Snow White

In terms of sheer numbers, Li Lin knows the most deities among the thirteen Arcane Mage. This is not only because he adheres strictly to the rules, but also because of Li Lin's immense power. Since the era of the Magic Empire, Li Lin has had relationships with numerous deities. Li Lin has helped them solve many problems that were difficult for the gods to handle, and in return, he has received substantial rewards. Of course, Li Lin doesn't care about the form of the rewards, which has led many gods to consider making money without any initial investment.

That's sex work.

Of course, gods cannot descend to the Prime Material Plane; their true forms cannot appear here. However, gods can still achieve the same goal through their Divine Chosen. Aside from those gods who value pride and loyalty, other gods don't mind using this method to complete transactions. After all, even gods have needs to resolve. Especially gods like the Goddess of Love, who promote the idea that as long as there is love, age, race, and gender are not obstacles, are naturally open to a consensual relationship with Arcane Mage.

Of course, for Li Lin, gender is still a significant issue.

It can be said that at that time, in the Upper Planes, about half, more than half, of the goddesses had had or had similar relationships with Li Lin. This is why the Goddess of Secrets immediately thought of that kind of thing when she received Li Lin's hint. And the goddess currently being worshipped in the Kingdom of Serei is a goddess, and unfortunately, she is a goddess who had a relationship with Li Lin.

The Goddess of Theft.

Li Lin had a real headache dealing with this goddess. Firstly, the Goddess of Theft was in charge of divine duties such as theft, deception, and concealment, and she naturally embodied these divine qualities as well. Moreover, this goddess was quite stingy. The reason she chose to pay in this way wasn't because she couldn't afford it, but because, in her opinion, it was more cost-effective.

Furthermore, as the Goddess of Theft, she would always steal something from the Arcane Mage whenever she left Li Lin's place. Although she was always quickly discovered, for this goddess, theft had become an integral part of her life, as essential and natural as drinking, eating, and sleeping. In addition, she was also in charge of lies and fraud, so getting the truth from her was no easier for Li Lin than getting it from the Lady of Secrets. Dealing with this goddess was one of Li Lin's most troublesome tasks, almost ranking among the top three.

Although somewhat surprised that the Goddess of Theft hadn't been defeated by the God of Justice, Li Lin thought about it carefully and came to terms with it. After all, the Goddess of Theft protected professions like swindlers and thieves, professions that, while not exactly respectable and considered enemies of justice and kindness, had never actually seen thieves and swindlers wielding weapons and charging confidently into battle like warriors. As the Goddess of Theft, her stealth skills were undoubtedly exceptional. However, Li Lin hadn't expected the Goddess of Theft to be so audacious, abandoning even her territory in the Upper Planes and fleeing directly to the Prime Material Plane to hide. Although it was equally dangerous for her, there's a saying...

The most dangerous place is the safest place.

Of course, this was just Li Lin's guess. Although he had been an assassin before, he had never been a thief, and he didn't quite understand the way the Goddess of Theft thought. But in any case, his purpose in coming here was clearly her.

Upon returning to this world, Li Lin learned from the God of Light that the Great Law Spell had fallen into the hands of the God of Justice. Li Lin was powerless to stop it and could only leave it to the gods to decide. Currently, although he had significantly weakened the God of Justice, the other gods were still not strong enough to confront him directly. Considering the God of Justice's so-called talent, it seemed unlikely that these gods would be able to launch a direct assault on the Supreme Temple.

If a direct assault won't work, then we'll have to outsmart them.

Perhaps those gods are adept at waging war and deploying troops, but when it comes to petty theft... their divine duties don't provide that ability.

Therefore, it is necessary to bring in professionals at this point.

The Goddess of Theft is clearly a professional in this field.

Theoretically, if this goddess were to intervene, there would be virtually nothing in the world she couldn't steal. However, precisely because of this, she doesn't act rashly. After all, some things are simply beyond human stealing. For instance, the core of the Magic Empire is so heavily guarded that ordinary people have no way to break in. If it were to disappear, Arcane Mage wouldn't even need to doubt it; they would immediately go to the Temple of the Goddess of Theft the next day, completely destroy the dilapidated temple, and demand the items back. After all, no one else could possess such power. Considering that while she could operate in the shadows, if the other party actually came to her door, she would also face certain death, the Goddess of Theft cherished her reputation.

After all, the thief profession doesn't encourage sacrifice and death.

Although he didn't know what had happened to the Goddess of Theft, Li Lin was certain it wasn't a sudden death from an illness as rumored. What a joke! While a god might be so fragile in the Prime Material Plane that even her own mother wouldn't recognize her, she wouldn't be so easily blown away by a gust of wind. Besides, this god was a master of deception; who knew if she had used some trickery to deliberately orchestrate this incident?

Moreover, upon entering the palace, Li Lin keenly detected a faint aura of divine power. Although it was almost negligible, Li Lin was, after all, Arcane Mage. Having had close contact with the Goddess of Theft, discerning this divine power was effortless for him. Li Lin was certain that the Goddess of Theft was slumbering somewhere beneath the palace. Although the power of the rules had been almost completely exhausted, the individual worship of her by humans clearly maintained a sliver of her personality, allowing Goddess of Theft to survive. Now, Li Lin's task was to go to that place, awaken the Goddess of Theft, and take her away.

It's easier said than done.

As for how well it will turn out, that's hard to say.

When Li Lin arrived at the palace again, it was already midnight.

Using the magic, Li Lin easily fooled the guards and entered the palace. After all, this wasn't something that could be easily explained away. The Goddess of Theft was practically a queen in this country; if an Arcane Mage like himself sneaked in in the middle of the night and something happened, it wouldn't be good if word got out.

Deeper into the palace, and back before the statue, Li Lin didn't act immediately. Instead, he first cast a magical barrier to ensure no one could approach. Only then did he begin to scan his surroundings with his own magic.

Soon, the power of magic spread outwards, bringing back all sorts of information. Li Lin closed his eyes, searching for the parts he needed within this vast sea of information.

This is not easy.

A thief's greatest skill isn't just stealing, but also concealment; that is, their location is equally hidden, filled with traps and various dangers. And the traps set by the Goddess of Theft are naturally even more dangerous and secretive. In fact, even before the magic was cast, Li Lin had already felt considerable magical feedback; it seemed as if there were doors, paths, and passages everywhere, the illusion spreading through the magical power, constantly interfering with his will.

It truly lives up to its reputation as the Temple of the Goddess of Theft.

Faced with so many distractions, even Li Lin couldn't help but frown. He was certain that these were all traps set by the Goddess of Theft, and if he fell into them, who knew what would happen? However, this didn't mean that Li Lin didn't have his own countermeasures.

"Snort!"

With a cold snort, Li Lin then swung his hand, and magical runes instantly appeared on his body, leaping and arranging before quickly dissipating. Then, an invisible aura of Magic Power emanated from Li Lin and rippled outwards. Subsequently, all the traps and lurking illusions shattered and disappeared under this immense invisible pressure, leaving only one place still emitting a faint magical glow.

That's the place, no doubt about it.

Walking to the left side of the statue, Li Lin gazed at the intricate patterns. Clearly, these patterns concealed a secret, and only those who could unravel it could enter the passage. However, Li Lin had no time for mystery. He lightly touched the complex patterns with his finger, and a pale green light surged forth, easily tearing apart the hard stone layer surrounding the statue. Then, a pitch-black passage appeared before Li Lin.

Even the gods' defenses are utterly vulnerable before the Greater Dispel Spell.

Li Lin casually cast a Light and stepped into the dark passage. He was certain this was just the beginning. Given the nature of this Goddess of Theft, it was impossible for this passage not to be filled with hundreds of traps and mechanisms. After all, she had commissioned Li Lin to create numerous artifacts in this area—traps that could instantly create infinite spatial passages, illusionary props that were impossible to detect... Li Lin knew the Goddess of Theft' personality quite well.

This time, however, Li Lin was completely baffled.

To be cautious, Li Lin used almost all his detection spells after entering the passage, including Knock to trigger traps and unlock doors, as well as Detection. However, this time, Li Lin was puzzled. According to the feedback from the magic, there seemed to be no traps or obstacles inside.

How is that possible?

Despite his doubts, Li Lin didn't stop. Time was limited, and it was still late at night. If he made it to dawn, his magic wouldn't be enough to stop those people from getting in. So, Li Lin could only shrug and slowly walk inside. He was quite confident in his skills; even if the Goddess of Theft had set some extraordinary traps inside, he wouldn't be able to get hurt.

Although the passage was free of any traps, it was exceptionally deep and long. Li Lin couldn't fathom what kind of person could carve such a deep and winding passage, dozens of meters deep, into this hard rocky terrain. Although the passage retained some of the characteristics of the Goddess of Theft, with many turns and dead ends, Li Lin, thanks to the effects of his detection spells, didn't go astray. After navigating several turns, he easily reached the end of the passage.

This is really strange.

Looking at the bronze door that was almost completely obscured by dust, Li Lin became increasingly puzzled. He could tell that the door was simply closed without any locking mechanism.

Has the Goddess of Theft changed his ways?

Despite his doubts, Li Lin still pushed open the door and immediately spotted the sleeping Goddess of Theft.

In fact, it would have been difficult for him not to notice, since there was nothing in the empty hall except for the glittering crystal coffin.

But what's inside isn't a living person.

It was a skeleton.

This is quite normal, after all, this person has been dead for hundreds of years, and it would be normal if not even bones remained, let alone a corpse. But now, this skeleton is still here, lying quietly in the crystal coffin, which is already quite unusual.

What the hell is going on?

Li Lin could naturally sense the divine power inside; it could be said that the Goddess of Theft was within. However, the current state of affairs only made Li Lin more and more puzzled. He walked around the crystal coffin twice, and then his furrowed brows relaxed considerably.

"I see."

After realizing the other party's purpose, Li Lin did not hesitate any longer. He walked back to where he had been standing and then stretched out his hands.

Magical runes instantly appeared on Li Lin's body, flashing and forming complex incantations. A profound and immense Magic Power began to condense, its vibrant light coalescing into an irregular polyhedron in Li Lin's hand, slowly rotating. After observing the polyhedron take shape, Li Lin pushed it forward, and the strange Magic Power crystal slowly flew ahead.

Although it looked very strange, this Magic Power crystal clearly possessed considerable power. As it approached the crystal coffin, the originally hard crystal coffin shattered as easily as glass, turning into ashes in the face of the powerful magic. But unexpectedly, the bones did not move an inch. Although the power of the Magic Power crystal and the whirlwind that followed were enough to send a strong man flying dozens of miles away, those bones that looked so fragile and would fall apart at the slightest touch did not show any sign of moving.

At this moment, Li Lin's expression became increasingly solemn. He manipulated the crystal of Magic Power to stop above the corpse, then stopped with both hands and suddenly drew an elegant yet strange curve.

With this action, the previously still bones suddenly began to tremble wildly. Then, as if attracted by a magnet, they quickly burrowed into the crystallized Magic Power. As the bones flew in, the crystallized Magic Power slowly grew larger, transforming from a fist-sized polyhedron into a sphere half the height of a person. The light within it also gradually changed from a vibrant, multicolored hue to a dim, yellowish hue.

And within it, a huddled figure is slowly emerging.

Only then did Li Lin let out a long sigh of relief. He shrugged, released his control over the Magic Power, and walked to the side, silently watching the scene unfold.

The figure grew clearer, while the crystal's light dimmed. Finally, like a bubble, the enormous magical crystal burst with a soft "pop," revealing the figure within its true form. Although she was still in mid-air when the crystal burst, the thief's agile movements allowed her to calmly perform a backflip and land steadily on the ground.

"Not bad."

Li Lin looked at the woman before him and nodded. She looked exactly like the statue outside, without any difference whatsoever. If there was any difference, it was that the woman standing before Li Lin was simply wearing fewer clothes than the statue...

"Phew... it feels so good to be free..."

The woman shook her head, then turned to Li Lin standing beside her. A dangerous and unpredictable glint immediately flashed in her dark eyes. She watched the man warily, then slowly changed her expression, revealing an unusually warm smile.

"Did you free me from this eternal imprisonment, young mage? Then..."

"You might fool others with that, Seliana."

Li Lin interrupted the Goddess of Theft impatiently and directly stated her real name.

"Alright, I've gotten you out. Time is running out, let's get out of here quickly."

Do you know me?

Upon hearing this, the Goddess of Theft was startled. She carefully examined the young mage before her again, and then let out a long sigh.

"Luoxia? What happened to you? Are you planning to convert to my faith and learn some disguise magic? I must say, you've done a pretty good job..."

"If you don't shut up, I'll turn you back into a pile of bones."

Li Lin shrugged.

"Now, come with me and leave this place. Do you have any objections?"

"Of course I have no objection."

Although Li Lin rejected him quite directly, the Goddess of Theft's expression did not change in the slightest.

"So, you're just going to let me go out like this?"

"I cast a spell on you, but no one else can see it."

"That won't do. I'm not God of Love, that streaking fanatic. You should know that I only feel safe when I'm wearing clothes, right?"

Fortunately, Li Lin had anticipated this before arriving. He sighed helplessly, then took out a maid outfit and threw it over. The Goddess of Theft caught it and then looked at it with a hint of mockery.

"Maid outfit? I never knew you had such a hobby..."

"This is my little maid's outfit; perhaps the bust size isn't quite right."

Faced with the mockery of the Goddess of Theft, Li Lin was not so easily defeated. Sure enough, his obvious sarcasm caused the Goddess of Theft to pause for a moment, but in the end, she still put on the "not quite right" maid outfit. Then, looking sleepy, the Goddess of Theft stretched.

"Phew... I'm finally awake from this damned slumber. The Lord-Book Material Dimension is really unbearable... I say, Luoxia, hurry up and leave here. You should have already thought of a way, shouldn't you?"

As she spoke, the Goddess of Theft turned and walked toward the door, but just then, Li Lin called out to her.

"Etc."

"Hmm? Is there anything else?"

Give me back what you just stole.

"Me? When did I steal your things?"

"Playing dumb won't work. Although I don't know exactly what you stole from me, I'm sure you definitely stole something."