Getting a Huge Win

"I said it wasn't enough!" Truman repeated. "This is also the Lord's will."

This might be his only chance to openly extort them. He had to seize it!

A faint light glimmered within the statue, gradually condensing into the shape of a slate. Yet a thick shadow still covered its surface.

This was the Ancient Sun God's response.

Omebella and Badheil both stiffened, sensing the True God's will.

"This is the 'Twilight Pathway,' certified by the Lord's power!" Truman held up the slate and looked at Omebella. "Let the shadow dissipate, and it will be yours."

"..." Omebella could no longer keep her composure. Her life force spilled out, and wheat and grass sprouted from the cracks in the church floor, turning it green.

Badheil was restless too. What he coveted was right before him, and Giants tended to simply take what they wanted...

But God was watching.

"...Fine! Bring it all out." In the end, Omebella relented and spoke to Badheil.

Badheil wanted to say something, but under Omebella's and God's watchful gazes, he could only produce the remaining Beyonder characteristics.

They were Mystical Items formed from characteristics corresponding to Saints and Sequence Two Angels.

The two highest-ranking ones were the Sequence Two "Duke of Entropy" from the "Black Emperor" Pathway and the Sequence Two "Master" from the "Paragon" Pathway.

Oh, this "Master" was what later generations called the "Knowledge Mentor."

These Mystical Items were nowhere near as valuable as the Scroll of Civilization, but there were a lot of them—more than ten in all!

That might mean over a dozen Saints and two Angels!

After all, even the Angels under the Sun God were still at Sequence Two.

"..." Truman fell silent. He even found himself wondering whether he could rob an Ancient God's treasury.

These Ancient Gods had ruled the world for so many years, and the characteristics they had accumulated must have been staggering. Even after consuming so many, they still had enough to rival half the True God churches of later generations!

As these Mystical Items appeared, the shadow on the illusory slate quickly receded, gradually revealing what lay beneath.

"Sequence One, Hand of God... Sequence Two, Glory-Seeker..." Badheil and Omebella both committed the knowledge to memory.

"One is still missing!" Badheil growled after reading the knowledge recorded for the Hand of God. "Where is the Sequence corresponding to God?!"

"A True God..." Truman wore a strange smile. "You'd better think carefully before deciding whether to look." As he spoke, he reached out to brush away the last wisp of mist.

"No need! That would be blasphemy!" Omebella stopped Truman, and Badheil as well.

She beckoned, and a beautiful flower emerged from the Spirit World, swallowing the illusory slate whole. Badheil's eyes widened. Even after dispelling the Light of Dawn, he could glimpse only half a short line on the slate.

"Main ingredients: three Hand of God characteristics..."

Badheil stared at the spot where the words had been. The beautiful flower had completely swallowed the illusory slate, then vanished into the Spirit World. It had most likely returned to the Giant King's Court.

The life force in Omebella's eyes grew heavier. She glanced at Badheil but said nothing, then turned to Truman, her gaze softening. "I hope we'll have more opportunities to work together."

In the end, Omebella and Badheil left the Kingdom of the Sun God and returned to the Giant King's Court.

"Knowledge really pays!" Knowledge was practically synonymous with power in this world, but windfalls like this were possible only when Potion Formulas were unique. Potion Formulas would be far cheaper in later generations.

Truman examined the various Mystical Items before him. They all came with severe side effects, but Angels could break them down and reassemble them without any consequences.

And the most important one, the "Scroll of Civilization," was a Uniqueness with a living quality. Under the Sun God's radiance, it had been completely unable to resist.

"Besides the Uniqueness, you may choose one of them," Sasrir's voice sounded in Truman's ear.

"Then I'll take a 'Master.'"

Truman didn't stand on ceremony. He took one of the "Master" characteristics, which was close in Sequence to the Robe of the Sage he already wore.

He planned to force the two characteristics together and create an even more powerful Robe of the Sage.

The Hermit is knowledge itself, while the Paragon is the application of knowledge... The new Robe of the Sage would surely allow him to master and apply knowledge.

Truman had already formed a rough plan. Then he saw Sasrir appear and take the Scroll of Civilization in hand.

"I know its side effect," Sasrir said. "It forcibly transforms everything in the region where it is located to match the future it has deduced. The affected area grows over time, until it spreads across the entire world."

In the process, both humans and supernatural species would lose all autonomy, becoming "cogs" in the workings of civilization. The process was irreversible.

"You managed to trade for a Uniqueness. How much did you gain in your dealings with the Ancient Gods this time?"

"Mostly Sequence Two characteristics. There are very few Sequence One characteristics left. An Ancient God who could resist the urge to consume them wouldn't be an Ancient God."

"There were two Uniquenesses: the Black Emperor's and this Scroll of Civilization."

Uniquenesses were ultimately different from Sequence One characteristics. For a normal Sequence One, consuming a Sequence One characteristic from the same Pathway could strengthen them.

But to accommodate a Uniqueness, one had to perform a simplified version of the Godhood Ritual. Otherwise, they would go mad.

"So that's five Paths of the Divine, then?" The gains were simply too great.

"More than that. God of Beauty Alnia also traded with me for the 'Moon' Pathway."

Sasrir looked at Lilith, who had stayed beside Truman the whole time but had barely made her presence felt.

She had been watching all along.

"She controls the last of my Sanguine's reserves." Lilith wasn't surprised.

"An Ancient God's treasury?" Truman suddenly thought of the three dead Ancient Gods.

There was no point wondering about the Annihilation Demonic Wolf's treasury. What good things would a Lunatic have? It had probably swallowed them all itself, and most of them were in the Goddess's hands now.

Lilith had made arrangements for that too.

But what about the King of Exotic Species?

"Tolz, the God of Spirits, came here," Sasrir said, as if he had seen through Truman's question.

And the God of Spirits was the King of Exotic Species' Subordinate God.

Damn... Truman thought regretfully. Back then, he had been busy grabbing the Ancient God's loot—no, the characteristics.

And the God of Spirits had clearly run off with the King of Exotic Species' other belongings.

He couldn't have both.

"By the way, I recall you have an Abomination characteristic on you," Sasrir said, remembering. "It will find you sooner or later."

"The God of Spirits?" If it was the person Truman remembered, it seemed to have a pretty miserable life. It had even had a child who wasn't very obedient...

"We'll talk about that later." Truman shook his head slightly and looked at Lilith. "What do you think?"

"It'll be difficult, but not impossible." Lilith shook her head slightly.

"Good." The main reason he had brought Lilith here this time was to let her see Omebella.