Myths Reawakened

In the basement, Wayne entered a staring contest with the two goddesses. After a while, the Goddess of Moonlight surrendered, leaving only the Goddess of Sun continuing to stare at Wayne.

“Ahem.” The Goddess of Moonlight cleared her throat, interrupting the Goddess of Sun’s rude behavior. It was quite clear that the two Holy Maidens were reflections of their goddesses. The Moonlight one was the brain, and the Sun was...

Um, the Goddess of Sun’s role was still unclear, but given what he had observed from Corte and Vera, he strongly suspected that Sun was only in charge of throwing Her ally under the bus when it mattered.

The Goddess of Sun realized Her mistake when She heard the cough. Her failure to hold Herself with the dignity of a god would cost Her Wayne’s respect.

But! Hadn’t Ines destroyed that already? The Goddess of Sun considered it quite becoming of Her not to descend through Corte and engage in some tongue tangle with Wayne. She would pay to watch the rest of the story unfold!

[Ding!]

[The Goddess of Sun sends you a friend request. Do you accept?]

She’s asking for a private chat!

Eyes glinting, Wayne accepted the invitation without hesitation. Frankly speaking, he preferred the straightforward Corte between the pair of Holy Maidens, and between the two goddesses, he preferred Sun for Her lack of pretense.

The Goddess of Moonlight, just like Galen, refused to come down Her pedestal even though it wasn’t much of a pedestal. None of them were good people. It would be fine to exchange some pleasantries for the diplomatic veneer, but there was no point in continuing the act.

“I like you, kid. You have to be the next Sun Knight!”

“I quite like you, too, Goddess. Although it’s our first meeting, your extraordinary grace makes it impossible to look away. This may be offensive to the Goddess of Moonlight, but I have to say it: you’re more charismatic than She is.”

“Hahaha, you’ve got a good eye!”

“Given our relationship, I’ll give you a fifty percent discount for the paid content. Just pay me a hundred percent.”

“You’re giving me a fifty percent discount but asking for a hundred percent payment? Do you know how to do math?”

“I do. Since you’ll definitely show your copy off to the Goddess of Moonlight, I won’t get Her payment.”

“You’re right. You’re very good at math...” The Goddess of Sun didn’t deny the truth; actually, She would do even worse. After a moment, she said, “The name’s Kaleb. I told you free of charge in exchange for the paid content.”

“That’s only worth fifty percent.”

“Moonlight’s name is Siluk. Is that enough for you?”

“Yes.”

Wayne nodded. As he had expected, Sun was a professional at selling Her ally out.

He always did what he was paid to do, and he never dawdled when the other party had paid without delay. Compiling some of the moments he had shared with Ines, he sent the packet to his private chat with Kaleb. She accepted and downloaded it, acquiring the paid content She wanted.

[Ines_lewd.zip]

Siluk stared at them in silence. Why haven’t you said anything? Kaleb, are you chatting with the man in private?

Even though She knew that Her ally was having a private conversation and was likely to enter an exploitative deal, Siluk had not stepped in. She knew Kaleb. The goddess could never keep anything good to Herself and would definitely share it. She just had to wait for that moment to enjoy the goods for free.

After a few seconds, Kaleb, having quickly browsed through the footage, complained, “That’s it? Have you kept some to yourself? Or is there more? I’ve paid a good price.”

The dozen or more shorts showed Ines in Her catty, lewd glory, demonstrating none of the dignity and authority that the Goddess of Darkness should possess. Kaleb was entertained, but also deeply disappointed. This wasn’t what She had expected. Her expectations were sky high, but there was no adult footage beyond the kissing scenes.

“That’s it. While Ines went quite far, She didn’t go too far.”

“This isn’t too far for you?” Kaleb shook Her head. “Do you know what she’s done to herself?”

You don’t understand, boy!

She didn’t go into it. Instead, She replayed the footage and tried to discern Ines’s motivations. What was so incredible about Wayne that Ines would invest so much, even lowering Her pride?

She failed to see anything. It would appear that Ines had fallen in love and thus spared nothing for Her love.

It was obviously all acting!

After a moment, Siluk still didn’t receive a free invitation, so She contacted Kaleb to indirectly express Her curiosity about the paid content.

[This person has enabled friend verification. You are not her friend yet. Please send a friend request first, and you can only chat after she approves it.]

Siluk stared. What a familiar refusal. She seemed to have seen it somewhere.

Resigned, She sent a request, but Kaleb’s outrageous condition made Her block Her fellow goddess. She turned to Wayne and noted his resting face, swallowing a curse. She reached out with Her thoughts.

[Ding!]

[The Goddess of Moonlight sends you a friend request. Do you accept?]

“What can I do for you, Goddess Siluk?”

“...”

“Oh, the Goddess of Sun told me. She used your real name in exchange for the paid content. Apologies, She paid too much.”

“Ka—”

“I know. Her name’s Kaleb. She told me that, too.”

“...”

Having interrupted Her in retaliation, Wayne, now satisfied, repeated, “What can I do for you, Goddess Siluk?”

“No-nothing.”

Siluk closed the chat window with exasperation. It wasn’t yet time to make an offer. Only after Ines was no longer a hot topic could She strike up a cost-effective deal with Wayne. Besides, She didn’t think She would have to pay. Kaleb couldn’t stay silent for much longer with Her hot temper and straightforward personality.

Kaleb seemed to be replaying the paid content now. Siluk turned to Wayne and said bluntly, “It’s strange how important Ines considers you. To my knowledge, she only ever cares about her interests, and she never pays up front unless she has absolute confidence. You must be troubled by her attention.”

“Have you considered that perhaps I’m so talented that Ines had to create an opportunity with me even though She wasn’t confident?” Wayne said even more bluntly.

“You are powerful in the human world, but you cannot stay in the human world forever,” Siluk said. “If the divine artifacts are what you rely on, they can help you while you’re in the human world, but what’s next? To pursue greater knowledge, you have to step into the Divine Realms.”

“Your heart is full of desires. You crave great power and knowledge. You will not allow yourself to stop advancing.”

When the Goddess of Moonlight stared into his abyss, She saw pale desires and an infinite greed for knowledge, which guaranteed that Wayne would approach the gods.

They had more knowledge!

“You have many options in the future. Ines wants you to choose Darkness and puts on a friendly front. You know she’s acting and wants to keep your distance, so you seek out Kaleb and me,” Siluk continued. “You don’t want to submit to Ines, so you must not want to submit to Kaleb or me. Neither the Divine Realm of Sun nor Moonlight is your choice. Tell me, have you figured out where your future lies?”

Siluk stopped acting to speak candidly to Wayne.

“Nature’s Divine Realm!” Wayne said.

“Be serious, Wayne. You sought out Kaleb and me rather than... Nature. You’ve never considered going to the Divine Realm of Nature.”

“Death’s Underworld!”

“Death...” Siluk smiled. “It’s a good choice, but you’re too late. The Underworld isn’t stable now. She could fall apart at any moment.”

“Really? Would you tell me more?”

“...”

“Whatever. I’m not that interested in Death.”

“...”

Siluk didn’t expose his feigned ignorance, but instead smiled and waited for him to reveal his decision.

“If possible, I’ll choose Goddess Kaleb!” Wayne pointed at the Goddess of Sun. “Among all the goddesses, I like Her the most.”

“???” Kaleb, who had been preoccupied with the paid content She just received, flashed Wayne a smile. “Do your best. I have high hopes for you. I’ll keep the spot of my third subordinate empty for you.”

Siluk shook Her head nonchalantly. “There’s no point in trying to sow discord. Kaleb and I are in an unusual relationship, so you becoming her subordinate god will be no different from becoming mine.”

What do you mean? Are you two a thing? Wayne’s eyes widened. It was a distinct possibility. The two churches were neighbors, and the two Holy Maidens were inseparable. It was obviously their goddesses’ influence.

“It seems that you haven’t decided on your future.” Siluk shook Her head. “Forget Hell. It’s never been a good option. Heaven is even worse as an option since it has no future. You’re unwilling to serve a god and want to forge your own path, so I won’t waste my breath trying to recruit you.”

“Goddess Siluk, I’m really planning to join Goddess Kaleb and serve you two as a subordinate god,” Wayne said seriously. “It’ll be an honor I’ve earned with good karma.”

“Nicely said, but I don’t believe you,” Siluk said faintly. “You sought out Kaleb and me because you’re worried about Darkness. You hope that you can get rid of it by leveraging the hostility between light and darkness. It’s a good plan, and I do not oppose it. I can give you more knowledge. After all...”

“Light is the opposite of darkness. Why wouldn’t I do something that’ll make Ines unhappy?”

She smiled. The clock was ticking for Wayne. Although light and darkness were on opposite sides, their conflict wasn’t inconsolable. When facing a great external force, light and darkness could coexist.

She used a lot of words to say something simple: Sun and Moonlight weren’t going to make a losing deal. They would not invest in unprofitable stock like Wayne. However, they would willingly suffer losses to make Darkness unhappy.

Wayne nodded. “I haven’t made up my mind about my future, but left with no choice, I am most likely to choose Goddess Kaleb.”

“Let’s hope that is the case...”

Siluk didn’t show any anticipation. Dropping Her pretense, She spoke in an increasingly distant tone.

Wayne agonized over whether he should show more of his talent, like the fact that a Śār called him the Anointed One, or the paleness of the Void that filled him, but he decided against it. The former was a lie that wouldn’t withstand any test, while the latter... He would not repeat his mistake after his failure.

“Ines must value you to do so much for you. In her open conspiracy, you must be playing a crucial role.” Siluk raised an eyebrow. “Has she told you that you have the potential to become a subordinate and will become her third?”

“You’re truly omniscient, Goddess!” Wayne marveled.

“It’s a lie. No god will seduce their subordinate gods,” Siluk said, observing him closely. “You’re a smart one, and it would be more efficient for you to talk to someone smart. Kaleb is too straightforward to converse with you. I can be blunt with you, but you have to be open with me, too.”

“I can open up at any time.”

“You want knowledge, the more the merrier. Your best chance is gaining knowledge without stepping into any Divine Realm.” Siluk smiled. “There are a few places you can visit in the human world. There is knowledge that Kaleb and I have acquired but not mastered. We sealed it in your world.”

Finally!