Chapter 1173 — Surprise and Consternation

"You're right," Myrmina nodded. "I can't find any clues, but a simple calculation yields how great the impact of that explosion must have been. It didn't merely destroy a human empire in the material world—the recoil should also have been enough to break through a divine realm's defenses and grievously wound the god who acted. Of course, that was all seven hundred years ago. Mortals have flourished again since then; apart from us lot who ran off and quit, or that unlucky War God, every deity has at least as many worshippers as before... The brave one who detonated the Deep Blue Well back then should have recovered by now, wouldn't you say?"

Amorn said nothing for a moment, then murmured softly to himself: "...Whoever He is, I pay Him my respects."

Myrmina nodded. She seemed about to say something more, but before she could open her mouth she suddenly sensed a new presence entering this chaotic, dim space. She looked toward the direction it came from, and the face hidden beneath the mysterious veil of mist seemed to show a trace of a smile: "It seems we have a guest come to visit our little courtyard."

Amorn sensed the presence too, but he immediately retorted: "This is my courtyard—you're the one who's been squatting here and refusing to leave!"

"Never mind such trifles; you talk as though you were really the master of this place," Myrmina brushed him off, her gaze fixing at once on the figure stepping through the protective barrier and walking toward them; only once the newcomer drew close did she speak again. "Gao Yang, what brings you here today?"

The one who had appeared in the Courtyard of Defiance was indeed Gao Yang, just arrived from the city. He had brought no retainers, coming alone to the deepest reaches of the Fortress of Defiance; yet at this very moment, behind him in the Imperial Computation Center of Xuanyao City, a great many technicians were already at their posts. The anti-divinity barrier and the non-directional thought-tides were all in readiness, and several security teams, twelve Node Scholars, and Naretir-Duvalt were all watching the situation in the Courtyard of Defiance.

Passing beyond a virtual partition wall formed of holographic projections, Gao Yang came to this "resting place of the gods," heaped up from countless shattered floating boulders and ancient ruins. He halted before Myrmina and Amorn and raised his head to regard that enormous lady in her black gown, her lower body seeming to coalesce out of cloud and mist, a look of puzzlement on her face.

"I've come to consult you about a few things, Lady Myrmina."

"Consult me about a few things?" Myrmina's tone lifted slightly. At the same time, she noticed that the arcane devices set up all around suddenly began to change—many things that had been running at low power were plainly being brought up to full output; crystals that had been lodged in their slots floated into the air; dim runes grew bright; blue-white sparks leaped between metal frames; and from all directions came a rising hum of machinery, low at first, then growing loud.

The vast, intricate defense system had activated, and on no small scale—the eyes hidden in Myrmina's mist clearly flickered with light, and her voice came down from on high: "It seems your questions are no ordinary ones, Gao Yang."

"...Then could you two go ask them somewhere else?" Amorn's voice promptly followed. He too had noticed the defense apparatus suddenly surging to high power, and at once scented something ominous in it. "I just want a little peace and quiet..."

"There's only so much protective equipment, and it can't be moved," Myrmina said, casting Amorn a weightless glance. "Or would you rather move yourself?"

"...Never mind, forget I said anything," Amorn said with a sigh in his voice. "I'll just try to pretend I can't hear."

"No need to be so tense," Gao Yang could not help smiling faintly. Looking at these two retired gods who had lately been showing ever more conspicuous signs of "flourishing humanity," he found their manner of conversation—utterly devoid of divine dignity—to be the best news of all. After all, the closer their personalities came to mortals, the more it meant that the chains of godhood upon them were wearing ever thinner. "This is merely a precaution. I'm not yet certain whether what I've come to consult you about will touch upon the bridge between mortals and gods—it may well turn out to be nothing but an ordinary chat, with no one getting hurt..."

"Do you believe that yourself, saying it?" Myrmina said. "And what's the story with that dragon named Metzein Pernia?"

"...That was all down to inexperience at the time," Gao Yang said reflexively, then caught himself. "Wait—how do you know about her?"

"We heard about it while playing cards with Lady Enya..." Amorn promptly chimed in from the side.

Gao Yang: "..."

So what exactly did these three retired gods get up to in their spare time?! For the sake of gathering for a few hands of cards, this lot of immortals had actually burned out the Empire's three most advanced neural-interface devices?!

The sudden shock of this revelation nearly cost Gao Yang the coherence of his thoughts, and he almost forgot why he had come today. Fortunately, after a brief daze he recovered himself, cleared his throat twice to dispel the awkwardness, gathered his thoughts, and fixed his gaze once more upon Myrmina.

"Lady, I would like to know about the Violet Kingdom."

Myrmina was taken aback: "The what kingdom?"

"The Violet Kingdom."

"The Violet Kingdom?" There was a puzzlement in Myrmina's voice that did not seem feigned. She appeared to need a moment to match the name to her memory before she spoke slowly. "I remember now... the mortal world does have such a country. But why the sudden interest in what they are up to?"

"That country's ways are too steeped in mystery, and we have recently discovered a great many suspicious points in their actions over the past six hundred years. I am now worried that they pose some sort of... potential threat to the newly born alliance," Gao Cen said, choosing his words with care. "Of course, without sufficient evidence I cannot rashly make such a judgment about any nation, so for now this remains only at the stage of suspicion. That is precisely why I came to you to confirm the situation..."

"I understand what you mean, but why come to me?" Myrmina remained somewhat perplexed.

This time it was Gao Yang's turn to be struck dumb. He raised his head and looked at the former god before him. "That is, of course, because the Violet Kingdom is a nation of mages, and you are the Goddess of Magic..."

"But those mages are not my followers," Myrmina said offhandedly.

Silence fell instantly over the Court of Defiance. Human and god alike went quiet, and the only thing left in that place was the humming of the magical apparatuses as they ran.

"...You mean to say the mages of the Violet Kingdom do not believe in you, the Goddess of Magic—and not merely one or two of them, but every last one of them does not believe in you?" For a long while Gao Yang was too stunned to react. He stared, dumbfounded, at the god who had once held dominion over the magic of the mortal world, and all he felt in his heart was an overwhelming sense of absurdity and shock. "The entire Violet Kingdom has not a single follower of yours?!"

"That is so," Myrmina answered, as though it were the most natural thing in the world. "There is no connection between the Violet mages and me, and from the day I first came into awareness, I have never established a connection with any living being on that land. All right, I know that sounds rather strange..."