Chapter 16: Lilith
The golden sun shone through the clouds, illuminating the two figures standing on the large sand dune.
A stony mountain range stood in front of them, with a pathway leading between two mountain peaks at its edge to a location illuminated by sunlight.
"Your Excellency, this is Moses Ascetic Dawn." Artisan pointed to the pathway, where there was an array of buildings and statues at the end.
"I know." Auceses said this while frequently checking his pocket watch and his surroundings, as if he was waiting for something.
Artisan sighed as he realized the sun god had ignored him again; he already resigned to his fate. Because he can't do much or escape under the gaze of a god.
He can only hope that he will be able to keep his life, which seems like a luxury at this point given the situation he has found himself in.
However, something drew Artisan's attention away, and his gaze was quickly drawn to something unusual in front of him.
A small plant sprouted from the dry desert sand. It didn't end there, as more and more plants started growing from the sand dunes around him, as far as the artisan's eyes could see.
The vast expanse of sand dunes quickly turned into green prairies with brightly coloured flowers blooming in it.
One can even see butterflies and large animals appear out of nowhere and begin roaming around the green prairies, as if this is their home.
The vibrancy here surprised artisan because he could see a lot more, as the life force present in some of the life forms in this place rivalled demigods!
While Auceses stood there calmly watching everything, as if he expected it.
A divine woman appeared, dressed in a long white gown with short sleeves embroidered with drawings of various herbs and plants, as well as descriptions of various animals.
She had silver hair that reached her hips and a half moon symbol on her brow. Her face had soft features, a high nose, and plump red lips. Her beautiful red eyes gleamed as her gaze fell on Auceses.
With the appearance of the divine woman, the green prairies mutated further, as trees began to appear and started growing to tens of meters tall, and the plants were already the size of people.
She also had a motherly aura that made everyone around her feel as if she was the mother of all life in existence.
The divine woman's beauty stood out the most.
Auceses looked at this divine woman in a daze, for she was truly the most beautiful woman he had ever seen in both of his lives. No matter how many times he meets her, she always surprises him.
For him, her "beauty" could no longer be described in words; rather, her very existence is an interpretation of the word "beauty."
Lilith, Earth Mother!
Artisan did not dare to look deeply at earth mother, as the sun god had done before him, for fear of offending another god.
He was also taken aback by her presence here, who should been called by the sun god to deal with the situation together. This also completely confirmed his previous suspicions.
'The realm of gods..' As he gazed at the primeval forest that sprouted up due to just a decent of a god, Artisan intuitively felt the difference in power. He couldn't even imagine how it would look if Earth Mother asserted her authority.
"It's been a while, Auceses." Lilith spoke in a gentle tone. "You've changed a lot since then." She said this while gazing at the Auceses' vibrant golden eyes with her calm and tranquil red eyes.
"Everyone will change with time, Ombella." Auceses responded with a smile on his lips. "In this world, nothing is static or eternal."
Yes, he did call Lilith for assistance, as the allies he now had leaned somewhat toward the earth mother and god of combat.
The reason he called Lilith instead of the god of combat is because Lilith was a god of the mother pathway, which is not adjacent to any of the gods' current pathways.
As a result, she has always maintained a neutral relationship with all the gods, and she will be the only one who is likely to accept his call for assistance, as god of combat will not be able to come, for Auceses' heard the conflict between Evernight and him had reached a boiling point.
Also, Auceses had no idea Lilith was still alive before and she had even managed to become a god in the disguise of another.
He had known earth mother since the third epoch, and she had even been a member of rose redemption. Even though the members of Rose Redemption were brought together by the ancient sun god, they got to know each other pretty well in the process.
Nonetheless, Lilith was never discovered, even when she was surrounded by gods and kings of angels, each with their own authority over abstract domains.
Auceses believed that whatever authority was used was truly extraordinary, because it couldn't be simple concealment by Amanines.
As described in the original story, Amanines concealment may appear somewhat overpowered, but for gods, her concealment is not that effective.
'It could only be attributed to ancient sun god.' Finally, Auceses reasoned, only the power of the ancient sun god could truly accomplish this. He didn't bother revealing it because it would not bring any benefit to him.
"That is true." Lilith said with a gentle smile and continued on. "I was also surprised when I received your letter."
"As you mentioned, this situation involves a serfoit." Lilith's expression became solemn. "Why should I assist you in this? Even knowing that it could endanger my life." She said, her brow furrowed.
Of course, she isn't going to assist him for free.
Lilith didn't expect him to ask for her help, but she didn't reject him outright when she saw the letters only told her of the situation and nothing else and came here out of courtesy for another god.
"An alliance." Auceses prospered immediately after hearing her, because he was already prepared for this situation. "In the future, Ombella, you won't be able to maintain your neutrality. You must choose a side one way or the other."
"Indeed." Lilith nodded, as she was aware of the situation. "But why should I form one with you rather than Leodero or Herabergan?" Even though she knew the relationship between gods, she still questioned because she wanted to hear out Auceses.
"You should be aware that Herabregan has most likely formed an alliance with Amanines." said Auceses "While, Amanines is holding the uniqueness of moon pathway, and your son is already at war with her."
"You're going to have to face her one way or another, Ombella." Auceses went on, as if he was unaware of Lilith and Amanises' relationship. "You'd have no chance against her if you fought alone. But my authority effectively restrains hers."
"As for Leodero, you're aware of his history with Amanises." Auceses' expression lightened as he remembered what happened during Leodero's apotheosis. "So, there aren't many options for you, Ombella." Auceses finished with his eyes narrowed.
Lilith was deafeningly quiet for a moment before nodding. "I agree; after we've resolved the issues here, we'll talk more about it."
Her agreement does not surprise Auceses. Despite the fact that she and Amanines should have a relationship, they should still act when they are apart.
Concerns about Lilith who could leak his information to Amanines during the war. However, Auceses had already had a plan for this situation.
"You should be the famous Artisan." Lilith's gaze was drawn to a brown-haired man standing next to Auceses, who was attempting to reduce his presence in front of two gods. "Your floating continent is truly miraculous," She complimented him.
"Thank you, milady." Artisan accepted her compliment; it at least lifted his spirits, as it was the only good thing that had happened to him today.
"You appeared to be in good shape now." Lilith spoke with a playful expression, causing the artisan's heart to sink and his eyes to flash with fear.
"Look at what you've done to him." When Lilith noticed the fear in the eyes of the artisan, she said to Auceses with a chuckle, and Auceses just rolled his eyes.
"Don't be so worried, Aristan. Auceses isn't going to kill you," Lilith comforted, "Because if he had that notion, you wouldn't be standing here yet." Her soothing words finally made Artisan calm.
"Shall we get started?" Lilith shifted her gaze to Auceses. "This event, I have a feeling, will be more than just dangerous and fatal. We might even come across something unexpected."
They began their journey to Moses' ascetic order with her words.