Global Game: Developing a Knight Clan

Chapter 438 - 69: Waiting Prudently, Planning the Path to a Pillar God

To enter, or not to enter?

After discovering the Black Flame World and learning some of the details surrounding it,

Lince realized that the Black Flame was far more troublesome than he had anticipated.

’Base the survival of a civilization on the mere chance that others might have forgotten about this world?’

’How could that be possible?’

Besides, the entity behind the Black Flame had indeed piqued the interest of the Four Gods.

After all, it was an Authority Level being—and one from outside their own system, at that.

Even if their opponent wouldn’t be easy to deal with, as the God of All Machines had said, it was four against one. The odds were still very much in their favor.

Not to mention, the Four Gods had the game as a safety net. Even if one of them were to fall, they could be revived quickly.

So, if the Four Gods were truly to join forces,

then before waging war on the Black Flame World, they would certainly need to sign an additional contract.

The contract would stipulate that if any one of them were to fall in battle,

then during the interim between their fall and revival, no other party could seize the opportunity to launch a war over Authority on their sphere of influence.

Furthermore, it must guarantee that if they won the war against the Black Flame World, the spoils would be divided equally, with the fallen party receiving their fair share.

Did this even need to be said?

Of course not.

If the Four Gods were truly to make a move on the Black Flame, then such a contract would be only logical.

The problem was, after everything the God of Thousand Faces had said, they were now worried they couldn’t guarantee a victory.

If the Four Gods not only failed to win this war but also had one or more of their own fall in the process, that would be a catastrophic loss.

Anyone would hesitate before a deal that carried such a significant risk.

"Risk and opportunity go hand in hand. We have the Cosmic Game backing us. What, are you all getting scared?"

The God of All Machines finally spoke up, his voice tinged with impatience as the Four Gods deliberated.

"Scared?"

"It is a matter of whether the reward is proportional to the risk."

"Furthermore, once this war begins, it is unlikely to conclude in a matter of days."

"Moreover, All Machines, have you considered this? What if the being behind this Black Flame also has allies, similar to our own arrangement?"

"Therefore, I believe we cannot be too hasty. For now, we should focus on our own growth for a while longer before revisiting this."

"You have all surely sensed the benefits of the fusion between the True Game and the Cosmic Game. Our gains this time have been considerable. The increase in our growth rate alone is something for which we must thank Lord Nidhogg for his magnanimity."

"Therefore, regarding Lord Nidhogg’s forces, I can guarantee that as long as your Clan does not commit any egregious acts against my own, I will never initiate a War over Authority with you!"

The Mother of All Things, Samantha, said in a gentle voice.

"Hmph! Setting aside the matter of the Black Flame, you certainly are a smooth one, Samantha. Heh, already trying to curry favor with Lord Nidhogg?"

The God of All Machines looked utterly disdainful. He turned to Lince and declared in a booming voice:

"Lord Nidhogg, my All Machines lineage can make the same guarantee!"

"It seems having a new ’partner’ isn’t a bad thing after all. See? Hasn’t the atmosphere become so much more harmonious?"

"Indeed, indeed. I, Thousand Faces, can also give you the same promise, Nidhogg."

The God of Thousand Faces, fully embracing his role as a pot-stirrer, said with a mischievous grin.

You can’t hit a person who’s smiling at you.

Faced with the ingratiating overtures from the three gods, Lince accepted their goodwill, even though he knew their promises couldn’t be taken at face value.

"You are all too kind."

"The fusion of the True and Cosmic Games is a win-win for all of us."

"However, I must say that as the highest Authority Holder, I am more than willing to coexist peacefully with you all."

"Therefore, I can also make a guarantee here: I will strictly restrain the forces under my command, and as long as your Clans do nothing too outrageous, I will not initiate a War over Authority against you."

Lince gave his own guarantee in return.

’Because, deep down, Lince already considered the Cosmos his own property.’

’It wasn’t his now, but sooner or later, it would be.’

’As for the Three Gods?’

’If the entire Cosmos belonged to him, Lince, wouldn’t these Three Gods and their forces belong to him as well?’

’Thinking this way, what reason did he have to proactively stir up trouble?’

God of Thousand Faces: "So, are we going to attack the Black Flame World or not?"

God of All Machines: "We attack!"

Mother of All Things: "We don’t!"

Lince: "How about we investigate first?"

Well then. Three gods, three different opinions.

This finally provoked a hearty laugh from the God of Thousand Faces.

"The three of you are just too amusing!"

"Since the three of you can’t come to a consensus, I’ll cast a vote as well!"

"Hmm, I think Nidhogg’s idea is a good one. Why don’t we start with some reconnaissance!" the God of Thousand Faces said with a winking smile.

"Hmph. You’re good at playing the nice guy in front of Nidhogg, aren’t you, Thousand Faces?"

"Reconnaissance is a logical first step, of course."

"The Power of the fused Cosmos should be sufficient to scout a world like that."

"We can wait until the fusion of the Cosmos is complete and see the system’s assessment before deciding anything."

"..."

In the end, the Four Gods reached a consensus.

And so, after a bit more idle chatter, the Three Gods of the Cosmos withdrew their projections of Power, leaving Lince alone in the Oakland Star Realm.

Gazing at the sporadic flickers of Black Flame scattered across the ruins of the Star Sea,

Lince finally murmured to himself:

"In half a month, once the True Game and the Cosmic Game have completely fused, I’ll see for myself what this so-called Black Flame World is really like!"

"Destruction Law? A Pillar God? Things are certainly getting more and more... exciting."

"..."

Soon, Lince vanished completely from the Oakland Star Realm, a departure that went entirely unnoticed by the gods of the Pantheon.