Chapter 953 — The "Chosen" Amber

"The Voyagers... killed nearly all the gods of the civilization of that season, one million eight hundred and seventy thousand years ago?" Virodai finally could not help breaking the silence. "That is..."

"That is something I lived through myself," the Dragon God said mildly. "I cannot tell you the deeper details, because even I cannot, while guaranteeing safety, tell a mortal of that point in time and of what happened before it. But I can tell you that all of it truly happened."

"Then what does all this have to do with the peculiar state of the Goddess of Shadow?" Gaoyang could not help asking.

"If you know that gods have died, then you should also know that gods are reborn in every season of civilization," the Dragon God said, discussing the fall and resurrection of gods as though discussing the weather. "I would guess... you have certainly researched this far already? And even... you already intend to use such knowledge to do something rather bold. There is no need to deny it; it means nothing to me."

Amber's eyes went wide at once. As chief of intelligence, she was extraordinarily sensitive to any leak of information: "How could you know that?"

"With a rough understanding of what you have been doing lately, it is not hard to guess what you have learned," the Dragon God said calmly. "I can see through many things only because I have seen many things."

Gaoyang grew all the more wary. He realized that this seemingly gentle deity before him would, if she harbored ill intent, be the most difficult opponent of all—even setting aside the power of a god, this ancient being far surpassed mortals, and even surpassed any deity now existing, in the accumulation of knowledge, experience, and wisdom. How much more did she know? How much had she already guessed? Was she aware of the Defiance Plan? Did she know of the various "theological experiments" of the Cecil Empire? Had she seen through the thoughts of him and his companions? Had she seen through... him, this "visitor from beyond the heavens"?

Gaoyang could scarcely control his deepening thoughts; he could only govern his own mind while maintaining an outward calm, and nodded slightly: "We have indeed discovered that gods are reborn in every season of civilization, and have roughly deduced the mechanism of a god's birth... but what does that have to do with the Goddess of Shadow?"

"The Goddess of Shadow has never undergone rebirth—she has lived on all along, from the war one million eight hundred and seventy thousand years ago, through the successive changes of civilization in between, to your arrival. She has lived on all along."

Gaoyang was dumbstruck.

"You are surprised," the Dragon God said, watching Gaoyang with a faint, elusive smile. "But there is no need to be. After all, the Goddess of Shadow was not the only deity to survive that war one million eight hundred and seventy thousand years ago; it is only that the other god who lived by chance is in far worse a state than the Goddess of Shadow, and by now she is little different from having utterly fallen..."

Gaoyang frowned slightly: "You mean..."

"She fell from the divine kingdom, plunging into the deep sea of the mortal world. Her wounds were grave, but she still had a chance to recover... Unfortunately, before she could draw nourishment from the new season of civilization, a band of uninvited guests came into this world, and that unlucky creature instead became nourishment for others."

Gaoyang had already caught on: "The God of Storms..."

So the Dragon God truly knew a very great deal!

"In other words, two gods survived that war of ancient times—one the Goddess of Shadow, the other the God of Storms," Gaoyang pressed on, but halfway through he remembered something. "Wait, that ought to include you as well..."

The Dragon God merely kept that ambiguous half-smile, seeming to acquiesce, yet gave no answer.

"Then the Goddess of Shadow survived and lay dormant in a special state?" Gaoyang finally steered the talk back once more. "So her situation is highly peculiar—she can give no strong response to her believers, nor can she elevate a God-Chosen from among them?"

"That is so."

"Then what sort of state is it exactly?" Gaoyang's curiosity had already been stirred to a keen pitch. "Is it... a false death like Amorn's? Or an escape like the Goddess of Magic's?"

"Regrettably, even I do not know that," the Dragon God said, shaking her head—to his surprise. "I cannot see Him, nor hear Him. I know only that He lives, lives in a most peculiar state... I once tried to seek out His whereabouts, but in every realm I could reach, I found nothing at all."

"So there are things even you do not know..." Gaoyang could not help shaking his head. Then he glanced at Amber beside him and looked once more to the Dragon God. "Very well—by your account, the Goddess of Shadow's situation is peculiar indeed... She truly cannot elevate a God-Chosen of her own from among mortals. So the question returns to where it began—Amber says she has established a connection with a god. Then what exactly is it she believes in?"

The Dragon God did not answer at once. She seemed to smile, and let her gaze fall upon Amber. "Child, do you still firmly believe that you are God-Chosen?"

Amber opened her mouth as though she meant to hesitate, but soon she drew herself up. "Of course!"

"Frankly, I do not believe for a moment that any bond of faith exists between you and the Goddess of Shadow—I cannot even see in you any bond of faith pointing toward a deity. However confident you may be, my judgment remains the same," the Dragon God said, watching Amber in a placid tone. "Yet I am willing to believe in your peculiarity... God-Chosen or not, you are peculiar, and that, to me, is rather interesting."

"Peculiar?" Amber scratched at her hair. "What do you mean?"

The Dragon God gave her a long, deep look, but said nothing.

Then the deity rose from her seat—quite abruptly, in Gaoyang's eyes—and said to those present, "The hour grows late. We may stop here for now."

Gaoyang was taken aback; almost without thinking he spoke. "But I still have so many questions..."

"Yes, I know you have many questions still—especially many questions about gods, about Tarrande," the Dragon God said, casting him a look that seemed heavy with meaning. "I will answer them, but not today.

"Do not be so eager to hear answers from the mouth of a god. Better that you first go and see for yourself.

"I would have you first take a good look at Tarrande, examine it earnestly with your own eyes, look upon... this 'Eternal Cradle' under the gods' protection. Once you have seen it, our next exchange may go more smoothly.

"You will know what it is you wish to ask, and you will better understand my answers."

Gaoyang wore a thoughtful expression.

Then he nodded. "Very well. This too is your goodwill—and we should not decline it."