The Mountain Loathes the Sky (1)
“So, what brings the archaeologist who swore never to set eyes on me again?”
Hwang Dong-kyung’s words carried a hint of sarcasm. Well… back then, I had good reason. After all the hardship digging up that relic, they just handed me some cash and a letter before snatching it away—who wouldn’t blow up over that? But that was then. This is now.
“I’m looking for something, but I’ve hit my limit going solo. I need help.”
“Hmm… I don’t know what you’re after, but coming to me means it’s no ordinary trinket. So, you need money?”
“It’s not just about money. I hear you dwarves have a records archive that only a select few can enter.”
Hwang Dong-kyung’s face registered mild surprise at my words.
“The records archive? What do you want with that?”
“The info I’m chasing… it’s knowledge lost to humans. Dwarves obsess over their records beyond human imagination, so maybe your archive holds what we’ve forgotten.”
“Hmm…”
Hwang Dong-kyung stroked his golden beard, lost in thought. Would he really let me into the records archive? Hard to say. Fifty-fifty odds, maybe. Or he might slap on some other condition.
“No human’s ever set foot in there… but you did return the Earthshatter to us. I’ll pull some strings.”
“Really?”
“But there’s a condition.”
“A condition?”
Hwang Dong-kyung’s golden eyes fixed on me intently. I could read the greed lurking in their depths, but with no real choice, I had to play along.
“Make me your sponsor.”
“Sponsor?”
“Yeah. Whatever you’re hunting… you tracked down the guy you vowed never to see again for clues. It’s got to be big.”
I had nothing to say. Would he even believe me if I said I was after leads on the King of the Gods? Hell, was it even safe to mention that existence casually?
“Promise me half the rights to whatever you find. Then I’ll back you as your sponsor.”
“Half…”
“Tangible artifact or intangible knowledge—half the rights. In return, I’ll help however I can, fund what you need. A talented relic hunter—no, archaeologist like you is worth it. Call it joint discoverer status. Deal?”
Beneath that golden beard, Hwang Dong-kyung’s mouth curved into a greedy smile. Should I take this avaricious dwarf’s offer? No, scratch that—I had no choice from the start. What was there to agonize over? Refuse, and I get nothing. Accept, and I gain the patronage of one of the richest dwarves around. No room for hesitation.
“Fine. Deal. Half the rights to what I find are yours.”
“Smart choice.”
Hwang Dong-kyung extended his short arm. His hand, smooth without the calluses of someone long out of the forge, wasn’t very dwarven. I didn’t refuse that grasping handclasp.
“So, care to tell me what you’re after?”
Of course he’d ask. I glanced at the door behind me. Safe to talk here? Would voices carry?
“Worried about sound leaking out?”
Hwang Dong-kyung caught my concern and pressed something on his desk. A faint mana barrier descended along the walls.
“This…?”
“A trick for keeping secrets. Inside this barrier, no voices escape. Cost a pretty penny, but it does the job.”
A mana stone barrier, fitting for a dwarf. In that now-sealed room, I told Hwang Dong-kyung exactly what I was seeking.
A year’s time. Spent reunited with Sagarmatha. Not bad, really… though the other kids dropped by now and then to hang out. Sagarmatha always looked grumpy about it.
“Aren’t they your siblings? Why the long face?”
“But Mom’s mine to monopolize right now…”
“Hey now, I’m not some toy to hog.”
I flicked Sagarmatha’s forehead lightly as he grumbled.
“Still, it let me take things easy, tinkering here and there.”
I’d automated most Life Goddess duties and tidied up the Lizardmen stuff for the Genesis Dragon. Cloud Whale was maturing, handling work properly. Racial disputes took a backseat to god-made problems, so interspecies tensions were quiet. The kids visited occasionally. Should’ve automated sooner—convenience is king. Unless Baal dropped by begging for help, life was blissfully chill.
“Gaia!!”
Like right now.
“Baal. How many times have I told you to ping ahead before showing up?”
Now Sagarmatha, lounging beside me, was pissed again. His face was all puffed up like a volcano ready to blow.
“Forget that—help me! I can’t take it anymore!!”
“Can’t take what?”
“Those idiot gods! It’s gone beyond infighting—they’re fighting over territories now!!”
Territories…? What the hell?
“What did you do to spark a turf war?”
“I didn’t do anything! They’re doing it themselves!”
What in the world was going on?
“Explain in detail. Calmly.”
I tugged the seething Sagarmatha onto my lap as a pillow, covered his eyes with my hand to keep him from erupting, and asked Baal.
“Well, it’s like this…”
Baal’s rundown gave me the picture. A trend among the gods—or fad, whatever you call it. Humans’ faith was up for grabs in a cutthroat land-grab war.
Gods thrive on human faith—the more believers, the stronger they get. Tensions simmered endlessly, with Baal the King of Gods mediating. Now, gods from similar cultures or alliances were forming factions to plunder rivals’ faith. Religious wars, basically?
Baal couldn’t just crush them one by one—other alliances kept going, and mass suppression left vacuums for more trouble. I had to talk him down from zapping them all with lightning mid-rant. Minor stuff.
“Got it. Like a Romance of the Three Kingdoms base-capture strategy sim.”
“Romance of the Three Kingdoms? Base-capture strategy sim?”
“It’s a thing.”
Baal couldn’t handle this faith-stealing holy war solo. Very Three Kingdoms-esque. With Baal as emperor-king, it fit perfectly.
“Anyway, gods fighting’s causing human casualties galore. I stop them, but it never ends—don’t know what to do!”
Gods are such a headache. Why not compete through evangelism, no violence? Ban physical clashes among followers, add safeguards—problem solved.
“Just restrict avatars descending to earth?”
“That’d screw over the peaceful ones who don’t fight.”
I nodded at Baal’s point. Then…
“Let’s set rules and announce them.”
“Rules?”
“Yeah. Rules mean punishments for breaking them. If one in an alliance screws up, collective responsibility—guilt by association. They won’t move rashly.”
“Will that be enough?”
“If not, zap the ones tarnishing the King of Gods’ authority with lightning.”
Honestly, gods pulling this crap wasn’t new. Time to crack down. Rules give justification.
“Ask Shamash for rule-making help—she’s the law expert. I’ll handle the announcement after.”
“Got it! Thanks, Gaia! I’m off!”
Baal left with a brighter face than when he arrived.
Rules might not tame them fully—they’ll exploit loopholes. But Shamash, the pro, will plug those gaps. If worse comes, barrier the mortal world from divine descent. Faith loss for some? Their fault for stirring trouble.
“Mom.”
“Hm? What’s up, Sagarmatha?”
He opened his eyes from my lap.
“I really hate that guy.”
I stroked his grumbling head and murmured softly.
“Don’t be too harsh. Thanks to him as King of Gods, I get this breather.”
If I were in Baal’s shoes… the only gods left would be me and my kids.