Chapter 196: He Who Conned the Gods
Eve jolted as one of her illusions heard the shout. What lousy timing, she thought, focusing her attention. She quickened her pace and entered the tribal encampment. The six guards paid her no mind, [Scotomization] forcing them to unconsciously reject her presence. Their immediate memory was rewritten, preventing them from seeing or remembering her.
Inside the camp, a child mounted on a pack animal stared at her. Ève grimaced, realizing she had been spotted. [Scotomization] had prioritized the guards to avoid awkward questions. Priam’s yell had shattered her focus, allowing the child to catch a glimpse of her. Kids could focus on strange things, and she happened to be Eve's focus. If she talks to me, I'm done...
Reluctantly, Ève began to summon her aether.
"Tymile, look ahead or you'll fall!"
Her mother's call diverted the child's attention, and she turned with a clownish grace. Ève sighed in relief. She wouldn't have to trap the child in an illusion. At that age, the long-term consequences could be dramatic.
What am I saying... What kind of hypocrite worried about a child's brain development just before committing an act of terrorism?
The young woman continued on her way, all the while thinking about Priam. Was there a problem? As a fanatic following Sumstreh's orders, his issues probably involved the Fallen. If she failed to resolve them, her head would roll.
Yet, she couldn't join him right now. She had an attack to carry out, and the meeting of the Chiefs of the three tribes was the only time she could act. After that, the Tier 4s would disperse in the camp, making infiltration much more challenging. Her Talents, Titles, Merits, and skills synergized to erase her presence, but a Tier 4's Domain could detect her.
At their level, their mental attributes were sufficient to know the identity of every tribe member. An outsider like Ève, even disguised, would stand out instantly.Th/e most uptodate novels are published on n0velbj)n(.)co/m
Quickening her pace, a fresh boar carcass on her shoulder, Ève continued down one of the main arteries of the camp. Around her, hundreds of tribespeople strolled, regularly exchanging dark glances. Now that their journey was over, and the most dangerous creatures were behind them, tensions were rising. Under the haughty gaze of the proud Aelbes, the strong Gaeserts despised the cunning Snaherts.
The grand alliance would soon come to an end.
With her face painted with Aelbes marks and her features slightly altered by her illusions, Ève looked straight ahead, passing by two Gaeserts women. The elder one wore leather and bone armor crafted by a master artisan. The materials were from a powerful beast, indicating she was a huntress. The younger one was clad in plant-based fabric and sported multicolored feathers and magical beads. The absence of calluses on her hands revealed she was an apprentice apothecary.
The fighter didn't spare Ève a glance, busy calming the frustrated teenager.
"Laepa, let me at least search for some antidote among the local plants. The Snaherts will poison us when it's time to choose the best settlement location!"
"Certainly not. There are millions of corrupted outside; you'd get torn apart. And watch your words; we are still allies."
"Not for long," the teenager spat. "Old rivalries are resurfacing."
"Nonsense. The opinion of the powerful is the only one that matters."
"If two youths kill each other, the Chiefs won't be able to contain the clan's wrath. Sooner or later, it will explode."
Eve wholeheartedly agreed. She had been studying the tribes for days, learning their language, customs, and habits. Only a spark was needed to ignite a war. And I could be that spark.
The huntress sighed loudly. "That's enough, Gabrielle. I'll go fetch herbs while visiting the Champions. You find Broli and pacify his friends. The Chiefs are discussing a peaceful way to choose our future territories, and they wouldn't be pleased if a kid ruined everything."
Gabrielle sniffed. "The day the Snaherts choose a peaceful outcome, I'll kiss a dragon’s ass."
"Language!"
Eve left the two tribeswomen behind and ventured on her right, into the Gaesert quarter. She had long thought about her target. The attack ordered by Sumstreh was meant to divide the tribes. Using poison, the Snaherts' weapon, to reach the Gaeserts was the idea she had settled on. In the long run, the political consequences would be the most interesting.
Passing by a large tent, Ève heard youthful laughter. A nursery... The most effective way to trigger a war was to target children, but she refused. Sumstreh controlled her life, not her thoughts. If she stooped to massacring kids, she would have to bear that weight on her conscience.
Selling Sphinx and Priam was tough enough without adding to it. Their sacrifice had been necessary, but Ève still had remorse.
Resuming her journey, she soon reached a large tent. The smell of blood and the shouts of the cooks left no doubt; she had found the kitchens. Placing the boar in front of a surprised apprentice, she smiled.
"A gift."
"This is the Gaesert mess hall, not the Aelbes'," he said respectfully. The marks on Eve's face designated her as a Tier 2 huntress—not too powerful to be recognized, not too weak to be easily accosted.
"One of your warriors saved my life during the journey. A gift to thank your fighters."
Instantly, the apprentice chef puffed up his chest. If the Aelbes were the most powerful, the Gaeserts were the most united. The glory of one reflected on the entire clan.
"I'll prepare it personally," smiled the teenager.
"Very well, but it's for your warriors. I treated it against necro-corruption, but one can never be too cautious."
The apprentice nodded, and Ève hoped he would listen. She didn't want the soul of a teenager weighing on her conscience.
Leaving behind a boar poisoned to the bone, Ève hurried to leave the camp. The First was waiting.
Lvl Up: [Ideal Aether Perception] lvl 2
META (AFFI) +3
META (PERC) +6
Floating cross-legged just a few centimeters above the forest floor, Priam channeled several of his abilities. A delicate mastery of [Kinetic Control] allowed him to hover and regulate the ambient temperature. Simultaneously, [Moon Mist] concealed him from the senses of the corrupted creatures howling in agony less than thirty meters away. Priam understood their rage. In their shoes, burned by Pyro's flames, he would have howled too.
His call fifteen minutes ago had drawn hordes of enraged revenants. The Necro Concept strengthened them over time. Now, even the weakest among them could physically defeat Rose or Alain.
Yet, the fire inherited from the ancestor of phoenixes ravaged their ranks effortlessly. Priam advanced faster than the Necro Concept. As his fiery storm blocked the advance of the undead army, Conquest further fueled his flames. Priam was relatively sure that one of his meta-attributes intensified the fire, but he hadn't yet identified which one.
While his system exterminated the corrupted, Priam focused on the aether. The ideal upgrade of [Aether Perception] had changed everything. He now saw the currents of the fundamental fluid with the naked eye. The world was more beautiful, vibrant, and, above all, more complex. Previously, Priam perceived aether when it gathered in large quantities. Now, his Domain detected the thousands of minor flows constantly exchanged by objects.
Suddenly, a change caught his attention. A first wave of aether surged in his direction, followed by a second. The particles entered his mind, and Priam felt his focus diminish. His thoughts changed direction.
Alerted, Priam overclocked his vivacity and focused on [True Will].
The manipulation began to slow down as Priam's defenses activated, and his thoughts accelerated. Someone was trying to corrupt his memory. Eve? A member of the tribes? The Necro Envoy? Fuck, I have to remember that someone is trying to manipulate me. Record a memory backup.
[Creating a routine. Monitoring memory.
...
Routine failure. [Eidetic Memory] detects no falsification.
...
Routine failure. [Eidetic Memory] detects no falsification.
...
Routine absent.]
Reading the reports from his add-on, Priam began to break into a cold sweat. His opponent was skilled enough to influence his system's behavior. Without [Aether Perception], he wouldn't have even noticed the manipulation. If I do nothing, I'm screwed!
"A Tier 3 Marquess who possessed the body of a soulless human. She is rapidly regaining her power and seems interested in Oasis and the surrounding areas."
Sumstreh's aura disappeared instantly.
"Ève."
"I was monitoring the tribes, I couldn't—" The rest of her sentence was lost in a scream. The rabhorn had just ripped out her tongue. A spray of blood splattered the white fur of the animal.
"What good is your tongue if it can't inform me?"
Sumstreh jumped, landing at Priam's feet. Despite the difference in size, the creature's implacable eyes made the situation terrifying.
"You and Ève will attract the Necro Envoy's attention with the help of the tribes. Moreover, I want a ban on entering rabhorn territory. Do you understand?"
"Yes, your Divinity!"
"If I sense a single Tier 4 or the Necro Envoy approaching my Divine Kingdom, I will use the sphinx child as a karmic bomb."
Priam kept his eyes fixed on the ground, his emotions imprisoned deep within his heart.
Lvl Up: [Emotional discipline] lvl 9
WILL +3
Suddenly, some kind of black diamond fell to his feet.
"A fragment of the fulcrum of my former divine kingdom. You should be able to exchange it for a quality aether puzzle at the Auctions. It's equivalent to six million Sun points..."
A spasm shook the rabhorn, which collapsed to the ground. In the background, Eve moaned in pain, covering her mouth.
"Do not disappoint me."
When his new perception assured him that the Fallen had left, Priam allowed himself a smile. He had felt Bastard's reluctance. The loss of the fulcrum’s fragment pained him.
That's how you steal from a god!
The System agreed.
Title upgrade!
[Iconoclast - Gold] becomes [Iconoclast - Legendary]!
Status:
PHYSICAL:
Strength 557
Constitution 860
Agility 552
Vitality 840
Perception 714
MENTAL:
Vivacity 505
Dexterity 587
Memory 385
Willpower 1 028 (+30)
Charisma 631 (+16)
META:
Meta-affinity 430 (+4)
Meta-focus 350
Meta-endurance 354
Meta-perception 221 (+7)
Meta-chance 230
Meta-authority 33
Potential: 5 268 (+9)
Tier 0
Sun points: 115 031 (+53 689)
[He Who Eludes Death] charge: PRIMED.
[Tribulation]: Three Tribulations pending.
Future Tribulations delayed until:
Time: 164 days 21 hours 34 minutes 43 seconds.
Next thresholds: 6 attributes > 600 / 3 attributes > 900 / 1 attribute > 1 200