Chapter 1686: Godhood Conversion
Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation
Hao Ren felt that he had made two mistakes. The first one was when Raven 12345 mentioned the ritual. He actually believed that it would be a solemn and proper one. The second mistake was when he noticed that the angel got along with Raven 12345. You could basically throw any hopes out of the window by then. Even thinking with a rock, you would understand that anyone who could get along with that crazy goddess was never going to be normal!
It took the angel officer some effort before she managed to calm down. She looked very sorry as her wings retracted, but the left side was kept unnaturally and still spazzing. She somehow managed to return to her desk and started the process to change Rheia’s godhood.
Raven 12345 took a deep breath as she looked at the latter. “Hey, are you all right? Wanna go have it seen first? I can wait for other officers to come.”
“It’s all right, it’s all right. It’s just a mere cramp, I can just endure it with willpower. His Majesty is looking at us, you know,” the angel spoke as calmly as she could while she tried to shake the cramp of her left wing. “This opportunity is just too rare. It’s the daughter of Mother Byrndis, you know! Her entry into the Xi Ling Celestials is also being done by me. What are the chances of running into this again? How can I let someone else do it?”
Raven 12345 pursed her lips. “You didn’t have to be so excited to the point of having cramps.”
“If you were in my shoes, would you fare any better?”
As they bantered, the procedure inched closer to completion. With Rheia’s identification data being recorded, the light beam that separated Rheia slowly faded away as her projection became clear once again. Hao Ren looked on curiously because the entire procedure felt unreal. “That’s… it?”
“How complicated do you want it to be?” Raven 12345 threw Hao Ren a glance. “The more matured and advanced technology is, the simpler it is. An advanced starship now only needs a pilot and a neural-link device to operate. Its earlier design would have needed hundreds of crew members and over a dozen controllers to even leave the docks. Divine arts that only require a signature to take effect are the best of the best. The sort of convoluted ritual that needs half a ton of materials, protective matrixes, magic circles, auspicious timing, and location, blablabla… with a poor sod as a sacrifice is the lowest of the low, you know!”
Seeing how reasonable Raven 12345’s arguments were, Hao Ren could only helplessly retort, “I haven’t even said anything yet… This is the first time I’ve heard you, someone without class, criticize someone else as the lowest of the low…”
“You and your bullsh*t.” Raven 12345 glared at him before she tapped the table and pointed at a form on it. “Come over here, sign on the guarantor and proposer column. It’ll take effect once you sign it. And from now on, you’ll be Rheia’s witness of godhood.”
Hao Ren went ahead to sign the paper before he popped a casual question, “A witness of godhood? Blimey, that sounds grand. Are there any benefits?”
“You said it yourself, the title itself is bloody grand. You can use it to stroke your e-peen on the forums…”
While he was rendered speechless, he still signed his name at the bottom of the form, and as the last pen stroke left the paper, the floating shimmering form suddenly glowed a bright blue before it disintegrated into countless blue particles, disappearing into the air.
“The conversion of godhood has been completed, and Rheia is now officially a part of the Xi Ling Celestials. All related void imprints and information entanglement will completely change within the next twenty-four hours,” the angel said with a professional look (it would have been perfect if not for her twitching wing). “Ah, considering that she made this connection using a material projection, this change may be slightly delayed, but no more than three days.”
“The goddess of annihilation will definitely not be able to create an engine in three days,” Hao Ren quipped before he turned to Rheia, who had just walked out of the light beam. “How do you feel? Any difference?”
“That’s it?” Rheia’s question was the same as Hao Ren’s/ “I thought it would be a complicated ritual with a lot of casting materials and preparations…”
Hao Ren immediately squinted at Raven 12345, shooting her a glance that said, “See? I’m not the only one with such a question, right?”.
Raven 12345’s response was to roll her eyes, implying that, “You’re comparing yourself to an uneducated wild goddess?”
The angel looked at both Raven 12345 and Hao Ren, not understanding how the two had reached such mutual communication…
After getting over her staring contest with Hao Ren, Raven 12345 went back to the circular platform (it was now a circular floor in the hall) and waved at the angel. “We’ll be leaving then. I’ll come over and chat again when I have time.”
The angel waved back too. “Better not. If you have the time to come over and chat, I still suggest that you’d better go fix your brain first…”
A flash later, the hexagonal hall popped like a bubble and the platform beneath their feet moved away from the bizarre dimension held up by the power of the Ravens. A few seconds later, Hao Ren and the rest were back in Raven 12345’s grand office.
After a simple check of her status, Rheia still could not quite process what had just happened. “So, I’ve changed my godhood now? And that will render me immune to the damage from the Creation’s Engine?”
“Of course. Your Creation’s Engine is indeed powerful, but technologically, it is very primitive just like a powerful trebuchet. There are too many ways to avoid it.” Raven 12345’s response was rather blunt. “Changing your godhood will not make you feel any different. In fact, the only change is you’re now allowed to connect directly into the Xi Ling Celestial’s soul network. But due to the uniqueness of the Plane of Dreams, even this connection is shielded, so you won’t feel any changes. Anyway, you are now a proper member of the Xi Ling Celestials, you don’t have to worry about that.”
Rheia pondered for a bit and was suddenly worried. “Ah, that means I’ve given up my identity as a goddess of the Galacticus Lords for the Xi Ling Celestials… Isn’t that… bad? Won’t my mother be angry?”
Raven 12345 was taken aback as she whispered to herself that this uneducated child was not dumb at all; she could still think of such things, but her expression was still neutral and even more serious than before. “Everything has its priority. Us gods are willing to throw our lives away just to protect a world, how does mere godhood compare to that?”
Rheia thought about it and concurred. She had no other questions.
“But let me remind you,” Raven 12345, sensing that the topic had passed, quickly moved on to a new one, “while the deadly threat of the Creation’s Engine has been neutralized, you still cannot afford to underestimate it. I have looked through its details, and even without its god-slaying capability, the Creation’s Engine is still a formidable weapon with a core filled with divine powers. Used as a guided weapon, its strength will be no weaker than me going all out, and the attack… is not something you can tank head-on.”
Rheia naturally understood that and nodded. “Don’t worry, I won’t take it for granted. And I have already passed everything related to the Creation’s Engine to Hao Ren, including the completed parts. Using what we have, I think we can come up with something to go against the goddess of annihilation…”
Hao Ren bobbed his head in agreement, indicating that the situation was as Rheia had described. But he added, “While the details and semi-completed parts are with me, the Gilded Disc array of the engine can no longer be assembled. I only have three with me, and the other nine have been stolen. With just three discs… even with their redundant complementary functions, we still won’t be able to start the engine core.”
“That’s problematic.” Raven 12345 frowned. “The support that we can send from the Surface World into the Plane of Dreams is limited. The material projection generator and a few teaching materials are fine, while civilian facilities like CARS is almost pushing it to the limits. As for the Creation’s Engine… if placed in any of the Xi Ling armies, it will still be a military-grade item with a high level to boot. These sort of things, you can only create them within the Plane of Dreams. I can’t help from the outside.”
“The other engine parts are still doable, plus Lemendusa’s overseeing the other parts at the Gate of Solenne. They are pretty much complete, but those discs… It would be difficult even with the blueprint.” Hao Ren shot Rheia a difficult look. “How long do you need to make a new one?”
“Don’t even bother. We won’t have the time.” Rheia shook her head. “The computation core is the most exhaustive of all the parts, and 90% of the work in the engine is focused there. Even if you were to supply me the materials and a production line now, it will take years upon years before it’s complete.”
Hao Ren was reduced to a long sigh.
However, Rheia’s tone took a different turn. “But… that was me in the past.”
Hao Ren’s eyes brightened. “What do you mean?”
Rheia made a book-flipping gesture. “While we were talking, my real body in the Basilica of Yggdrasil was still looking at the concepts of creation in the workbook. I have a feeling that after I finish the next few questions, I’ll know what to do…”
Hao Ren was stunned.
Raven 12345 then casually quipped, “See, an ace student can pretty much do what she wants…”
Hao Ren was totally convinced.
By then, everything was settled, and Raven 12345 took a look at the clock. “Oh, we’re fast this time. Rheia, your projection can still last another hour or so, wanna go see where your daughter is living now?”
The “daughter” she was talking about was Vivian.
Rheia had thought about it before, and she broke into a smile. “Of course I’m interested, but is it convenient?”
“Whether it is or not is up to him.” Raven 12345 pointed at Hao Ren. “Your daughter’s living with him.”
Rheia’s gaze on Hao Ren quickly turned mischievous. “Ohhh… I did not know about that part…”
Cold sweat immediately sprang like a fountain all over Hao Ren’s head, but he could not find anything to say. He could only grit his teeth and glare at Raven 12345, who was waiting for the drama to unfold. Shortly after, he lowered his head before his “mother-in-law” and explained, “We are indeed staying together, but both of us are serious about this…”
Rheia pondered a little before she asked, “If I were to say no, would you make me write an 8,000-word essay on my studies?”
“Huh?”
Rheia could not contain her laughter anymore. “Hahaha, I was just teasing you!”
