Chapter 32: Negotiations of the Gods

Chapter 32: Negotiations of the Gods

In the western region of the Enzo continent, there stood the Grand Temple, the headquarters of the Justice Church, in an area called Gate Rich. The temple was built using pure white stones and not a speck of dirt could be found on it. The surrounding gardens were meticulously maintained in every corner.

This was both the heart of the church and the residence of the god of justice, Andrew Marius. Inside the beautiful temple, the air was filled with a peaceful atmosphere, and devout followers knelt down to offer their prayers. While other temples had altars with stone statues, in the Grand Temple, the God of Justice sat and meditated.

A carriage approached the temple. The carriage was not ornately decorated, but it was heavily armored and sturdy enough to be used as a tank on the battlefield. The carriage was pulled by four huge horses with eight legs and twisted horns growing from between their ears.

The rugged carriage boldly entered the temple grounds and stopped in front of the entrance. Two men and a woman emerged from inside.

One of the men stood out as a muscular giant, with only a piece of cloth covering his private parts. His wild, curly blond hair and untrimmed beard added to his savage appearance, but his perfectly sculpted physique was beyond what any artist could express. Even in his natural stance, he emanated an overwhelming sense of intimidation, with no hint of vulnerability.

The big man snorted as he looked up at the temple, disdain written all over his face. He spoke with disgust, “So, this is the brat’s temple? It’s bigger than I thought.”

“The temple encourages donations, unlike your place. They must be making a fortune,” the other man responded with a laugh.

The other man was averagely built, with a handsome face but no distinguishing features. He wore his black hair long and straight down to his waist, and he twirled his cane playfully while dressed in a long-tailed coat and a silk top hat.

As the two exchanged brief words, the woman behind them coughed lightly. She, like the big man, wore nothing but a scanty cloth, and her lustrous, chestnut hair fluttered in the wind.

Despite her provocative attire, her commanding gaze and dignified bearing prevented her from being objectified. Rather, her otherworldly beauty and undeniable authority were so imposing that anyone in her presence would be compelled to bow down in worship.

“Ahem. Enough with the small talk. My love, I hope you haven’t forgotten our purpose for coming here today?”

“Of course not, my dear. That crazy brat lounging around here with an air of superiority has gotten on my nerves too.”

“Then everything is settled; shall we go?”

Guided by the man in the silk hat, the trio strolled through the Grand Temple with a confident and leisurely pace. Despite their eccentric clothing and nearly naked, attractive appearance, they stood out remarkably, but strangely, no passersby seemed to give them a second look. In fact, not a single person appeared to have noticed their presence.

The man in the silk hat, who was leading the group, hummed a tune while twirling his cane and tapping his shoes’ metal tips against the floor, creating a lively rhythm. But still, no one took notice of the trio. The other two were amazed by how skilled their companion was at going unnoticed.

“He-llooo! Andrew! Let’s play!”

The man in the silk hat, who had entered the sanctuary of the Great Temple, shouted loudly. Despite his booming voice echoing throughout the entire sanctuary, none of the praying worshipers seemed to notice.

However, the god they had called upon, Andrew Marius, the “God of Justice,” had indeed heard them.

The young man with pure white hair, who had been meditating on the altar, slowly opened his eyelids, revealing his golden eyes. He was the one and only Andrew Marius, God of Justice.

“Minnea, have you finally come to become my wife?”

“Shut that unpleasant mouth of yours, kid. The one I love, loved in the past, and will love in the future is my husband alone.”

Although Andrew, the God of Justice, had been called upon by the man in the silk hat, he only had eyes for the woman among the uninvited guests. He seemed to ignore the other two guests entirely, and the big man grew increasingly angry, while the man in the silk hat continued to chuckle.

However, the woman named Minnea coldly rejected him. She gently snuggled up to the thick arm of the large man that was beyond her waist. Andrew furrowed his brows slightly, looking somewhat displeased, and the big man happily widened his nostrils, cheered up, and puffed out his chest.

The lie was that the other gods had started to follow the “God of Justice”. The angry gods, who had no intention of being subservient, came to represent themselves and confronted him.

“Why? My followers are only spreading what should be spread,” Andrew Marius said

“Whether it should be or not is not the issue. We are telling you to stop spreading lies. Put an end to it immediately,” Minnea replied.

“If you become my wife, I could consider it,” he retorted.

“...That’s not even a condition, you brat. Let’s go,” she said.

“Yeah, let’s do that. Don’t regret it, kid,”

“Well, well, we seem to have angered them. I guess I had nothing to do with it,” Andrew said, showing no sign of remorse.

Realizing that they were dealing with someone who couldn’t be reasoned with, they left with no parting words. The negotiations amongst the gods had failed.

The followers never even realized what had happened in front of them from start to finish. The three gods reached their carriage unnoticed and left the Grand Temple grounds without being noticed.

“So, what are you two going to do?”

“First, we’ll send a divine message to all the followers around the world, making it clear that we aren’t following that brat. From there, we’ll leave it to them.”

“Whether to fight or not is up to each individual to decide. And if we do fight, we’ll give it our all to ensure victory. That’s our teaching.”

The “God of War” and the “Goddess of Victory” answered that they leave the decision to their followers. Although they were gods of battle, they do not demand their followers to fight in any situation. It is up to the individual to decide whether to fight, come up with a strategy, or run away. They respect their followers’ decisions and do not take away their freedom of choice.

At first glance, it may seem like a leave it alone approach, but the two gods believed in their followers to make the right choice. If they were heading towards certain destruction, they will counsel and guide them based on reason. This was the role of the gods for the two deities.

“So, what are you going to do then? Are you going to embark on another journey, wandering across the stars?” asked Solga.

“No, I’m going to stay here for a little while longer. Probably... around a hundred years,” replied the man in the silk hat.

Solga asked the question without thinking, but he was surprised by the man’s answer, as was his wife, Minnea. The man seemed to find their reactions amusing and continued to chuckle as he spoke.

“There’s a child who has caught my interest after thousands of years. I plan to watch over them from various places. So please bear with me and don’t bring me any souvenirs or letters for other gods from other planets.”

“Hahaha! I see! It must be tough being in the spotlight!” said Solga.

“To be noticed by the ‘Ancient god of trickery’... he’s either lucky or unlucky. I sympathize,”Minnea said amused

“So, what kind of person is this child? Do we know them too?” asked Solga.

“You certainly do. It’s this child here,”

The man in the silk hat, one of the six ancient gods who directly originated from the ‘”Nameless Almighty Faceless God” that created the world, known as the ‘Ancient god of trickery’, chuckled mischievously as he pulled something out of nowhere. It was an intricate scorpion-shaped object made of a shiny material.