"Power…"
Lisa felt the change within herself and couldn't help but look at her slender palm.
In just this short while—though in fact, this "short while" spanned several years—she had undergone transformation. But for a god of her level, to advance even to weak single-universe usually required at least ten thousand years, sometimes tens of thousands if unlucky.
Not to mention reaching standard single-universe.
Although both weak single-universe and standard single-universe had broken through the boundaries of a universe, weak single-universe was more like a transitional stage.
According to her own divine origin power of [Equivalent Exchange], becoming standard single-universe should have taken nearly a million years.
Yet now, just from her union with Heavenly Principle for this short while, she had achieved it.
After becoming single-universe, she herself was equivalent to the power of an entire universe. The lines on her palm were the manifestation of universal laws. With just a flip of her hand, she could destroy an entire universe. By channeling all of her power, she could create at minimum a weak single-universe.
Not only that, within her body remained a power that surpassed everything—something she could not comprehend at all. This power manifested in the markings on her abdomen.
The traces of Heavenly Principle—Heavenly Stigmata.
This was the power unique to Heavenly Principle, as Inazuma's Lady Guuji once said. It represented a special status in Teyvat itself.
Through the Heavenly Stigmata, she could feel things she had never been able to sense before.
Her understanding of Truth and Law rose to a new level.
At the same time, she understood all the secrets of her core authority.
Her Equivalent Exchange had been innate to her Constellation System. After becoming a god, the meaning of the Constellation naturally became her core authority.
This authority would continuously evolve as her divine level rose.
Most gods' authorities had specific domains. But hers, being an abstract concept, was something even she had not fully understood.
Because her Equivalent Exchange was actually an exchange directly with Teyvat itself—she could trade for any knowledge. That was why, even though she was part of the third generation of gods, she had managed to keep up with Jean, who was of the second generation.
Now, however, she realized the true nature of Equivalent Exchange: the one she had always been trading with was Lord Noah himself. For Teyvat was Heavenly Principle.
Noah held Lisa in his arms and said: "Equivalent Exchange itself is the highest phenomenon of the two Truths, Kabbalah and Ouroboros. It is the key to the Gate of Truth."
"To hold the key to the Gate of Truth already carries the possibility of becoming a Sustainer of Heavenly Principles."
"When you, Lisa, truly bring forth the Gate of Truth, I will make you my Sustainer."
Although he could grant a wisp of his power to make anyone a Sustainer, that would be far too frivolous.
At the very least, only one with top-tier talent, second only to Truth itself, could become a Sustainer. Otherwise, it would be unworthy of the position.
After all, Sustainers upheld Teyvat's order itself. Asmoday and Istaroth upheld space and time. Baal and Paimon upheld life and death.
As for Esdeath, she had only been chosen back when there were few candidates. Without the power he had given her, Esdeath would be little different from Lumine.
However, he had often rewarded Esdeath, making her aura partially resonate with his own. Because of this, she had already forged a nascent form of a new Law.
The entropy that science observed as the possible final destiny of the universe.
If she fully developed it, then even without his power, Esdeath could brush against the edge of super single-universe.
Her diligence stemmed from understanding that without Noah's aid, the Four Sustainers of Heavenly Principle would never even acknowledge her. With her proud nature, she naturally wanted to prove herself.
"To become a Sustainer!" Lisa froze, then held her breath, her heart pounding wildly. As one of Teyvat's first native gods, she knew all too well what becoming a Sustainer of Heavenly Principle meant.
"I will definitely bring forth the Gate of Truth, Lord Heavenly Principle."
So her Equivalent Exchange was such a powerful authority—it even qualified her to become a Sustainer.
"Congratulations, Lisa." Jean felt no jealousy, only happiness and blessing.
"Hoo~"
Noah exhaled lightly, and in an instant Jean and Lisa's clothes were restored, enhanced with materials only found in Celestia.
These materials alone could greatly suppress power beneath Law, equivalent to casting an anti-magic field.
"It has been a long time since I wandered around Mondstadt. Perhaps something interesting will happen."
Noah patted Jean's pert rear. The feeling was exquisite—comparable even to Phanes.
Although countless positions had already been unlocked, Jean was still shy when it came to such gestures.
"Ever since the Main Universe ascended, opening the cosmic boundary, and since the Travelers linked countless other universes, many powerful beings from outside universes have established ties with Mondstadt…"
"Shall I take you on a tour?"
Noah: "Of course. But not in Captain Jean's identity. That would spoil the fun."
Lisa asked softly: "Lord Heavenly Principle, do you often go on such private visits?"
Noah smiled: "Surely you've seen the supreme gods of other pantheons. Barbatos, that drunkard, disguises himself as a poor bard to freeload food and drink. Morax, that old fellow, often plays the role of an ordinary god, listening to music and strolling with birds."
Jean felt awkward. "Lord Barbatos, he… in fact, Lord Barbatos is very responsible, Lord Heavenly Principle."
"If Barbatos were not dutiful, he wouldn't have the leisure to appear so carefree."
Noah wrapped one arm around Jean and the other around Lisa, instantly lowering their auras to the level of ordinary Upper Gods.
Within the Supreme Divine Realm, ordinary people also existed. However, even newborn mortals here had at least four or five stars lit in their Constellations. With some effort, by adulthood they could become Lower Gods. Exceptional ones could even advance to Middle Gods naturally.
Upper Gods were rare—like students admitted into a top-tier university. As for True Gods, they were the elites of divine society.
...
The Cat's Tail.
By now, The Cat's Tail had long since become a massive community. The servers employed here were all cat-demons of True God level.
The tavern's original proprietress was now at the level of Primary God. Though her talent was limited, Diona herself had already reached the rank of Supreme God. Thus, Diona was the true leader of the community, while the original proprietress merely served as manager.
At this moment, Venti, having recently returned from Celestia, sat at the tavern's top-floor bar counter, rubbing his hands together, shamelessly begging Diona.
"Come on, Miss Diona, just one last glass, just one final cup. Really, this is absolutely the last one for today."
Diona crossed her arms in anger. "The last one? That's the seventeenth time you've said that today!"
She pointed toward the more than twenty empty glasses stacked upon the counter.
Just then, the tavern door swung open, and a playful voice rang out:
"Yo~ my adorable little bartender. It's been nearly ten thousand years since we last met. Your temper has grown a bit, hasn't it? You even dare to point at Barbatos' nose?"
Hearing the familiar voice, Barbatos—who had just been preparing to push harder, hoping to persuade Diona to mix him one more drink—suddenly trembled all over. Like a startled cat, he leapt up at once to look toward the sound.
"Ah! L-L-L-Lord Noah! W-Why are you here!"
Venti blurted out instinctively, his entire body tense from head to toe.
"Oh~ Barbatos, am I not allowed to come?" Noah's playful gaze narrowed slightly, a dangerous hum slipping from his nose. "Hm?"
Gulp~ Venti swallowed hard, then slapped himself across the face. "Ow! Look at my big mouth." Quickly, he put on a sycophantic grin like a shrewd little Liyue servant: "How could I dare? Lord Noah coming to Mondstadt makes me nothing but overjoyed."
With that, he hastily pulled out a chair at the counter.
This manner was a complete contrast to when he appeared with the dignity of the supreme god of his pantheon. Even though he looked exactly the same as that divine statue, no one would ever believe he was the supreme god in this state.
"Lord Barbatos." Jean and Lisa quickly gave their greetings.
They had seen their pantheon's supreme god in this state countless times already. By now, they were fully accustomed to it.
Indeed, Lord Barbatos was widely recognized as the supreme god with the least amount of divine dignity. This form of his simply did not inspire worship—at most, respect and gratitude.
"You rascal, always mooching food and drink." Noah sat down on the stool and turned his gaze toward Diona, who tilted her head, blinking her big eyes as she seemed to recall his identity.
"Little cat girl, has Barbatos ever paid you for all the drinks he's had here? If he hasn't, I'll make him work off his debt here at your tavern."
Diona crossed her arms in anger. "Hmph, Lord Barbatos has never once paid for his drinks here! Every time, he pesters me shamelessly to mix for him—knowing full well I hate alcohol the most. Hmph!"
As she spoke, she suddenly realized what she was saying. She turned and glared at Noah, baring her little fangs, her anger rising even higher.
"And another thing! My name is Diona, not 'little cat girl!' I'm not a cat! I'm not one of Inazuma's cat-demons, nor one of Sumeru's beastfolk! I'm a symbol of the Kätzlein family!"
"Oh! Now I remember! It was you! From ten thousand years ago… what was your name again?"
Even as a god who had lived nearly ten millennia, if she had only met someone once or twice so long ago, the impression left would be faint.
"Noah," he said, as his hand reached out and landed on Diona's head, radiating pure affinity for beast-eared girls.
"Oh! Right, Noah! Back then you kept pestering me for a drink too… Mmm…"
Diona closed her eyes unconsciously, leaning into his hand as he stroked her head, even rubbing against his palm slightly.
"So comfortable~"
Venti didn't look surprised in the least. In the great world of Teyvat, no being could resist Heavenly Principle's touch.
In fact, being touched by Heavenly Principle was an immense blessing. Too bad he wasn't a goddess—if he were, he would have already thrown himself at Noah like those two over in Inazuma, begging for the same.
Jean and Lisa exchanged a glance.
Diona might allow close friends to pat her ears once or twice, but her tail was absolutely off limits. If someone touched it, she would turn the entire The Cat's Tail upside down.
They still remembered when Hebe, the Greek pantheon's goddess of youth, once got drunk here and touched it out of curiosity. The chaos that followed had been catastrophic.
"Good kitty, does that feel nice?"
Noah smirked as he gently pinched Diona's cat ears. They were unexpectedly warm and soft, especially the tuft of white fur in the very center.
His fingers slid slightly inside, making the ears twitch from the ticklish sensation.
"Mmm~" Diona let out a muffled nasal sound, her strength nearly melting away in comfort. Behind her, her calico-patterned tail swayed back and forth.
Only when she suddenly felt her tail being grasped did her whole body jolt violently.
"Yah!"
In that instant, she finally realized what had just happened, and her entire face flushed crimson, like a shrimp dropped into boiling water.
She had actually let herself be treated like an ordinary cat, petted like that—and worse, she had even… even responded that way!
"Ahhhhh!" Diona screamed, her face red with shame, fury, and indignation, before biting down hard on Noah's hand.
There was no way she would ever act like that on her own! It had to be this guy's curse!
"Mrrrhhh…!" (You cursed me! I'll bite you to death!)
"Eh…"
Venti, who had been watching with amusement, was stunned. Jean and Lisa were also shocked—she had actually sunk her teeth into Lord Heavenly Principle. But when they saw Noah's smiling expression, they finally breathed in relief.
So long as Lord Heavenly Principle wasn't angry—it even seemed like he was enjoying it.
"Curse? I have no need for such things. You clearly enjoyed it, didn't you, little cat girl?"
Noah gently stroked Diona's tail again. She immediately froze, her entire body going weak, as though he had pressed upon her very life's core.
For beastkin girls or monster girls, the tail was often the most sensitive part of their entire body.
Venti quickly interjected: "Little Diona, Lord Noah has not cursed you at all."
Only then did Diona react: "L-Lord? Who exactly is he? Why would even Lord Barbatos call him 'Lord'?"
Lord Barbatos was one of the mere dozen supreme gods of all Teyvat's pantheons.
Diona had never once attended a divine assembly, nor did she know what Heavenly Principle looked like.
Venti chuckled awkwardly: "Ah, it's inconvenient to say. Just know he's far greater than me. And being touched by Lord Noah brings unimaginable blessings, so don't be rude to him~"
Diona's eyes widened as she stared at Barbatos.
Had she misheard?
Were those really words spoken by Lord Barbatos?
All of Teyvat knew Lord Barbatos was fiercely protective of his own. Once, when a powerful god had forced her to mix a drink against her will at the The Cat's Tail, Lord Barbatos had blown him clear to the edge of the universe.
But now…
Under Diona's accusing gaze, Venti only spread his hands helplessly. What he said was the truth, though there were things he simply could not explain.
"Hmph! Then from now on, I'll never mix drinks for Lord Barbatos again!" Diona huffed angrily.
She shoved at Noah's hand that was gripping her tail. "Let go of my tail!"
Noah smiled leisurely. "Oh~ I forgot to mention, anything I take into my hand belongs to me."
At the same time, his gaze swept toward Venti, Jean, and Lisa.
"Don't you all agree?"
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