Anbaixiu had only asked a single question, leaving Aige with nine chances. As long as she could deduce the alignment position Eadro cared about most within those nine questions, she would earn the lady's aid.
Anbaixiu's initial inquiry had already confirmed one thing: Eadro was genuinely willing to help.
Yet what did she mean by clearing one's thoughts and considering what to be mindful of after ascending to godhood?
Aige truly had no idea what that hinted at, so she could only venture a guess. "Must I consider the matter of worshippers? If I borrow your power of faith, do I need to think about how to return those followers once I achieve godhood?"
Faith was vital to deities, and Aige assumed Eadro worried about permanently losing that portion of her flock once loaned out.
Eadro shook her head. "The answer is no."
"It isn't that either?" Aige sank into deep thought. Though Anbaixiu was anxious watching her, he refrained from giving any hints.
Eadro's concern was that Aige might lean toward a particular stance, rendering her incapable of becoming an absolute neutral deity. If Anbaixiu spoke now, it would be tantamount to declaring that Aige could never join Eadro's pantheon.
Yet as things stood, Aige was drifting entirely off-course.
With eight questions left, Anbaixiu felt a surge of worry on her behalf.
Pondering once more, Aige asked, "Does what I must be mindful of after ascending refer to my future source of faith?"
"The answer is no."
"Must I consider the attitudes of other deities? Will other deities come to cause trouble for me?"
"The answer is no."
"Then is it a question regarding Ao? That Ao won't actually grant my wish?"
"The answer is no."
...
Aige went through question after question until only a single chance remained, and from start to finish, Eadro had answered nothing but "no."
Aige now understood something was deeply wrong. Out of so many questions, not a single one had hit the mark, nor had any even brushed against the core issue.
Watching Eadro's form begin to flicker, the goddess was forced to remind her, "The time for my projected consciousness is nearly up. You have one final chance."
Aige clenched her fists and then slowly unclenched them. As if resigning herself to fate, she posed her last question: "What I need to consider... is it my alignment after becoming a deity?"
Anbaixiu breathed a sigh of relief. She had finally guessed it.
Eadro offered a smile and said to Aige, "Yes, that is precisely the question I need you to consider. You should understand my stance very well. I do not wish for you to ascend as an undead, only to turn around and show favor to the undead. You ought to know that the power of the Elegy Poetry Society has already thrown the world off balance. If your blessing is added on top of that, the world will only hurtle toward collapse at an accelerated pace."
Anbaixiu quickly interjected, "Goddess, you shouldn't make wild accusations like that. I've always been devoted to world peace and ensuring everyone lives a happy, fulfilling life."
Eadro shot him a glance and said, "Two goddesses have already fallen victim to you. Lolth's and Shar's plights are known to nearly all deities, so there is no need to wag your deceitful tongue before me. Everything you do is purely for wealth, and everything you do dismantles the established world order.
"Lich, though deities are not omniscient, the Goddess of Wealth is one of our own. At the very least, someone knows the consequences your actions will bring."
Anbaixiu shut his mouth.
Capitalism was indeed somewhat premature for this feudal era. Once his trade network was fully established, he would control the vast majority of the world's wealth. When that time came, imperial power would be suppressed, or even wholly dominated, by capital.
For this world, that was indeed an unprecedented upheaval.
Still, the Goddess of Wealth would surely be thrilled to see it happen; if he succeeded, her divine power would likely surge dramatically.
He simply wondered why she had never granted him the slightest favor. If she had merely manifested to bestow a blessing of turning stone to gold, Anbaixiu would have bowed his head on the spot and become her most devout worshipper.
Yet benefits naturally came with drawbacks. The global transformation Anbaixiu spearheaded would trigger tremendous turmoil. One misstep could lead to the complete collapse of existing society, and if a new system could not be swiftly established to adapt, monumental chaos and catastrophic loss of life would follow.
That, however, was not Anbaixiu's concern. For a lich, refraining from actively killing people was already a betrayal of his class; saving lives was something for paladins to worry about.
Eadro knew full well that a mortal like Anbaixiu could never share her perspective, so she addressed Aige instead. "If you can remain impartial, I will aid your ascension and shield you from harm by other deities."
This promise carried immense weight. Mortals enjoyed the protection of Ao's rules; even a devil from Hell like Zariel could not simply reach down and tear away a mortal's soul. But once someone ascended to godhood, the rules changed completely. Zariel could readily wage war, directly imprisoning and dominating weaker deities, or even subjugating them into her thralls.
Such was the ruthless cruelty among deities.
After achieving godhood, Ao's rules no longer shielded you; you had to learn to protect yourself.
Evil-aligned deities relished hunting the weak, and Aige would be no exception to that peril.
Thus, newly ascended deities typically had only two options. The first and most common was joining a powerful pantheon, securing divine protection from the very start. The second was accumulation: once one amassed sufficient depth, one could swiftly forge a divine realm and hide within it, cutting off detection from most deities and ensuring survival. Eadro offering her protection would grant Aige enough time to build her own divine realm—a lasting resolution. Moreover, Eadro's alignment guaranteed she would neither deceive nor exploit Aige, offering a truly sincere arrangement.
Now, all Aige had to do was nod, and her path to godhood would be smoothed out before her.
Yet Aige shook her head. "I'm sorry. If that is your requirement, I'm afraid I cannot accept."
Eadro looked somewhat surprised and asked, "Do you truly understand the gravity of what I've offered? Perhaps you should consult with your companion."
Eadro genuinely wished for Aige to join her camp and work alongside her for peace upon the oceans. She had never anticipated that after barely passing the trial, Aige would flatly decline her invitation.
Anbaixiu urged her as well. "No need to worry so much. Doesn't this goddess have her own worshippers and grant them blessings just the same? Once you become a deity, everything will be in your own hands."
Yet Aige remained resolute. "There is no need, for I chose my stance long ago. I will join the chaotic neutral alignment. My father hoped I would sail freely across the sea, unconstrained by any bonds. Goddess Eadro, I am deeply grateful for your goodwill, but I will not join your camp. I cannot remain impartial. I will only do what pleases me, even if it brings about the collapse of the world.
"Since my father once worshipped you, I will not falsely deceive you only to breach our accord later. Therefore, I am truly sorry for wasting your time."
Eadro gave Aige one last look, then dissolved into light amid a soft sigh.
The merfolk high priestess regained control of her body, though she appeared entirely oblivious to the conversation that had just transpired. Once recovered, she asked Anbaixiu, "Have you concluded your audience with the goddess?"
Anbaixiu nodded and replied, "Yes. It was a very pleasant conversation. Our cooperation continues as planned."
The high priestess was somewhat skeptical, but since the goddess had issued no divine oracle to stop her, the lich's words were likely true, and their partnership could proceed.
"By the way, regarding the kuo-toa goddess encroaching upon our faith, the goddess has already instructed me. Everything will be resolved in the Volcanic Sea, and our conflict with those ixitxachitl will be settled once and for all there as well. Master Ultraman, Captain Aige, what are your thoughts on this?"
Anbaixiu had brought the news, and the goddess had consented to their cooperation, so the high priestess naturally regarded him as an ally. This looming war against the ixitxachitl was of paramount importance to the merfolk; having an extra hand was certainly welcome.
Not to mention Anbaixiu possessed such an illustrious battle record. If he lent his aid, their chances of victory would rise substantially.
Anbaixiu did not commit immediately, merely telling her, "I will consider the matter carefully. Believe me, I hold no fondness for those ixitxachitl either."
"Very well. Please take this conch. If you have any news for me, no matter where you are upon the sea, simply blow into it, and I will dispatch my dolphins to escort you."
Anbaixiu accepted the conch and presented a magic mirror to the high priestess in return.
Never having seen such a peculiar alchemical product, the high priestess asked, "What is this mirror?"
Anbaixiu manipulated the magic mirror with his hand, promptly displaying another image. He explained, "An alchemical device capable of long-distance communication. This is my mirror's frequency number. Dial this number, and you can converse with me face-to-face."
The high priestess's eyes nearly popped out from behind her mask. Was this an artifact?
An alchemical product capable of real-time communication across any distance? Though she had lived long in the deep ocean, she was hardly ignorant, yet she had truly never heard of an alchemical product like this magic mirror.
With only a moment's thought, one could see its immense value. For the merfolk poised on the brink of war, just how vital would such a tool be?
"Um... do you have many of these?" she could not help asking.
Anbaixiu nodded. "Quite a few. If you need them, I can give you several."
Such an item cost a mere two hundred gold coins to produce—negligible compared to the market of the entire merfolk race. Furthermore, the more people used magic mirrors, the faster the God of Alchemy's divine power grew. Anbaixiu gave them away to almost anyone he met.
Seeing Anbaixiu bring out several more magic mirrors, the high priestess hastily said, "Thank you! Thank you so much!"
"Don't mention it. We'll have plenty of opportunities for cooperation in the future," Anbaixiu said.
"Oh, right. Please return that conch to me, then," the high priestess said bashfully.
Compared to the magic mirror, the conch's communication efficiency was far too clumsy.
Anbaixiu chuckled. "Courtesy demands reciprocity. The symbolic meaning of this conch far exceeds its utility; I hope it can serve as a token of our friendship."
The high priestess immediately found the lich quite reasonable after all—the prior rumors had indeed been slanderous.
She said, "Very well. Let this be the proof of our friendship. Believe me, you will not regret befriending the merfolk."
Smiling, Anbaixiu bid farewell to the high priestess and embarked on the return journey with Aige.
On their way back, Aige could not help saying, "I'm sorry for letting all your hard work go to waste."
Anbaixiu brushed it off nonchalantly. "Life is never smooth sailing. Things have been going too well lately, to the point I was worried the Goddess of Fate might stomp on me at any second. Facing only this minor hiccup leaves me quite content. Eadro was only ever our first choice; it's not as though we don't have a backup plan."
"What do you mean?" Aige asked.
Anbaixiu declared resolutely, "The Volcanic Sea. Since I dug that sea out, it's my territory. I will cultivate worshippers for you there, so you can achieve godhood through your own strength."
Chapter 421