-You are the master of the void, Mammon,- Nova replied, her own voice filled with the wisdom of ages.
-Why would you need me to tear the space for you? You can just travel there through the void.-
-It���s not about that,- Mammon said earnestly, a faraway look in his eyes.
He wasn���t the cruel merchant he was with his enemies, but a complex, caring figure with his family.
-It makes me remember the day master created me. I want to feel the excitement of a new journey, the kind I felt when I first arrived in Veridia, when I first saw your mighty dragon figure, when I first ventured into the demonic realm.-
-That���s also true,- Nova said, a gentle smile on her face. She too was remembering the old days.
-When master created me, there were no such fancy things on Veridia as there are now. There were only a few humans and some elves, whom I didn���t interact with much at the start. But later, when I got to know them, it was really fun.-
-Oh, then why are you so aloof now?- Mammon asked curiously. -You don���t interact with many people nowadays, only some life forms-
-It���s not that I don���t like them. I saw the birth of many life forms on Veridia during my patrols. I even played with many children by becoming as small as a kitten,- she said, her face showing the emotions of a mother. -But as these life forms grew, many of them died one way or another, as they were supposed to as a mortal, while I, a demigod, am still alive with their memories.- Her voice was calm, but the sadness was palpable.
She looked toward the dragons that were patrolling the skies of Veridia, a new generation that had no idea of her past.
-Well, you can now, can���t you?- Mammon said, trying to change Nova���s mind. -With master���s grace, now every life form has a chance to become a demigod, so your initial worries are already solved by master.-
-I also thought of that, but now most of the life forms are the grandsons or granddaughters of the life forms that I protected back then,- Nova shared her views. -They don���t even see me as a fellow life form. For them, I am a mighty figure, a mythical dragon.-
-That���s true,- Mammon said, as he understood the meaning behind Nova���s words. -A mortal can���t perceive a demigod as a similar entity, just like we can���t perceive our master as similar to us.-
-By the way, you seem eager to go to the demonic realm?- Nova inquired, her expression now shifting to one of curiosity. -Last time you stayed in Veridia for five years, but nowadays you only stay for a few days, while the remaining time you spend in the demonic realm.-
-It���s nothing,- Mammon said, a subtle, smile on his face. -I have just made a few friends in the demonic realm.- He didn���t have any plans of hiding this fact.
He considered all the other demigods as his brothers and sisters, and he was permitted to do so by his master.
-But aren���t they aggressive, with the constant nagging voice in their head?- Nova said, as she knew about this from the Veilborn race.
-That���s only applicable for the demons living in the empire of Demon Lord Deimos and the demons of the Realm of Advancement, as they are sent there by Deimos,- Mammon explained. -But for the demons of the other six empires, there are no such voices-
-But that doesn���t mean they are not aggressive or fierce, but some of them are nice, too. And through my constant travels, I came to know of many demons that are similar to us in many ways,- Mammon said.
He then told many of the stories of the demonic realm to Nova, and she listened to all of them with rapt curiosity.
-Sister, I will meet you next time when I visit. It���s time for me to go back, as the time difference between Veridia and the demonic realm is ten times,- Mammon said after hours of talk with Nova.
But just as Nova was about to open up the portal to the demon realm, a loud sound of an animal walking sounded in the ears of both Nova and Mammon.
They looked in the direction of the sound and saw Cerberus walking towards them.
-Little brother, why didn���t you bring me the souls of the demon demigods this time? You know, earning merits is tough for me,- Cerberus said, his voice laced with unending boredom.
-My apostles are providing you with souls, are they not?- Mammon inquired, as his apostles worked on their own and weren���t specifically monitored, he thought they were slacking.
-No, no, they are, but you know how merits work. The more powerful the soul, the more the merits,- Cerberus said, his tone was filled with greed for the merits.
-Why do you need so many merits? You don���t even have a race to take care of,- Mammon joked.
-I was thinking of creating one. I have decided to create Grim Reapers, and currently, I am working on a spell to transform into a grim reaper,- Cerberus said, as he told Mammon about his grand plan.
Nova was already aware of this plan, as she was the one who was teaching Cerberus the transformation magic.
-That���s actually nice, I was always worried, when will you have a race under you- Mammon said, as apart from Thea, only Cerberus had no race under him.
-I have only 158 demigod souls for now, I will bring more in the future- Mammon said, as he handed the soul plate, that held the souls of these DemiGods.
Cerberus opened his mouth and sucked all the souls in one gulp and said,-sweet 158 million merits-
After saying there Goodbyes, every Demigod returned back to their own work.
Chapter 93: Ch 93 : Successor of the cosmic Empire
A voice, melodious and clear, echoed through the vast Citadel of Veridia, a sound that seemed to carry with it the very essence of a bygone era.
-Demigod Umbra,- the voice called out, filled with an immense gratitude that resonated in the hearts of all who heard it.
It was the voice of Thorn, the first leader of humans, the first apostle, and the sole apostle of the mighty Shenlong.
From the shadows of the Citadel, a wisp of darkness coalesced and formed into a figure of quiet grace.
Umbra, the demigod of shadows, looked at Thorn, a soft smile on her face. -Oh, Thorn, you���re back,- she said, her voice like a gentle whisper of the wind.
-Is Shenlong also back with you?- Though it was their first time truly talking, Umbra spoke as if she had known Thorn for ages.
-He is not,- Thorn replied, a hint of pride in his voice. -His only thought is to give all the life forms a chance. A chance for them to correct their lives.-
-That���s so him,- Umbra sighed, a wistful look on her face. -I was thinking of sending one of my clones with him, but he just never returns.-
She had only met Shenlong once, but in that brief meeting, she had understood the virtue and kindness of the dragon.
-So, why did you come to meet me?- Umbra asked, the question that was lingering in her mind.
-Actually, I always wanted to thank you for saving me during the revolt that happened centuries ago,- Thorn said, his tone filled with immense gratitude.
-But I had nothing to gift you as my thanks. But during my travels, I found an item for you that I really think you would like.- Thorn said, and then brought out a ring from his pocket.
This ring looked ordinary to others, but for Umbra, it was not.
She looked at this ring with surprise. Even Thea, with her all-seeing Omni-Cognition talent, wasn���t able to show the description of this ring.
The system panel only showed question marks, a clear sign that this was no ordinary artifact.
Umbra immediately understood the importance of this ring. As only the SSS-Grade artifacts and Gods were capable of escaping the Omni-Cognition of Thea.
-Is this an SSS-Grade artifact?- Umbra asked, even though she already knew the answer.
-Yes, this is the first artifact that is found in the Realm of Advancement, and according to the God, there are many more to find,- Thorn said.