Chapter 412

Chapter 412: The First Demon God Was an Excellent Diplomat 1/5

"Hmm…"

"The First Demon God was unexpectedly willing to cede so much border territory; he was truly sparing no expense."

"Gurgle…"

A trail of bubbles rose from the Ether Abyss’s core—the Abyssal Carpet. Colliding and bursting, they produced distinct syllables.

These sounds formed the magic language known as "Creation’s Sigh."

Though deities within the same universe could communicate using "Universal Language," those across different universes required arcane tongues like "Creation’s Sigh."

This time, the Abyss was conversing with an envoy dispatched by the First Demon God.

That envoy happened to be…

"Moreover, who would have thought Mr. First Demon God would grace us as an ‘avatar’? His sincerity is undeniable."

The messenger was none other than a "temporary avatar" of the First Demon God Barbatos.

Taking the form of a small fish indistinguishable from an etheric serpent, it swam in slow circles far overhead.

"Esteemed Abyss."

"As master of chaos, I’ve demonstrated my goodwill."

"Will you, as master of ether, reciprocate?"

Barbatos, a formidable demon god, possessed the capability to temporarily sever part of his soul and animate it under his control.

Such avatars moved with instinctive ease, like extensions of one’s limbs. Their range spanned vast distances—from the Chaos Council’s core area to the deepest trenches of the Endless Ether’s Abyss.

On paper, these avatars seemed ideal for reconnaissance.

Why would Barbatos rely solely on those unreliable "Predatory Deities" for intelligence gathering? Why not deploy avatars instead?

But the avatar spell demanded a steep price.

After a set duration, the avatar would degrade and vanish. Its core—the fragmented soul—would shatter into soul fragments, scattering where it dissolved.

These remnants never returned to their creator. Instead, nearby deities would feast upon them.

Moreover, the soul fragment couldn’t be too small, or it couldn’t sustain a functional avatar body.

Such were the inescapable costs of avatar creation.

Splitting one’s soul for scouting…

No deity would squander resources so recklessly.

Thus, avatars served primarily in diplomacy. They delivered messages, then degraded intentionally—leaving their soul fragments as gifts.

"Ceding territory and offering tribute… This is almost embarrassing."

The Abyss thrilled with delight.

Not only had it received a fragment of Barbatos’s divine rank as tribute, but they’d also sealed a pact: Barbatos recognized all Endless Ether-corrupted lands as the Abyss’s domain.

Furthermore, he’d generously relinquished vast border territories.

Within those lands grew numerous Fantasy Trees of Subspace—including the "sandbank" crafted by Trilobite.

The Abyss claimed such a juicy territory without lifting a finger and was overjoyed!

Even the anger over the Ether Mother’s "unauthorized granting of Powers" subsided considerably.

"Since the master of chaos offered such generous terms, I cannot disregard your goodwill."

"The campaign against the Ether Mother shall be postponed."

"So long as the Ether Mother ceases reckless distribution of Powers and refrains from crossing my boundaries, I shall redirect my forces against the Giant God!"

"You—dispatch an envoy to interrogate the Ether Mother. Demand his explanation regarding the Powers!"

"If he apologizes and expels all deities who obtained Powers from the Endless Ether, I shall pardon his transgression. All shall return as before."

"Such lenient terms—he will surely agree."

"Send an envoy to deliver these conditions!"

The terms were indeed lenient.

No demand to surrender the power-usurping deities, nor any material compensation from the Ether Mother—merely restoration of the status quo and an apology.

A mere face-saving gesture would suffice.

"There should be no complications."

Hearing the Abyss’s assurance, Barbatos nodded.

"In that case, I am relieved."

"I shall await your favorable news."

As he finished speaking…

"Hiss…"

The petite avatar, indistinguishable from an etheric serpent, dissolved instantly into golden sand that drifted downward.

The avatar’s duration had expired.

"This is a diplomatic triumph!"

In the heart of the Chaos Council, Barbatos slapped his thigh in exhilaration.

His carefully maintained aloof demeanor nearly shattered.

Joy surged uncontrollably within him.

"Persuading the Abyss to abandon internal purges and confront the Giant God—this marks monumental diplomatic progress!"

"I shall witness how the Giant God withstands the combined onslaught of the Endless Ether and the Chaos Council!"

—-

"Hmm…"

"Such numbers… a bit much to handle."

"Especially since those approaching are…"

Trilobite rose to his feet, peering at the figures cutting through the waves.

"Wow!"

"What a huge ancient gadoid!"

"Judging by its appearance, it should be a Giant Hardy-scaled Fish!"

"But Giant Hardy-scaled Fish only reached three meters long—this beast started at four! That’s record-breaking!"

"Besides, Giant Hardy-scaled Fish lived in freshwater rivers, yet this one inhabits the sea! At least in estuarine environments!"

"A new species in the Giant Hardy-scaled Fish family? We could publish in *Nature* again!"

The so-called "ancient gadoid" was actually a very primitive ray-finned fish. How primitive were they?

Their scales resembled tooth enamel, arranged in neat segmented rows—unlike modern fast-swimming fish with overlapping scales.

They hadn’t even fully developed skeletons.

Compared to early bony Flesh-finned Fish, their bones remained soft, potentially less flexible and sturdy than cartilaginous fish.

For osteichthyans to have softer bones than chondrichthyans?

Quite embarrassing for a fish.

Incidentally, "ancient gadoid" also served as a massive taxonomic wastebasket.

Paleontologists often dumped early ray-finned fish fossils into this category when classification proved difficult.

Yet ancient gadoids had their glorious moments.

The Giant Hardy-scaled Fish thrived in Permian freshwater rivers. Unremarkable in appearance, it was essentially a standard, featureless fish.

If it had any distinguishing trait…

Size was likely its only claim—reaching three meters in Length!

They ranked among the Permian river overlords, reigning as "River Lords."

Only the dominant giant amphibians of freshwater ecosystems threatened them.

To Trilobite, this "ancient gadoid" appeared nearly identical to Giant Hardy-scaled Fish—just larger and seemingly inhabiting shallow seas!

"Riding the tide, they’re charging in aggressively."

"Surprisingly numerous too."

"And…"

Ominous waves swelled as another giant fish neared the shore with sinister intention.

"Hey, why are you butting in?"

"Passing through or picking a fight?"

Trilobite activated his system vision and saw exactly what he expected: deep red.

His system experience taught him colors reflected both Chaos Energy density and creature disposition.

Colorless, blue, or green signaled friendliness—such creatures lacked Chaos Energy, and consuming them backfired. Light yellow or faint orange indicated neutrality with possible caution; their thin Chaos Energy wasn’t worth his effort.

Deep orange or red creatures brimmed with Chaos Energy and radiated hostility toward him.

Yet this creature’s intense red baffled him.

Trilobite recognized it—a BBC-documented star. Its diet and Ecological Niche suggested zero hostility toward him; it shouldn’t even glance at his sandbank.

But they seemed to covet… perhaps even crave destruction.

"What should I do?!"