'In the Fourth Epoch, with Artisan as the chosen tool, I plan to recruit Azik to work for me after the Trunsoest Empire journey. I can also count Medici among them...'
'My team is starting to take shape. Whether establishing the True Creator Church or initiating the Industrial Revolution and playing the role of the Illuminator, things will be much easier for me. I won't have to handle everything personally. Heh, it was said to be a shell organization before, but now it's growing...'
In the Fifth Epoch, after visiting the Roselle Memorial Exhibition with Klein, Lynn silently counted the tools working for him, feeling delighted.
Though only Artisan had officially joined his garden, Azik was clearly not far behind. Bethel had already promised to serve as Lynn's pope once the Corruption was removed, and Roselle would do the same after his own Corruption was dealt with.
Medici, even more so, didn't require coaxing. Though Lynn had no intention of competing with Sasrir for people, being family means there's no need for such distinctions. If something urgent arises, Medici, and even Sasrir himself, wouldn't refuse to help...
So, although Lynn's shell organization still had just a few members, its future was bright, as long as he could bring them all in.
'The others are hard to recruit for now, but Medici's Sequence 2 power can be enhanced. Once the Augustus family is defeated, he'll ascend to Sequence 1...' Lynn thought, glancing back at the museum hosting the Roselle Memorial Exhibition, murmuring internally.
'Speaking of which, I wonder what Artisan thinks now...'
Lynn was quite curious about the attitude of the God of Steam and Machinery toward him. Was he terrified and wanting to kill Lynn to protect his Sequence 0 position? Or was he seeking advice from the Evernight Goddess and others for a countermeasure? Or perhaps, like the Angel of Crafts in the Fourth Epoch, he might simply follow his heart's desire?
Lynn felt the first scenario was unlikely. Before meeting Artisan, he considered him a potential enemy, but after their encounter, he didn't think Artisan had that kind of courage.
If it were Amanises facing this situation, Lynn had no doubt she would either unite with other gods for a last stand or reach out to negotiate, ensuring some benefits even if she couldn't retain the Sequence 0 position. She'd make it clear that if Lynn didn't compromise, she'd fight to the end.
Given her extensive planning and resources, Lynn was confident she could rally at least five gods as allies against him or to negotiate.
That's why Lynn initially chose to ally with Amanises, partly due to her established presence in the original work and partly because he didn't want to deal with such intelligent individuals. Winning might be possible but would be very troublesome.
Lynn's caution towards Adam was for the same reason—these old tricksters always had hidden resources and alliances, with only a fraction shown in the original story.
For example, Adam and the Primordial Demoness: who knows if there's a deeper connection? During the climactic battle, both seemed to reveal their full hands, but was it really their limit?
Lynn doubted it. Adam had invested in Klein too. Even if Adam preferred Amon, Klein becoming the Lord of Mysteries wouldn't impact him much—this world still needed a god to oppose the Outer Gods.
Thus, Klein as the Lord of Mysteries couldn't truly harm Adam, and their enmity wasn't particularly deep.
'So, I really don't like dealing with these old schemers. I'd rather face straightforward Sequence 0s like the Lord of Storms, the God of Combat, and Artisan,' Lynn sighed internally.
Straightforward Sequence 0s like the Lord of Storms and God of Combat could barely rally three allies. Facing them would be troublesome but manageable.
Unlike the Evernight Goddess or Adam, top-tier schemers, an open conflict with them would likely escalate to a global confrontation.
Fortunately, Lynn wasn't truly at odds with these two schemers. He had a stable cooperation with the Evernight Goddess and had invested too much for her to betray him unless he posed a clear threat.
While not in direct cooperation with Adam, he seemed inclined to placate rather than oppose Lynn.
'Our only conflict is Sasrir. But as a purely rational being, if the True Creator regains clarity and reverts to Sasrir, would you let him lead? After all, you two are one entity. Why not let Sasrir lead?' Lynn spoke silently, knowing Adam might pick up on his unguarded thoughts.
Lynn knew his intellect couldn't match these old schemers. He didn't delude himself—Adam could easily discern his attitude. So, he openly questioned:
—What will you do? How will you choose? Will you oppose me, or sacrifice yourself?
'This is a necessary sacrifice, Adam...' Lynn's smile grew warmer as he continued internally, 'Compared to you, Sasrir is more suited to be God, isn't he?'
'In your view, Sasrir is also the Ancient Sun God. With me firmly supporting Sasrir, who could be more suitable? If you ascend and kill Sasrir, even if you become a Great Old One, I will kill you. I promise.'
Lynn was genuinely curious about Adam's choice.
Could he make himself the necessary sacrifice, just as he did with Medici?
Lynn admitted he was still a bit angry about the Medici incident.
The main culprit, Tudor, had been beaten, with his fate decided. Amon had been exploded several times. Now, the only one left was Adam.
And the little Mr Bubbles, being very vengeful, wouldn't let Adam go so easily.
(End of Chapter)
If you want, support me on Patreon and get access to 40 translated chapters in advance:
p@treon.com/IHaveNoNamingSense