“Indeed, the archaeologist who vowed never to show his face to me again—what brings you here now?”
A touch of sarcasm laced Huang Dong-gyeong’s words. Back then… hmm. It was justified, I suppose.
After all the hardship endured to secure the artifact, when he just handed over some money and a letter before taking it away—who wouldn’t get angry?
Well, that’s in the past. Now is now.
“I’m looking for something, but I’ve hit my limit alone and need assistance.”
“Hmm… I don’t know what you’re searching for, but judging by the fact that you came to me, it must be something extraordinary. So, do you need money?”
“Not just money, hence why I say this. I’ve heard that among the dwarves, there exists an ultra-restricted area known as the Dwarven Archives.”
At my words, Huang Dong-gyeong slightly widened his eyes in surprise before speaking.
“The Dwarven Archives? Why are you seeking those?”
“What I’m searching for now… is knowledge that hasn’t been preserved by humans. I’ve also heard that the dwarves’ obsession with records surpasses human imagination. Perhaps, within their archives, we might find things humanity has forgotten.”
“Hmm…”
Huang Dong-gyeong stroked his golden beard, lost in thought.
Would he grant me access to the Dwarven Archives?
I can’t tell. I think the chances are fifty-fifty, but… hmm.
Who knows, maybe Huang Dong-gyeong will set other conditions.
“There has been no precedent for humans entering the Archives, but… considering you helped recover the Great Earth Shatterer, I’ll try to put in some effort.”
“Really?”
“But there’s a condition.”
“Condition?”
Huang Dong-gyeong’s golden gaze fixed directly on me.
I could see greed lurking in the corners of his eyes, but with no choice, I had to follow his terms.
“Become my protégé.”
“Protégé?”
“Yes. Though I don’t know what you’re searching for… seeing how you tracked me down despite vowing never to meet again, it must be something extraordinary.”
I couldn’t really respond.
Would Huang Dong-gyeong believe me if I told him I was searching for clues about the King of the Gods?
No, worse still, should I even casually mention the existence of such a being?
“You promise half the rights to whatever you discover. If you agree, I’ll support you as your patron. Whether tangible objects or intangible knowledge, half the rights belong to me. Of course, if you need help, I’ll assist to the best of my ability, and if you need funds, I’ll provide them. A talented tomb raider like yourself—no, archaeologist—deserves such treatment. How does sharing credit as co-discoverer sound?”
“Half…”
“Whether it’s physical artifacts or abstract knowledge—the rights split evenly. Naturally, I’ll offer maximum support whenever needed, and financial backing too. Someone of your caliber deserves this much. You’d share discovery credit; sounds fair, right?”
Beneath his golden beard, Huang Dong-gyeong’s lips curled into a greedy smile.
Should I accept this proposal from this greedy dwarf?
No, wait. I don’t even have a choice here. What am I deliberating about?
If I don’t take his hand, I won’t gain anything, but if I do, I’ll receive sponsorship from one of the richest dwarves around.
I have no room to hesitate.
“Fine. I promise to hand over half the rights to whatever I find.”
“Good decision.”
Huang Dong-gyeong extended his short arm toward me. His hands, unused to wielding hammers for a long time, lacked calluses—an un-dwarfish pair of hands.
I didn’t refuse his greedy handshake.
“So, care to tell me what exactly you’re searching for?”
Of course, he’d ask this.
I glanced behind me at the door.
Is it safe to speak freely in this room? Will anyone outside hear my voice?
“Hmm. Are you worried about voices leaking out?”
As if reading my concern, Huang Dong-gyeong pressed something on his desk.
A faint magical barrier descended along the walls.
“This…?”
“A precaution to maintain secrecy. Voices won’t escape this barrier. It cost quite a bit, but it works splendidly.”
Indeed, a mana stone-powered barrier. Very dwarvish.
Thus, within this confidential space, I revealed to Huang Dong-gyeong what I was searching for.
– – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – –
One year. Another year spent with Sagarmatha.
Not too bad, really… Sometimes other children would visit and spend time together.
Though, Sagarmatha always looked displeased whenever they came…
“Isn’t she your sibling? Why the discontent?”
“But Mom, I want her all to myself right now…”
“Tsk, I’m not something to monopolize.”
I gave a light tap on Sagarmatha’s muttering head.
“Well, thanks to you, I’ve managed to relax and handle various tasks.”
The duties of the Goddess of Life were somewhat automated, the Creator Dragon God-related lizardman issues handled appropriately, and Cloud Whale seemed to have matured enough to start doing its job properly.
With fewer disputes between races and more problems caused by gods lately, everything felt calmer recently. Occasionally, children would visit and spend time with me.
Hmm. Should’ve automated things earlier. Convenience truly is king, isn’t it?
Thanks to occasional requests for help from Baal, life became rather leisurely.
“Gaia!!”
Well, until now.
“Baal. Haven’t I repeatedly told you to notify me beforehand when visiting?”
Because of this, Sagarmatha sitting next to me turned furious once again. Her red face resembled an active volcano ready to erupt.
“Forget that! Help me! I can’t take it anymore!”
“Hmm? Can’t take what?”
“Those idiotic gods! They’ve escalated from personal conflicts to outright factional territorial battles!”
Territorial battles…? What’s that about?
“What did you do to cause these territorial disputes?”
“It wasn’t me! They’re just fighting amongst themselves over territories!”
What exactly is going on here?
“Explain further. Calmly.”
After pulling Sagarmatha onto my lap and covering her eyes gently to prevent her from blowing up, I asked Baal for details.
“So…”
– – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – –
From Baal’s explanation, I understood the general situation.
Currently, among the gods—whether it’s called a trend or not—it’s unclear. Anyway, there’s a land-grab war happening where gods steal each other’s believers’ faith.
Since gods derive their power from human belief, having more followers makes them stronger.
This constant conflict among gods wanting more faith was mediated by Baal, the King of the Gods, until now.
But now, gods have formed factions with culturally similar or allied deities, creating blocs that raid others’ believers’ faith.
In short, what we might call a “religious war.”
Even as Baal suppresses individual gods, other allied gods continue their activities. Suppressing too many at once leaves a vacuum for other problems to arise.
Preventing Baal from zapping everyone with lightning during our discussion was a minor task.
“I get it. It’s like a strategic point-control simulation game, like Dynasty Warriors.”
“Dynasty Warriors? Strategic point-control simulation game?”
“Yeah, something like that.”
Basically, the religious wars over faith have reached a point where Baal alone can’t manage them.
Hmm. Sounds pretty Dynasty Warriors-esque. With Baal as the emperor figurehead, it fits.
“Anyway, gods fighting each other is causing many humans to suffer. No matter how much I intervene, it seems endless, and I don’t know what to do!”
These divine beings are truly problematic. Instead of direct combat, why not spread their beliefs peacefully?
Prohibit physical clashes among believers. If proper safeguards were in place, issues could be minimized.
“Maybe we should restrict divine earthly manifestations?”
“That might be troublesome. Restricting peaceful gods alongside the troublemakers could create new issues.”
Baal’s point made me nod. Then…
“Let’s establish rules and announce them.”
“Rules?”
“Yes. With rules in place, violations can be punished accordingly. If certain factions cause trouble, impose collective responsibility on all members, discouraging rash actions.”
“Will that be enough?”
“If not… using your authority as King of the Gods, fry those who undermine it with lightning. That should suffice, right?”
Honestly, gods causing problems isn’t new. It’s getting tiresome, so it’s time to crack down appropriately.
Establishing rules provides justification for suppression.
“Shamash can help draft these rules. Consult him. Once the rules are finalized, I can help with the announcement.”
“Got it! Thanks, Gaia! I’ll go now!”
That way, Baal left with a brighter face than when he arrived.
Sure, having rules doesn’t guarantee peace among gods.
But if they avoid exploiting loopholes, we’ll consider ourselves lucky. And with expert Shamash carefully crafting the rules…
If things get truly out of hand later, erecting a barrier to prevent divine manifestations might work.
If gods lose faith due to separation from humans, that’s their fault for causing trouble.
It’s their mistake for creating unnecessary complications.
“Mom.”
“Hmm? What is it, Sagarmatha?”
Sagarmatha, resting her head on my lap with closed eyes, quietly spoke.
“I really dislike that guy.”
After petting her grumbling head, I softly replied,
“Don’t be too harsh. Thanks to his work as King of the Gods, I have more free time.”
Had I been in Baal’s position…
Only my children and I would remain in this world.
