TGS - Chapter 151

Chapter 151: Hypothesis

The next day, the Sanur army stationed opposite Seaton City withdrew.

They had probably received news of King Hamonge's death in battle. This army, which was not particularly large, left in quite a hurry.

Most of their military equipment and supplies had already been burned in the Solancian light cavalry's night raid. When they retreated, they only took a small amount of equipment with them. The damaged tents and dummy frames used for bluffing were abandoned on the hill, creating a particularly desolate scene.

The garrison was in a hurry to return, perhaps not unrelated to the Sanur King's sons. With Hamonge dead, those young princes would inevitably fight for precedence and status to give the newly unified kingdom a leader.

The Sanur tribes had not been unified for long. If a result wasn't produced quickly, the tribes would likely revert to their previous fragmented state, which was undoubtedly a good thing for Solancia.

During this time, after receiving a message from Adia's incarnation, the God of the Sky paid a visit.

En was a god with little enthusiasm for gossip. Although he would listen attentively and take note when the other deities were chatting animatedly, it was impossible for him to initiate gossip himself.

Therefore, the scene Adia had been anticipating did not occur.

The Goddess of Love did not get to see En repeat her mistake, nor did she see his surprise upon learning that Alyuin could perceive spiritual bodies. As a long-existing deity, En reacted to the Princess's greeting with great composure.

In fact, the God of the Sky didn't think it was a big deal at all.

The human princess couldn't perceive spiritual bodies before, but she could now. This was surely Lotus's doing. The River Goddess would naturally know what she was doing, so what was there for him to worry about?

What truly made En treat the matter with gravity was the seemingly inconspicuous wooden box.

As soon as he saw the wooden box, En concluded, "This is Perseus's. Adia told me you got it from a Kasnian."

Lotus nodded. "He was traveling with the Sanur army. He didn't look much like a soldier; his role was probably closer to that of an envoy or a staff advisor."

After a pause, Lotus added, "Before this, the Sanur army was secretly crossing the mountain forests. The divine power used to sense the enemy's presence didn't work. They weren't even in my field of vision."

"I suspect these anomalies were all because of the Goddess of the Mind's box."

En pondered for a moment, then said, "This is indeed within Perseus's domain of power."

"She can achieve this much without even being here herself?" Lotus frowned.

"Concealing the perception of a god of the same level sounds incredible, but it doesn't actually require much power," said the God of the Sky. "After all, the target she wanted to hide was just humans."

No matter how numerous humans were, they posed no threat to a god.

But the Sanur cavalry sneaking through the Xitings Mountains would threaten the Solancian soldiers, who were also human. The Goddess of the Mind's power couldn't conceal their existence from the Solancians, so the concealment automatically failed, and by extension, Lotus was no longer affected either.

The Goddess of the Mind, Perseus.

The full name of her divine office was precisely Mind and Soul—the "mind" here didn't just refer to its worldly meaning of inner feelings and emotions, but also included perception.

Lotus sighed. "So, this box was meant to prevent gods from observing the Sanur army sneaking across, lest we inform the Solancian defenders so they could prepare in advance?"

Adia wagged her finger and corrected, "Actually, it was only for you."

Lotus: "Hm?"

"The box was just to guard against you, because the other gods wouldn't interfere. They wouldn't scout for humans, or even think of doing so—regardless of whether it's due to rule restrictions." Adia smiled. "If you ask me, humans can worry about their own battles. Our opponents are just those two pantheons."

En nodded. "Conventionally, that is indeed the case. Perseus understands you, which is probably why she had the Kasnian bring the box."

A muscle twitched between Lotus's brows.

She had yet to meet the Goddess of the Mind's true form, but she had already heard more than once that the other party understood her... This was not a pleasant feeling.

"So, should we still open the box?"

The three deities looked at each other and, for once, spoke in unison: "Open it."

Lotus was the first to deploy her God Power Field.

Without the stone platform of the Kingdom of the Gods, the divine powers of different deities couldn't seem to merge into a whole, and could only be layered one over another.

Adia, who like the Kasnian Goddess of the Mind was a non-natural deity, was on the innermost layer. The second layer was Lotus, and En served as the final line of defense. This arrangement could be described as extremely cautious.

—This was Lotus's suggestion. The Goddess of Love found it amusing, and the God of the Sky was easygoing, so they quickly reached an agreement, resulting in the current three-layered "field."

If Perseus had the ability to release something dangerous enough to break through the barrier of three deities, she wouldn't have to wait idly outside Solancia's barrier; she would have come in and wreaked havoc long ago.

With all preparations complete, Lotus used her fingertip to flick open the latch of the wooden box and slowly opened it.

In truth, Lotus was prepared for anything to jump out of the box. She had even considered the possibility that the box was actually empty—a trick by the Goddess of the Mind to fool them—and she guaranteed she could remain expressionless and as still as a mountain in such a scenario.

As the lid was lifted, the contents were revealed before their eyes.

It was a mass of flowing smoke.

It didn't shoot out and dissipate as they might have imagined, but simply lay peacefully at the bottom of the box, appearing completely harmless.

The smoke seemed to be a gas, but its base was like a viscous gel. The transition between gas and gel was natural, as if they were meant to be together.

Lotus tried shaking the box, but the mass of smoke didn't react at all.

Lotus: "It seems to be just a portion of divine power."

En: "Nothing abnormal."

Adia: "This thing can conceal a god's perception, and the Sanur humans were being so sneaky. Maybe Perseus never expected it to be discovered?"

Lotus frowned, instinctively feeling it wouldn't be that simple.

But she couldn't pinpoint what was strange. Her train of thought seemed to be disturbed by the wisps of smoke, becoming hazy and blurred.

"What do you plan to do with it?" En asked.

Lotus: "Destroy it, or close it again and seal it with divine power."

The former would eliminate future trouble, while the latter would allow for further observation. Both were cautious choices.

Lotus should have chosen between the two, but Alyuin, who had been observing from the side, suddenly suggested, "How about throwing it away?"

Lotus: "...Throw it away?"

At that moment, the three gods and one human were all in the room next to Alyuin's, one that had been specially tidied up but remained unoccupied.

While the deities discussed the box, Alyuin simply sat by the window listening, a pen in her hand as she reviewed official documents, multitasking without issue.

When Lotus proposed the options of destroying or keeping it, Alyuin had just placed a document on the pile of those already reviewed.

Hearing this, she twirled the feather quill in her fingers and made her suggestion.

It was just the content of the suggestion...

Throw it away?

Wasn't that a bit too casual?

Even the God of the Sky couldn't help but look over.

Alyuin said unhurriedly, "Have someone throw it in Sanur territory. If you're worried, have them dig a hole and bury it. If this thing is dangerous, it will harm the Sanur. If it's safe, then it doesn't matter where it is, does it?"

Besides, if the box's only function was to conceal a god's perception, then if it were thrown into the wilderness, only the Goddess of the Mind herself would be able to find it.

Alyuin lowered her head slightly, the shadow cast by her bangs hiding her eyes and concealing a dark train of thought.

—Perseus. Just hearing the name was displeasing.

In the center of the room, the three gods conferred and realized this was actually a viable plan.

So, who would deliver it?

Alyuin: "Rest assured, I have someone in mind."

It was brought into Solancian territory by a human, so it should be taken out by a human.

That day, one of the Princess's personal guards received a special mission.

The mission's requirements were strange. She needed to bypass the Sanur-occupied city of Digebia, cross the border, and go as far as she could while ensuring her safety and remaining hidden, and then—

—then bury a wooden box in the ground.

There were even detailed instructions on how to bury it: the box had to be opened, placed face down, and preferably with a rock placed on top of it.

This guard had recently distinguished herself by sneaking into the Sanur camp to set fire to their military equipment. She was highly skilled at moving stealthily without attracting attention.

She had undertaken many strange missions, but if asked which was the most baffling and confusing, it would have to be this one.

But no matter what, Her Highness must have her reasons. This mission was surely of great importance!

The guard accepted the order and set off with solemnity.

Meanwhile, Lotus and En were talking privately.

The God of the Sky: "What do you want to ask?"

Lotus: "About 【Spacetime】..."

She had barely started when the God of the Sky realized, "Oh, you want to ask about that."

He waved his short, stubby hand. "But, didn't you grasp this part of knowledge when you stabilized your divine position?"

Lotus shook her head.

En said thoughtfully, "Alright, since you know about 【Spacetime】, you must have also noticed the other two concepts... 【Destiny】 and 【The World】."

Lotus: "Are they rules?"

"Rules are probably a part of them; that's Nierde's guess," En said. "They have no consciousness. If we gods are the manifestation of human civilization's will, then they are the crystallization of natural concepts."

"Humans have consciousness, while nature is unconscious. It's only natural that the results are different."

The silhouette she saw during her slumber had actively prophesied and urged her to wake up and return to the modern era. That didn't seem unconscious at all.

Lotus thought to herself.

But En didn't seem to know more. His understanding of these natural concepts came only from the innate knowledge of a deity, meaning he had never truly seen them.

Lotus sighed inwardly and changed the subject.

Compared to the ethereal 【Spacetime】, this next topic was what she was most concerned about at the moment.

"—A human god?"

En's childlike, infant voice couldn't help but rise in astonishment.

Lotus pressed her lips together, her tone carrying a rare, hard emphasis as she repeated, "I want to make Alyuin a human god."

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