The God of Alchemy's description of Talos might have been somewhat exaggerated, but Anbaixiu believed his teacher would not throw him under the bus.
After all, heroic epics were a dime a dozen.
Walk into any tavern, toss a bard a gold coin, and tell him to sing epics—if you heard the same tale twice over three days, you could slap him across the face, because he had to be a barbarian in disguise.
There were simply too many stories in the world, so many that every conceivable plot had already played out on stage.
A straightforward heroic epic could hardly offer anything new anymore.
Reflecting on it, even if Aeolus had managed to accomplish great deeds just as Talos envisioned, it likely still would not have truly satisfied the storm god.
Otherwise, Talos would not have gone out of his way to ramp up the difficulty for Aeolus—cursing him with a deficient intellect, leaving him unable to recognize Ariel, withholding even the slightest hint, and forbidding him from ever revealing his identity as a child of a deity.
The result of piling on all those shackles was that Aeolus broke down completely.
But where on earth was Anbaixiu supposed to cook up some angsty, tragic romance epic for Talos? He was a lich without even the baseline earthly desires—wasn't this just torturing the undead?
The God of Alchemy had spread his hands helplessly. "I can't help you there either. But don't say your teacher is abandoning you completely."
The God of Alchemy sent Anbaixiu a bracelet radiating bright yellow light, instructing him to slip it over his wrist.
"Whenever Talos turns his gaze upon you, the light on this bracelet will go out. Watch yourself. That god has never been known for his magnanimity."
Leaving behind those words, the God of Alchemy went right back to his experiments.
Anbaixiu was speechless. Sure enough, when push came to shove, gods were unreliable.
"I guess I'll just have to rely on myself." After confirming that the bracelet was still glowing, Anbaixiu opened the Necrotic Codex and typed out a message:
[Friends, Talos has his eye on me. He wants me to put on a good show for him, and I haven't got the faintest clue where to start. Please help.]
Relying on the network of connections he had built himself still counted as relying on himself.
Before long, the most idle vampire in the Elegy Poetry Society sent a reply:
[Hahaha, you have days like this too! How did you manage to get on that god's bad side?]
[Ultraman Tiga: You remember that ugly fool we ran into last time? His name is Aeolus, and he's Talos's own son. That's right—it was your blood thrall orc who chopped Aeolus's head off. Rumor has it that was the first enemy Aeolus ever encountered after coming into this world.]
[Dislikes Humans: What the f***! Damn lich, you're trying to drag me down with you again! You think I'll fall for it?!]
[Ultraman Tiga: Suit yourself if you don't believe me.]
Seeing Anbaixiu's blunt reply, Heji Stone grew hesitant instead.
As he recalled the details of their encounters, Heji Stone's hands began to tremble uncontrollably.
Detestable though the lich was, he never lied about things that could be debunked with a single poke. Was that surfing fool on the beach really Talos's son?
Before Heji Stone could ask anything further, Gareth sent a message.
[Crown of the Headless Horseman: Talos? What does he want you to do? If you need any help, just say the word!]
Ever since Anbaixiu had helped Gareth thoroughly discipline those dragons, Gareth's status at home had skyrocketed, leaving him immensely grateful to Anbaixiu.
Anbaixiu replied helplessly:
[Gareth, I appreciate the thought, but this isn't a problem fists can solve. No matter how strong you are, you can't just march into Talos's divine realm and slay him.]
At most, Gareth was invincible across the mortal plane; the gulf between him and a true deity remained far too vast.
[Crown of the Headless Horseman: Hey now, you're underestimating me way too much! Just because I'm good with a blade doesn't mean you should ignore my other talents.]
Anbaixiu was at a loss for words. What else did a live-in dragon son-in-law have going for him besides being a powerhouse in battle...?
Wait. That wasn't quite right.
Gareth wasn't just formidable in a fight. The guy seemed to have been blessed by some legendary boon of boundless charisma, possessing an immense magnetism toward women.
Even when he wasn't intentionally flirting, he could still make women gaze at him with melting, smoldering eyes.
Wasn't Talos after a thrilling "wedding"? Gareth might actually be the ideal candidate!
At this thought, Anbaixiu immediately sent Gareth a private message:
[Brother, fancy taking a concubine? Are you still in touch with that female orc you met back then?]
[Crown of the Headless Horseman: Do you have a death wish?! I'm standing right beside him watching!]
That tone obviously belonged to Canggu.
Anbaixiu felt a twinge of embarrassment. Getting caught by the primary wife while egging Gareth on to cheat was genuinely awkward.
Still, those two were absurd—did they share the exact same account for group chats?
[Rose of Decay: What exactly does Talos want? I don't follow what you're saying.]
Anbaixiu had no choice but to provide a brief rundown of Aeolus's situation in the group chat. Essentially, the fool Aeolus had botched his own role, and now he was clutching the lobster maiden, ready to retreat from the world and live in seclusion.
Talos was displeased. He had intended to stir this entire ocean into turmoil and make the wedding a grand spectacle, only for Aeolus to throw in the towel without kicking up a single splash.
Now, Anbaixiu was stuck with the responsibility of staging the performance; otherwise, Talos would make his life miserable.
After reading Anbaixiu's explanation, Rose of Decay fell silent for a long while before asking:
[Does Talos mean for you to marry Ariel?]
[Ultraman Tiga: Who knows? Talos was speaking in riddles, probably just looking to make a fool out of me. After all, I did foil his scheme, and it's all too easy for a deity to take revenge on a mortal.]
Rose of Decay was quiet for another good moment before replying:
[Then what do you think? You might actually be able to marry Ariel. Given your prior groundwork, pulling that off shouldn't be difficult, right?]
This time, everyone in the group fell silent, save for Anbaixiu, who replied without a second thought:
[Are you kidding me? How could a lich like me marry a living person? Leaving aside whether I even have the physical capacity, what would I marry her for? Aside from a mountain of trouble, what benefit is there?]
Anbaixiu had never entertained the idea from the start.
If it were merely about putting on an act—donning his disguise as Mengge Grayriver again to deceive Princess Ariel, who wasn't all that sharp—it wouldn't be much of a problem. Orchestrating some palace intrigue to plunge the Raging Tide Kingdom into a harem war was well within his capabilities.
But what would be the point of that?
Was Anbaixiu truly terrified that Talos would strike him dead with a single lightning bolt? Of course not. What he feared was Talos issuing a divine decree that turned the Raging Tide Kingdom—his contract manufacturing base—into his enemy.
If he deceived Ariel and put on a grand drama, even if it truly pleased Talos, wouldn't the end result still leave the Raging Tide Kingdom thrown into chaos, thereby sabotaging his foundry operations?
If that was the outcome, why waste his time? He might as well flip Talos the bird and promptly look for another place to set up shop.
So the crux was not whether Anbaixiu should sacrifice himself, but how to satisfy Talos without paying too steep a price.
Yet according to the previous prophecy, the wedding was destined to occur.
"Wait, the scene of that wedding..."
Anbaixiu pulled up the earlier prophecy: a blurred scene of a wedding, with the groom embracing the bride, surrounded by figures resembling bridesmaids and onlookers... The point was not those characters whose faces were indistinct, but the location where the wedding was taking place.
Without hesitation, Anbaixiu transcribed the scene from the prophecy and sent it to the group chat.
[Ultraman Tiga: Friends, this might be the key. Does anyone know where this place is?]
[Dislikes Humans: It's way too blurry! You can barely tell it's a patch of grass, and it looks pretty scrubby at that.]
The wedding scene depicted in the image was lively enough, but as Heji Stone pointed out, it was hardly picturesque.
The grass was patchy, yellow and green in spots, clearly an unkempt wilderness.
Beyond that were distant shadows, indistinct whether buildings or clouds, creating a stark contrast with the wedding scene. It was completely unsuitable as a venue for a wedding.
[Rose of Decay: Look at the background behind them. There seem to be traces of lightning. Is that Talos's power?]
Rose of Decay was referring to the faint white streaks in the background. They did look somewhat like lightning bolts, but that didn't reveal much. If this prophesied wedding was meant to satisfy Talos, it made complete sense for him to cast down lightning—either striking in anger if dissatisfied, or unleashing thunder in delight to liven up the celebration.
The group discussed it for quite some time, but none of them could identify where this blurry location was.
Anbaixiu figured the place was still tied to this ocean, likely somewhere in the Raging Tide Kingdom or on some deserted island.
As long as he found this location, he might uncover a way to resolve the problem.
After all, the prophesied wedding was guaranteed to happen; finding the location might allow him to deduce who the figures were.
[Rose of Decay: If you want to find this place, your only option is to ask the Raging Tide Kingdom for help. I think you should come in person. The site for the alchemy workshop here has already been chosen anyway, so you ought to show your face and finalize the last step of the partnership.]
[Ultraman Tiga: Alright, I'll make the trip. It's just that I'm considering whether to appear under the identity of Mengge Grayriver again.]
Anbaixiu sighed. Resurrecting an alias he had already discarded always felt somewhat unlucky to him. Whenever he revived an old persona, he tended to run into nasty surprises. Over the years, he had formed the habit of tossing them aside after one use, rarely ever picking one back up.
Yet if he didn't use the identity of Mengge Grayriver, it would be difficult to enlist Ariel's aid in locating such a place, mostly because coming up with an excuse would be tricky. But if he appeared as Mengge Grayriver returned from the dead, he could blame everything on divine guidance, requiring little explanation to secure her help.
[Rose of Decay: Are you really planning to use that identity to keep deceiving the princess of Raging Tide?]
[Ultraman Tiga: I haven't decided yet, but it seems more convenient that way.]
[Rose of Decay: I have a suggestion. If Talos just wants to watch a good drama, you might try coming clean. What story could be more compelling than a deceived young maiden whose heartbreak drives her to forge ahead with fierce resolve? Ariel is Talos's chosen. Wasn't Aeolus just a trial Talos set up for Ariel? It's just that the trial has become you instead. If she weathers this hardship through great adversity, Talos ought to be quite delighted.]
Anbaixiu hadn't considered that angle, but Rose of Decay's words made a good deal of sense.
Go to Ariel and blow his own cover, letting her take center stage in the melodrama?
Still, the scale didn't seem quite grand enough.
Anbaixiu recalled that Kuo-toa Goddess who had casually created the lobster maiden to deceive others. It was high time to drag her into the mud as well. With a goddess serving as an offering, Talos would surely be all the more thrilled.
As for how to drag her into the fray, that was hardly an insurmountable problem.
The reason the Kuo-toa Goddess had deceived Aeolus in the first place was that she coveted the divine power within him. The real Ariel was Talos's chosen; surely that goddess would be keenly interested in her as well.
A piece of bait, an ambush, an attempt to lure that psychotic goddess into making a move?
This plan might well be worth pondering in depth.
Chapter 447