Chapter 246: The Great God Lady is Very Satisfied

It could be said to be the past, perhaps.

Creis shook her head.

Gabriella knew this was a serious and earnest topic.

She pulled Creis over to sit on a nearby bench.

The patrolling Royal Knight lady saw the two of them arrive and proactively stepped aside, leaving Gabriella and Creis’s line of sight.

Creis kept staring at the lawn beneath her feet.

Her white stockings were stained with a few water spots.

“From the perspective of the Heavenly Oracle Envoys, this world has experienced four eras so far.”

“The Heavenly Oracle Era, the Evil Tree Era, the Destruction Era, and the Revival Era.”

The Heavenly Oracle Era lasted two thousand years.

The Evil Tree Era lasted only a little over one thousand years.

The Destruction Era lasted five thousand years.

It was only a little over a thousand years ago that humanity officially entered the Revival Era.

In Gabriella’s mind appeared a river.

Upstream lay the peaceful, contented lives of the Heavenly Domain’s residents.

Beneath their feet stretched white clouds interwoven with the blue sea.

Above their heads, the clear starry sky faintly revealed itself within the blue curtain.

The midstream was black land overgrown with evil trees.

Wars raged endlessly between the continents, and the Church fell into an unprecedented crisis.

After that came the Holy See and the Knight Orders.

Later still came the flourishing human era, where prosperous cities rose in the downstream reaches of the river of history.

Time had stretched so long that not only had we been forgotten—we had even lost all meaning.

Whether it was our mission or our past goals.

When Creis spoke these words, her expression was melancholic.

Gabriella even thought she was chatting with an old lady.

Yet Creis’s age far exceeded any ordinary sense of “elderly.”

Her appearance was merely that of a girl around six years old.

“The repair capsules are devices used to heal the injuries of the Heavenly Oracle Envoys. Without the proper activation magic to awaken them, however, this process is necessary… Gabriella, only you can do it.”

Mother, are you referring to [Life]?

Gabriella recalled that Creis had once described her authority, though she had never used it.

“Mm-hmm… If it’s you, then you can awaken them. The reason I sent the Heavenly Oracle Envoys back to the repair capsules was also for this purpose—to train your authority.”

Creis’s hands tightened.

Her head lowered deeper and deeper.

“It’s not like that. In order to kill you all, I never treated you as tools. I… was simply proceeding according to my plan.”

“Mother.”

It turned out Creis had been speaking about her conversation with Heltitz.

Gabriella felt no sympathy.

She simply did not know how to express herself. It was different from what they had imagined.

Like a daughter, she showed a helpless appearance.

“The Heavenly Oracle Envoys misunderstood me. I’m not that cold-blooded. I! That wasn’t an attempt to gain sympathy. I really just didn’t know how to express it. I know I’ve done many things wrong, but I’m not the demon they describe. The God of Holy Feathers isn’t me either.”

“I know~”

Gabriella reached out and gently patted Creis on the head.

This time her reaction was obvious.

The moment her head was patted, she clenched both hands tightly, and a trace of gratitude appeared in her eyes.

“I think Mother must have made some mistakes, but perhaps it was just a misunderstanding. Everyone makes mistakes, right?”

Creis did not continue.

Gabriella also knew that the so-called “Evil Tree Era” was likely the era in which the demon race had been born.

During the Destruction Era, humanity had fallen apart internally.

After thousands of years of evolution, it was only in the Revival Era that the Church gradually brought stability to the world.

“Judging from the results, it seems I succeeded~?” Gabriella smiled.

“Success… I don’t know if it was due to your authority.” Creis spoke cautiously.

“I understand you.”

After these words, Creis’s expression shifted from surprise to shock, then finally settled into calm.

The emotions flowing through her eyes were faint, yet perceptible.

Creis blinked.

Her mood seemed to lighten as well.

She changed the subject and brought up Heltitz.

“The Heavenly Oracle Envoys are special existences by nature. They are not human, yet they also belong to humanity… They were born together with the repair capsules—artificial weapons.”

“Artificial weapons?”

“They were created by humans who once existed in order to maintain the world. I saved them and had them continue carrying out their mission. I don’t fully understand it myself.”

“…Is it another plane?” Gabriella asked.

“Yes, and no.” Creis’s answer was vague.

“They are similar to humans, but their bodily structure is more perfect. Their self-healing ability is extremely strong. Their ability to perceive magic power is roughly two thousand times that of humans.”

“Mm.”

Gabriella sighed in admiration.

No wonder all the Heavenly Oracle Envoys possessed emperor-level strength.

To humans, they were indeed no different from gods.

“They are very stubborn. I don’t know how to reform them, so they simply fight according to their original methods. However, they don’t remember where they came from.”

“If those humans existed, they must have been quite a powerful civilization.”

Creis nodded.

“This world was originally meant to become like that as well. Do you know about the Doomsday Alarm, Gabriella? I remember it clearly: as long as a world’s [Stability] does not exceed the threshold, the alarm will not sound. It is precisely for this reason that humanity needs order, and that they need us gods.”

Gabriella perked up her ears and listened carefully. These were pieces of intelligence that were hard to come by.

“Human civilization is divided into four stages. The first stage: without divine authority, merely normal nations competing for magic power resources, with poor stability. The second stage: the current world, where the Church has been initially established, divine authority is stable, and steady development is possible.”

“Is it only the second stage now?”

Creis did not deny it.

Step by step, she began to interpret the history within Heltitz’s words. “Ten thousand years ago, we were about to enter the third stage. However, the [God Successor] Raltomia denied divine authority. Regardless of the reason, this is the fundamental contradiction.”

“And then?”

Creis shook her head. “That civilization was destroyed. The damaged repair capsules and the Heavenly Oracle Envoys are the final legacy they left behind. I brought that legacy to this world.”

“Unexpectedly, it involves even more planes.”

Creis took one of Gabriella’s hands and placed it before herself. “It is said that before the humans of that plane perished, they did not believe in the concept of [Stability]. That was what led to their destruction. That is why she became our enemy.”

Gabriella pondered briefly. “Mother, in this world, are there more gods from other planes?”

“Gods… are few. These matters… are very complicated.”

Gabriella nodded and asked no further questions.

The two of them stood up and walked toward the garden’s exit.

Just before leaving, Gabriella spoke half-jokingly. “So it was all something Mother wanted me to understand, huh~”

“These were also part of the original plan. In any case, thank you, Gabriella…”

Creis smiled.

This time, it was no longer that stiff expression, but a natural smile—like a gentle spring breeze, warm yet imperceptible.