It seems breaking the laws of the Pantheon comes with a punishment after all.
The image of that woman erasing the Marquess from existence was still fresh in my mind. I made a mental note to never cross that line and force the Order to visit me as well. I would be a model deity of this place.
“Your Lordship, where do we go next?” V asked carefully.
I wanted to answer with a single word - home. But I couldn’t. I hadn’t gained a single thing I came for. Worse, I had managed to drag myself into a duel of Angels and cause the death of a Netherworld deity.
Even if there was no backlash from the “patron” that woman had mentioned, I couldn’t leave empty-handed. At the very least, I needed the glaive and the manuscripts.
“My King, allow me to participate in the competition,” Aurelion whispered in my mind, sounding like a nagging child who didn’t know when to quit.
“No. And I will not change my mind.” I cut him off sharply. After everything he had just survived, I didn’t want to be harsh, but he was starting to irritate me.
“Take me to where I can purchase blueprints,” I responded to V after a pause.
“Your Lordship, that would depend on the blueprint you are looking for,” V said and bowed.
My initial goal had been broad - blueprints for better weapons and armor. I had hoped to find scrolls on strategy, architecture, land cultivation, herding… basically anything that could push the Velmoryn civilization forward.
But after giving it some thought, I decided my priority had to shift. I needed two things: runes that could cancel summoning magic, and the means to cast a barrier similar to what the Goddess had done.
If the Night God’s apostle stood absolutely no chance against my basilisk, I was confident that Karla, Avenor, Tekla, and perhaps even Aria and Lyle could hold their own against the other apostles. Unless they were overwhelmingly more powerful, of course.
The real problem was the horde of the Creatures of Darkness. Not only were they immune to physical damage, but I had no idea if their numbers were in the hundreds, thousands, or perhaps even more.
If I could obtain the means to block the Night God or his apostles from summoning those things, my chances would skyrocket.
However, that wasn't my Plan A. My goal was to delay the war.
I had no idea if the Night God was progressing, but I knew that I was growing rapidly. I already had the means to increase my strength significantly, starting from the eggs I had obtained from the God of Merchants to the new magic disciplines for the Velmoryns.
But all of that required time. And to buy time, my best hope was using the same spell the Goddess had cast, or something close to it.
“I’m looking for runes or artifacts that can make summoning impossible. Or, it would be even better if they can cancel a summoning that has already occurred. I want to create a summoning magic which can overcome that!”
I tried not to give away my true motivation.
“And I’m also curious to study the spell that was cast on my forest. Or anything that works similarly.”
V grew thoughtful. He started scratching the scale on his chin with a long, sharp claw.
“Anti-summoning artifacts and runes aren’t difficult to acquire,” he said at last. “But the spell your Lordship seeks is not something that can be bought on the marketplace. It was created by one of the greatest deities. She was…”
V froze. His mouth blurred as if he were a glitching projection.
I knew he was speaking with his liege, but the implication confused me. Either what I was seeking was a sensitive subject and the information V was about to share was not in the God of Merchants' interest, or there was some other reason I couldn’t quite figure out.
Stolen novel; please report.
Either way, the mere fact that the God of Merchants had intervened meant that my chances of getting that information without a lot of trouble were quite low.
V didn’t stay in that strange state for long. He snapped back to reality, regaining control of his body, and immediately bowed his head.
“We apologize for the rudeness,” he said quickly. “My liege told me not to waste your time by taking you to the marketplace. The spell your Lordship seeks is the same one my liege has been after for decades, but failed to obtain it. However, we can sell you the anti-summoning runes and relics ourselves, much cheaper than anyone would at the marketplace.”
I realized immediately that the God of Merchants didn’t want me to even look for the spell. Which most likely meant that I had a chance of obtaining it, and he didn't want the competition.
“That is not all, Your Lordship,” V said with a wide, salesman’s grin. He produced a contract from thin air. “My liege personally spoke with the blacksmith I took you to earlier and managed to commission a glaive for you! All Your Excellency needs to do is specify what kind of glaive you need, and it will be done in less than a month!”
I was planning to insist that V take me to the marketplace despite the suggestion, but now I hesitated.
“What tier is the item going to be, and how much will it cost?” I asked.
“It will be at least Relic tier, with a chance of Celestial. But we promise, the weapon G… the weapon he makes, even if it is Relic tier, will still be better than any other blacksmith’s work!” V was confident. So confident that I instinctively nodded. “And regarding the price… we will only take what your Lordship has received as compensation for today’s trouble I caused. My liege will cover the rest.”
Considering how much a Mythic tier glaive cost, I had no doubt that the God of Merchants was spending a fortune. At least the same amount as I did, likely more.
But why? Why would a merchant be willing to spend so generously?
Is it just to keep me away from the marketplace? That makes no sense. I can return and go anytime I want. Perhaps it’s important whether I go alone or guided by V…
I never believed in selfless help. I believed that everyone was always motivated by something, whether it was a bond, material gain, or buying a favor. And since I was dealing with the God of material gain himself, I refused to believe this was nothing but a good gesture.
And I was completely right.
“But there is a contingency, Your Lordship,” V said and bowed once more. “My liege asks that if you manage to acquire the said spell, you let us know how it works. We will even promise to never reveal that information to anyone. Everything is written in the contract.”
If I was suspicious before, now the doubt gnawed at me. Not knowing the motivation of the God of Merchants was a torture.
Perhaps the spell the Goddess had used held some hidden potential that, in the hands of a knowledgeable deity, would grant immense power. Perhaps I was handing over a priceless secret in exchange for a mere weapon - something I could certainly buy myself in a few months.
But the problem was time. I needed strength to get to those few months. I needed that glaive to increase Aurelion’s strength now.
“I’ll accept those terms if your Liege will also reveal the information to me if they acquire the spell first,” I countered.
“We apologize, Your Excellency, but we cannot agree to that.” V shook his head.
“Fine.” I knew I had no choice but to accept the deal. I quickly added a clause to the contract specifying that I wanted a glaive that would increase physical stats.
The contract shimmered white and disappeared.
“Doesn’t the blacksmith need to take measurements? The glaive needs to fit Aurelion perfectly,” I asked. That was probably the only thing I could verify without Guidance’s help.
“They’ve already seen him. They will ensure it is a perfect fit for your Angel, Your Lordship.” V bowed with a smile and swung his hand.
A portal appeared in front of us, the gateway back to my realm.
“Your Excellency, you don’t have to pay upfront - only when the glaive is ready. I will bring the artifacts and the runes in a few days. My liege ordered me to gather as much as possible so you have a wide variety to choose from,” he added.
“Fine. But do you know how much I was compensated?” I asked, curious.
No specific number was written in the contract. Technically, I could have claimed I received only 5,000 divinity, forcing the God of Merchants to pay the difference.
“As your humble guide, I was informed about everything,” he responded.
I nodded, finally understanding his eagerness to guide me. He had used the opportunity to monitor my progress and record every event. Perhaps he even saw which skills Aurelion used and what their effects were.
I hesitated briefly, but there was nothing else I wanted to say to V or the God of Merchants. So I flew into the portal.
My realm greeted me exactly as I had left it. Yet, as I landed, I felt a sour taste of regret. I didn't know why, but I felt as though I had been tricked.
Perhaps it was nothing but my paranoia and my inability to trust anyone.
In the end, there was nothing I could do about it, so I decided not to dwell on it.
I was finally back in my realm, and it was time I made significant changes and properly started building Velmoryn civilization.