To think that the esteemed leader of the benevolent gods, one of the Twelve Deva Guardians, would be reduced to pimping.
It was only natural that Canary would feel both pity for his misfortune and anger at his spinelessness.
After all, no matter how corrupt the pantheons had become, she was still someone who had received their grace and, with their assistance, accomplished the grand feat of defeating the Dystopia Demon Lord.
Even after the billions of gods had revealed their utter ugliness, she still held a glimmer of hope for them.
Weren't there still pantheons like the Greeks who dared to resist?
With this mindset, her contempt for Indra's decision was absolute.
Whether as a strategist or as a woman, she found the act of trading women for benefits utterly despicable.
However, halfway through her criticism, hearing Indra's profoundly sincere sigh, Canary opened her mouth but found herself at a loss for words.
He was right. In the current situation, it seemed there really was nothing Indra could do.
No matter how valiantly the gods fought, they would be no match for Su Mo.
Faced with such a heaven-and-earth disparity, heroic resistance was nothing but a reckless fantasy. The honey trap, a seemingly despicable tactic, was actually the most visibly promising strategy.
After all, based on Canary's understanding of Su Mo, he tended to treat his own people and outsiders very differently.
He truly didn't mind revealing his thoughts and actions to those close to him; it wasn't like anyone could stop him, and those around him rarely tried.
But for outsiders, Su Mo wouldn't necessarily share even the most trivial piece of information.
If Indra only wanted to know what Su Mo didn't mind sharing, arranging for someone who would never act against Su Mo's interests to be by his side could indeed provide an intelligence advantage.
Even if it changed nothing, it could at least bring some peace of mind, couldn't it?
However—
"Even so, that's no reason to take advantage of a young girl's pure feelings."
Canary pulled Black Rabbit into her arms, glaring at Indra like a mother hen protecting her chick.
"Even if Su Mo doesn't mind, do you think Black Rabbit wouldn't blame herself for it?"
"?"
Black Rabbit, her ears still covered, blinked in confusion, having no idea what the two were discussing.
"...You're right."
Indra wanted to argue, but looking at Black Rabbit's innocent face, he sighed and shook his head.
"I can obtain information from this child, but I can't have this child actively obtain information for me. Otherwise, that affection would become impure, and it would be a form of torture for her."
Forcing the gentle and kind Moon Rabbit clan to act under such psychological torment was indeed not something a patron god should do.
Although Indra had considered this and had intended for Black Rabbit to only obtain non-sensitive information, he hadn't considered how difficult it would be for a child of her age to distinguish between the two.
If she believed she was committing an act of betrayal, given the chaste and resolute nature of the Moon Rabbits, there was no telling what she might do.
Recalling the past when the Moon Priestess had sacrificed her life to save him, Indra's eyes darkened, and he waved his hand.
"Canary, I understand. You can let the child go."
"Hmph. That's more like it."
Canary released her hands.
Watching the two of them go through such a dramatic shift in expression, Black Rabbit blinked, extremely curious about the riddle they were speaking that they were so desperate to keep from her.
Just then, Indra bowed deeply, startling her.
"L-Lord God, what are you doing?"
A patron god bowing to their follower—this was unprecedented.
Although Indra had never done it before, by rights, even if a god needed a follower to die for them, a simple command would suffice. There was no need for such a grand gesture.
Indra's complete reversal of etiquette truly frightened Black Rabbit, making her instinctively hide behind Canary and cast a pleading look toward Su Mo in the distance.
"I-It's nothing, don't be nervous!"
Seeing Black Rabbit's startled reaction and the subconscious trust she showed in Su Mo, Indra straightened up and scratched his head, looking embarrassed.
"I just made a very terrible proposal earlier. On second thought, let's forget about it. As for the blessings of the other Twelve Deva Guardians I promised, I'll give them to Su Mo later as an apology, and he can give them to you. You don't need to feel burdened, and there's nothing you have to do."
Having come to his senses, Indra decided not to use any schemes or tricks on Black Rabbit. It was best to let things take their natural course.
Grace flows from above. If he was to treat Black Rabbit as Su Mo's possession, then even gifts should be given by Su Mo himself.
"Eh? Eh? Eh?"
In the blink of an eye, her patron god had apologized, canceled a request she hadn't understood, and was offering the full blessings of the Twelve Deva Guardians as recompense. Black Rabbit was utterly bewildered.
Wait, what was Indra's request? Why was he apologizing? Why was he using the Twelve Deva Guardians' blessings to apologize to her?
"My Lord, what on earth are you talking about?"
More than surprise, Black Rabbit was filled with confusion.
"It's nothing, just a topic between us," Indra said, shaking his head at the little rabbit's baffled expression. He also glanced at Su Mo in the distance. "Besides, from now on, you don't need to call me 'My Lord.' Su Mo is your lord now. Just call me Indra."
"Huh?"
Black Rabbit froze again.
She had just switched faiths and become Lord Su Mo's follower?
Wait! Lord Su Mo hadn't even agreed yet!
Just as she was about to voice this question, Canary patted her on the head and said gently, "Don't worry. A girl as cute as you, Lord Su Mo won't refuse. I'll help you talk to him later."
"Really?"
Hearing this, Black Rabbit's eyes lit up with anticipation.
"She doesn't look reluctant at all. I guess I was a pretty failed patron god..." Indra muttered, though the expression on his face was one of relief.
"Of course it's true," Canary nodded, then pointed to the Moon Rabbit clan leaders waiting to serve in the distance. "But before that, go say hello to your parents. While you won't have to leave the Moon Rabbit community after becoming Lord Su Mo's follower, you won't see them as often as you do now."
"Mhm, okay!"
Hearing this, Black Rabbit felt a slight pang of sadness, but being a child, her excitement far outweighed it. She immediately ran off cheerfully to share the good news with her parents.
In Little Garden, it was common for an individual who had passed their birth festival to go out and gain experience in the world.
After watching Black Rabbit leave, Canary turned back to Indra.
Seeing his expression, like that of a father watching his daughter get married, she asked abruptly, "Is this your new strategy? Let Black Rabbit fall head over heels for Su Mo, then find a chance to get information from her?"
"Ahem, ahem! Of course not!" Indra nearly choked. "Canary, how can you slander me like that? Do I look like the kind of person with such low character, who would toy with his own child's feelings?"
"You don't?" Canary asked, her voice full of doubt. "Did you actually think you were a person of high moral character?"
"...That's a little hurtful." Indra clutched his chest with a pained expression. When he saw Canary's expression didn't change in the slightest, he dropped the act and sighed. "Fine, maybe my character isn't the best, but it's not so low that I'd use a child... okay, I did have that thought earlier. But rest assured, I won't do it."
"It's hard for me to rest assured when you say that," Canary said, shaking her head. "Even if your concern for your followers is genuine, and your love for Little Garden is also genuine—perhaps not even losing out to Shiroyasha's—if it's for the future of Little Garden, you wouldn't completely refuse to do something despicable, would you? Otherwise, you wouldn't have proposed it in the first place."
Hearing Canary's sharp critique, Indra fell silent for a few seconds before nodding.
"Before, I did have that idea. But now, it's completely gone."
Then, before Canary could voice her doubt, he quickly added, "Canary, do you know why I love Little Garden and want to protect it?"
"..."
Hearing Indra suddenly change the subject, Canary paused for a moment, then nodded.
"I do."
Indra, a direct witness to that myth, heard the story recounted from Canary's lips and nodded gently. His usually flippant eyes took on a rare, quiet complexity.
Looking at the prosperous Moon Rabbit clan all around, he subconsciously recalled the figure of that Moon Priestess from long ago, and the greatest turning point in his divine life.
It was the end of a great war.
On the wreckage of the battlefield, a warrior bearing the flag of evil held the body of the Moon Priestess, sobbing.
Wounded all over, his blood flowing freely, he paid no mind to such trivialities after fighting until his blade shattered and his arrows were spent. Instead, he let out a scream-like wail, clutching the priestess's body tightly.
Why did you protect me? This body was born an evil god. To be struck down by anyone is my karma as a Demon Lord!
This shameless, undignified display—cradling a woman's corpse on the battlefield and weeping incessantly—made him seem nothing like an evil god or a Demon Lord.
That posture, lamenting a life lost in the flames of war, was not even that of a god; it was as small and fragile as a human's.
That was the myth of the Moon Priestess who sacrificed herself to change the fate of an evil god, and it was the most dramatic shift in Indra's Divinity Status in his entire life.
Indra, born an evil god but who became the leader of the benevolent gods, had committed many despicable acts even after turning over a new leaf, causing those around him to have a low opinion of him.
But even so, no one ever questioned his resolve to abandon evil for good.
Of course, no one ever asked why he had transformed from a Demon Lord who sought to destroy Little Garden into its guardian.
And today, Indra spoke of it with a calm demeanor.
"Pure destruction cannot protect such a pure emotion. The reason I protect Little Garden is not just to atone for my past sins, but also to protect these things that are worth cherishing."
"So, Canary, I have you to thank. If you hadn't reminded me, I nearly put the cart before the horse. For the sake of a mere Little Garden, I almost harmed the very thing I truly want to protect."
As he spoke, he looked up, watching with a hint of relief as Black Rabbit happily bounded around her parents.
"So rest assured, I won't make the same mistake again. If protecting Little Garden requires destroying this child's emotions, then what is there left in such a Little Garden worth protecting?"
He had no doubt that the little Black Rabbit before him would be willing to fight all of Little Garden for Su Mo's sake.
If he were to destroy that emotion for the sake of protecting Little Garden, wouldn't he be right back where he started?
"Hiss..."
Hearing Indra's rare and sincere words, Canary drew a sharp breath in surprise.
"I never thought I'd hear such human words come out of your mouth, Indra. My opinion of you has suddenly improved by one ten-thousandth."
"...Are you complimenting me or insulting me?" Indra was momentarily speechless.
Snapping out of his reminiscence, he reverted to his usual flippant demeanor.
"But you were right about one thing. Even if I can't use the child's feelings, the safety of Little Garden is still a concern. So, it would be great if another acquaintance of mine could help out and ask about Su Mo's attitude."
He hinted wildly.
Black Rabbit was too young; asking her for this kind of "free" information would be a burden.
But Canary was different. With her sense of propriety, she could leak information within the bounds of what Su Mo permitted.
Although that vixen's loyalties were completely with Su Mo, and any information she revealed would prioritize his interests, Indra was willing to accept it even if it was false.
True or false, he needed enough information to analyze the situation.
"Do you have to be in such a hurry?" Canary knew what Indra was getting at, so she felt no pressure. Instead, she was puzzled.
"Believe me, the World-Honored One is in more of a hurry than I am," Indra said, spreading his hands in exasperation. He looked at the vixen, who didn't appreciate her own good fortune, with a helpless gaze. "You're one of Su Mo's people, so of course you're not in a hurry. Even if Little Garden faces its end, you all will be fine. But it's different for us!"
"Besides," he continued, "more than fear, the biggest problem now is that we don't know what Su Mo plans to do, and we have no idea what measures to take. In this world, the unknown is the most terrifying thing."
"...You have a point." Canary nodded, able to understand the mindset of Indra and the others.
A sword hanging over one's neck is far more terrifying than a sword that has already fallen.
"Now that the last of Humanity's Last Embryos has been defeated, there isn't much time left before the final answer must be given..."
As the conversation turned serious, Indra's expression became grave again, tinged with a great deal of helplessness.
"What I'm most worried about now is... Don't tell me Su Mo really plans to construct a human-centric cosmology from scratch and gamble on luck to survive the final apocalypse?"
If he succeeded, the pantheons would merely be displeased.
If he failed, the entire Little Garden might have to be buried with him.
"That, I don't know."
Faced with this probe, Canary shrugged, adopting a "no comment" stance.
"However, I can ask for you. No promises on getting an answer, though."
"That's wonderful!"
Seeing Canary relent, even without a firm promise, Indra's face lit up with joy.
"Then I'll be counting on you! With your word, I can go and placate the other pantheons. I'll be taking my leave now!"
Having received Canary's non-committal verbal agreement, Indra instantly transformed into a bolt of lightning and departed.
As he had said, quite a few pantheons were waiting for his answer.
After all, if you can't beat them, join them. Since it was confirmed they were no match for Su Mo, taking an indirect approach had become the only option.
The billions of gods were just too proud and lacked any connection to Su Mo; otherwise, they would have been just like Indra, collectively sending over handmaidens.
"So, that's what Indra is thinking right now. It most likely represents the views of the World-Honored One and a significant portion of the 'compromise faction' among the billions of gods."
Less than a minute after Indra left, Canary relayed their entire conversation to Su Mo without leaving out a single word.
Of course, Indra himself was likely aware of this.
Indra wanted to probe Su Mo's intentions, while Canary wanted to placate the billions of gods. Both sides had a tacit understanding.
"Oh? A compromise faction?"
Hearing Canary's words, Su Mo was naturally not surprised by Indra's actions.
What surprised him was her phrasing.
"Among the billions of gods, is there still a war faction?"
"Uh... I don't think so, not anymore." Canary paused for a moment, then quickly shook her head.
What a joke. How could any god who had witnessed Su Mo's power still be part of a war faction?
If such a god existed, they would have stood up earlier and been wiped out by Su Mo.
Since the billions of gods had already fled with their tails between their legs once, it proved that none among them were thick-headed enough to challenge Su Mo again.
"However, the pantheons' foundations run deeper than that. There are still many dormant Full Authority Domains."
This statement immediately piqued Su Mo's interest.
"Dormant Full Authority Domains?"