LBF Chapter 22 Secretive Gods

"Young master, he's still at Purple city 67." A man dressed like a butler in a well tailored black suit reported to the man seated on the other end of a desk. The man was dressed casually, but had his fingers crossed in front of himself.

This room about the size of a study. Soft orange light was cascading from the light build above in waves like water. A very interesting phenomenon being caused by a treasure. But judging from the butler and the youth with purple eyes' expressions, this wasn't a surprising thing as they were already used to such things.

The man was Nino Butwa. Currently his face was marred by a frown. He appeared to be considering something intently, his head resting in the joined fingers.

"There is no need to monitor him. He will come back himself when the poison truly acts up. He's just a minor character." What Nino left unsaid was that if the guy didn't coincidentally arrive when he was in this city, he wouldn't have cared. That demigod's record of slaughtering ten demigods wasn't as illustrious in Pantheon city. Here demigods had plenty of means to kill him instantly, after all there were simply many treasures capable of enhancing the combat strength of demigods. A country bumpkin from outside this spacial dimension had no idea how powerful the truly epic demigods were!

"Have you managed to get any concrete information on what I asked of you?" Nino asked seriously.

"Young master, so far they haven't made an appearance, but they will surely do in these few days." The butler answered. He was the same man who had driven Damien to the mansion.

"They must be after that new material that famous elemental syntgesizer managed to make. Have you managed to pry out what he has managed to synthesize?" Nino asked.

"Not yet. He has been tightlipped about it. Even his circle of friends haven't been able to get anything from him." The butler answered and respectfully waited.

"How do we get information out of him? We can't poison him as he is too important and his connections would immediately bear down on us." Nino said while he rhythmically tapped onto the wooden table.

"Young master, why is he so important?" The butler asked earning a glare which ultimately softened.

"You have been following me for some time and can be considered loyal...so I will tell you..."

"...this is a secret mostly among gods and some of their descendants. According to what I have discovered from my research, the moment a demigod ascends, its the moment that hard work starts." Nino started. He leaned back into his chair trying to make himself comfortable signifying that this was going to be a lengthy reveal.

The butler didn't dare to sit down so he could only stand at the side waiting for his young master to continue.

"The unfathomable being who constructed Pantheon city left behind some words before she left, 'the god realm is the beginning of effort. A god has to become a researcher if they want to advance.'" Nino appeared to have gained a profound expression when he said that.

"These new elements we call secondary elements are the materials the gods need for research. They hoard the really rare ones and only leave those that are in abundance to us. The problem is that except for temporary enhancement, we demigods can't use them to enhance our powers permanently before ascension." Nino gripped his fists. The butler knew that it was a sign that his young master was excited.

"We are only scratching the tip of the iceberg as demigods. The gods refer to the secondary elements as evolved elements...elements far superior to the basic elements we use!"

"What...!?" The butler was shocked.

"That was my reaction too when I found out. So the five gods who rule the domains collect some of the rarest and start researching them. So far I don't know much about what it is that those things can do, but I want to find out!"

"In order to do that, I must find a way to connect myself to the people who collect those resources."

'The really important reason is that some of those secondary elemental particles which have all the particles of the seven elements can also affect a demigod permanently, like the god fruit!' He grinned at the thought. The battle for that treasure was about to start.

"That researcher is one of those few people held in high regard by the gods themselves! So don't ever do anything that would cause problems for me." Nino warned before sending the man off.

"Let's see...so far he has managed to create a substance with six elements, so he's a six element synthesizer, the only one so far who has managed to reach that level within all of Pantheon city. I need to cozy up to him so that when he creates a seven elemental material, I would have a chance of getting it." Nino mumbled to himself. His ambition was huge. Many of his relatives simply wanted to manage an area or city in the Purple domain but he wanted more! His goal wasn't just to become a god. No no no...he wanted to reach the same level as that unfathomable being who created this city!

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"Miss Flame. Thank you very much for your help. Now I want to wander around the city, would you like to come with me?" Damien asked as politely as possible. She had managed to dispel a hidden danger for him so he had to show some courtesy. He actually wanted to move by himself so that he could plan for his revenge.

"There is a place I want you to go with me." Nina said while looking at him with her golden pupils. She appeared serious. She was also biting her lips while her golden eyes gazed within his red.

'I shouldn't hide that I am goddess. If he finds out later and holds negative emotions, then that would be bad for the relationship. If I display my strength and he shows any signs of jealousy, it would be better if I cut ties with him immediately.' Nina contemplated.

"...ah! Okay!" Damien was caught off guard but he decided to accept.

'Is there some great unknown place in this city? Since she knows the place, then it will be better if she leads the way.' He thought before standing up from the bench. He felt that his legs appeared a little stiff. Seating on the desk for such a long time had caused it.

'I didn't think the fabled Pantheon city would be like the normal Earth cities!' He thought in amazement. He had thought that everything was going to be luxurious but now he felt that this was normal. Not everyone in this city would be able to become rich.

"Hmm!?" As he was looking at the moon ring above lost in his thoughts, he felt a hand on his shoulder. Since the clothes he wore were created through his abilities, he felt as if the hand was directly touching his skin. It was soft and warm. He even felt that it should stay there for a long time.

'No no no...Damien! Be realistic!' He shook his head.

As he was still getting rid of the thought, he felt the space shifting. It was so smooth, way better than his crude manipulation! That caused him to take a look at his side...

The woman who had been a bit goddess-like now radiated an aura of a genuine goddess! Her golden hair had a few golden embers dancing through the strands and her golden eyes were bright and blazing, like torches!

'Could it be!? How could I be so lucky?' As he compared the recently popular circulating conversation, his eyes widened when he reached a certain conclusion.

"Are you scared of my power? Terrified? Envious? Or do you feel inferior." Nina asked, she didn't even look at him, her gaze indifferent, like the lofty being that she was.

"Why would I be?" Damien asked back, causing her indifferent mask to crack.

"I will eventually reach the same level as you. If I don't, then I will die with no regrets. There is no reason for me to worship or resent you, not to mention jealousy." Damien's words caused Nina's mind to black out. He was oozing with a massive amount of confidence. With her enhanced senses, she was sure he wasn't lying or trying to act strong.

"So...why are you interested in me?" Damien asked with seriousness. Now that he knew her true identity, there was no way that she was just interested in him romantically. There was no way a goddess would be interested in him.

"I genuinely want to get into a romantic relationship with you." She answered without even so much as a blush appearing on her cheeks.

"Don't lie to me." Damien dismissed her answer as a simple joke. There was absolutely no way that was true!

Nina felt a bit of exasperation. This guy wasn't about to believe what she was saying.

'But I can't really let him go...I can't even prove my budding feelings as I don't really trust him enough yet.' She thought.

'I need to come up with something that will allow him to stay by my side.' Her brain worked furiously as various landscapes, like images in a mirror appeared in the bubble that they were in. These landscapes were the various lands of Pantheon city. She was travelling through the space tunnel as slowly as possible to allow herself ample time with him.

"Okay, I will tell you my true purpose...do you know how gods are supposed to advance?" She asked.

"Hmmmm...so far I haven't heard of many things. As you know I have just arrived at Pantheon city...such information isn't exactly available in the galaxy as gods are very very rarely seen, not to mention interacting with them." Damien answered but, her question had piqued his interest.

'Even that guy didn't so much as deign to meet me when I was dating his daughter.'

"I have also just found out after gazing at a certain tablet within the central tower. In order for gods to advance, they have to construct a three level soul alter and place their divinity on it...of course it is constructed level by level, not all at once..."

"...the problem comes from the materials needed. According to what I read, it needs to be constructed from level seven synthetic elements. It means that a material must contain all the seven fundamental elements. This material isn't just a merging of the seven elements like the things the gods can create, but an integration, turning the material into something like a divinity. What separates a divinity from seven elemental items created by gods is that, it can never be unseparated! That is the most important reason. No matter how a god tries, their divinity can never once again display traces of a single element. Even those with simple divinities like flames...they aren't normal flames but a seven elemental flame...something divine."

Damien nodded he could understand. Even at the demigod level, he could make his nascent divinity display traits of the elements, but he couldn't take it apart into the individual elements. What she was talking about was something like merging electrons to create an atom.

"When I arrived at Pantheon city, the current city lord gave all kinds of excuses and refused to meet me. I searched for the reason and found out that even though that god from Earth had arranged for peace, gods don't interact with other gods. Each god keeps to themselves and everything they discover is secret. It is the reason I never knew about the conditions for advancement before my arrival at Pantheon city..."

"...but there have been rumors of a new type of profession that has been on the rise lately...synthesis engineers. They are able to merge different elemental particles with the use of a catalyst to form entirely new elemental items...items comparable to nascent divinities."

When she finished, Damien entered deep into thought.

"So, what do you need me for?" He asked.

"I need you to take up such a profession." She answered.

"What!? I have been a warrior all my life. I can't take up such a job!" He refused.

"You will need to, if you want to advance beyond godhood. Among those gods, many were warriors like you, but now, they can seclude themselves in their labs for hundreds of years without stepping out at all." She said.

'Do I really need to take up such a profession?' Damien started wondering. This was a serious matter. If it had any chance of raising his prowess then he might need to take up the profession.

"Don't worry, we will study it together. I am also a beginner. By working together, we can help ourselves." She reassured.

'By doing this, I can keep you at my side!' Nina fist pumped inside.

"By the way, where are you taking me?" He asked.

"To the center of this entire continent, the hub where all the five color domains collide. There, you will have the greatest chance to develop, instead of this place which is at the fringe."

"Is the center of the continent really that special?" He asked. Nino had said the same thing.

"That is the place where the truly precious resources are." She answered.

"Are you planning to start something?" Damien asked as he beheld her. She had this air of ambitiousness. He could feel it instinctively.

"For now I want to first familiarise myself with the secrets I have just learnt. But I don't plan to stay mediocre. I want to create a group...a faction only loyal to me." She said.

"Don't you have your clan?" He asked.

"They are just a bunch of cowards wanting to ride on my coattails." She said, her expression showing a bit of loneliness.

"..." Damien didn't know how to comfort her so he just kept quiet instead.

"So, I will be the first member of your faction?" He asked after seeing that the silence had gone for long enough.

"No, you...will be different. We will be like equals. Though, there is a certain woman from one of the prominent clans who has been assigned as my secretary. I feel that she has a dislike for me, so can you help me come up with a way to get rid of her?" She asked.

"If she doesn't like you, then why does she work for you?" He asked on puzzlement.

"That's also something I am curious about."