A conversation

Neph chose not to lump Amon in with the betrayers, but she still felt it necessary to warn them of the danger he posed.

Hmm, to be safe, I can't leave them the True Creator's honorific name before I go... The True Creator probably doesn't have the energy to spare to protect them right now. An entire city converting would be far too conspicuous, and Amon could easily slip in... Besides, if I really started preaching here, getting out of the Forsaken Land of the Gods would probably become difficult...

Ha, another option would be to convince Amon to accept the True Creator.

That was obviously impossible. Neph looked at Nim. Moon City's High Priest nodded, then asked:

"You said just now that those betrayers divided and devoured the Lord's flesh and blood. Then the Lord now...?"

Nim looked at Neph, who weighed her words before answering:

"The betrayers divided and devoured the Lord's flesh and blood, gaining enormous benefits, usurping some of the Lord's authority, and seizing the opportunity to become gods...

"The Lord re-formed amid anger, pain, and various other negative emotions. As He is now, He's probably something like an evil spirit? Of course, that isn't an exact equivalence. I'm only giving an example.

"And this land... This land was caught in the divine war back then, and was also polluted by the Lord's negative emotions. Depravity, bloodshed, darkness, decay, slaughter, filth, and shadows flowed across and engulfed this land, creating everything you see today.

"As for the Lord, because His authority was lost and scattered, He cannot actually hear your prayers. Without the support of anchors, the Lord struggles to remain lucid...

"Most of the Kings of Angels who followed the Lord back then either did not or could not remain by His side, for various reasons. Some even maliciously target His current believers, such as that Angel of Time you know of..."

"..." Nim said nothing for a long time. He watched Neph quietly, while she stood there at a loss.

Neither of them moved or spoke until a sound rang out again:

"Ticktock."

"...Did you hear the clock?" Neph swallowed with difficulty.

Nim nodded, but there was no longer any confusion in his expression. In a reassuring tone, he said:

"You needn't worry. Although that clock was a gift from the Angel of Time, it has never shown any abnormalities in all its years in Moon City..."

Yes, and just now, it showed an abnormality for the very first time. Some thief tried to steal my memories through it... Neph gave a polite smile.

Nim had the sense not to say more about it, and instead asked, "Are those betrayers still active outside this cursed land?"

"Very active." Neph nodded. "There are seven recognized orthodox gods outside this land. Three of them are the betrayers who divided and devoured the Lord's flesh and blood back then."

Nim's gaze suddenly deepened. In a calm voice, he asked, "May I know what these gods are called in the outside world?"

There was nothing she couldn't reveal about that, so Neph nodded and readily told him of the Eternal Blazing Sun, the Lord of Storms, and the God of Knowledge and Wisdom. However, she did not go further into their history, nor did she explain which three Kings of Angels They had once been.

Nim did not ask, either. Instead, he brought up another matter. "I would like to know the Lord's current honorific name."

"No." Neph answered without a second thought.

Faced with such a firm, decisive answer, Nim watched Neph quietly without saying a word. She had no choice but to explain:

"...It isn't that the Lord hasn't tried. In fact, in the outside world, Lord Ouroboros, who still remains by the Lord's side, has been spreading His teachings, drawing more people into His embrace and helping Him maintain His sanity.

"And once the Lord's believers in the outside world advance to become demigods, they attempt to cross the blockade and enter this cursed land to spread His faith here.

"However, Amon targets every city that converts to the Lord as He is now, without exception. As soon as a city converts, He steals its lights and lets it perish in the darkness..."

These words were a mixture of truth and falsehood. It was hard to say whether Ouroboros actively preached. Based on the original novel, Neph always felt that he was probably holed up somewhere painting. Still, the members of the Aurora Order were indeed working hard to spread the faith, and even if he stopped paying much attention to it later, surely Ouroboros had overseen things when the order was first founded...?

It was also true that the Aurora Order's demigods would find ways to enter the Forsaken Land of the Gods. Leomaster, the Saint of Darkness, was one example, and Jack, the little boy discovered by the City of Silver, had also been brought in that way. There was even a "Foul-Tongued Angel," Steph, within the Forsaken Land of the Gods. But Neph did not actually know what they had come in to do-the more official explanation was that they had come on a pilgrimage.

As for Amon stealing the lights, that was completely true.

Neph looked at Nim and continued to elaborate:

"The Lord currently has little energy to spare for watching over His believers, while Amon is a god who acts without restraint and is sinister and deceitful. Leaving you the Lord's honorific name would only bring danger upon you.

"However, the Lord hasn't abandoned you... My arrival is one of His attempts."

"I recall you saying that you haven't come to take us away this time." Nim studied her thoughtfully.

"Yes." Neph nodded. "That requires a great deal of preliminary work, and I'm making the necessary preparations."

Nim nodded, then asked, "Is there anything we can do to help?"

"Uh..." Neph blinked. "If I need anything, I'll let you know."

She paused. Thinking that they had already spoken openly about most things, she couldn't help asking Nim another question:

"Um, High Priest...

"Have you examined my dreams? As I recall, Beyonders of your pathway should place more trust in people as they appear in dreams."

Nim shook his head and said:

"For an existence such as yourself, the ability to remain lucid in dreams is not uncommon. I did not examine your dreams at first for two reasons. First, the object you held against your chest felt extremely dangerous. Second..."

He paused before explaining to Neph with a frown:

"We can touch you, and forces on the physical side can affect you. But forces on the mystical side, such as those involving the mind, dreams, fate, and similar domains, cannot affect you at all. Moreover, when we used our spirituality, we sensed an extremely dangerous chill. Had we not severed the connection in time, I fear..."

He said no more, his expression grave. Neph raised her eyebrows slightly, and the corners of her lips lifted.

Absolute defense against the mystical side...? Interesting... Hmm, it seems I don't need to be too afraid of Amon... No, wait, with a mythical creature's

physical capabilities, He could just kill me with a single punch...