The other gods of the Invisible Pantheon were thoughtfully silent.
As a matter of fact, even if the mortal humans and other intelligent races did not feel it, the gods who looked down upon the world like overlords had sharply noticed that things were changing recently.
The centuries of harmony between nations were stirring as they came in conflict in the name of profit, with the fall of Tierra being a starting point.
The once anonymous Demonic Roes were also showing up on the ground in droves, seducing mortals without strong minds and corrupting them into demons, going on rampages fueled by their very desires. It appeared to be a hint that those fiends of hell would return, that the future would not be kind to humans.
Even the various churches that had once been allied had also became hostile each other due to a difference in patron deities.
It was not just humans either—there were no lack of lesser gods who, though born recently, had obtained strong enough divinity to risk attacking other gods.
Everything appeared treading towards the great destruction of a thousand year ago, the War of Gods and Demons that almost wiped out all human civilization in the last era!
That was also why Aslan had been persistent in gathering the Invisible Pantheon—each of the past three divine wars was a calamity for all living beings, and even the gods themselves.
Likewise, it was a rare opportunity.
“But only words would not work. What are you saying we should do?” Gurus, God of the Hunt asked.
Having been waiting for that, Xi Wei promptly adopted a wise, composed tone to reveal his script and schemes. It was a tone only, however, since he had no face and he could not make expressions with the light effects on his ball turned off…
“There is much to be set aside beforehand since it’s still early and not the time for it—but stopping the changing of eras is impossible, and it is precisely because we are gods that we must realize our limits. Moreover, our ability as an alliance wouldn’t exactly stand out amongst the divine community.
“Therefore, I suggest that we take the partnership of the Invisible Pantheon to the next level. We’ll be helping each other to survive even as we engage in mutually beneficial partnerships so that our believers would repent from the mundane and seek the strongest faith, that the first zealots would draw more zealotry so that everyone becomes a zealot!”
“Moreover, since things had yet to turn for a worse at the moment, we should hold back and refrain on deliberate elevations. That way, we would both keep a low profile without drawing the attention of other gods until we have enough power to withstand any invasion upon us.”
Despite sounding reasonable, each word of Xi Wei’s speech was as empty as the next.
But to put it in simpler, more understandable words, the general gist would be: look, the lion is not going to be carry us anymore. It’s time to get to work!
Be that as it may, the gods of this world were none of those angelic investors back on Earth who had never experienced the horrors of PowerPoint presentations, the gods were naturally convinced with relative ease.
Hence, aside from the Great Lion who had the nagging feeling that something was definitely wrong despite how stately Xi Wei’s speech was, the other gods completely did not catch on to Xi Wei’s ulterior motives having not met him much. Nonetheless, his conviction made him sound quite reasonable, and they all nodded in agreement.
“Then what should we be doing, specifically?” Gurus asked.
“How you each operate should depend on your own circumstances and by uncovering a path fitting for your divine principles. Someone uninvolved like myself certainly shouldn’t recklessly interfere with your personal affairs, but since everyone might have no idea what they should be doing, I’ll give a brief summary of my own plan.”
Xi Wei whipped out something from his ball then and lit a spotlight directly upon it to have the other gods present focus their attention on it.
He cleared his throat before continuing. “I call this a Wonder Rock. This is how I could rapidly transport my believers across two different places rapidly, and it holds strong strategic value even if it does consume some of my divine power. Place one near your churches, and your believers could arrive in the blink of an eye if the need should arise in the future to aid your believers!”
All of the gods promptly erupted in murmurs of wonder, now having a higher esteem of a third-rate god like Xi Wei despite their earlier nonchalance: Authority concerning spatiality was rare.
But unlike the other bamboozled deities, Aslan was quietly giving Xi Wei a look.
‘Did you think I’m blind?! Isn’t that the rock you put up in those bases of yours!’
Indeed, the so-called Wonder Rock which Xi Wei had put on the table is actually a Lifestone at a 1:10 scale.
“Where could we get such an amazing object?” Gurus asked.
Xi Wei almost couldn’t stop himself from applauding the God of the Hunt. The silly deity’s questions were so dumb that inviting him to the gathering served no purpose…
“Good question! That said, I’ll handle everything from materials to construction since it’s a path I chose. That is why I’ve decided to have my believers diligently come forward to the church of everyone here and build ties with your believers, and once partnerships are agreed, they will build this Wonder Rock which symbolizes the friendship of our churches!”
Xi Wei spoke most fluidly. “I shall call this the Belt and Road Initiative!”
Gurus nodded and smile then, seemingly satisfied with Xi Wei’s words.
The other gods agreed with Xi Wei’s suggestion as well, with no deity protesting against Xi Wei putting a portal outside their own base.
Be that as it may, they were no fools—all of them were perfectly aware that Xi Wei was very weak compared to every other god present. Even Luna, the Silver Moon Goddess who was the next weakest could easily blow him up.
And without their god’s protection, a few rioting mortals was not a problem for them at all!
Nonetheless, Xi Wei appeared pleased with the other gods’ reaction.
He understood very well why the gods would so easily agree to his request of placing a Lifestone at their base, even impatiently so without fear of him turning the tables on them.
But that was what Xi Wei wanted!
Not even Aslan who knew Xi Wei best that the God of Games had become ten times greater in power in the three months after transmigrating! And that was actually after Xi Wei had put most of the divine power that he had to perfecting the System, creating classes and distributing Players so that they would grow alongside him!
Though it was true that Xi Wei remained quite weak, not even the greatest of gods could size up to the rate of his growth!
And now Xi Wei had caught on to his finest opportunity. Moreover, he was not so weak that the other gods were not listening to him, just as he was not so strong that they were wary.
That was also the only circumstance that the gods of the Invisible Pantheon would agree to let him place Lifestones near their churches.
While they might not be concerned with having Xi Wei’s believers as reinforcements, only Xi Wei himself understood what having a world map expansion and the large addition of portals would mean to the Players!
After all, there was no fooling around when the name of the Fourth Calamity was being thrown around…
“Incidentally, several of your believers are within my domain.” Luna the Silver Goddess smiled. “I shall deliver an oracle to have my children work with your believers, and we’ll think of it as breaking the ice for our partnership.”
“Many thanks, Lady Luna.”
Xi Wei certainly would respond to the offered olive branch in good will.
***
“Are we supposed to crawl inside that?” Edward asked Brom Daystar who stood beside him darkly while staring at the small, pitch-black hole in the tree.
He had the feeling that the wood elves were toying with him.
Being in a mad mood in the first place, Brom simply kicked Edward down the hole, his screams while falling became fainter with Doppler’s effect.
Still, Brom had used just enough strength for the other Players to see a -1 over Edward’s head, and the elf then turned to the other Players.
“No kicking. I’ll go myself.” Mustering his courage, Joe crawled into the tree hole.
And with two examples before him, Jessica, Gou Dan and Eleena followed suit.
Gou Dan felt weightless just then and could hear the cry of an eagle echoing just beside his ear when he landed with the others on a haystack.
“That was awesome!” Joe exclaimed cheerfully as he poked his head out of the dry grass. “Can I go again?”
“Please watch yourself. You are guests of the Elven Queen.” The Moon Keeper told them impassively.
“Hold on, where’s Edward?”
Jessica helped up the dazed Sefarim, but couldn’t find their party leader after looking around.
“His HP is normal in the party display, and there are no weird debuffs…” Gou Dan quickly answered.
Everyone immediately turned to stare at Brom Daystar since he was the one who kicked Edward down the hole, but Brom seemed not to notice their stares—he was looking upward, as if thinking about life.
The atmosphere became even more somber.
And in half a beat, Edward dropped from the skies into the haystack.
Irritated, he leapt out of the haystack and drew his two short swords—they were actually called Ritual Daggers, mage-exclusive items which Xi Wei provide in case of people intent on engaging a mage in close-quarters.
“I have been falling… for ten minutes[1]!” Edward roared at Brom.
“Freak accidents occasionally happen to one in five men. It’s normal…” Brom shrugged innocently.
“Why only men?” Joe noticed the blindspot immediately.
“Instead of that…” The Moon Keeper interrupted their meaningless squabble, leaving the place that resembled a small cavern and turned, spreading his hands as he declared proudly to the Players. “Welcome to Trinia, the capital of the wood elves!”
Behind him was a massive city more profound and majestic than any kingdom, a radiance of pure whiteness and emerald green.
Fairy dragons were dancing in the sky, fairies were vaguely appearing all around while unicorns peacefully walked the streets. It was all elegance, beauty and an almost unrealistic fantasy.
And in the heart of the city was a snow-white castle that stood in imitation of a flower, having the unique aesthetic sense of the elves.
That was their destination, a temporary royal residence of the Elven Queen—the Castle of Lilies.
[1] pretty sure I don’t need to explain where this reference is from xD
