‘In the end, the biggest problem is that the Outer God Abhoth is strangely just standing by and watching, isn't it?’
There was actually a fundamental reason why the situation on Earth was gradually becoming tense.
Most deities were the kind of beings who wouldn't even blink for a century or two.
Of course, they would adapt to a certain extent to characteristics like the average lifespan of the vassals they ruled, but the changes or events they spearheaded were still somewhat static and slow by the standards of a newly ascended deity like Lin Miao.
Ultimately, the variable that caused these dramatic events was the behavior of that unfathomable Outer God.
Twenty years ago, the Outer God had opened rifts with the momentum to destroy Earth, pouring out its servants. However, after the deities intervened on a massive scale and turned Earth into a competition zone, it hesitated.
The subsequent twenty years were a full-scale war between the Outer God and the deities.
The Awakened, referred to as new humans, appeared in large numbers, fighting against the Outer God's servants with the help of the deities.
The world and its people were kept incredibly busy just trying to adapt to this drastically changing world.
Opening the news every morning, one could see where battles had occurred in the world that day, and how many Awakened and ordinary people had died.
To describe it as having “no time to look elsewhere” was more than fitting.
During that period, humanity had to give their all to fight against the Outer God.
“...They have decreased.”
Lin Miao looked at the international statistics and sighed softly.
The Outer God's forces—the monsters pouring into Earth—were gradually decreasing.
Even after confirming content on the Divine Net forum that had not been disclosed to the public, the result was the same.
No one knew the exact reason. Lin Miao did not know, and neither did the so-called deities in the Divine Net.
Although the continuous development of the Awakened and the systems supporting them had an impact, one thing was certain: the Outer God Abhoth was investing fewer resources into Earth than before.
The deities in the Divine Net who had been competing with the Outer God did not relax and turn their competitive spearheads toward one another for no reason.
[Goddess of the Scales: Nyarlathotep, that guy has once again... his forces...]
[Goddess of Judgment: Cthulhu's monsters have once again in large numbers...]
[Lord of Yellow Sands: Someone suspected of being a new type of Outer God has appeared at the border...]
Searching with the keyword “Outer God” on the Divine Net forum allowed one to learn in detail about the deities' teeth-gnashing behavior toward the Outer Gods.
The deities' attitude toward the Outer Gods was just like humanity's attitude toward natural disasters such as typhoons and earthquakes.
The Outer Gods were public enemies recognized by the Divine Net. They were disaster itself—impossible to communicate with, impossible to compromise with, and impossible to even fathom their inner thoughts.
‘Perhaps before long, we will also go to war with these guys.’
Even if he was not fighting them right now, he absolutely could not let his guard down.
For among the enemies Lin Miao had to eradicate, the Outer God Abhoth was prominently listed, even though it had recently reduced its investment in Earth.
The human colony on Earth had accumulated plenty of combat experience through Awakened activities, but the Great Devourer had never clashed with the Outer God's servants.
Although Elise had previously tried to analyze the corpses Lin Miao gave her, this was only a tiny fraction.
There was no harm in preparing to fight and prey upon the Outer God's servants in the future.
...
Lin Miao's vigilance toward the Outer Gods also infected the other self-consciousnesses within the colony.
“Are that entity called the Outer God and the monsters under its command really that terrifying?”
Begrun came from Terra, which was a competition zone without any higher civilization or even a chief deity, so he did not know much about “Outer Gods”: “...This should be information that is quite easy to find, right?”
Celia narrowed her eyes. “I simply cannot do it. Holding on amidst that vast ocean of knowledge and information is just too difficult.”
The hive mind was like a real-time record of the Great Devourer, already encompassing all the information they had gathered.
The Legion Commanders, as beings possessing self-awareness, could freely browse this information.
But doing so required immense effort and talent.
It was like having to wander through a vast sea of information while simultaneously ensuring one did not lose their own consciousness.
Those who were not accustomed to deep research and academic exploration had given up very early on.
Begrun was a prime example, but in truth, except for Celia, all of the Legion Commanders were like this.
Therefore, most of them were accustomed to Celia's explanations and being spoon-fed the information.
Lisette kept her mouth shut, secretly observing the situation, while Yuno was currently engaged in a mock battle with Kerrigan and was in no mood to think about such things.
“However, the information sleeping in the abyss is not flawless either. It seems you have never had direct contact with other Outer God groups.”
Under these circumstances, an out-of-place entity suddenly joined the hive mind.
Hestia had successfully completed her fusion with the Abyssal Palace, the space nest. Her outstanding talent was recognized by Elise, and she successfully obtained permission to access a portion of the information within the hive mind.
Hestia had once been a goddess of a high-tier sacred civilization. Even though her physical body had been assimilated by the colony, she still maintained her status as a goddess.
She adapted to the hive mind much faster than the Legion Commanders. Although she had been extremely shocked when she first connected to the hive mind, she had now quickly browsed and familiarized herself with the information stored within it.
She even showed great interest in the colony's knowledge, much like Celia, happily immersing herself in that vast wealth of information.
“It seems the saying that Outer Gods do not communicate with each other is indeed true.”
Hestia still firmly believed that Lin Miao was an Outer God and that the Great Devourer was his servant—a deeply ingrained misunderstanding.
Although she had come to understand, through her assimilation with the colony, that this Outer God faction's ecology differed from that of common Outer Gods, she still stubbornly believed that Outer Gods were chaotic entities that could not be clearly defined, holding fast to her thoughts.
Celia said nothing upon seeing this.
This was because Lin Miao's instruction was to let Hestia continue to misunderstand.
In any case, whether Hestia knew the truth or continued to misunderstand did not matter.
Hestia was now a part of the colony, and the colony would ultimately act with a single will.
Celia spoke up, “If that is the case, Goddess, please transmit the new knowledge you possess to the hive mind.”
“I am already doing so. Of course, most of my knowledge is also indirect experience...”
Hestia coughed as she mentioned indirect experience.
Unlike what other deities criticized, Hestia did not actively participate in wars. Most of her understanding of the Outer Gods was actually gathered through the Divine Net forum.
Hearing her words, which were tantamount to confessing she had read it on the internet, Lin Miao let out a snort.
“However, whether it is clashing with other Outer Gods or executing the plans the colony is currently conceiving, it seems we need more combat power.”
Celia was temporarily at a loss for words, wearing a subtle expression in response to Hestia offering opinions on the direction of the colony's development.
Hestia currently occupied a position that was unprecedented within the colony.
She was a captive, a goddess who possessed divinity, a part of the colony, and also the hub of the space nest, the Abyssal Palace.
She possessed the authority to connect to the hive mind and control the Abyssal Palace, as well as physical freedom over her own body, but she did not have command over the colony's combat forces or the authority to communicate with the outside world on her own.
Her official rank was below the Queens but above the Legion Commanders.
In her state of being fused with the Abyssal Palace, Hestia's power and output were undoubtedly the strongest in the colony.
However, she did not possess the same level of freedom as the Legion Commanders.
Hestia's body was still connected via tentacles inside the Sacred Brood Nest, which served as both her palace and her cage.
Central Officer—this was the name Elise had given to this new rank.
“If we continue wars of aggression, defend against enemy offensives, and even consider conflicts with other Outer Gods, I am afraid the units produced by the nests alone will not be enough.”
The combat power needing reinforcement that Hestia referred to was new Legion Commanders.
Even though they had now completely devoured the territory of the Goddess of Light Association, there were still only four Legion Commanders.
In other words, out of the colony's population, which had long since surpassed billions, over 99% consisted of lower-tier units composed of mutants and workers.
Of course, the strength of the lower-tier units continuously improved by Elise and Gaia was also constantly rising, but if they ever needed to break through a critical point, the demand for higher-tier units could not be ignored either.
“I agree to a certain extent.”
Elise did not dismiss Hestia's opinion either.
The larger the colony grew, the more the proportions of its internal composition had to remain balanced.
The utility of the Legion Commanders had been continuously proven over time, so this was all the more true.
“But under current circumstances, the personnel who can be recruited as Legion Commanders are limited.”
That being said, it wasn't as if just anyone could become a Legion Commander.
Although once someone became a Legion Commander, their strength could be instantly boosted by several ranks through physical modification and the infusion of information from the hive mind, appointing a Legion Commander remained the exclusive authority of the Queens.
Furthermore, the Queens, who possessed distinctly different personalities and responsibilities, also had different standards.
“Your Majesty, the Central Officer now wishes to promote some of her servants to Legion Commanders.”
Celia spoke quietly to Elise, keeping her voice out of Hestia's hearing.
If new Legion Commanders were to be chosen now, they would inevitably be members of the occupied Goddess of Light Association.
In fact, there were quite a few powerful individuals who had been left behind.
Right now, whether they were Commander-grade knights or Bishop-grade priests, they were all mobilized alongside ordinary citizens to carry out restoration work.
“Although her intentions are uncertain, we must also prepare for any contingencies.”
Celia remained wary of Hestia and expressed her concern.
“Betrayal is physically impossible. The bodies and nerves of the Central Officer and the Legion Commanders already belong to the colony.”
But Elise had long since seen through everything, calculating calmly.
In any case, betrayal was impossible.
Once a thought of betrayal arose, the organs and cells making up their physical bodies would no longer obey their master's commands.
Therefore, in Elise's eyes, what mattered was how sincerely they could dedicate themselves to the colony.
After all, even among individuals with the same talents, they should select those who were more proactive in dedicating themselves to the colony, as that would be more beneficial.
As long as the reason for their dedication did not run counter to the colony's will, it was of no consequence.
Celia, Lisette, Begrun, and Yuno, after all, each dedicated themselves to the colony for their own different reasons.
Therefore, only the results mattered.
To this end, Elise shifted her gaze, searching for such a person.
“I have decided.”
However, an entity spoke to Elise first, wanting to make a certain person a Legion Commander.
It was none other than the youngest, Gaia.
“Lord Chief Priest, what do you think?”
“Fortunately, the restoration of the factory seems to have been completed smoothly.”
The steel factory on the planet began operating once more, producing alloys specially plated with holy power.
Kane, who had handled these materials countless times as a technician, touched the alloy and smiled with satisfaction. “I didn't expect it to be this fast. Without... their assistance, it would have been impossible.”
The factory director stole a glance in a certain direction, observing his expression.
There, worker ants were lifting heavy materials, working alongside humans to restore facilities that had not yet been recovered.
Although this scene was highly unnatural, it was very common in such a protected zone.
This was because only when the survivors secured a means of livelihood as quickly as possible could the Great Devourer extract the resources they desired from them.
Suppressing the anticipation in his heart, the factory director quickly asked, “Then, is it really fine to just deliver the goods like this? For any remaining goods after delivery, if we submit a trade request, can we conduct additional transactions? That way, we could... based on our own efforts...”
Kane replied unhurriedly with a calm expression, “For the time being, yes. If there are any changes, you will be notified immediately.”
From now on, this factory would produce and deliver a specified quantity of goods.
In turn, the Great Devourer would bring corresponding rewards from elsewhere.
The economy, which had collapsed due to the war, could be considered to have started running again under the control of the Great Devourer.
Of course, there were bound to be many people who felt dissatisfied with this.
Their freedom was restricted, followed by complete control and rearing.
However, they would never dare to express it.
For the Great Devourer units monitoring the surroundings would indiscriminately seize any guys causing internal discord and dispose of them.
Was this right? Such thoughts were no longer possible now. If they did not want to become nutrients after death, they had to obey.
But one thing was certain.
At least within this protected zone, no one would starve to death, nor would anyone die due to strife and war.
All the wealth and honor created by the survivors would be returned to them in full.
What the Great Devourer needed was the spiritual force they generated—namely, holy power—rather than inedible things like precious metals or materials.
‘Compared to the price of defeat, this can be considered a bargain. Isn't it better for us if one more person adapts a day earlier?’
Watching all of this, Kane sat down on the back of a saddled worker ant.
This winged worker ant naturally waved its antennae, spreading its wings and flying into the air.
“Hmm?”
However, the direction in which the worker ant carrying Kane flew was not his next duty station.
A colossal World Tree towering into the clouds appeared before his eyes amidst the dense fog.
“Uh, why...”
Kane was startled by the massive upper body of a woman before him.
At this moment, the Third Queen, Gaia—who served as the colony's neural network, taking in countless territories in real-time—extended her giant hand and placed him in the palm of her hand.
“Kane, become one with the colony.”
Contrary to Kane's expectations, Gaia did not intend to punish him, but instead looked at him with an interested gaze.
Gaia's other hand covered his head.
Kane realized he had been accepted when the tentacles extending from Gaia's palm covered and modified his body, launching his consciousness into the hive mind.
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