In the face of theology, the power of technology had always been inadequate.
It was the same as always.
Technology might be able to touch the realm of the gods, but it could only reach the realm of the lowest-dimensional gods.
The higher the gods climbed, the more entirely different the world became.
As for Lake.
Now that Lake's gaze had fallen upon them, technology was no longer enough—not even Midgardian technology. But the gods, especially the Fates of a single universe?
They had the means to accomplish it.
Lake had never dealt with the Fates, but that did not stop him from learning something about them from the Hungry Giant King and the ocean giant Nereus.
Urd symbolized the past.
Verdandi symbolized the present.
Skuld symbolized the future.
Urd had short hair, Verdandi had long hair, and Skuld wore her hair in braids. Together, they were known as the Fates, the three daughters of the time giant Norrvi who controlled the time and destiny of every living being in the World Tree Universe.
If they had been ordinary gods, Lake might still have been able to sense who had blocked his gaze.
But if it was the three of them...
There was no doubt.
If Lake had not looked carefully—very carefully—he really would have been deceived. After all, the Fates could shift between the past, present, and future.
When no one's gaze fell upon this place, it was the present.
But when Lake's gaze arrived, the flow of time here might have changed. Perhaps it had become the distant future, or perhaps the equally distant past.
In short...
Unless Lake looked carefully—very carefully—he could not see through it.
The three women listened to Lake and nodded as if they understood, but not quite.
Hill looked at the dense forest