Just like last time.
As Garon appeared at the entrance of the Church of the Magic Goddess in the guise of Ioulem, he immediately attracted the attention of many arcanists and devotees.
The real Ioulem had been in the realm of the Phaelin Moekui all these years.
Because of Garon's impersonation, his appearances were always at the Church of the Magic Goddess, once before for Karsus and now again.
"Respected King of Arcanists, you..."
When an arcanist saw Garon, he hesitated before approaching to inquire about the future of Netheril but was stopped by Garon's indifferent glance.
Quickly,
Personnel from the Church of the Magic Goddess came forward to welcome the arrival of the King of Arcanists.
This time, unlike before, Garon didn't just stay outside for a bit and then leave. Accompanied by the devotees, he entered the interior of the temple.
In the vast temple hall, light streamed in from windows in all directions, and looking up at the ceiling, one could see a scene like a vast starry sky, where countless stars representing magic intertwined into a brilliant galaxy.
"Your arrival graces this place."
Upon hearing of 'Ioulem's' visit, the bishop of this church branch hurried over.
The King of Arcanists indeed had prestige, making the bishop of the Church of the Magic Goddess greet him with great respect.
Garon, transformed into Ioulem's appearance, turned his head, his gaze landing on the bishop here.
The bishop here was a woman in her thirties, an arcanist as well as a priestess of the Magic Goddess, wearing a pale blue robe pinned with the holy symbol of swirling stars.
Inside the church, there was also a statue of the Magic Goddess.
Garon spoke briefly with the bishop and then looked up at the statue of the Magic Goddess.
Looking directly at the statue without permission was often considered disrespectful to the deity, and the bishop beside him was slightly displeased by this, though she said nothing.
"I wish to know, during the raging war between Netheril and the Phaelin Moekui, has the Church of the Magic Goddess assisted the arcanists in fighting against the Phaelin Moekui?"
Garon glanced at the statue of the Magic Goddess and then suddenly asked the bishop.
The bishop was taken aback, then honestly said, "As faithful of the great Magic Goddess, we are admonished to adhere to the agreements between deities and not arbitrarily partake in the wars of mortal kingdoms without proper cause."
Similar to Garon's time on the Noah Continent.
The churches of the deities did not interfere in the wars of the material world without a suitable reason.
This was a rule conventionally adhered to by the deities.
Garon smiled slightly, "The Church of the Magic Goddess thrives because of the Netheril Empire, the divine power of the Magic Goddess grows because of Nether, and even the churches of the Magic Goddess are built within the floating cities of Nether, under the protection of arcanists."
He looked at the statue, "Is this a suitable reason?"
Hearing Garon's words, the bishop appeared troubled and told Garon, "Respected King of Arcanists, my lord has not given any directive..."
As soon as she finished speaking.
A vast and sacred power suddenly descended.
The Magic Goddess, known by many titles such as the Mysterious Lady and the Mother of Magic, made her presence felt.
At that moment.
Centered on this floating city, within hundreds of kilometers, the magical network seemed to boil over, countless elemental energies danced joyously in the air around, as if celebrating the arrival of the Magic Goddess.
The bishop was bathed in divine brilliance.
She looked surprised, then under the glow of divinity, her expression became indifferent, and a faint smile played at the corners of her mouth, her eyes as deep as the starry sea settling on Garon.
At this moment, the consciousness of the bishop was replaced by the will of the Magic Goddess.
She crossed her hands elegantly in front of her lower abdomen and spoke softly to Garon with a voice clear as a flowing stream, "Traveler from another time, aren't you afraid of the backlash from the River of Time by meddling with its normal flow?"
Clearly.
The King of Arcanists' disguise had not fooled the Magic Goddess.
Moreover, with her divine office related to time, from the moment she saw Garon, the Magic Goddess perceived the unusual connection he had with the River of Time.
"Greetings, great Magic Goddess," Garon spoke as his form shifted from the guise of Ioulem to his true form, a colossal silver dragon, his immense size making the spacious temple hall seem cramped.
Garon looked down at the incarnation of the Magic Goddess's will with respectful decorum.
On the other hand, the expression of the Magic Goddess's incarnation did not change.
"A thousand years ago, you covertly pushed the ancient Empire of Imask
ar towards destruction."
"A thousand years later, you interfere again with the future of the Netheril Empire."
"Tell me, what is your purpose?"
From Her words, it seemed the Magic Goddess had noticed Garon's presence since the last millennium.
Garon smiled genuinely, "Because I do not wish to see a great and beautiful goddess fall in the near future due to Netheril."
The Magic Goddess's gaze shifted subtly, the stars in her eyes twinkling.
"Oh?"
"You refer to me in your grand and beautiful description, are you saying I will fall due to the Netheril Empire?"
For the first time, the Magic Goddess showed interest in Garon's words.
Deities are not omnipotent.
Regarding their own demise and future, even powerful deities cannot foresee their downfall until it is imminent and unavoidable.
The Magic Goddess possessed a divine office of time.
She could foresee the future and discern the fates of mortals, but she could not see her own end.
"Yes."
"If you are interested, I can discuss the timeline with you."
Garon looked down at the Magic Goddess and offered.
"What is the cost?"
"I remember, dragons never do unprofitable business."
The Magic Goddess spoke with a smile, seemingly unconcerned about the prospect of her demise.
This after all, was a powerful deity, the embodiment of the magical network, who had weathered countless storms.
Garon sincerely said, "Madam, you have always maintained the operation of the magical network, providing endless convenience to casters across many worlds. I, too, am a caster, and out of respect for you, can offer this information for free."
The Magic Goddess shook her head gently, "Maintaining the magical network is my duty; I do not require compensation."
She looked at Garon, softly saying, "I do not accept favors from others. Tell me, what do you want?"
Free is the most expensive.
Garon sought to earn a favor from a powerful deity, thinking it might be useful in the future, but it seemed she was not willing to give him this favor.
Since that was the case.
Garon thought for a moment and boldly said, "Madam, how about telling me the structural principles and maintenance methods of the magical network? I am very interested in the magical network and want to create my own magical network in other worlds."
Hearing Garon's words.
The Magic Goddess paused. After a moment, she chuckled and said, "You seek to take my authority right before me."
"A little creature who has just reached the demigod tier, I seem to have underestimated your audacity."
The magical network is one of the divine offices the Magic Goddess relies on for survival.
This magical network exists not only in Faerûn but also manifests in many primary material worlds.
And the deity least compatible with the Magic Goddess, the dark goddess Shar, is fundamentally at odds because Shar copied the magical network to create the Shadow Weave, competing with the Magic Goddess for control of the magical network.
To demand the magical network in her presence, even for a deity who has experienced endless eons like the Magic Goddess, was an audacious request she had never heard before.
However, Garon's straightforward demand did not immediately provoke the Magic Goddess's hostility.
She knew Garon understood the importance of the magical network to her.
Still, in such a situation, Garon made the request.
The Magic Goddess awaited Garon's explanation.
Garon smiled, his dragon claw moving slightly, causing ripples in the River of Time.
"Madam, you know I come from another time, from the future."
"But you might not know that the timeline I am from and the timeline here are like two infinitely extending lines that will never intersect again."
Pausing, Garon added, "I will not create a magical network here, so you need not worry about your authority."
He smiled, "The one who should worry about this is the Magic Goddess of my timeline, a mortal woman who ultimately usurped your divine office."
The Magic Goddess has had three incarnations.
The first is the one currently before Garon. After being targeted by Karsus with his Deity Ascension Technique, because Karsus did not possess the power to maintain the magical networks of many worlds, the networks collapsed instantly, causing massive disasters due to the wild surge of magical energy across numerous worlds.
Afterward, this goddess sacrificed her life to maintain the collapsing magical network to prevent countless beings from suffering.
The second Magic Goddess died in the Years of Upheaval.
And the Years of Upheaval were the last time Ao, the Overgod, made an appearance, stripping many deities of their powers and casting many into the material world.
The extent of the Overgod's power is evident.
During the Years of Upheaval, many old gods died, and new gods were born.
Afterward, it seemed as if the Overgod grew tired of overseeing the multiverse and the pantheon, disappearing without a trace.
The third Magic Goddess was a shepherdess whose fortune was against the odds; she inherited the powers of the Magic Goddess during the Years of Upheaval.
However, in the main timeline where Garon resides, the reputation of this third goddess has always been less than stellar.
"A mortal inheriting my power? Interesting."
The Magic Goddess furrowed her brow but soon smiled again.
"I agree to this exchange," She told Garon.
Garon smiled slightly, "You won't regret this decision."
Then, Garon began to detail the timeline where Netheril and the Magic Goddess fell together, explaining it to her slowly.
The Magic Goddess listened intently, showing evident curiosity when she heard about the Deity Ascension Technique.
Every caster has a strong curiosity about novel spells.
As the Mother of Magic, the Magic Goddess's curiosity is even greater than that of ordinary casters.
"To usurp divinity, to ascend in one step, the Deity Ascension Technique."
"I have observed that extraordinarily talented young man and even considered recruiting him as my follower."
"However, I never expected he could develop a spell that even surprises me."
The Magic Goddess exhaled slowly.
Considering Garon's narrative of her own downfall, the Magic Goddess found it entirely plausible, knowing she would indeed make the choices Garon described.
As for the schemer behind the scenes, the Master of All Endings.
The Magic Goddess and the Master of All Endings are adversaries, so it was logical for him to plot against the Netheril Empire.
However,
"Did Yegor initially target me for death, or was his aim merely to destroy Nether, and due to an unexpected turn of events, it led to my future downfall?"
The Magic Goddess pondered quietly.
If it were the former, then the Master of All Endings would be terrifyingly powerful, capable of causing the downfall of a mighty deity without direct confrontation.
The Magic Goddess preferred to believe her downfall was due to fate, a culmination of countless coincidences, with the Master of All Endings' actions against Nether merely a catalyst for everything that unfolded.
On the other side, Garon looked at the Magic Goddess, raising a question he had long harbored.
"Madam, you know yourself best; I am curious, why did you allow Karsus to use the Deity Ascension Technique on you?"
When learning about the death of the Magic Goddess from the Dragon Mother, Garon's most puzzling question was why a spell, even
a twelfth-circle one targeting deities, could affect a mighty deity, especially one as powerful as the Magic Goddess. She should have sensed it before Karsus successfully cast the spell.
Garon had asked the Dragon Mother this question.
The Dragon Mother had said that aside from the Magic Goddess herself, who would know what she thought at that time?
The downfall of such a powerful deity was too sudden, leaving the gods in disbelief.
Now that the Magic Goddess was before him, Garon raised this question.
The Magic Goddess bit her lip, hesitated for a moment, then blinked innocently, saying somewhat innocently, "Perhaps it was because I wanted to see the actual effect of the Deity Ascension Technique, curious if he could succeed."
"I have a bit more curiosity about new spells than the average person."
Hearing the answer, Garon was astonished.
This meant the Magic Goddess wanted to experience the power of the Deity Ascension Technique and did not expect the spell to truly be capable of usurping her divine power in an instant.
In essence, it was a playful experiment gone too far.
"Spellcasters often die of curiosity."
"It seems even the Magic Goddess is no exception."
Garon shook his head slightly, finding the answer within reason.
If he were the Magic Goddess, he likely would have been equally curious and eager to see if a spell aimed at deities could succeed.
However, the cost of this curiosity was too great.
"So, do you still want Karsus to develop the Deity Ascension Technique?"
"Regardless of the coincidences, in the end, it is this spell that leads to your future downfall."
Garon asked.
"Let me be clear; I need the Deity Ascension Technique, and I do not wish to be your enemy," he added firmly.
The Magic Goddess shook her head, smiling warmly, "Now that I know this spell can lead to my downfall, I'm even more eager to see it succeed in the world."
At this point, the Magic Goddess was even more excited about the day Karsus would develop the Deity Ascension Technique than Garon was.
"Of course, if he tries to use it on me this time, I won't let him succeed."
After a pause, the Magic Goddess's gaze became sharp.
She said, "And I'm thinking, with my help, could the Deity Ascension Technique be effective against that God of Death?"
___________________
(Support with power stones, comments or reviews)
If you guys enjoy this story, In support me on Patreon and get access to +200 advance Chapters
Read Ahead
Patreon.com/INNIT