Chapter 70: The Lamp God: I Have an Agreement with the Lord of Mysteries

Chapter 70: The Lamp God: I Have an Agreement with the Lord of Mysteries

"Heh, it's been a long time since I've encountered a being who maintains a neutral stance," the Lamp God joined in the conversation.

"Excessive greed often invites disaster and chaos."

Hastur maintained his inscrutable demeanor, tossing out seemingly profound yet ultimately useless phrases when faced with difficult questions.

The Mother Tree of Desire spoke up, "Who else is attending this meeting?"

Hastur chuckled lightly, "Do you wish to meet the Fallen Mother Goddess?"

"That joke is not funny."

Though the Mother Tree of Desire's tone was flat, both Hastur and the Lamp God could hear the caution and hostility in her response.

The Fallen Mother Goddess and the Mother Tree of Desire were united in breaking through the initial barrier, but beyond that, their relationship was not good.

The Lamp God laughed, "Look at God and the Lord of Mysteries, their excessive greed led to their downfall. Even if the Fallen Mother Goddess wins against you, she wouldn't dare to devour you before reclaiming her essence and pathways."

The Mother Tree of Desire remained silent, and the Lamp God continued, "Subjugating you or turning you into a puppet would be more her style."

"She is no longer as she once was," the Mother Tree of Desire said with a hint of mockery.

"Indeed, among us, she is the most severely damaged."

The Mother Tree of Desire glanced at the Lamp God and sneered, "Are you sure you're not the one who's the most damaged?"

"…"

The Lamp God wanted to curse, but realized that the state of the two beings before him was much better than his.

One wielded the power of the stars, able to pull beings across vast distances and the initial barrier for a meeting, while the other lurked in the cosmos, plotting the end of days.

Even the Fallen Mother Goddess, with her essence damaged and her pathways torn, remained the most terrifying being in the cosmos, standing at the pinnacle of all outer gods.

Only he, the Child of Chaos, now had most of his true spirit imprisoned in the Wishing Lamp by the Lord of Mysteries, without freedom.

Considering the current situation, he was definitely the most miserable of the outer gods!

He should not have joined this conversation!

The Lamp God snorted coldly, "I am indeed severely damaged, but I have successfully broken through the initial barrier, already one step ahead of you. In the struggle of the end times, I may not lose to you."

Hastur, seated at the head, appeared indifferent but was seriously observing, waiting for the Mother Tree of Desire and the Lamp God to reveal more secrets about the outer gods.

Hearing the Lamp God's words, which lacked confidence, he almost wanted to laugh.

The Lamp God, sealed in the Wishing Lamp and held by Bernadette, could hardly interfere with reality unless wished upon.

"Did you intentionally get sealed by the Lord of Mysteries?" the Mother Tree of Desire asked the Lamp God, her gaze more serious.

"Heh."

The Lamp God just chuckled coldly, not answering the question.

He couldn't admit that he was tricked into the Wishing Lamp, could he?

That would be too embarrassing.

He preferred the image of stepping into the Lord of Mysteries' trap on purpose, then waiting for its downfall to seize the greatest fortune.

As for being exposed, he wasn't too worried.

Initially, many outer gods only knew that part of his true spirit was sealed in the Wishing Lamp by the Lord of Mysteries, the specifics known only to him and the Lord of Mysteries.

He was certain the Mother Tree of Desire couldn't confirm his current predicament.

Thinking this, he felt more convinced that attending this meeting was the right decision.

If he could exploit the information gap and his innate advantage of being within the initial barrier, perhaps he could get outer gods like the Mother Tree of Desire to seek a deal with him!

That way, he could return to the cosmos and restore himself before the end times.

Once restored, even if exposed, he would have nothing to fear; at worst, he could flee to the depths of the cosmos.

The only one who could expose him in advance was this inscrutable ruler of the stars.

Hastur looked at the Lamp God with a smile, silent, indicating he wouldn't reveal the Genie's true situation.

The Lamp God took heart from this.

"I fought with the Lord of Mysteries for a long time, knowing its ambitions were too great, seeking to devour other essences to ascend to higher levels, which would lead to its destruction."

"When the battle turned against me, I let myself be sealed in the Wishing Lamp by the Lord of Mysteries, taking the opportunity to hide and pass through the initial barrier to this day."

"Now that the Lord of Mysteries has fallen, though I am sealed, my status remains, and even if true gods descend, they can't do anything to me!"

Aside from the part about being sealed opportunistically, the rest of his speech was true and could withstand verification.

A mix of nine truths and one lie is the easiest way to deceive others.

The Lamp God has learned to be clever.

Hastur silently raised the Lamp God's intelligence a notch in his mind.

The Mother Tree of Desire, who had lived for countless years, naturally wouldn't easily believe the Lamp God's words.

"With the Lord of Mysteries' wisdom and ability, your little schemes couldn't possibly escape its notice."

"Heh, how do you know I'm not the Lord of Mysteries' contingency plan for resurrection?"

The Lamp God knew he needed to drop a bombshell to pique the Mother Tree of Desire's interest.

This time, the Mother Tree of Desire pondered for a moment, assessing the feasibility of this news.

She didn't trust the Lamp God's words, but she believed in the Lord of Mysteries' wisdom.

With the Lord of Mysteries' wisdom, it would have left a contingency plan. From its actions of sealing the Child of Chaos in the Wishing Lamp later on, it indeed had the idea of using the Lamp God as a backup for resurrection.

Perhaps, the Lamp God had reached some agreement with the Lord of Mysteries from the beginning.

"Your words can't make me believe."

"Oh, do you think I need to prove it to you?"

"Deals only exist between parties of equal strength, and you are not enough right now."

"Tsk, I don't mind giving your followers a hard time."

Facing the Mother Tree of Desire, the Lamp God had no fear.

In his complete state, he was one of the most powerful outer gods in the universe.

Although not on par with the Fallen Mother Goddess, God, or the Lord of Mysteries, he never considered other outer gods, roaming the cosmos without fear of the Mother Tree of Desire.

"Soon, I will perform a miracle in West Byron. If you can stop the ceremony, I will acknowledge your power."

The Mother Tree of Desire's condescending attitude annoyed the Lamp God, who coldly said, "Aren't you afraid I'll annihilate your followers there?"

"If they can't bear the grace of god, living has no value."

"Fine, I accept this challenge!" The Lamp God's attitude was very firm.

He knew he had to show his strength to be respected.

This challenge was an opportunity to bare his fangs and demonstrate his value.

He must make them understand that he had enough power to cause chaos within the initial barrier!

"What will you give in return if I complete this challenge?"

"A Devil Tarot card."

"Heh, you want to use this opportunity to corrupt Bernadette?"

"You can choose to refuse."

The Lamp God retorted, "She is my follower, keep your hands off her."

Tsk, follower.

Lamp God, you sure have thick skin. Bernadette is clearly your jailer, and now you claim her as your follower.

You're clearly taking advantage of Bernadette not knowing what's happening here, deliberately boasting to save face.

Hastur silently criticized in his mind but didn't want to expose the Lamp God; instead, he was pleased to see it happen.

"What do you want?"

"Heh, of the Tarot cards made by Roselle, only the Black Emperor and Judgment cards are somewhat useful to me. Can you find and bring them for a trade?"

"This is just a trial, not a gift for you."

"Then fine, I want the Temperance card." The Lamp God's tone was relaxed, even carrying a hint of a smile.

He had been staying with Bernadette and was aware of the internal affairs of the Rose School.

He guessed that the Mother Tree of Desire couldn't fully control the Temperance pathway yet, otherwise, there wouldn't be internal strife within the Rose School.

The Mother Tree of Desire wanted to test him, and he also wanted to test the Mother Tree of Desire.

Although a Temperance card might not mean much to the Mother Tree of Desire, for his followers, it was a divine object.

"Good."

The Mother Tree of Desire agreed to the trade.

"The stars will witness this."

Hastur was happy to act as a notary, witnessing the first bet between the Lamp God and the Mother Tree of Desire.

He also wanted to see what means the Lamp God would use to complete this challenge.

"Do you want to place a bet as well?" the Lamp God instigated.

"I have no objections," the Mother Tree of Desire also wanted to see the depths of this Lord of Mysteries being.

"I am just a witness, not a participant," Hastur said indifferently.

The Lamp God and the Mother Tree of Desire said no more; this was just a simple test between them.

"Today's meeting ends here. I hope that in fifteen days, the bet between you will have a winner."

Hastur declared the meeting over, activating two chains of order to send the Lamp God and the Mother Tree of Desire back to their respective stars.

Hastur leaned back in his chair, taking

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Hastur leaned back in his chair, taking a few deep breaths to recover.

The Mother Tree of Desire had been staring at him when she had nothing else to do, trying to probe his secrets. This put a lot of pressure on him, but thankfully, the power of the Star Palace here helped conceal him, preventing the Mother Tree of Desire from seeing through him.

The Lamp God's performance tonight was quite noticeable; it seemed he was getting anxious.

This is the advantage of competition.

If it were just Hastur and the Lamp God, the latter would definitely hold out for a better deal and not easily submit.

But the arrival of the Mother Tree of Desire was enough to make him put away his cunning and actively demonstrate his worth.

The Temperance Tarot card, if it fell into his hands, would be a huge asset, allowing for several trades with Miss Sharon.

What a pity.

No, wait. The Lamp God had clearly refused the Devil card, not wanting the Mother Tree of Desire to use it as an opportunity to corrupt Bernadette. So why would he still accept the Temperance card?

With the Mother Tree of Desire's status and methods, she could also leave a contingency on the Temperance card.

Perhaps there was mystical knowledge that Hastur was unaware of, or maybe the Lamp God had another plan.

Hastur quietly pondered the possibilities.

(End of Chapter)