Heh…
Noah looked at Queen Halloween, who had picked up a chess piece, and smiled faintly.
Directly touching a Principle—the benefits gained depended entirely on one's potential. The greater the potential, the more Principles one could comprehend.
Noah hadn't intended to raise their levels, merely to make their paths smoother.
So far, the one who had come into contact with the greatest number of Principles was Nahida, capable of touching a total of 3,728 Principles.
Following her was Morax, who could touch 2,113 Principles.
Nahida's ability to grasp so many Principles was, of course, due to her identity as the companion of the Greater Lord Rukkhadevata, the Akasha Truth, her very being infinitely close to Truth itself.
Morax, on the other hand, owed his strength to age.
In the multiverse, the older a being was, the closer they were to the beginning.
Currently, the original gods of Teyvat could all be called Primeval Gods—deities who existed even before the birth of the multiverse itself. They were, in the truest sense, Ancient Gods.
Now, within the Super God rank, all deities who were not second-generation, third-generation, or fourth-generation were collectively known as Ancient Gods.
Those of the second and third generations were called Elder Gods.
For one reason only—they were old enough.
The older, the stronger. Even within the same rank.
Before Teyvat's ascension to a small universe, the gods who had achieved divinity were already second-generation Elder Gods. By comparison, in the current age, they could all be considered Almighty Gods on average.
Indeed, they were worthy of being called Elder Gods by the lesser deities.
For those who ascended to godhood after the age of single universes—be they second-, third-, or even fourth-generation gods—the deities of old were incomparably ancient.
Even Ningguang herself could rightfully bear the title of Elder God of Wealth.
Tap!
Shiroyasha watched quietly as Queen Halloween played her match against Noah. After observing a few moves, she finally understood the true benefit behind this game.
Hiss—
To gain such incredible benefits right from the start—wasn't this far too outrageous?!
Her golden eyes flicked toward Noah in secret.
To him, perhaps this kind of blessing was nothing more than what a 2-Digit being like herself might casually do—creating a godhead and tossing it to a mortal.
Tet sat cross-legged in midair.
Once the game began, everyone fell silent—that was the most basic rule.
As expected of someone chosen by Lord Heavenly Principle. She had already played over three hundred moves on a Law-formed chessboard.
Tet remembered: aside from the Lords of Divine Collectives, any god who could play three moves had the qualifications to become an Almighty God; a hundred moves meant the potential to reach Super God level in the distant future.
And a thousand moves… that meant the potential to become the origin of an entire cultivation system—to obtain the Seed of Multiversal Will and open the door to Primeval Godhood.
It seemed this woman truly had the potential to become a Primeval God—and perhaps, one day, her future sister.
After all, she was someone chosen by Lord Heavenly Principle.
Queen Halloween, however, did not feel relaxed at all.
In her eyes, these were no mere chess pieces.
Her consciousness now resided within an eternal, unknown realm.
All around her flowed countless rivers of Law made manifest. Each time she lifted a piece, one river of Law would emerge before her—and question her heart.
Only when she gave the optimal answer would that river of Law vanish.
If she failed to respond, a layer of mental pressure would descend upon her—mounting, layer by layer, until she could no longer lift another piece.
And now, though she was a Star Spirit, she felt something she had never experienced before.
Under the influence of Law, she felt almost human—sweat, a concept that shouldn't exist for her, now rolled down her cheeks.
Haa… haa… Cold sweat trickled down her face, one drop after another.
Across from her sat the being who watched her calmly, golden eyes reflecting countless Rings of Law, with boundless void stretching behind him.
Yet within that void, faintly visible, was a book turning its pages.
"You've played one thousand one hundred and thirty-four moves," Noah said evenly. "Hmm… not continuing? I can sense your potential peaks at one thousand four hundred and sixty-two. Not planning to break through yourself?"
He spoke calmly as Queen Halloween trembled, the chess piece in her hand shaking uncontrollably as sweat dripped from her palms.
Beads of sweat rolled down Queen Halloween's cheeks, dripping into the perfect curve of her chest, making her look particularly alluring.
"If it were Shiroyasha," Queen Halloween said lightly, "how many moves could she make?"
"She could reach one thousand six hundred and seventy-three moves—she's already achieved that.
"As long as one reaches a thousand moves, one will inevitably become one of the Multiversal Wills in the future.
"However, there are varying degrees among Multiversal Wills. The strong can create lesser multiversal worlds and rule as Minor Multiversal Lords. The weak can only extend their consciousness across the multiverse.
"That's roughly the difference between an ordinary 3-Digit being and an exceptional, transcendent 3-Digit."
Queen Halloween gritted her teeth.
Shiroyasha's potential is that much higher than mine?
Impossible. She couldn't accept it. She had to break her limit. She must! At the very least, she had to take one more step than Shiroyasha!
...
Shiroyasha stared at Queen Halloween, who was drenched in sweat, her whole body trembling and on the verge of collapse.
Wait a sec, sis? We're Star Spirits—how are you this nervous?
Is this chess match really that terrifying?
Could it be that this isn't just a free reward, but some kind of mental trial?
Hum—
Queen Halloween's aura suddenly shifted, as though she had shattered some invisible shackle. It began to climb higher and higher.
The essence and power of her Celestial Star Spirit nature surged dramatically.
Shiroyasha's golden eyes grew serious. She bit her thumb lightly. Her origin and foundation are expanding! What kind of benefit did she just gain?!
Crack!
Queen Halloween's aura abruptly dissipated. The chessboard of Law vanished completely, returning to its untouched state as if the match had never begun.
"One thousand six hundred and seventy-nine moves!" Queen Halloween's red eyes sparkled with clarity. A bright, proud smile spread across her face as she turned toward Shiroyasha with a teasing, triumphant expression.
Shiroyasha blinked in confusion, but seeing the Queen's smug look immediately lit her temper.
"Heh~ Getting cocky already? If you're done, move aside—it's my turn now."
Queen Halloween smirked proudly. "You're only capable of that much yourself."
"What?" Shiroyasha clicked her tongue in irritation.
Standing up, Queen Halloween bowed deeply to Noah, her voice filled with genuine sincerity. "Boss! From now on, I'll be counting on you to back me up!"
She no longer felt even a shred of resistance toward becoming his possession.
Her Boss was clearly the strongest among all the Super-Primeval Gods.
With such a powerful backer, what more could she possibly want?
Noah smiled. "Boss, huh? Hmm… that's the first time someone's called me that. Interesting. Very well—keep calling me that."
Shiroyasha sat down, her expression caught between guilt and resignation.
Inwardly, she muttered, I'm sorry, Twin Goddesses, Boss… It's not that I'm disloyal—it's just… he's offering too much…
Huu~
Shiroyasha took a deep breath and picked up a chess piece.
...
Shiroyasha experienced exactly what Queen Halloween had felt before—her entire body drenched in sweat as she regained consciousness.
When she came to, she realized she had lost control and reverted to her White Night Demon form.
"So that's how it is…"
Shiroyasha looked down at her own hands.
Her childlike appearance had merely been a result of restraining her own power and using the Yaksha Spirit Grid to suppress her Heavenly Motion Spirit Grid, effectively diminishing her outward form into a loli appearance.
But now, after her essence and origin had both undergone sublimation, the Yaksha Spirit Grid could no longer contain her—it had completely collapsed.
She had returned to her Heavenly Motion form.
"I see now why you were so eager to provoke me~" Shiroyasha teased, glancing at Queen Halloween, who furrowed her brows.
"My apologies, Queen, but it seems I've disappointed you."
"If you could break through your own limits, then of course I, Shiroyasha, could as well. After all, I am the first Celestial Star Spirit, hahaha…"
Shiroyasha grinned smugly, her golden eyes sparkling as she watched Queen Halloween's expression darken.
Queen Halloween had already considered that Shiroyasha might also be able to surpass her own limits—but she had wanted to gamble on that small chance.
Her boss had surely told Shiroyasha something similar to what he told her.
Still, she didn't blame her boss for advising Shiroyasha too—she only blamed herself for not working harder.
"Hmph, getting cocky already, are we?" Queen Halloween huffed, pretending not to care, though she'd cursed Shiroyasha countless times in her mind.
"Oh~ one thousand six hundred and seventy-nine moves? So impressive~ I only managed one thousand seven hundred and thirty-three, no big deal~" Shiroyasha waved her hand nonchalantly, pretending it was nothing special.
Inside, though, she was bursting with joy.
Hahaha! I've won again—feels amazing!
This was something she could brag about for millions of years.
Just look at Queen Halloween—trying so hard to look indifferent, but her lips were practically twitching with frustration. It was so satisfying.
So satisfying~
"Tch…" Queen Halloween gritted her teeth internally.
Damn it, she beat me by dozens of moves.
That meant that even after both of them reached the 1-Digit rank, she'd still be beneath Shiroyasha.
Damn it all…
Hmph, so what if she's ahead of me?
Shiroyasha, you're still all alone.
I, on the other hand, have funded and trained countless heroic subordinates.
You don't even have anyone to cheer for you.
"Ara~ seeing you two so happy means we'll have lots of fun together from now on~ hehe~"
Tet spoke with genuine cheer.
Her position, truth be told, was rather awkward.
Furina and Zhongli were Lords of Divine Collectives—not really her type of company. They barely had time to play with her, being too busy managing divine affairs.
And Lumine, that multiversal traveler, couldn't always be around to play either—most of the time, she was off exploring unknown universes.
As for higher existences like Asmoday, there was no way Tet could spend time with them. They were far beyond her level.
Not until she truly became a Sustainer could she stand among them.
So finally meeting a few sisters who weren't part of the Divine Collective system, and whose power wasn't overwhelmingly distant from her own—it was wonderful!
Shiroyasha nodded, her golden eyes gleaming mischievously. "Hehe, looking forward to working together, sisters."
As someone who had lost three times as a Demon King, she knew very well the value of having strong allies.
Back then, she had stood alone—even after three defeats, no one stood beside her.
Now, grinning playfully, she looked at Noah. "Boss! You've gotta look out for me from now on!"
Noah smiled. "Don't worry. Across the entire multiverse, there's no thigh thicker than mine."
Tet floated behind Noah, pressing her hands on his shoulders and chirping playfully, "But of course~ You are, after all, the Creator of the Multiverse, the Primordial Unity, Lord Heavenly Principle himself."
Saying that, she winked at Shiroyasha and Queen Halloween with a knowing grin.
Queen Halloween and Shiroyasha suddenly received fragments of information—knowledge that could not be deciphered without direct acknowledgment.
In the present multiverse, aside from the Ancient Gods, no being could know anything about the Creator of the Multiverse.
Even the greatest gods beneath the Ancient Gods only knew that above the Primeval Gods existed even higher beings—the Super-Primeval Gods, and beyond them, the sources of the multiverse itself.
The Creator of the Multiverse, the Primordial Unity, the one known as as the Heavenly Principle!
Shiroyasha and Queen Halloween both froze as their minds made an audible crack—a fundamental layer of their understanding shattered.
"Hiss—" Both of them gasped sharply, as if they had just inhaled the air of an entire universe.
The one who created the entire multiverse! That wasn't just a god—that was the Lord, the One, the Creator of all existence!
"Holy crap!" Shiroyasha couldn't help but shout, clutching her head. "My brain's not big enough for this!"
A thigh to cling to?
This isn't a thigh—this is the very foundation of the multiverse itself!
To be chosen by the most primordial being in existence—forget being a maid, even being a slave, even being a… whatever kind of servant—would make one the envy of the entire multiverse.
With a single thought, Noah calmed the two trembling Star Spirits.
"If you can't make sense of it, then stop thinking about it. In any case, your bodies and souls now belong to me."
Shiroyasha immediately stood upright. "Understood, Boss!"
Queen Halloween followed firmly. "Yes, Boss!"
Noah continued, "Now then, take your Solar Sovereignties and use your will to claim the unlinked universes that haven't yet synchronized."
"Use them as your nourishment to become part of the Multiversal Will."
"After all, since you're people I've taken an interest in, it would be quite embarrassing if you haven't become Primeval Gods within a million years."
Shiroyasha patted her chest. "I thought you were gonna say you wanted to, uh, 'try me out' next, Boss."
Noah smirked teasingly. "If you really want to try, I can oblige you."
Shiroyasha waved her hands hastily. "Let's skip that for now! Maybe after I've gotten used to you for a few tens of thousands of years first—it'd feel too awkward otherwise."
Queen Halloween nodded in agreement.
Noah chuckled softly. He had no intention of twisting their minds. He would never claim their bodies the moment they became his—such things were beneath him.
His golden eyes turned toward the direction of Little Garden.
At that moment, Little Garden's human history had already merged with Teyvat's Pan-Human History.
In an instant, Pan-Human History assimilated Little Garden's own human record and the worlds connected to it.
Fine threads of Pan-Human History began to spread throughout the entire Little Garden Multiverse.
These filaments were impossibly small—so faint that they were utterly undetectable.
Once these threads covered the entirety of Little Garden, they would suddenly expand in an instant.
That expansion would temporarily scatter the existing multiversal willpower—as if all the capillaries of a body were replaced at once.
And since Little Garden resided within the heart region of its multiverse…
When the moment came, the Little Garden Multiverse would briefly become a living corpse.
During that window, Teyvat would rapidly complete the assimilation process.
The original Multiversal Will of Little Garden would then become one of the will-aspects of Teyvat's Multiverse.
At that point, even if the Multiversal Will of Little Garden erupted in fury—it would be too late.
In Noah's domain, everything bowed to his order.
Otherwise, that Multiversal Will could simply step down—because it no longer had the right to rule.
—
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