Fate and luck

After leaving the bounds of Proeon, Nairmis began using the Bottle of Life in earnest.

He poured divine power into the bottle, guiding the blue wisps out through its mouth. Wherever they passed, scorched earth was renewed, fresh shoots sprouted from the roots of withered grass, and clear water began seeping into streams that had been baked dry.

But the process was painfully slow. Each time he scattered the breath of life, it consumed a sizable portion of his divine power. After traveling a short distance, he had to stop and sit on a rock to recover.

At that moment, he sat on a large rock beside the road. The flame floating at his side burned quietly, illuminating his somewhat weary face.

The Bottle of Life rested on his knees, giving off a soft but faint glow.

He had indeed gained considerable insight into the fundamental laws of healing from it, allowing his Healing Divinity to grow slowly at every moment.

The problem was that his divine power was not at a high enough level. Using this divine artifact born alongside the Mother Earth placed too great a burden on him. Its power was immense, and it was not something someone of his level could use freely.

When Gaia used the Bottle of Life, its blue breath was dense, restoring all things to life the instant it fell upon the earth. When he used it, all he produced was a thin layer of mist.

A classic case of buyer photos versus seller photos.

Forget the legendary water of life-he could not even make the bottle produce a single drop of liquid essence.

So scattering it while flying was out of the question, too.

At this rate, who knew how long it would take to heal all the land burned that night?

Nairmis frowned. He was still too weak. He needed to find a way to improve his efficiency.

Raising the level of his divine power was clearly unrealistic. He had only just advanced to a Second-Class God, and another breakthrough was impossible in the short term. He could only find some other means to help spread it.

As he was thinking with his eyes closed, his Emotion Divinity stirred.

An intense wave of emotion directed at him surged in from the edge of his perception. It was joy, and it belonged to a powerful deity.

More importantly, however, he could now sense the direction it came from.

Nairmis instinctively extended his perception in that direction, and he saw them.

Two figures were flying swiftly through the night sky. The one in front radiated intense joy, while the one behind carried curiosity and nervousness.

He recognized the presence in front. It was Metis. Nairmis opened his eyes, somewhat surprised.

Why had the Goddess of Wisdom come?

Nairmis jumped down from the rock. A moment later, the two figures descended from the night sky and landed before him.

"Your Highness Nairmis, I finally found you!"

Metis called out and hurried forward a few steps, her gaze urgently searching his face. Only after confirming that he was indeed safe and sound did she let out a long sigh of relief.

"It's wonderful that you're all right! Your Highness proclaimed yourself the God of Fire amid the flames unleashed by the God-King, then stood against him and extinguished the fires across the entire world, saving it. Your good name has already spread throughout the divine realm!"

The corner of Nairmis's mouth twitched. He forced a smile, but inwardly, he was already cursing.

Who was running their big mouth, spreading this nonsense everywhere? He had only just played the utterly devoted lackey in front of Uranus today, and now word was already spreading of the God of Fire's heroic stand against the God-King to save the world.

If that reached the tyrant's ears and he thought Nairmis was winning hearts and building a power base, wouldn't his whole loyal prophet persona collapse on the spot?

But on second thought, he felt a little more at ease.

Ugh, what nonsense was he thinking?

From what he knew of Uranus, that tyrant had never believed in so-called reputation or popular sentiment.

In his eyes, only genuine power posed a threat. Nairmis's meager divine power was a hundred thousand miles from being a threat to Uranus.

Still, he had to be careful. He could not leave anything for others to use against him.

"I don't deserve such praise," Nairmis said, lowering his head slightly in modesty and waving a hand.

"Everyone is far too kind. I only did a little of what was my duty. Those who truly deserve to be remembered are the living beings who lost their lives in the fire. My flames caused this disaster. What I did was merely a small attempt to make amends."

As he spoke, his gaze was sincere and his expression guilt-stricken. Watching him, Metis's eyes grew even gentler.

The goddess standing behind her, meanwhile, was staring at Nairmis with wide eyes.

She was a young goddess with a slender figure, dressed in a short robe of interwoven sea blue and white, its cuffs and hem adorned with tiny shells and pearls.

Her features were delicate and radiant, and she had a quality that lifted people's spirits at the very sight of her. However one looked at her, she was pleasing to the eye.

Her pale golden hair was loosely woven into a side braid, which swayed gently as she tilted her head.

At that moment, she was studying Nairmis with wonder in her eyes. Tyche felt her heart skip a beat.

She had seen countless beautiful deities in the ocean. Every one of her fellow Oceanids took pride in her beauty, and the young men of the sea mostly had handsome features and tall, straight figures.

Yet not one could compare to the deity before her. Those crude, ugly creatures of the deep sea were not even worth mentioning, but before His Highness, they would probably feel ashamed of their looks as well. He was captivatingly beautiful.

Nairmis's gaze fell on her as well. He could sense the low-level fluctuations of divine power within her, and she carried a strong oceanic aura. She was probably one of the Oceanids.

But what truly caught his attention was something else. The Fate Divinity within him stirred faintly.

Since its birth, the Fate Divinity had rarely reacted to anything. Now, however, it trembled slightly, sending something vague but akin to longing in Tyche's direction.

Only then did Metis realize that she had indeed lost her composure earlier. She gave a light cough and regained her usual poise.

"My apologies, Your Highness. I forgot to introduce her. This is my younger sister, the Oceanid Tyche. She guides living beings who lose their way at sea and grants them good luck."

Tyche stepped forward and offered a slight bow. She raised her head, her eyes reflecting Nairmis and the dancing flame beside him, her voice soft and pleasant.

Something stirred faintly in Nairmis's heart, and the Fate Divinity within him pulsed once more.