"Ao brought balance to the world."
"The relationships among the gods are complex and mutually restrictive. Around every colossal entity, there are sufficient constraints. On the other side of the scales, there must be an equal counterweight; every existence has a counterpart that can check it."
Yeager spoke softly, "With this balance, Ao secured a place in this world. Under his influence, the laws split into Mount Celestia and the Abyss, and then things spiraled out of control."
"This balance has been broken! The Abyss is swallowing many planes at an alarming rate, while Mount Celestia fails to gain the power to grow. The balance between good and evil has been disrupted."
"To save itself, the law created Hell amidst its damaged essence, hoping to divert the evil primal forces through Hell."
Tyche listened intently and asked, "Was it successful?"
"Half-successful, half-failed," Yeager sighed, "The manifested evil was indeed diverted, and the growth of the Abyss was curbed. But this suppression couldn't last; it only slowed the Abyss's growth. Ao had thought of changing course, but for some reason, he changed his mind before taking action."
"The imbalance has become inevitable. To prevent further deterioration, Ao guided demons and devils to fight each other, creating order and chaos on top of good and evil. This is the origin of the Blood War in the Abyss. The law exhausted itself to halt the Abyss's growth."
Combining what Corellon had said, it wasn't hard to conclude that the first Ao had perished at this point.
Tyche pondered and looked up at Yeager's cold skeleton beneath his black robe.
"Did you tell me this to make me cooperate with the law?"
Seeing Yeager nod, Tyche smiled even more delightedly, "Then please convey to the law that I want to see its sincerity."
"Haven't you already received the law's sincerity? Your creation, Messiah, has become a new Demon Prince, and the Abyssal plane of Orcus is under your control."
"I thought this was a deal," Tyche interrupted Yeager, "I paid the price of three virtual divine sparks to obtain the territory left by Orcus. I didn't specify Orcus as the prey; you chose him entirely out of your own selfishness. What does this have to do with the law's sincerity?"
"Or are you planning to fish in troubled waters and profit from both sides, Your Grace Yeager?"
Even without virtual divine sparks, the Abyssal Lord could still obtain new virtual divine sparks from the Abyssal Will in the shortest time! The layered Abyssal planes were like hens laying golden eggs, but gods like Yeager and Shar, who were eager to become Old Gods, had no time to cultivate and wait for the harvest; they could only kill the hen for its eggs.
Tyche, however, wasn't in a desperate need for virtual divine sparks. Taking over the ownerless territories and nurturing new Abyssal Lords, then harvesting them when they grew to a certain stage!
In Tyche's eyes, these chaotic Abyssal planes were capital to rally greater deities. Whether it was to gain their support to oppose Ao or to harvest primal forces to weaken the law, it would be highly effective.
Yeager, unable to maintain his composure, spoke vaguely and hurriedly left under the pretext of needing to renegotiate with the law.
Tyche, however, couldn't afford to be idle. The lack of Messiah's subjective consciousness was an irreparable flaw. Facing the restless neighbors, Messiah couldn't handle it; without Tyche's avatars assisting, it was uncertain how much of the territory could be retained.
The Material Plane was also in turmoil. Mystryl had become somewhat unhinged! Sarenrae and Shar were elusive, and their rare appearances at gatherings only involved meaningless pleasantries, which instead put immense pressure on Mystryl!
An invisible whip urged her on. To obtain more virtual divine sparks, Mystryl concentrated the power of the Magic pantheon to attack the Abyss.
Tyche had advised her not to rush, but Mystryl wouldn't listen. Each meeting only saw her trying to persuade Tyche to invest more. Whether it was because the existing virtual divine sparks no longer satisfied her or she was creating obstacles for her competitors, Mystryl could no longer communicate normally.
Upon hearing that Corellon had become an Old God, Mystryl could still calm down and think that the hunt for Abyssal Lords needed to be more secretive and careful.
But now, Mystryl had overturned her plan and launched a full-scale assault on the Abyss. She no longer cared about Ao, ruthlessly exploiting power to attack the Abyss, even ignoring the consecutive deaths of her subordinate avatars.
"What's wrong with Your Grace Mystryl?" Worgin approached Tyche for inquiries. The three goddesses had formed a secret alliance. Initially, Worgin agreed with Mystryl's plan to attack the Abyss; she could never forget the humiliations Grath had inflicted on her.
However, the situation didn't unfold as Worgin had anticipated. Mystryl's impatience shocked her. After her avatars were killed, Worgin refused to board Mystryl's ship of fools. Fortunately, her oath included a clause that allowed her to remain uninvolved in wars involving medium and higher deities; otherwise, her losses would have been significant.
After refusing to invest more resources, Worgin clearly felt that Mystryl's attitude towards her was no longer as intimate as before.
Naturally, Worgin wanted to understand the reason behind Mystryl's abnormal behavior.
"Your Grace Worgin, our cooperation has always been pleasant," Tyche said enigmatically, "That's why I advise you not to inquire about these matters. Knowing this might cause you more distress than ignorance."
Too many significant events had occurred during this period. Tyche, along with the Three Gods of Justice, had dealt a severe blow to the newly ascended greater deity, Lolth; the orcs had marched into the North, sparking wars; Chauntea and Lathander had backstabbed Silvanus but were counterattacked; Corellon had ascended to become an Old God, becoming a revered figure among the gods.
These world-shaking events happened in succession, leaving many people unable to react before the outcomes were already determined.
Worgin, having experienced many storms, was witnessing such a situation for the first time.
Merchants naturally sense danger when there's no profit to be made. Worgin felt terrified, sensing that a disaster even greater than the Plague of Saints was about to engulf them.
"Thank you for your reminder," Worgin couldn't sit still anymore. After hesitating for a moment, she asked for Tyche's opinion.
"Your Grace Tyche, your kindness and wisdom are praised by all beings. Even the Three Gods of Justice pale in comparison before you."
"May I have the honor of receiving your guidance to find a way to safely navigate through this storm?"
Tyche shook her head and sighed, "Don't mention me; even Corellon, who has become an Old God, isn't entirely confident in preserving himself!"
Worgin exclaimed in shock, her golden pupils dimming.
Her complexion changed drastically as she calmed down and asked, "At least you have a plan. The Church of Mercy is purchasing supplies and gathering followers. I noticed these supplies are for construction and planting; you have your own escape route."
Tyche smiled but didn't speak, gesturing for Worgin to continue.
"The followers of the Dark Maiden are doing the same! Since you're willing to accept Eilistraee, it's only fair for me to join as well."
Worgin said solemnly, "As long as you can include me in your plan, I'm willing to pay for all the supplies purchased by the Church of Mercy! Moreover, I'll bring double the amount of supplies! My followers are all influential merchants with unique advantages in selection and procurement."
"My plan is simple," Tyche finally revealed her plan under Worgin's persistent offers.
"I will take Eilistraee's avatar and a group of followers to another world. That world also has deities, and I have dealt with its ruler before. He is willing to help us."
In fact, Ilúvatar didn't have the time to deal with Sauron, who was wreaking havoc in the Middle-earth, and had Tyche repay the favor of driving away Azathoth.
Tyche was at a critical juncture in her gamble with Ao and couldn't be distracted, hence this grand-scale activity.
Eilistraee was indeed suited for the Middle-earth; the Greenwood was her domain, and as an elven deity, gaining faith was effortless with Ilúvatar's permission.
In Eilistraee's long divine career, her exploration of divine roles and domains had been sufficient for her to ascend to a lesser deity. The only thing lacking was faith! As Eilistraee's chief deity, expanding her faith was beyond reproach. On the other hand, letting Corellon know about her private relationship with a Creation God would reassure Corellon's side.
The Oath of the Styx couldn't bind Old Gods and Primordial Gods. Tyche's actions carried a hint of a warning. After all, Odin's avatar was also an old dog who might raise the stakes or even sell himself out at critical moments; precautions were necessary.
Worgin volunteered to join the migration plan, which Tyche was delighted to accept. Bringing her own supplies to help was rare.
However, Tyche didn't deceive her; even greater deities could become cannon fodder, let alone medium deities.
Moreover, as far as Tyche knew, there were no deities governing commerce in the Middle-earth, so Worgin wouldn't be at a disadvantage.
After feigning reluctance and making several excuses, Tyche reluctantly accepted Worgin's participation, and Worgin was bound to Tyche's chariot, unable to extricate herself from the vortex.
Overjoyed, Worgin immediately split part of her divinity and handed it over to Tyche for safekeeping, then mobilized her followers to purchase the corresponding supplies.
Tyche allowed Worgin and Eilistraee to each bring a group of 300 followers to maintain their existence. The Middle-earth was perilous, and with this assistance, many initial troubles could be avoided.
The Material Plane was in a state of high alert, even the return of Bane, the God of Tyranny, and Bhaal, the God of Murder, didn't cause much of a stir. The two resurrected greater deities caught in the worst possible time were mere pawns in Yeager's hands, with no luck of returning again.
Thanks to Tyche's assistance, Mystryl led the alliance members, and before her subordinates were ready to leave the Magic pantheon, she finally saw a glimmer of hope.
"Have you really thought it through? Any mishap will lead to a fate worse than falling."
In the flowing ocean of light, Tyche asked the jubilant Mystryl.
"I've had enough," Mystryl replied resolutely, "I'm tired of being Ao's pawn! I am the Mother of Magic, the Mistress of Mysteries! Yet he treats me as a tool without feelings or self, driving me at will! I've fallen three times!"
"The pain of each fall is etched into my soul, driving me mad! But Ao won't even grant me the peace of death! What a humiliation!"
Mystryl was truly desperate, her deep pupils flashing with cold light.
Since Mystryl had made up her mind, even at the cost of complete annihilation, Tyche could only silently wish her success in her heart.
The magical webs rooted in various planes displayed their mysterious and magnificent essence, and the spellcasters were ecstatic, incessantly praising Mystryl's greatness.
Vast energy flowed through the magical webs, and the shining magical glows almost submerged the Material Plane.
The calm ocean of moonlight also rippled, and at the center of the vortex, Mystryl merged with the magical webs in a pure energy form. The invisible magical web veins became as bright as silver, visible even to goblins who couldn't perceive magical energy.
The 13 layers of the magical web merged into one, and the shining silver began to erode the Shadow Web, which was intertwined with the magical web.
Shar didn't repair the already damaged Shadow Web, and Mystryl advanced unimpeded, successfully gaining control of the Shadow Web!
Unlike the ecstatic Magic deities, a chill struck Tyche's heart, which then sank deeply.
"Damn it!"
Protected by the law, even Ao couldn't stop Mystryl from making the final breakthrough. Mystryl, now merged with the magical web, was at her strongest and most vulnerable. No one could interfere with her transformation, except for her two mothers who shared the same essence!
The lost powers of Shar and Sarenrae had given birth to the magical webs and Talos. Unlike Talos, who was born from the battle between the two goddesses, the magical web was created from the fusion of the goddesses' divine essences, making it closer to them.
Tyche noticed that as the Shadow Web was devoured by magical creatures, the original silver light gradually turned into deep darkness and pure light! Shar and Sarenrae had made their move!
This discovery plunged Tyche's heart into despair. The divine essences of the same origin were inextricably linked; Mystryl was probably doomed this time.
The veins of the magical web gradually stagnated, and without Mystryl's control, the vast energy didn't cause damage to the Material Plane as it did last time.
Continuous energy flowed through the four elemental planes into the magical web, forcing Mystryl, who was struggling, to divert her attention to controlling this energy to prevent damage to the magical web. Now she was the magical web; if it was damaged again, it would be akin to harming her true self.
Tyche sighed softly, "Mystryl, the law has abandoned you."
The primal forces that once protected Mystryl now became constraints. She could only watch as Shar and Sarenrae drained her divinity without resistance.
"Heaven and earth are heartless, treating all beings as straw dogs."
Seeing that Mystryl was beyond saving, Tyche understood that the law intended to use Mystryl as a bargaining chip for Shar and Sarenrae's ascension! A trade of one for two was a profitable deal for the law.
Mystryl no longer had the strength to struggle; the silver light dimmed, and the sky displayed a spectacle of half darkness and half light.
The ancient Sun God Amanthar, wearing the guise of Lathander, and the Death Recorder Yeager also took action at this moment! The sun appeared in the night sky, alongside the moon; the cold death followed closely, bringing equal silence to all living beings.