Painter saw the familiar ceiling.
He woke up inside the Lost Tower, and it was still dark outside. Judging by the angle of the sunlight entering through the window, it was evening, and he had been unconscious for at least a day.
Painter took a deep breath and was surprised to find that his internal organs were still functioning normally, and his body felt lighter than before.
He hadn't only escaped death, but even the chronic injuries from years of drifting and battling had disappeared, and a powerful life force surged within him.
A miracle.
As the former pope of the Temple of Life, Painter quickly concluded. He looked around the room and soon noticed Nol dozing off in a rocking chair. On the left hand of the God of Creation was a beautiful antique silver wedding ring.
Painter instinctively smiled. It seemed he had missed a significant event.
"Lord Nol." Painter sat up from the bed, propping himself up with two pillows behind him.
Nol jolted in the rocking chair, slapping his face awake. "I'm here!"
"Thank you for saving me," Painter sincerely said. "I feel very good now. You don't need to personally watch over me."
Hearing "you saved me", Nol's face twitched, and he coughed twice. "It was Teest who saved you."
Painter: "…Ah."
"You seem unsurprised," Nol hesitantly said.
"You have a very positive influence on Mr. Teest, and Mr. Teest can complement the areas you are not good at. You two are a perfect match," Painter responded with a smile, looking like a true priest. "Happy marriage, Lord Nol."
"Thank you." Nol sounded a bit embarrassed, but his face brightened considerably.
Painter smiled as he watched Nol.
"By the way, Star Stealer Sol's true body is dead. I've completely regained system control. No one died in this battle—the Players in the city can't die anyway, and only a few dragons were seriously injured. With the strength of the Lost Tower, it's more than enough to handle the monsters outside the city."
Nol detailed carefully, guessing what Painter cared about the most.
"There are quite a few seriously injured people on the civilian side, but fortunately, we're not short of clergy here, and the knights guard was apt. Everyone received treatment immediately."
"Finally, just in case, Lynn and the others will do some more investigations to prevent Star Stealer Sol from leaving any bizarre traps."
"Praise your mercy." Painter bowed his head, giving a salute. "It's just… this side of the Lost Tower…"
Investigating traces of Star Stealer Sol was necessary. But with such a big Lost Tower disappearing, wouldn't the Players still look for it everywhere?
"Don't worry."
Nol gently shook his head. "For the Players, they preemptively killed the final boss and ended the main quest. There's no need to look for the Lost Tower anymore."
99% of Players still treated this as a game. The Lost Tower was part of the "main storyline", and since the main line was over, the disappearance of the Lost Tower also made sense.
Painter's shoulders relaxed a lot. "It seems you know how to send them back."
He couldn't help but glance at Nol's ring.
Long ago, he had witnessed the Mad Monk breaking into the General's office, cluelessly undergoing relationship counseling. Teest said Nol would return to his homeland after solving the problem, which Teest found displeasing.
Now…
"It seems you and Mr. Teest will have a very interesting journey." Painter smiled.
"Many times." Nol laughed along. "We'll plan it well."
Painter: "Since everything is going so smoothly, why did you specifically stay with me?"
The divine war ended perfectly, the overall situation was still controllable, and the Lost Tower was safe. As a newlywed God of Creation, Nol had no need to stay here—he could easily arrange for a neighbor to watch over him until he woke up.
Something unusual must be amiss. Lord Creator was surely hiding something.
Painter interlaced his fingers, continuing to smile and watch Nol.
Nol: "..."
Nol's gaze started to drift.
He hummed for a while, and eventually summoned a system popup. He made it visible and translated it into a common language before showing it to Painter.
[GM: Godfrey Painter]
[God of Life – System Authority "Life" Steward]
Painter's smile gradually stiffened, and it melted away like snow. For the first time, Nol saw so many question marks on Godfrey Painter's face.
"In order to, uh, save your life, I granted you access to the system authority 'Life'."
Nol tried to gesture. "Simply put, I've opened a part of the authority to you. You can borrow it anytime… This way, you can directly intervene in 'life' related rules, definitely qualifying as 'False God' level."
Painter: "Can't you take it back?"
Thinking of the title of the Temple of Life, holding this power really burned.
"I can," Nol whispered, "but the 'death status' on you is also given by the system. I can't eliminate it. It's just infinitely postponed by the 'life' permission."
"If I take the power back, you're likely to die on the spot."
Painter: "..."
Nol: "..."
Painter said solemnly, "Did you know? I thought before, if the divine war ends and the False God disappears, I would travel around with the Drifting Mercenaries."
"Without the Temple's persecution, we could have a lot of easy and pleasant times. That life would be beautiful like a dream."
Painter's expression was like an employee scheduled for overtime right before a holiday. Nol hadn't said anything yet, and this old fox had already guessed the future duties.
"I'm not good at managing."
Nol could only bring out the sincerest tone. "I'm not suited to take a divine posture to rule Tahe, and I might not be here often… I need someone who truly cares about Tahe to help me look after this place."
Painter nodded meaningfully. "Without Star Stealer Sol's persecution, you and Teest can travel around, having many easy and pleasant times."
Nol's gaze drifted again. He really couldn't argue.
Although he was the supreme god of Tahe and had been the team leader in the production team in his dreams… he was really not good at forcibly arranging work for others.
"Hahaha!"
Seeing Nol's wandering gaze, Painter couldn't help but laugh out loud. "Just kidding, Lord Nol. You saved Tahe, saved my life, and gave me great power. I am very willing to serve you."
Saying this, his gaze softened. "Thank you for giving me the opportunity to reorganize the Temple's atmosphere. I couldn't ask for a better assignment."
Nol heaved a sigh of relief. "That's good… Oh, one more thing. The old Pope announced his resignation due to injuries sustained in the divine war, and Eugene is about to take over as the Pope of Life."
"It looks like that child wasn't badly hurt," Painter said cheerfully.
Nol brutally continued, "Currently, Mr. Eugene firmly believes you are the incarnation of the Goddess of Life Tilia. I think you should know this."
Painter slowly lay back on the bed, his smile disappearing again. "Before taking up the divine post, can I take a vacation for eighty years?"
"Can't." Nol expressed sympathetically.
...
At the top of the Lost Tower.
Perradat stretched her limbs in the fresh air—with the death of Star Stealer Sol, her headless corpse was no longer bound. Perradat reclaimed her power the moment it happened. Her avatar was whole again.
The slender girl spread her arms, her golden hair fluttering with the spring breeze. That unrealistically beautiful face regained its color, looking vibrant with life.
Her avatar was restored, and her core was back in place. Her power was swiftly recovering. In time, her original form would regain vitality and return to the skies. She would once again be a god with formidable power.
Her corpse would no longer be treated as a cleaning tool. She would no longer have to cower in a corner, at the mercy of other gods… Eh?
A long sword rested on her shoulder from behind.
That sword looked familiar. It definitely seemed like Teest's thing. Perradat froze in the air, and it took a moment to turn her head as if her neck was rusty.
"Ah." She greeted the wedding ring with an enthusiastic smile. "Newlyweds shouldn't be here, Mr. Teest."
"Drake adamantly follows you, unwilling to revert to being one of Nol's kin, which has always annoyed me." Teest didn't withdraw his sword. "Now I understand what that kid was thinking."
"Because we've known each other longer?"
Perradat cautiously eyed the blade, sniffing the scent of destruction from it.
"Because Nol is soft-hearted and easily attached. Drake knows if he firmly follows you, I can't quietly get rid of you."
Teest smiled. "After all, I don't want to upset my husband."
Everyone knows, to kill a knight's master, you must first eliminate the knight.
"Ah? …You're too heartless. I thought we're comrades-in-arms." Perradat slowly retracted her neck, twisting her beautiful features.
"I'm not interested in managing Tahe, nor do I want Nol to waste time on such troubles."
Teest continued on his own. "So I'm fine with him training demigods—after all, those demigods would be restricted by the system. They can't stir up much trouble. But you are different, Perradat. You know what I'm talking about."
An utter outsider, an otherworldly god with her own powers. Not to mention, she once competed for ownership of the system.
A potential threat to Nol.
Teest narrowed his eyes. The hand holding the sword became itchy again. Damn, if only Drake hadn't insisted on saving this guy…
In the end, he reluctantly sheathed his sword. Perradat, meanwhile, clutched her neck, her feet honestly remaining in place.
"What do you plan to do with me?" Now that she had come all this way, she didn't believe Teest would leave without doing anything. The Mad Monk wasn't so reckless.
"I guess I'll also have to take a few demigods."
Teest exhaled. "There will still be outsiders like you in the future who can't see clearly, and native scoundrels—those who are useful—I'll recruit. Those who aren't will be dealt with."
"Look on the bright side. Your powers are still somewhat useful."
It seemed the Mad Monk hunting targets were going up a grade. He really wasn't planning to retire. Perradat's face fell, watching as Teest reached out.
What is this—a handshake to start cooperation? Speaking of which, since Teest can't use system powers, how will he ensure the loyalty of demigods…?
Teest didn't reach out to shake Perradat's hand but instead grabbed her wrist. Golden flames burned around them in a circle, like leaping gold.
Countless burning chains shot out of the flames, entwining like snakes around Perradat's feet. The skin gripped by Teest sizzled, fortunately without any pain.
Cold power squeezed from all directions, and Perradat, "freshly recovered" from her illness, dared not move.
In the midst of the flames, Teest's eyes emitted a frightening glow.
"Do not attack Nol. Do not attack me. Do not attack Tahe. The definition of 'attack' will be determined by Nol."
"Under the condition that it does not threaten your own life, obey me unconditionally. In exchange, I will spare your life."
"Mutual agreement. The contract is established. The violator will pay with their life."
Perradat: "..."
This contract seems incredibly unfair!
But, looking at it another way, the definition of "attack" was determined by the good-natured Nol. As long as she had the intention to coexist peacefully, Teest definitely wouldn't kill her.
She originally just wanted to scrape by, with no ambitions of dominance or conquest… This contract truly provided a sense of security.
"I agree," after a moment of thought, Perradat said solemnly.
"I agree." Teest absentmindedly followed suit, releasing his grip.
The surrounding predatory chains vanished, and a ring of burning gold appeared on Perradat's wrist. Seconds later, it quietly sank into the skin as if it had never appeared.
That was the moment the God of Fate, the first demigod of the God of Destruction, assumed her position.
The author has something to say:
Workers one and two are in position.
Perradat: Happy for three seconds before (crying loudly).
Don't worry, Perradat, at least your knight is normal. Look at that Painter…
Kinky Thoughts:
Just a note regarding Painter's oracle (His existence brings glory to God, and his disappearance will fulfill divinity).
It's a bit tricky to translate the latter half. For a literal translation (他的消逝将成就神), it would be "his disappearance will achieve God"… Smoothing it out it would be "through his disappearance, he will attain God(hood)… which is what has happened.
The word in question is (成就) which means to achieve, accomplish, attain.
However, from the perspective of the Temple of Life that would be blasphemous. Again, oracles are vague and don't have direct interpretations. So the way they see it, Painter's death doesn't lead to his ascension but more of a fulfillment (an accomplishment) for God(dess). So the oracle was correct… It was just misinterpreted.
Hope that makes sense.