City of Sin

Book 2, 158

Gods And Planes(2)

The Duke subconsciously stretched his arm out, wanting to take the Queen of the Night and inspect it closely. However, he froze mid-action for a moment before slowly retracting his arm. He knew he had forgotten himself; the eyes were worth nothing when gauging the power of the divine. Everything could be an illusion, the only reliable thing was his perception. Bevry did not think any of these children could cheat him, not even that level 11 mage.

It was only then that he remembered what Richard had said just before, speaking extremely seriously, “You said this god is called the Dragon of Eternity and Light?”

The slight tremble in the man’s voice went unnoticed. If nothing else, the Eternal Dragon’s full title was simply too shocking; some careful consideration would lead one to an unbelievable conclusion!

There was a limit to every life. Even legendary powerhouses died one day, and the gods themselves were not immune to death. They lit their godfires and grew, attempting to grow in power and rank, building larger divine kingdoms. But then they declined, falling as they got replaced by new gods.

Some gods lasted to the end of their planes, but even planes were eventually destroyed. Sometimes this destruction was so fast every creature upon it felt the moment, while other times it was so slow that it felt like an eternity. When the plane perished, the gods would follow it to their end.

A god’s title wasn’t carelessly given. Most times their domain was decided when they ignited their godfire; once their transcendence was complete they would know their title and inform their followers of it. The only reason Runai could claim to be the God of Time was that no other deity on Faelor had a similar domain.

Bevry had met the priests of Runai before, and he understood the scope of his power. This feeling from the Dragon of Eternity and Light completely changed his mind on her greatness, making him think his reputation was exaggerated. Runai’s powers could distort the flow of time, but it was only temporary. Once the effects ended, the affected region would return to normal. It was like a dam blocking the flow of a river; once the floodgates were opened, the built-up water would rush out like a torrent. The Eternal Dragon was different. His power changed the fundamental laws of time. It was nothing like building a dam on a river, more akin to widening a stream.

“Dragon of Eternity and Light, Dragon of Eternity and Light......” The Duke repeatedly chewed over this name he had never heard before, spacing out for a while. The word Eternity had shocked him greatly.

Richard sat quietly, sipping on the top-grade black tea. The only thing in his eyes seemed to be the swirling beverage in his cup.

A god controlling time itself who didn’t even need the faith of his followers... This dragon truly had to be above the planes themselves. That was the only reason he wouldn’t need belief.

“If...” Bevry calmed down quickly, “If this Dragon of Eternity and Light has the same domain as his name, then does his grace have the power to prolong one’s life?”

This was exactly what Richard was waiting for. He raised his head to meet the Duke’s clairvoyant gaze, speaking as indifferently as possible, “Indeed. That is the highest level of the Eternal Dragon’s grace.”

The Duke nodded, inquiring further, “Then how does one attain the grace of the Eternal Dragon?”

This was a key moment. Richard had prepared a reasoned answer for it long ago, “Firstly, you need to show some basic respect to him. Prepare an offering, and give it over through a sacrificial altar. The blessing you receive depends on what you sacrifice.”

“Similar to the offerings we make to our ancestors. What kind of sacrifice should we make? Livestock? Magical beasts? Slaves?”

“Any item of incredible power... and living beings. Anything unique is likely to pique the Dragon’s interest.” Richard had used the term ‘living’ after careful deliberation, but it didn’t paint the whole picture. He believed the sacrifice of someone like Runai would grant one thousands of years of life. If someone had talent and luck, that would be enough to light their own godfire.

Bevry laughed as Richard completed his explanation, “In that case, sacrificing someone like the Goddess of Time will give me thousands of years?”

Now it was Richard’s turn to be shocked. He stared at this Duke who talked about killing gods as if it was nothing, casting a glance at Flowsand before answering, “That is correct.”

The Duke smiled, asking another crucial question, “Since a sacrifice must be made, then an altar must be incredibly important. You didn’t bring an altar from your plane, did you?”

“Indeed. We need to build a new altar,” Richard admitted. This was his main objective.

Bevry pondered over it for a moment, “I suppose we could say it was an altar for ancestor worship. However, if sacrifices are so important to the Dragon of Eternity and Light aren’t there any special requirements to build the altar?”

Richard turned to Flowsand, and she nodded her head in answer, “We need to form a stable connection to the Eternal Dragon that can deliver sacrifices. The altar needs tremendous power. Most of that power will be evoked from the first sacrifice, so the offering must be great. The construction of the altar itself also needs a lot of magical materials. I can provide a detailed list, but I don’t know if this plane has enough of the required materials.”

“Sounds doable...” the Duke ruminated, his tall, straight brows locking together. This was clearly an important decision, one that would be difficult to make.

Richard remained calm on the surface, but in his heart, he couldn’t help but begin to feel nervous. The Duke had reacted differently than he had expected. It seemed like the man wasn’t very keen on obtaining a longer life, but that was the anchor of this plan. If the Direwolf Duke was not interested in immortality, then this entire meeting had become a trap. The only thing that granted him some sense of security was that it would be nigh impossible to fake belief. If the Duke wanted the grace of the Eternal Dragon, his help needed to be sincere.

The tea in his cup had long since been drained, but he was still subconsciously swirling it. Time slowed to a crawl’ at some point this pleasant lobby had grown hot and stuffy, causing sweat to bead on his body. His clothes started to grow uncomfortably sticky.

After what seemed like an eternity, the Duke finally put down his own teacup that seemed to have been worn thin. “Richard,” he said with a smile, “You’re basically having me betray the entire plane.”