TGS - Chapter 133
Chapter 133: Deterrence
The silver mermaid was suspended amidst the river's waves, her head tilted up toward the barrier, her tail swishing gently and unconsciously.
The giant fish that usually dwelt deep at the bottom of the river surfaced, circling the mermaid joyfully.
In mythology, the silver mermaid was the guide for these mysterious fish. Although in reality, the giant fish completed their migration without needing a guide, this didn't stop them from gathering around enthusiastically, just like their kin who lived at the bottom of Jadaar Lake.
Lotus absentmindedly rested her hand on the giant fish's head, tapping her knuckles lightly as she pondered how to inform the other main gods that she had arrived at the border.
The usual methods were, of course, out of the question. Whether she sent a message via divine power or dispatched a messenger, both would attract the attention of the other two pantheons.
Taking on her human form with black hair and blue eyes was even more out of the question. Although her own main gods recognized this appearance, the Goddess of the Mind on the opposing side recognized it too.
From Alyuin, Lotus had learned that the Goddess of the Mind's shadow was connected to the Perfumer.
And after hearing what Asilu had said to the Princess before her fall, she was almost certain that the Goddess of the Mind, if not fully aware of her recent condition, had surely guessed most of the truth.
The Perfumer had released Tarsha, who could control poisonous snakes, to attack the Princess in the northern city of Senna. Afterward, Alyuin returned safely while Lotus was nowhere to be seen. Asilu had witnessed all of this.
The pantheons of every civilization differed in various aspects, but the one rule—that they could not arbitrarily interfere in the mortal world—existed equally for all.
Based on this, the Goddess of the Mind could easily deduce that Lotus had suffered a backlash for interfering with the Princess's life and death, and would thus be unable to appear in the divine war.
The Goddess of the Mind's reasoning was sound—in fact, if Lotus hadn't woken from her slumber early, that would indeed have been the situation.
However, since Lotus was now perfectly fine, how could she pass up the opportunity this information gap provided?
It was best to let the other side think the Goddess of the Yilu River was still slumbering.
As for passing on the message…
Lotus thought for a moment, then turned her gaze to the sparse grass by the riverbank. A wild rabbit was poking its head out of a burrow, frozen in place as if nervous yet unwilling to flee, its long ears twitching.
The main gods of the Solancian pantheon could all be respectfully called "runaway Disney princesses" by later generations.
Not only did their messengers obey their summons, but their affinity for other animals was not to be underestimated. Take the golden eagle sisters, for example, who vied for their affection; they weren't nearly as affectionate even toward their true master, Alyuin.
And now, this white rabbit, after watching from its hiding spot for a while, was finally enchanted and began to cautiously approach Lotus.
On the other side of the divine power barrier, the pantheons were in a standoff.
The trash-talking portion of the confrontation was over. Of course, only three gods had participated.
They were…
The Sanur Vulture God: "Just wait to be torn to shreds by us, Solancian gods—"
The Kasnie Beast God: "Only shattered godhoods can serve as a mark of victory! I will carve out your godhoods and drain your divine blood. Remember to scream a little louder when the time comes!"
The Solancian Sun God, Suriel: "Quite confident, aren't you? Then let's just see whether you can successfully unleash your beastly claws and beaks, or if my solar flames will burn you to ashes!"
One from each pantheon—a perfect balance, monopolizing the entire conversation.
In comparison, the Sky God's courteous reply of "We shall wait and see" was so gentle and harmless it hardly even qualified as a taunt.
At this time, the vast majority of gods remained silent, hiding their contemplative scrutiny behind various expressions as they observed and assessed the situation.
Before a divine war broke out, the various pantheons usually kept to themselves. If they happened to meet while wandering about, whether they fought or chatted depended entirely on their mood.
The probability of such an encounter was also extremely small, so they knew little about one another.
Anmila was the prime example of this; she didn't recognize a single one of the gods in the opposing group.
All she could do was put on her usual aloof and cold aura to intimidate the other gods. She listened to her brother's frantic tirade without a word, but in truth, her consciousness had long since drifted elsewhere.
Suddenly, a moving figure below the walls of Digebia City caught the Moon Goddess's attention.
It was a… wild rabbit?
On the city walls, the Sanur Tribe was sacrificing prisoners of war. Blood streamed down the wall, leaving winding, mottled stains, and collected in a small puddle at its base.
Beside the pool of blood, a wild rabbit that had appeared from who-knows-where was wandering about helplessly, hopping back and forth as if scared stiff.
Anmila blinked.
"Adia," she sent via divine message, "is that your rabbit?"
The Goddess of Love, under the guise of brushing back her hair, glanced over inconspicuously and spotted the rabbit.
Adia paused.
…Since when did she have such a brave white rabbit in her service?
However, after a moment's thought, the Goddess of Love understood. "It must be Lotus. She's arrived and is using this method to alert me."
The divine message was limited to the main Solancian gods. Upon hearing it, the Sky God said seriously, "Lotus arrived so quickly. Perhaps she made a discovery in Akhet. Let's go take a look."
The God of Wisdom agreed. "Let's go. There's no point in staying here anyway."
The Sun God stared at the Vulture God opposite him, who had spread his feathers, his eyes burning with a sun-like fighting spirit. "I haven't crushed their arrogant spirit yet!"
The Goddess of Love said, "You're at a disadvantage, one against two."
The Sun God replied, "No, I was about to win the argument—"
Suojia smiled gently and kindly. "Then we'll go on ahead. You can stay here and keep arguing, how does that sound?"
The Sun God: "..."
He weighed the pros and cons, seemed to detect a subtle killing intent in the Earth Goddess's eyes, glanced at her basket full of small cookies, and wisely conceded, "I'm going."
Just as they had arrived, the main Solancian gods departed together matter-of-factly. Only En remembered to turn back and bid farewell.
The Wolf God was confused. The Wolf God was wary. The Wolf God raised his claws, preparing to defend against a possible attack.
But nothing happened. The Solancian pantheon on the other side departed extremely quickly, vanishing without a trace in less than a breath.
The Wolf God was left defending against nothing. "What on earth did they come here for?"
The God of Mountains and Rivers reached up to adjust his mountain-shaped crown, his tone tinged with complexity. "Perhaps they just came to take a look."
"It doesn't matter. They're all going to be torn to shreds anyway."
The Vulture God grumbled, his strange excitement slightly diminished.
The sacrifice to him on the city wall had ended. The one now receiving offerings was the Sheep God.
However, the Sheep God showed no particular emotion, remaining as timid and cowardly as ever, like a real sheep surrounded by beasts.
The Vulture God had just finished speaking when, from among the Kasnie pantheon, the Goddess of the Mind cast a meaningful gaze in his direction.
"In front of the Solancian pantheon, it's fine to say a few impolite things to boost morale. But here, I hope you will maintain the necessary caution and not underestimate your enemy."
The Beast God, who had been chiming in with the Vulture God just a moment ago, snorted but did not object.
The Sanur Wolf God retorted, "The Solancian gods are strong, I know that. But are they so strong that two pantheons allied against them must be this cautious?"
In front of the Solancian pantheon, the new Sanur God-King was blunt and reckless, only a slight improvement over the Vulture God.
But now, he reined in his emotions. His narrowed wolf eyes held the alertness and cunning of a wild beast, like a wolf king leading his pack in search of prey.
The Goddess of the Mind sighed softly. "It is regrettable, but that is the truth."
The Wolf God: "What do you know?"
The Goddess of the Mind shifted her gaze slightly. If one were to look down from a higher vantage point, they would be able to follow her line of sight to Kadera, not far from Digebia City.
"I experienced the chaotic wars between human city-states thousands of years ago. I witnessed Solancia's annexation of Gaibola hundreds of years ago."
"And now, all those city-states belong under the name of Solancia... The former royal capital of Gaibola has also been incorporated into Solancia's territory, renamed Surinia, where the people worship Solancia's Sun God."
The Wolf God said nothing. Thousands of years ago, the Sanur were still eating raw meat and drinking blood, and these Sanur gods hadn't even appeared yet.
And a few hundred years ago, there were a dozen or so tribes on the grasslands, all fighting amongst themselves. His opponents were the beast-headed gods of other tribes; he had no mind to pay attention to neighboring Solancia.
Everything the Kasnie Goddess of the Mind spoke of, he had indeed never witnessed.
Perseus maintained her perfect smile.
"Now, do you understand?"
The Solancian pantheon might have had many reasons for their visit, but launching a preemptive strike at this moment was not one of them.
Because there was no need.
Just as the two pantheons had sensed, their very presence here was the best form of deterrence.
The Wolf God nodded with apprehension, then paused, annoyed. "That's not what you Kasnie gods said at the beginning. Why are you only now saying we might not win? Are you trying to fool a wolf?"
The Goddess of the Mind said leisurely, "How could that be? Of course, we are completely confident."
"Relying on humans? Although our grassland warriors are better fighters than the Solancians, if something goes wrong in the divine war—"
"You need not worry about that."
"We have something Solancia does not. That alone is enough."
The Wolf God deliberately feigned curiosity, but Perseus said no more, her smiling expression remaining perfectly still.
How long does it take for a god to heal the wounds from violating the rules?
Several decades, at the very least.
By then, everything would be set in stone.
Outside the barrier, the two pantheons also dispersed.
And inside the barrier, Lotus—or to be precise, Lotus's silver mermaid incarnation—was suffering the fate of being surrounded and gawked at by the gods.
"So this is a mermaid," the Moon Goddess mused.
"She's a little different from what I imagined." Suojia looked from side to side, her expression kind but disappointed. "I thought she would be plumper. But then again, giant fish aren't a very plump species... En, would you like some sweet fish offal?"
Seeing the serious-faced infant about to speak, Lotus quickly interrupted, pulling the Dream Succubus out of the river with one hand.
The main gods: "..."
The Sun God: "Whoa."
Lotus kept it brief, summarizing how she had captured the Dream Succubus in Akhet while omitting the more personal details.
"This is what I've learned. I think we can ask her for more details," Lotus said, looking at the Dream Succubus.
En: "Emute."
The Death God replied in a somber tone, "Very well."
He raised his hand, and grayish-black divine power surged from his fingertips. Amidst the chorus of the Ravens, it formed a tent-like field that blocked all divine auras.
Lotus understood and released the divine restraints.
As if the resin encasing a bird had melted in an instant, the restraints turned back into a gentle, clear stream of water and merged with the Yilu River.
The Dream Succubus's eyes began to move.
Soon, they froze again.
Astonishment, horror, and fear were written plainly in her wide-open eyes.
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