The River Solna flowed quietly, giving life to one-third of the creatures on the Erdo Peninsula and forming numerous river valleys. Among them, the Solna Valley—named after the river itself—contained several city-states that had become second only to the city of Britan in prosperity, thanks to the abundant water supply and fertile soil.
Outside the newly built "Lord of War" temple in Husum City stood a broad square. A raised platform had been erected at the front, and the surrounding area was packed with townsfolk wearing linen robes. They had gathered of their own accord, each faction rallying behind the god they believed in. Outside, Angnomma Empire soldiers in bronze cuirasses stood guard with lazy indifference, turning a blind eye to the occasional disputes between believers—they practically wished these heretics would just kill each other and give the world some peace.
On the raised platform, eight surviving priests of the Balir gods—the Moon God, the God of Thunder, the God of Wind and Rain, the Earth Mother Goddess, the Ruler of the Underworld, the God of Sun and Justice, the God of Wisdom, and the Goddess of Love and Fertility—sat in silver chairs, waiting for the debate to begin. If they failed to demonstrate that their respective gods' divine power surpassed the others' and secure a place among the final Three Supreme Deities, they would be expelled from the valley by the Lord of War, lose their stable source of faith, gradually decline, and ultimately be divided and absorbed by the corresponding gods of the Angnomma pantheon—utterly destroyed or reduced to a mere avatar of the opposing deity.
Though every priest knew this was a divide-and-conquer stratagem by the Lord of War, and that in the end their gods would have to be truly integrated into the Angnomma pantheon, no one dared resist. This was the fate of traitors and failures. And for them, this path was not without hope—once the faith of the entire Solna Valley was consolidated, their gods' power would increase enormously. Whether they would be absorbed by the corresponding Angnomma gods or absorb them in turn remained an open question.
Seated upon the golden throne at the top was the priestess of the Lord of War—a beautiful woman with brown hair, dressed in a white Angnomma-style robe slit up to the waist, revealing glimpses of her smooth, powerful legs.
She was Naina, the second Chief Priest of the Britan Temple of War, a High Priest in her own right.
"Hail the great Lord of War, sovereign of all conflict and destruction." The sixteen priests of the eight gods bowed in unison, just as they had once done before the supreme god Avando.
Naina herself performed a dance of war to please the deity, then turned solemnly to the crowd below, about to declare the start of the theological debate.
Just then, two black-haired men in faded-white robes strode to the front of the raised platform and called out to the guards: "Allow us up—we represent the great God of Resurrection, Fertility, and Redemption, and have come to attend the theological assembly."
"That divine name has never existed before. It must belong to a false god! Guards, drive them out!" Nob, the priest of the Moon God Ashin, barked sternly.
Ashin's strength ranked somewhere in the middle among the eight surviving gods, and whether it could become one of the final three victors was far from certain. Faced with these bizarre interlopers, Nob—a pompous old man in elaborate, ornate vestments—naturally had no warm words for them.
Francis, acting as the "accompanying attendant," shot Lucian a look, signaling him to deliver the rehearsed words.
Lucian met Nob's gaze without a shred of fear: "Whether our God of Resurrection, Fertility, and Redemption may attend this assembly is for the great Lord of War to decide—not the Moon God. By speaking before Chief Priest Naina, are you placing the Moon God above the Lord of War?"
Francis raised an eyebrow in faint surprise—this was not what they had agreed upon. But given the situation, the effect seemed even better: it would more effectively drive a wedge between the Moon God and the Lord of War, more forcefully enrage Ashin, and thereby accomplish their true objective. "This Leviathan has quite the knack for improvisation…"
"You—" The weight of that accusation crashed down on Nob, and the Moon God's High Priest was struck speechless with a mixture of fury and alarm.
Lucian's words silenced Nob and froze the other priests in their tracks. With an "earnest" expression, he turned to Naina: "Most honored Chief Priest, according to the Lord of War's divine decree, every god that preaches within the Solna Valley is entitled to attend this assembly. Have I misunderstood?"
"No," Naina replied curtly, with the cold brevity of a warrior.
Lucian smiled: "Our Lord, the God of Resurrection, Fertility, and Redemption, also has followers in the Solna Valley. I humbly request that the Chief Priest permit us to attend this theological assembly."
"You must provide proof yourself." One more god would have no bearing on the master's arrangements—if anything, it would sharpen the conflicts further, which would serve the eventual absorption. So Naina offered no objection, speaking in the fewest possible words.
Lucian raised his right hand. Hiding in the shadows, Anxius gave a soft round of applause. The secret followers of the former "God of Fire and Destruction" gathered nearby began clapping as well, loudly praising the God of Resurrection, Fertility, and Redemption—Erl.
Nob exchanged glances with the priests of the other gods. They had never expected that this strange God of Resurrection, Fertility, and Redemption had already been conducting secret missionary work within the valley. They had been far too careless.
It never occurred to them that this was an avatar of Avando, because before Francis had put forward the idea, the gods' understanding had been that divine domains mattered more than divine names—domains represented the quantity of divine power and quasi-spell ability. So even when gods changed their names, they never altered their domains. Typically, after absorbing other gods with similar domains, they would create "aliases" through name changes to absorb the original faiths. A resurrection, fertility, and redemption god that seemed to have absolutely nothing in common with the domains of "fire" and "destruction" would be extremely difficult to associate with Avando.
Under the hostile stares of the priests and believers, Lucian led Francis to the newly added silver chair and listened as Naina spoke: "This theological assembly is a debate over the divine power of each god you worship, to discern who is the true god, who is a false god, and who is more worthy of faith. According to the Lord of War's divine decree—all things come in threes, and only the final three victors shall prevail."
With that pronouncement, regardless of how the debate turned out, the victors would be those who upheld the Lord of War's decree. And in the minds of the believers below, the Lord of War would obviously stand a notch above the rest.
"The god I serve is the embodiment of the sun, illuminating all things and dispelling darkness. Like fire, he symbolizes the power of light and also embodies the power of punishment. Moreover, he is the maker of laws, constraining both gods and mortals alike. Without question, he stands above the other seven gods." The priest of the God of Sun and Justice spoke first, painting a vivid picture of his deity's domains and divine might to draw the believers' aspiration.
The largely uneducated believers nodded gently. The sun hung in the sky every day, bringing warmth and forming a stark contrast with the darkness—instinct alone told them it must be important. The God of Sun and Justice must surely be powerful, and perhaps worshipping him would bring greater rewards.
Seeing the believers' expressions shifting, the Ruler of the Underworld's priest immediately stepped forward: "Where there is life, there is death. Every sentient being is subject to the shadow of mortality. Life is fleeting, but death is eternal. The great Ruler of the Underworld governs the world beyond death—the final resting place. Naturally, he is more important than the other gods."
The fear of death was something every person carried instinctively. Thinking of the darkness, cold, pain, and eternal sleep that awaited beyond death, worshipping the Ruler of the Underworld seemed far more useful than worshipping the God of Sun and Justice. Just from the description alone, one could sense his power and importance.
"The earth bears all things—even the Underworld depends upon it for existence. The earth gives birth to life and to death alike. Those who anger the Earth Mother Goddess shall suffer famine, earthquakes, and landslides." The priest of the Earth Mother Goddess resorted to threatening the believers.