410: Prisoner

Kazgoroth let out a roar and kicked a nearby stone away, but in the end, he still sullenly squeezed out a drop of brown divine blood to press his handprint.

Vidania sighed and pressed her emerald handprint.

It was Avila's turn.

The Elf Goddess closed her eyes, her long eyelashes trembling.

After a long while, she opened her eyes, nothing but desolation remaining in them. A drop of emerald divine blood flew out from the center of her brow and landed in the fourth branding area.

Clone No. 69 trembled as it looked at the dim source belonging to the Mother Goddess, tears in its eyes. In the end, it forced out a wisp of thin, filthy divine blood, completing the final brand.

It had to survive.

Even if humiliated, it had to wait for the main body to return.

With the five divine blood brands complete, the scroll erupted with golden light that shot into the sky, then transformed into five beams of starlight that shot into the godheads of the 'signing' gods.

The contract was established, witnessed by the laws of the plane.

"Very good."

The figure of the Abyssal Sovereign, played by Olexia, began to slowly fade. "Remember your oaths."

Before her voice had even faded, "Shadow Fierce," played by Shang Wan Ning, stepped forward and instantly appeared before Avila.

The Elf Goddess didn't even have time to react before a dark spiritual power struck her brow.

Avila's emerald divine light stalled.

The radiance in her eyes rapidly dimmed, and the entire goddess, like a puppet with its strings pulled, collapsed softly, only to be caught by "Shadow Fierce."

"Avila!" Astrea cried out.

Her holy sword was subconsciously raised halfway.

However, meeting the calm, emotionless eyes behind "Shadow Fierce's" mask, and thinking of the billions of believers in her divine kingdom, and the consequences of an all-out war with the Abyss...

The tip of her sword, which she had raised, ultimately did not truly point at the other party. That friendship, maintained for ten thousand years, seemed pale and powerless when weighed against reality.

"Shadow Fierce" coldly glanced at this Goddess of Light, said nothing more, and supporting the unconscious Avila, vanished along with the Sovereign into the twisted void rift.

In the shattered plane, only three Nature Pantheon deities with varied expressions, a mass of filthy source energy fallen into slumber, and a scene of chaos remained.

After today, the situation on the Ativi Continent had completely changed.

...

Inside Jiaotai Palace.

Just as Shang Wan Ning removed her disguise, Ling Qi handed her a cup of hot tea.

"Your Majesty, the contract is complete. Avila has been sent to the side hall, and restrictions have been set. The Research Institute is ready to receive the divine blood."

"Mm."

Shang Wan Ning took a sip of tea, a hint of fatigue between her brows. "Sabrina's divine body was destroyed, her realm has fallen, and it will be difficult to recover without ten thousand years. That is enough."

Ling Qi pushed up her glasses: "Your Majesty and the Goddess of Desire showing eighth-rank peak strength is enough to deter the petty... Signing the contract saves a lot of subsequent trouble."

"In ten thousand years, why would the Underworld fear an eighth-rank deity?"

"It is merely a constraint on the surface," Shang Wan Ning sneered.

"Astrea will not be reconciled, but with the backlash of the contract, she will have to weigh the consequences before making a move."

"First, seal Avila's divine power and let her 'serve' in peace. Tell Tudor to accelerate the integration of the Abyss Church."

"Understood."

A week later, in the side hall, Avila slowly awoke.

The first moment her emerald eyes opened, what came into view was a baby face extremely close to her own. Silver-white short hair, black pupils, and a finger was poking her cheek.

"Yo, you're awake?"

Chen Yu withdrew her finger, put her hands on her hips, and looked down at the Elf Goddess lying on the cloud couch. "You slept quite soundly; I poked you for ages."

Avila sat up abruptly, subconsciously gathering her divine power, only to find her divine core empty. Her proud natural source was firmly locked by a dark restriction, impossible to mobilize even a bit.

Her heart sank, but she maintained the indifference of a deity on her face and looked around.

This was not any divine kingdom familiar to the Elf Goddess; the atmosphere was cold yet orderly, and the architectural style was ancient and grand, completely different from the ornate style of the Nature Pantheon.

The white-haired girl before her had a strange aura, neither a pure living being nor a dead object.

"Where is this place? Who are you?"

Avila spoke, her voice slightly hoarse because her divine power was sealed, but her demeanor remained dignified.

Chen Yu sat down on the edge of the couch, swinging her legs: "I won't change my name, I won't change my surname; I am the Prefecture City God of the Underworld, Chen Yu. As for here..."

She grinned, revealing two small fangs, "Welcome to the Netherworld, side hall of the Jiaotai Palace. Simply put, you, the Elf Goddess Avila, are now a... well, special employee of our Underworld."

"I am your direct supervisor and person-in-charge for the next five thousand years."

Avila's fingertips curled slightly, a ripple flashing in the depths of her emerald eyes, but she quickly returned to calm.

"Underworld... Netherworld..." she repeated in a low voice, sparse records in her godhead regarding reincarnation and the dead surfacing. "You are not a creature of the continent."

"Bingo!" Chen Yu snapped her fingers, "Correct. We come from another world, Mercury, ever heard of it?"

"If you haven't heard of it, that's fine, at least you know now."

She stood up, gesturing with her hands: "Since we are now on the same team, there are some basic things I need to tell you. Our Underworld, full name 'Underworld Culture Media Co., Ltd.', is mainly responsible for the reincarnation of Mercury's living beings after death, judgment of good and evil, maintenance of order, and a series of other businesses."

"As for the boss, that's Her Majesty the Netherworld Empress, you've seen her, the one... uh, the direct superior of that 'Abyssal Sovereign' who signed the contract with you."

Chen Yu glossed over Olexia's identity.

Avila's eyes flickered.

So, above that "Abyssal Sovereign," there was an even higher divine existence.

"As for the Underworld structure," Chen Yu counted on her fingers, "Her Majesty oversees the overall situation. Below her is Secretary-General Ling Qi, in charge of the Secretariat Office and daily administration. In the Department of Judges, the boss is Judge Tudor, who manages the book of life and death, judgment, and some external conquests."

"In the Impermanence Department, the two Underworld Marshals, Black and White Impermanence, are responsible for soul-snatching. There is also the Research Institute, with the Institute Director, who specializes in all sorts of strange research. Logistics Department, Resource Department, Culture and Publicity Department... a whole bunch of messy things."

"In our Underworld, we emphasize rules and performance," Chen Yu emphasized. "You must memorize the 'Underworld Civil Servant Code of Conduct' and the 'Duties Management Regulations'."

"If your performance is good, you get more incense points, which can be exchanged for cultivation resources, spiritual artifacts, magical treasures, and even vacations."

"If your performance is bad, hehe, deducting money is light; want to learn about an internship in the Eighteen Levels of Hell?"

Avila listened in silence; these strange terms and concepts clashed with her inherent cognition.

The pride of a deity made it difficult for the Elf Goddess to immediately accept the terms "employee" and "performance," but the situation was stronger than the 'god'.

Chen Yu observed Avila's expression, leaned in closer, and lowered her voice: "Listen, Goddess, when you're here, you should settle down. Since Her Majesty spared your life and let you 'serve,' it means you still have value."

"Work hard, five thousand years will pass in the blink of an eye. Besides," she changed the subject, with a hint of playfulness.

"Our Underworld's benefits are actually quite good; room and board are included, and there are employee activities. Look at those elf kin of yours, aren't they living quite well here too?"