Light and Darkness

The chapter, Light and Darkness

Weibar's eyes widened. Even the beautiful woman, who had been resting with her eyes closed, opened them and turned her probing gaze toward Lincoln. Paragons could meet Chief Gods without bowing, because many Chief Gods themselves had not reached Paragon and greatly admired them. Moreover, as invincible High-Gods, Paragons could do things even some Chief Gods could not, so Chief Gods treated them with due respect. But saying, "It's no longer appropriate for me to kneel," was enough to make a Chief God attack.

What's more, the beautiful woman knew full well that her Chief God Envoy, Lincoln, who seemed to be a Paragon, was not truly one. He had only come close to Paragon through Law Fusion, and his Sovereign Artifact-grade body, together with his Soul Defense Sovereign Artifact, gave him the confidence to stand against a Paragon.

Before Weibar could say anything, Lincoln continued, "I came today to thank you for your help on several occasions, Chief Sovereign, and to return the Main God Token and Sovereign Artifact. I've become a Chief God myself, so it's no longer appropriate for me to serve as your Chief God Envoy!" As he spoke, Lincoln took the green Main God Token from his spatial ring and held it out to the beautiful woman with both hands.

Weibar drew a deep breath. The beautiful woman rose, studying Lincoln with solemn attention. She did not doubt his words; no one dared lie to her about something like this. "Are you a Darkness Element Chief God, or a Thunder Element Chief God?"

"Darkness Element, Lady Chief Sovereign," Lincoln replied. He wasn't surprised that the Life Sovereign knew there was an unclaimed Sovereign Spark.

At a glance from the beautiful woman, the still astonished Weibar understood and left.

The beautiful woman took the token and smiled. "Since you're a Chief God now, you naturally needn't kneel. My name is Vivian. From now on, you can call me Lady Vivian, or continue addressing me as Lady Chief Sovereign."

"Yes, Lady Vivian!" Lincoln smiled, too. Though he had known for a long time that the Life Sovereign was called Vivian, he had never addressed her that way. She was a Paragon High-Level Chief God, and she wielded an attack Supreme Artifact suited to her element—one strike could obliterate his Chief God clone.

"Then, Lincoln," the Life Sovereign said, her gaze turning stern, "can you tell me when my Chief God Envoy got mixed up with Augusta—and even got a Sovereign Spark from him?"

Lincoln was dumbfounded. What did that have to do with anything? "Augusta?"

"Augusta, the Chief Sovereign of Light. He's had this Darkness Element Sovereign Spark in his collection for many years. Are you going to deny that he gave it to you?" The Life Sovereign's voice sharpened.

"Lady Chief Sovereign, I've never had any contact with the Chief Sovereign of Light, directly or through anyone else. I found this Sovereign Spark in my home plane. No Chief God gave it to me!" Hearing the Life Sovereign's words, Lincoln immediately realized that the Fate Overgod must have teleported the Sovereign Spark from Augusta's possession. He hurried to explain. Of course, both that he had found the Sovereign Spark in a Material Plane and that no Chief God had given it to him were true.

Vivian frowned and closed her eyes in thought. "There's only one unclaimed Sovereign Spark of the Darkness Element. If what you say is true, then either Aridona has fallen, or Augusta made the elementary mistake of losing a Sovereign Spark."

A moment later, Vivian opened her eyes. "I've just spoken with Aridona. He hasn't fallen. Is the Spark you refined truly the Mid-level Darkness Sovereign Spark that Augusta possessed?"

Lincoln hadn't expected that the Darkness Element Intermediate Sovereign was also in the Life Divine Realm. Since Vivian kept questioning him, he simply swore an oath. "I, Lincoln, swear by the Overgod of Destruction that I found the Sovereign Spark I refined in a Material Plane, and that no Chief God had anything to do with my obtaining it. Otherwise, I willingly accept the punishment of destruction!"

Vivian's eyes showed a trace of surprise. Her voice softened. "Then you really are lucky. In this age, obtaining a Sovereign Spark is almost impossible. Though I don't know how this Darkness Element Intermediate Sovereign Spark ended up in a Material Plane, I should still congratulate you! Bring your Chief God clone to visit the Life Divine Realm sometime. Now that you're a Chief God, it isn't good to stay in a Material Plane all the time." She paused. "With me vouching for you, no one would dare do anything to you."

Lincoln understood that the Life Sovereign was reproaching him for showing too little respect. He had once been her Chief God Envoy, yet after becoming a Chief God, he had not visited her with his Chief God clone. She had simply chosen not to express her displeasure harshly. At the same time, she had reassured him: once Augusta discovered that Lincoln had become a Chief God, he would surely come looking for trouble.

Come to think of it, since becoming a Chief God Envoy, he had never carried out a Chief God's task. The Life Sovereign stood high above, one of the most revered among the Chief Gods, and rarely had anything that required her Envoy's attention. The Life Divine Realm also didn't take part in Plane Wars, so there was even less need for an Envoy. Though the Life Sovereign and Death Chief Sovereign were very close, there had been no Plane Wars for tens of millions of years, and he'd had no chance to fight. Instead, he had troubled the Life Sovereign several times. That was why she had been so quick to help when he came to see her. Lincoln had a very favorable impression of Vivian, and as long as his own fundamental interests weren't involved, he would certainly support the Life Sovereign unconditionally among the Chief Gods in the future.

"Please forgive me, Lady Chief Sovereign. After I refined the Sovereign Spark, the impact of Faith Power suddenly gave me a flash of inspiration, so I've been working hard to study it and hope to make further progress. You know I'm just one step away from becoming a Paragon." Lincoln said it without batting an eye. "Besides, I've been gathering Sovereign's Might. I've heard that creating a Divine Plane can help one gain insights and fuse the Laws' Profound Mysteries. I can't pass up such an opportunity. If I become a Paragon, my words will carry more weight when I speak up for you, won't they?"

Vivian smiled. "That is important work. You already have a Sovereign Artifact-grade body, so you're only slightly weaker than an ordinary Law Sovereign. If you truly become a Paragon, your strength and status will be second only to me and Hullei."

So the Thunder Sovereign already had two Chief God clones, Lincoln thought. An additional Low-Sovereign clone meant an additional share of Willpower, which made Hullei stronger than the other Law Sovereigns. As for whether any Intermediate Sovereigns were Paragons, Lincoln remembered that when Orf and Utrede sparred in the original story, only those with the strength of Chief Sovereigns had been invited to watch: the Life Sovereign, the Death Chief Sovereign, Linley, and the Seven-Element Law Sovereigns. No other Chief Gods had attended.

"Go ahead and tell me what you want me to help with. No more keeping me in suspense," Vivian said with a smile.

"You understand me so well, Lady Chief Sovereign. You know I've only just become a Chief God, so I don't have any Sovereign Artifacts yet. I'd also like to trade for Sovereign's Might of the other elements," Lincoln said with a smile. "Since I'm already asking you for one thing, I may as well ask you to take care of both. I'm not close to the other Chief Gods, after all."