THE GOD EATER

The Gemini spoke as if this idea just came to it, saying, ”I need someone to do some heavy labor, helping me to invade the worlds of my siblings. You’re all brawn with no brain, so you will do nicely for this job.”

Again, Loki ignored the insult and continued to smile as he said, ”What do I get in exchange for my work?”

It replied with a snort, ”Shouldn’t the joy of being of use to me be enough for you?”

So Loki had to laugh and say, ”Of course, the joy of being of use is good. It is excellent even.”

”But I also need tangible benefits. Besides, the stronger I become, the more use I will be to you.”

”You and your glib tongue,” it said reproachfully. ”But you’re right. A sharpened axe does make cutting the tree easier.”

”Aren’t you scrambling around to accumulate Domain Power for your Divine Mountain? So for every world you help me win, you get to set up a Domain onto it when it becomes a super world.”

It finished by asking, ”Is that good enough for you, bumpkin?”

”It is very good, Loki replied with visible joy.

Seeing this, the Gemini snorted and thought, ’Of course, it would be enough to satisfy him.’

’He could have asked for money too, but clearly a little bone is enough to satisfy him. If he asked for money, I would have given it to him.’

”So when do I start?” Loki asked.

Since Loki didn’t ask for money immediately after it thought about its willingness not to ask for money, the Gemini relaxed and thought, ’I couldn’t help myself from testing him again.’

’I am sure my siblings would make fun of me if they knew that I, a five-star celestial, was worried about a one-star celestial. But it is better to be safe and cautious than to be sorry because I underestimated him too much.’

Outwardly, it was saying, ”Don’t be in a hurry to start just yet. There are some things that you need to know about invading worlds.”

”Every world under our control has been shielded. That is, every world is protected from direct attacks and damage, so they can only be invaded indirectly.”

Then it proceeded to explain how to invade worlds to Loki. It didn’t know that Loki’s heart had gone cold as he listened.

’This Gemini snake. Or is it a fish?” Loki thought in anger.

’It really is a fish. It is so slippery. If I hadn’t chosen to be patient before asking for money, it would definitely have gotten me there.’

He had been furious when he found out that he could ask for money and heard the Gemini ridiculing him for being gullible in its thoughts.

As a greedy fellow, his first instinct was to ask for money immediately. But he decided to ask for money after he knew more about what he needed to do to invade worlds.

He had been thinking about using some made-up difficulty to ask for money. But then he heard that asking for money was a trap. It made him realize that beneath the smug and proud exterior of the Gemini was a sharp and meticulous mind.

Then he heard about how their worlds were protected by shields, and it made him recollect his brief but charged encounter with the giant moose Gemini, who called himself the Nature God.

While his thoughts were in turmoil, the humanoid fish was saying, ”And that’s how you take control of a world from within. It is like inserting a straw into a cup and draining the contents of the cup through the straw.”

”Or like how mosquitoes eat,” Loki suggested with a chuckle.

But the fish man’s face fell, and he said, ”First of all, that’s not funny. Secondly, we are having a serious discussion right now and don’t have a space for jokes.”

It killed him a little, but Loki said, ”I’m sorry.”

”Hmm. Do better next time.”

”Anyway, you have what you need to start the invasion. I’ll go and join your Divine Court. That way, if you have something to say to me, you can reach out to me easily.”

After admonishing Loki, I turned away and began walking into the distance. This time, Loki didn’t follow me.

He stood where he was, hearing the Gemini think, ’I thought this Luck Supreme Metac was bad, but if it can help me employ the only Mountain Lord in this dying Domain, then it isn’t so bad.’

After a while, he snorted and stopped looking. He still had some questions, but he felt that he should keep them for later or ask another Gemini.

’Now would be a perfect time to ask for money, but I am not so sure,’ he thought in frustration.

The method of invasion that the Gemini explained was complicated and stressful, so it seemed like a good reason to ask for money.

He didn’t even need to make up a reason for asking for money. This kind of work should deserve some money. Unfortunately, he could only watch the Gemini leave while keeping his thoughts to himself.

To console himself, he said, ”Domain Power is good too. And I can always ask for money after I show my worth in bringing down the first world.”

Then his eye twitched when he remembered the situation of his Divine Court, and he thought, ’Speaking of Domain Power, I really have to increase my Domain Power as soon as possible. The competition in my Domain is getting more and more serious.’

’I am already doing my best to establish more Domains. Therefore, what I need to do next is to maximize the Domains I’ve established.’

’If I have two pathways now, I would double my Domain Power immediately. So I need to advance to two-star celestial quickly.’

At this point, he remembered the black and white universal virtual reality. He also remembered the memories of the virtual reality that had flashed briefly across the Gemini’s mind.