Strictly speaking, Anbaixiu had conspired with the God of Alchemy to deceive the guildmaster.
After granting Anbaixiu's wish, the guildmaster had not become a true god. Instead, the gods had joined forces to banish him to this world.
Anbaixiu was not entirely clear on his specific circumstances, but he imagined it could not have been a pleasant experience.
If a few months had passed, Anbaixiu definitely would not have dared see the guildmaster again. Given enough time to think, someone of his intellect would surely have deduced what had happened.
Right now, however, the City of Alchemy had only just been banished. The guildmaster was bound to be utterly bewildered, with no idea what had transpired.
Which meant there was an opportunity to swindle him once more.
One could not forget that Anbaixiu had previously tampered with the guildmaster's soul, leaving him with an extraordinary level of trust and affinity toward Anbaixiu.
Armed with that advantage, Anbaixiu decided to take a bold gamble.
The once-glorious City of Alchemy was now reduced to ruins. Aside from the seven central spires that remained relatively intact, the rest of the buildings were basically destroyed.
Barring divine creations, virtually no architecture could withstand an interplanar banishment of this scale.
The City of Alchemy had once boasted a sizable population, yet few corpses remained in the rubble. Presumably, the Ryan Empire had evacuated a portion of them, and the gods had relocated another batch before casting the city away.
Yet the gods were not omniscient and omnipotent. Even if they were, they would not necessarily have taken the trouble to ensure every single resident escaped. They had merely evacuated the majority out of divine benevolence, without bothering to scour every corner to make sure no one was left behind.
As a result, a corpse or two could still be spotted here and there within the shattered structures.
Yet there were only corpses; Anbaixiu sensed no living presence whatsoever in the city. Nor did he know whether they had perished during the teleportation or beforehand.
"The gods love mortal kind, but they do not love any particular mortal," Anbaixiu mused aloud.
He continued navigating the city and soon found the familiar sewer entrance.
The City of Alchemy had vanished along with its entire sewer network because the sewers housed the guildmaster's true form, and the magic circle he had used for his ascension was preserved right down there.
To prevent mortals from courting death with another attempt at god-crafting, the gods had naturally scrubbed away every trace.
As for why they had not destroyed it utterly, Anbaixiu guessed it had to do with the rules.
Though the guildmaster had sought to become a god, he had ultimately fallen short of full success. Having been sabotaged by Anbaixiu, he could only turn into a sentient artifact—essentially nothing more than a tool.
The gods banishing him was likely the harshest punishment permitted under the rules.
In the eyes of Ao, the guildmaster posed no significant threat. But if the gods broke Ao's rules on his account, the Overgod would be furious.
If Ao grew angry, deities like the Lord of the Dawn or Talos were mere gnats before him; with a single thought, he could strip any god of their divine portfolio and demote them to mortals.
Don't think this was mere alarmism; Ao had genuinely done it before, stripping every single deity at once.
That monumental cataclysm had caused the fall of numerous gods and seen many mortals rise as new deities.
It was that very event that taught mortals and gods alike that the Overgod could dispose of all gods without hesitation and replace any of them at whim. There was no choice but absolute submission.
Precisely because Ao was so overwhelmingly powerful, Anbaixiu could negotiate with gods and dare to confront even crooked, grotesque evil gods head-on. Gods could not meddle with mortals at will. Unhappy? Go ahead and strike, and see if Ao doesn't smite you into oblivion! Treating the rule as an absolute shield felt rather like posturing with borrowed authority.
Yet it was also the only weapon mortals could use against the gods.
With many thoughts turning in his mind, Anbaixiu arrived at the familiar sewers and traced his memory to the guildmaster's location: the center of the magic circle.
The guildmaster, now transformed into a tentacled monstrosity, was indeed still where he had been. From his perspective, he had only just granted Anbaixiu's wish, only for the City of Alchemy to take flight in the blink of an eye, entirely beyond his control.
In mere moments, the City of Alchemy had arrived in this chaotic void.
The guildmaster had briefly wondered if Anbaixiu had set him up. Anbaixiu had clearly claimed to have reached a deal with the God of Alchemy, yet here he was, banished. Had this lich negotiated solely for his own benefit and forgotten all about him?
The guildmaster ought to have been furious, resentful, longing to grind Anbaixiu's bones to dust. Yet he was not. His path to godhood had discarded his humanity. Though he retained a minuscule trace of mortal emotion, he was no longer swayed by feelings like a mortal; he thought only through pure rationality.
Did Anbaixiu betray him? If so, how to resolve the current predicament? That was all the guildmaster contemplated now.
Yet before he could deduce a solution, that familiar figure appeared before him.
When the tentacled guildmaster saw Anbaixiu, he could not help widening his sole remaining eye.
This is illogical. How could he still be here? Could it be that he wasn't the one who betrayed me?
In that instant, the guildmaster's thoughts fell into disarray; none of his previous deductions added up anymore.
"Guildmaster, finding you really wasn't easy," Anbaixiu said, putting on a deeply emotional air.
The guildmaster dispensed with pleasantries and asked directly, "What on earth happened? Did the God of Alchemy go back on his word and banish me?!"
Anbaixiu shook his head. "No, the one who banished you wasn't the God of Alchemy. You might not believe it, but the God of Alchemy was merely a tool pushed to the forefront to talk with you. The one who truly wanted to banish you was the Lord of Knowledge, along with his allies. Guildmaster, a 'false god' capable of casting Wish infinitely while unbound by divine rules poses far too great an impact."
"Hmph. Nothing more than those arrogant deities being sore losers. I mastered the greatest power within the boundaries of the rules, and unable to judge me by those rules, they resorted to underhanded measures," the guildmaster said disdainfully.
"Right, exactly right!" Anbaixiu agreed emphatically, then added, "I detest that kind of conduct as well, which is why I found a way back here to look for you."
Hearing this, the guildmaster said skeptically, "Knowing you as I do, that statement is ninety percent a lie. You are an extreme sort who would do anything for a single gold coin. The pursuit of profit is your obsession; you would never take risks for so-called justice and righteousness."
Anbaixiu was not in the least embarrassed. Instead, he chuckled cheerfully. "Spot on. Guildmaster, you truly understand me. But since you understand me, you should realize that coming back here to find you serves my own interests."
The guildmaster fell silent for a moment before speaking. "You dare make enemies of the gods... Do you want me to grant another wish for you?"
Anbaixiu nodded. "Talking to a smart person is so effortless. I didn't even have to say anything, and you already guessed the truth."
"Heh, typical of your style—disregarding even the gods for the sake of profit. But unfortunately, my Wish requires a massive quantity of material as a price. This ruined city is no longer sufficient to sustain a second Wish."
Having said that, the tentacles on the guildmaster's body suddenly unfurled, surrounding Anbaixiu completely. He then inquired coldly, "There is one more question. Tell me, how did you find me in this chaotic void? With your capabilities, how could it be possible for you to traverse planes and reach this chaos? Or have you concealed some critical information from me?"
Chapter 211