Chapter 00060: Insufficient Authority
# Insufficient Authority
Chapter 60
Novel: AFK Game: Portal to Another World
Chapter 60 Insufficient Authority
Demon Lord Calendar, Year 648.
April 30th, morning.
The city gate was no place for a chat.
Viola and the others returned to the castle and began to talk idly in the reception room.
“So that's what happened after you escaped the capital.”
“Although the journey was exceptionally difficult, I consider myself very fortunate to have received the attention of the Lord Demon God.”
Viola gave Audel a general account of how she left the capital, how she arrived in the Leon Territory, and the events of the past few days.
Audel's expressions were few and very subtle, but those who knew her could still discern the nuances.
During her narration, Viola discovered that Audel was exceptionally interested in the Demon God.
“Would you like to learn about the Lord's doctrines?”
This sounded like something a suspicious person trying to recruit people on the street would say, but Audel's eyes lit up upon hearing it.
She was indeed very interested.
After asking a Royal Guard to fetch another copy of the scripture, Audel said:
“Actually, I didn't come today because I heard you were here. A few days ago, a detector I left in the Snow Region emitted an extremely strong energy signal.”
“A detector?”
“Yes, I left it behind when I came to the Snow Region to do research for a paper. I had almost forgotten about it. After receiving the signal, it took me a few days of investigation to confirm it was coming from this direction.”
“Perhaps the signal you received was the fluctuation of divine power from when the Lord personally intervened.”
“I thought so too, but it's very strange.”
“What's strange about it?”
“Gods shouldn't interfere with the mortal world so directly and crudely.”
Upon hearing this, Viola immediately said with pride:
“The Lord Demon God is not comparable to ordinary deities.”
“No, this has nothing to do with being powerful or not. No matter how formidable a deity is, if they influence the mortal world without regard for the cost, the effect would be very slight. For example, the Sun God might make the sunlight just a tiny bit stronger.”
“Is that really the case?”
“Of course. Generally, when a god wants to influence the mortal world, they can only do so through the hands of their followers. Even when a god personally wields their divine power, they need to use a follower's body as a medium, a divine descent. This is all because gods are too pure; they cannot directly affect the mortal world. But according to you, that Demon God can attack directly with divine power and even effortlessly dispel the Plague Goddess's divine power without any followers present. This is simply like a fairy tale.”
Viola was a bit stunned.
“But it happened right before my eyes.”
“That's why I said it's incredible.”
Audel continued:
“When a god observes the mortal world, they can usually only see the area around their temple and their followers. And it's limited to observation; it's impossible for them to intervene without a medium. But you also mentioned that the Demon God once had you return a wooden plate to the residents of a nearby village. You also said the Demon God gave you Lord Leon's secret ledger. These things should also be absolutely impossible. Gods are not so omnipotent that they can see wherever they want and take whatever they want.”
After hearing the explanation, Viola's brain shut down.
She had never really thought about these things, assuming all gods could do them.
And if they couldn't, it just meant those gods were not as powerful as the Demon God.
“This is common knowledge in theology. Haven't you learned anything about it at all?”
To her shame, Viola called herself an Archbishop, but in reality, this halfway Archbishop's understanding of theology was limited to the word itself.
“Then why…”
“I have two theories at the moment.”
Audel raised two fingers and said:
“First, the Demon God is a demigod who has not ascended to godhood. He is just hiding nearby, watching your every move, and will intervene when necessary. Because his true body is nearby, he can freely use his power. Moreover, judging from your divine arts, something is not quite right.”
“There's a problem with our divine arts too?”
“Of course. So-called divine arts are essentially just permissions granted by a god to their devout followers, allowing you to use magical abilities without having to study like we mages do. But the divine arts you receive shouldn't be just one or two, but a whole set. It's just that, depending on individual ability, some divine arts might be temporarily unusable.”
“No, I don't think that theory is correct. The Lord cannot be a mere demigod. His power is plain for all to see.”
“Indeed, that's also an unexplainable point. A demigod is definitely not as powerful as you describe.”
Closing one of her fingers, Audel theorized:
“Although I personally lean towards this theory, it also can't explain why your divine arts are more powerful than any I know of.”
“What's the other theory?”
“The other theory is more interesting. The Demon God might be in a weakened state. No, to be precise, a state of incomplete authority.”
Seeing a pile of question marks pop up over Viola's head again, Audel explained:
“The reason gods are gods is because they possess divine offices. These divine offices participate in the workings of the universe, meaning they are supporting the normal operation of the world. But have you discovered the Demon God's divine office?”
Wendy had asked this question before.
What kind of god was the Demon God, exactly?
God of War? God of Craftsmen? God of Agriculture? God of Kings?
He hadn't shown a clear divine office.
Even the scripture gave no clear indication, yet it seemed he could do anything.
“Without a divine office, one cannot be called a god, only a demigod. But the Demon God's power far exceeds that of a demigod, and even surpasses many powerful deities. This creates a contradiction.”
“Is there a reasonable explanation?”
“The Demon God last appeared in the Mythic Era. That was too long ago, so I can only deduce from legends.”
Audel explained:
“According to recent archaeological discoveries from the City of Academics, during the Mythic Era, the Demon God once ruled over all the Demon Race, an immortal and undying king. At that time, he had seven apostles under him who helped him govern. But later, it seems a problem arose among the apostles. The Demon God was betrayed by his apostles, and the ten Rings of the Demon King on his fingers were stolen by them. After that, the Demon God never appeared again. I theorize that he may have fallen into a long slumber because of this and has only recently awoken.”
“The Ring of the Demon King… we found one.”
“You actually found one? Where is it? I want to see!”
“It has already been offered to the Lord.”
As she spoke, Viola recounted in detail the story of Count Leon's assassination attempt from beginning to end, and then emphasized the details of how they found the Ring of the Demon King.
It was visible that although Audel's expression still changed very little, her breathing had clearly quickened, and she seemed very excited.
“I originally thought there was a problem with the interpretation of the Mythic Era documents. I never expected it to be true.”
“Did the documents mention where those seven apostles hid the Rings of the Demon King?”
Audel shook her head:
“It was just a short description carved on a stone. Even the scholar in charge of deciphering it wasn't sure if it was correct. There's no more specific information.”
Viola felt a pang of disappointment.
The Demon God had helped her so much, and she wanted to lend him a hand as well.
“Since Count Leon didn't reveal any more information, the location has likely been lost to history. No one knows where the seven apostles went. But that is precisely the charm of history!”
Audel grabbed Viola's hand:
“I want to become a follower too. Can you let me try to communicate with the Demon God?”
Her tone was more like that of a scientist facing an interesting phenomenon, intending to get to the bottom of it…