Chapter 157: God of Dawn (2)
Lynn considered his options. Two paths seemed viable right now. One was to hide the truth to buy time while figuring out how to keep spreading the faith, but that carried risks.
The God of Dawn had already noticed the new faith. Even if Lynn didn't report it, the deity would definitely send others to investigate eventually.
The other option was to lay his cards on the table with the God of Dawn. Judging by Nicholas's attitude, the master wizard likely had a cooperative relationship with the deity.
Their relationship wasn't too bad; the God of Dawn was simply worried about a conspiracy. Lynn summoned Maesys and filled him in on the deity's investigation.
"What's the general attitude among you gods in a situation like this?" Lynn asked.
Mortals and gods were fundamentally different. They cared about different things and viewed the world from entirely different perspectives.
Because of this, Lynn needed to ask Maesys for his opinion.
Maesys was somewhat surprised by Lynn's explanation. "He really said that?"
After pondering for a moment, Maesys said, "To Him, the absence of a conspiracy is the best possible outcome. You aren't thinking of selling me out, are you?" he added warily.
"Why would I sell you out? You're not exactly worth much," Lynn said, breaking it down for him. "Besides, even if I did sell you out, what would you actually lose? How much power is attached to this statue anyway? You'd lose a single statue at most. When I return to the Continent of Vanquished Gods, couldn't you just give me a few more?"
"That's true. I am only a statue," Maesys said, feeling a bit confused as the words left his mouth. Why did that sound so strange?
"However, I don't think cooperation is impossible," Lynn said.
"I know different statues have different statuses." Lynn looked at Maesys. "The Continent of Vanquished Gods is so vast, and there are so many deities. You definitely can't make it by fighting completely on your own, right?"
Maesys fell silent. He actually felt that fighting alone didn't matter; after all, that was how he had survived all these years.
Back then, devouring the God of Tides had thoroughly offended the ocean's coastal pantheon.
Later, the deep-sea pantheon tried to recruit him, but he had zero interest. He rejected their overtures, choosing instead to wander the ocean with a massive horde of deep-sea monsters and pillage at will. In that era, he was even crowned with the title of the Sea Monster Calamity.
Because of this, however, he was targeted by the wizards when the divine war broke out. Not a single deity had stepped forward to help him.
During the countless years he spent sealed away, his mindset had undergone a shift.
If it had been him in the past, he would never have talked so much with a mere wizard apprentice. He wouldn't have even considered making a deal; he would have just eaten him in one bite as a crisp and crunchy snack.
But now, he was ready to take the first step in trying something new.
He thought about it for a long time. "I don't think it's a problem. Perhaps we can figure out a way to talk with Him. There might be a chance for cooperation," Maesys said.
"Right, but we can't just walk over and offer to cooperate directly. After all, things that deliver themselves to your doorstep are never valued. We should do this..."
Lynn whispered into the statue's ear.
"When it comes to treachery, no one beats you wizards!" Maesys sighed deeply.
Lynn waited for two days, in no rush to head over. Instead, he first contacted Dyo, opening a summoning gate connected to the Abyss.
Dyo stepped out. Looking at Lynn, she wore a faint smile.
"Weapon damage has been quite severe lately. When will you deliver the next batch? Also, regarding the after-sales service you promised, I have some broken weapons here," Dyo said.
Lynn looked at the Fly Demon behind Dyo. The Fly Demon shrugged and looked away.
It felt a little guilty. It had never told Lynn that it was working with Dyo; in reality, the true partner behind their cooperation was Dyo all along.
"No problem," Lynn said.
He carried his wizard tower with him everywhere. The dwarven craftsmen were inside the wizard tower, along with a few Goblin Engineers.
With the goblins and dwarves dividing the labor, their efficiency in repairing and manufacturing weapons was extremely high.
As long as there were materials, they could get it done.
Dyo handed the materials over to Lynn.
"Did you need me for something? You seemed to be in a rush to contact me," Dyo asked.
"I have a matter I'd like your help with," Lynn said.
"Can I get an advance on some of the interest? I can pay it off early using a portion of the profits from future weapon batches," Lynn said.
Dyo narrowed her eyes. "Wizard, what about the promise you made? Have you considered becoming my daughter's teacher?"
"Yes. I've already had her start learning the foundational knowledge of a wizard," Lynn said.
"Then I agree to your terms," Dyo said. "Speak. What do you need?"
"I need some High-Tier Demon bloodline essence," Lynn said.
"High-Tier Demon bloodline essence?" Dyo thought for a moment. "I don't have much on hand. I've already given most of it out as rewards."
To demons, the flesh and blood essence of a High-Tier Demon was the ultimate tonic. Generally, whenever she got her hands on some, she would quickly distribute it to her subordinates.
Unless there was a specific purpose, hoarding it was useless. Rewarding her subordinates so they could immediately convert it into combat power was the best use for it.
"How many portions do you need?" Dyo asked.
"Ninety-nine portions," Lynn said.
Dyo didn't ask why. "I think I only have thirty-four portions right now. Gathering ninety-nine portions might take some time."
Right now, a war was raging in the Abyss between her and another lord. Moreover, as her territory continuously expanded, lands that originally belonged to certain demon tribes were being absorbed into her new borders, making warfare inevitable.
Massive battles were breaking out everywhere.
Every day, a considerable amount of High-Tier Demon essence fell into her hands.
Although High-Tier Demons were rare in the Abyss, compared to the colossal overall population of demons, they weren't actually as scarce as one might think.
"Also, there's one more thing." Lynn hesitated, feeling a bit embarrassed.
She didn't owe him anything; on the contrary, he was the one constantly asking for things.
"Consider this a massive favor that I owe you," Lynn said solemnly.
"Speak," Dyo said calmly.
"I need a territory," Lynn said.
He had expected Dyo to have a strong reaction, but her expression remained even calmer than he had imagined.
"How large?" Dyo didn't ask what he needed it for, only how big of a territory he required.
"Not big. The area of a small town will do," Lynn said.
He only needed a legitimate territory to be acknowledged by the Abyss, which would allow him to siphon a tiny sliver of status from it.
Even the absolute minimum amount of status would suffice. As for his subsequent advancement, his calculations indicated that he would need a larger territory, but by then, he would have become an official wizard, making it far easier to obtain than it was now.
"Alright," Dyo said. If he had asked for a massive territory, it would have been troublesome for her. More importantly, if the territory was too large, Lynn wouldn't be able to defend it anyway.
But since Lynn only needed a small plot of land, things were very simple.
She just needed to carve out a tiny sliver of her own territory and give it to him.
A territory the size of a town wasn't considered large in the Abyss; in fact, it was exceptionally small. The territories of many small demon tribes were larger than what Lynn was asking for.
"Are you sure you don't need a slightly larger territory?" Dyo asked. "I can give you one the size of a city."
"Of course I'll take it," Lynn agreed happily.
If his territory could be larger, things would be even more convenient for him.
"By the way, I've brought the subordinates I promised you last time," Dyo said.