Chapter 50: The Goddess's Reward

For the goddess of commerce and wealth, Opulence, the Abyss was truly an unpleasant place. It harbored a deep-seated enmity between her and a certain lord within its bottomless depths.

As the New Year's bells tolled in the year DR1358, even the Prophet Saphras, who was highly attuned to divine providence and fate, could not have foreseen that this year would be the most chaotic in the history of the Torian world.

The supreme god, AO, suddenly transitioned from an obscure figure to a universally known entity. In this year, he undertook a momentous action—due to the disappearance of the three tablets that recorded the fate of the Torian gods, he banished all deities except Heim to Feren for search. These gods lost much of their divine authority and roamed Feren as mere "saints."

These gods, with their diverse doctrines, assumed mortal forms and shared a common goal. Naturally, amidst their tasks, they could not help but scheme and connive against each other. Eventually, skirmishes became the norm, with even denizens from the depths of Hell joining the fray. The outcome, of course, left some jubilant and others despondent.

In the years following this tumultuous period, three individuals—Shirik, Midnight the Mage, and Clanwo—ascended to great godly power in mortal guise, becoming legends in their own right. Among them, Shirik ascended to the pinnacle of the Feren pantheon, radiating with the brilliance of twenty divine essences, albeit for a fleeting span of eleven years.

Other unfortunate deities met their downfall—such as the former Mistral, as well as Mirku and Bal. Various known and unknown gods became history in that year. Compared to them, the goddess of commerce, Opulence, could be considered fortunate.

Yet, her fortune was not without its limitations. Indeed, in comparison to the deceased deities, Opulence, alive and reminiscing about those events, might find herself even more tormented.

At the outset of the turbulent year, she sensed unease. As a deity of commerce, she was unwilling to risk involvement in the struggle among the gods. Therefore, she devised a plan—to ensure safety, she entrusted the remaining portion of her divine power to her dear friend, the goddess of mirth, Lila. Acting alone, she organized a pilgrimage with the assistance of extraplanar gods, intending to transit through the star realms to the Abyss, a region beyond the influence of AO's divine power. Her aim was to sneak back to her divine realm, the Domain of Clear Waters, situated in the higher planes. To secure the journey's safety, before setting out, she dispatched her agents to seek an audience with a lord of the Abyss, hoping to strike a deal.

Ah, the demon lord she dealt with was named Grazt, the Prince of Shadows, one of the three demon lords of the Abyss.

The reason Opulence sought him out was because Grazt possessed a rationality that was lacking in most chaotic beings. This handsome demon lord seldom acted illogically, and he had a valuable trait—most of the time, he kept his word. Note, however, that it was most of the time.

To ensure safe passage through the Abyss, Opulence promised various benefits. Once Grazt, the Prince of Shadows, agreed, upon Opulence's arrival in his domain, he promptly indulged in his demonic nature.

Shortly thereafter, the followers of Opulence on Faelon received news of the goddess's disappearance. It wasn't until eleven years later that a band of adventurers rescued the saint of the goddess from the depths of Grazt's palace.

In the cosmic realm of Toriel, those with even a modicum of understanding of the lords of the Abyss are aware that Grazt, the Prince of Shadows, is a notorious figure across the multiverse—a particularly vile aspect being his penchant for deviant, reciprocal liaisons. His palace is filled with comely humanoid beings plundered from various planes.

We cannot fathom the specifics of what occurred during the eleven years Opulence was ensnared in his grasp. Such unsuitable topics are best left unspoken. Setting aside the injuries to her spirit and body, in terms of material loss alone, Opulence suffered greatly.

Transferring her divine responsibilities to the goddess of mirth, while Opulence's high-ranking priests could still receive divine favor through prayer, the prolonged absence of personal communion with the goddess left all of Opulence's followers uneasy. Over the eleven years, a significant portion of the faithful of the goddess of wealth defected to other churches—most gravitated towards the banners of Lila and Tamora. The once grandiose Opulence clergy swiftly dwindled in size. Upon reclaiming her divine office after her ordeal, the goddess of wealth ruefully discovered her divine rank had plummeted by N levels, relegating her to a weaker tier of divine power. This also strained her relationships with several allied deities.

The current state of the Opulence clergy, beset by internal and external troubles compounded by the goddess's lack of efficacy, shows signs of faltering.

Moreover, considering the inhumane treatment Opulence may have endured in Grazt's palace over those eleven years, we believe there exists a deep-seated enmity between the goddess of wealth and the Prince of Shadows.

Indeed, this is corroborated by Opulence's pronouncements after her liberation—urging constant vigilance regarding intelligence concerning Grazt and, if necessary, coordinating with other deities to hunt down his followers.

Hence, benevolent deities like Tyr and Lathander receive substantial support from the Opulence clergy when undertaking actions against the Prince of Shadows' church.

It's worth noting that due to the neutral nature of trade, aside from the thieving deity Mask, Opulence rarely has true adversaries. The issuance of such a decree reveals the depth of Opulence's hatred toward this demon lord. Reflecting on past events, it's undoubtedly a matter she would rather forget.

As Panni observed the capricious demeanor of the goddess of wealth and the instability manifesting on her surface, he couldn't help but feel uneasy. They had just met, and he was already delving into the goddess's dark past. Who knew if he might be disposed of casually? Opulence wasn't a deity of the benevolent camp. According to doctrine, if you made her uncomfortable, as part of the trade, she certainly wouldn't ensure your complete satisfaction.

"Phew..." After a long pause, the goddess's roiling surface finally steadied. Panni anxiously waited for several seconds before hearing the goddess exhale, "Faithful, please refrain from mentioning the name of that vermin in my presence in the future."

"Thank you for pardoning my indiscretion," Panni wiped the sweat from his brow, feeling relieved.

"You need not be too constrained," Opulence's mood seemed to brighten again as she waved her hand, a smile gracing her face. "I have come to reward you."

"A reward?" Panni was taken aback, his expression peculiar as he glanced at the lingering illusion. "If obliterating that demon brings you pleasure, you should reward them."

"Oh no, they are not my devotees," Opulence extended a finger, gently shaking it. "I only concern myself with my own supplicants."

Upon hearing the promise of benefits, Panni's mood immediately lifted, his expression becoming sunny. "I still don't understand, why did that demon provoke Your Eminence?"

Panni asked cautiously, genuinely curious. This time he refrained from mentioning the name of the Prince of Shadows. Leaning against the chair's backrest, Opulence wore a pensive expression. "Well, though few are aware, this isn't something worth keeping secret. The demon's true name is Karadimonxus, one of the first batch of Tanar'ri demons created after the Chaos."

Panni was startled to hear this; indeed, this demon had quite the background.

The so-called Tanar'ri were the largest demon race that now almost entirely ruled the Abyss. Most demon lords in the Abyss were Tanar'ri, including the three demon princes.

In the distant ancient era when the Toril universe had just attained a stable form, the Tanar'ri race did not exist. At that time, the dominant species in the Abyss were the native race from chaos—the Obyriths. These beings, resembling corrupted insects, were astonishingly numerous, yet their power and intelligence were generally quite low. They adhered to the evolutionary rules of the Abyss, giving rise to some Obyrith demons at the apex of the species pyramid who possessed both strength and wisdom. Among them were key figures such as Prince Obox-ob, the King of the Deep Guan, and the Demoness Cangye, who profoundly influenced the history of the Abyss.

These Abyss lords of insectoid origin were the top demons evolved from billions of insectoids, each with its own unique strengths. They ruled independently, not subordinated to each other. After a series of struggles, Prince Obox-ob, the most powerful demon prince at the time, was defeated by Obyriths after the Chaos. This victory garnered the allegiance of most Obyrith lords.

This demon, with many serpent tails, possessed advanced ideas not common among her Obyrith kin. For instance, she deemed it a waste of her talent to confine herself to the dilapidated Abyss. Therefore, she decided to launch attacks on the orderly-controlled realms of Heaven and Hell, aiming to rule the entire multiverse. However, the low quality and slow evolution of the Obyrith demons left her feeling hopeless. Could one expect to unify the multiverse with a group of intellectually challenged insects?

At this juncture, the nascent species of humanity entered her purview. Their potent reproductive capabilities and innate high quality, surpassing even those of the loftier races, intrigued her. Thus, through meticulous experimentation, she melded the strengths of the Obyriths and humanity to forge a new demonic race.

This marked the genesis of the Tanar'ri.

The inaugural batch of Tanar'ri she created constituted the vanguard of her assault on the multiverse. Among them stood the first Tanar'ri demon prince, Arachnus Miskah, alongside various formidable primordial Tanar'ri demons. Notably, as the progeny of chaos, the colossal figure of the Abyss today, Dimogorgon, was initially deemed a failure by its creator and hence was cast aside.

Subsequently, she unleashed this cohort of Tanar'ri alongside the original Obyrith vermin, commencing the bloody saga of the multiversal conflict. This war has endured to this day, yet its outcome has proven highly unfavorable for the Abyss. The majority of Abyssal lords perished, while Arachnus Miskah, both a prominent general and an object of incestuous affection, was ensnared by the forces of order. Meanwhile, the progeny of chaos itself, weakened considerably, retreated ignominiously back into the Abyss to conceal itself.

Following this, the counterattack of celestial beings and the betrayal of the Tanar'ri dealt a devastating blow to the Obyriths, plunging the Abyss into an era of Tanar'ri dominion.

"This individual was chased to Phaeron by a group of celestial beings during the inaugural battle of that bloody conflict, then apprehended by a cohort of Imaskari and sealed underground for study," recounted Waughkin, delving into the demon's origins. "It wasn't until forty-one years ago that he was released by your leader. While I was in the Abyss," the goddess continued, her face contorting with deep disdain, "I witnessed this individual engaging in transactions with that swarm of maggots."

Peni nodded, suddenly enlightened. So, it was a comrade of Graz't, which explained why the goddess held such contempt. But that tone... Could it imply there was an untold story?

At this thought, Peni was overcome with an inexplicable sense of amusement. However, upon catching the goddess's hostile gaze, he promptly composed himself. "So, Your Grace, how do you intend to reward me?"

Then he saw before the goddess a blank parchment materialize, upon which her jeweled finger traced a line, illuminating the paper with a string of glittering numerals.

The parchment floated into Peni's pocket, and he couldn't help but recall a scene he'd witnessed countless times in a previous life—an affluent individual producing a checkbook, nonchalantly flicking a check onto some unfortunate's face. Peni's expression became just as colorful and varied as that memory.