Seeing that the situation was turning unfavorable, Shar quickly stood up to mediate.
"Lady Tyche, Lady Mystryl, there's no need to be so agitated. Lady Nyx is indeed qualified to be one of us. Lord Yeager is right; we managed to capture Juiblex and Zuggtmoy smoothly thanks to her assistance."
Solineari also stepped forward to pacify Mystryl, and the flames of conflict were extinguished before they could ignite.
Tyche looked deeply at her fellow alliance members and, under the increasingly tense gazes of Yeager and Shar, smiled as if the conflict had been resolved.
The anti-Iou alliance could not fall apart! This was the consensus of all members. Yeager's actions were mostly a probe. If Tyche backed down and swallowed her pride, the alliance members who had already found a way to ascend to ancient godhood might become even more unbridled.
'As expected, you would betray me once I had served my purpose!'
Tyche's smile dispelled the silence, and Shar took the initiative to introduce Nyx.
The Demon Mother, Nyx, was one of the few remaining Obirys demons in the Abyss, as the Tarisis demons currently dominated. The Obirys demons were nearly invisible nowadays.
Nyx was acutely aware that in the contest for the throne of the Abyssal King, the Obirys demons had no hope of turning the tide. She retreated to the shadows, giving birth to powerful offspring to vie for dominance in the Abyss. The Lord of Chains, Vucarik, and Graz'zt, who had imprisoned Waukeen, were among her most famous progeny, which was why she was known as the Demon Mother.
Rumor had it that any being who laid eyes on her would go mad, hence her concealment beneath a veil of white gauze.
Nyx's addition to the alliance was more beneficial than detrimental; her presence as a guide could save many unnecessary troubles and buy time for Shar and Yeager.
"The will of the Abyss has granted the lords a virtual divinity similar to that of deities. This is the essence of the Abyssal planes. As long as enough virtual divinity is obtained, breaking the limitations is not impossible."
Nyx's understanding of the Abyss was undoubtedly superior to that of all the deities, and with the testimony of Yeager and Shar, her credibility was undoubtedly high.
Solineari frowned, "Even with Lady Nyx's help, this task is still not easy."
Mystryl immediately added, "Moreover, if we concentrate our power in the Abyss for an extended period, it will inevitably arouse the suspicion of other deities."
"I have a solution," Nyx, who had been silent until now, spoke up, "You can appear as demons. It is perfectly normal for demons to vie for territory. As long as you are willing to part with some of your divinity, I can create avatars that no one will be able to distinguish!"
With the cooperation of the will of the Abyss, this method could indeed work! Demons were experts at backstabbing each other, and conflicts between Abyssal lords were commonplace, so the demons would be accustomed to it.
"Indeed, a good solution," Tyche said with a smile, "Why should Lady Nyx go to the trouble? I don't think any of you would mind doing it yourselves."
Entrusting one's divinity to others was a dangerous matter; this divinity could be used to cultivate competitors in various divine portfolios, even Yeager had to think carefully about it.
Mystryl immediately added, "As long as no one is plotting behind the scenes, we all have the ability to ensure our avatars survive in the Abyss."
Shar and Solinari, sisters, stood on Tyche's side this time, rejecting Nyx's proposal to divide her divinity.
Nyx remained silent and did not show any emotion despite Mystryl's provocation.
Tyche could have stayed out of it, as she did not need the authority of a virtual divinity to ascend. However, the appearance of the spokesperson for the will of the Abyss served as a reminder to Tyche that the growth of the anti-Iou alliance was imperative, and she could not afford to be marginalized!
Restricted native deities had needs, and virtual divinity was a more valuable resource than faith and divinity! Interests were more reliable than sentiment, and the open conflict between Waukeen and Lierala revealed the cruel reality to Tyche; beneath the surface of tender affection lay naked interest exchanges.
Since she was going deep into the Abyss, the dead divine blights could be put to good use.
After purging the pollution from her divinity, Tyche endowed this avatar with absolute love and empathy, and thus, a bizarre existence was born from her hands.
The new avatar appeared as a humanoid female with butterfly wings, who, unlike demons and devils, did not crave souls but instead showered all life with care.
Order itself harbored evil, and boundless kindness was even more terrifying than evil! Both sentimentality and rationality coexisted, but the sentimentality of most people would override their rationality; no matter how heinous a person's deeds, as long as their motive was love, it seemed that everyone would forgive and bless them with tears!
In the eyes of the wise, love was the most dreadful curse!
The avatar flapped its pitch-black butterfly wings and fell into the Abyss like a meteor.
The Abyss welcomed the arrival of this powerful being, generously opening all its domains for her to choose from.
The Queen of Succubi, Malcanthet, slithered away like a snake, avoiding the embrace of Demogorgon, and watched the pitch-black meteor streak across the sky with a grave expression.
The God of Kuo-toa, Blibdoolpoolp, became the next unlucky one after Juiblex and Zuggtmoy.
With only minor divine power, Blibdoolpoolp did not even have time to send out an avatar; his fragile divine kingdom could not stop the meteor's descent; under the wary gaze of the Abyssal lords, the screams of the God of Kuo-toa came to an abrupt halt, and a new lord was born!
In the Pantheon, the seat belonging to Blibdoolpoolp trembled and moved from the chaotic evil faction to the chaotic good faction.
Then, to the utter shock of the Abyssal lords, a surge of blue-white spiritual light, like a tide, poured out, and the terrified demons were engulfed by this brilliance before they could flee.
This was truly laughable! A benevolent Abyssal lord had appeared!
A swarm of black swallowtail butterflies scattered, and the new Abyssal lord spread his arms to announce his arrival.
"I am care, I am love. O lost souls, cast aside hatred and greed, and join my dreamland."
The captured demons smiled in the brilliance, and the blood-red spiritual light of the evil faction dimmed, replaced by a clear, pale blue light.
The weakling quasits and the tyrannical balors coexisted peacefully, loving each other in this peaceful and joyful land.
This ludicrous scene made all the observing demons shiver; these brethren singing the praises of truth and goodness were beyond belief, were they demons or angels?
Malcanthet was astonished to find several succubi among them! They had innocent expressions and behaved with dignity, holding hands and dancing around a six-armed serpent demon who was struggling with his emotions.
The new lord did not seal off this plane, allowing demons to come and go freely.
The Queen of Succubi widened her eyes, watching her pure-hearted kin earnestly persuade the onlookers to let go of hatred and enjoy life; these elegant nuns smiled so innocently that Malcanthet couldn't help but smash their heads to inspect their souls.
The dying succubus still tried to persuade the aggressor to lay down his weapon, and Malcanthet, watching her kin weep and unable to fight back amidst the pain, felt goosebumps all over her body.
"How dreadful," Malcanthet flicked the blood off her whip, her expression obscure, "What a twisted and selfish kindness. Now I understand why the will of the Abyss allowed you to become a lord."
"What are you doing?" A similarly twisted six-armed serpent demon screamed and pounced, and Malcanthet immediately stepped back, avoiding these mindless zombies.
"They just want to love you! Is there anything wrong with that?"
The six-armed serpent demon cradled the dead succubus and wept, screaming hoarsely, "How can your heart be as cold as stone? Have you never felt lonely and in need of care?"
A half-dead succubus dragged her broken body to Malcanthet's feet, and the six-armed serpent demon, not caring to scold Malcanthet, immediately twisted the succubus's neck.
"My dear sister, please forgive me," the six-armed serpent demon's sorrow was so genuine, "I cannot bear to see you suffer like this, rest in peace! Let all worries and sorrows leave you, and I will bear your life and live on earnestly!"
This absurd scene was played out everywhere, committing evil in the name of love and then sincerely repenting; such scenes made Malcanthet, who was used to bloody battles, frown.
A distant horn sound made the Queen of Succubi dazed, and by the time Malcanthet regained her senses, the new lord was already close.
The humanoid female with butterfly wings embraced the terrified Malcanthet, who found herself unable to think; the fear that had just arisen slipped away like sand through her fingers, leaving only tranquility and joy filling her mind.
In the next moment, everything Malcanthet saw seemed so lovely, and the whip in her hand fell, revealing a pure and innocent smile on her face, just like her kin.
At this moment on the Material Plane, a celebration was taking place in Deepwater City.
It had been some time since Tyche's official deification, and this was her first time attending her own celebration.
The Church of Mercy had designated the day of Tyche's deification as a holy day, and every year, a grand celebration was held on this day to commemorate the birth of the goddess. The poor could enjoy a hearty meal, and merchants supported by the Church of Mercy would offer discounts on their goods. With the participation of the Church of Commerce and Wealth, this celebration was particularly lively.
Tyche and Waukeen's avatars appeared on the streets, and passersby unconsciously made way for the two goddesses, unable to perceive the presence of the deities even when they were close at hand.
"Commerce thrives in a peaceful environment. Although commerce flourishes during times of war, it leaves behind only ashes and cannot last."
Tyche seemed to be making a simple observation, but Waukeen did not think so.
"I am not unaware," the Goddess of Commerce and Wealth said with a wry smile, "but the profits from weapons and grain trade are simply too high, and my followers are willing to take the risk."
This winter was particularly cold, and unlike ordinary people who only saw what was in front of them, the leaders were all paying attention to the movements of the orcs!
The orcs, unable to obtain sufficient food, had begun to muster troops. Before the snow completely covered the land, the orcs had to secure enough food, which meant that war between the orcs and humans was imminent!
"Lady Waukeen, both the nobility and other good-aligned churches have grown dissatisfied with your followers."
The two goddesses stopped under the shade of a tree, and Tyche earnestly advised, "Expanding trade with the orcs at this time is tantamount to aiding the enemy, not to mention that the traded goods are food and weapons! In the near future, this wealth will be tainted with the blood of warriors!"
"And regardless of the outcome of the war, these vested interests will become scapegoats. The orcs will not look up to the merchants for bringing them weapons and food; the human side will be furious at their treachery!"
Waukeen was also troubled by this. As the goddess of commerce and trade, actively preventing commercial activities was undoubtedly contrary to her portfolio, and the power of the commercial domain would distance itself from Waukeen.
But allowing merchants to trade with the orcs would put her in an increasingly awkward position within the pan-human pantheon. If the war escalated and the gods also entered the fray, Waukeen would be in dire straits; when it came to touching their own interests, who would care about the impact of the lack of commerce?
At that time, the merchants would have to spit out everything they had eaten, and it was even possible that their old accounts of trading with the orcs would be exposed, and they would be hanged neatly on the gallows.
"I have already had the church organize devout followers to suspend some trade routes, but not all trade routes are under my control."
Waukeen looked at the noble district in the distance and sighed, "The nobles of Deepwater City have their own caravans, and I am powerless over these under-the-table transactions."
The Goddess of Nobility, Sune, was unwilling to cooperate with Waukeen, which was normal in Tyche's eyes. When the time came, the blame for treason would be thrown onto Waukeen's head, and Sune would not be tainted in the slightest.
The influence of a portfolio could not be underestimated. Just as the orcs would not sit idly by if their campaign was unsuccessful, Sune would prioritize the interests of the noble class over the entire human race. After all, even if things went wrong, there would be someone tall enough to take the fall. Although the pan-human pantheon was not united, it had several deities of great power to back it up, and it was not something that the orc pantheon, with only one deity of great power, could shake.
"Now your situation is very dangerous."
Tyche did not mince her words and spoke bluntly, "Because your followers do not have enough strength to protect themselves, those mercenaries will most likely turn against the merchants who hired them at a critical moment! No matter how wealthy, the influence of merchants cannot compare to that of nobles and rulers, who will surely make an example of these wealthy merchants!"
Without the protection of the state, what kind of fate could these lambs expect?
"Now your only option is to abandon those followers who continue to trade with the orcs! Expel them from the church, and under no circumstances should you accept them again, then announce your stance to everyone. If there are still those who do not heed the advice and continue to supply weapons and food to the orcs, anyone has the right to deal with them!"
Waukeen fell silent; doing so would undoubtedly significantly weaken her church's power, and Lierala and Sune might take the opportunity to replace her! Such consequences required careful consideration before reaching a conclusion, but time was running out, and any further hesitation would leave no room for maneuver.