[Various] Throne of God by Yu Wei ^Chapter 15^ Latest Update: 2014-10-04 00:13:15 Jinjiang Literature City
Chapter Fourteen
"No way, the Heavenly Father ordered this to be the currency of Heaven?"
His fingers stiffly gripped the gold coin. The blonde angel opened her round, azure eyes, her rosy lips pouting. Her pink cheeks made Michael want to pinch them, and he did, but it was just a metal coin after all, unable to provide him with the most realistic tactile experience. Michael was completely charmed by the design on it, although he didn't know the meaning of "charming" yet, it didn't stop him from seeing how audacious the person who made this gold coin was.
Metatron wouldn't do such a thing, Beelzebub wouldn't dare offend Lucifer, Samael probably wouldn't have such an idea, Asmodeus might be capable of it, but he also knew the consequences, and Gabriel, who usually disliked offending Lucifer, wouldn't dare to make such a scene…
"Your Highness, His Highness Lucifer has something to discuss with you."
Before Michael could finish his thought, several archangels serving his palace rushed over. Michael's face stiffened, and he silently hid the coin inside his robes, but unfortunately, Lucifer, who forced his way in, saw it.
The mid-level archangels knelt on the ground, trembling slightly, clearly intimidated by the Seraphim's imposing aura. A chill seemed to sweep through their azure eyes. Lucifer strode in, his most beautiful face in heaven radiating coldness.
"Michael, bring it here!"
The red-haired man looked innocently at the other man, his fingers carefully clenching the object, feigning ignorance as if he hadn't understood, hoping to get away with it, even though he knew it was unrealistic. The problem was, he really wanted it!
Lucifer was furious the moment he received the news. He immediately left his palace to find the seraphim who had obtained the gold coin, preparing to forcibly reclaim the coin made by the Messiah. He had reason to believe that if he didn't demand the coin immediately, his companions might keep it for themselves!
Michael, who hadn't expected to be found by Lucifer first, was unwilling to accept it. After all, he was the other man's lieutenant, and offending his superior over such a matter wasn't worth it. The noble seraphim of Heaven smiled and pried open Michael's clenched fingers, taking out the warm gold coin. He gave Michael a sharp look, and Lucifer gracefully left to find his other companions.
Jehovah observed the events unfolding in the various palaces. In less than half a day, Lucifer had managed to reclaim all the special coins he had distributed to the other Seraphim, except for the Messiah and the coins in his own hands. This action undoubtedly left many Seraphim feeling regretful; Metatron openly displayed his disappointment.
A light touch of his finger on a coin revealed a childlike smile on Lucifer's face, as pure and clear as the finest pool of faith, devoid of any negative emotion. This filled Jehovah with a strange sense of regret. He should have given all angels an infancy period; being born as adults robbed him of much of his enjoyment.
But if all angels were in infancy, Heaven would be nothing short of an angel kindergarten. The trade-off between gain and loss left even God feeling helpless.
After a while, God, who had been observing their reactions, noticed that Lucifer hadn't gone to find the Messiah, but instead was heading towards the Great Cathedral where he resided. Jehovah, bored on his throne, blinked his golden eyes and quickly understood why. His archangel, still mindful of his opinion, preferred to swallow his anger and come to him to clarify the matter first.
"My God, Lucifer requests an audience."
Kneeling before the temple, Lucifer looked at the tightly closed doors, still slightly nervous. After all, the distribution of gold coins had been permitted by God. The magnificent golden doors were grand and sacred, with few superfluous carvings, just a few strange patterns of varying shades forming beautiful designs.
"Come in, Lucifer."
The gentle voice of the god seemed to come from all directions, as if omnipresent. The doors opened slowly with their unique gentleness. Lucifer did not rush in, but instead composed himself before calmly entering.
The silent Great Cathedral remained as it was at the beginning of creation, except for a sacred pool on the left, where vibrant saplings, nourished by the pool's water, grew lush and green. Lucifer's gaze lingered almost imperceptibly on the sapling for a second. He noticed it resembled the Tree of Life in the Eighth Heaven.
"Are you looking at that tree? It was indeed a branch separated from the Tree of Life, but after being cleansed by the power of the Sacred Pool, I have now given it the name World Tree."
Jehovah calmly stated that he had directly plucked a branch from the Tree of Life, without a trace of embarrassment. The entire Heaven encompassed his domain; everything belonged to him.
Lucifer had no objection. For something from the Tree of Life to be used by a deity was an honor in itself. He stepped forward, about to kneel as usual, when he found himself blocked by an invisible, gentle force. Confused, he looked up at the deity so close to him. Although God's form was bathed in light, it did not diminish Lucifer's reverence for Him.
"From this day forward, seraphim will no longer need to kneel before me. You may speak standing before me."
Each time an angel came before him, Jehovah, on his throne, could only see their bowed heads. After a while, he felt it was best to change his posture. He preferred observing their every subtle change in expression, rather than relying on divine intuition. True reverence could not be obtained through kneeling. Did he not sense whether the angels believed in him?
"My God, this is somewhat disrespectful..."
A fleeting look of surprise crossed Lucifer's eyes. He wanted to refuse this grace. As the Archangel, how could he not set an example? Not kneeling before God would be utterly disrespectful. Besides, he couldn't truly represent all the seraphim; his companions wouldn't agree.
"It's alright. Inform them later. This is my decision. And Lucifer… what brings you here? Is it because of this gold coin?"
Jehovah casually changed the subject, bringing up the issue Lucifer hadn't yet raised. He observed Lucifer's expression with interest. He didn't care whether the angel knelt or not; Lucifer was just saying it casually anyway. Which seraphim dared to oppose God's decision?
The holy light dimmed slightly. Lucifer stiffly saw that God was holding the gold coin in His hand, and Jehovah was gently inquiring about his purpose.
"...Yes."
The blond angel, unaccustomed to answering God's questions, lowered his eyes, his demeanor becoming even more respectful. He dared not show the slightest disrespect to God, but his heart pounded with apprehension about God's reaction, and he hesitated before speaking.
"The design on the gold coin is exquisite. Messiah truly put his heart into it this time, Lucifer, what do you think?"
"Very good."
Lucifer's gaze was fixed on the gold coin, as if it would shatter at any moment. Unfortunately, the coin couldn't receive the Archangel's resentment. After a moment of silence, Lucifer suddenly smiled, answering in a light and natural voice.
Even without investigating Lucifer's true feelings, Jehovah knew the meaning behind those words, finding it somewhat amusing.
He hadn't expected Lucifer to care so much about this. It seemed the issue of face existed in every world. Messiah should have been prepared for Lucifer's retaliation when he dared to present the gold coin, so Jehovah completely disregarded Messiah's future fate, adding fuel to the fire with his comment.
"Then let this gold coin become one of the currencies of Heaven; I believe it will be very popular with the angels."
A mouthful of blood choked in his throat. Lucifer hadn't even had a chance to object before God's casual praise silenced him, leaving him with an indescribable feeling of depression. Experience prevailed; Lucifer was ultimately too young, failing to grasp God's love of a good show.
"Even I think it's excellent. If Lucifer had been a child, I think I might not have been willing to let you become an archangel."
A slightly amused voice emanated from within the holy light. Lucifer couldn't help but feel uneasy upon hearing the latter part of the sentence. Angels valued honor and virtue; how could they not be concerned about God's opinion?
Long, slender hands cupped the golden-haired angel's face. Lucifer was forced to bow before the divine being. Jehovah, seated on his throne, gazed gently upon his perfect creation through a veil of holy light. In truth, he hadn't so much desired to turn Lucifer into a child; after all, his current form was what truly pleased Jehovah.
"Lucifer needs to be in his prime to command the Seraphim order. If he were in such a fragile form as depicted on the gold coin, how could I entrust him with the responsibility of facing all the angels? Do you understand? So don't worry about such things. I won't allow these kinds of gold coins to circulate in Heaven."
Lucifer's ears, hidden beneath his hair, instantly turned bright red. He suppressed his excitement, even temporarily forgetting his anger towards the Messiah. He carefully wrote down every word God said, afraid of missing anything important. So God did care about his feelings; he had heard his Father's explanation for the first time.
Chapter 15, Chapter Fourteen