The Courtyard of Disobedience, shrouded in endless darkness and chaos, was peaceful as usual today. Amoen the giant deer lay motionlessly among the floating boulders and the ancient remains that had fallen apart, bathing in a vague holy light. Myrmina, on the other hand, was not immersed in the neural network today. Instead, she was circling around Amoen silently.
It was as if a ghost the size of a bell tower was floating around the God of Nature.
After circling for god knows how many times, Amoun could not help but break the silence. "Haven't you circled enough?"
"I'm afraid that if I connect to the network, you will report me to the administrator." Mirmina finally stopped. Her eyes shrouded in mysterious clouds glared at the God of Nature. "I finally found out that you, who usually look honest and down-to-earth, are really hard to guard against when you're bad. I've helped you so much, and you're going to report me?"
"… Weren't you having fun playing cards last time?" Amoun muttered helplessly. "Even Duwalter had surrendered, and you still don't want to leave that space …"
In response, he was met with a sharp gaze from Milmina and a long period of silence in the Courtyard of Disobedience.
After an unknown amount of time, Ah Mo 'en's voice finally rang out in the dusky chaos, "These days … time really flies."
Mirmina looked at him quietly for a few seconds. "Didn't time fly before? Thousands of years passed in the blink of an eye. Before we could react, the dynasties of the mortals had changed generation after generation. It was so fast that even the gods were dazzled. "
"This is not the same as that," Amoun said softly. "Back then, time was like a set of illusions that kept repeating. The world may change fast, but it had nothing to do with me. The thousands of years I experienced were like the same day that kept repeating. It was a very, very long day. Now, the time we experience is at least our own. "
"Why are you suddenly sighing about this kind of thing?" After a brief silence, Mirmina finally sat down beside a boulder near Amoun. "Isn't it nice to be immersed in the neural network without thinking about anything?"
"I'm just wondering … how long can we last like this?" Amoun's voice was calm, so calm that no one could tell what he was feeling at the moment. Only the white light that shrouded him seemed to have receded slightly. "You used to go to the deepest part of the Realm of Looming Shadow. You should know the situation there … The edge of the Abyss should be unstable recently, right?"
"I didn't expect you to lie here for three thousand years to not be a waste of time." Mirmina looked at Amoun in surprise and shook her head. "The Abyss … The Abyss is still the Abyss. It's overlapping with the deep sea. You know, I don't dare to get close to its edge. The connection will be reestablished. But I can still sense the clear echoes of the mortal thoughts there. Those echoes have outlined the edge of the Abyss. Generally speaking, the edge is still stable. "
"It's more or less good news … You know, when the small Demonic Tide came seven hundred years ago, someone detonated the Deep Blue Well. While this crazy move did stop the Demonic Tide from spreading further, it almost hit the mapping between the Abyss and the upper realm. At that time, the edge was so blurred that it almost dissipated … I really thought the end of the world was coming."
"Who said it wasn't? I was almost scared to death at that time. The Deep Blue Well was so big, and it blew up with a boom. I was lying on the edge of the thought to observe the human mages studying the arcane purification experiment. I felt a 'boom' and the connection with the real world was cut off. When I opened my eyes again, the entire Gondor was gone … "
Ah Mo 'en quietly listened to Milmina's slightly exaggerated description that did not sound like a goddess at all. "Tell me the truth. You're not the one who detonated the Deep Blue Well?" Ah Mo' en asked after Milmina's voice trailed off.
"Why do you suspect it was me?" Mirmina immediately looked at Amoun as if he was an idiot. "I'm a goddess who usually avoids the prayers of the mortals. Do you think I would take the initiative to do something so difficult that I could lose myself at any time? Especially when I was half a beat slower and did not even realize that there was a problem with the sun's movement … "
Amoun was not moved at all. He just quietly stated his judgment. "The Deep Blue Well is the source of magic. Detonating it requires the guidance of extremely powerful primordial magic energy, so you are the most likely one to do it. As for the reason why you did it … Even if you are unwilling to bear your responsibility, you are still a goddess born from the thoughts of the mortals. Protecting the mortals is your highest instinct. It has nothing to do with your own will. "
Mirmina looked at Amoun's crystal-like eyes. After a few seconds of confrontation, she suddenly smiled and shook her head. "… At this moment, I really wish that I was the goddess you said who took the brave step to protect the mortals. But it's a pity that the one who detonated the Deep Blue Well more than seven hundred years ago was not me."
"It really wasn't you?" Amoun's voice finally sounded a little surprised. "Then who could it be?"
"I don't know, but many gods who once protected the Kingdom of Gondor could be it. You are the main god of the elves, and you have not paid attention to the human world for three thousand years, so you probably don't know about the Deep Blue Well. Your impression of it … is also a little inaccurate.
"It is indeed a powerful source of energy, but it should not be limited to calling it the 'Mana Pool'. Deep inside the turbulent flow of mana in the Deep Blue Well is a massive 'network' that runs through the entire planet and even has tributaries in many realms. It is like a complex network of water paths that includes both the rivers on the ground and the underground veins. This complex network of water paths not only contains primordial mana, but also the tides of the elemental world and the echoes of the Realm of Shadows and Looming Shadow. Even the thoughts of the mortals could be connected to the deep tributaries. So, there is not only the Goddess of Magic who could meddle in the Deep Blue Well.
"The gods of Elements, the God of Holy Light, the God of Blood, and even the Three Gods of Fertility — even that honest God of War could have detonated the Deep Blue Well if they had the idea."
Listening to Mirmina's description, Amoun could not help but fall silent. He did not doubt the Goddess of Magic's judgment on the Deep Blue Well, but the answer she gave made him even more confused. As he pondered, he finally broke the silence. "No matter who did it back then, he could not have escaped from the big explosion unscathed …"
"You're right." Mirmina nodded. "Although I can't find any clues, a simple calculation can tell how big the impact of the big explosion was. It didn't just destroy a human empire in the real world — the energy of the recoil should be enough to break the defense of the divine kingdom and severely injure the god who did it. Of course, that was seven hundred years ago. Now, the mortals are flourishing again. Apart from those of us who ran away and didn't want to do anything, or that unlucky War God, the followers of all the gods are much more than before … That Brave One who detonated the Deep Blue Well should have recovered by now, right? "
Amoun did not speak for a moment. After a while, he whispered to himself, "… No matter who he is, I pay my respects to him."
Mirmina nodded. She seemed to want to say something, but before she opened her mouth, she suddenly sensed a new breath in this chaotic and dim space. She looked in the direction of the breath, and her face hidden in the mysterious mist seemed to show a smile. "It seems that a guest has come to visit our little courtyard."
Amoun also sensed the breath, but he immediately refuted Mirmina's words. "This is my little courtyard — you're not leaving!"
"Don't worry about it. You're talking as if you're really the owner of this place," Mirmina said casually. Her eyes then fell on the figure who was passing through the protective barrier and coming towards them. When the figure came close, she spoke again. "Gwen, how come you have time to come here today?"
The person who appeared in the Courtyard of Disobedience was Gwen, who had just come from the city. He did not bring any followers and came to the deepest part of the Fortress of Disobedience alone. But at this moment, behind him, in the Imperial Computing Center in Cecil City, a large number of technicians had arrived at their posts. The anti-divinity barrier and non-directional thoughts were ready. Several security teams, twelve Node Scholars, and Naretil Duarte were all watching the situation in the Courtyard of Disobedience.
After crossing a virtual wall formed by holographic projection, Gwen came to the 'resting place of the gods', which was made up of countless broken floating boulders and ancient ruins. He stopped in front of Mirmina and Amoun and looked up at the huge lady in a black dress, whose lower body seemed to be condensed by clouds and mist. She had a puzzled look on her face.
"I'm here to ask you some questions, Madam Mirmina."
"Ask you some questions?" Mirmina's voice rose slightly. At the same time, she noticed that the arcanotech devices around her had suddenly changed. Many things that were running at low power were now running at high power. Some crystals that were stuck in slots floated in the air, some dim runes became bright, and blue and white sparks danced between some metal frames. A series of buzzing sound came from all directions, and the sound went from low to loud.
The massive and complex protective system was activated, and the array was extraordinary. Mirmina's eyes, which were hidden in the mist, flickered for a moment. Her voice came from above. "It seems that your question is not ordinary, Gwen."
"… Then can you ask somewhere else?" Amoun's voice followed. He had also noticed that the protective devices were suddenly running at high power. He suddenly felt that something was wrong. "I just want to be quiet for a while …"
"There are only so many protective devices, and you can't move." Mirmina glanced at Amoun lightly. "Why don't you move somewhere else?"
"… Forget it, forget it," Amoun said with a sigh. "I'll try my best not to hear it."
"You don't have to be so nervous." Gawain could not help but smile as he looked at the two retired gods who were showing more and more 'human nature'. The way they talked, which did not look like gods at all, was actually the best news for him. After all, the closer their personalities were to that of mortals, it meant that the chains of the gods on them were weakening. "This is just a precautionary measure. After all, I'm not sure if the matter I'm going to ask about will involve the bridge between humans and gods. Maybe this will just be an ordinary conversation, and no one will get hurt …"
"Do you believe what you just said?" Mirmina said. "What's the matter with the Dragons named Melita Pânia?"
"… It's all because of my lack of experience," Gwen said instinctively. Then, he realized something. "Wait, how do you know about her?"
"We heard it when we were playing cards with Ms. Enya …" Amoun immediately said.
Gwen was speechless.
So, what did these retired gods do in their free time?! These deities had burned down the three most advanced sets of nerve connection equipment in the Empire just for a game of cards?!
The sudden shock almost made Gawain lose his train of thought, and he almost forgot the reason why he came here today. But fortunately, he reacted after being stunned for a moment. He coughed twice to break the awkwardness, gathered his thoughts, and looked at Milmina again.
"My Lady, I want to know about the Violet Kingdom."
Mirmina was startled. "What kingdom?"
"The Violet Kingdom."
"The Violet Kingdom?" Mirmina's voice was full of doubt. It seemed that she was not faking it. She seemed to think for a moment before she matched the name with her memory. "I remember now … There is such a country in the mortal world. But why do you suddenly want to know about them? "
"This country's way of doing things is too mysterious, and we've recently found many suspicious things about their actions in the past six hundred years. I'm now worried that they are some kind of … potential threat to the new alliance," Gawain said while choosing his words carefully. "Of course, without sufficient evidence, I can't make such a judgment about any country. So, at the moment, it's just a suspicion. That's why I came to you to confirm the situation …"
"I understand what you mean, but why do you ask me?" Mirmina was still a little puzzled.
This time, it was Gwen's turn to be stunned. He looked up at the former god in front of him. "Of course, this is because the Violet Kingdom is a country of mages, and you are the Goddess of Magic …"
"But those mages are not my believers," Mirmina said casually.
The Disobedience Courtyard fell into silence. Both the people and the gods were silent. Only the buzzing sound of the magical devices could be heard.
"… You mean, the mages of the Violet Kingdom don't believe in you, the Goddess of Magic — and not just one or two, but all of them don't believe in you?" After a long time, Gawain finally recovered from his shock. He stared at the god who had once wielded the power of magic in the mortal world, dumbfounded. He could only feel the absurdity and shock in his heart. "There are no believers of yours in the entire Violet Kingdom?!"
You've already exceeded your reading limit for today. If you want to read more, please log in.
Login
Select text and click 'Report' to let us know about any bad translation.
