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Mephisto ascended in flames, and almost on the same day, within the entire range of the Bronze Humanity, all temples devoted to the Goddess of Law collapsed thunderously. As humans who witnessed the trial returned to their original dwellings, everything about that day spread far and wide.

A debate on whether humans should believe in the divine had seemingly received the gods’ approval in the end, which was almost unbelievable. But as more and more people came forward to share their experiences and what they saw that day, it seemed that people couldn’t help but believe.

After all, the ascension might be false, but the collapsed temples were real.

However, just as this was beginning to brew and was still confined to the vicinity of Giant Wood Town, a carriage, which was still rare in that era, swiftly entered the residential area freshly named ‘Aurora City’.

Traveling day and night, through haste and toil, Devos arrived in just three days on a journey that normally took seven, utterly exhausted. Yet, he dared not rest for a moment and quickly made his way to his friend’s dwelling.

Just now, on the road, he had heard about the Temple of Law collapsing. He didn’t know how far things had developed by now, nor how the creator had reacted to it.

Now, all Devos wanted was to discuss with Ossen how to handle the situation before the news reached this place.

Or more precisely, if the deities were truly going to mete out punishment to the mortals who deceived them, then they had to think of a way to extricate them first.

“Make way!”

Roughly pushing aside the pedestrians blocking the path, Devos opened the door to Ossen’s residence. To his surprise, another person was also there.

That was Momon, the High Priest who was in charge of officiating over the Divine King alongside Ossen. It was normal for the other party to be present, but at this moment, Devos didn’t know whether he should let the other party in on the issue.

“Devos? Weren’t you in Giant Wood Town?”

Seeing his old friend push open the door, a hint of confusion appeared on Ossen’s no longer youthful face.

“…We have a big problem.”

Taking a deep breath and glancing at Momon, who was also looking over, Devos hesitated, but still spoke directly.

They were all priests, and on this point, their interests should be aligned.

“You must already know about the collapsing of the Temple of Law, right?”

“Do you know the reason behind it?!”

His expression changing, Ossen hurriedly followed up. He had been worried about this matter for several days, and gathering with Momon had also been for this very reason. However, looking at his old friend who seemed to know something, a bad premonition surged in his heart.

“You mean to say—”

“We’re in big trouble.”

Repeating it once more, Devos rallied his spirit and began to discuss the cause and effect of the incident.

…

“So you mean to say that the collapse of the Temple of Law could very well be due to your use of the Goddess’s name and the influence on the trial’s process. And that ‘unbeliever’ you judged was instead raised to a Holy Spirit in the end?”

Standing up, Momon felt somewhat incredulous. As one of the individuals closest to the creator, he knew all too well. The gods wanted humans to worship them and would bestow various blessings for doing so. But now, someone was telling him that an unbeliever had been rewarded by the deities?

“…It sounds incredible, but on reflection, it seems understandable. Have you ever thought that maybe the Goddess of Law and the Divine King are not deities from the same faction?”

“The creator once said that at the turn of the eon, when the two Divine Kings waged war, the gods took sides, but the Goddess of Law did not seem to be on the side of the Divine King.”

Similarly taken aback but then calming down, Ossen pondered and slowly made a guess.

Because of the temple’s collapse, Prometheus let the humans figure out the reason themselves while he set out for Olympus. In truth, he didn’t think this anomaly related to Bronze Humanity; the Forethinker suspected that perhaps the Goddess of Justice had accidentally discovered their trickery and thus expressed her indignation.

He intended to visit this lady because, as far as he could tell, it seemed that the goddess had not yet told the Divine King about all this, so there was still a chance for redemption.

“Don’t be anxious, Devos, the creator will handle this matter, he has already gone to Olympus, and we are still fine now, aren’t we?”

“You should go back and rest, it will be alright.”

In the end, Ossen spoke thus.

Although hesitating, Devos truly did not know what he could do. Seeing Ossen filled with confidence, he reluctantly suppressed the unease in his heart, ready to rest properly.

However, what he didn’t know was that, as he watched Devos’s departing figure, Ossen’s expression instantly darkened.

He would not be so naive, no matter how one looked at it, what the other party had said seemed like an omen of some upcoming turmoil originating from the deities. Even if it was temporarily suppressed, it was merely delaying the inevitable.

Thinking of this, Ossen couldn’t help but curse Devos’s foolishness in his heart—how could one take faith and make it a subject of discussion?

Sacred things should only be on the altar, not in people’s hands.

“…Momon, what do you think about this matter?”

After a long silence, Ossen broke the stillness with his words. Having known each other for so many years, he knew that the other was not someone like Devos.

“What else can I think? Just like you said, the creator will solve the problem.”

Momon spoke calmly, his thoughts indecipherable.

“…”

“Yes, whatever happens, the creator will resolve everything…”

Ossen’s tone carried a hint of emotion, almost like a sigh. Unconsciously, his right hand brushed the corner of his eye, where wrinkles had now gathered.

More than twenty years ago, he had been so confident, thinking that death was trivial and that he could face aging with equanimity. But when his own body no longer had strength, his thinking began to slow, and his skin lost its luster, he had changed his mind.

He wanted to regain his youth and maintain it forever. He had pleaded with the creator for this, but to his disappointment, Prometheus had refused him this time.

After all, Ossen was indeed his favored student, but what about the other priests? If everyone came to him seeking immortality, he could not fulfill such a request. Yet by only granting exceptions to a few, he felt he would be doing a disservice to the rest.

Therefore, the Forethinker tried to satisfy every reasonable request from people, excluding, of course, eternal life.

“Let us wait then, the creator will surely resolve everything. I am a bit tired, Momon.”

“Then I won’t disturb you any longer.”

Nodding in understanding, Momon, his expression unchanging, left through the grand door.

He looked at the sky, regretfully he could not see the setting sun or the rising moon.

For on this day, the Aurora Plains were covered with dense clouds, looking as though a heavy rain was imminent.

“…What would you do?”

Having known him for many years, Momon understood Ossen better than anyone else. He truly believed in the creator, but he trusted himself more, especially since Prometheus had said more than once that he was not powerful among the gods.

Even if the matter with the Goddess of Law was concealed, could the deception of humans toward gods really continue indefinitely? Even if they found ways to curb the spread of the speeches of the faithless, if there was a first time, there would be a second time.

“I used to think that our generation might not live to see the day of divine retribution…that’s not right, others may not live to see it, but I do not wish to die.”

“Alas, creator, I am willing to offer you everything, everything I possess can be yours, with the exception of the life you bestowed upon me. But you are an immortal deity, and I suppose you cannot understand our sentiments.”

He sighed, unseen by anyone, how shocked he had been when he heard the name ‘Mephisto’ from Devos’s lips—a memory forgotten for decades now vividly resurfaced in his mind.

And unlike before, just like Ossen, he was no longer young.