MTLNOVEL Chapter 247
Chapter 247. Seven Ancient Deities (1)
[Cernunnos Status Report]
[Author: Lee Se-ah]
[As you know, the divine entity Cernunnos was severely injured during the siege of Facility No. 1. We brought a part of it to the Garden Research Institute.]
[The Special Forces from Facility No. 1 nearly killed it. It’s currently not in containment but is recuperating in the Garden’s lake. We’re feeding it one goat a day.]
[We’ve changed the human sacrifices to once a month. Honestly, modern society doesn’t want too many people sacrificed. I believe you understand that it’s not the difficult part.]
[It wasn’t severely injured?]
[During the siege of Facility No. 1, the Black Dragon died instantly, while Jörmungandr, Cernunnos, and Dr. Chloe were severely injured.]
[In a way, the Administrator’s…]
[How should I put it? Calling them a sponsor would be strange. Anyway, the powerful entities protecting the Seoul Branch suffered heavy losses.]
[Dr. Kim probably wants to rebuild his support base. That’s why we decided to increase the human sacrifices in the Garden.]
[Well, it’s a realistic solution.]
[As a separate issue, the other ancient deities who participated in the Foundation’s civil war, like Jörmungandr, probably have their own demands. Please discuss solutions.]
[Cernunnos Status Report. Reply.]
[Author: Dr. Chae]
[This is concerning. Increasing human sacrifices to the Owner of the Garden? Why on earth?]
[Are you trying to nurse the ancient deities back to health? This is extremely dangerous. No matter how I look at it, this doesn’t seem sane…]
[Here’s the thing.]
[Even if the ancient deities are under control, they’re not toys or pets. They’re not machines where you input X and get Y.]
[I’ll ask Dr. Kim for his opinion.]
[No matter how I think about it, I doubt Dr. Kim would easily accept the idea of increasing human sacrifices to the ancient deities.]
[Why don’t you ask the Administrator directly?]
[Cernunnos Status Report. Reply. Reply.]
[Author: Lee Se-ah]
[Am I wrong? Honestly, finding sacrificial targets isn’t that difficult, and it’s necessary.]
[Do you have an alternative solution, Dr. Chae? I’ll ask Dr. Kim about it.]
“So, what’s the reason for requesting this meeting?”
“It’s nothing major.”
Dr. Chae came to my office. I don’t know why. He said he had something important to say. Maybe he’s asking for a promotion.
If it’s nothing major, then fine.
“Before that, take a look at this.”
I placed a pearl on the desk. A pearl recovered from the corpse of a dead catfish at the Osaka Branch. I’m not sure if it’s useful.
“What’s this?”
Dr. Chae stared at the pearl. The pearl, resting on a small cushion, emitted a soft glow, almost like a night lamp.
“I brought it back from my trip to Osaka. I extracted it from the corpse of a dead Imoogi.”
“Oh my. You shouldn’t just pick up things like that.”
“That’s what we do here, isn’t it?”
Honestly, it’s funny. Half of what the Foundation does is picking up strange things. Dr. Chae sighed.
“Any thoughts on its symbolism?”
Dr. Chae glanced at the clipboard he brought.
“Surprisingly, legends often mention killing Imoogis. Stories about killing dragons are rare. They’re not on the same level as dragons.”
“But if it has a pearl, isn’t it a dragon?”
“Well… it depends on the legend. Some say an Imoogi with multiple pearls can’t ascend. It’s complicated.”
Makes sense.
The Black Dragon was like that.
I picked up the pearl again.
“I did some research. In Buddhist and Hindu myths, having a pearl is said to dispel all bad energy and make all wishes come true, right?”
Dr. Chae shook his head.
“I don’t think that’s the case.”
“Why not?”
“If it had that kind of power… crabs would’ve eaten it, or supernatural artists would’ve taken it. It just looks like a pretty rock.”
I guess so. I rolled the pearl over to Dr. Chae. It clattered across the desk.
Dr. Chae picked it up and examined it.
“I can feel some magical energy. Not sure if it’s enough to grant wishes.”
“Haven’t you watched Dragon Ball? You need to gather all seven to make a wish.”
Dr. Chae frowned for a moment, as if pondering what that meant. Not that it’s important.
Honestly, I haven’t watched Dragon Ball either.
“Anyway, I came here to discuss something important.”
“What is it?”
“The Research Department Head said that since the Owner of the Garden returned severely injured, we should increase human sacrifices to help it recover.”
“Oh dear.”
“Please talk him out of it.”
It’s baffling. Where does the Research Department Head get these absurd ideas?
Actually…
I know where his twisted ethics come from. The Research Department Head is a genius raised by the Foundation since childhood.
It’s the Foundation’s own mindset.
Unfortunately.
“Let’s not increase the human sacrifices. It’s hard to take back what’s given, so let’s wait for now.”
“Thank you.”
“Separately, we should meet them. It’s better to talk to the ancient deities directly. We should properly express our gratitude…”
“Agreed.”
Dr. Chae nodded.
“Let’s make a plan. What gifts can we prepare for the seven ancient deities? What rituals can we perform?”
How to express our gratitude.
“In the end, it’s a matter of dealing with each one individually. What they want differs, and the methods to communicate with them vary slightly.”
The seven divine entities who supported me.
The Black Dragon.
Popo.
Cernunnos.
Ganymede.
Jörmungandr.
Blue Rose-0.
Dr. Chloe.
I won the war with their help. I need to express my gratitude to those who helped me.
Though time has passed.
Dr. Chae looked at the list of deities.
“First, the Black Dragon is dead.”
“Yes.”
The Black Dragon was sliced to pieces by the Spear of Longinus in front of Facility No. 1. It died instantly. It was shocking.
“Popo and Dr. Chloe are in the Seoul Branch, so we can just ask them what they want and provide it. Relatively simple.”
“Right.”
“The remaining four are the problem. Cernunnos, Ganymede, Jörmungandr, and the main body of Blue Rose. We’ll have to visit each one and appease them, right?”
I nodded.
Cernunnos returned to the Garden, Jörmungandr to the Abyss, Blue Rose is in the East Sea, and Ganymede… I’m not sure.
“Let’s go in order.”
The title of High Priest of the Ancient Deities.
Just as I expressed gratitude to the humans who followed me, I must also express gratitude to the non-human entities who helped me.
The first deity. The Black Dragon.
Hasti tilted her head as soon as she heard the explanation. Like a puppy seeing a feather toy.
Her eyes sparkled with interest.
“So, Dr. Kim wants to express gratitude to the Black Dragon, is that it?”
“Yes.”
“There seems to be a misunderstanding.”
“Because the Black Dragon is dead?”
“Just as cells form a living being, and individuals form a nation, the gathering of followers forms a deity. Understand?”
“No.”
Hasti laughed.
“The one you should express gratitude to isn’t the Black Dragon, but the King of Darkness itself. It’s sad that the Black Dragon died, but it’s part of the cycle of death and rebirth.”
“I see.”
“Especially for the followers of the King of Darkness.”
The conversation ended there.
Hasti used magic to lift a flat marble altar to the center of the Large-Scale Containment Room. There were two altars prepared.
A white marble altar and a black marble altar.
“One is for the sacrificial offering.”
“Yes.”
“The other is for the King of Darkness.”
“That logic.”
Hasti nodded.
“We’ll gather as many artifacts related to the King of Darkness as possible on this altar, and the other altar is for the offering.”
It was a simpler ritual than I thought.
We debated what to offer, but for now, we decided on a goat. These beings often don’t have a strong sense of time.
Many problems can be solved by promising to fulfill their wishes later. Like how we slowly released the seal on the Owner of the Garden over the years.
Hasti carefully stacked artifacts related to the King of Darkness on the black marble altar. A black book with no title, an antique liquor bottle, and some miscellaneous items.
An incense burner was placed between the two altars.
I placed incense at my feet and bowed to the black marble altar. It felt like something was responding.
“Let’s start the ritual.”