Surviving The Fourth Calamity

Hill still believed in the capabilities of the Master of Destiny... The Power of Destiny on him was undetected even by AO, so even if Valkin had some special elder thing inside, Hill didn’t think she could see what AO couldn’t.

So, it was still because of the World Tree.

Otherwise, he would not be so obedient this time, sitting here watching a movie.

For anything related to Teraxil, he could give his all, but he had to be cautious.

When there’s a tall figure above, one must behave.

And AO’s performance only made Hill more certain of this.

Reviewing those past experiences, he really didn’t think Talos could have hidden from AO, so Valkin’s doubts must have been in the eyes of that God Above Gods.

He even knew who was in the body of that Goddess of Wealth.

Those traces left were very strange.

Therefore... the opponent must also be an enemy of the World Tree.

But who could it be, this enemy of the World Tree, who also harbored a greedy desire for someone like Hill, a Child of Nature?

There seemed to be quite a few, and Hill couldn’t infer it for the time being.

Most of the chaotic evil, particularly those who liked to devour living beings to enhance their power, could be possible.

But even many in the Bottomless Abyss hated the World Tree, few would actually make a move.

Usually, they’d think of killing when passing by, but wouldn’t go out of their way just because of Hill.

Hill still felt it was an Abyssal creature, after all, Valkin’s problem emerged in the Abyss.

It was... such that given Valkin’s condition in the Abyss, there had to be someone unscrupulous, or someone completely unfazed by such matters that replaced her without hesitation.

It can’t be a Succubus, right?

No, Valkin was on Grazt’s territory, and the only Succubus capable of such is the first Queen of Succubus, Dimogogan’s ex-wife.

Even if she had such an intention, she wouldn’t take this risk.

In truth, there were only a few enemies in the Bottomless Abyss that Hill both disliked and felt crisis towards: among them, the most detestable was Idiak-Oridiel, that particularly abstract and filthy Elf Devourer.

Even with Rose, Hill could still manage to cope, and could even nod in greeting if they were just passing by as long as no trouble was stirred.

If truly unfortunate enough to battle... though he had a cleanliness obsession, he could overcome it, at most feeling nauseous afterward.

But the Elf Devourer was something else; with his ability, he could only use that public method to banish the thing back to the lowest level of the Abyss.

Meaning, he had to stir up a large triangular formation right under that thing’s nose, all the while enduring the stench and being whipped by those filthy tentacles.

The Queen of Chaos’s tentacles, compared to those of the Elf Devourer, could be described as clean and pollution-free.

But as an Alchemist Master, that thing had no other ability besides disgusting him.

Moreover, he only had Coron’s divinity, not his blood, so he wouldn’t lose combat capability from the creature’s scent.

To Hill, this great enemy of the elves was merely a bit troublesome and nauseating, not completely unsolvable.

Typically, no one would bring out the Elf Devourer just to disgust him... attracting not Hill’s hatred but the endless fight to death from the Elf Deity System.

Marla, ha, if it weren’t for the protection of Shantia and Father of the Forest, she would have been killed by the Father of Elves long ago.

During this period, with Shantia eager to awaken the dormant Marla, she met with strong resistance.

Coron, well, after creating the Undead Tribe, his style became much tougher.

For with his personality, he would never want the elves to become enemies with a powerful divine force because of his personal distaste and preference.

Shantia might be useless, and the Father of the Forest might hide far away, but the subordinates they could send were all at the demigod level.

Especially the evil Druids of the Father of the Forest, they truly posed significant harm to the elves.

So, even if he loathed Marla, he wouldn’t risk exterminating the elves due to killing her... too many elves live in forests.

But now, who would dare?

Elves may be easy to kill, but the Undead Tribe is not.

Shantia and that great tree root could only wait for the Father of Elves’ resentment to dissipate before acting.

But this also made people understand, for these two, it wasn’t so much Marla’s affection began from parental love, rather she was a tool created by them specifically to eliminate those they detested.

Otherwise, they should be trying to appease Coron... offering practical benefits or promises.

Yet they would rather wait for Coron to become indifferent to Marla.

This result actually greatly reduced Shantia’s Faith Power.

As for the Father of the Forest, his divinity inherently included a side of ’Nature’s Revenge,’ so not many would find his actions inappropriate.

Only Shantia, who always presented a face of kindness and gentleness to the world, faced the most impact.

Otherwise, AO wouldn’t have deliberately created Artemis.

In his heart, Shantia was almost a useless piece.

After all, the current Lansendel would definitely not split his own Divine Power to assist her.

Yet the emerging Goddess of Agriculture doesn’t necessarily have to take the path of the earth... That Teraxil, isn’t he a clear example!

Could hunting lead to agriculture? It seems possible?

And then there’s the relentless slaughterer, the Black King Okus, with goat legs and two ram horns on his head.

Even the Queen of Chaos has more legitimate affairs than him, and even the frogs of the Chaos Sea have more goals than he does.

That creature just wants to destroy all existence with Life Force.

And the World Tree Pantheon is something he has always despised and wanted to eliminate the most.

It’s just that the more idealistic one is, the harsher reality becomes. With a mind that can’t even outplay Dimogogan, this guy can’t even touch a leaf of the World Tree.

Yet, when he truly wants to eliminate something, he can be considered calm.

Although he’s cold, cruel, and cynical, he isn’t completely brainless... just a bit obstinate.

However, due to his hatred with Dimogogan, Grazt will turn a blind eye to some of the things Okus does on his turf.

Before eliminating Dimogogan, Okus won’t act against him... This obstinacy is both a blessing and a curse.

And then there’s the eternal vampire elder Kancher Xis.

Ah, Hill suddenly remembers, this guy is also a problem created by the Elf Deity System.

To say he’s strong, not really, but he’s definitely disgusting.

Moreover, his greed for Life Force and blood is never-ending.

Hill actually suspects it might be this guy.

Kancher Xis values rare and exquisite wines, loves fine furs and gemstones, plus he’s voyeuristic and sadistic.

Valkin’s tragic situation for him, in fact, could fulfill his fetish up close.

So it’s quite normal for him to act against Hill out of greed... Hill not only possesses the Life Force he desires the most but also unimaginable wealth.

But when Hill reflects on Valkin’s behavior over the years, he is somewhat perplexed: Kancher Xis is not known for his patience.

It’s only in Felunryel that his character became somewhat exposed, but in Toril, he seemed a bit too normal.

He wouldn’t easily give up on Valkin’s friends, as they all enjoy an open-air lifestyle.

In some aspects, Valkin’s behavior resembles Okus.

But, Hill feels that what attracts Okus’s resentment and murderous intent among himself and those in Toril’s Natural Divine System should be those deities who wantonly wield the Force of Nature.

Moreover, the mark AO left on Hill seems to be a sign that his enemy is not simple at all.

Those two Hill suspects are both at intermediate Divine Power.

Although Hill won’t underestimate his enemies... he absolutely cannot imagine that an intermediate Divine Power in the Bottomless Abyss could warrant such a warning from AO.

Even if Valkin has anything to do with one of those two, there must be someone else behind it.

To enter Toril in such a manner and for AO to tacitly approve, the background presence must be extraordinary.

Even if AO eventually uses the Path of Destiny to eliminate her, it won’t affect the true form of these manipulative forces.

It seems a bit troublesome; Hill might have to be more cautious when going out in the future.

Hill silently strokes the Crystal Runepen in his hand.

His current comfortable days are due to his powerful backing... While the Power of Destiny has helped him greatly, the true reason Hill can sit confidently between Shaer and Celene, without getting up even at AO’s appearance, is because he is the child of the World Tree.

Thus, Hill won’t harbor any resentment towards the monsters drawn to him as a result.

He still has the Runepen in his hand and the Magic Book at his waist.

After all, it’s just war!

Who doesn’t have a few traps on their path? Even if he steps on one, it’s no big deal.

Now, he truly has nothing to fear.

He just needs to make sure he doesn’t get cornered in some inescapable place.

And now, as long as Hill is rational and avoids foolish actions driven by greed, what existence could sway his Line of Destiny and lead him astray?

He has backing above!

”Hill, change direction for the flight,” Lansendel’s words interrupted Hill’s contemplation.

”Hmm? Where to?” Hill turned his head to glance at the finally lively Great Peacock... Looks like AO and Celene have completely left, as the peacock has started dancing the peacock dance.

Stretching its body and flapping its wings, the Sun Peacock proudly held up one claw, ”Go that way, my brave and steadfast believer is still waiting for my praise!”

”Brave and steadfast but doesn’t know the way.” Shaer, who hadn’t left, sneered, ”Don’t tell me he came to this world specifically to slay demons.”

”Walking in the Stellar Realm, who needs to know the way?” Lansendel stood firmly on one leg, ”He only needs to remember the direction of my Divine Kingdom.

Ah, in the future, we don’t have to worry about these anymore. The Styx has my transit station!”