"Choice…" Unlike Medici, who lacked key context, the Ancient Sun God clearly understood what this "choice" meant. He glanced at the sky, sighed, and said, "Mad humanity, rational divinity—what a dilemma."
"So, what's your pick?" Evah asked, genuinely curious.
"I don't know," the Ancient Sun God said, shaking his head. He looked at Evah. "I'm not clear on what happened in the future or what this world is like now. I'll probably need to understand everything thoroughly before I can decide."
Despite being summoned before, those brief visits didn't yield much. Though he'd exchanged some information with this era's True Creator and Adam, it was limited.
And some things couldn't be grasped through mere data—like the state of the world, the crumbling barrier. Only seeing them firsthand would do.
"Tch, looks like Adam's playing a clever game. Seems like a one-off deal, but I'm probably stuck with you guys for the long haul!" Evah grumbled, half-serious, though he didn't truly feel shortchanged.
A Conqueror characteristic was worth the price, and summoning the Ancient Sun God wasn't exactly a loss for him.
More summons, more chances to build rapport, right?
Plus, for experiments tweaking history, the Ancient Sun God was the perfect candidate…
Evah kept a straight face, maintaining his slightly whiny demeanor.
"Sorry for the trouble, Mr. Evah," the Ancient Sun God said, seeing through the act but not calling it out, offering a polite smile.
"Can't help it. I'm an honest businessman!" Evah shrugged, then said, "We've got some time today. How about a tour of Backlund? You can see this era up close."
"Backlund?" The Ancient Sun God hadn't heard of it. In his time, the city didn't exist, and prior info exchanges wouldn't cover something so trivial.
"Yep, Backlund, capital of the Loen Kingdom…" Evah dutifully began explaining Backlund's basics, grabbing the Ancient Sun God's shoulder. In a flash, they appeared elsewhere.
"This is Queens District…"
For the next few minutes, Evah zipped through Backlund's districts using his teleportation ability, giving the Ancient Sun God a whirlwind tour. Though each stop was brief, it was enough to show the basic living conditions. Soon, they reached the final area.
"This is the East District."
Evah didn't elaborate this time, just said it quietly, gazing at the slum-like houses nearby.
The Ancient Sun God's brow furrowed instantly. His eyes scanned the area, his voice tinged with disbelief. "I don't understand. How could the Seven Gods allow a place like this to exist? Even if they don't care about the people… about these ordinary lives, can't they see the danger this poses?"
In a normal world, a slum might just be a slum, but in the Lord of Mysteries world, such places were breeding grounds for evil gods' descent.
"They see it, of course. The churches do want to change things, but the churches balance each other, and the churches and the royal family check one another. No one's willing to budge, so this is what you get," Evah said, pausing to glance at the Ancient Sun God. "You can't expect today's gods to share your high morals. Unless there's a major crisis, they won't sacrifice their interests for a potential threat."
The Ancient Sun God fell silent for a few seconds before asking, "Has no one tried to change this?"
"Maybe some have, but you know this world—power is everything, thanks to Beyonders. The gods are the ultimate landlords. If they don't want change, who can force it?" Evah said bluntly.
He wasn't lying. In the original story, Klein, before becoming the Lord of Mysteries, wanted to free the colonies but couldn't. After he ascended, others backed off without him lifting a finger.
"Plus, the apocalypse is coming. Everything takes a backseat to that. Even if one of the Seven Gods wanted to act, the apocalypse's shadow would stop them from risking weakness," Evah added after a moment.
It wasn't fair to say none of the Seven Gods cared, but the apocalypse forced compromises.
The Ancient Sun God went quiet again, staring at the low, cramped houses. After several seconds, he said, "But many of them won't live to see the apocalypse."
Evah glanced at him. "I thought you'd say, 'It's a necessary sacrifice.'"
"No one's sacrifice is necessary," the Ancient Sun God said, shaking his head. "Every sacrifice is our failure."
"Guess you and Adam really are different," Evah said, nodding sagely, then spreading his hands. "But I don't think you can fully blame the Seven Gods. Some are in rough shape, patching the barrier, fending off outer gods. So, at the end of the day, the real culprits are the outer gods."
The Ancient Sun God blinked, surprised, and looked at Evah. "That's… an unexpected take."
"Tell me it doesn't make sense!" Evah said, patting his shoulder. "Or you think I've got a grudge against the Seven Gods?"
"Your opening remarks did sound like you were targeting them," the Ancient Sun God said, waiting for an explanation.
"Just telling it like it is," Evah said with a laugh. "Sure, the Seven Gods bear some blame for this world's state, but you can't judge them in a vacuum. They're still guarding the world, for better or worse—that's undeniable. The apocalypse is real too. So, right now, instead of judging them, I think it's more important to team up and take out the outer gods."
"Of course, if the outer gods are dealt with and the apocalypse averted, and the Seven Gods still do nothing, that's on them. I'd back you smacking them around then."
Evah's point was clear: arguing over who's to blame now is pointless. Survive the apocalypse first, then deal with the rest.
"Naturally, that means abandoning these people for now, but…" Evah blinked, adding, "I didn't cause their suffering, and I'm not obligated to save them. So don't guilt-trip me."
Evah wasn't a saint. Even after Medici's wake-up call about this being a real world, he wasn't some selfless hero in his old life either. He liked good people, felt pity for the innocent, and didn't mind lending a hand, but that was it.
The Ancient Sun God gave a wry smile, shaking his head. "I never thought saving them was your duty. And…" He paused, looking at Evah. "You showed me this on purpose, didn't you?"
Evah grinned, not denying it.
He had no interest in leading a revolution, but he didn't mind nudging an expert in the right direction.
(End of Chapter)