I wish I could take both…
My first instinct was to choose the information. In a world where a single mistake could easily spiral into divine warfare, knowledge was the most valuable thing. Especially now that Tekla had decided to send scouts beyond the forest, into places where I wasn’t even certain I could follow using the Window.
Since the very first day I became a god, my greatest limitation had been the lack of knowledge. I failed to create any revolutionary ways to use magic or come up with anything that could push the Velmoryn civilization into a true leap forward rather than another small step.
And if one of the kingdoms bordering my forest possessed advanced magic… or even a level of technology far beyond ours, that kind of knowledge could be the difference between surviving the next year or collapsing the moment we faced the outside threat.
On the surface, the decision seemed simple. My entire life I had prioritized safety and caution, and even when I promised myself I would live this new life to the fullest, nothing really changed. Aside from destroying the Goddess’s statue in a moment of impulse, I remained the same passive, cautious person I had always been.
But Avenor’s transformation had forced me to face a truth I hadn’t wanted to acknowledge, and now, once again, he was the reason I hesitated.
While it was my strength that allowed him to defeat the Mother, his Hollow Core still revealed just how absurdly unfair he was in a battle against creatures who relied on divine power. That skill was also why I refused to risk restoring the connection with him. I didn’t want to lose the only warrior who could withstand a direct divine assault and remain untouched by any god’s influence.
And now I had a chance to obtain beasts with the same immunity to divine power. If V wasn’t lying and their species truly was extinct, then this would be my only opportunity.
V, who had been patiently waiting all this time, chose that moment to introduce a lure. The two eggs materialized before him.
They rested against each other, their white shells marked by dozens of faint violet circles. I tried to sense the life inside, to get even the smallest idea of what form the creatures would take, but my divine power washed uselessly over the shells. I couldn’t penetrate them at all.
“Your Lordship,” V said, clearly noticing my attempt. “They are humanoid creatures, taller than three Velmoryns standing atop each other. Their kind can’t use magic externally, but rely on mana to fortify themselves and increase their physical strength.”
His eagerness to share the information so freely made me suspicious again. I was certain the God of Merchants had an agenda, something he was preparing for that I simply wasn’t aware of.
But this time, I chose not to let hesitation win. The image of the Night God’s minions still lingered in my mind, and the reminder was enough.
V’s vertical eyes had been fixed on the God of Velmoryn seated on the throne the entire time. I had noticed that the more we spoke, the bolder he became.
“I shall accept the two eggs,” I said. “An extinct species finding a new beginning in my forest… that is how it should be.”
V bowed and produced another contract, this one stating that I had obtained the eggs in exchange for the first part of the information. It didn’t specify what I had revealed, only that it concerned the item I had purchased.
Why do I even need these contracts?
In the world of gods, the idea of ownership contracts made little sense to me. The only conclusion I could draw was that the God of Merchants needed them for himself far more than I ever would, though I still had no idea why.
I moved the sphere outside my dominion, beyond the crimson mist that hid everything from V’s sight. His expression shifted at once, anticipation tightening every line of his scaled face. He wasn’t even trying to hide how desperately he wanted the information.
“This soul that I purchased from you is the last one of the Sylvan race,” I said at last, choosing carefully what to reveal. “But it was made as a twin.”
V’s brows tightened, a brief flash of disappointment, or perhaps disapproval, passing over his face before the meaning reached him.
“One is still out there?” he asked before he could stop himself.
I didn’t answer. Instead, I made the God of Velmoryn on the throne smile. He could interpret that however he wished, but I was done giving him anything more.
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At first, I had considered revealing that only the one with the Elven Authority could use the Core. It would have allowed me to probe why the God of Merchants had brought this item to me rather than to the god striving to claim the Elven domain. But I changed my mind.
That knowledge only mattered if I planned to trust the God of Merchants or turn him into an ally. In every other scenario, revealing it would be a mistake. If he didn’t already know that a deity with the Elven Authority existed, I would be handing him that information freely. And in the long run, that could lead to terrible consequences.
The god who held the Elven Authority would become my enemy the moment I began turning the remaining Elves into my believers. The Velmoryns themselves were still tied too closely to that race. If that deity ever crossed paths with me, I would much prefer they remained as weak as possible, rather than strengthened by the God of Merchants help.
Right now, after obtaining the Core and revealing information the God of Merchants, who must have had at least one method of appraising unknown items, failed to uncover, I had positioned myself as a client who not only wanted Elven merchandise but could grasp them completely. If he didn’t know who held the Elven Authority, he could even assume I was the one striving to become the God of Elves, and that I had already made progress toward it.
Unless another deity had done the same, I would likely become the primary candidate for anything related to the Elves. All of this benefited me. It meant I would gain access to merchandise tied to the strongest race and the strongest god I knew, and it also meant others wouldn’t benefit from it, especially the deity with the incomplete Elven Authority.
But all of that could have been ruined if I had simply revealed the existence of the rising God of Elves and the fact that I was not them.
“Unfortunately, Your Lordship,” V said once the greedy glint in his eyes faded, “we are not permitted to reveal information regarding the Gods until You enter the Pantheon at least once. And anything concerning the mortal realm is trivial. It would never…”
He stopped mid-sentence, eyes losing focus as his mouth began moving too fast for speech.
He must be conversing with his main body again.
“Your Excellency,” he said at last, his tone suddenly bright, “my liege has decided to reveal a piece of information we have kept for a very long time. We will tell You the location of the tomb of the very first dragon.”
My eyes widened, or rather, the dark hollows within the crimson cloud that formed my body did. A dragon. And not just any, but the first of its kind. It must have been unimaginably powerful in life. But once the initial excitement passed, a far more practical question remained.
What use did I have for its corpse?
I had no idea when that dragon had died, but it must have been ages ago. Would its flesh or scales even remain? And even if they had survived, would the value be high enough for this information to match what I had given the God of Merchants? Because in truth, I wasn’t receiving the dragon itself, only the knowledge of where its body might be.
Would my believers even be strong enough to reach that tomb, let alone bring anything back from it?
There were too many uncertainties. And for someone whose biggest concern was what would happen next year when the forest’s protection fully faded, I had no interest in such a distant investment. I needed something that would help now, not in decades.
“I don’t require that information,” I said, offering nothing more.
Thankfully, my voice was made entirely of divine power. If the sound had come from my actual throat, the hesitation and regret I felt in that moment would have been impossible to hide.
“What?” V gasped, his predatory eyes widening for a brief moment before he steadied his expression. “Forgive me, Your Lordship, for assuming You did not already know.”
Oh, he thinks I refused because I already know where it is? Good. That’s far better than him realizing I said no simply because I lack the means to explore anything of that magnitude… and because I’m not even sure my believers will survive the next year or two.
I sighed internally and waited for him to continue.
“Perhaps we could offer an item Your Highness is interested in, or any specific information?” he asked carefully.
“How much do you know about Velmoryns and what they need most right now?” I returned the question.
V fell silent. He scratched his scaled chin slowly with sharp nails as he considered it. Then he spoke.
“The avatars of our liege are not allowed to listen to mortals who have pledged themselves to another God,” he said. “But after signing our contract, that restriction has been lifted, since any information I learn from Your Excellency’s believers can never be shared without Your consent.”
I recalled the terms of the contract but couldn’t find anything about removed restrictions. It only stated that the God of Merchants was forbidden from trading information gained from my believers without my approval. Nothing suggested he could start listening to them freely.
“We know Your Excellency’s believers are building a new settlement, and that this form of organization is new to their race,” V continued. “We have also been intrigued and impressed by the governing system Your Lordship has introduced to them. It felt more connected to Humans rather than Elves or Velmoryns…”
I made the God of Velmoryn on the throne nod, though my attention stayed on every word he spoke. I would have to be extremely cautious with any future contracts. It seemed the God of Merchants could discard some of his usual restrictions whenever a contract allowed even the slightest loophole.
“We also noticed that Velmoryns have a strong affinity for dark magic, yet they seem to use only one of its forms.” V paused, then produced three large books bound in leather. One was dark red, one a deep green like swampwater at night, and the last was plain black. “These three tomes contain the strongest manifestations of dark magic among mortals, Your Lordship. Fleshforging, Nullcraft, and Mortisophy. We will grant all three in their complete form. And since our gift to You was already related to magic, we shall add another art - runes.”