Chapter 243 — The Returner

The gods, it seemed, could not be killed. Although very, very long ago some absurdly overpowered fleet of celestial starships had apparently slain the gods, after they departed, these dead gods one after another returned to their divine thrones (whether they returned or not, someone was answering the phone on those thrones now, anyway). The Lord of Storms in the deep sea and the God of Nature in the Gloom Realm had been unable to return only because of accidents—one had been gnawed beyond any capacity to care for itself, the other had been rammed by an interstellar traffic accident and left in much the same state...

But it seemed that so long as these external suppressing factors were removed, they would come back to life?

Gao Heng knew well whether the gods described by the devout as loving, great, and selfless were truly so righteous and glorious. But judging from the scene of the crash before his eyes, if the Giant Deer Amoen were to wake up, he would probably not be very pleased...

He decided to follow the guidance of his heart (and Camille's warning): with his technical and productive capacity still insufficient, he would not rashly disturb Amoen and the wreckage around Him. Let this God of Nature continue to sleep quietly in the Gloom Realm.

But the other usable samples in the fortress still had to be packed up and carried off as much as possible. Who knew when the magic gate might close again; the samples that had survived from the Age of Starlight would by then be irreproducible treasures.

"Let's go. We have stayed in this place long enough." Gao Yang looked back at the corpse of the Giant Deer Amoen, then took a long, deep look at the distorted wreckage floating around the divine corpse as though it had endured since time immemorial. He let out a soft breath, then turned to the ancient mage floating in midair not far away. "Camille, are you ready to return to the human world?"

The ancient mage fell silent.

When this day truly arrived, Camille found that he was not prepared at all.

Over the past several hundred years he had imagined countless times what it would be like to leave this place and return to human society, but he had never thought this day would actually come—still less that before it came, he would have lost the most fundamental attribute of "human."

Hearing Gao Song's question, he lowered his head and looked at his utterly transformed body, felt the ceaselessly surging magical energy within him, and suddenly felt a trace of retreat and fear.

"In this form... can I still return among humans?"

"The world outside has changed a great deal. You will face challenges no matter what form you return in. But on the land I rule, I can at least guarantee that you will be accepted by all," Gao Xi said slowly. "My territory already holds no small number of... things that defy convention. My people are accustomed to accepting things beyond their worldview, and a powerful mage from ancient times will earn their respect. Of course, all of this is premised on your learning to abide by the rules of this age, and respecting... my sovereignty over this land."

After an even longer silence, the arcane energy within Camille gradually grew brighter, and at last he broke the silence: "Before we accepted this long mission, all of us knew it was a road beset with peril, but for the survival of our race we were willing to forsake everything that made us human... Now, perhaps it is time to renew the oath we swore in those years."

"Camille Srein, Senior Advisor to the Gondor Mage Corps and Warden of the Fortress of Defiance, shall continue to fulfill the oath made a thousand years ago. In the name of humanity, I swear fealty to you, my lord."