Chapter 1235: A Terrifying Hypothesis

Gawain held nothing back and spoke candidly to Enya about the news from Talrond.

The hatchery fell silent. For a long moment, no one spoke. Only the faint golden runes on Enya’s eggshell continued their slow, steady flow, a sign that the ancient dragon goddess was deep in thought.

“The Tower of the Tides…” Amber was the first to break the silence, her half-elf face tense. “Could it be…”

“There are two things that don’t add up,” Enya’s voice echoed softly from within the shell. “First, Mordil’s strange condition doesn’t seem to be the result of the Tides’ corruption. It’s clearly connected to the Shadow Goddess who vanished in the ancient era. What possible link could there be between the Tides and the Shadow Goddess? Second, when Mordil left the Tower of the Tides, he was perfectly normal. He even went on many adventures afterward, which are well documented. I’m certain he never returned to Talrond after leaving, not even on the day of his ‘coming of age’ ceremony. So it’s impossible that his strange state came from renewed contact with the Tower. Then where did he encounter this divine-level corruption?”

“So we’ve always suspected this has something to do with Violet,” Amber said quickly. “That country is so secretive, it feels like they’re hiding some earth-shattering secret. Honestly, if one day we found out that island harbored divine power, I wouldn’t be surprised. Maybe Mordil Wilde actually went to Violet back then, got tainted by a god’s influence, or even made a connection with the Lady of the Night?”

Before Amber finished, Gawain shook his head slightly. “Unfortunately, the City of a Thousand Towers has officially denied that Mordil Wilde ever visited Violet.”

“That’s just their denial. Nobody really knows the truth,” Amber muttered. “But if Mordil was truly corrupted in Violet, then maybe this whole thing really has nothing to do with the Tower of the Tides. We could breathe a little easier…”

No one responded to Amber’s muttering. After a few seconds, Enya’s voice broke the silence again, low and somber: “Nothing in this world is absolute…”

“Adventurers…” Gawain tapped his temple with a weary smile. “It’s a headache of a profession. Mordil traveled everywhere, touched so many suspicious things, it’s like any random thread could connect to him. Two completely unrelated realms might intersect in his story…”

“My friend, what do you intend to do about this?” Enya asked suddenly. “Whether or not there’s a real connection behind all this, two things are certain: the Tower of the Tides cannot be left alone forever, and Mordil Wilde’s worsening condition cannot be delayed. Our discussion here won’t solve anything. We need a concrete plan.”

Gawain fell silent, frowning as he weighed the options. Amber muttered, “If only we could just blow that tower up…”

“The things the Voyagers left behind aren’t so easy to destroy,” Gawain said with a helpless glance at the half-elf. Then his expression grew serious, as if he’d made a decision. “I think I need to go to Talrond myself.”

The quiet Maggie, who had been standing nearby, suddenly widened her eyes in surprise. “Your Majesty? You’re going in person?”

“You’re going to Talrond again?!” Amber’s eyes went wide too. “Think carefully! This trip won’t be as safe as last time. And there’s so much going on here in Loren—coordinating the Alliance, the continent-wide trade routes, the Empire’s internal affairs—every one of those is a major issue…”

Gawain smiled and shook his head before Amber finished. “Every task I handle is important, but many can be delegated. I’m not willing to let anyone else deal with the Tower of the Tides. As for safety… I’m not doing all this for safety. Besides, last time’s trip to Talrond wasn’t exactly safe either, was it?”

He glanced at the golden egg beside him, and Enya’s voice came with a hint of exasperation: “My friend, last time I invited you sincerely…”

“Honestly, you yourself were too dangerous back then,” Gawain chuckled, waving a hand. Then his face turned serious again. “Let’s settle on this plan for now. But Heddy and Bertram will need to make some arrangements, and the Council of State should prepare accordingly. Amber, when you return, notify them and make sure the domestic situation remains stable while I’m gone.”

Amber nodded instinctively, then realized something. “Wait, you’re not taking me this time?”

“This trip is different,” Gawain said slowly, his expression grave. “I won’t be dealing with mortal powers. Your talents in intelligence and infiltration won’t be much use there. And frankly, I don’t trust leaving so many things at home in anyone else’s hands.”

“…Alright,” Amber said after a moment’s thought, her ears drooping slightly. “I’ll trust you on this.”

…

Amber and Maggie left first. Amber had to arrange her work, and Maggie, exhausted from the long flights from Talrond to Northport and then to Cecil City, needed rest. With Betty having taken the two hatchlings away and not yet returned, the hatchery fell quiet, leaving only Enya and Gawain.

In the stillness, each pondered their own thoughts. After a long while, Gawain broke the silence with a hint of apology in his voice. “I feel like I only come to you when I’m in trouble.”

“Compared to the past, the ‘troubles’ you bring me now are just a welcome change of pace,” Enya said gently, her voice deep and calm. “You needn’t feel the slightest guilt. On the contrary, I’m glad to see you bring so many ‘troubles’—it means you haven’t settled for the status quo. It means you’re still pushing toward your ambitious goals.”

Gawain couldn’t help but smile. “Is that so?”

“Of course,” Enya said with a smile. “What pleases me most is your decision to personally go to Talrond a second time…”

Gawain’s curiosity was piqued. “Is there something special about that?”

“It shows you haven’t been blinded by the brilliance of your current achievements,” Enya said seriously. “And that’s what I’ve always worried about—when you’ve made this land prosperous, fulfilled your promises to the people, built an Alliance with dozens of nations looking to you as their pillar; when you’ve reopened the continent-wide trade routes, setting the largest trade river in this civilization’s history flowing; when you’ve established the Theocratic Council, harnessing both secular and divine powers—after accomplishing all that, even a single one of those feats would be enough to secure your place in history. Yet I’m glad to see you still willing to leave your palace and personally face danger in a wasteland.

“I’ve known many great mortals, witnessed their lives and achievements. Some have done what you have, but few remain willing to risk themselves after such great deeds. Sometimes it’s not cowardice or laziness, but prudent caution. But frankly, I admire your choice. And I believe it’s not just because you are an ‘Extradimensional Wanderer.’”

“Extradimensional Wanderer… that title doesn’t mean much. I’m just a traveler who doesn’t even know where the next stop is,” Gawain said with a self-deprecating smile. “But since this stop is here, I have to finish what I promised. Besides… this world is too dangerous for me to slack off.”

He paused, then looked at Enya with a serious expression. “Tell me honestly, about the Tower of the Tides… are you worried the corruption inside has already…”

“The young Dragonborn girl was here earlier. I don’t want to make her too anxious,” Enya said, the golden runes on her shell slowing their pace. “But yes, as you suspect, I do believe unknown changes have taken place inside the Tower.”

Gawain quickly responded, “But there’s still no evidence linking Mordil Wilde’s strange condition to the Tides’ corruption. Though he showed signs of being hunted by an Old God after approaching the Tower, that Old God was clearly the Lady of the Night, not the Tides…”

“That’s exactly what worries me,” Enya interrupted. “The most likely moment Mordil was tainted by divine power was when he entered the Tower of the Tides. But now, the one haunting him is the Shadow Goddess who disappeared over 1.8 million years ago. That’s what frightens me most.”

A terrible thought flashed through Gawain’s mind. “You mean…”

“The Tides… might be capable of corrupting gods,” Enya said in a low voice, revealing a truth that left Gawain speechless. “More directly, the Tides’ tendency to corrupt gods may be even stronger than its tendency to corrupt mortals.”

“Corrupt gods?!” Gawain’s eyes widened. “Why would it have that nature? Isn’t its main trait to impart forbidden knowledge to mortals?”

Enya’s voice came from the shell. “Imparting forbidden knowledge to mortals is the Tides’ unformed ‘divine office,’ its expression of divinity. But don’t forget what the Tides was originally born from.”

“The foundation of the Tides’ birth…” Gawain thought for a moment and understood Enya’s implication. “You mean… the Voyagers’ legacy?”

“The Tides is essentially a ‘divinized product’ of the Voyagers’ legacy,” Enya said calmly. “And the greatest ‘mission’ of the Voyagers’ legacy was to oppose the gods of this world. This mission likely became part of the Tides’ essence as it was divinized, giving it the tendency to hunt and infect gods.”

Gawain finally grasped Enya’s concern fully. “So… your biggest fear after learning about Mordil’s strange condition is that the Tides has found the hidden Lady of the Night and set its sights on that ancient deity?”

“The Lady of the Night has been severed from this world for over 1.8 million years. Such a long time is enough to weaken even the mightiest Old God. If the Tides wants a suitable prey, the Lady of the Night is clearly the best choice. Moreover, she no longer has true worshippers or agents in the world, meaning that even if something happens to her, mortals won’t notice. Other gods won’t learn of the Tides’ treachery through their ‘eyes of faith’ scattered across the world. She is a ‘prey’ that won’t raise alarm…”

Listening to Enya’s deep, measured analysis, high atop his brow beads of cold sweat began to form. Yet at the same time, a question surfaced in his mind. “Wait a minute—you said the so-called ‘God of the Reverse Tide’ doesn’t possess full rationality, right? Without reason, how could it make such complex judgments and arrangements?”

“True, the Reverse Tide lacks complete rationality, so it doesn’t devise overly intricate plans,” Enya explained. “But it follows its instincts, seeking ways to free itself or grow stronger. And a god’s instincts…” She paused, as if searching for the clearest way to put it. “A god’s instincts are far more complex than a mortal’s. Sometimes they directly point toward a ‘successful outcome.’ To achieve that outcome, the god can carry out a series of actions without consciously thinking through each step. Essentially, this mechanism exists to fulfill the condition of ‘responding to the wishes of believers.’ But in certain cases, it can drive the Reverse Tide to execute a perfect ‘predation’ purely on instinct.”

“So that means the Shadow Goddess is in grave danger?” Highen’s voice tightened with concern. “Could it be that Modir is being hunted by her power because the Reverse Tide’s corruption used him as a bridge to connect to the Lady of Night’s ‘hiding place’? He’s become some kind of conduit for spreading the corruption?”

“Now you understand what worries me most,” Enya said gravely. “If my theory is correct—if the Reverse Tide has truly corrupted and consumed an ancient god—then it has the chance to ‘transform,’ to complete the final step of ‘maturation’ it failed to achieve in the ancient era. It would evolve from an unformed ‘embryo’ into a fully realized deity. And this deity would be utterly free from any divine office or dogma, with no original instinct to ‘protect mortals’ whatsoever…”

Highen finished her thought: “Because the mortals it was meant to protect… went extinct over a million years ago.”

Enya sighed. “If we speculate even further, it might retain a trace of that ‘protect mortals’ instinct—but twisted into a drive for ‘vengeance on behalf of its people.’”

(End of chapter)