Chapter 747: The Path to Godhood

The Lady of Calamity watches Henwell laugh in triumph and sighs. "Why go to such lengths?"

"You are about to become a Glory Knight. They no longer pose any threat to you."

Henwell's smile fades. "They saw too many of my secrets, and because of you, I couldn't kill them to keep those secrets buried."

"Sending them back to the Abundant Continent was the best choice."

"Once Alex reaches Glory Rank, crossing between continents to return here will be anything but simple."

"If I can't kill them, then never seeing each other again is best for all of us."

Henwell pauses, his smile turning mocking. "Besides, isn't this what you wanted?"

"Why else would you set the portal destination to the Abundant Continent first?"

"You were waiting for me to throw them through, weren't you?"

The Lady of Calamity does not deny it. "How much do you know?"

Henwell sits cross-legged. "A great deal."

"Such as?"

"Such as? Heh... You could have aimed the portal at the Abandoned Continent long ago, yet you still don't dare go outside. You're waiting."

"You are waiting for your teacher to lock onto Steve after he leaves with part of the inheritance of the Lord of Calamity."

"Only then can you hide from your teacher and slowly digest everything you gained from these ruins."

The Lady of Calamity drops her disguise and resumes the Grand Princess's appearance. "When did you work it out?"

Henwell points at the idol. "The moment I saw it on the top level, I knew what you intended to do."

"No one can obtain power from the Lord of Calamity's inheritance so easily."

Henwell narrows his eyes. "Of course not. It came from a god. The core of the inheritance was a trap."

"But you never came here for the inheritance itself. I suspect your teacher misjudged that too. He underestimated both your ambition and your composure."

"You truly know?"

Henwell points at the faceless idol. "You came to seize the Lord of Calamity's divine office. You don't want to inherit his legacy or exist as his subordinate god."

"You intend to seize the divine office of calamity, walk your own path to godhood, and become the new Lord of Calamity."

"...Have you never considered taking it for yourself? This is a divine office!"

Killing intent suddenly radiates from the Lady of Calamity. Henwell waves dismissively. "Why would I take it?"

"I already told you."

"I once had the chance to follow this path, but I chose not to."

"I had the chance to ignite divine fire. A divine office would have formed soon afterward."

"Had I wanted it, I could have advanced along that path much faster and gone much farther than you."

The Lady of Calamity remains on guard. "Ignite divine fire, establish a divine office, transform your strength into divine power, form divinity, then forge a godhead."

"That is at least the path of a mid-tier god. If what you say is true, your ambition goes far beyond mine."

"I believe you intend to pursue personal power. After comprehending and mastering laws, you would convert your strength directly into divine power, then ignite divine fire to temper it and form a godhead in one step."

"Only afterward would you establish a divine office and complete the transformation of your divinity. That is the path of a high-tier god."

"It makes sense."

"A proud genius like you would naturally aim for the highest possible limit."

"What you may not know is that countless people have attempted this path. Entire eras pass without producing a single success. You are far too proud."

Henwell shakes his head with a laugh. "Heh... Wrong. I simply don't want divinity. I want to remain human, not become a god."

The Lady of Calamity stares at him in disbelief. Henwell shrugs. "It may sound absurd, but that is honestly how I feel."

"Besides, becoming a god is not the only path to power in this world."

"I like the path I'm following, and I don't believe it is inferior to the ladder to godhood."

The Lady of Calamity shakes her head. "You are still too proud. Continue down your current path if you wish, but if you ever decide to change course..."

"I can help you complete the transformation. Of everyone I know, only you have a chance of reaching that step."

"And what would it cost me?" Henwell asks.

"Nothing. If you become a god, that alone will be the greatest help you could offer me. I would gain an ally, and nothing is more precious than that."

Henwell remains unmoved. The Lady of Calamity continues, "Henwell, it is time to give up your worldly authority."

"Once you reach Glory Rank, both the church and Veil will come to speak with you."

"The Abandoned Continent has not seen a Glory Rank ruler in a very long time. At the very least, they will not permit one to emerge now."

"You must choose. Do not waste your talent. Fate offers only so many opportunities, and once one passes, it never returns."

"The rise and fall of mortal dynasties is no longer something we should concern ourselves with."

"Compared with worldly power, eternal life is what we ought to pursue."

"No matter how mighty a dynasty becomes, it is helpless before a truly powerful professional."

"Even the Groias Empire still relies on its reputation as descendants of the gods to deter powerful organizations."

Henwell answers calmly, "What makes you think I can't build a kingdom where even gods must obey the rules?"

The Lady of Calamity studies him, then gives up trying to persuade him.

Henwell asks, "You said earlier that you had important intelligence for me. Can you tell me now?"

The Lady of Calamity sighs. "Since you insist on pursuing worldly power, this information will be very important to you."

"Did you know that two thousand years ago, a powerful Ika city-state stood in the Kuka City region?"

Henwell nods. "I know. The Waofo city-state. It disappeared."

"Perhaps the Ika dynasty annexed it, or perhaps Waofo replaced the Ika dynasty."

Rather than answer, the Lady of Calamity asks, "Did you know the Billie dynasty also had a powerful city-state at the time?"

Henwell shakes his head. "That, I did not know."

The Lady of Calamity says, "It was every bit as powerful. It was called the Ryan city-state."

"The two city-states disappeared at almost the same time, yet neither was annexed nor destroyed."

"They merged to form an entirely new country."

Henwell freezes, then immediately understands. "Vorry Duchy?"

The Lady of Calamity nods. "Yes. The two city-states joined through marriage and became the predecessor of modern Vorry."

"The Hundred-Year Calamity had just ended. Taking advantage of the severe losses suffered by both kingdoms, they declared independence and founded a new country."

"Because they had rendered great service during the Hundred-Year Calamity, the Western Federation of that era recognized their independence."

"It also protected them for a time, allowing them to secure a foothold and eventually become Vorry Duchy."

The revelation genuinely surprises Henwell.

Henwell has long wondered how Vorry managed to survive between two great kingdoms.

Vorry's forces are also noticeably more capable in battle than the armies of other countries.

So this unusual balance of power dates all the way back to ancient times.

If this is true, it answers many of his lingering questions.

For example, why does Ika keep attacking Vorry?

Why did Vorry join the Billie-led alliance?

Why is Billie so wary of Vorry?

Most importantly, the Hundred-Year Calamity truly is an opportunity.