Adam's greatest strength lies in the fact that he never makes demands that others would refuse—he is a very "reasonable" person.
At first glance, what he said really made a lot of sense.
But Astaroth remained wary: "You're waving promissory notes worth hundreds of millions in front of me just to get me to befriend the Peacock King's daughter and son-in-law? That doesn't seem very reasonable."
“Apart from that, it’s just a small matter,” Adam shrugged. “I need two ancient magical rituals that only you old gods know. Hecate was supposed to give me one, but she seems to be in Hayden’s hands now. I’ll go and ask him about it later; as for the other one, I reckon the ancient Earth Mother probably knows it too. I hope you can teach it to me, then we’ll be even.”
That sounds like there really isn't a problem. Astaroth nodded slowly and asked, "What magical ritual do you want me to teach you?"
Adam smiled gently: "I want to learn how to use rituals to give true names to newborn gods."
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The Tower (Reversed)
[Grand Arcana Card No. 16]
[Keywords: sudden change, disaster, destruction, enlightenment]
It can both create and isolate; it is created and it is destroyed. From this destruction will arise new freedom. Though the days of peace are gone, we have rediscovered infinite possibilities.
Extra: Emperor
The Peacock King is a little nervous now.
Honestly, this is ridiculous. He shouldn't be nervous at all.
Because he is the Peacock King! From ancient times to the present, he has been the strongest war god! Wielding his sword, he has been invincible for five thousand years! Although the Immovable King is said to be a war god of equal rank, his attribute is "General," not a "Swordsman" like the Peacock King. In other words, in a one-on-one situation, the Peacock King truly is the strongest creature in the world!
The strongest creature! The strongest individual!
Even if a Bodhisattva were truly determined to kill the Peacock King, he would dare to laugh loudly and fight against a million-strong divine army, gambling to see if he could bankrupt his opponent before he died! What in this world could make him nervous? Nothing!
...However, no matter how illogical it may seem, the Peacock King is now a little nervous.
He was about to carry Margaret's egg into his living room, where his wife Hela was leisurely playing the latest action game.
Hela was in a good mood. Even if the Peacock went to report some strange news to her, she probably wouldn't be angry, right? Besides, even if she were angry, so what? She, the Peacock King, was the one in charge!
Damn it, what on earth is he nagging about?!
"Father, is there a problem?"
Karen was now following behind the Peacock King, and she clearly found this hesitation inexplicable.
Incidentally, Hayden and Angela were also further back. But Hayden wisely refrained from going up and getting involved.
So the Peacock King had to answer his daughter's question himself. He paused for a moment, sneered, and then said, "Karen, do you think your mother wouldn't care about such things?"
Karen nodded honestly.
Ultimately, their family isn't some strange household where the husband is obligated to do whatever the wife asks, even handing over his income. Power and resources bring undeniably real control, so the more equal the individuals, the more equal their interactions. While not necessarily rigid, the Peacock family's major decisions are generally discussed and made together by the husband and wife, and now Karen has to be added to the mix.
Besides, Hela's personality was fundamentally eccentric. Karen always felt that her mother wouldn't care about things that normal people would care about...
...But the Peacock King clearly didn't think so.
He sneered, "Precisely because we don't know what she cares about, we can't predict how she'll react, can we?"
Now it was Karen's turn to be speechless.
Indeed, she had no idea how her mother would react to this. Hearing her seemingly invincible father say that, even Karen seemed to be starting to get a little nervous…
But the Peacock King still carried the egg into the living room.
Hayden and Karen exchanged glances for a moment, then decided to wait at the door. After all, it was better for the couple to handle this kind of thing themselves for now.
But then again...
“Melek Tauss should actually be enjoying this situation.”
Angela said happily behind them.
Karen immediately rolled her eyes. Hayden, on the other hand, nodded, as he had a better understanding of the issue.
Love can only exist between equals. In other words, a relationship that can truly be built on love must be based on relative equality.
Angels were originally pure spirits. The difference between them and humans with flesh and blood was greater than that between a human and an ant. This wasn't simply about power, but rather the difference in their lives and their perspectives. The fact that fallen angels like the Peacock King can now communicate normally with humans is, of course, partly because humans have gained power and become a new race of gods…
...But is that the only reason? Obviously not. If everyone could communicate normally simply because they all had power, most fallen angels wouldn't have been overthrown and ended up like they are today.
Over four hundred years ago, when the earliest capitalists and industrial arcane arts began to develop, those wise Old Gods, if they had taken a serious look and thought things through, would surely have recognized the power and hidden risks inherent in these emerging classes and technologies. But the vast majority of Old Gods didn't consider this even a little bit.
Why? Because of arrogance, and because they simply didn't want to understand. The old gods who ruled as emperors never even considered comprehending these emerging mortal capitalists and the new technologies and knowledge they developed. Perhaps all rulers of all ages are corrupted by arrogance, leading them to their downfall.
In contrast, the Peacock King must have been observing humanity for five thousand years, learning from them, and gradually being influenced by them. That's why he was the first to realize that humanity was about to become the new gods, and thus the first to choose a new side.
However, why the Peacock King was so eager to understand humans is probably a question on another level.
Thinking of this, Hayden suddenly had an idea.
He also wanted to understand Angela better, although it wasn't exactly the same thing, but perhaps he could learn from Hela's experience of pursuing the Peacock King? He wondered how Hela had managed to reach an agreement with the Peacock King.
However, Hayden wasn't truly foolish. He knew Karen had feelings for him, and the Peacock King and Queen even considered Hayden their future son-in-law because of it. If Hayden were to go and learn from Hela how to woo an angel, that would be utterly immoral…
...Before Hayden could reach a conclusion, Hela's shouting suddenly came from under the door:
"Whose?! Who gave birth to this child?!"
It seemed they were really arguing. Hayden and Karen couldn't resist their curiosity and pricked up their ears to listen.
"If you had someone else lay them, that would be one thing, but these are bird eggs! If you laid them yourself, that's a different story!"
...Why does this conversation seem a little strange?
"Hela, calm down. And what kind of strange talk are you saying?"
The Peacock King seemed a little confused as well.
But Hela became even more agitated, almost excited: "How can anyone stay calm about this! If you gave birth to it yourself, it means you became a woman and had a child with someone else! That's too lewd! I can't accept it!"
Hayden, Karen, and Peacock King are probably all completely bewildered right now.
However, it's true that angels have no gender! Since the child is an egg, it's also possible that the Peacock King conceived and gave birth to it himself—but that's just wishful thinking!
Karen and Hayden looked at each other in bewilderment and quickly pushed open the door to help explain.
————————————————————————————
Fortunately, Hela seemed to be well aware of the Peacock King's sexual preferences; her earlier excitement was merely feigned ignorance to amuse him.
probably.
"Simply put, this egg was born from the blood of two fallen angels, mixed with the energy of the earth's veins and the essence of the underworld?"
After hearing the whole story and its explanation, Hela began to examine Margaret's egg with considerable curiosity. Her gaze was less that of someone looking at a baby and more that of someone looking at an interesting toy.
This is also what the Peacock King and Karen are most worried about. If Hela doesn't treat Margaret as a child, or even as a life with human rights, then the Peacock King obviously can't raise her himself.
What will happen then? Should we leave it to Karen to raise? But Karen also has many other problems. She has a lot to face, and she might not be able to protect her unborn sister.
Just as the father and daughter were filled with worry, Hela smiled and said something astonishing: "Sasa, in that sense, isn't this also our child?"
……What?
"Think about it, this egg is infused with your blood and nurtured by the essence of the Netherworld Dead Sea. And I am, after all, a god of the underworld and the ruler of the River Styx."
Hela clenched her fist and said in a serious tone,
"The two of us combined are at least more than half, so this is our second child!"
...That's not how it's calculated, is it?
In any case, no one expected Hela to say such a thing. For a moment, Karen even suspected that her mother was secretly plotting something.
The Peacock King knew perfectly well that his relationship with Hela was no longer one where they could deceive each other. Since Hela could say that, it meant that at least part of her heart believed it. Although he was puzzled and thought Hela's explanation was far-fetched, he felt a warmth welling up in his heart upon hearing his wife's willingness to say it.
For some reason, he didn't want to deny this statement.
"Our...second child, is that right?"
After saying those words, the Peacock King almost laughed at himself. But gazing at the faint threads of fate beyond the myriad phenomena of the universe, he also felt a warm sense of "so that's how it is."
The birth of this child should never be something that is abandoned or cursed by the parents.
Karen was still a little worried: "Mom, you're not thinking of secretly taking Margaret to be modified, are you?"
"No way. How could such a unique observation sample be moved around?" Hela pouted. "Anyway, I've already modified you. I've had my fill of playing with you."
Karen: ? ? ?
Who is your biological child anyway?!
After much coaxing, Hayden finally calmed Karen down. However, driven by his own curiosity about being transformed by the goddess Hela, Hayden couldn't help but ask, "How was Karen transformed?"
When asked this, Hela became quite proud.
"Do you know why Kallen's basic configuration is 'elf type'? One reason is that her father is a fallen angel, and his form is a bird. But the bloodline of a fallen angel is actually very variable. Theoretically, any appearance can be chosen. Why is Kallen an elf with pointed ears? Why are her breasts like washboards? Of course, it's all because I sculpted her like this when she was an embryo!"
Hayden had always wondered why neither the Peacock King nor his wife had pointed ears, while Karen possessed a dominant trait among elves. Now the truth was revealed.
Karen, on the other hand, was furious. Although she had long wondered about her appearance, she had always thought it was adjusted for functional reasons. She never expected that she was actually just someone her mother had sculpted at will.
"I want to use my own money to change my body!"
"It will take at least a month to fully recover, are you sure? Aren't you supposed to be racing against time to get important things done? Are you really going to waste a month on something so trivial? Seriously?"
The mother and daughter started arguing, and Karen was almost completely outmatched by Hela's shamelessness and sharp tongue. This is a classic case of one thing being the nemesis of another.
Hayden, standing nearby, was completely stunned. It was truly a rare sight.
However, it seems that Hayden's attempt to learn from Hela's experience of pursuing the Peacock King is futile.
Or perhaps Hayden should have done it the other way around?
He turned his head and saw that Peacock King had already sat on the sofa on the other side of the living room, looking down at his book, letting the mother and daughter make a fuss on their own.
After all, everyone will soon be even busier. Before that happens, fooling around a little like this is an important way to recharge.
Although it was a little awkward, Hayden thought about it and still went over to ask the Peacock King... and the Peacock King actually started chatting with him.
Why did I marry Hela?
When asked this question, the Peacock King raised his eyebrows.
"Sometimes I want to ask myself this question. But if I really had to give a reason..."
He turned his head and looked at the mother of the family who was playing around with Karen on the other side of the room, and said thoughtfully, "It's probably because Hela is very similar to me in the past."
This made Hayden even more puzzled. He simply couldn't imagine that the Peacock King had once been an arrogant, reckless, and willful person who would laugh loudly and then casually throw people into the alchemical furnace to be reformed.
But the Peacock King clearly saw through Hayden's thoughts.
“That’s not what I meant. When Hela was your age… about half your current age, she was very talented and worked hard for that talent, but she had no will to live and was full of death energy. She was born as a mortal, but the realm she was in from childhood was so vague, closer to death than life.”
He briefly recounted the past.
"When I first met Hela, I felt that if we left her alone, she would either die young or grow and cause immense death and destruction to the world. Because she had that talent, a penchant for courting death, and no desire to survive."
"At the time, I didn't think there was anything wrong with a mortal destroying the world, but later she took the initiative to cling to me. We were together all the time for several years..."
At this point, the Peacock King himself was somewhat embarrassed. But he continued speaking anyway.
"Then I finally realized that rather than watching her grow up and mess up the world... I'd rather see how interesting she'd live her life."
This is the confession of a fallen angel who once hated humanity and loathed God and his fellow human beings.
These events all occurred approximately one hundred years ago. The Five-Colored Divine Light was also perfected by the Peacock King around that time.
In the end, things turned out the way they are now.
Hayden scratched his head, feeling that he couldn't really use this as a reference. But the fact that the Peacock King and his wife had such a good relationship was indeed both gratifying and enviable.
"Five thousand years of time have smoothed out your rough edges, allowing you to rethink the meaning of life and the reasons for death. If you hadn't walked the earth for so long, if you had simply been sealed in a bottle, you probably wouldn't have changed so easily."
Instead, it was Angela, who had been standing to the side, who spoke up at this moment.
“You originally longed for destruction and death, but after more than five thousand years in this world, you found a reason to live and became a devoted father. Melek Tauss, you make me very proud.”
Her expression was so gentle when she spoke, like...like the Peacock King's sister or even mother. But that's impossible, it can't be possible at all, right?
“You’re really strange. If you truly represent that god who hates evil, you should expect me to be without a family.” After thinking it over, the Peacock King finally couldn’t help but complain, “If I didn’t need to worry about my family, I probably would have fallen out with these capitalists long ago.”
He still couldn't stand these new capitalist gods. Even if he couldn't win, the Peacock King might one day get angry and launch a sneak attack to kill one or two Bodhisattvas, only to be finished off by the rest—that was the best he could do, given the vast difference in total resources.
For his wife and children, the Peacock King felt he had become weak. He endured humiliation he shouldn't have, succumbing to the unjust oppression of the world by the new god of capital. Is this justice?