A figure stepped out from behind an oak tree several paces from them. "Divine one, it looks like you are confused on the route to leave. I can lend you a hand here."

Ada saw that the priestess Shutana had a smile her face. Ada asked, "I see that you can still speak the Divine Tongue. Did your goddess tell you to aid us? She informed us that she won't provide any aid."

The priestess nodded. "Goddess Ada, one could say that amongst other things. It is minimum courtesy for our divine goddess Ayula to aid everyone here to leave this temple unnoticed and unscathed."

"We heard a scream from near the gates. Are any of your associates hurt?" Leanne asked worriedly.

"Seer Leanne, no need to fret. They are not. That was one of the ill-informed guards who thought he could barge in with no consequences. Our divine goddess Ayula has, let us say it lightly, temporarily incapacitated him."

Ada sighed with relief but Leanne still looked worried. "But they have more guards. What if all of them rush in?"

"Then they will all face the similar fate as that one. Do not worry. We have dealt with them before and we will do it again."

"Wow, their memories seem to be worse than that of an ostrich," Ruciella rolled her eyes.

"Lady Ruciella, most of them were not yet born the last time the city had a directive to forcefully demand entry into our temple. Come, we have more urgent matters to attend to. Follow me."

Shutana beckoned with her right hand for them to follow her. Leanne still looked worried but she followed Ada and Ruciella. As usual, Sçæaisøh trailed behind the women. Behind the oak tree was a large hole on the ground that sloped downwards at approximately 6%. The hole wasn't a perfect half-circle but its diameter was approximately two meters which was wide enough for three of them to walk through comfortably. There was a glow inside, a soft warm blue permeating everything. She saw that inside there were bioluminescent mushrooms. After they all walked in, the sound from the outside world quickly disappeared. There was almost total silence.

Ada saw that the ceiling inside was higher than she expected at approximately 10 meters. It looked more like a cave than a simple tunnel. She was curious at the floating glowing jellyfish-like creatures which meandered around the cave ceiling. Together with the mushrooms, they provided more than ample light for the mortals to see.

"A jellyfae? To think we would have some in the city is remarkable!" Ruciella gasped.

"They have been around a few million years more than mortals have been or even the young gods. Our goddess finds them to be excellent creatures to light the way for travelers in caves and tunnels," Shutana explained.

"Uh, it's just that I never expected to find them in a city. Aren't they usually located in remote caves? Well, I guess I shouldn't be surprised with this being the Goddess of Life's domain," Ruciella commented. Then she added, "I also heard that they're absolutely succulent when sautéed in sea salt and eating them can help with finer ether control. Any chance we can take some to go?"

"I have heard that they are quite delicious though I have never tried one. Unfortunately, Lady Ruciella, our divine goddess Ayula forbids any creature to be harmed within the temple."

Ruciella's shoulders slumped. This girl seemed to love the strangest food, Ada thought. To bring the situation back to topic, she asked, "Where does this cave lead us?"

"Divine goddess Ada, this path terminates at a cave on the outskirts of the city. We of the temple frequently use this path when we wish to avoid the city guards in conducting our goddess's affairs outside of Czitu."

"So no one knows that the cave exists when it's just right outside the city? I find that hard to believe." Ada asked.

"Divine goddess Ada, rest assured. The guards have never bothered to clear the poisonous thorny bushes surrounding the perimeter of the cave. They believe it to be just another ordinary natural cave. There are many of them in this area."

Leanne nodded. "Goddess Ada, my former temple also had a discreet method of transport outside of the city though it was not a cave system. This is much more beautiful."

Ruciella rushed in with a flurry of words. "I don't know about beautiful but it's fascinating. Several of my colleagues was telling me about some of gems in a couple of these caves. They might even be useful as ether amplifiers. Of course, the City Council of Czitu has refused anyone from the Academy or the Galacia Club to set foot and investigate. A bunch of old fools if you ask me. They don't know what they have and they don't want anyone else to know either."

Sçæaisøh has been quiet the entire time but suddenly spoke up in the local tongue. Shutana replied in Exicozan as well. He replied back in a tone of relief. Ada whispered to Ruciella, "What are they saying?"

Ruciella whispered back. "Oh, just some idiotic things he did a few years ago which was a failed attempt to damage the reputation of an Ayulan priest here. The prietess said that they have long forgiven him. Oh, also, his dog can rejoin him when this current situation is over. Are you really sure you want a pickled fish gill as one of your followers? I really don't see what you see in him."

Ada sighed. "Well, not much I can do now. If he isn't one of my followers, he'll just run back and report to his boss everything that he knows."

"Uh hmm...but there is a permanent solution."

Ada frowned. "I'm not doing that. He deserves a second chance."

Ruciella shrugged. Leanne leanned closer to them. "What are you two whispering about?"

"Nothing, just debating on when we'll get out of this cave full of deliciousness that I can't touch," Ruciella quickly replied.

"Soon, young lady. In the meantime, do you want me to indulge you in a bit of local history? Seer Leanne, would you kindly translate for Sçæaisøh?"

Ada nodded. "We will be happy to hear some of your local lore."

As they walked through the cave, Shutana quietly related to them the founding of Czitu. From seeing Leanne's reaction, Ada saw that even she didn't know much about the temple here. Apparently it was founded over two millenia ago by one of the first disciples of Ayula on the continent. It was here even before there was a proper town. In the beginning, prior to even being called Itui in the past, this city was just a small fishing hamlet with a dozen or two fishermen families. The only notable attraction here was the Temple of Ayula. When the Azute Empire conquered this land, this area was still just a tiny village with fewer than several hundred residents. Quickly thereafter though, settlers from other parts of the empire settled here due to its favorable geographic location to the ocean and a river. The sleepy hamlet grew rapidly and was renamed to Itui. In less than a century became a thriving metropolis of a few thousand people.

After the Azute Empire collapsed, Itui declared the inland trade routes mostly dissipated with inland cities dissolving into their own conflicting petty city-states and widespread banditry. However, the maritime trade remained strong with new trading partners from the recently encountered Tesians. The advancement of sailing enabled continent spanning travel and trade for the first time. The city grew and prospered to almost a hundred thousand people. It wasn't until the Rift War that the city walls was breached for the first time and the city was almost completely demolished by one of the gods. The citizens were resilient and after the war, they gathered together and rebuilt the city. This city was renamed to Czitu after the war hero who sacrificed his life to valiantly defend the city during the attack. Through its entire history, the Temple of Ayula has remained neutral in all its conflicts. It has healed the sick and injured and provided counsel to common citizens. The leaders of the city through the years have mostly let the temple be since they knew it would be folly remove a temple to one of the gods.

Only in the last several hundred years with the growing presence by some of the young gods have the city grown emboldened enough to try to evict the temple from the city. There were three notable attempts in the past and each of them ended in abject failure. The last attempt occured ten years after the Rift War ended. BY that time, unbeknownst to most citizens, the city had passed into the jurisdiction of Yuano. The rulers of Czitu had declared that any establishment which had refused to engage in the war to be unpatriotic and should not be in the city. The City Council tried and failed to incite the public to turn on the temple. If they were wiser, they would have known better since the temple sheltered and saved many of their lives during the war. Yuano didn't care and ordered his lackeys to send in the guards and hired mercenaries to intimidate the temple followers into leaving. Imbued with Yuano's blessings, they genuinely thought they stood a chance. What they didn't count on was that Yuano's blessings were all nullified upon entering the temple grounds. The environment turned into their worst nightmare with noxious gases from the plants and poisonous snakes which attacked them relentlessly. The wise turned tail and ran while the foolhardy or foolish ones persisted and all died.

"I'm imagining that a similar scenario is playing out right now?" Ada guessed.

"Divine one, I certainly pray for their sake that they would depart soon with their false accusations of us abetting three rogue magicians."

"Glad to know they got that part wrong. First, there's only one magician and I don't think self-defense should be considered a crime."

Shutana grinned. "And we are not abetting you. We simply wanted to talk with one of our former colleagues from across the sea to catch up on the latest happenings in South Tesia."

Hearing the priestess referencing her, Leanne spoke, "I do not like to lie ..."

Ruciella interjected, "Oh, come on Leanne! It's not a lie. And just think about it -- I doubt we'll ever get the chance to use this reason. If they catch us, these guards are likely to impale us first and ask questions later."

Shutana frowned. "Seer Leanne, I believe that Lady Ruciella here rightfully predicts the city authorities' actions."

"Cheer up, Leanne! Shutana is right. We've done nothing wrong. Besides, if anything, we are the ones that are agreeing to aid Ayula and not the other way around. As your goddess, I say this is an Ada-approved statement of truth."

Shutana smiled. "Seer Leanne, if your goddess says so, then it must be the truth. And ah, we are almost here."

Ada perked up and saw that the cave entrance was lightening. In contrast to the soft blue glow inside the cave, the outside light now appeared to be too harshly bright. Her eyes quickly adjusted though and everything looked normal to her. Leanne and Shutana also didn't seem to have an issue either. Only Ruciella squinted her eyes and raised her hands to block the sun as her eyes adjusted. The young mage also sneezed a few times. Photic sneeze reflex (PSR) or ACHOO (autosomal dominant compulsive helio-ophthalmic outbursts of sneezing) affected about 18 to 35% of the world population on Earth with no conclusive theory on why it occurs. The number of induced sneezes--which seems to be genetically mediated and can be predicted within a family--is constant from episode to episode and typically numbers two or three. Ada quickly recalled a Scientific American article she read a while back. She was one of those who suffered from this when she was still a mortal. This was another annoyance that she was happy to see gone.

"Uh, Shutana, I thought you said there were bushes around here?" Ada asked with confusion. There was simply a flat open space around the cave with not a plant in sight. She felt naked standing here and she could see the city wall in the distance. She was quite sure that any guard who looked their way could see them as well. Everyone else looked confused as well and looked around as if expecting an ambush at any minute. Sçæaisøh crouched down as if changing his body posture would help hide him.

Most worrisome was Shutana who looked utterly confused. "Divine one, this is the right location. I have gone this route countless times."

Before Ada could reply, a mysterious voice suddenly appeared from nowhere speaking in the Divine Tongue. "And, priestess, this will be your last time. Any last words?"

"What?" the priestess said in shock.

A man dressed in resplendent clothes suddenly appeared standing in front of the priestess. He was wearing a tunic with an intricate pattern of a golden crown sewn with golden threads and shiny sequins. With a golden mask on, Ada couldn't see his face. He did have a thick beard. In that split second after his appearance, she felt a sudden pang of immense danger from the man. Ada knew instinctively that this man was not a mortal. Ada only managed to have enough time to shout "get back!" and grabbed both Sçæaisøh and Leanne by the shoulders as she jumped back several feet. Thank God for goddess-level athleticism, she thought. She was glad to see that Ruciella had also leapt back and was well out of range of the man's arms.

Unfortunately, the priestess didn't react as fast. The man reached out his right hand and touched the priestess's face. Ada noticed that his right hand three rings with colorful gems of yellow, green and red similar to infinity stones. The yellow gem glowed briefly. She gasped. In less than a second, the priestess has turned into a solid statue of gold. I knew a few people with the Midas touch but I never thought I'll meet someone who could do it literally, Ada thought. This must be the God Yuano.

"So, I can see that the Temple of Ayula was lying about harboring criminals. The City Council should have sufficient proof to finally evict the temple now."

"We are not criminals," Leanne said defensively.

The man laughed uproariously as if she had said something hilarious. "I care not. You have simply played a role in game that is much longer and larger than you mortals can imagine. Now, I ask all of you, any last words before you join this priestess here? Your lives would be a much-needed boon for the Czitu City Treasury."

Ada glared at the arrogant god. "You bastard! Turn her back. Shutana has done nothing wrong!"

Ada could imagine the god sneering as he said his next words and gave the statue a small push. "Oh, is that her name? I'm sorry, I think my hand just slipped."

"No!" Ruciella cried out. It was too late. The statue hit the solid ground and broke into several pieces. Ada could see that the inside was gold as well. The man laughed. "Well, I was hoping to keep her in one piece but no matter. Still the same amount of gold to be turned into ingots."

Ruciella reacted first. A glowing white translucent ball with silent sparks flew towards Yuano. It was going to be a perfect hit. Just as it was about to hit the god square in the face, he reached out his hand and the red gem flashed. The ball lightning fizzled out to nothing as if its current was short-circuited. He scoffed. "Any other little tricks you three so-called mages have?"

This is really bad, Ada thought. She was sure that she could survive a battle with a god but she wasn't sure about any of the mortals, especially Ruciella who she could not even heal. She raised her voice and stepped forward to be scarcely one foot in front of the god. "Leave my colleagues alone. I challenge you to a one-on-one duel."

Yuano simply sighed. "The self-rightous mortal sacrifice for her friends. I have seen this repeat itself in front of me countless times and trust me when I tell you that no one is saved in the end."

Ada hardened her face. "I don't care what you think. As a god, you should be a leader for mortals instead of bullying and killing them."

"No honorifics for a god? I'm sure you know only the God Yuano has the Golden Touch. You magicians and sorcerers have no idea of true power."

"Any god who doesn't respect the rights and the very existence of mortals do not deserve any honorifics."

Yuano chuckled. "Your view on your kind are fatally flawed. I have encountered only a few who deserve my genuine respect. Perhaps if you prove worthy, you might be one of them. Yet, if I add the value of most people in human society, it will be near zero."

"I believe that people are born with inherent value. No one is perfect and people do make mistakes but that doesn't mean they have no value. If anything, if they work on their shortcomings, it shows something powerful about their character -- the willingness to improve and better themselves which ultimately leads to a better world."

"An idealistic fool. No wonder why these Academies have no real authority in the outside world. A child's fairyland appears to be what your teachers feed you there. But enough talk! I didn't come here to debate with you philosophy. As foolish as you may be, I am an honorable god. I accept your duel."

This guy really thinks that I'm just a mage, Ada thought with slight amusement. Perhaps she could use that ignorance to her advantage. In the meantime, she needed to get the others out of here. "Can my companions leave?"

"What good is a duel if there are no observers? Have them stand 100 feet away to observe. That should be a safe enough distance. Any interference from them and they will instantly face the consequences."

Ada nodded. "That is fair. I agree to your terms."

"Good! Now, let us see what your Academy has really taught you."

Leanne, Ruciella and Sçæaisøh quickly ran to the nearby hill which had some trees providing shade. Ada hoped that they would be safe. "Before we start, I have one important question."

"What is it?"

"Do you like math puzzles? If possible, we can resolve this in a method where neither of us gets hurt. For instance, as the God of Wealth, you probably are familiar with the missing dollar problem?"

Yuano shook his head. Ada continued with a lengthy explanation. "The problem goes like this. Three guests check into a hotel room. The manager says the bill is $30, so each guest pays $10. Later the manager realizes the bill should only have been $25. To rectify this, he gives the bellhop $5 as five one-dollar bills to return to the guests. On the way to the guests' room to refund the money, the bellhop realizes that he cannot equally divide the five one-dollar bills among the three guests. As the guests aren't aware of the total of the revised bill, the bellhop decides to just give each guest $1 back and keep $2 as a tip for himself, and proceeds to do so. As each guest got $1 back, each guest only paid $9, bringing the total paid to $27. The bellhop kept $2, which when added to the $27, comes to $29. So if the guests originally handed over $30, what happened to the remaining $1?"

"What's a dollar?"

"You know what? That problem doesn't work here unless I replace dollars with gold. I'm not sure if that's a reasonable cost here for hotels any way but I think you get the gist of the problem? No?"

There was a stunned silence. When he spoke, he sounded genuinely surprised. "What? You want us to compete in mathematical puzzles instead of fighting an actual duel?"

"Um, yeah. Consider it an intellectual duel. If I win, you let us go. If you win, you can do your thing to me. I've competed in intellectual exercises before and I think it's a lot more fun than beating each other up."

Ada waited for his reply. It was a long shot but she might as well ask. He laughed. "You are quite an amusing mortal. I don't know if you're simply a fool or I suspect possibly a genius. No, I have to decline. Let's just see if your magical prowess matches your intellectual one."