Divine Heart.”
“To put it plainly, this is your inner self.”
“However, I learned a bit of dream-entering technique from a rich woman in my hometown who likes to be a philandering dragon in dreams, and managed to project a part of my mental power across the Astral Realm to descend here.”
“I’ve slightly modified your mental world, which was originally filled with scenes of harvest, into a style I desired.”
Shaya glanced at the blackboard covered in chalk writing. “Of course, some accidents happened in the process, but that’s not important.”
“Originally, I just wanted to strike a deal with you.”
“These little tricks were merely means to gain an advantage in negotiations and to make you drop your hostility towards me, so you wouldn’t attack me immediately.”
He looked down with a calm gaze at the Mother God of Abundance below, her fair face flushed, her eyes flickering between bewilderment and loathing.
“The so-called Mythical Creatures—”
“Or rather, that lofty Divinity.”
“In my eyes, it’s nothing more than the beastly nature of constantly devouring, constantly growing, and climbing to higher peaks on the corpses of one’s own kind.”
“Of course, it’s all about becoming stronger by any means necessary… The desire to become stronger itself is not wrong, and I have no right to criticize from a moral high ground.”
“However, this also means that all of you Mythical Creatures are essentially enemies to each other, right?”
Shaya’s words were calm, yet they seemed to resound directly in the soul of the Goddess of Abundance, making her unconsciously want to trust and agree with his words.
“There is only one Throne of Heaven in an era.”
“But there are far more than one Mythical Creature yearning to ascend to that throne—”
“Mythical Creatures gain strength from Divinity, and the easiest way to obtain Divinity and Authority is to kill another Deity.”
“Even if you have discovered the existence of faith, the number of intelligent lives in the Multiverse capable of providing Faith is also limited… In the end, it still boils down to a struggle.”
“During the Glorious Era, the Sun God, who considered himself the Creator and was supreme, amassed more than half of the Divinity and Authority by himself, but this also forced all other Mythical Creatures to only consider themselves as ‘Subordinate Gods’ or ‘Angels’.”
“And with the outbreak of the Great Calamity and the fall of the Creator of the Glorious Era, amidst the chaos and the bloodshed of Deities, the scattered ownerless Divinity provided an opportunity for some powerful Deities to advance further.”
Shaya looked faintly at the Mother God of Abundance, whose cute face was a mix of joy and sorrow.
“So, you should understand what I mean, right?”
“I am not interested in Divinity and Authority… All I want is to protect those I care about, the things I care about, and nothing more.”
“We are not sworn enemies who must cross swords, but potential collaborators.”
Shaya spread his hands.
“Since you chose to establish a Holy See on the Western Continent and gather your own Faith… it indicates that you still pursue power.”
“It’s just that, because there are more powerful Deities, you had to remain hidden in the Deep Astral Realm, developing stealthily without being noticed by the outside world, silently accumulating power and waiting for the opportune moment.”
“In the old saying from my hometown, it’s like ‘preparing troops and training horses, waiting for the chance to fight’.”
“This is very good.”
He clapped his hands.
“Compared to those other Deities who are already half-mad, with only killing and destruction on their minds, wishing to corrupt their believers into mere blobs of flesh that only praise them, or Evil Gods who think of performing a blood sacrifice of an entire city every day.”
“I prefer to deal with intelligent Gods like you, who are shrewd, understand the balance of advantages and disadvantages, and know how to endure and yield.”
Shaya spoke sincerely.
“There are a few Deities who stand in your way to the Throne of Heaven.”
“And coincidentally, those Deities also dislike me, and by chance, I also dislike them very much.”
“Therefore, I will help you eliminate them and clear the obstacles for you— I will not take any of the Divinity and Authority they leave behind; it will all be yours, serving as sustenance for your advancement.”
“In exchange, you only need to lurk within the opposing Deities’ factions and, when necessary, transmit some Intelligence to me…”
“Or, at certain critical moments, provide some minor assistance.”
“See, it’s very fair, isn’t it?”
…
Shaya’s words were sincere, explaining the pros and cons and proposing cooperation.
In fact, Shaya was not lying, no, not to a God.
With the Mother God of Abundance’s ancient lineage as a wolf, and her experience dating back before the Glorious Era, she could naturally discern the details Shaya spoke of.
What he said was all true.
Disputes were never absent among Deities, and whoever ascended to the Throne of Heaven in any era would certainly trample on the corpses of countless old Gods.
If not for the apprehension of a few specific existences… the Mother God of Abundance would not have chosen to play the hidden strategist, lurking in the Deep Astral Realm from an early age to plan for the future.
And from this human before her, the Mother God of Abundance could not detect the slightest trace of Divinity, Authority, or even Faith that belonged to Deities.
That Divinity and Authority, which were like treasures in the eyes of Mythical Creatures, for which they would even initiate divine wars, were worthless as wild grass by the roadside in the eyes of this black-haired, black-eyed youth.
This was indeed a trustworthy deal.
Coupled with the inexplicable sense of closeness and dependence on Shaya that arose deep within her soul,
The Goddess of Abundance unconsciously reached out her hand, wanting to accept his invitation for an alliance and cooperation.
Then, she leaned beside that figure.
That warmth and longing felt as if it were within reach.
But, in the next instant.
*Boom—*
The sound of a shattering soul echoed once more.
The Mother Goddess of Abundance had once again shattered a wisp of her divine soul.
Then, using the intense pain of her soul shattering, she forcibly regained her composure.
Her gentle and cute face instantly turned ashen white, devoid of any trace of blood, even appearing somewhat ferocious.
The Mother Goddess of Abundance then hunched over the desk, staring intently at Shaya, suppressing the involuntary reverence and admiration that welled up within her with immense willpower.
“I admit, among deities, we are not a monolithic bloc.”
“And in this era, divine wars are not uncommon.”
“And I do have a few enemies that need to be eliminated—”
“But…”
She closed her eyes slightly, and her fluffy brown wolf ears involuntarily popped out on her head, twitching dangerously.
Merely managing to calm her voice instead of letting out a distressed gasp required immense effort from the Goddess of Abundance.
“From beginning to end, I have been very clear.”
“Compared to those Ancient Gods who are even older than me, and who only managed to take a small step ahead of me on the Divine Ascension Staircase through the passage of long years,”
The Mother Goddess of Abundance slowly opened her eyes, staring fixedly at Shaya.
“You— I fear you far more than those Ancient Gods.”
“You are too dangerous, and too young…”
“The soul vitality you exhibit is, in the eyes of us Ancient Gods, as vibrant and radiant as that of a newborn infant.”
“If I’m not mistaken, the total actual years your soul has experienced, not counting sleep, amounts to less than a hundred years.”
“In just a hundred years, you have reached such a point.”
“If you were given another hundred years, you might truly surpass the Creator of the Glorious Era.”
After all, she was one of the few deities standing at the pinnacle of the Divine Ascension Staircase.
At this critical juncture, the Mother Goddess of Abundance, amidst her muddled mind, discerned the chilling truth from the sugar-coated bullets Shaya had offered.
What shocked the Goddess of Abundance even more than Shaya’s potential and growth rate were his disposition and methods.
Even she could fall prey to his schemes without realizing it—
What about other deities, weaker than herself?
The Mother Goddess of Abundance even had a vague, indistinct premonition.
If this continued unchecked,
Then, perhaps one day.
Whether it was demigods, true gods, or even the very concepts of “Mythical Creatures” and the “Divine Ascension Staircase” themselves, they would all be erased by him.
And that day might not be far off.
…
*Boom—*
The scene of the empty classroom after school at dusk abruptly dissipated.
Crimson Gold radiance surged, engulfing everything around it.
At this moment.
Millions of flowers bloomed simultaneously, springs flowed with music, and maces wafted fragrance. That boundless vitality filled the entire sky.
And within the crimson-gold divine light, the Mother Goddess of Abundance did not attack Shaya, nor did she intend to harm him.
Despite only a brief exchange.
However, in this momentary confrontation, the Mother Goddess of Abundance had already fully understood—
The person before her was by no means someone she could confront with brute force. As a deity who commanded harvest, her own expertise lay not in destruction and combat.
Moreover, at this very moment.
Harm— or even killing him.
Thoughts of becoming an enemy to this black-haired youth would, as soon as they arose in her heart, be instantly drowned in an endless tide of guilt and sin.
The Goddess of Abundance knew clearly.
At present, she was in no position to lay hands on the approachable, respectable youth she so admired and depended on.
From beginning to end.
There was only one thing she could do—
That was, at all costs.
To the outside world.
To other deities, whom she was already wary of or even hostile towards, to transmit intelligence about this youth named Shaya Egut.
This was her only chance.
And perhaps her last—
Chance to nip this terrifying enemy of all gods in the bud.
“Everyone, I am the Goddess of Abundance.”
“Whether it’s bitter enemies who were irreconcilable due to past divine wars, or Old Gods from different eras with their own agendas…”
“But at this moment, please temporarily set aside past grievances and prejudices.”
“Today, a common enemy for all deities has been born!”
The urgent proclamation of the Mother Goddess of Abundance, laden with crimson-gold divine power, swept out.
It was intended to use the Spirit World as a medium to transmit to the ears of every deity and every Mythical Creature throughout the Multiverse.
However, in the next instant.
The world froze.
Not just the crimson-gold divine power, nor the classroom ravaged by the Goddess of Abundance’s power, but even the white clouds drifting across the sky.
Everything was like a photograph, frozen in place.
“So, did we fail to reach an agreement?”
In a world where even thought moved at an agonizingly slow pace, only one person acted as usual.
“Ying ying ying (So Master isn’t playing the hypnosis series, but the time-stopping one…)”
The faint chirping of the Little Mink could be heard, then it turned into whimpers as Shaya quickly covered its mouth.
After dealing with the talkative mink.
Shaya then slowly turned his calm gaze towards the Mother Goddess of Abundance before him.
“You are indeed quite intelligent. I suppose it’s to be expected of an Ancient God born from the Chaotic Era before the Glorious Era?”
“Fudging you is much harder than fooling that Crimson Moon, or that Lord of Ashes who only knows how to burn, burn, burn.”
“It seems my acting skills still need improvement.”
“Well then, I’ll just have to activate Plan B.”
Shaya sighed softly.
“However, this is not something Silver can see—”
“I know all you Familiars have secretly chosen your mistresses.”
“If you go and complain to Little Ai, who knows if Ai will make me kneel on a washboard for three days.”
He grabbed the Little Mink, which was struggling under his demonic claws on his shoulder, and tossed it into the Soul Pact Space.
And with that, he blocked off his Soul Pact Space, leaving the Familiars peeking out inside, bewildered at being locked in a dark room again.
After doing all this.
Shaya then gently extended his hand.
In the next instant, crimson-gold radiance slowly gathered in Shaya’s palm.
Then, it condensed into a small, exquisite human figure.
Bountiful and graceful, wearing a laurel wreath woven into a crown, surrounded by springs and maces.
The statue was incredibly lifelike, as if it were a miniature version of the Mother Goddess of Abundance, bearing some resemblance to the silver statue enshrined in the Church of the Goddess of Abundance.
However, unlike the statue made of silver, this small figure seemed to possess a life of its own, with its eyes tightly shut and its bountiful chest rising and falling rhythmically.
At the center of the semi-transparent statue was a crystalline core.
An incomparably brilliant, dazzling brilliant golden divine radiance shone from the crystal, breathtakingly beautiful.
…
Looking at the small crystal in Shaya’s hand, the source of the light.
The Mother Goddess of Abundance’s heart skipped a beat.
If her emotions before had merely been vigilance, anger, wariness, and a hint of bewilderment.
Then, at this moment.
Dread, fear… these emotions, long abandoned after she achieved demigod status, resurfaced in the Mother Goddess of Abundance’s remaining soul.
Recalling thousands of years ago, when she had not yet attained the divine position of the Goddess of Abundance, but was merely an ordinary magic wolf on the wild lands, the fear and helplessness she felt when she accidentally faced a powerful Ancient God.
She recognized the lifelike miniature statue in Shaya’s hand. It was her divine avatar’s physical form. And within the statue’s glabella—a crystal that was entirely crimson gold and radiated boundless radiance—lay the core of the Goddess of Abundance’s soul. Or rather—
“The Heart of God.”
Only then did she recall Shaya’s opening words from earlier. “This place is actually your inner world.” In other words, her own Heart of God. The core that was most precious to every deity, the concept that comprised the “self” of a mythical creature, had, at some unknown time, been invaded by the other party.
At this very moment, her entire soul and mind were held within Shaya’s grasp in the form of his divine avatar. And then, in a completely unguarded state, she was left to Shaya’s devices, allowing him to erode, rewrite, and freely harvest her soul and mind.
“Don’t worry.”
“This is my first time doing this, but the concept of a soul shouldn’t have pain, right?”
“So, it’s okay—”
“It’s just a small surgery, it won’t hurt much.”
*Clack—*
Shaya lightly snapped his fingers. The next moment, strands of gray mist transformed into delicate gray threads. Then, with order and clear division of labor, these gray mist threads inserted themselves into the glabella crystal of the graceful statue in Shaya’s hand. The gray-black mist flowed through the inserted threads into the “Heart of God,” staining the originally shining and pure crimson gold crystal with a layer of murky gray-black.
Witnessing everything that was happening before her, the Goddess of Abundance wanted to resist and struggle. But in this frozen world, she could do nothing. She could only watch helplessly as those strands of gray-black mist, under Shaya’s control, meticulously corroded into her Divine Core, modifying, polluting, and rewriting it.
“In order to absorb faith, to contain Divinity and Authority, one must open up one’s own will, materialize one’s soul into what is called Divinity and the Heart of God…”
“That’s why I don’t want to walk the path of becoming a god. If even my self can be rewritten by others, then I wouldn’t be me anymore…”
“Even if I were invincible, even if I ascended to the so-called Heavenly Throne, what would be the point?”
Shaya sighed softly, but the gray mist formed by his mental energy did not stop working.
“Mmm…”
“Turning a ‘read-only’ system file into ‘read-write,’ and then rewriting its core code.”
“Why is it that after transmigrating to an异世界 with swords and magic, I’m still doing the work of a programmer?”
“It’s making my hair fall out.”
Shaya unconsciously touched his head. Fortunately, it seemed to be quite full. But just then, the gray-black mist threads, extensions of his mental energy, finally conveyed some expected feedback from the crimson gold crystal.
“If I’m not mistaken.”
“This should be the section within the Divine Core responsible for managing memory and self-awareness.”
“Well, only one way to find out.”
Shaya’s mind stirred. Within the crimson gold crystal, a tiny gray-black thread moved. Then, it abruptly pierced into the “Heart of God.”
“Answer me, who are you?”
“I am the deity who presides over abundance, and also the demon wolf born from the Chaotic Era before the first spark was ignited.”
The answer came, numb and desiccated, devoid of any emotional fluctuation.
“Good.”
Shaya nodded.
“Then, in your eyes, who am I?”
“You are a human of mysterious origin, closely related to that high-ranking Golden Elf who obtained ‘Silver Fire’ and declared war on the gods in the Astral Realm, and very likely the source of what is called magic and arcane arts.”
“Simultaneously, you seem to be connected to the Holy Spear, the great change in the Abyss five hundred years ago, and the Lost Island, as well as the residual soul of the Creator possibly residing on the Lost Island, and may have obtained their power.”
“Furthermore, although there is no evidence, I suspect you are connected to the Quicksilver Snake, perhaps chosen by the Multiverse, favored by fate, the Son of the Plane for the next era…”
“I didn’t expect you knew quite a bit. Should I say you’re worthy of being an Ancient God?”
Shaya offered sincere praise. “Then, what is your opinion of me?”
“You are dangerous, and antithetical to the existence of gods.”
“From any perspective, you are a great enemy to us gods, a mortal enemy that must be eliminated as early as possible at all costs…”
This time, as soon as the Goddess of Abundance’s words began, they abruptly froze. She felt that the Divinity that constituted her self-awareness was being pierced by an extremely precise instrument. The old memories and cognitions within it were erased. Immediately after, new information and cognitions were written onto the flawless Heart of God.
“A mortal enemy…”
“A mortal enemy…”
For some reason, the Goddess of Abundance’s mind suddenly became dazed and bewildered. Her delicate lips trembled slightly. However, the thoughts she had clearly organized previously could no longer be formed into complete sentences and spoken from her mouth. After a moment, the voluptuous deity finally raised her vacant, beautiful eyes.
“You are the Creator who bestowed upon me the Authority of Abundance.”
“You are the Lord of the Divine Halls who clearly demarcated light and darkness, and defined the land and sea.”
“You are the King of Heaven, the Emperor of the Sea—”
“At the same time…”
She opened her mouth softly.
“You are also one whom I can trust and rely on—”
“Father God.”
The moment she uttered this word, the voluptuous body of the Goddess of Abundance trembled slightly. Father God? I am a pure-blooded ancient demon wolf, born in the wilderness, how could I have a so-called Father God? Moreover—if he is the Father God who bestowed upon me Authority. Then why are there so few memories of him in my past recollections? The chaotic logic clashed in the depths of the Goddess of Abundance’s heart. A flicker of clarity flashed in her eyes. She looked up slightly, gazing at the black-haired, black-eyed youth before her. At this moment, an indescribable dread and panic surged from the depths of the Goddess of Abundance’s heart. Her memories and cognitions had been tampered with without her even realizing it?
“Hiss.”
“More complex than I imagined.”
“Simply modifying a single memory unit seems to have flaws and can cause bugs.”
“Because the modified memory and cognitive parts will conflict with other old memories. With conflicts, abnormalities will be detected, causing the memory’s owner to doubt this modified cognition and memory.”
Shaya moved his fingers, murmuring to himself. Indeed, the most painful part of being a programmer has never been writing code itself, but the process of testing and fixing bugs.
“What I did earlier was more like imprinting a ‘thought-stamp’ onto the Divine Core.”
“However, if the holder of the Divine Core is in a state of self-doubt due to logical conflicts for a long time, they will still be slowly corrected, just like a thought-stamp such as ‘water is poisonous’ which goes against common sense cannot persist indefinitely.”
“If this is all I can do, it seems insufficient—”
“I need to change my mindset as well. Not all deities are lunatics and simpletons like the Crimson Moon and the Lord of Ashes; there are still quite a few Ancient Gods who are quite cunning. I don’t want to be seen through by them and fall into their traps.”
Shaya’s thoughtful words echoed softly in the Goddess of Abundance’s ears.
“No—”
The Goddess of Abundance’s lips moved. Before she could speak, the next moment, her clear, beautiful eyes once again became empty and vacant. Another fine thread of mental energy condensed from gray mist pierced into the Divine Core, erasing and modifying the Goddess of Abundance’s self bit by bit.
(Double Update)
