Capítulo 1049: Chapter 1049: This Is My Family’s Pantheon
“Do you want to go home?” I asked casually, sitting beside Vanilla.
The young girl immediately looked up, appearing somewhat puzzled, then she lowered her head: “Hmm… going home…”
I was slightly taken aback and then smiled: “Don’t be nervous, I’m not trying to make you leave. You’re a friend of my Little Bird, and if you want to stay, you’re always welcome to live here. It seems that bird really likes you. Just that she brought you over so hastily and I find that not quite right, so I’m seeking your opinion.”
The young girl still seemed a bit reserved, but upon hearing these words, her first reaction was to smile slightly. Her smile was very pure, just like she was happy because her new sisters were mentioned. She glanced at the Silly Bird, who was under Anwina’s guidance using her hands to gesture numbers (probably training her finger dexterity?), and said happily: “Can I really stay with her?”
“Why not,” Lin Xue’s head suddenly popped out from behind us. She leaned recklessly on the back of the sofa, startling Vanilla and me, “Look at our family’s scale, most are here to freeload for food, drink, and housing — I belong to the one with higher morals, I just freeload food. By the way, don’t look at the current size of this house; it’s bigger than you think. There are plenty of vacant rooms upstairs, and you can even share a room with Medivh. That bird’s already turned human, can’t keep nesting on the roof to sleep. But if you let her live in a room, I guess the bed would be wasted, so why not let you use it.”
I pinched Miss’s nose tip at her words: “Freeload food and yet so self-righteous.” There was another thing I didn’t say: she casually mentioned “our family,” which subconsciously means she’s already tied herself to us, which shows how girls favor their outside relationships. Not sure if Mr. Lin knows this, whether he’d really team up with Uncle Xu to form an alliance army to crusade against me…
Lin Xue made a valid point; arranging a room for Medivh would indeed be wasteful. The bird hasn’t yet changed her nesting habits; last night was proof of that. Common sense suggests we can’t let this bird continue sleeping on the roof, but Medivh herself would certainly still feel more comfortable sleeping in a nest — which might be one of the downsides of being too evolved.
Vanilla just arrived here last night and knows nothing about the surroundings. So far, what she’s witnessed here are a beautiful house (certainly prettier than where she used to live) and a lot of people, oh, and pretty clothes and delicious food: Anwina mentioned that after Vanilla woke up and ate her first meal here, she was so happy she almost teared up; who knows what kind of life she led before, getting emotional over a dish of mapo tofu…
Anyway, she’s still unclear about the situation here. Even when Anwina explained some First Family matters to her, she looked puzzled. While Anwina and I were discussing how to prepare a training plan for Medivh, she was observing us secretly. Finally, she plucked up the courage to ask, “Umm… I heard Sister Anwina say, are you royalty?”
I thought for a moment and quickly nodded: “Yeah, it’s an empire here, uh, theoretically an empire. I’m the Emperor by title, with several years of experience.” If Vanilla hadn’t reminded me, I truly wasn’t aware — we are a royal family, though I’ve always known that fact, but have never felt any related atmosphere. Think about the royal families in TV dramas, novels, and anime — full of intrigue and schemes, siblings often fighting each other, the palace is dirtier than a thieves’ den. And then add a 21st-century gifted genius girl and she’d be eager to close the door and annihilate the entire royal family herself.
Have you ever seen a royal lifestyle where daily activities include messing around with kids, playing chess with tenants, surfing the web, checking gossip news from different worlds, and rushing to the supermarket to grab discounted eggs? We do have a girl who’s crossed through time, and she did it twice, sharp as a fox. But now, she’s fallen to the point where she can only compete with a doll about 90cm high for cake. Her experience could easily write a million words in a web novel, leaving fans disappointed enough to hunt down the author with a kitchen knife — failing miserably to uphold the female protagonist’s honor in the crossover world.
So having come to this reckoning, I earnestly looked at Vanilla: “Doesn’t feel like it, right?”
Vanilla expressed herself politely: “Not at all like it.” I felt that was already very polite.
“I’ve seen nobles,” Vanilla realized she might’ve been too direct and promptly awkwardly explained, “I’ve seen the richest man in town, Mr. Togler. He needs three people to support him when he walks, and once, an official from the Capital came to inspect, walking down the street with two servants spreading spices in front of him — nobles all seemed so impressive… But I feel you all don’t seem like that… You kind of resemble Du Han’s family, living at the foot of the mountain, with lots of kids; they’re carpenters…”
I was baffled. Can’t fathom how someone could be so pretentious that they need three people to support them just to walk. If they supported me like that, I’d likely roll into a ball within five steps. But I reckon I have an edge over Mr. Togler: glance at the Pandora Sisters playing military chess and Mercury Lamp reading alone, then think about Little Baobao wreaking havoc in school. Sometimes when I go out, I can have several hanging on me — even Mr. Togler couldn’t pull off this skill.
After chatting with Vanilla for a bit, I realized this young girl didn’t seem to have much attachment to where she used to live: alone, struggling to survive, there are only two types who relish such an environment — one is a Saint, and I’ll leave the other blank until I meet one. After all, she’s just a simple-minded young girl, naturally fond of being well-fed and warmly dressed and unaware of concealing these points. However, I also noticed her unease around here, continuously observing if anyone dislikes her. She feels quite awkward in her current state — a sense of discomfort only diminishes slightly when Medivh pulls her aside to whisper. She totally treats that Silly Bird as her sole reliance in this unfamiliar environment.
Based on my own… alright, based on Lilina’s extensive psychology observation experience, she directly summed up Vanilla’s mindset: This place is big, good, beautiful, but not where I belong.
In Spiritual Connection, I conversed with Anwina, asking her opinion on this young girl. Anwina’s thoughts were simple: the girl has a good heart, and she was Medivh’s first friend met outside; Silly Bird was in a daze when dropped into the Otherworld, and Vanilla was the only one to care for her, so she felt it wouldn’t hurt to let Vanilla stay. But being merely a “humble” maid, she dared not decide on her own, wanting to consult the master. “Then let her stay,” my opinion was straightforward, “we’re not short on housing.”
However, though the decision is made, we’ll discuss more in a few days, letting Vanilla familiarize herself with the surroundings. She doesn’t know what this place is; we don’t know her living habits. Many things tell us, sometimes luxury clothing doesn’t necessarily mean comfort, and what if Vanilla simply can’t get used to living here? Anyway, I can’t imagine how someone walks with three people supporting them…
At this point, I glanced back, noticing Lilina intensely focused on scribbling at the small coffee table beside her, curious: “Girl, what are you doing?”
Lilina raised the notebook in her hand: “Writing a Bible draft for Medivh. I think it’s about time she took a stage name; look, ancient divine weapons are acquired, descent miracles happened, even Moses showed up. How can we not hurry to write a Bible? I’ve written some mythology based on Vanilla and Medivh’s meeting, with four or five versions, later let her spread it among different followers — this will make it even more enigmatic. I’m writing the third version now. Boss, I’m telling you, truly effective missionaries should be forward-thinking. Look, I’m already writing ‘Crow God’s Old Covenant,’ ‘Crow God’s New Testament,’ ‘Black Feather Ancient Scroll,’ and ‘Medivh’s Expiation Chapter.’ Then bury two in the ground, so when someone digs them up a thousand years later, hey, isn’t that another miracle?”
I: “…” I never knew you could write both versions of teachings at once! Isn’t that just fooling people? Fine, I already knew the mythology she concocts is always just fluff, but does this have meaning?
“Of course it has meaning,” Lilina looked professional, “Religion, if unchanging, becomes stagnant, even with True God’s backing, it’s easily exploited by Cults. Mortals change easily, so you have to loosen its structure from behind… Moreover, the main thing is, by writing more, you can show your updates are strong. If continuously updating, nearly becoming a God…”
I wiped the cold sweat from my forehead, “Aren’t you worried that by writing two conflicting books at the same time, you’ll get stuck on one of them?”
Lilina flicked her head, “Then just TJ it, and give it a name like ‘Crow God Chapter.’ I’m sure there’ll be heaps of followers trying to patch it up, searching the world for the other half: they definitely won’t believe that the Bible back then was unfinished because it couldn’t be completed, but would rather think it’s related to the War of the Gods. When they really can’t find it, someone greedy will pop up to write a sequel, and every one of them will claim they’ve received a revelation, completing the missing half of God’s word. Then you can lead a bunch of Church Knights to eradicate heretics — how do you think religious wars start? Isn’t it just because God TJ’d the Bible, and all the followers waiting for the update started bashing each other’s heads in below? Heretics are basically the ones who ruined fanfics… Oh right, since we’re here, there are slight changes in the situation; the Bible wasn’t written by God, Medivh can’t write, so she found a ghostwriter…”
As Lilina spoke, her words started to run away with her, but I didn’t take it seriously. If I had heard her nonsense before, I might have taken it to heart, thinking this girl was too playful. But now I know her nature, she’s just loose with her words; she’s still pretty reliable in her actions. The fact that the Life Goddess Sect thrived in her hands proves it: if she were really as haphazard as she claimed, I doubt she could have founded the sect! Millions of believers aren’t just conjured out of thin air. I glanced at the pile of booklets in her hands, but they were written in wild cursive, barely legible, like drunken dog scrawl, so that I could only tell they were outlines of some agenda. I couldn’t help but be curious, “You seem pretty invested in the Medivh thing? Aren’t you Dingdang’s priest?”
Lilina rolled her eyes at me, “I just enjoy the sense of accomplishment from establishing a religion. You wouldn’t understand this high-level entertainment. Oh, and I also think the Empire’s sole national religion being just the Life Goddess is a bit lacking in buffs, so I’m planning to form a joint group with Medivh. How’s that for a reason?”
Me: “…” It’s the first time I’ve heard of two immortals expanding business and having joint ventures in the process!
After a while, Lilina gathered up all the scribbles and threw them to Vanilla, who was curiously examining the glass layer on the coffee table, “Here, you’ll have to familiarize yourself as well. It’ll be useful for your lines with people in the future — oh, and if you’re smart enough, you might be able to become that bird’s spokesperson, then we’d be in the same industry later on…”
“Ah?” Vanilla was startled by the little notebook that suddenly flew over. She looked at the bizarre symbols on it with confusion, a head full of question marks, “What is this? These… are these words? Are these the words you use?”
“Oh, I forgot you don’t know this,” Lilina scratched her head, skipped over to explain her plan to Vanilla, “In simple terms, I’m preparing to assist Medivh in missionary work, which I think should originally be your task. You know you’re in another world now, right?”
Vanilla nodded her head, possessing that piece of knowledge, though she didn’t understand what was meant by “Void,” concepts like “another world” were surprisingly easy to grasp; just consider it another land that ordinary people could never reach but actually exists.
“Then you also know that Little Crow, or Medivh, isn’t the Spirit of Nature from your world either.”
Vanilla made a sound of understanding, looking a bit dejected. Until last night, she had been steadfastly believing she was with the Spirit of Nature, and used this explanation to justify the strange sights before her and the peculiar shining things in this big house, but Anwina had already explained the situation here to her, and she naturally realized the so-called “Spirit of Nature” was entirely her own misconception.
Lilina nodded in satisfaction, “However, Anwina is indeed God, the True God, with a golden worth higher than any god in your world. She is personally ordained by the Void Lord. Plus, as you look around, nine out of ten here can be called gods, or at least secondary gods and demigods, and this is by the high standards of our side. If placed in an ordinary world, even the fox dogs guarding our door here — she’s not in today, I’ll introduce you when the time comes — are qualified to build their own shrines. You see what I mean, right? This is a gathering place for the gods, and now a member of them has chosen you, destiny guides you to become the spokesperson among them.”
Vanilla looked particularly reluctant as she scanned our group, some playing cards, some playing checkers, some knitting, and a female hooligan, legs crossed, was instructing Lin on how to fight someone. By Lilina’s account, this could be considered the Pantheon: of course, Bingdisi and her group belong to the Outer Gods, akin to the visits Poseidon makes to Yahweh’s home.
This Pantheon sure looks down-to-earth.
Lilina noticed this too, wrinkling her nose at me, and I understood immediately, standing up and shouting, “Get serious, get serious, Lilina’s helping Little Medivh spread the gospel now, let’s create an atmosphere for a Gathering of the Gods.”
I paused, suddenly hit with inspiration, glancing at Bingdisi, “While you’re at it, why don’t you mix up the space, see if this bunch can manage a ‘Feast of the Gods’ atmosphere.”
Those guys didn’t mess around, and seeing both the patriarch and landlord speak up, they jumped into action. Lin swiftly cleaned up the chessboards, poker, and little slips of paper on the table (that was a lifetime’s work for the supply assistant), Bingdisi spread her wings, filling the entire living room with Holy Light, causing all the tables, chairs, and furniture to vanish in the glow. The living room extended in all directions, forming in a flash a grand hall that could almost be described as majestic. I instantly recognized this as the Obsidian Palace from the female hooligan’s home that had been moved here. At the far end of the palace, a row of black and red velvet thrones adorned the scene; Sandora took the first seat, shrouded in a soft golden halo, with threads of soul power extending behind her into vast cryptic patterns. Big Sister joined the commotion, standing beside her, surrounded by an impenetrable black mist, with impressive force. Qianqian, with a cold expression, sat at the furthest end, a massive hourglass illusion behind her. Yelsen, in a friendly cameo, donned the dazzling War God Suit, a foot on the throne in a display of might, while Kenser, who had donned his medieval robe, stood like Jesus bathed in Holy Light, gazing at Vanilla with kindness, “Child, you need guidance…”
The seats beyond were less reliable, as Pandora and Visca, the sisters, played rock-paper-scissors beside two chairs to decide their spots. Mercury Lamp assessed the chair size, attempted to climb it a few times before opening her wings in frustration to fly up, and then placed a child’s stool on the throne to sit comfortably. Bubbles was cross-legged on the throne playing a handheld game, waving at us casually to indicate her effort. One throne remained empty, but a faint voice emerged from between the cushion seams, “Dingdang is here, Dingdang is here…”
Lin checked all around, confirming the height of the hall post-space replacement was sufficient, and then transformed into a majestic two-headed Golden Giant Dragon amidst a dazzling burst of light, instantly becoming the most flamboyant presence on-site. Her tail swept down at least seven thrones, one paw inadvertently toppled the sculpture in the hall’s center, and a sneeze blew away half a wall’s tapestries. She finally came to a chaotic halt with one head hanging on the massive chandelier, the other head that could still move freely looked at us pitifully, “I’m sorry, I messed up again…”
Once the quake-like tumult in the hall finally settled to some extent, I tugged on Lilina’s arm, “Do you think this works?”
Lilina was dumbfounded, murmuring to herself, “Damn, could this really be what your future Pantheon will look like?”
Xiao Xue’s voice came from behind, “Not likely, my dad never bothered with a Pantheon; he found it too troublesome…”
Vanilla stood in awe at this group of crazy antics, and then at a Golden Giant Dragon with one head hanging from the chandelier in a white-eyed daze, scrunching her nose before finally bursting into tears… (To be continued. If you enjoyed this work, feel free to visit to vote for recommendations or monthly tickets. Your support is my greatest motivation.)