Chapter 499: The Goddess's Embodiment

Lei En didn't know how to describe the lady before him.

Her appearance was flawless, like a masterpiece crafted by the supreme Master of art over a lifetime, yet it seemed naturally perfect, and her tall figure was of golden‑proportion, without the slightest flaw.

Her skin was dewy and luminous, contrasting with black, waterfall‑like hair tied at the back with a violet band; she wore a simple, elegant dark silk robe, its waist lightly bound with jeweled cords, faintly revealing a waist so slender it could not be grasped, and the full curves below.

When she stood, the sides of the silk robe split apart, vaguely revealing a pair of long, rounded, slender legs that sparked endless imagination.

Lei En involuntarily held his breath.

He had seen a few such peerless beauties before.

Purely in terms of beauty, Viola and Oxi Liya were no match for her, and his own student Perarice could also compare.

However, they were all mortals, and in temperament they differed by more than a step.

The lady's first impression was mysterious; within her seemingly black eyes streamed multicolored rays, dotted with starlight, as if containing endless truth, drawing people to explore, and unwittingly trapping them beyond escape.

Anyone who saw her at first glance would never forget, unable to believe such beauty could exist in the world.

In fact, she truly was not a 'human' but a 'god'!

Lei En, after a momentary daze upon entering the hall, quickly recovered and saw his faint flame of faith shift direction, turning toward her.

This revealed the other's identity.

The seemingly frail beautiful lady was in fact one of the world's most renowned and powerful deities, the God of Magic!

Although this was likely only an embodiment of her divine power, the strength she possessed was unimaginable to mortals, and with a mere gesture she could unleash terrifying might.

The embodiment of the God of Magic has descended!

No wonder the castle's atmosphere grew so strange, for the entire castle had been folded into their divine realm.

Lei En, the instant he sensed the anomaly, shut off his Soul Eye to avoid a backlash that might blind him.

Truth Willpower also repelled the inadvertent aura shock emitted by the deity's embodiment.

At the same time, his mind remained calm, not losing composure.

Lei En saw a faint smile on her beautiful face and sensed that the deity's embodiment harbored no malice, so he, as if meeting an old friend, entered the hall without pausing, walked to her, bowed, and said:

"Greetings, Lady."

Simultaneously, he courteously bent down, extended his right hand, palm upward.

This was the Empire aristocratic hand‑kiss salute, usually used when a man meets a woman to show respect.

Given Lei En's current status, few women would merit a hand‑kiss salute from him, but the lady before him certainly did, and his gesture even bordered on presumptuous.

A slender, beautiful hand rose to his, resting on Lei En's palm, sending a warm, gentle sensation that made his heart flutter, yet she bowed naturally, placed a fleeting kiss on the back of his hand, then released and stepped back.

Even with a hundred more courage, he would not dare a real kiss.

Being able to touch the god's small hand was enough bragging material for a lifetime!

"Lei En, you are the boldest mortal I have ever met, daring to take advantage of a deity," a mellifluous voice whispered in his ear, carrying a faint ethereal quality, yet indescribably pleasant, lingering in his mind.

"This is to express my highest respect to you, Lady."

Lei En straightened, meeting a pair of black eyes that seemed to speak.

Even without the Soul Eye, he could confirm the God of Magic was not angry, but rather somewhat appreciative, her smile widening.

Another detail: they referred to themselves as "Lei En," not as a mortal.

Calling by name felt intimate.

This was his third close encounter with a deity, perhaps unique in Ai Lun E Si's mortal world, giving him some insight into divine temperaments. Though they are lofty, they share the same joys and sorrows as mortals; a deity's personality usually depends on their divine office.

The God of Magic's tolerance is renowned worldwide, and they do not hide their favoritism toward spellcasters, especially Empire wizards.

This is clearly recorded in books.

Lei En, in Weizelan's Grand Library, found a tome documenting the God of Magic's deeds among mortals, listing hundreds who had been fortunate enough to see the deity, most of whom were the most gifted wizards.

According to them, the God of Magic's most common trait was tolerance and friendliness, followed by supreme wisdom and brilliance, embodying the truth of magic.

Even if someone inadvertently offended the deity with brazen behavior, they would not become angry.

Of course, being a great deity, most people are obsequious and trembling before them, some unable to stand steady, revealing their clumsiness.

Lei En summarized these experiences and reached a conclusion.

That the God of Magic values daring and clever mortals whose wisdom far exceeds ordinary people; even if such a person is not their follower, they will show sufficient tolerance, treat them as a friend, and jointly explore magic and knowledge.

They may be the being who holds the deepest magical knowledge in the world, yet they are not omniscient or omnipotent, and there are many things they do not understand.

In short, one must let the God of Magic see one's own spark.

Lei En knew why the goddess sent her embodiment; she must have read the proposal he wrote and sensed the massive potential behind it.

He probed a little and indeed confirmed the rumor.

The God of Magic gave Lei En a few scrutinizing looks, and Lei En took the chance to admire this revered being; her appearance was both beautiful and youthful, seeming just over twenty at a glance, brimming with youth; yet on closer inspection she seemed like a mature woman, each smile and frown exuding charm.

"Lady," Lei En bowed again.

Mortal followers usually call the God of Magic "Mysterious Lady," but when directly facing them, a simple "Lady" suffices. After she sat down again, he took his seat opposite her, posture very relaxed.

"My highest respect..." VijesCui said lightly, "From your past experiences, I cannot see any respect you hold for me."

She clasped her hands to her chest, outlining a breathtaking rise and fall.

At the same time, her legs crossed beneath the robe, revealing a slender white calf; Lei En then noticed she was barefoot, yet her face wore a half‑smile, her tone like interrogation. Her words were clear: she had already investigated Lei En, or had been watching him for some time.

This made Lei En's heart skip a beat, his gaze silently sweeping over her beautiful scenery.

"Lady, my mother is your most devout follower; she taught me from childhood to devote herself to you, to the greatest brilliance of wisdom. It is because of my mother's guidance that I embarked on the path of magic," Lei En said emotionally, "In my eyes, Lady is the greatest deity in the world, without doubt."

"Is that so?" VijesCui replied noncommittally, "When was the last time you prayed to me?"

"Um..."

Lei En was instantly at a loss for words.

He thought his last prayer had been about half a month ago.

That night, while resting at Red Dragon Keep and bathing, he remembered and muttered a couple of lines, not even finishing the prayer.

Two years ago, he bore Luo Xi's "Conflict Mark"; to wear it down he prayed once daily, sometimes two or three times, during that period. When the mark vanished, he prayed only once every ten days to half a month, perfunctorily.

When busy he would cast his faith aside, and at most three months passed without prayer.

By a believer's standards, Lei En barely qualifies as a shallow believer; a little more laziness would place him among non‑believers, and after death, if an Abyssal evil god took interest, his soul might be dragged into the Abyss.

Lei En grew uneasy, cold sweat breaking out on his back.

"From now on you must pray to me every day," VijesCui instructed. Seeing Lei En nodding repeatedly like a chick pecking grain, she smiled with satisfaction, as if the earlier questioning had been a joke. She shifted to a more comfortable sitting posture, her fingers lightly flicked, emitting a stream of light that formed a stack of golden pages floating in the air between them.

It was precisely the plan document that Lei En had written.

The pages fluttered rapidly, each page filled with text.

"The matter you asked Anxiwodasi to pray for, I have already received," the God of Magic sat up straight, his expression turning serious, "the Dragonborn abandoning faith in Ba Ha Mu Te, whose idea was that?"

Lei En replied truthfully, "That was Her Majesty Ai Mi Li Si's own thought."

"She has taken the initiative."

VijesCui gave a nonchalant reply, yet Lei En could tell the deity was being disingenuous.

The Dragonborn family's restoration, from proposing the plan, seeking the Weizelan Wizards' assistance, to the entire war of landing on Kangjiatuo, she watched from the heavens the whole time, unknown how many covert moves she made, her shadow was everywhere.

If the deity didn't want to stir trouble, the Zhuo Geng Bao dynasty could never restore so easily.

Ai Mi Li Si's proposal to change faith was precisely because she guessed the goddess's intention and deliberately accommodated it. Otherwise the deity would not have, upon seeing this plan, immediately descend an incarnation to seek her.

"You may tell that Dragonborn queen that I can accept her worship," VijesCui said calmly, "but the condition is that she must, within a hundred years, convert the entire populace of the Zhuo Geng Bao Principality, not just herself."

"She need not worry about Ba Ha Mu Te and the gods of Kangjiatuo."

"You may go ahead and do it."

"If the Dragonborn queen executes it well, I can grant her a Chosen One slot, making her my representative in Kangjiatuo."

Chosen One is the Divine Chosen!

Lei En was somewhat surprised; in his impression, all of the God of Magic's Divine Chosen were spellcasters, mostly Wizards, then Mages, with very few Warlocks.

Ai Mi Li Si is a Dragonborn Apostle.

This extraordinary vocation casts spells through bloodline and instinct; although powerful, it lacks deep study of magical knowledge, not truly a spellcaster, and conflicts with the God of Magic's doctrine.

Yet the deity promised to grant Ai Mi Li Si the status of Divine Chosen, an immense blessing.

Lei En sprang to his feet, shouting, "On behalf of Ai Mi Li Si, I thank the lady for her assistance. Rest assured, lady, it will not take a hundred years; at most fifty, the fifteen million subjects of the Zhuo Geng Bao and Ao Gu Si Du Principality will offer their loyalty to you."

VijesCui's face showed a smile, clearly pleased with Lei En's answer.

"Sit down."

"Now, tell me about your matter."

Lei En, somewhat bewildered, sat down; before he steadied himself, he heard the deity continue, "Have you ever seen Ban Er Kou?"

He nearly jumped up, his mind racing.

Throughout the Empire, who doesn't know that the God of Magic most despises the Black Emperor Ban Er Kou; the relationship between the two deities is tangled, rumors say they were enemies even before ascending to godhood, spanning countless years, causing their followers to be in endless conflict.

Lei En dared not conceal, "Yes, I have seen the deity's incarnation on the Sai En Plateau; how would the lady know?"

"Hmph."

VijesCui let out two cold snorts, her face like frost, not directed at Lei En but because she thought of her most hated mortal enemy.

"I didn't know at first, but when I saw you, I smelled Ban Er Kou's unique disgusting odor," she stared at Lei En, "What did he give you?"

Lei En felt a chill as a deity stared at him.

It wasn't fear of the God of Magic targeting him, nor worry of retaliation, but because he harbored something most secret in his mind: a MutatedPhone. Though he turned it off the moment he discovered the goddess's identity, with a deity's power and might, if the phone were exposed and attracted attention, it would be disastrous.

"Lady, the deity gave me this."

Lei En instantly retrieved an iron crown from the dimensional space, diverting the other's attention.

"For mortals, that's all his tricks. To lure you, to trap you in his clutches, he even spared so much divine power," VijesCui said with an unsurprised expression, then a hint of satisfaction, "You didn't put it on?"

"I dare not," Lei En replied earnestly.

"Not bad, sometimes resisting temptation requires greater courage," VijesCui praised, glancing at the iron crown on the table, a mix of disdain and hesitation in her eyes, "Keep it."

"Lady?" Lei En exclaimed in astonishment.

"Destroying it would alert Ban Er Kou," VijesCui sneered, "He gave you this iron crown, surely set another plot, perhaps waiting for me to fall. I want to see what tricks he will play this time."

Lei En discerned it.

This is a struggle between two mighty deities, and I am caught between them, like a goblin that wanders into a battle of two colossal dragons, easily torn to pieces, with no place to be buried.

"Why does your fighting involve me? Why drag a weak mortal like me into it!"

Lei En harbored resentment, yet dared not refuse.

VijesCui seemed to read Lei En's thoughts, smiling faintly, "Ban Er Kou gave you the iron crown, I will not be stingy; this is your reward," she said, producing a crystal bottle that floated gently before Lei En.

At this moment Lei En lacked the Soul Eye, but could see that the crystal bottle contained a peculiar magical soul, and he immediately widened his eyes.

The renovation next door had the electric drill running all day—damn, my head is about to explode!

(End of Chapter)