Endless Path : Infinite Cosmos-Novel

Chapter 925 - Negotiation Between Goddesses

After exchanging a few more ’pleasantries’, and procuring some food and drinks from the Hostess of Fertility staff, the entire tavern had been cleared out for the discussion between Loki, Freya, and Kali. As the latter had pointed out, there wasn’t much for them to actually discuss, making the meeting more of a small get-together to make sure everyone was on the same page. Because of this, Kali very frankly stated, "The terms from my side are pretty simple and, given that little boy’s reputation, I’m sure he can take care of it. In exchange for the technology that allows those two playgrounds of yours to function, I am prepared to pressure the Queen to change the law so that those who have yet to reach a.d.u.l.thood are not forced to fight in true battles of life and death. The one thing that kid of yours will have to accept is that we won’t change our culture to try and keep up with the changes he wants to introduce. We can change certain things but Amazonesses simply do not function in ’civilized’ society without issues in the long term. Even if he wants to try and put on a show of force as he did in the land of tree huggers and mine rats, there is simply nobody within Telskyura for him to kill. Even if he puts down Hippolyta and tried to place one of those little girls of his in the position of Queen, the Amazoness community simply wouldn’t care. Unless he plans to wipe out the majority of our species and selectively breed those that match his requirements, the Amazonesses will always need their own localized and isolated community."

Though there were certainly some anomalies, such as Tiona, Tione, Aisha, and Lena, they made up less than a single percent of the Amazoness people. Even they were still subjected to their instincts and, unless Vahn created some kind of ’inhibitor’ or fundamentally changed the nature of their being, it was impossible for most Amazonesses to truly blend into other societies. It wasn’t just because they wanted to indoctrinate children that Amazonesses was forced to give birth back in their homeland. The main issue was that most Amazonesses simply didn’t care about their own children and, without a structure that would allow them to grow and learn how to survive in a rather unforgiving society, many would outright die early on. As for why they didn’t allow the fathers to take care of the children, this was because there were all sorts of issues that could pop up that the untested fathers simply couldn’t deal with. In the worst case scenario, the younger Amazonesses could even imprint on their fathers, making it fundamentally impossible for them to even have children with anyone else as a result of the deep mental impression...

Loki had expected Kali’s ’terms’ but still laid out a few of her own, saying, "So long as you show a concerted effort in trying to make your society safer for children, Vahn would show understanding for your situation. However, as I’m sure you are aware, not every Amazoness has the same nature as the majority of those born within Telskyura. Also, though it would certainly cause problems if left unchecked, we can pass laws that can protect young Amazonesses born in Orario. One thing we are prepared to do is to create an Embassy of sorts, surrounded by a community of Amazonesses. This land will belong entirely to Telskyura and we are even prepared to build a smaller Coliseum and help develop educational facilities that can help guide young Amazonesses before they interact with the larger community. I’m sure you can see the benefits of this, as it will create an actual ’destination’ for many Amazonesses leaving the country in search of mates..."

Kali was actually a little surprised by Loki’s ’compromise’, causing her brows to rise slightly, even though they were hidden by her bone mask. Loki was acting decidedly ’different’ compared to how she had acted in the past, causing Kali to feel intrigued by what changes had occurred for her to behave like this. As it was indeed ’very’ beneficial for Telskyura to have sovereign land within a huge population zone like Orario, especially with the increasing popularity of Sports, Kali gave a toothy grin as she said, "That is an interesting idea, Loki, though you’ll have to give it to me in writing and take quite a few vows if you want me to believe this isn’t some elaborate trap. Also, even though it seems like we’re winning out in this exchange, I can tell...kukuku...that boy of yours is quite the soft-hearted individual...!"

Though she always intended to take advantage of Vahn’s nature, as he had already become ’famous’ within the Amazoness community, Kali had underestimated Vahn’s influence. At first, she believed he was just an exceptionally powerful mortal that had managed to become something of a figurehead for the Alliance. Kali never believed he was genuinely in control but, after seeing Loki’s behavior, she realized that her assumption had been incorrect. It seemed ridiculous but, given the circ.u.mstances, it seemed that Vahn really was the leader of the Alliance. Kali wondered what kind of person he was to have gained such influence over gods, many of which were selfish individuals who only sought their own benefits...

Deciding to get to the main point, Kali controlled her laughter and put on a ’serious’ expression as she said, "I will agree to that idea of an Amazoness community within Orario but, in order to make sure there is ample ’attachment’ from the perspective of the Alliance, there is something we will need from you. That boy, Vahn Mason, has left quite the impression in the hearts and minds of many Amazonesses, to the point that even that brat Hippolyta is ’constantly’ thinking about him..." Though it was from the perspective of ’seriously’ wanting him dead, it was true that the Queen of Telskyura was constantly thinking of Vahn.

Continuing her words, even though she knew both Loki and Freya were aware of what she would say, Kali’s grin became almost vicious as she said, "In all the world, there may never be a more suitable mate for the Amazonesses that Vahn himself. If he is willing to sire an ’adequate’ amount of Amazonesses, I will trust that Orario will be able to keep them safe. I know the whole reason you came up with that little idea of yours is because of those ’unique’ twins that are attached to Vahn, isn’t that right~? He probably wants to knock them up and raise his children in Orario, instead of following our traditions and sending the girls back to Telskyura...well, that is probably for the best, kukukuku~."

Because of Tiona’s and Tione’s status and strength, there was a lot of Amazonesses who envied their relationship with Vahn. If the two got pregnant and gave birth in Telskyura, they would be forced to stay in order to ’protect’ their daughters as, resulting from their ’fame’, any children they gave birth to would likely face the wrath of some of the more petty and envious Amazonesses. If Tiona and Tione left their daughters in Telskyura to return to Vahn’s side, it was almost guaranteed that their children would face a far more difficult crucible than other Amazonesses, even if their society would prevent things from getting ’too’ out of hand. Now, if things were arranged so that their children would be able to stay in Orario ’without’ concessions being made, it would cause malcontent feelings to spread in the hearts and minds of many Amazonesses.

Kali’s words weren’t outside of Loki’s expectations at all and, after discussing various possible scenarios with Vahn, she knew he had even considered ’conquering’ the entire country through similar means. If Vahn truly had walked into Telskyura and systematically defeated every Amazoness, he would likely even be recognized as their King. Even Hippolyta, once defeated, would have to take a step back and submit to Vahn, at least until she was able to defeat him and reclaim her title. This, however, would result in an unstable population that numbered in the hundreds of thousands all being completely dedicated to Vahn. Just as Tiona, Tione, and Aisha couldn’t imagine themselves sleeping with other men, it would be much the same for many of the Amazonesses Vahn defeated, with the stronger ones being even more affected...

Knowing that it would be an even ’bigger’ problem if Vahn was allowed to deal with things directly, Loki had orchestrated this meeting with Kali around the time Enyo had been imprisoned. She knew that Vahn would eventually set his sights on the Amazoness nation and wanted to avoid a major fiasco that would unnecessarily complicate matters in the future. Because of this, instead of being fl.u.s.tered by Kali, Loki nodded her head and said, "That is fine, but there are certain requirements that must be met as well. Because they will likely become the core of the Amazoness society within Orario, those that want to bear Vahn’s children would need to be much stronger than the others that reside there. This will be necessary to keep order and to protect Vahn’s future children, as he would never allow them to be in a dangerous situation without every precaution being made..." ʀᴇᴀᴅ ʟᴀᴛᴇsᴛ ᴄʜᴀᴘᴛᴇʀs ᴀᴛ Novᴇ(l)Fɪre.net

As she listened to Loki’s words, Kali squinted her eyes slightly, interrupting the flow of the conversation by asking, "How strong do they need to be, exactly...?" To this, Freya answered, gesturing to Hrist as she said, "Most of the members in the Hearth Manor would be able to walk through your country without anyone being able to block their path. Even the Maids and Guards surrounding Vahn are, at the very least, Level 5. These two are near the peak of Level 7 and Level 6 respectively, while the three waiting outside are all at the peak of Level 5. Why don’t you tell us, Kali, who exactly you think it ’qualified’ to bear Vahn’s children...?"

Kali knew that the winged women standing in the back were strong, but she never expected one to be near the peak of Level 7. As if to rub salt on her wounds, Loki then explained, "The Valkyries that serve as the Guards of the Hearth Manor have a total of 303 members, each being above Level 5 in strength. As for the actual Guardian of the Hearth Manor, she is a True Dragon that has exceeded Level 10 and broken through the limits of the Falna. However, even she isn’t the ’real’ threat...though I have no reason to explain exactly what kind of cards we have in reserve, do I~?" In truth, the power base Vahn had established over the last year gave him more than enough power to conquer the entire Continent, even if he just sat back at the Manor all day. Other than Legend, there weren’t even any forces in all of Eden that could resist the Valkyries for more than a few hours...

If the Valkyries weren’t a big enough surprise, the revelation that there was a True Dragon that had broken through the ’limit’ had caused Kali to hold her breath for a brief moment. Then, as if to give voice to the words on Kali’s mind, Argana slammed her hand against the table and exclaimed, "What kind of bullshit are you spouting!? You’re telling me those bird bitches are supposed to be Level 6 and 7!? If you’re going to lie, you should at least come up with something believable!" Having spent twenty-seven years training to the point of exhaustion almost every single day, Argana refused to believe there were so many people that were at her Level. The idea that there were several who were ’beyond’ her felt like a slap to the face hard enough to loosen teeth.

Though she had been silent and stoic the entire conversation, Hrist now turned her attention to Argana, coldly stating, "The world is broader than you could ever imagine. You may be one of the biggest fish in your small pond, but there are vast oceans with powers you can’t even imagine with your small-minded perspective of the world. We, Valkyrie, have trained hard for hundreds of years and even we do not have the hubris to believe there are none stronger than us. In fact, it is because we understand there are individuals capable of far exceeding our growth that we are content with serving. Watch your words, wretch, or I will remove your right to speak anything more than pain-filled groans for the rest of your insignificant life..."

As Hrist was speaking, an icy and oppressive aura spread through the entire facility, causing all but the three goddesses seated around the table to feel an instinctual fear. Most of the Valkyrie had inherited pseudo-Divinities related to Death, Divination, and, to a lesser extent, Magic. Hrist had a total of three Innates while also possessing a pseudo-Divinity related to Death. This was something that Kali had picked up on instantly, causing her to activate her own aura as she looked to Argana and said, "Stand down, Argana. That isn’t an opponent you can fight, even if you and your sister teamed up together..." Kali hadn’t expected the Level 7 Hrist to also be a Demigoddess, especially one with a similar Divinity to her own. Mortals with such a Divinity were usually ’very’ dangerous, even if their Level was low. The fact that Hrist was Level 7 made it completely impossible for her two Captains to even think about fighting against her...

Argana had felt an instinctual suppression from Hrist but, after feeling her own goddess’ power, she became somewhat pale as her slightly agape mouth closed, the words of challenge she had nearly issued being swallowed. Now, she could only think about what kind of monstrous organization the Alliance was to have such powerful entities serving as mere guards. Her pride had taken a serious hit and, even though Hrist had mentioned training for several hundred years, Argana felt like her own power would never be able to reach similar heights. She only had a few decades left in her prime and even reaching Level 7 would be difficult before her body simply couldn’t keep up with the strain of intense training and combat any longer...

Appearing as if she hadn’t noticed the tense atmosphere that had been created, Freya once again repeated, "Well, who do you think is qualified to bear Vahn’s children, my dear Kali~?" If it were up to her, Freya would much rather bear one hundred children for Vahn, rather than let him i.m.p.r.e.g.n.a.t.e one-hundred Amazonesses. Knowing her own children would be related to the children born to the Amazonesses who would reside within Orario, Freya felt more than a little troubled. This notion was even shared by Loki who knew that, given the nature of Amazonesses, in general, Vahn would be troubled when his Amazoness daughters ended up seeking out their own mates ’too early’. Because Amazonesses were considered a.d.u.l.ts after reaching certain Levels, irrespective of their age, there would have to be laws passed that restricted this particular cultural trait to avoid causing Vahn to fret incessantly in the future...

Kali, unaware of what was going through her fellow goddesses’ minds, had a small frown on her face as she thought about how to answer Freya’s question. The Alliance was obviously far more powerful than she had expected, meaning she would have to seriously consider the matter in greater detail in the future. For the time being, there were a few ’easy’ answers she could come up with, including one pressing matter she wanted to address. Thus, after collecting her thoughts, Kali gave a glance towards Argana and Bache before turning her crimson eyes, matching Loki’s ruby-red gaze as she said, "It is obvious that you must have the means to help increase a person’s strength qualitatively over a short period of time. I’m certain you have other schemes at play so, for the time being, I will select a few Amazonesses over Level 5 that should be suitable for monitoring the community within Orario. To facilitate a smoother transition, I will even move to Orario for a short while to-"

At this point, both Loki and Freya released their characteristic laughs, causing Kali’s mouth to shut as she glared back at them. Then, just as she was about to lash out, Loki preempted her, saying, "You will have to deal with Hippolyta and the traditionalists before things get out of hand. Until things are settled back in Telskyura, you shouldn’t be worrying too much about the community that will be created within Orario. We will begin laying the foundation and preparing for a stable Amazoness population in the future. The important thing at this point is public recognition and support for those Amazonesses who wish to remain in Orario and raise their children within the budding society we will establish. You don’t need to concern yourself with who they are; just know that they have much higher importance than anything you are trying to prepare..."

As she was speaking, Loki passed over several doc.u.ments and a contract for Kali to peruse, the one at the very top being the same one that all goddesses who had a chance to give birth to a Vanir had to agree to. Kali had been frowning as she listened to Loki’s words but, upon reading the contents of the doc.u.ments she had provided, her expression turned into a cheeky grin. There was even a file on Vahn himself, including some of his personality quirks and characteristics. Kali was reminded of Loki’s first words when they met earlier, causing her grin to turn sly as she said, "It looks like I have a lot of preparations to make, shishishishi~."

(A/N: Alternate Titles: ’At this rate, Orario is going to become a bunch of small segmented communities xD’,’Fish in a pond? More like a frog in a well...’,’You simply can’t get a ’real’ advantage against Loki (o....,o)’)

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