And in the depths of the boundless ocean, the Great Serpent was not interested in any of this.
For him, Mona, this daughter imbued with his power, was merely a pawn with considerable potential, and not the only candidate at that.
In fact, although the "Year of Darkness" had long passed, the immense impact it caused led to the Great Serpent gaining a multitude of adherents and believers in the mortal world.
These believers often yearned to gain the Great Serpent's favor and might through worship, but the Great Serpent had never responded to them due to his wariness of those deities in the heavens watching him.
Even after over a century had passed and the Great Serpent's notoriety had gradually faded, he was still remembered by witches, prophets, seers, mages, scholars, and the like, recorded on parchment scrolls as a powerful malevolent deity in the cosmos.
Although there were no longer any groups solely dedicated to worshipping the Great Serpent, with him more often worshipped and offered sacrifices alongside other demons and fiends, if one merely wanted to find a handful of people capable of establishing a cult worshipping him and expanding its influence to serve as the Great Serpent's tentacles and claws in the mortal world while he was currently trapped in the depths of the ocean, there were still ample candidates available.
However, the reason the Great Serpent chose Mona was due to another factor…
"Norns…"
That girl's body was infused with the power of the Norns.
What are the Norns?
It is difficult to explain clearly, even for the deities who shaped this world.
Norns are not inherited through bloodline, but rather seem to be a kind of mystical force that often attaches to females. After awakening the Norn power within themselves, these females gradually gain the ability to prophesy, and even to meddle with fate and curse others.
Therefore, Norns are often regarded as female prophets and seers.
However, even the wisest prophetess, even if she devoted her entire life to learning all manner of spells and incantations, would seem as naive and risible as a foolish child before a newly awakened Norn.
Once this innate gift is awakened, fate becomes remarkably clear in the eyes of these Norns, with neither time nor space able to obstruct their sight.
Powerful Norns can even offer prophecies, divinations, and revelations to deities, and the unsurpassed apex among Norns are none other than the Three Sisters of Fate.
Their power is such that they can even twist the fate of deities and freely weave the destiny of all mortals, with even Odin, the king of the gods, holding them in a measure of esteem.
And within this former mute woman dwelt an unawakened Norn.
It was precisely because of this that back then, when an entire tribe went mad and lost all reason, she was able to remain wholly unaffected and retain her clarity until facing the Great Serpent's visage. Only then, under the immense spiritual impact, did she become the Great Serpent's thrall.
It was also precisely because of this that she possessed such potent prophetic abilities. Although she believed these were bestowed upon her by the Great Serpent, the Great Serpent would not bother to correct this misapprehension of hers, as it was too bothersome and needless.
And it was precisely because of this that Mona was valued so highly by the Great Serpent, to the point of even entering her dreams to guide her. Otherwise, given the Great Serpent's disposition, how could he possibly waste so many words? These motes of dust were hardly worthy of conversing with him; simply bestowing revelations and decrees would suffice.
The only thing that surprised the Great Serpent was that Mona did not accept his blood, but instead tried to obtain a name bestowed by the Great Serpent.
Bestowing a name, what does that signify?
People give names to steeds, pets, weapons, and even offspring, and without exception, those given names are beings with an exceptionally close bond to the person.
The maiden did not crave power; on the contrary, having devoted her entire being to the Great Serpent, what she sought most was to become even a little bit closer to the Great Serpent… Even if it meant being consumed by the Great Serpent and becoming one with his flesh and blood, she would not hesitate.
This kind of boundless reverence and faith in the Great Serpent, this extreme, frenzied, and warped pursuit, was the entire meaning of her existence.
And though surprised and somewhat incensed by her little attempt, the Great Serpent also commended her immense mettle, bestowing upon her the name Mona.
Mona, signifying lonely, wish.
This name was not chosen arbitrarily but held meaning.
Norns could glimpse fate and grant the wishes of others, but because of this, they were also feared and ostracized by people. And while Norns could guide others, they could not guide themselves.
The fate of Norns was often to be spurned by both mortals and gods. And because Norns could directly see the end, they did not relish interacting with humans and often secluded themselves until they perished alone.
…
And when Mona set out for the east, that realm filled with vast marshlands, every day, her whereabouts and actions, accompanied by her devout prayers, would reach the Great Serpent's ears.
Where she subdued what three-headed or nine-headed serpentine progeny, or where she slew what ferocious beasts that refused to submit to her.
Whether it was painstakingly attracting those primitive tribes in the marshes to become worshippers of the Great Serpent, or healing some believer…
Omitting no detail, no matter joy or vexation, Mona would recount everything to her father in her prayers.
And the Great Serpent would often just listen coldly, seldom responding to her, only occasionally giving her a modicum of guidance.
Although Mona indeed worshipped the Great Serpent with her entire being, she was not without her own will. On the contrary, she had her own predilections and was not as ruthless as the Great Serpent, possessing her own tenets and being quite lenient with believers.
She would often spare no effort to seek out arcane herbs in the marshes to concoct elixirs, dispelling the noxious miasma and plagues permeating the marshes, clearing out those venomous serpents and fierce beasts, commanding them not to encroach upon the believers' territory, and even having those venomous serpents and fierce beasts dreaded by the primitive tribes serve as auxiliaries to aid in the cult's expansion.
And those primitive tribes, often beset by venomous serpents and fierce beasts to the point of unbearable torment, would often quickly embrace the cult after coming into contact with it, becoming believers of the Great Serpent.
It was no wonder, for with her innate gift, Mona could often easily find safe and pure water sources and drive away the toxic vapors. To these primitive folk, Mona's figure was simply as grand as a goddess, making it impossible for them not to develop a heart of veneration.
In this way, a cult worshipping the Great Serpent, known as the Sect of Serpent Worship, began to slowly expand in this realm of marshes filled with noxious fumes, miasma, and lurking perils, accompanied by the name of the Serpent's Daughter, Mona.
And as the Sect of Serpent Worship expanded, this small cult also gradually began to draw the attention of certain individuals and factions…