Chapter 8: Reluctant to Let You Become
The elven lady stepped out of the carriage. She did not skimp on the tip. The driver, after counting it, wanted to thank the guest for her generosity, but when he turned around, the uniquely elegant lady was already gone.
Meanwhile, the elf strolled through the streets. Her appearance was beyond words, but she was unquestionably beautiful and possessed an extraordinary aura. Yet, among the passersby—whether armored patrols or ordinary pedestrians—no one seemed to notice her. Even when the elven lady walked right past them, they detected nothing amiss.
An observer of the cycle of reincarnation is, naturally, merely an observer.
Unless she actively manifested her power, allowing her presence to emanate from the void of the Boundless Heaven, ordinary mortals could not perceive her at all, as long as she did not interact with others.
Whether human, elf, or dwarf, they were all ultimately ordinary mortals. They lived in three-dimensional space, perceiving a nearly two-dimensional world through sensory organs that could detect only a sliver of light, leading a one-dimensional existence along a single line. The world experienced by the five senses of an ordinary person without transcendent perception was merely a tiny fragment of the material world. Naturally, they could not perceive higher beings—just as ordinary people could not see the Steel Serpent, they could not see her either.
The elven lady passed through the industrial district in the southern part of the city, then through the commercial streets of the western district. She examined the psychic terminals displayed in alchemy shops and touched the hanging liquid crystal screens. She seemed filled with curiosity, sometimes sighing, sometimes nostalgic, sometimes surprised. She walked slowly through the crowded trade district, her complex gaze fixed on the surging, mixed-species tide of people.
Mana factories, centralized trade markets, devices utilizing the Magic Net, cheap alchemical products for real-time information transmission... All these had existed during the Era of Radiance. The elven lady was not surprised by them. If the Era of Falling Stars could not even re-master these technologies, it would be a disgrace to the glory of their ancestors. But beyond these, there were still many new things worth mentioning.
Strange items like mana armor were novel concepts never considered during the Era of Radiance. Their key point was not combat, but allowing ordinary people to possess power comparable to transcendent beings. Back then, they undoubtedly had the technical capability, but people of that era would rather create puppets to replace ordinary people in farming than think of empowering commoners to become strong through tools.
This was a blind spot in the thinking of a transcendent civilization focused on cultivation and the individual.
Moreover, if one examined things closely, even seemingly similar items contained many unique creations exclusive to the Era of Falling Stars—for example, the forums within the Magic Net, the news broadcasts on liquid crystal screens, the restorative pillars placed in squares, better-designed void warships, and... the particles scattered throughout the entire city, omnipresent.
The particles of Steel Force.
When the elven lady noticed this, she couldn't help but narrow her eyes.
Perhaps due to negligence, or perhaps because the other party had concealed it too well, she had not initially detected the Steel Force particles diffused throughout the entire city... No, not just the city. Extending her perception, the elven lady was astonished to discover that the range of the other party's Steel Force particles covered the entire Northern Lands!
The entire Northern Lands were shrouded in an invisible layer of Steel Force particles. She could see that the flow of energy was being subtly adjusted, elemental forces were being silently gathered, serving the residents of this land. The speed of the wind, the amount of rain, the heaviness of snow, even the temperature—all were already under the control of the master of these Steel Force particles. A nearly perfect environment, suitable for all life, was gradually taking shape.
The people living in the Northern Lands might not know that they were currently living in the 'palm' of a powerful being. In such an environment, the common folk wouldn't even feel tired while working, and the chances of ordinary people becoming transcendent beings would greatly increase.
"Too gentle."
She couldn't help but murmur softly, then revealed a faint smile, looking up at the sky before her: "Don't you think so, Lord Count Radcliffe, and my Pope?"
As the elven lady spoke, a small portion of the Steel Force particles that had covered the entire Northern Lands suddenly separated, gathering together like fireflies. At the same time, an omnipresent faint light also flickered, spinning and intertwining as it leaped. Soon, a black-haired man and a white-haired elder materialized out of thin air before her.
"A sudden visit, with no time to prepare a welcome. Your Majesty Yue Ai, your arrival brings glory to my territory, but it is truly abrupt."
If the deity had continued to conceal her power and merely observed silently, Joshua would not have detected her arrival. But when the elven lady noticed the Steel Force particles filling the air and used her own divine power to probe their essence, it was equivalent to mutual eye contact. The warrior immediately sensed her presence.
"Your Majesty, my records show you were supposed to be active in the Eastern Plains."
Iger said helplessly. Since the descent of the Seven Gods, they had mostly stayed in their temples, occasionally going out to travel around the world and enjoy the scenery. But even so, the Seven Gods did not deliberately hide their whereabouts or play tricks like feinting east and attacking west.
Currently, intelligence from the Church of the Seven Gods indicated that the elven lady—also known as the God of Love and Decay, Her Majesty Yue Ai—was watching the 'Biroda-Snoke Grand Competition' in the Eastern Plains, a quinquennial magical competition testing mathematical and magical fundamentals, akin to a decathlon. She should not have appeared in the Northern Lands under any circumstances.
"Because I have business with you."
The elven lady smiled faintly, though her face remained unreadable; one could only sense her amusement. Yue Ai did not hide her intentions, speaking softly: "The most promising powerhouse in the Mycroft World and my dear Pope are both here. It is only natural for me to come to the Northern Lands."
What business?
Both Joshua and Iger instinctively pondered this question, but soon, the elven lady, who was not in the habit of being cryptic, stated her purpose directly.
"I am here to tell you what the 'deepest layer of the Abyss' truly is."
Yue Ai looked up at the sky, then glanced around at the ordinary residents who had begun to gather, seemingly noticing their lord and the Pope suddenly appearing on the street. She gently raised her hand and said softly, "But before that, we need a quiet environment."
And so, in the next instant, light was born.
A violet light—fierce yet dim—enveloped the entire city of Moldavia in an instant.
In Joshua's Steel Force vision, a surging yet deathly, terrifyingly inconceivable wave of energy began to manifest its physical form from the void. Its shape rapidly coalesced in his energy sight, presenting an extremely complex entity. It resembled a heart that constantly pulsed and beat, never losing its passion. But this was only an illusion. Joshua narrowed his eyes; he could see that this heart had long withered. Though it beat, it was already dead.
In just an instant, all the ordinary people throughout Moldavia were enveloped by a gentle force, their actions temporarily frozen, as if time had stopped, or like insects trapped in a massive, violet lake.
Within the entire city, only Joshua and Iger could resist this power. Layers of silver and five-colored light surged around them. Holy and otherworldly runes could be seen emerging on their bodies. They did not seem surprised by Yue Ai's actions, only curious about why she would go to such lengths.
And the God of Love and Decay, revealing her true form—an elven lady who seemed both extraordinarily beautiful and yet merely a pale skeleton—gazed at Joshua. She spoke in a faint tone: "But for my part, Radcliffe, before you go to that place, I wish to understand your 'Order'."
Hearing this, Joshua laughed. He looked up, meeting the deity's gaze.
The calm gaze of the 'God of Love' and the resolute gaze of the 'Warrior' locked onto each other. In that brief instant, information was exchanged. A conversation far more efficient than sound, a clash of convictions, occurred in that moment.
The next moment, both withdrew their gazes.
"Very good... You have found your Order."
The elven lady revealed a faint smile, impossible to tell if it was from joy or relief: "We are glad to see, Radcliffe, that you have finally achieved 'Purity'."
"Purity?"
Joshua rubbed his temples. He found the term strange and asked in a low voice: "Your Majesty Yue Ai, I'm not surprised you use that word to describe me, but using 'achieved' with 'purity' is a bit grammatically awkward."
Could a deity be grammatically awkward? Perhaps. But even so, behind this awkward phrasing, there must be a logical depth.
Joshua waited for her explanation.
Yue Ai looked around at the ordinary people frozen by her divine power, then chuckled softly: "Radcliffe, the erosion of Chaos comes from all directions. Material erosion can be resisted with strength, like using a dam to block a flood. But mental erosion can only be countered by ensuring one's convictions remain unextinguished, serving as a shining lighthouse to guide one's will and actions even under Chaos's assault."
"Pure conviction, relative logic, the ceaselessly turning wheel of Order... Maintain a pure and flawless core of belief, arm yourself with unbreakable logic, and cleanse yourself with the self-sustaining cycle of Order's rules. If you possess these three forms of mental 'completeness', then even the erosion of an Evil God is nothing more than a gentle breeze against your face."
The God of Love and Decay looked at Iger, a hint of a smile on her lips: "You are the holder of Order."
Then, she looked at Joshua: "And you are the man of Purity."
Compared to the old Pope, who stroked his beard as if he had heard this many times before, Joshua couldn't help but frown. He looked at Yue Ai and asked in a deep voice: "Your Majesty... are you also looking for a successor?"
Just like His Majesty Xing Zheng, that deity who knew his end was approaching.
Years ago, Joshua had exchanged words with the God of Might and Justice. Back then, he learned that gods were not eternal; they too could fall and perish. Like mortals, they also needed to find successors.
At that time, Xing Zheng, who seemed to have expectations for him, had asked a question similar to Yue Ai's. Both deities, equally detached and observing the cycle of reincarnation, had hoped he would hold his own Order.
So now, encountering the God of Love and Decay, Joshua couldn't help but think of that scene and ask.
On the other side, Yue Ai understood the implication behind Joshua's words and couldn't help but laugh softly.
Unlike the stern and stubborn God of Might, and unlike the expressionless, indifferent God of Love she had encountered in the void before, this Yue Ai loved to laugh and did not mind expressing her joy. In response to Joshua's question, she shook her head and answered softly: "Of course not. Xing Zheng found a successor for his wish, so that fellow got tired and wanted to pass the burden. But I haven't fulfilled my own wish yet, so I won't be looking for a successor so easily."
"Besides, even if I were looking, it wouldn't be you or Iger."
Saying this, Yue Ai looked at each of them in turn, shaking her head: "You are too strong, just like Iger."
"Unlike Israel, who feels he has reached his limit, your power is such that we are reluctant to let you become gods."