Chapter 206

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This chapter is edited by Rain. Thank you for your contribution!

Chapter 206: Lolth Is as Warm and Caring as a Grandmother Cooking for You!

Inside Lolth’s soul, along the spiritual link with the Rod of Eden, there were no dull or rigid “thoughts.” Instead, there were real “soul waves” that created emotional ripples.

Lolth could sense that the Rod of Eden felt somewhat “happy” to connect with her.

This kind of non-commanding feedback could only come from a true and complete “spiritual tool.”

However, in theory, most Divine Artifacts—created by gods after their ascension using their own divine power—are extensions of the Divine Kingdom. This means they are extensions of the god’s consciousness and cannot possess true self-awareness or independent souls.

Divine Artifacts created by gods carry the authority of the Divine Kingdom, which is why they are called “Divine Artifacts.”

For this reason, gods do not allow their Divine Artifacts to gain awareness, as that would mean sharing their authority with another life form.

Even if the other being could only claim an infinitesimal fraction of that authority, it would still be considered a desecration.

Yet now, the Rod of Eden had truly “come to life.”

Lolth was curious about this, but the answer seemed simple: she could just ask the Rod of Eden directly.

“When did you become ‘self-aware’?”

Lolth shared her question through their mental link.

The soul of the Rod of Eden felt like a blank slate—whole, yet undeniably young.

Its level of intelligence was comparable to that of a five- or six-year-old child, though not as precocious as Kanor. In fact, it seemed even less capable.

Still, the “questions” conveyed through the mental link were immediately understood.

After a brief pause, an image formed in Lolth’s mind:

A gray sky, a shattered blue city, and five cultist statues surrounding a massive pit.

It was clearly a scene from the evil Divine Kingdom of the God of Plague.

“I see…”

Lolth studied the image and understood.

It must have been within another Divine Kingdom, where the connection to the God of Light was completely severed, that a spark of intelligence had ignited during the Rod of Eden’s long evolution over thirteen thousand years.

Moreover, the Kingdom of the God of Plague was a unique environment, which likely facilitated this transformation.

Regardless, being able to communicate was a good thing.

Perhaps she could even coax the Rod of Eden away… At the very least, she might convince it to stop emanating Holy Light power, just as Kanor had suggested.

“Why do you always follow me?”

Lolth continued her conversation with the Rod of Eden.

Through the mental link, a new wave of emotion emerged.

It seemed the Rod of Eden was expressing “closeness” toward her.

“What do you mean, ‘closeness’?” Lolth said, exasperated. “I only used a Holy Light divine spell that one time!”

As soon as she spoke, the Rod of Eden sent her another image.

It was from their time in the evil Divine Kingdom when Lolth had temporarily calmed the intense waves of Holy Light power emanating from the Rod of Eden. She had used a peaceful Holy Light breath to prevent it from reacting with the Power of the Evil God.

Seeing this, Lolth fell silent.

Now it seemed… she really had no one to blame but herself.

After all, she had been the first person in over ten thousand years to use Holy Light power in the presence of the Rod of Eden.

If the Rod of Eden had already possessed intelligence back then, everything would indeed make sense.

From another perspective, the consciousness of the Rod of Eden was born in a realm where every bit of power was against it. Since gaining awareness, it had been constantly suppressed and rejected by the Power of the Evil God—like a poor child being ostracized in a foreign land.

Recently, it had met Lolth and Dorothy. Lolth had even helped drive away the Power of the Evil God and taken it away from that hostile environment…

Dorothy could only accept its Holy Light power; the knight didn’t count.

In the eyes of the Rod of Eden, the difference was like that between a hometown friend who transferred schools and a kind grandmother who cooks for you and takes you back home.

As it established a mental link with Lolth, it also sensed her pure and kind soul.

The Holy Light power within it recognized this as well.

The emotions being shared shifted from “closeness” to “liking” and “safety.”

“Oh no, now I’m really tied up.”

Feeling a headache from the intense emotional sharing, Lolth realized it would be impossible to drive the Rod of Eden away now.

Unless the God of Light personally descended to reclaim the staff—but if that happened, the God of Light would likely crush and purify this abyss creature as well.

So, Lolth had no choice but to patiently communicate with it.

“Um, could you please completely hide your Holy Light power without showing any signs of it?” Lolth asked, trying to sound patient.

The Rod of Eden hesitated for a moment but eventually gave a positive response.

With a soft thud, the Rod of Eden fell onto the table.

The light around it faded, and now it lay flat on the surface, looking like nothing more than a beautifully crafted piece of art.

After glancing around and confirming that she could no longer sense its Holy Light power, Lolth sighed in relief.

“Great, just stay like this.”

The only remaining issue was that the staff still couldn’t hold any magical power for long. Its purification area remained effective, so storing it properly was still a challenge.

However, at least it wouldn’t attract the attention of Demon Army officials or high-ranking members of the Holy Alliance.

After temporarily tucking it into her sleeve, Lolth felt her headache ease considerably.

She turned to Kanor and gave the little girl a thumbs-up.

“Thank you, Kanor… Even though you always call me ‘Master,’ this time it was really you who inspired me.”

Kanor shyly touched her head and replied, “It’s nothing… Helping Master Lolth is my honor.”

“Well, then the main issue of our internal meeting is resolved,” Lolth said, glancing out the window. It was still early; the Plane Magic Tide had calmed down and would end in just a couple of days.

“So, it’s time to hold a meeting for all the townspeople of Hillenbrand… I need to go to the central square to give a new speech.”

As Lolth spoke, she stood up.

“Understood, Mistress Lolth. I will gather the villagers right away,” Tina said, nodding and standing as well.

“I’ll go to the third floor of the farmers’ market to inform the Superoperators—should they join too?” Isabella asked, putting down the chips she had been holding.

Lolth nodded. “Of course, they should join. In fact, they are the main people I need to inform during this meeting.”