CHAPTER 626

【 SECRET OF THE ABYSS 】

—

“Your Grace Evé, that is all I know.”

After finishing his account, Dorft gave her a slight bow tinged with apology.

Although he did not explain why he made such a gesture, Evé could roughly understand the meaning behind it.

It was the God of Dwarves’ way of expressing his guilt toward the Elves.

After all, from his perspective, Evé was not only the successor to the World Tree’s divinity but also the one who carried the mantle of vengeance for the Elves.

The gods had once turned against the World Tree, and although Dorft himself had not been among those who betrayed it, the stain of that betrayal lingered upon the pantheon as a whole.

If he wished to establish goodwill with her, he needed to distance himself from that history and make clear where he had stood during that era.

At least, that was how it appeared from Dorft’s perspective.

As for Evé, she neither commented nor passed judgment on the matter.

True Gods were not saints.

Since her predecessor had never established a formal divine faction of her own, there was no reason to expect other gods to fight and die on the World Tree’s behalf.

Thus, Evé had no grounds to reproach Dorft’s choice.

Even putting herself in his place, she could not be certain she would have acted any better. For a lesser deity merely struggling to survive, joining in the battles of high-ranking deities would have been tantamount to seeking their own death.

However, Dorft’s words did help Evé confirm one thing.

Aside from the Divine Human Coalition and the League of War, most other deities, whether Gods of Faith or Ancient Gods, were likely similar to Dorft.

They bore no hostility toward the World Tree. On the contrary, many harbored goodwill, and some might even have supported the World Tree’s cause during the thousand-year holy war.

Yet whether for reasons of self-preservation or other considerations, they had never openly intervened in the conflict.

Perhaps, if united, they could have formed a considerable force, but without a unifying leader, they remained scattered like grains of sand.

But, regrettably, the World Tree had been too gentle, too aloof.

If only her predecessor had paid more attention to the other gods, or involved herself in the politics of the Pantheon, then perhaps she might have rallied the wavering deities when besieged by those two factions.

Perchance it was precisely because of this innate kindness that she had never imagined the other gods might one day turn against her.

At this thought, Evé sighed inwardly.

Yet at the same time, she felt a renewed confidence in both her present circumstances and her future standing.

As the old saying went, “The wise ruler seeks harmony, not strife. To widen the circle of friends and lessen the number of foes is the way to secure lasting strength.”

Now that she understood not all gods were her foes, and that many could even become allies worth cultivating, she knew she needed to plan carefully.

At the very least, she must never repeat her predecessor’s mistakes.

This reaffirmed her plan to use battlefield summoning not only to strengthen the players but also to enhance her reputation among the gods and cultivate new allies.

Of course, considering what she learned from Dorft and Urinos, she could safely exclude Rigdal, the Guardian of the Stars, from the list of potential allies.

That ancient deity’s neutrality was so absolute that it bordered on the unnatural, a presence without allegiance or stance, veiled entirely in mystery.

—Be wary of Rigdal.

Urinos, the Ancestral Dragon, had spoken those words, and Evé considered them well worth heeding.

At the very least, she would remain vigilant when interacting with him.

However, Dorft’s response concerning the Cradle of Origin raised further doubts in her mind.

“Your Grace Dorft, I can now accept the choices you made in the past. But… earlier, you said that all the gods who entered the Cradle of Origin lost their sanity. What exactly did you mean by that? Did they witness something?”

True Gods had already refined their souls to a high degree, their wills tempered into unshakable strength, so Evé could not fathom what could possibly have driven them mad.

As for herself, she felt confident that even if she were to enter the Cradle of Origin and discover that she was nothing more than a character in a novel, a mere plaything in the hands of some unfathomable entity, or if she were to stumble upon a situation resembling the “brain in a vat” or “Matrix” concepts from Earth’s science fiction, her worldview might be shaken, yet she doubted such revelations would truly strip her of her sanity.

Did they succumb to despair?

Perhaps, if she were still a mortal, then she might have faltered. But as a True God, her instinct would be to seek a way forward, adapt, and survive no matter the cost.

Unless…

“Perhaps I did not make myself clear. It was not that those gods went mad because of what they saw, but rather that they were corrupted.”

“The Cradle of Origin is steeped in the power of the Abyss, and it is an even more potent form of Abyssal power.”

Dorft answered gravely.

The power of the Abyss…

Eve’s expression shifted as she recalled Barolte’s warning:

The Cradle holds the secrets of the universe itself, yet it is a place even more perilous than the Abyss, capable of corrupting even the divine soul…

“Abyss… What exactly is the Abyss? Where did it come from?”

Evé murmured softly.

Dorft shook his head.

“No one truly knows. The Abyss seemed to have came into being within the universe out of nowhere. The exact time of its emergence remains uncertain but perhaps Her Grace Urinos may know, for she is the oldest amongst the surviving Ancient Gods.”

“However, through various investigations I conducted in the past, I have roughly deduced that the Abyss likely first emerged during the Dragon Era. By the end of the Titan Era, it had erupted on a massive scale, directly causing the downfall of both the Dragons and the Titans, who at that time were warring against one another. That eruption brought an end to their long-standing war and heralded the beginning of the Twilight Era.”

“Since its emergence, the Abyss has been continuously expanding, yet surprisingly, it remained relatively dormant for the last thousand years. Alas, it seems to have grown active once more about four years ago.”

Dorft shook his head.

It lay dormant for the last thousand years, but suddenly became active again four years ago?

Evé froze, her heart skipping a beat.

This…

Why did it sound as though it was somehow related to herself, or rather, to the World Tree?

Could it really be such a coincidence?

—No, perhaps not.

Rather, it might be tied to the realm of Seigües itself.

After all, Seigües housed the Realm’s Provenance and most likely bore some connection to the Cradle of Origin.

While Evé’s mind raced with countless thoughts, Dorft continued his explanation:

“As for the true nature of the Abyss, some deities claim it is an invasive force from beyond the cosmos, while others believe it to be an inherent cycle of doomsday mechanism woven into the very fabric of the universe itself. In the end, no consensus exists.”

“Yet regardless of these differing views, one truth cannot be denied: the Abyss stands as the common enemy of all True Gods.”

“It corrupts and consumes everything. If its relentless devouring of realms is not checked, then our entire universe will be in jeopardy. Even if it cannot be destroyed outright, it must be weakened again and again to keep its expansion at bay.”

Evé remained quiet for a moment before giving a small, thoughtful nod.

“…I understand.”

Noticing the faint crease between her brows, Dorft added reassuringly:

“Your Grace Evé, you need not worry excessively. Although the Abyss has indeed begun expanding again, it is by no means unstoppable.”

“Take, for example, the deeds of Her Grace Hela. Was it not the Goddess of Death who rescued several realms already devoured by the Abyss and, through her power, assimilated them into the Netherworld?”

“Furthermore, the demons are no match for us as long as we do not fight them within the Abyss. Our divine power inherently carries with it an overwhelming lethality and a suppressive force against their Abyssal powers.”

“Although many deities have perished over the past thousand years, the forces of the Abyss have suffered even greater losses, particularly during several of the past crusades.”

Seeing Dorft’s earnest expression, Evé could not help but feel both amused and helpless.

She realized he had mistaken her concern as worrying over the Abyss.

While she was indeed somewhat troubled by it, the truth was that she was still pretty shaken up by what he had said earlier.

Could the expansion of the Abyss truly be connected to the World Tree?

Its timing felt far too coincidental for there to be no correlation.

“Your Grace Evé, do you have any further questions?”

Seeing the Goddess of Life remain silent, Dorft asked again.

This time, Evé shook her head.

“No, I have no further questions.”

“In that case, I shall now return to the Heavenly Realm. I will contact you again once the Withering Heart has been repaired,” Dorft replied.

“Then I must trouble you with such a task,” Evé said with a faint smile.

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After exchanging a few parting words, Dorft recalled his incarnation and finally departed from the Pantheon.

Once he was gone, Evé lingered for a while longer in the Pantheon’s grand hall before likewise returning to her own divine kingdom.

Seated upon her throne in the Supreme Temple of the World Tree, she accepted the delicacies and fruits prepared by the elemental fairies as she reviewed her latest harvest.

“The secrets of the universe… Perhaps they are tied to the Abyss itself. If I can unravel the mystery of the Abyss, then maybe I’ll finally understand everything.”

Whilst murmuring to herself, Evé drew forth the Book of Titans that Dorft had gifted her.

As she gazed at the half-sheet of parchment in her hands, her heart stirred with emotion.

Channeling divine power into it, the Book of Titans flared with radiant light, projecting the image of a vast map of the continent into the air

Surrounded by endless ocean, the continent displayed rolling mountain ranges, lush forests, expansive plains, and winding rivers.

This was the continent in Seigües.

Upon it, countless luminous points were marked.

Without question, these points were the Titan ruins that Dorft had mentioned.

They were scattered far and wide: some upon fertile plains, others upon polar ice fields, barren deserts, or southern mountain ranges.

She even spotted two points within the Elven Forest itself.

Yet the majority of the points had already dimmed. According to what Dorft had explained to her before leaving, the dim ones indicated ruins whose protection seals had been completely broken, meaning they had long since been plundered and emptied.

After committing to memory the locations of several still-bright coordinates, Evé carefully stored away the Book of Titans.

Next, she lifted the vial of golden divine blood.

“The blood of Neo, King of the Gods…”

She whispered softly, then opened the vial and drew forth a single drop.

Afterward, she cast [Appraisal] upon it.

In that instant, Evé felt her soul tremble as countless wondrous strands of divine law appeared within her consciousness. Yet just as quickly as they manifested, they dissolved before she could even attempt to decipher any of them.

Nonetheless, even in that split second, she realized that her understanding of the racial divinity of “Elvenkind” had already deepened.

Most likely, it received the greatest resonance from the drop of divine blood, since her control over the Divinities of Life and Nature was already nearly perfect. This was partly because she had wielded them so frequently, and partly because of the aid provided by the two great artifacts she have: the Scepter of Life and Crown of Nature.

Her mastery over the divinity of “Elvenkind,” on the other hand, still remained somewhat lacking.

Racial Divinities like these were unique and could not be mastered through traditional means. To perfect them, one had to nurture the corresponding race to its fullest potential.

It was not necessary for that race to become the sole ruler of the continent, but it needed to reach maturity in all aspects, developing into a fully-fledged civilization.

Of course, in Eve’s case, since she had directly inherited it rather than develop it from scratch, the Elvenkind’s essence was already perfect thanks to her predecessor.

What she needed now was to achieve full mastery.

That process of mastery was, in truth, none other than the cultivation and governance of the race’s civilization.

Such mastery could either be attained slowly, over the course of ages, as the corresponding racial laws were gradually assimilated, or more quickly by leading the race to reclaim the glory it had once possessed.

At present, while the elves had already “risen,” they still fell short of the maturity required of a fully-fledged civilization.

“This could serve as a way for me to quickly master the Elvenkind divinity,” Evé muttered with satisfaction.

“Once I fully master it, I will gain access to the entirety of the elvenkind’s cultural legacy since their creation—their achievements in art and craftsmanship, their history and traditions, their magic and their faith…”

“That would greatly benefit the development of the Elven Forest. After all, the World Tree’s inheritance regarding elven knowledge is incomplete, and much of the elves’ heritage has been severed over the millennia.”

She smiled faintly at the thought.

“This vial of divine blood… I certainly will not consume it all. To use it merely as a source for divine power would be a huge waste. At best, it would serve as a large ‘battery’ for divine energy.”

“But that should remain a last resort, something to be used only in dire necessity. Until then, I should draw out its fullest potential. If it can help a deity deepen their understanding of their divinity, then perhaps… I can use it to nurture a Demigod subordinate.”

“Speaking of which, that crystal of Black Dragon divinity I obtained has been sitting in my hands for far too long. I cannot simply let it gather dust like this…”

As the thought crossed her mind, Evé’s gaze shifted toward Sandstorm City.

At that moment, she observed Meryer through her network of faith as the Black Dragon gorged himself on an entire wagon of roasted meat.

As if sensing her watching him, the dragon suddenly exclaimed,

“Huh—who is it this time?! Who dares to plot against this Lord’s treasure? Have they not lost enough favorability points already?”

“This gluttonous punk,” Evé said with a soft laugh, shaking her head slightly.

Now that the number of players had grown and the overall levels of the player base had increased, the little black dragon rarely went out to grind.

Instead, he was pampered daily with feasts of meat and fish, growing rounder and heavier with each passing season.

Still in his growth phase, he shed dragon scales frequently, and had taken to trading them with players for food—to the point that it had already become an addiction.

After only a few short years, his size had certainly increased, but so had his waistline.

Evé regarded Meryer for a moment, her expression caught between amusement and exasperation.

“It is time to prepare the next batch of public beta testers.”

Turning her gaze away from the dragon, she connected to the Earth’s internet and began posting a new announcement on the official website of the Elven Kingdom.

End of Volume Five

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