Chapter 9: Selected Race

"Now that all the Pantheons have gathered, we can work together to bring order to this world," Lugh said gently. Though he felt tense under the gaze of the gods, he managed to conceal it and continued.

"The world has remained unbalanced for too long. It has been left without peace and justice. Instead of strengthening ourselves as gods, we have been occupied with each other, once again placing this world under the threat of destruction."

Pausing for a moment to gauge their reactions, Lugh noticed some gods nodding in approval and continued without delay. "As Pantheons, we are supreme, and we must control our own creations. To achieve this, we aim to establish order through an agreement, ensuring that each Pantheon demonstrates a certain level of understanding. Likewise, we want all Pantheons to impose restrictions upon themselves and maintain peace."

"And what exactly is pushing you to do this?" Ishtar broke the silence with a mocking tone. "If something like this were truly necessary, the greater Pantheons would have already gathered to make such an agreement without needing you."

Hearing Ishtar, Lugh fell silent. Noticing the situation turning sour, Michael intervened. "First, we must listen to what Lugh has to say, Ishtar. Do not interrupt."

Seeing that Heaven supported him, Lugh inwardly felt relieved and expressed his gratitude. Meanwhile, Ishtar saw her father's warning gaze and angrily fell silent.

"I ask for your understanding. If we continue acting without limits and rules, we will soon weaken again, and rebellious races in the world will inevitably emerge."

"Your words sound pleasant, but we must reject this," Osiris intervened this time, in contrast to Ishtar. "It is impossible for humans to rebel. They cannot live without us."

Lugh smiled. "Do you really believe that? What if Egypt and Sumer go to war with each other? If humans suffer heavy losses during the war, will their faith in you not collapse?"

Hearing Lugh's words, Osiris fell into deep thought with a wise expression. As Lugh had pointed out, if a war broke out between Egypt and Sumer in the human realm, the losing side would inevitably suffer a loss of faith.

One must not forget that the main reason Pantheons sought territories in the mortal world was the believers living there. The more worshippers, the greater the influence.

Now filled with doubt, Osiris signaled for Lugh to continue. Lugh then turned to the gods. "If this agreement is established, there will be a Council of Gods. In the event of a crisis between Pantheons, the matter will be addressed here. This way, the world will no longer be chaotic, and our powers will be preserved."

"We support this. As always, we stand for peace and diplomacy," Michael said to the gods, then turned his gaze to Gaia. "A war between two supreme Pantheons would bring about an apocalypse. Likewise, if other Pantheons engage in unnecessary invasions or conflicts, all Pantheons will suffer."

Eros chuckled. "It all sounds nice when you say it, but why is no one talking about who will lead?"

Hearing Eros' words, everyone's expression turned thoughtful. Noticing this, Lugh quickly redirected the attention to himself. "There is no point in discussing that now. First, we must establish the rules and then determine what needs to be done."

"Lugh is right. It is too early to debate leadership. For now, we should set the rules." Surprisingly, it was Anu who said this. After some debate, the gods finally agreed to the pact and began discussing the rules.

"Naturally, the first rule must be that all Pantheons have equal standing in the Council of Gods." Hearing Michael's words, the greater Pantheons internally objected, while the mid-level Pantheons felt relieved. At least they would now have equal rights.

Fortunately, Gaia was not opposed to this and quickly approved it. This time, she spoke to establish another rule.

"The second rule should be that the two supreme Pantheons are granted veto rights. As the most powerful and ancient Pantheons, we deserve this privilege."

As soon as Gaia spoke, reactions arose.

"This is excessive. You may be the oldest, but granting such a rule would give you immense power," Osiris said, furrowing his brows. Supporting him, Amaterasu added, "If we want a fair system, then everyone must be equal."

As everyone voiced their objections, Gaia merely smirked mockingly and looked at Michael. What mattered was Heaven's decision. If Heaven supported her, the others would have no choice but to comply.

"Veto rights would only make the council ineffective. At the same time, they would prevent irrational decisions. Therefore, only a single veto should be allowed." Michael neither opposed nor fully supported the idea, presenting a compromise.

There were no objections, but dissatisfaction lingered. However, Gaia accepted with a satisfied grin, and they moved on to the next rules, which mainly concerned territorial rights for the Pantheons.

"If a Pantheon wishes to claim land in the mortal realm, it must first have worshippers among the races there. If a Pantheon wants to claim unoccupied land, it must first present its case to the Council of Gods."

No one objected to Lugh's words, and they moved on to the next rule, which was proposed by Uriel. "If a commission, decision, or proposal is vetoed, it cannot be proposed again for 100 years."

"That's excessive. Twenty years is more reasonable," Anu objected. Uriel, choosing to compromise, adjusted the rule. "Fifty years, then."

"That is acceptable to us," Anu agreed and fell silent. While years felt like mere days to the gods, this duration equated to a lifetime for mortal races. Essentially, this law would ensure long periods of waiting in the human world, which even for the gods was a considerable amount of time.

Another agreement concerned the classification of Pantheons. The gods did not object to this and collectively established a new law. After some time, the final decisions were made.

For a minor Pantheon to be recognized as a mid-level or high-level Pantheon, it had to be at least 100,000 years old.

Pantheons like the Norse passed this criterion due to Ymir's age, but this rule effectively blocked the rise of newer Pantheons. However, Gaia introduced an exception by adding an additional clause.

If a minor Pantheon possessed more than two high-level gods who were major power centers, they could apply to join the Council of Gods.

No one objected to this rule. Afterward, the gods continued negotiating the agreement for an entire month, adding thousands of rules and laws.

The most significant law was that gods were now forbidden from personally entering the mortal world. Each Pantheon would have to reside within their own realm. The only exception would be demigod offspring or created beings.

Gaia had specifically insisted on this because there was a loophole in the agreement. In the future, the children of the Titans—who would be recognized as demigods due to Gaia—would be permitted to reside in the world.

As the primordial goddess of life, Gaia had the power to bestow divinity upon the mortal realm. She could even turn a Titan into divine blood and create hybrids.

Despite this, Michael did not mind and allowed it. Once the remaining minor and major laws were accepted, the agreement was finalized. Now, a leader and a goodwill ambassador would be chosen for the Council of Gods—someone completely neutral.

As soon as this matter was raised, the gods fell into silence. Naturally, everyone wanted to nominate someone from their own Pantheon, but Michael prevented this.

"If we are to choose a fair and impartial leader, then it must be a human. Humans are the fastest-growing population in the world, and they may become the dominant race in the future."

"Instead of humans, fairies could also be considered," Lugh quickly added, but he was ignored. The Sumerians and Egyptians, who had human creations, found the idea intriguing and accepted it.

The only one visibly displeased was Gaia. In her Pantheon, humans had not yet been created. She immediately objected and refused to accept the decision.

"My sister Nyx's daughter, Nemesis, may be a relatively new goddess, but she is still a goddess of justice and vengeance. She is absolutely suitable for this role."

Hearing Gaia's objection, Michael opposed it. "Nemesis is still affiliated with your Pantheon. Apologies, but we are concerned. How can we be sure that Nemesis will not assist you?"

"If you have a better candidate, then name them," Gaia said, furrowing her brows as her beautiful expression darkened. Michael simply smiled. "Our candidate is already chosen."

As Michael gestured, a small wave of light flickered briefly, and then, at the center of the Council, a child appeared. It was Jesus.

"What? Do you really think a child can do this?" Gaia smirked mockingly and glanced at Jesus, who shyly looked around with curiosity.

Michael smiled at Gaia's remark. "The child before you possesses the wisdom of God. I would not recommend underestimating him."

"Are you saying that God has shared his wisdom with this child?" Eros placed his hand on his chin in curiosity, speaking with a thoughtful expression.

Michael did not give a clear answer, but for Eros, that was answer enough. He laughed and turned to Gaia. "Quite interesting. Well, it's better if we accept this. But regardless, the greater Pantheons should still hold an important position to ensure justice."

Eros spoke openly. "I believe the major Pantheons should nominate their own candidates to assist the leader. This way, everyone will be satisfied, and unilateral power will be prevented."

Hearing Eros, Michael said nothing more and approved the proposal. Though Gaia remained displeased, she said nothing further. However, she felt the need to add one last condition.

"If a human is to be the leader, then you should not object to Nemesis."

Hearing Gaia's words, Michael accepted. "That is an acceptable condition. Consider it an exception."

With that settled, the gods, now satisfied, proceeded to the party organized by the Celts. The true purpose of the gathering was revealed—to negotiate and forge alliances with the other Pantheons.