Chapter 521 (2): Fire Elements Won’t Lie to Fire Elements

Aroman’s blatant disregard for propriety left Weaver resigned. He quickened his step and led Wayne into a radiant golden void.

It was the eighth level, the Radiant Sea of Stars.

The infinite starry sky should have no directions, but the shimmering golden dome became the top that defined up, which also defined down. The golden rays jumped on every single star, weaving into radiant arcs. The ribbon-like waves intersected and painted a picturesque sea of stars.

Deep within was something completely different. The stunning appearance concealed an indescribable ailment and terror.

Between the stars, where there should be infinite stardust and gas clouds, there was a mysterious, encroaching force instead, forming sickly white holes. Like scars of space, rotten flesh, or cancerous skin, they lay in the starry sky, writhing every time living beings passed by.

Something alive seemed to be hatching from the protruding growths.

More surprisingly, some of the stars had lost all traces of life, like a decayed cadaver that had lost all vitality, casting twisted shadows under the sunlight.

The bands of golden light in the area distorted under the same influence, painting an eerie picture. Perhaps it was a chain reaction resulting from the mutation of the stars, or perhaps there was a more complicated reason.

There was the sunlight that represented hope and light and the paleness that represented death and decay. The two polar opposite styles combined to form the current Radiant Sea of Stars.

While the sea of stars remained, whether it was radiant or not would depend on the individual.

Weaver and Aroman tensed up upon entering it.

“Around two months ago, the Radiant Sea of Stars suddenly mutated,” Aroman said. “The goddess warned us that caution must be exercised for anything and everything here. We cannot do things as usual...”

“You speak too much, Aroman,” Weaver cut her off, concluding the topic they shouldn’t talk about. He told Wayne to be careful since the place was teeming with unspeakable corruption. It was what remained after the goddess filtered a piece of information. Contracting that corruption would have dire consequences.

Wayne nodded solemnly. Kaleb hadn’t told the subordinate the truth that the paleness had come from him, so he wouldn’t say anything about that.

The three of them crossed the diseased cosmos and arrived at the Palace of Dawn at its heart. From afar, they saw an illusive doorway of golden radiance and a procession of knights in golden armor.

Every single one of the knights had long legs. The men were tall and strongly built, and the women had handsome features.

Wayne scanned the group. There were more than ten of them, all demigod elites. There was a logic to their formation. Clearly, they were able to use divine arts through certain formations to buff them in team fights.

The Order of Sun had received Kaleb’s oracle. With the two subordinate gods accompanying Wayne, he was allowed entrance readily. The knights opened the golden door.

The two subordinate gods didn’t follow since they had to guard the Court of Judgment. They waved at Wayne, proposing to meet and talk another time. They were all so earnest that Wayne felt guilty.

According to Ines, Wayne should stop worrying so much. It wasn’t time for peaceful negotiations when the Final Judgment was on the horizon. He should just strike at full power and corrupt the Divine Realm of Sun and Kaleb, bringing Her to Her knees as his slave. Once Kaleb became his vassal just like Aztimor, She would justify Wayne’s actions on Her own out of consideration for Her master.

Putting aside the facts, that was how Wayne should treat Her!

Ines used convincing beauty to urge Wayne to stop being a hypocrite. Since his victim had already forgiven him, what else was he worried about?

Just corrupt Kaleb!

Wayne didn’t think that was right. He had developed goodwill for the Divine Realm of Sun and the Church of Sun. Vera, Kaleb, Corte, Cushing, and Carter, as well as Leo and Dick—almost everyone related to the faith of the Sun had left a good impression on him.

Who cares if they are gullible? They sell themselves out fast, don’t they?

You don’t bite the hand that feeds you. What little conscience Wayne had prevented him from going rough on Kaleb. He would try to convince Her first. If She gave Herself freely like Her followers, perhaps he could talk Her into surrendering!

Within the infinite golden light stood a palace of pure gold and radiant stars. The door consisted of two massive translucent crystals, glinting softly of dawn light. When the door slowly opened, a warm, holy light poured out, seemingly able to penetrate all matters and see into every visitor’s soul.

Inside the palace, what Wayne saw first was a boundless garden. It housed the most exotic flora in the world. Every flower was bathed in golden sunlight. Under the influence of the information of the Sun, colors more vibrant than what could be found in the mortal realm bloomed.

A creek quietly sang as it wove between the flora, scintillating like the dews rolling on flower petals, sparkling under the light of dawn. The omnipresent fire elements were so active that the entire ninth level felt like it was skipping in joy to Wayne.

In the distance was the Goddess of Sun’s divine palace. The dome was tall, with an everlasting light that emitted from the inside like the light of stars. The walls were covered in the drawings of seven-colored stars, resonating with the slowly flowing sunlight. It was beautiful.

Wayne hadn’t walked in. With the two Star Gods’ guidance, he found Kaleb in a corner of the garden.

On the goddess’s graceful face, Her eyelashes were long and thick. Whenever She blinked, it seemed that golden light was dancing on Her lashes, giving Her an immeasurable charm. Her features were well-defined, yet not sharp in the slightest. She looked like the most exquisite piece of art in the world, embodying a perfect harmony.

Her figure was as stunning as her face. When She cracked a smile, the air seemed lighter around Her.

It was the kind of warm smile that could disperse shadows and cleanse and heal the heart, with a thriving vitality...

Wayne shook his head. When he opened his eyes again, Kaleb had dropped her beautifying filter, revealing Her true face.

She wasn’t any less beautiful. Her face and figure were both top tier. Her blonde hair ran down Her shoulders, stopping at Her waist. Every strand seemed to contain the first ray of the day, accentuating her snow-white skin.

She wore a white robe adorned with golden lines, simple yet sacred. Her image was softer and much more intelligent than Wayne expected Her to be.

At least She looked wise and mature on the outside.

“My goddess, you’re more charismatic than I expected. Because of Corte, what I imagined was only a fraction of your true self.” Wayne bowed slightly, stepping up to take Kaleb’s hand and kiss the fingertips.

It was undeniably offensive to a goddess, but considering how well spoken he was, Kaleb narrowed Her eyes and forgave him.

A golden goblet filled with fruit wine was on the table in the garden, made in Graecian style. Kaleb invited Wayne to take a seat and filled another goblet for him.

Wayne had sworn to crack down on gambling and addiction in this lifetime. With all the beauties occupying his time, he had long quit drinking.

Even so, it would be rude not to drink when the goddess toasted him. He picked up his goblet and took a sip.

It wasn’t bad. It was quite exquisite with the taste of fire elements, second only to the alcohol imported from the Divine Realm of Darkness.

Kaleb’s beauty was undermined in less than three seconds when She gulped down the wine, exposing Her reckless nature.

She was beautiful in the way someone empty-headed was beautiful!

Wayne preferred hot-headed people like Her. He gulped down wine just like She had done, with no concern for whether the drink was poisoned. Once inside his stomach, even poison would turn pale.

Seeing his similarly straightforward reaction, Kaleb raised an eyebrow and said excitedly, “Why did you come so early, Wayne? Has Ines pushed too hard, and you ran right to me because you couldn’t afford to stay a moment longer?”

“You aren’t completely wrong.” Wayne nodded solemnly. As expected of a fellow member of the Life Alliance with whom Ines had risked Her life, Kaleb knew Ines all too well.

“What’s wrong? Didn’t you say that Ines and you had broken up?”

“To be more precise, it was because Her plan was so ruthless that I couldn’t convince Her. Left with no choice, I could only seek you out for an alternative.” Wayne shrugged. Now that he had met Kaleb in person, he wasn’t going to keep acting.

Kaleb made a soft questioning sound, scowling. “It sounds like you had been hiding something before entering the Divine Realm of Sun.”

“You’re good, Goddess...” Wayne sighed. “Ines said you were an idiot who had only survived to this point thanks to Siluk’s scheming. I disagreed. It seems that I’m right.”

He knew it. Kaleb couldn’t be completely brainless. She just didn’t want to use Her brain.

Crossing Her arms, Kaleb cracked an intrigued smile. “Tell me. What’s the deal with you and Ines? What’s the plan?”

“The Final Judgment is coming. You five goddesses each have a different plan, with no leading figure who can convince everyone else. Elian, the Goddess of Nature, may be powerful enough, but She commands no respect. Even if She defeats all of you, you won’t listen to Her.”

Wayne explained the situation bluntly. “Knowing that She isn’t good enough, Ines recommended me to be the leader. I have both power and a decent enough character. My reputation is satisfactory, too. I’m qualified to be your leader.”

Kaleb blinked, making a strange face. “Wake up, Wayne. Ines is lying to you. Why would she like someone with integrity when she doesn’t have integrity?”

“She craves it because She doesn’t have it!” Wayne said with certainty.

Kaleb shrugged. It was impossible to wake someone pretending to be asleep, so She wouldn’t try.

“Ines told me that you, Siluk, Elian, and Aztimor aren’t worthy of trust. Rather than betting on winning you over with my personal charm, I should just rely on brute force and corrupt all of you into my vassals. Then you’ll listen to my bidding and never betray me.”

“With the five of you working for me, we’ll have the power of six gods on our side. The Final Judgment will be a piece of cake for us.”

Kaleb’s smile deepened. “So? It’s a reasonable plan. Why wouldn’t you listen to Her?”

“I like the Goddess of Sun a lot, and I don’t want to corrupt that sanctity.”

“...”

“I’m not kidding. I’m just exaggerating a little. If you find that offensive, I can rephrase.” Wayne put on a serious face. “Fire elements don’t lie to fire elements. I’ll win you over openly!”

“Um, that’s even more offensive.”

“It’s the truth. I’ve always been honest since my youth. I cannot change my way.” Wayne spread his hands. “All this time, I’ve always felt a lot of goodwill for you. I don’t want to conquer you through corruption. So, I came to make a bet with you.”

“Keep going.”

“Fire elements represent strong desires and strong feelings,” Wayne said with narrowed eyes. “You’re the same kind of person as I am, so let’s skip the schemes and trickery and just fight. If I win, you’ll listen to me until the conclusion of the Final Judgment.”

“And if I win?”

“I’ll be your subordinate god!”

“You sound so confident...” Kaleb’s smile remained unchanged. “I know Ines has given you a lot, but she underestimates me too much. This is the Divine Realm of Sun. I haven’t spent so many years without making any progress. You aren’t my match. She shouldn’t have let you in.”

“Stop talking about Ines, my goddess. We’re alone here. Just tell me if you want to bet!”

“Aren’t you scared that I’ll go back on my word?”

“I’ve entered the Divine Realm of Sun. Do you think there’s anything that scares me?”

“Alright. I’m in!” Kaleb stood up with golden light radiating from Her eyes. “I’ve always liked you. If I can have you, offending Ines doesn’t sound too bad.”

They shook hands.

“The winner will be the master, the loser will be the subordinate, and the promise breaker will be a dog.”

“No problem!”

Kaleb’s eyes gleamed with excitement. This was the Divine Realm of Sun. She, the Goddess of Sun, wouldn’t lose in Her own Divine Realm.

She would win! A hundred percent!!