Lin Xiang felt stifled by the rapid pace of technological iteration, where the fall of a media goddess was a commonplace event in the eyes of the new gods.
The first generation of media goddesses had already undergone rebirth when paper media declined. Perhaps they believed rebirth would free them from karma, leading them to unscrupulously deceive their followers.
Narrowing her eyes, Lin Xiang pondered the reasons behind the media goddess's actions.
The power of media goddesses naturally countered evil gods born from stories. However, the old gods, with their long histories, would still exist even if their written records were altered or deleted, as long as they were imprinted in the souls of their believers!
Lin Xiang smiled thoughtfully, "It seems the new gods are not monolithic either."
The conflict between the new and old gods was escalating, yet the leaders of both factions were restraining the scope of their clashes. The media goddess's covert maneuvering at this juncture was likely for her own purposes, purposes that the leader of the old gods, Mr. World, probably did not know about.
"If I were Odin, I would inform all deities whose followers were abducted that the media goddess was the mastermind. In their outrage, Mr. World would have to make the media goddess lie low to quell the situation, and then..." Lin Xiang murmured to herself.
Odin would not fail to recognize the media goddess's importance. In terms of intelligence, there was no need to elaborate. The evil gods controlled by the media alone were already a formidable force. Now, it all depended on whether Odin had the resolve.
Lin Xiang was very interested in the media goddess's domain. If Odin was indeed planning to hunt the media goddess as she suspected, she might be able to get a piece of the pie.
As she was thinking, she sensed a familiar power filling the sky from afar. Dark clouds flashing with lightning slowly approached. Odin, the leading figure among the old gods, had arrived!
Before the gilded archway of Chinatown, Mazu was leading the Eastern deities in a confrontation with Odin.
"Odin! I've already told you I don't want to get involved in your affairs. If you take another step forward, I will consider it a declaration of war!"
It was the first time Lin Xiang had seen Mazu speak so sternly. Dark clouds cast a shadow on the Empress's face, making it impossible to discern her expression.
Odin, with a blurred white film over his right eye, adjusted his coat and chuckled carelessly, "Guardian of the sea gods who guide voyages, doesn't your tradition say that guests are welcome? Is this how you treat your guests?"
Mazu remained unmoved, her unbound long hair fluttering in the wind, a faint halo already appearing behind her head.
Seeing that Mazu was preparing to get serious, Odin finally raised his hands and took two steps back, "I'm not here to persuade you to join my side this time. I just want to thank your sister."
The moment Lin Xiang saw Odin, she instinctively became defensive. This middle-aged man, who exuded an air of sophisticated casualness, was definitely not simple. From his remaining left eye, Lin Xiang saw only cold calculation and rationality.
A deep-scheming, ruthless character! Lin Xiang's first impression of Odin was not very good, but she also acknowledged his contributions to the old gods. A schemer was more reliable than a pig teammate with an overabundance of saintly compassion! Thinking this way, the Norse king of gods would have a very flexible moral bottom line when it did not harm his own interests.
Lin Xiang stepped out from the crowd, her gaze, however, fixed on the tall, bewildered man behind Odin. Lin Xiang had not expected the chosen one who had appeared in the illusion to come before her in such a manner. Naturally, she would not miss this opportunity, as she was already very curious about the source of his divinity.
"King of the gallows, to avoid unnecessary misunderstandings, we'd best maintain a distance."
Lin Xiang pointed at the tall man who looked completely out of his depth, "Although we do not have the custom of live sacrifices, refusing someone's gift is impolite. I will accept it."
Odin's face twitched. Looking at Lin Xiang, whose face was etched with an expression of 'this is for your sake,' he forced a stiff smile, "Of course, I know the Eastern deities dislike human sacrifices, so how could I offer a living person as a gift? This is my bodyguard, Shadow."
Lin Xiang also put on a fake smile, "You are truly knowledgeable. So, your gift must be something I like?"
Odin, empty-handed, could no longer maintain his stiff smile and resorted to changing the subject, "Lorelei told me that another wise and powerful goddess has appeared among the Eastern deities. Your civilization is truly flourishing."
Lin Xiang was not distracted by Odin's flattery. Her face still wore that flawless smile, "Thank you for your compliment. Originally, you should have given me a welcome gift on our first meeting, but since you have brought a gift that I will like, how could I possibly receive another gift from you?"
Mazu beside her also flinched at Lin Xiang's sudden sarcastic tone and looked at her in surprise.
Lin Xiang subtly shifted her gaze, signaling Mazu to leave it all to her. Mazu, with a strange expression, moved aside, allowing these two evenly matched deities to spar.
Lin Xiang took a few steps forward, circled Odin twice, and said with feigned ignorance, "You didn't bring it with you, is it a very, very big surprise?"
Seeing through the mockery hidden beneath the innocence in Lin Xiang's eyes, Odin hesitated, unsure how to respond.
At this moment, Odin did not realize the seriousness of the situation. He said with a wry smile, "Please don't tease me anymore. I sincerely want to thank you, that's all."
"Alright." Lin Xiang also dropped her fake smile, "I will remember that you owe me a gift."
Odin nodded, "You helped Lorelei find Giselle's whereabouts. This gift is what you deserve."
The plan was successful! Lin Xiang rejoiced inwardly and smiled sincerely, "I also want to thank you sincerely for this gift."
The atmosphere immediately eased. Lin Xiang picked up a pearl necklace and swung it on her finger, "Since you've prepared a gift for me, we are friends now."
Lin Xiang smiled brilliantly, "Let's skip the useless probing and tell us your purpose."
Odin instantly sensed the fluctuations of fate. He clenched and then immediately relaxed his fists, "I am here to invite you to the House of Stone for the gathering of the old gods."
"I accept the invitation." Lin Xiang's eyes curved into a smile as she readily agreed.
The dark clouds that filled the sky dispersed with Odin's departure. Mazu seemed to have guessed something and lightly tapped Lin Xiang's head after Odin's back had completely disappeared.
"He probably realizes your trick now."
Lin Xiang slowly tucked a strand of her long hair behind her ear, "A god-king who can foresee the twilight of the gods would certainly not be ignorant of the power of fate. But this is what I want."
"He only sees what I want him to see. Do you think he believes that what he has guessed is my entire objective?"
Odin and Lin Xiang reached a consensus in this battle without smoke. The two equally matched intelligent individuals had already divided the spoils, and now they were just waiting for the raw materials to appear.