Upon stepping into the study, Ada felt that she has stepped into an academician’s cave. The rectangular room was huge with high ceilings with a mural mimicking that of the night sky with planets and constellations meticulously painted. The window frame was made of gold with ornate decorations of flowers and birds. The carpet which covered the entire room was soft and thick with intricate geometric designs. Soft glowing lights floated in a cluster above the center of the room and at each corner. The walls as everywhere else in the building were hidden behind thick heavy bookshelves that stretched from the floor to the ceiling. The books appeared to be carefully organized with notecards and numbers indicating different sections. If this was it, it would have looked fantastic.

Yet, there was just too much stuff placed everywhere in the most unpleasant fashion. Scraps of paper with strange runes were strewn haphazardly around the floor in addition to shirts and socks with the occasional potted plant or a water jug. A couch that could comfortably situate at least four people was laid diagonally across the room occupying the most space possible for no good reason she could see. A massive rectangular wooden desk at the far end of the room was also arranged not parallel to any of the walls. Instead, it was crooked with two smaller side tables adjacent to the wall and the desk. Stacked on each side table was a tower of books that looked like it could teeter and fall any moment. By comparison, the chair behind the desk was tiny and plain compared to the other furniture in the room. In front of the desk was three slightly larger chairs in a room. It looked comfortable with an ornate chair cushion and a thick padded back. Following Arbon’s lead, the three carefully navigated through the minefield of mess ensuring that they stepped on thing except the carpet.

Arbon began after everyone have situated themselves in their chairs. “You know I tried to find you in the evening for our walk. I discovered Aurian went missing as well. Then, I learned this curious story of a battle between the gods Ayula and Yuano inside and outside the city. It was very confusing and unfortunately I was requested to immediately leave the city.”

Ruciella apologized. “I know. I’m sorry that I didn’t inform you earlier.”

Arbon gestured with his hand. “No matter. What’s important is that my favorite student is still of sound mind in a sound body. Merchant Flora, would you care to continue?”

“My name is actually not Flora. It is Ada. And I am not a merchant.”

“Well, this is already intriguing.” Arbon remarked. He sat and waited for her to continue.

Ada replied. “Well, I understand your name is not Obar. It’s actually Arbon.”

Arbon nodded. “A fair point. It seems that both of us have kept our identities secret. But now is the time to disclose this and other matters yet to be disclosed.”

Well, here goes, Ada thought and took a breather. She has decided that she would tell the truth as much as possible without revealing her whole hand. She didn’t trust him enough to inform him that she was sent here on an ordained mission by the one God. Also, revealing her abilities with the usage of the System seemed wholly unwise. She wasn’t sure how much understanding Ruciella had gleaned from their time together but she suspected not much. Though this world was more advanced technologically that she had initially anticipated, an understanding of computing and even basic mathematics was deficient in even the gods here.

She doubted that he was actually on the side of Yuano as he originally seemed to indicate but she needed to be sure that he was as trustworthy as Ruciella made him seem to be. She didn’t want her greatest secrets to be just given to others without careful thought.

With these thoughts in her mind, she went over the events of the day since the old master left Leanne and Ada the previous afternoon. Initially, there were constant interruptions as Ruciella kept interjecting with what the girl perceived to be useful commentaries but Master Arbon soon put a stop to that. He informed her that she’ll need to finish that task if she couldn’t act like a mature adult and the girl quieted down immediately. Whether this was due to her immense respect for her teacher or a degree of trepidation on whatever that task was, Ada couldn’t readily tell. Perhaps it was a mixture of both, she thought.

While Ada recounted the day’s events and her personal perspectives, Master Arbon nodded in understanding periodically but gave no comment or inquiry. After Ada finished, Ruciella finally managed to squeeze a few words her perspective. Ada glanced at Leanne but her Seer just sat there quietly. Ada saw that she was quite uncomfortable under the intense glare of the morning sun which happened to right land in her eyes. Leanne was much too polite to bring up her personal discomfort in the midst of a serious conversation.

Hopefully this conversation would soon be over so she can get some rest. There was a long pause as everyone waited for the master to respond. The silence seemed interminable until finally, Ada broke it. “I’m sorry but can I interrupt your pondering for a moment.”

Master Arbon nodded for her to continue. Ada looked at the window. “I’m no interior designer but have you thought of acquiring a curtain for your window? Maybe something to cover it right now? The sunlight can be quite harsh on mortal eyes.”

The mage turned his head to the right and glanced at the expansive window where the sunlight was streaming in. As the sun rose, the light has grown brighter. He looked back at them and frowned. “Well, that window is quite ornate don’t you think? All golden frame with hummingbirds and flowers. If I get a curtain, all of that will be covered. I would hate to gild the lily.”

Ada was a little surprised by his rebuttal. He does realize that he’s denying a trivial request in front of a goddess? Why, I could probably break his arm with one finger. He might not be a mortal but he’s hardly a god. Perhaps he’s doing this to show that the Academy doesn’t bow down to the demands of gods? If so, that’s incredibly petty. These thoughts ran through Ada’s mind but it was clear that Arbon didn’t have any capability to read her mind for he simply continued. “If you wish, perhaps the two of you can swap seats?”

Leanne nodded. “That would be greatly appreciated.”

“Go ahead. I’m still digesting your words.”

Leanne smiled at Ada in gratitude and the two exchanged places. When they have comfortably situated themselves once more, the mage finally spoke with a light chuckle. “I can see why you wanted to wait to discuss this. This is not something which every ear needs to hear, perhaps especially those of the Galacia Club. Well, this is not a pleasant walk in a city but I think it was a good place for you to tell your story in private.”

He continued. “Let me summarize. You are a goddess from the Divine World who suddenly found herself on Urth. How you came to be here is a mystery to you. Suffice it to say, you need to build followers and power. Since the gods are not known to share power or influence, this inevitably leads to conflict with the other Divines. You have managed to convince goddess Ayula on supporting your cause but you have to do a favor for her as well to help her reclaim her Seeds. Coincidentally, the god Yuano decided to attack Ayula and then encountered you in a rather one-sided battle where you handily won. Ayula’s followers led you back to your Cloud and from there following my student’s advice, you all decided to come here.”

Ada nodded. “Yes, that just about sums it up. And we are counting on you to convince your colleagues to let us stay.”

“Goddess Ada, stay for how long?”

Ruciella chimed in. “Until we can be sure that Ada has learned everything she needs to in order to be safe.”

He frowned. “You put me in a quandary. I don’t have as much leverage on some of the other esteemed masters here as you might think. Convincing some of them to let you stay will already be difficult. Convincing them to harbor you until a vaguely defined goal is met will be nigh impossible.”

“From the way you’re saying esteemed, I sense some sarcasm,” Ada noted.

Arbon chuckled. “I admit they can be quite conservative in their perspective but by no means am I relegating them all to one monolithic group. I can assure you that I will try my best. Just give me a time frame.”

Ruciella jumped in. “Uh, one year?”

Arbon shook his head. “No, that is too long.”

Ada concurred. “Master Arbon is right and not just from the views of his colleagues. We also have to keep in mind that the Goddess Ayula will be waiting for us. I would hate to test her patience and lose her as an ally. I suggest one month.”

Ruciella yelped. “One month? Do you know the extent of our archives? Even if you’re the fastest reader in the world, you can barely read half of the literature in that time.”

“Calm down, Aurian. Let Goddess Ada speak for herself.”

“So, is one month acceptable?”

“I will give you better. Up to three months should be amenable to my colleagues on the Board. That is as long as more than half of them agree.”

“What’s the probability that they will agree?”

“Among my 7 colleagues, I’m sure at least three of them will concur. Two for purely pragmatic reasons of needing a Divine One to recharge their artifacts and one for a slightly overzealous fascination with the Divine.”

Ada wondered what these people would be like, especially on the one with an interest in the Divine, but she put away these thoughts. “Since you will agree as well, that’ll be a 50-50 tie. With eight people how do you break a tie?”

“By our laws, the Magister always casts a vote as well if there is a tie. Knowing the current Magister, it is certain that just my words will not convince him. He is someone who is highly protective of the independent authority of the Academy.”

“I have seen that some of the mages don’t care much for gods. If you can’t convince him, how would I be able to?”

“That depends on whether he’s satisfied with your answer to one question. It’s one that’s on my mind as well.”

Ada nodded for him to continue.

“Simply put, why are you here?”

I’m here because I’ve been tasked by the God to uplift this world’s mortals in their technological and societal levels through using my magical computation powers with the help of the System while bashing into oblivion or submission any selfish gods who stands in my way of this noble goal. It sounded so good in Ada’s head that she wanted to say it but instead she offered the mundane lie. “I don’t have one. I don’t know how I found myself here. Are you asking me if I’m choosing to stay in this world?”

“Whether or not you choose to stay in this world is not our business. What we are concerned about is how you’re going to play in the game of the gods while you’re here. All gods on Urth have a purpose as you’re certainly cognizant of by now. For example, your ally Ayula’s purpose is to propagates life, especially that of flora. In this case, her defined purpose is quite beneficial for us since she rarely interferes with our affairs and yet provides many of the herbs useful in our potions. What is your purpose?”

Ada paused for a moment. “I did not choose to be here and I have no intention of interfering with the affairs of the Academy or the Galacia Club. What I want to do is build enough followers so I can find a way to leave.”

“If you have followers, that means you have a purpose. I can infer that it is probably not anything like a goddess of love or goddess of plants. So what is it?”

“I’m sorry but I think you’re mistaken. I’m not a god of any abstract concept like that. I simply want to gather some followers so I can figure out how to get out of here back to my own world. If I happen to change the world along the way, that’s merely a side effect.”

Ada waited for Arbon to relinquish his inquiry. Unfortunately, the old man was stubborn. He shook his head. “I’m sorry as well. I can feign ignorance but I prefer not to. I would love to help but I need to have some answers. Mutual trust is essential and the answer to this question I ask builds the foundation between you and our Academy.”

“Interesting that you used the word mutual. Can you deny that you are not hiding who you are as well?”

“Well, you have already noted that my real name is Arbon and that I am a senior Academy mage as well as a member of the Galacia Club.”

“That’s not what I was referring to. You have secrets as well. For one, I can point out that you own a Ring of Longevity and that you recently had it blessed.”

Hearing this, Ruciella gasped in surprise. Arbon’s face reflected surprise as well for a brief moment. He quickly smoothed his expression and spoke calmly. “Very perceptive. I do not deny that. The artifact has been in my family for generations so rest assured that I did not steal it from some unfortunate soul.”

Ruciella found her words. “But why did you never tell me, Master Arbon?”

He sighed. “Because I never felt that it was needed. Aurian, can you take Leanne here and show her the dormitories? I’m sure both of you are very tired and can use some rest. I’ll ask the servants to send up some food to you so you won’t have to make the trek to the dining hall.”

Ruciella protested. “But you know you can trust me! I’m your most dedicated student! Whatever you two disclose here I won’t say it to anyone.”

“I believe you, Aurian, but this is more for you to not hear. I’m sorry, Aurian, but there are just a few things which I can’t tell you right now. Eventually, I promise I will but not yet. Besides, you two mortals do require sleep and food unlike our goddess Ada here.”

I’m still finding it strange to not have to eat or sleep. Ada thought. Ruciella looked ready to protest again but Arbon continued with what was an apparent bribe. “If you do this, I promise you that will have access to the Second Library by next week.”

Ruciella exclaimed in excitement. “The Second Library? I have been requesting access to that for the last year!”

“And we keep it off limits from junior students for a very good reason. However, I am willing to make an exception for you if you can do this for me and one other thing.”

“Which is?”

“No mention of anything that has transpired until I make a formal announcement. Unfortunately, with your spectacular entrance and encounter with several senior mages, ensuring secrecy is hardly possible at this point. The best we can do is to declare Ada a demigod.”

“Well, that was just a minor foible,” Ada heard Ruciella mutter under her breathe.

“What is that?” Arbon asked.

“Ah, nothing. Done and done on leaving now and on not saying anything about what I’ve been up to in the last day.” Ruciella agreed. Wow, whatever the Second Library was must be a real treasure if she’s willing to agree to it so readily, Ada thought.

Ruciella arose from the chair and darted to the door. Leanne was more hesitant. “Ada, are you sure you want me to leave as well?”

“Well, the master here has kindly requested that you take some rest and I completely agree. You look like you haven’t slept in days probably because … well, exactly that reason. Don’t worry, I’ll be fine. I doubt Master Arbon here has any nefarious plans in mind. And if he does…”

Leanne finished for her and grinned. “...he’ll suffer the same fate as several of his colleagues.”

“Exactly. So just go and enjoy your little nap.”

Ada watched Leanne arise and join Ruciella. She thought it wonderful that she was able to find a follower who in the short amount of time that they have known each other built such a solid level of mutual trust and care. Once the door closed behind them, Ada turned her attention back to Arbon.

“Your follower is quite devoted to you.”

“Well, she is my first follower and as a priestess she carries the characteristic of devotion with her.”

“That may be true but I can see more of a friendship there than just a follower trusting her goddess.”

“How about we go back and continue with where you left off?”

“My apologies. I can find myself easily sidetracked sometimes. Yes, so you think you know who I am.”

“Yes, I do. You’re not mortal. But you’re not a god either.”

“What does that make me then?”

“You are a demigod.”

For someone who just had his biggest secret uncovered, the man did not display any discomfort. Instead, Arbon smugly smirked. “Interesting presumption. How, may I ask, did you come to this conclusion?”

Ada was a bit annoyed with his nonchalance. For one split second, she thought of just saying the System but that would be foolishly revealing her trump card. “One of my abilities lets me see who people really are.”

Arbon paused for a moment in thought. “I know of only one deity who can do that but now if you are to believed, there are two Divine Ones who can do this. I find this hard to believe. Gods tend to have unique powers.”

“You can believe whatever you wish. I find it hypocritical for you to doubt my sincerity when you clearly haven’t been honest yourself. Your disciple, Ruciella, excuse me, Aurian, places a great deal of faith in you and trusts you wholly. Yet, you lied to her and even now refuse to share this secret. It leads me to wonder if I should place any faith in you.”

“Now, there is no need to be combative. I wasn’t lying when I said I’ll do what I can to help. I am also not lying when I say that I am a member of the Galacia Club as well as a Board member of the Exicozan Academy. In addition, I’m also an Esteemed Adviser of the Czitu City Council.”

He sighed and then continued. “But you are right. I have hidden a deeper truth from all my mortal companions. I am indeed a demigod.”

Ada nodded. “I thought so. But a demigod of what?”

“You tell me if you’re truly one who has the Eye of Truth.”

What in the world is the Eye of Truth? It must be one of the abilities of the Goddess of Truth Serina. Now what? Maybe I should just make something up? Ada thought. Then came the eureka moment. She has more information; she knew that Arbon was his name and his occupations. She could use the System to find out. “Can you give me one moment?”

“Of course. If you’re really using the Eye of Truth, I hear it can take a while for its activation.”

“Yea, exactly.” Ada agreed while secretly calling up the System in her head. She was brimming with curiosity on the identity of this entity in front of her.