Within the divine realm of the God of Alchemy, what echoed today was not the clanging of the god hammering components, but the crisp slap of cards slamming onto a table.
With Anbaixiu's loud shout of "Three threes!", the other two players at the table helplessly tossed down their cards.
Though the round had only just begun, the outcome was already decided—Anbaixiu had won this hand.
The God of Alchemy, the Goddess of Wealth, and finally Anbaixiu, who was tucked inside the mirror, were playing Fight the Landlord. Unfortunately, each played quite differently: the moment any of them made an opening move, the other two would promptly throw in their cards and surrender.
The Goddess of Wealth had peerless luck when it came to gambling; Anbaixiu, as a divination wizard, could foresee victory and defeat; and as for the God of Alchemy, the entire divine realm was under his absolute control, meaning he knew exactly what cards everyone else held.
This was what the game inevitably came down to.
The only variable had occurred back when the God of Alchemy was still unfamiliar with the rules, making a mistake on his very first card, which led to the Goddess of Wealth and Anbaixiu soundly thrashing him. But afterward, it was just Anbaixiu losing non-stop.
After all, a divination wizard could only foresee victory or defeat, and his Dice of Fate could not alter the fate of gods.
The magic mirror was now covered in paper slips, yet Anbaixiu remained thrilled, manipulating a Mage Hand to reshuffle the deck. He hadn't played this game in ages and found it hard to stop.
On the contrary, the two deities, the God of Alchemy and the Goddess of Wealth, were growing bored.
This was hardly a game anymore; it had devolved into a pure comparison of luck.
Even the Goddess of Wealth couldn't watch any longer and couldn't help saying to Anbaixiu, "How about we let you cheat?"
Anbaixiu replied, "That would take all the fun out of it."
The God of Alchemy sneered disdainfully, "And losing continuously is fun?"
Anbaixiu fired right back, "You're winning non-stop and still complaining? That's going too far!"
"Then wager something real when you lose! What kind of stake is sticking paper slips?!"
"I was reborn, not brain-damaged! Knowing full well I'm bound to lose, why on earth would I bet anything else with you?!"
...
Watching the master and disciple bicker, the Goddess of Wealth couldn't help feeling a tinge of envy. She had slept for far too long, after all, and had missed out on such an entertaining mortal. Now it was too late for regrets—she had missed her chance to make Anbaixiu her Chosen.
That was precisely why the Goddess of Wealth had manifested before Anbaixiu, dealing with him on equal terms.
The Goddess of Wealth looked at the clown mask on Anbaixiu's face and couldn't help remarking, "The mask Oghma granted you surely holds more power than what you're showing now. You haven't fully merged with it. Do you harbor some misgivings?"
The God of Alchemy also turned his head and stared at Anbaixiu, warning, "You'd better think carefully before you answer. The Lord of Knowledge is omniscient."
Anbaixiu casually set the cards aside and said with a nonchalant air, "Right now, I still have the ability to take the mask off. But if I completely accept Oghma's gift, I won't have a second choice. Besides, I'm alive and well as it is, so there's no harm in waiting a bit longer."
The God of Alchemy, however, said with concern, "I'm only worried that you brat have misunderstood Oghma's intentions. Many youngsters maliciously misinterpret goodwill as exploitation, like a man standing firmly on the earth blaming gravity for binding his freedom."
Anbaixiu said with utter indifference, "My body may have returned to youth, but that doesn't mean I've forgotten centuries of experience. Oghma had no connection to me whatsoever in the first place. When my own plan failed and I was about to perish, He bestowed rebirth upon me. Those three questions couldn't even be called a trial; they merely helped me find who I used to be. If I held malice over that, I really would deserve to rot in Hell."
The True Neutral Oghma was just like the merfolk goddess Eadro back then: they harbored no prejudice against beings of any race, and were even willing to aid exceptionally gifted mortals in ascending to godhood, so long as it did not disrupt the balance of the world.
Oghma had placed no shackles upon Anbaixiu either; He had merely offered him an opportunity to ascend.
Just like the three questions before, the clown mask would wait patiently until Anbaixiu gave his answer.
Take off the mask, or merge with it entirely.
The Lord of Knowledge was in no hurry and would not rush him. The God of Alchemy said with deep envy, "Then what are you hesitating for? Is becoming Oghma's subordinate deity not good enough? Your teacher here has yearned for it for so long, yet the Lord of Knowledge never accepted me."
It seemed the God of Alchemy was on good terms with Oghma, but truly joining Oghma's pantheon as an ally was still a distant prospect.
Anbaixiu was different. As long as he fully accepted the power within the clown mask, it would be equivalent to receiving divine power bestowed by Oghma, allowing him to ascend to godhood right then and there—perhaps even surpassing the God of Alchemy in an instant.
Yet Anbaixiu had only accepted the power of rebirth granted by the clown mask while maintaining a mortal form.
Thus, the mask remained merely resting on his face, ready to be taken off at any time.
"What other reason could there be? I'm just a greedy fellow. I don't want to become any god's subordinate deity," Anbaixiu said with self-deprecating humor.
If Anbaixiu were still a lich, if Oghma so much as batted an eyelash at him, he would have yielded without hesitation. Never mind Oghma—if the Goddess of Wealth merely crooked a finger, he would have gladly sold himself. And if only Lord of the Dawn Lathander's Holy Light hadn't stung so painfully, Anbaixiu would have eagerly thrown in his lot with Him too.
His contempt for those evil goddesses had been purely because they were treacherous pitfalls, not because Anbaixiu possessed some unshakeable, righteous resolve.
As for the God of Alchemy's invitation, Anbaixiu had initially been furious that the bastard had deceived him for centuries; later on, he looked down somewhat on the weakened, grievously injured God of Alchemy; and by the time the God of Alchemy had recovered, Anbaixiu was already bound toward his ordained fate, with no opportunity left to turn back.
The high-spirited youth of the past, who had dared make the grandiose pledge that "under Ao, I call the shots," had long been worn down by time into a weary, withered lich. He had learned to settle: being a protagonist wasn't easy. What protagonist spent centuries struggling only to watch his friends die, his lovers die, and most of his followers perish?
Yet this rebirth had restored the long-lost youthful ambition back to Anbaixiu.
The memories remained, the pain remained, but the tempered experience had not vanished either.
Though he did not know how Oghma had accomplished it, Anbaixiu truly possessed a youthful body paired with seasoned wisdom, which was why he couldn't resist dropping by to play cards with his teacher, savoring that vivid sense of being truly alive.
Having received such a gift, was he supposed to walk the worn-out path of a lich all over again?
Becoming a subordinate deity... what kind of joke was that?
If he had dreamed of being a subordinate deity before rebirth, and still settled for being a subordinate deity after rebirth, then what the hell was the point of being reborn?
And so, why not try picking up that old dream again?
To become a god—a powerful god unswayed and uncontrolled by anyone.
Well, except for Ao. One couldn't fail to give due respect to the creator, the Overgod.
As for how to become an independent deity, Anbaixiu had had no clue when he first transmigrated, reduced to blundering around like a headless fly and hitting dead ends everywhere.
But now, Anbaixiu possessed the complete knowledge of the Shadow Weave, had mastered the modified Karsus's Avatar, had assisted Leira in reclaiming her power, and was helping Aige become a deity.
A whole host of gods were on good terms with Anbaixiu, with even more functioning as his business partners. He could even borrow that special artifact ring from Aige once she ascended, allowing him to create his own divine realm ahead of time.
With so many foundations already laid, it would defy all reason if he didn't become a god, wouldn't it?
Therefore, it was best to part on good terms with Oghma. The great Lord of Knowledge had granted Anbaixiu rebirth, so Anbaixiu would deliver the Renaissance He sought.
Once that debt of gratitude was repaid, Anbaixiu would remove the mask from his face and fulfill his former dream.
"Your greed truly hasn't changed in the slightest," the God of Alchemy remarked with emotion, as if transported back to the days years ago when he had first met this youth.
Back then, Anbaixiu had asked a question: when would he become a legendary alchemist—one year, or two?
The God of Alchemy had been blind back then; otherwise, he truly would have slapped this insolent brat across the face.
"Then what do you intend to do?" the God of Alchemy asked.
Anbaixiu gave a mysterious smile and said, "No rush; the groundwork isn't sufficient yet. However, I will make good use of my current state moving forward. Teacher, it's time for your magic mirrors to receive an upgrade. Next, I'm going to turn this luxury item into an everyday commodity that anyone can use!"
Chapter 535