<~> Chapter 191I stared off to the side, unsure how I felt about the revetion. "So to be clear... I died in my previous world. There would be no way for me to go back, even if I wao."

  "Not as you were," Sorsette replied. "Velehe goddess of life and reination is only able to take the souls of the deceased from other pnes. Other pnes don't always have magid if they do, it doesn't always work in the same way that ours does. It's theoretically possible for you to return to your inal pne in your current form but that kind of magic has not been researched in favor of more pressing s. The only people ied enough to i resources into learning that art are, naturally, other world travelers. The knowledge is esoteriough that not much of it has been collected in my libraries. If this is truly a path you would like to take, I won't disce you. However, I do hope that you are more ied in saving this realm rather thaurning to your previous one."

  I shook my head. "No, I don't think I want to return. Not anytime soon anyway. I have friends and lovers here and I'm already somewhat ied in the dire of this world. I would rather make a life and home for my lovers here than run away when I don't even have memories of my previous life."

  Sorsette gave a sigh of relief. "That's good."

  "But I am being increasingly ed by your iment i's ohing to realize that I'm not actively pushing for a war in the pocket of Felketh and the Tamin church but you're ag like I'm much more important than just a bystander. What am I missing here? Why have you been trying so hard to win me over?"

  She frowned aed the side of her fa her fist. "You're in a unique crossroad. Uable and already off the rails from most prophecies about you. I would like to earn your trust so that we may help each other to do what is best for this world. Strehe sapient races to tame the wilds and protect our knowledge. Through quirks of the system and too many gods putting their hands on the scale, you're quickly being powerful. Level fifty in little over a month is ridiculous."

  I raised an eyebrow. "A lot of those levels were just from having sex... I'm not as strong as someone of my level should be."

  "True," she aowledged. "And though your pace has been limited after you reached your test milestone, I still see great potential in you and your ability tthen those around you. You also stumbled over it practically as a babe, but it's not as if I reize mortals for no reason. Your is and unique perspective from your previous world have already expahe scope of the system's magione before you seem to have found su immediate i in light magic, you see potential in it where even I dismissed the school of magic as a minor field of utility at best. Your presence has also drawn Fortuna into increasing the scope of system magic when she had previously not been ied in tributing. I do not trust her aims but every tribution increases the survivability of the sapient races. The catalyst for all of this is you. You are a nexus of possibilities, I think that is the true reason you keep appearing in all of these prophecies. Just as Charon has reized, you are a of ge on this world. Your as will have serious sequences iimes ahead of us."

  I scratched the base of my horn while I tried to take all of this in. "I don't uand something... You're saying these prophecies are simutions but if that's the case, how did they predibsp;me? And if they all predicted my ing, then why 't they predict my as now that I am here?"

  Sorsette leaned ba her chair and stared at the ceiling. "Hmm... I feel as though our versation is being lost in transtion. Simution," she repeated herself, as if tasting the word. "That isn't the most accurate word to use here but I ot find another word in yuage that properly expressed the idea. It is... simir to a simution but it includes... known markers outside the ruleset." She shook her head. "It's difficult to expin. There are reasons that some things are known but others aren't. It doesn't truly matter, all you o uand is that our prophecies khat your ing was determiually but your as are not. The scales of the simutions are too different, it's like trying to predict the weather by predig the movement of the gaxy. Regardless, I'm happy to see an ally in you rather than another eo sapient life. Ohing I do know for sure is that your nature is uedly of a kind and g one, not the malicious and cruel ohat was expected. Ynifi this iion point ot be uated and that's why I am so determio woo you to my side."

  "Your side..." I sighed. "What would this entail? I'm already teically your follower without any of my input. I'm not even as disturbed about it as I may have been if seemed like it ut on me against my will and the boon you gave me for it has already been useful."

  She smiled and sat up in her chair. "For now all that I ask is that you tio grow stronger and act as you have been. tio fight for what you believe to be just and right. Grow stroo better protect your loved ones and yrowing family. Do not worry about the prophecy, worry only about your as and what they mean to you. I will do what I to support you and wheime es for the gods to csh, I may call on you as a champion or something simir."

  "A champion... So in the end, all of this is leading up to me fighting in your pce?" I asked.

  "A war between the gods is ing. I only wish for you to fight alongside me and my followers rather than uhe banners of another, or worse yet, the Tamin Church." When I scoffed at the idea she ughed and tinued. "There is still much we don't know about the Tamin churd why their as seem so tradictory. I fear that in the end, you could side with them against me. If I have missed something and there truly is justification for their as, then I trust you to help guide me to the best path. What I seek in the end is for sapient life to flourish with a book in their hand. The only way I lose is for all life to cease or for all knowledge to be lost. Ideally, we do not fight at all but this is not an oute that I believe is possible any longer."

  I scratched the base of my horn and leaned ba my chair. "I suppose that I have no reason to refuse. I still feel as though you've helped me and I don't feel like you've coerced me or pushed me to do something that I wouldn't already have done. Even with the system, as suspicious as I've been, it is true that none of the abrupt ges, like no longer being a demon, have been something that I was unhappy about. You've already cimed me as a follower of Sorsette, so I suppose I accept."

  Sorsette beamed at my response. "Great. Hold out your hand for me." She held out her right hand and I took it, expeg her to shake it. Instead, she took my hand and twisted my arm to reveal the inner side of my arm. The white crest Charon had given me suddenly became visible and below that crest, a sed oarted to appear. "This is my blessing of innovation. As you learhings and tio expand the scope of the system, this will help you grow even more. I would still keep it secret but it will at least make your other mark less... suspicious if fouo mine. Charon very seldom gets involved so his mark of ge is not well known. I would still not show either of them to other churches however. At least for now."

  Once her mark finished appearing I used my shifting magic to hide the two marks on my arm again. She let go of me and leaned ba her chair with a smile on her face. "If you ever lose your membership card to my libraries I am sure that every library that belongs to me will reize that mark and give you services in lieu of it. As long as you take no a that iionally threatens all sapient life or my domain of knowledge, I will reize your blessing and our friendship going forward even if you take as that I do not agree with. Do you have any more questions for me while I still have your ear?" she asked.

  I tapped on the chair in thought. "Do you know of a way to circumvent the twins' colrs?"

  "Ah... I suppose I should have expected this question. I'm afraid the colrs of the pantharians are created using a very unique curse perfected by Torlimal's royal family. You are unfortunately not the first to ask me if there is a way to free either a single pantharian or their entire race, and I will have to give you the same answer I have given all of them. vihe king of Torlimal to free them himself, or end his bloodlihose are the only two ways."

  I grimaced. The answer was unfortu not ued. "What about turning them into succubi?" I asked.

  She shook her head. "No, that will not work either. The colrs were applied as a punishment for their historical aptitude as assassins but the wearer need not be a pantharian for the curse to persist. There are in fact many sves of other races in service to the royal family who are wearing this same type of colr but pantharians are the only ohat are regurly seen by the general popuce wearing that distinctive cursed colr. Most others that wear the colr are extremely powerful criminals that the royal family has decided they still have a use for, using them on pantharians was a frankly disgustingly overkill punishment by the ruler here feions ago. It also ot be removed by mages with aptitude in spatial magic such as your mimic girlfriend and the diviher ot or will not grant you a boon to aplish this. I am sorry for the unfortunate news."

  "And you?" I asked.

  She shook her head with a frown. "I ot. It is not for pathy or a desire to support svery. I am merely uo remove curses in a way that would not also kill them. I am sorry."

  "Damn," I said to myself.

  Sorsette shifted in her chair. "With the state of the city however you may be able to ingratiate yourself with the current king enough to free them. I doubt the King would ever agree to free all of the pantharians, but he may be willing to free Man and Torien for a suffit deed in his name."

  I let out a heavy sigh. "I don't find myself keen to help the man muder the circumstances. Perhaps if he had a demon problem but I won't help him quell a sve rebellion stemming from suppressed colrs."

  "I am having some of my followers look into this situation as well. Should I inform you if they find anythied to the situation?" she asked.

  I quirked an eyebrow at her. "I wouldn't mind more information but... I didn't expect direct assistance from a god in that manner..."

  She ughed. "I'm the goddess of knowledge. Surely sharing a bit of knowledge through my work of followers wouldn't be too strange for me, would it? Especially not if the head librarian were to be the one sending the letters."

  I shook my head wearing a wry smile. "This was not how I expected our retionship to go."

  Sorsette rexed into her chair. "I'm not like many of the ods that believe themselves to be far above the mortals. I hold great respect for the people who expand my domain every day. They struggle, fight, and experiment to enrich other's lives with the fruits of their search. To me the struggle for the sapient races' survival is more than just how many followers I have, I respebsp;all mortals in a way that I suspect very few ods do."

  I smiled. "I'm gd."

  [Priest of Knowledge and Innovation css unlocked][Priest of Knowledge and Innovation] level 1Unlock dition: Believe in the mission of the Goddess enough to show others the way as well. Priests of Sorsette gain improved reading speed and prehension per level. Gain 5 Will per css level. This css grants the ability to learn and use minor divine variants of are magic. Gain skills reted to reading, writing, and unication easier.

  My eyebrows rose and I refocused on Sorsette who looked just as surprised as I did. "Oh, did I win you over that much?" She ughed. "That css may be useful to unlock the Will attribute for you, though I would reend against leveling that css in the long run. It has useful abilities for my priests, librarians, and scribes, but the abilities would be far less useful to an adventurer and traveler such as yourself. Your time would be better spent on other pursuits."

  She gnced off into space for a moment before turning bae. "I'm afraid we've been talking for a while now. It would be best if we rejoined your friends and I got an update on what's happening iy. I appreciated this versation and I'll tio watch over you."

  I furrowed my brows. "You don't like... watch me when I'm having sex do you?"

  Sorsette's cheeks turned pink and there was a long pause. "Not... iionally. Though... with the number of system updates that have happened during your various escapades it's been difficult not to... peek from time to time."

  I sighed.

  Saine

  Hello! Lots of juicy lore tidbits in this one! Also the ao several questions that have been wondered about for a long time, especially regarding the colrs the twins wear. It looks like Sorsette has also solidified herself as being in Lilith's er, we'll see how that ges things with various groups going forward. There is a tiny bit more to this versation in the chapter but this is the end of the major stuff so I hope you e! Things are really starting to heat up now, hope you're excited!

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