North Ridge (2)
While I was steadily building the afterlife, I made a point of dropping by to visit North Ridge now and then.
Each time I went, I couldn't shake the feeling that more and more people were being buried on North Ridge Mountain. Was it just my imagination? Or were that many people really dying? Well, average lifespans were short back then, and proper medical treatment was basically nonexistent, so maybe it was only natural…
Even one of the cities near North Ridge had so many deaths that the most booming business turned out to be the undertakers. At this rate, the whole mountain might fill up with graves until there's no room left to bury anyone.
"With that in mind, how's the current state of North Ridge Mountain?"
"Because I'm curious, obviously. With people dying and getting buried every single day, won't the whole mountain eventually be covered in graves?"
Each grave didn't take up much space on its own, but if their numbers kept multiplying endlessly, even this one mountain would be buried under them, right?
"That's way past half! If even more graves keep piling up, 'North Ridge Mountain' is just going to mean 'cemetery' before long."
Other things, huh. Truth is, I'm not that busy. Yeah.
Talos was still steadily digging out the space for the afterlife, with Thanatos and the shadow spirits helping out, so everything was running smoothly. Once the excavation finished according to my blueprint, I'd just wrap up the afterlife construction and prepare the staff to work there.
The fine details? I'd dump those on the shadow spirits… no, the reapers now, I guess. Anyway, on top of them, I'd need about three managers to handle the big-picture stuff…
One was definitely Thanatos. If I went with Ceres and North Ridge for the other two, it'd be perfect… but neither had given me a firm yes yet, which was a problem.
Oh, and when I vented about the open manager positions to Talos while he was digging, he stopped, pointed at himself with a finger… Hm, did the golem's AI glitch out? Or did Talos develop self-awareness? Nah, no way. He's the first golem ever made, so probably just some random error. Besides, his most important job is guarding the afterlife from potential intruders.
Anyway, right now I was on an important mission to scout North Ridge, one of my top candidates for afterlife manager. Definitely not slacking off or just chilling while visiting him. Nope.
"Coming to see you is one of my jobs, you know."
North Ridge trailed off a bit as he looked at me.
"Hm? Why's that? You're the most qualified for what I'm trying to do, that's why I'm here."
North Ridge gave me a look that said, What are you even talking about? Well, I couldn't see his eyes under that veil on his hat, but still.
"Uh… because I need your skills that badly?"
Hmm, is that how it lands? Well, yeah, I might've gone a bit overboard back then. But that whole thing happened because I was granting the dragons' own wishes! If they hadn't wanted it, I wouldn't have done it! Kinda figured it'd play out like this anyway.
North Ridge shuddered faintly. Just recalling it was enough to scare him like that? Well, even the dragon children who didn't turn into spirits back then were terrified, so the ones who did must've had it worse.
"But I can't pass up experienced new hires."
"Never mind, just personal rambling. No one here would get 'experienced new hire' anyway."
Hm. So that's why his sense of self had held together. Impressive that it lasted even until he settled here.
"What if I could guarantee your sense of self stays intact? Would you accept my offer then?"
Hm. Still some hesitation in his heart, huh. Well, can't blame him. With his memories as a dragon intact, it's natural he'd fear me.
"What if I made you a full-fledged god, not just the god of this mountain? Would you help me then?"
"Yeah. A full-fledged… god of death."
Instead of being the god of a mountain about to be buried in graves, if he became the god who handles dead souls, wouldn't that solve everything?
"And if there's anything you need, I'll make it for you. No matter what. How about it?"
Special offer, just this once! That's how much I didn't want to let him slip away!
North Ridge pondered for a moment, then cautiously spoke up.
"The full life of a dead soul?"
A soul's entire life, huh… Oh yeah! I remember one death god from another world had a mirror like that. The Mirror of Karma? Or something like the Mirror of True Reflection? Anyway, there was a mirror with a name like that.
"If I make that for you, will you work with me?"
Look at this guy. He's been dodging with excuses forever, but one item and he folds! Whatever, doesn't matter. Scout successful!
"Hm. I've got some ideas for that, so don't worry."
What would humans think if an entire mountain full of graves vanished overnight? They'd imagine some transcendent being at work, right? If I sprinkled some rumors in there… I figured I could turn the mountain god of a grave-filled hill into a god of death. Never tried it before, but hey!
While I'm at it, let's rename him too. North Ridge is tied to the mountain's name—not fitting for a god of death. Yanluo the Great? Or to match Thanatos… Moros? Either works. Gods often have regional name variants anyway!
Oh, and if he's Yanluo, he'll need the ledger of life and death—where every living thing's death date is written! A death god, especially Yanluo, has to have one of those!
One of the three overseers of the underworld: Yanluo.
The god of death known as Moros in the west is said to have a milder temperament than the other two death gods—but that's only from the perspective of humans who haven't sinned.
Souls brought by the reapers under the king of reapers pass through the seven-layered underworld to the very bottom, where Yanluo evaluates their lives.
Using the Mirror of Karma to view a soul's entire life and the Ledger of Life and Death listing everyone's proper lifespan, Yanluo confirms whether they met a rightful end and handles judgment.
When dealing with sinless souls, Yanluo listens gently to their stories and confirms their lives were true, making him the most serene death god.
But if the Mirror of Karma and Ledger reveal great sins…
Yanluo removes the veil from his crown, revealing a terrifying face that would make even demons and yakshas flee. From that moment, he becomes the most feared being in the underworld.
He recites each sin one by one. The soul can do nothing but relive them.
The shameless deny their sins with lies, but lies don't work before the Mirror that shows lives unerringly and the Ledger of proper lifespans.
For such souls, he imposes punishment for insolence—ripping out their tongue on the spot—before proceeding with judgment.
So remember, reader: what it means to sin. Sins perfectly hidden in life are fully exposed in death.
The author of this book fell into a coma for a few days and claimed to have toured the underworld while unconscious. The descriptions are remarkably detailed—more so than even the famed hero Lylekren's underworld adventure tales from antiquity.
Some say it's embellished from Lylekren's well-known story; others insist it's genuine. But the truth remains unclear, as the author died three days after publication.