Chapter 607: Asa

“Still no movement over there, is there?”

In the star realm, aboard a luxury warship of absurd proportions, a robust, one-eyed old man sat upright on the supreme throne, his gaze coldly fixed on the depths of the void.

His aura was incomparably grand and powerful, and his voice carried supreme authority. Every word, every sentence, stirred violent void storms in the surrounding starry sky.

If Li Mochen were here, he would be utterly shocked and astonished.

He would be amazed that this God-King, while suppressing the Night Goddess Nyx, could still observe the Bright World with such a leisurely demeanor.

“Yes, Your Majesty! Clearly, the Magic Goddess has reached an agreement with Zeus. They both belong to Olympus and are fond of exchanges and compromises.”

This was Lóðurr, the God of Temptation and Desire, Odin’s brother and a sage among the Aesir, surpassing even Loki, the God of Fire and Deceit.

In myth, the three brothers created the world and humanity: Lóðurr granted humans ‘desire’ and ‘sleep,’ Vili gave them ‘reason,’ ‘movement,’ and ‘the ability to make tools,’ while Odin bestowed ‘courage’ and ‘competition.’

“He always favors such methods, yet forgets that power alone decides everything.”

Odin sneered coldly, then looked elsewhere: “Hela has also withdrawn.”

“As expected. She hates you, and she hates us.”

Lóðurr shrugged, showing little surprise: “If attacking the American Underworld would prevent the construction of the Magic Net and keep the Lord of Fate from concentrating power against us, then she would surely abandon it.”

“Thus, her attack on the American Underworld was less about coveting that realm of the dead and more about warning those death gods and underworld kings not to contend with her, effectively aiding the Lord of Fate.”

This was Frigg, the Queen of the Aesir, seated beside Odin: “I know her nature. This time, she will stand against us, alongside her father Loki, sounding the horn of Ragnarök.”

Just as Frigg finished speaking, Hermóðr, the Messenger of the Gods, appeared in the hall.

“Ahura Mazda and the Lord of Light have already clashed in the nearby Attila World, but the exchange lasted only ten minutes, with neither going all out.”

“Understandable. Neither wants to give others an opening. But since the Lord of Light blocked Ahura Mazda, it shows His stance.”

Lóðurr mused: “The Lords of Hell and the Abyss clearly have no intention of intervening fully. The situation is tricky, Odin. We have many concerns.”

Odin’s single eye continued to observe the Bright World.

“Contact that Diana, or Hecate. I can allow her to build the Magic Net, but she must give us a promise.”

“And if She refuses?” Lóðurr did not ask what the promise was.

“Then I will tear apart her Magic Net at any cost! She knows I can do it.”

Odin slapped the armrest, his divine power surging, filling the entire hall.

“As for the Lord of Fate—Lóðurr, go tell him that no one among the Aesir holds complete mastery over fate. Even our Norns are more masters of time. So, if he is willing to submit and join us, I will grant him the status of Vice-God-King. If not, he may remain neutral in this war, and there will still be a place for him among the twelve chief gods of the Aesir in the future. His wife will remain the ruler of the underworld.”

At this moment, the gods in the hall stirred, all looking at Odin in astonishment. Even the Valkyries and Einherjar guarding outside the temple cast glances toward the door.

The few ‘chief gods’ present, however, remained calm and unperturbed.

“And Thor! Sif, your husband—when will he return? The war horn is about to sound; does he intend to be absent? And Forseti, that coward born of Baldr—he still dares not face me—”

Odin’s voice paused as he looked toward the entrance of the hall.

There, a goddess in white robes walked in unhurriedly from the door.

“Odin, my lord!”

The goddess bowed deeply: “I have seen a new future in the Well of Fate—a purple-gold pagoda that will bring destruction to this world.”

Odin’s eye narrowed, his expression solemn.

For this was Skuld, representing the ‘future’ among the Norns, the three goddesses of fate.

The Norns, born from the body of the Jotunn in the Bright World during the divine war four thousand years ago in the Old Continent, had died, but their true forms in the outer realms remained unharmed.

“Another such prophecy.”

Vili, the God of Smithing and Knowledge, let out a sneer: “Thousands of years ago, you also prophesied Ragnarök, saying Loki and his offspring would bring disaster. The Aesir would meet their twilight on a future day. Yet it was Olympus and the Lord of Light who ultimately destroyed our rule, forcing us to temporarily leave this world.”

Skuld said nothing. She silently manifested an image of an artifact before the gods: a nine-story pagoda, entirely purple-gold, surrounded by countless colorful spiritual lights.

“Is that the Wishing Pagoda of the Mashura?”

Queen Frigg exclaimed in surprise: “But we have searched this world for a thousand years and confirmed it is not in the Bright World.”

“Indeed, it is not in this world, or else Ahura Mazda and Amun would never have given the Lord of Light the chance to rise.”

Lóðurr’s expression turned cold: “If this prophecy is true, then the situation is clear. Someone has brought this Wishing Pagoda into this world!”

At that moment, Odin, seated on his throne, suddenly rose. His gaze, filled with longing and anger, swept across the boundless void beyond the massive warship.

“Find out! I want to know who holds this thing! Is it Nyx, the Lord of Light, Ahura Mazda, Amun, Ahriman, or Zhuanxu? And—”

Odin paused briefly, then decisively commanded: “Find Loki. Tell him he is still a member of the Aesir!”

…

Li Mochen confirmed that Diana had indeed reached an agreement with the Olympian pantheon and likely had some connection with the Aesir as well.

For the next nine hours, until Diana completed the entire magical ritual, no powerful enemies appeared on their side.

After that, the magical energy of the entire Bright World began to surge violently, flowing in three directions. The largest stream headed toward the Pacific, where the Magic Goddess’s pentagram, like a bottomless vortex, absorbed the converging magical energy, forming a massive egg of magical energy.

This process lasted six hours, until the magical energy in the world thinned to near the level of the Primordial Sky Barrier. Then the giant ‘egg of magical energy’ suddenly burst, dispersing back into the world.

But it was no longer chaotic; instead, it flowed through various lines, cables, and invisible rune networks to every corner of the world. Pure, dense magical energy moved through these channels, all under the control of the Magic Goddess.

“The fireball I cast now has less than a fifth of its previous temperature. Divine power’s boost to spells is also weaker. My powerful divine rank only increases spell power by less than twenty percent.”

Belinda Harris, who had returned after defeating her enemies, sighed and extinguished the fireball in her hand: “Though I feel this benefits everyone in the world, my mood is still complicated. If I continue fighting in the material plane, I’ll likely be killed by mortals.”

Then she cast an envious glance at the few archmages present: “If I could turn back time, I would find a way to become a legendary mage before becoming a god.”

The Magic Net established by the Magic Goddess imposed no restrictions on archmages. Their ‘magic towers’ were largely self-sufficient, requiring no external magical energy.

This was the Magic Goddess’s compromise with the archmages. Though their combat power was inferior to the gods, their threat and destructive potential toward the ‘Magic Net’ surpassed even the gods.

The lofty gods mostly had little understanding of the Magic Net’s structure, but these archmages, skilled in rune and array studies, could easily find flaws in it.

Thus, Diana only restricted spells of the forbidden-curse level, prohibiting the release of such world-shattering spells within the material plane.

Legendary and demigod mages were next in line; they faced more restrictions than archmages but fewer than ordinary magical professionals. However, this required them to be devout followers of the Magic Goddess.

In other words, the biggest losers were still mortals, other legendary and demigod professionals, and the gods. Of course, non-human beings living in or outside the material plane—demons, devils, angels, and various magical creatures—also faced greater restrictions.

Belinda Harris had once had great potential to become a legendary mage, with talent and a mage兼职.

But her hundreds of millions of fans caused her to accidentally touch a relic and inexplicably ascend to godhood. After that, nothing could be undone; her body shattered at the moment of apotheosis, and her mind was filled with her followers’ hopes and expectations.

Thus, Belinda was grateful for the backlash Li Mochen had given her. It was this love from the depths of her soul, untainted even by faith, that preserved most of her self-awareness, preventing her from becoming the ‘Goddess of Song and Charm’ her followers imagined. Her current divinity was insufficient to bear the faith of three hundred million believers.

“Magic is an external force; one’s own power is fundamental—it won’t be affected or suppressed.”

Hazel sneered at Belinda’s words, but then noticed the many mages present looking at her.

Hazel paused, then shrugged: “Alright, that’s our advantage.”

This was because many archmages were present, with the world’s most powerful gathered under Li Mochen’s command.

Li Mochen ignored their discussion, continuing to gaze into the boundless void, peering at the Magic Goddess’s divine kingdom and the location where Diana had performed the ritual.

After about two minutes, he ceased his observation, a hint of envy and longing in his eyes.

“Divinity 19!”

Paracelsus also withdrew his gaze: “From now on, this world has another God-King. I suspect Her understanding of magic has reached the level of ‘pseudo-truth.’ Her divine kingdom’s laws have changed drastically.”

Before the Magic Goddess truly wielded her divine authority, outsiders could hardly gauge her power. But Paracelsus’s special ability allowed him to glimpse her divine kingdom and infer her capabilities.

“Fortunately, for now, she can be considered an ally.”

Li Mochen had already steered his ‘Fate’s Domain’ magic tower away from its original position, heading toward America.

“Then dismissed, everyone! The battle is over. You can go to the twenty-fourth floor of this magic tower to claim your gifts. Trust me, you’ll be pleasantly surprised.”

As their liege, he could certainly demand unconditional service. But merely the agreed-upon commissions and terms would hardly motivate them.

Especially in the coming years of frequent battles, it was a delicate task to inspire their wholehearted commitment.

These people were not disciples of the Shenxiao Sect; they shared no common ideal or spirit of dedication. In a decisive battle, most of his subordinates, including Paracelsus and Garcia Ferren, would abandon him while minimally violating their contracts, unwilling to risk their lives.

Li Mochen was clear-headed. He knew the only way to motivate them and quell war-weariness was through interest and the authority of ‘vitality,’ ‘youth,’ and ‘life.’

As the crowd dispersed and Li Mochen turned his attention to the ‘Shenxiao Lingyun Purple-Gold Pagoda,’

His expression tightened as he looked ahead. An old man blocked the magic tower’s path.

Li Mochen raised an eyebrow: “Lóðurr?”

He recognized this as Lóðurr, the God of Temptation and Desire of the Aesir, Odin’s brother, a powerful deity who must be regarded as a Vice-God-King.

“Lord Wiltonstein!”

The old man, dressed in modern attire, politely tipped his hat: “I come on a mission from my lord Odin. Would Lord Wiltonstein be interested in a talk?”

Li Mochen’s eyes flickered, and without hesitation, he opened the magic tower’s layers of protective barriers, placing a spatial gate before Lóðurr.

He could roughly guess the purpose of the visit and was willing to engage in a peaceful exchange—it wouldn’t cost him anything.

Though Li Mochen had grudges and divine conflicts with the Aesir, there was no blood feud. Tyr’s two attacks had not cost him a single hair.

Of course, this was assuming Forseti’s death had not yet been discovered by the other side.