Chapter 93 - 90

One must know that you mustn’t leave loose ends. As a proper cultivator, you should finish off your enemies properly so they cannot swear revenge and then reappear a thousand Chapters later with some convoluted power-ups even after you ascended to five higher-level worlds.

Ocean Song had long studied the Ancient Exalted Texts and knew this profound truth and carried it within his heart.

However, he also felt like it wasn’t proper to kill the God of Bread.

While the God of Bread was most certainly deserving of having his legs broken—and having had that happen to him while he cried on the ground—killing him was an entirely different matter. Just as well, his Divine Power would return soon, and he could easily heal himself, unless Ocean Song stayed her and continued to beat him up with his Righteous Condemnation Stick.

And he considered it.

He had spent days doing far less pertinent things before.

It would be a way to perfect his Dao of Leg Breaking, so the idea certainly had appeal to him. But he also had matters to attend to, like ushering the Cheese and Bee God to his sect and his family.

Therefore, Ocean Song understood he could only offer a different kind of death.

A social death.

Which was arguably worse.

Ocean Song clasped his hands behind his back as his robes billowed heroically, staring at his work of art.

"...I can’t ever come back here again." The Cheese God whispered as he stared at the scene as well.

Hoisted onto a flagpole by his underwear, the God of Bread hung high up for all to see.

Ocean Song took out his phone and started to take pictures. "I’ll make sure to send these to everyone."

"Wait, don’t just—"

"Too late, I already sent them." Ocean Song declared. "Perhaps it’s best we expedite your family retrieval and move. The bridges have been burnt, Fellow Daoist. Time to flee."

"My truck is gone...." The god looked at his overturned truck, smoking and clearly having seen better days. "I don’t think it’ll start anymore.

"Fellow Daoist." Ocean Song put a hand on his shoulder. "You have much to learn about the ways of cultivation. But fear not, I shall teach you the most important facets." He held up a set of keys, pressing on the fob, and a very expensive Porsche nearby blinked and let out a noise indicating it was now unlocked. "Looting is righteous when it’s done to people you don’t like."

Aristaeus stared at Ocean Song, then his gaze drifted to the Porsche across the street. "...can I drive?"

"Fellow Daoist, now you’re getting it." Ocean Song was pleased with his progress. He was a natural, and he would be sure to pass down even more profound wisdom. "Do you also want his watch?" Ocean Song held up the very expensive watch as well.

"...it’s a nice watch. I couldn’t afford something like that on my salary."

The God of Cheese happily went over to the car and got into the driver’s seat while Ocean Song sat in the passenger.

It was a little rough at first, but he got the hang of it as the car started moving down the street.

"Fellow Daoist, a question."

"Huh?"

"How come you’re poor?"

"...I’m not poor. I’m...middle class."

"Fellow Daoist, as a god, that’s poor."

He let out a long sigh. "It’s complicated. I already told you."

"Yes, but I’m still confused.

He shook his head and decided to fully explain. "I’m the God of Cheese Making, of Bee Keeping, and some other miscellaneous stuff. All my domains are subordinate domains of others. I don’t get Faith, or Belief from Cheese itself, but the process of it being made. Cheese Making...Let me ask you this: what’s the most popular cheese in this country?"

"American?"

"And that’s my point. American Cheese—it’s not even cheese! Okay, technically, it’s really cheese. American Cheese isn’t even the most popular Cheese, but when you ask someone in the country about cheese, can you guess what the first cheese that comes to their mind is?! But it’s not made in the traditional way! It’s entirely processed! So it has nothing to do with me. It’s basically all automated, without any spirit or human touch. We attached ourselves to the Western Civilization; I’m no exception. The Good Cheese still comes from overseas, from the old country. A minor god like me, I barely have a connection over there, not like the Olympians."

"I had no idea the world of cheese was so profound." Ocean Song realized the Dao of Cheese had more intricacies than he realized. "What about Bees?"

He let out another long sigh as they drove down the road. "Don’t even get me started on that. Do you have any idea what’s been happening to the bee populations these past few years? It’s been dropping so much, and it’s on a downward spiral. Not only that, but beekeeping is...it’s barely even acknowledged anymore. Did you know, back in the old days, it was a sign of status, of wealth, and a means to have your own bees! A wealthy family would have a few hives out back in the forests! Fresh honey from a hive? You were someone. People treated bees with respect! They were sometimes thought of as signs from the gods. If you got stung, parents were telling their children that they were being naughty and it was a punishment from the god to be more pious!"

"...Did the gods really use bees to sting children?"

"Listen...it was the concept." He paused. "Only sometimes."

Be shook his head again. "Beekeeping is now a hobby that only a few people across the country partake in. Otherwise, it’s an industrialized profiteering business. The human element is gone; there’s no real connection with it anymore. Honey is still made; those who have a domain involving that still profit, but my domain of beekeeping has been growing shallower over the years because the original concept is dying."

"That’s rough."

The God of Cheese let out a groan. "Whatever, I already accepted it a long time ago. As long as I can keep going, that’s better than some. I have friends that faded over the years; I can say that I’m somewhat lucky, I guess."

"That Bread God seems to be doing well."

"Bread is too robust. There are far too many ways to make bread, and each method has its own points that make it worthwhile. It’s not something that machinery can completely replace, at least not in the current age. Bakeries are still too numerous, and even sliced bread is far above American Cheese, so he has that going for him too."

Ocean Song noted that while he said he had already accepted things, he certainly was holding a grudge against American Cheese.

"Fellow Daoist, I believe I know what will make you feel better." Ocean Song took out his cheese hat and put it on the Cheese God’s head. "There."

"...I feel like you’re mocking me, but at the same time, I also feel like you’re being very sincere."

[Line Break]

They drove for a bit before finally pulling into a middle-class neighborhood, pulling into the driveway of a house that didn’t look particularly different compared to any others.

The front door opened as they left the vehicle; a woman stood at the door before a little girl pushed past her.

"Daddy!"

"My little Bumble Bee." He smiled, hugging her as she ran to him.

"Honey....where’s the truck. And who is this....?" The Woman cautiously looked at Ocean Song.

"Greetings, Madam. My name is Ocean Song; I am here to assist your husband." Ocean Song introduced himself. She was to be the wife of his newest sect member; that meant he needed to be nice and inviting to her.

"Um...."

"It’s a long story." The Cheese God coughed. "We....need to move."

"...how bad is it?"

"I’m...mortal at the moment." He said quietly.

"Oh."

Ocean Song understood that they were in the know, so that made things easier. They spoke openly right in front of their daughter, so she must be aware as well. The initial question would be how his daughter fared, being a Half-Blood with full knowledge. Her scent would have attracted many monsters, but that was a moot point when a god, even a lesser god, was willing to break the rules so openly to stay with her.

At this point, he would be more than willing to break the rule to smite any monsters that came close to her as well.

"You’re dressed funny." The little girl looked at Ocean Song.

"Melissa." Her dad said in a low voice. "Be nice; we’re going to be staying with him from now on."

"It’s alright." Ocean Song smiled, not at all upset about her comment.

"This is my daughter, Melissa. And my wife, Irene," the Cheese God introduced. "They know everything, so you don’t have to be careful."

Ocean Song was appreciative of the kindness, so he reciprocated. "I know this must be confusing, but your husband has found himself in a spot of trouble. My home is capable of sheltering him for as long as he needs, and your family as well."

Irene looked at her husband. "Are we in danger?"

"...yes." He just nodded, decidedly not explaining the full details.

"I’ll go pack my bags. Melissa, sweetheart, we’re going to need to back your suitcase. Take....take only your most important things. Oh, what are we going to do about the house?" She muttered that last part to herself.

"Mom, do we have to leave? What about all my stuff? And what about Mr. Whiskers? Are we taking him too?"

"Just...let me think for a second. Start packing first, then we’ll figure it out."

She had been mentally planning this scenario out in her head before, but having it suddenly jump at her, it was still a sudden and stressful time.

Aristaeus looked guilty at all of it.

"One moment, I have a thought." Ocean Song spoke up, and he threw down a familiar altar. "Great Goddess, I ask for your response!"

Very quickly, he received one. "What did I tell you about your way of addressing me?"

"Ah...well, I was just doing it for fun." Ocean Song cleared his throat. "Hecate."

"Hmph." He could hear her all but scowling at him. "What do you need?"

"I have a...presumptuous request."

"...one second, I’m coming over." Without another word, the mists swirled until her silhouette appeared. The Goddess of Magic stepped out, looking around, and her eyes landed on not Ocean Song but the now depowered God. "Aristaeus?"

"Hello, Hecate. It’s been awhile." He greeted her.

"...I thought I felt something familiar before. I see, that was you that was with him at the time. You..." She stopped, looking at the demigod next to him and the woman. "You are truly bold. I suppose I don’t need to tell you what you’re doing wrong?"

He smiled awkwardly. "I’m just a mortal right now, so I’m not breaking any rules."

Hecate snorted. "It’s not me that you have to explain yourself to. But it’s also not any of my business."

"Do you two know each other?" Ocean Song asked.

"We have had some interactions in the past. At one point or another, all of us have interacted with each other. However, all of my interactions with him have been...not unpleasant."

From Hecate, that was practically a glowing recommendation.

"If I recall, you seem to be on good terms with most other gods." She added.

"I was always good at networking and making friends." Aristaeus didn’t deny it. "You are...acquainted with him?" He asked, looking to Ocean Song.

"...in a manner of speaking." Hecate pursed her lips. "He is my...." Rather than saying it, she, perhaps slowly, reached over and grabbed his hand.

"Oh." The God of Cheese put two and two together. "That’s...congratulations?"

Hecate huffed. "I presume what you need my help with concerns them?"

Ocean Song cleared his throat as she looked back at him. "As I said, I have a presumptuous request. If you can’t do it, I don’t want to put you in an awkward position, so please tell me if it’s something you are unwilling to do; I will not take offense."

Her expression softened slightly. "I appreciate your consideration." She meant it as well; even if he was asking for a favor, he wasn’t expecting it to be satisfied and ignored her own circumstances. To her, that was a romantic gesture that made her very happy and solidified some feelings in her heart.

"At the Sect..."

"Yes?"

"There’s that side courtyard, next to the garden, and through the path up towards the east mountain."

"I am familiar with what you’re talking about." She had been to his home several times now and more or less knew its layout.

Ocean Song turned towards the God of Cheese. "Fellow Daoist, do you own your house outright?"

"Um...we’re still paying the mortgage, but yes?"

"Hecate, can you teleport the house and everything in it to that courtyard I mentioned?"

"....."

"...."

"..."

The adults all but stared at Ocean Song incredulously.

"That’s...not impossible." Hecate finally spoke. "But that is certainly not something I have done before...." She looked thoughtful.

"But wait, wouldn’t there be issues? Pipes, wires, sewage, a whole bunch of—"

"Alright, I’ll do it." Hecate ignored the God of Cheese and raised her arms up as the Mists poured it and surrounded the house, sweeping it up in a torrent, and in one moment to the other it disappeared.

The family stared incredulously at the empty lot where their house once stood. The foundation was removed completely, leaving a pit, with a few broken pipes spewing out water, and some severed electrical wires touching said pooling water letting out jets of electricity.

"Don’t make a habit of this." Hecate warned Ocean Song as the others just stared silently at the empty lot still. "...however, I am not unwilling to assist you at times." She hesitated for a moment before giving him a kiss on the cheek. "Is this sufficient to show my affection? I want to make sure that you know that I am still fond of you."

"Yes?" Ocean Song just had a big dumb smile on his face.

"Good. I will be returning home. You are welcome to visit if you feel like it at your leisure." With that, she was about to return home but paused. "Hmm, I suppose I should send you all there as well to make things easier."

"You’re the best, Hecate!" Ocean Song beamed.

"Hmph, it’s a minor effort." She waved her hand dismissively but was happy at the praise. With little effort, she teleported all of them right over.

One moment, they were standing on the driveway of their missing house; the next, they were standing at the entrance to the sect.

The family were bewildered and hadn’t snapped out of their stupor.

Ocean Song took a deep breath. "Sword Heart Sect, Assemble!"

The family heard several shouts coming from inside the large structure. The palace-like buildings, the intricate and beautiful towering buildings sitting on top of literal mountains as clouds drifted between the peaks.

For them, it felt like heaven.

"Bawhooo!" A large creature appeared out of thin air right in front of them, startling the family. Aristaeus instinctively moved in front of his family to protect them, but Ocean Song quickly reassured him.

"Fear not, Fellow Daoist. Nessie is the Sect Protecting the Divine Beast. She’s very nice. No one in the sect will harm you, and you’re completely safe here."

"...Nessie?" Aristaeus felt like that name was familiar.

Quickly, more people came over.

"Senior Brother!"

"Junior Brother!"

One by one, they came over.

"Oh, is it someone new?" The not-so-barefoot girl next to Medusa looked excited.

The whole group arrived.

"Introductions, everyone!" Ocean Song clapped his hands. "There have been some situations—"

"Like a damn house appearing on the mountain!?" Daedalus asked.

"Yes." Ocean Song nodded. "Also, help fellow Daoist fix his water and electricity after." He cleared his throat. "As I was saying. Introductions! Fellow Daoists, this is our newest Sect Member, Fellow Daoist Aristaeus! The God of Cheese!"

"...cheese making." He clarified.

"And his family!"

"Hi, I’m Melissa!" The younger girl waved.

"Hi, I’m Tyson!"

"You’re really big!"

"Yup!"

"You have one eye."

"Yeah!" Tyson just smiled and excitedly replied.

"Melissa here is a Demigod, and her mother is a mortal woman, so be nice, Fellow Daoists," Ocean Song reminded them. "Now, for the Sect Members—" Ocean Song started from left to right. "That’s Medusa—"

"The Gorgon!?" Aristaeus blurted out.

"...yes." Medusa was unamused by his reaction, but she also couldn’t fault him.

"Don’t worry, she’s reformed." Ocean Song patted his shoulder. "Next, that’s Mel, our cook. She’s definitely not a goddess."

Mel gave him a flat look.

The God of Cheese, while mortal at the moment, retained certain instincts. One of whom told him that she was in fact a goddess, but he didn’t recognize her at all.

"And that’s Tyson, my brother!"

"Hello!"

"He handles the forges. Also, Tyson, help them fix their pipes at their house; it’s in the East Mountain Courtyard. Hook it up to our plumbing system."

"Okay!"

The God of Cheese wanted to protest already. Tyson was one thing; he knew some Cyclops were pretty docile, as plenty of them worked under various gods. But Medusa was a famous monster, yet here she was, appearing nonthreatening and not turning anyone to stone.

He was conflicted because he had already thrown his lot in with Ocean Song.

"Then we have Fellow Daoist Daedalus! The famous Artifact Refiner who created the fabled Labyrinth!"

Daedalus just gave a curt nod and a grunt.

Aristaeus was at least thankful that his identity was slightly less absurd. Normal even, for what that meant for their part of the world. An ancient demigod was much better than a monster.

"And that’s Calypso; she’s a Titan."

"Hello! It’s nice to meet a god that appeared after I was banished!" She excitedly waved at him.

His mouth hung open. "Titan!?"

"Yup!"

"And finally, we have Nessie." He pointed at their Sect Protecting Divine Beast. "Also known as the Loch Ness Monster!"

"Bawhoooo!"

"And that’s it!" Ocean Song clapped his hands.

"Um, what about the woman with the blanket over her?" Calypso asked.

"Oh, right. That’s just our resident Angel."

"Our what!?" Medusa all but screeched.

"Ahem, ignore that." Ocean Song quickly changed the subject. "She’s over by the Popemobile that I definitely own and wasn’t stolen through illicit means from the Pope."

"Are...are you playing a prank on me?" Aristaeus asked because everything so far sounded utterly incredulous. Calypso, he was compartmentalizing and trying to figure out how she was off her island.

Her story was legendary, so of course he knew about her.

And now, he was saying there was an angel nearby?

He was a god, so of course he also knew about angels and biblical entities, even if he steered clear of them.

Ocean Song met his gaze, then slapped his bag of holding and slowly put his Pope hat on his head before clasping his hands behind his back, letting his robes billow.

The God of Cheese stared at him with his mouth hung open.

"Welcome to the sect, fellow Daoist!"

[Line Break]

A/N

New Sect member. With the power of Cheese on their side, their potential is now infinite.

I also have a boosty if you can’t use the above under the same name