Chapter 634: Meeting Another Angel, A God’s True Might
Author’s Note:
We’ve reached a total of one million words on Isaac’s journey!
That’s almost as long as the entire Harry Potter series. I want to sincerely thank you for the support you’ve shown along the way. All of your comments, theories, encouragement, and enthusiasm have kept me motivated to keep writing.
Reaching this milestone wouldn’t have been possible without you. Thank you for sticking with Isaac’s journey. I hope you’ll continue to enjoy what’s still to come.
...
Isaac smiled as he crouched down and gently patted the little bunnies on their heads. They immediately gathered around him again, wrapping themselves around his arms and legs as if refusing to let him leave. Their earlier sadness hadn’t completely disappeared, but they looked at him with hopeful eyes.
"I have to go now, but I will come back later and play with all of you if you listen to the nannies this time. Okay?" Isaac asked with a gentle smile.
At the mention of playing together, their expressions brightened noticeably. Even then, they didn’t release him immediately, and a few of them held onto his sleeves for a little longer.
Isaac chuckled softly and patiently rubbed each of their heads until they finally stepped back.
Before leaving the Soulbind Pendant, he turned toward the dragon maids. He didn’t speak, but the meaning behind his gaze was obvious enough.
Make sure nothing goes wrong this time.
The dragon maids understood immediately and nodded in acknowledgment. Satisfied, Isaac left the Soulbind Pendant and returned outside.
"Ruby, are the announcements done?" Isaac asked while looking across the city. His device lit up a moment later as Ruby responded in her usual calm voice.
"Yes, Master. The citizens are ready."
Isaac gave a slight nod before controlling two of his clones simultaneously. One activated the City Core of Fortified City 22 while the other activated the City Core of Fortified City 62. As both City Cores responded, a translucent screen appeared before him.
[Would you like to combine Fortified City 22 and Fortified City 62 with Imperium Aeternum?]
"Yes," Isaac answered without hesitation. The System immediately accepted his decision, and everyone except him dissolved into countless streams of light.
Isaac already knew they had been moved into a temporary dimension where they would remain safe while the restructuring took place.
The city fell completely silent as the transfer finished. Moments later, a jagged crack tore open the distant sky, slowly widening as an unimaginable amount of mana poured through it.
The flow was so immense that it resembled an endless ocean spilling into the world, blanketing the entire city beneath its presence.
Wherever the mana spread, time came to a complete stop. Buildings, drifting dust, swaying trees, and even the wind itself froze in place beneath its influence. Only Isaac remained unaffected, standing calmly as he watched the phenomenon unfold.
A figure stepped out through the massive crack in the sky. She had soft pink hair, bright green eyes, and a warm smile that carried a hint of mischief.
Four white wings extended from her back, while two spiral white horns rose from the sides of her head, giving her an appearance that was both graceful and intimidating.
Like Seraphine’s true form, she was enormous. She looked down at Isaac for a brief moment before taking a single step forward. Instantly, her gigantic body shrank until she stood in front of him at a perfectly ordinary height.
Her eyes sparkled with excitement, almost like a child who had finally received the toy they had been begging for all week.
"Greetings! I’m Julia Setros. I honestly didn’t think I would be the lucky one chosen to meet you. It’s a pleasure to finally be here," she said with a cheerful laugh.
Before Isaac could even respond, Julia reached out and grabbed his hand with both of hers. She shook it enthusiastically, smiling from ear to ear as though she couldn’t contain herself.
Isaac kept his expression calm, but inwardly, he was completely baffled by the situation.
This was the first angel he had met besides Seraphine. Seraphine had embodied everything he imagined an angel should be, carrying herself with flawless dignity and elegance.
Julia, on the other hand, looked more like an excited fan who had unexpectedly met someone she admired.
"...Isaac Hargraves. The pleasure is mine," he replied after a brief pause.
Julia nodded happily, looking as though she was about to say something else.
Without any warning, something struck the back of her head with a sharp smack. She immediately let go of Isaac’s hand and hissed in pain as she reached behind her head. A tiny white-blue sphere of light floated quietly beside her shoulder.
[Stop annoying him and show some decorum. Can’t you see he’s looking at you like someone would look at a country bumpkin?] the voice said.
Julia rubbed the back of her head with an embarrassed expression while quietly muttering a complaint under her breath. Through his spatial perception, Isaac could clearly sense a bump forming where she had been hit.
His attention shifted toward the floating sphere. At first, he had assumed it was some kind of magical equipment, but now it seemed far more likely that someone was communicating through it.
"You are?" Isaac asked.
[The God of Cold Winds, Fario. I am the patron god of the Mistborns, whom you’ve promised to help.] The calm voice echoed from the sphere without the slightest fluctuation.
"Greetings, God Fario," Isaac said.
Outwardly, he remained as calm as ever, but inwardly, he couldn’t help feeling surprised. This was the first time he had ever spoken directly with a god.
Although Fario himself was obviously not present, Isaac could still sense mana responding to the deity’s will from an unimaginable distance. The strike that had landed on Julia’s head had come from the sphere itself. That meant, the god had manipulated mana all the way from the Divine Realm to deliver that casual reprimand.
That single demonstration quietly revealed how powerful a true god really was. There had been no overwhelming aura or crushing pressure, likely because Fario’s true body remained in another dimension. Even so, controlling mana so precisely across dimensions was something Isaac couldn’t ignore.
Julia cleared her throat and smiled awkwardly.
"I apologize for how I behaved earlier. I was simply too excited." She scratched her cheek before looking at Isaac with a slightly embarrassed smile.
"What do you mean?" Isaac asked.
"Wait... you really don’t know how it works? Your patron god should have explained this to you," she said.
When Isaac simply looked back at her with a confused expression, the excitement on her face slowly faded into surprise.
For a moment, Julia studied him as though she were trying to decide whether he was pretending. Then she seemed to realize that he genuinely had no idea what she was talking about.
"I see. Then I guess I’ll explain it. Angels can receive Quests from the System that allow us to descend temporarily. Sometimes the Quest is for merging cities like this, while other times it’s for completely different matters. If the angel who receives the Quest accepts it, they get to descend. If they refuse, the Quest is passed on until someone else accepts it," Julia said.
She smiled as she continued. "It’s actually pretty random who gets selected in the first place, so I honestly never expected to be the one coming here. That’s why I got so excited earlier. I really did feel lucky."
"Is it really something to be excited about, meeting a mortal?" Isaac asked. His tone wasn’t doubtful or self-deprecating. He simply couldn’t understand why an angel would react that way.
He knew his own achievements were impressive. Awakening only a few weeks ago and already possessing strength comparable to Apex Overlords wasn’t something ordinary people could accomplish. Even so, Julia was an angel, and Fario was a god.
Julia looked at him as though he had asked something obvious.
"Of course it is. Do you have any idea how much people talk about you in the Divine Realm? Right now, you’re one of the most talked-about mortals there," she replied.
She continued without waiting for him to respond. "If it weren’t for the divine protection over your city, countless gods would probably be watching you day and night. Some of them would even try to recruit you into their religions before anyone else had the chance."
Isaac’s attention sharpened immediately. He already knew his Talent and growth speed were unusual, but he had never imagined they had attracted so much attention already. More importantly, Julia had just mentioned something he had never heard of before.
His city was under divine protection.
A faint chill ran down Isaac’s spine as several thoughts surfaced one after another. He had never sensed any barrier protecting Imperium Aeternum, nor had anyone ever mentioned it to him. If someone had placed such powerful protection over his city, why had they hidden their identity?
The white-blue sphere floating beside Julia remained silent for a brief moment before Fario spoke again.
[It seems he doesn’t know whose divine protection it is either.]
Isaac shifted his gaze toward the sphere without interrupting. Since Fario had brought it up, he waited for the god to continue. Julia also became quiet, letting the god explain.
[A few days ago, shortly after your popularity began spreading through the Divine Realm, a divine shield appeared around your city. Every god who tried to observe what was happening inside found their vision blocked. Even now, none of us knows who deployed it.]
Fario’s calm voice continued without changing in tone. [Whoever created that shield is spending an enormous amount of Faith to hide both your City and their own identity. Since you don’t seem to know that god either, I wouldn’t spend too much time worrying about it.]
[Most likely, they’re simply investing in you. They may want to earn your favor now so they can invite you into their religion later. Gods make long-term investments all the time.]
Isaac nodded slowly while listening. Outwardly, Fario’s explanation sounded reasonable enough.
At the same time, Isaac couldn’t help noticing that the god seemed to be subtly minimizing the mysterious benefactor’s actions, almost as though he didn’t want Isaac becoming interested in another deity.
"So, why exactly am I famous?" Isaac asked after a short silence.
"Honestly, where should I even begin? You’re the first known person with an SSS-Rank Farming Talent. Then there’s your growth speed, which is so ridiculous that plenty of gods thought the reports were someone hiding your true identity, or a reincarnator at first," she said.
She added, "You awakened only a few weeks ago as a low-ranked species. Now you’re already capable of fighting Apex Overlords. That’s the sort of thing people normally only hear about in myths."
She raised another finger as she continued listing his achievements. "Then you defeated a Catastrophe during your very first Lord Quest. Those creatures are incredibly dangerous, so even surviving one is considered an achievement. On top of that, you somehow attracted the attention of the Water Element Spirit and even have a Great Dungeon."
"And then you won the competition. Watching those famous Lords lose was honestly one of the funniest things I’ve seen in a long time. The reactions in the Divine Realm were priceless," Julia finished with another laugh.
Isaac simply nodded while listening. At the same time, he quietly reached another conclusion. Julia was definitely a chatterbox.
"So if I leave my city, the gods can watch me?" Isaac asked.
"They can. But you don’t need to worry too much about it. I know I said earlier that Gods would’ve be watching you day and night if there was no protection on your city, but honestly, peering into the Mortal Realm costs Faith, and observing someone who isn’t one of their followers costs an absurd amount," Julia answered.
She shrugged casually before adding, "Most of them will probably only look at you once in a while. They’ll be hoping you do something interesting whenever they decide to spend the Faith."
Isaac nodded again, though inwardly he wasn’t reassured. He disliked the idea of unknown gods observing him whenever they pleased, even if they couldn’t do it constantly. The whole situation made him feel like some rare animal being watched inside a zoo.
’I should ask Sage Sea later. If anyone knows how to block divine observation, it’ll probably be him,’ Isaac thought.
After organizing his thoughts, Isaac looked back at Julia.
"Can we start the city fusion now?" he asked. There wasn’t much point dwelling on things he couldn’t control at the moment.
"Of course," Julia replied with a bright smile. Then she suddenly raised one finger as though remembering something important. "But before that, there’s one small thing."
She reached into her storage device and pulled out two sheets of paper along with a pen. Holding them toward Isaac with an eager smile, she said, "Could you please give me your autograph?"
Isaac looked at the papers before glancing back at Julia.
"Two autographs?" he asked with mild curiosity. He wasn’t expecting that request at all.
"One is for me. As for the other one, I’m planning to sell it. You’re so popular right now that I’m sure it’ll fetch a really good price," Julia answered without the slightest embarrassment.
The white-blue sphere floating beside her remained quiet for a moment before Fario let out a long, tired sigh. It was the kind of sigh that suggested this was far from the first time Julia had done something like this. Julia, meanwhile, looked completely unbothered.
Isaac looked at her with a speechless expression. She was an angel, yet she was talking about selling autographs as naturally as a merchant discussing business. Just how much money could she possibly earn from his signature?
Still, being a dragon—ahem, a good businessman meant recognizing an opportunity when it appeared. Since Julia herself had brought up the idea of selling his autograph, there was no reason not to make the most of it.
"I’ll give you three autographs instead. You can sell one now, keep another one for yourself, and sell the last one later when my popularity rises even further. That should earn you much more in the long run," Isaac said after a moment.
Julia’s green eyes lit up immediately. She looked like a child who had just been handed an unexpected present on a holiday morning.
Fario, however, fell completely silent.
Isaac couldn’t actually see the god’s expression, but through the floating sphere, he somehow felt an intensely judgmental gaze directed straight at him. Even so, he shamelessly ignored it as though nothing had happened.
What was wrong with making a little extra profit?
Money certainly didn’t fall from the sky. If someone willingly offered him a chance to increase the value of his own autograph, Isaac saw no reason to refuse. From his perspective, this was simply good business.
Julia calmed down after a few seconds and looked at him curiously.
"You’re offering me something that valuable, so I doubt you’re doing it for free. What do you want in exchange?" she asked.
"I’m glad you understood what I was getting at," he replied.
He took a moment to consider his options before giving his answer.
"For starters, I want information about the God of Axe. The more detailed the information is, the better."
He paused briefly before adding his second request.
"And I’d also like an Imperial Artifact."