Odin and Shadow drove away from Chinatown in a black Cadillac, and Shadow couldn't help but let out a sigh of relief. "This was unexpectedly smooth. This Eastern goddess was so agreeable. I thought she would demand my life as a wager like Cernunnos before agreeing."
Odin leaned back in his seat, exhaling smoke rings, his old rogue demeanor evident. "I'd rather face the Queen of Heaven."
"Ultimately, Mazu is the leader of the Eastern gods, and her opinion best represents them! This newly appeared goddess only agreed to support me superficially, yet I had to repay her with exponentially greater benefits."
Flicking the ash from his cigarette, Odin looked at Shadow meaningfully. The goddess's desire to steal Shadow under the guise of receiving gifts was not without reason. She had likely discovered Shadow's secret.
-------------------------------------
In the Temple of the Queen of Heaven, Lin Xiang was also pondering Shadow's origins. Her probing had at least proven one thing: Odin knew Shadow was unusual!
When she first saw Shadow in a vision, Lin Xiang thought he was the descendant of a native god of the earth and a mortal, otherwise, she couldn't explain why the earth's consciousness favored him. However, when she met him in reality today, she sensed a divine light intertwined with the earth's divinity emanating from him.
This was very strange. If Shadow's parents were both deities, then their child should also be a deity. How could he lack even the power and talent that even demigods were guaranteed to receive?
Lin Xiang was puzzled. Neither the earth nor the light divinity was weak. Beings possessing them should have been sublimated and displayed all sorts of divine marvels. Whatever Shadow's secret was, it was certain that it was very important to Odin!
The tea on the table had gone cold. Lin Xiang suppressed her confusion and poured herself another cup of hot tea, contemplating what price this secret could command for Odin to ensure her silence.
Not long after, news spread among the gods that the Media Goddess had instigated the drowned spirit Eurona to abduct children. Along with this news came the report that the Ghost in the Fog, Giselle, had been kidnapped by the Media Goddess, with the intention of inciting conflict.
The Old Gods were furious. Many hardliners considered this a blatant disrespect and sided with Odin.
And as Lin Xiang had predicted, the Media Goddess was ostensibly punished by Mr. World and disappeared from public view. Lin Xiang did not believe the Media Goddess would accept this defeat so readily. Odin's ostentatious arrival was ill-intentioned from the start. Using the excuse of thanking Lin Xiang for her assistance, he had shifted some of the Media Goddess's animosity onto Lin Xiang.
When Odin deliberately stirred up celestial changes to announce his arrival, Lin Xiang understood. She seized the opportunity to state her conditions, and after several veiled negotiations, a tacit understanding was reached.
If Odin wanted to divert trouble, Lin Xiang naturally had to reciprocate; reciprocity was the principle Lin Xiang believed in.
With some time before the gathering at the House on the Rock, Lin Xiang once again donned Vivian's guise and visited Balor's bar. Balor of the Evil Eye had a questionable stance. While seemingly detached, he had dealings with the Media Goddess, suggesting he leaned towards the New Gods' faction.
The port's bar was as lively as ever. Vivian, clad in a floor-length cloak, swept through the entrance. This time, no foolish giants dared to approach the capricious goddess; they bowed their heads, feigning death, and dared not look directly at her.
Balor was not in the bar, nor was Lin Xiang looking for him. Among the myriad of bizarre evil gods, Lin Xiang's eyes fell upon the Scarecrow, holding a sickle. The Scarecrow was a rare formidable figure among this motley crew. The fact that it had left just before Balor appeared during the previous great battle with Baron von Balon was telling.
Lin Xiang walked directly towards the Scarecrow. It had an inseparable connection with Freyr in Norse mythology. Freyr, who governed fertility and prosperity, would have his followers make scarecrows from fruit tree branches and crop stalks, thus accepting faith in place of idols.
The eyes formed by the Scarecrow's cracks were pitch black, yet Lin Xiang could still detect its apprehension towards her. The Scarecrow immediately stood up, preparing to leave, but its path was blocked by an invisible barrier. Lin Xiang sat down in front of it and waved her hand, summoning a mist to obscure the vision of the evil gods.
"I have questions for you," Lin Xiang said, looking coldly at the Scarecrow. The sickle in the Scarecrow's hand was already poised, clearly not intending to wait passively for death.
"Has Freyr ever been to the Americas?"
The only figure in Norse mythology who could be connected to both earth and light was Freyr. He, along with Baldr, was considered a god of light or the sun. This was the final answer Lin Xiang could think of.
"Freyr is dead," the Scarecrow's voice rumbled from its mouth. "He died in Odin's golden hall."
"How long ago did he die?"
"Forty years ago."
The Scarecrow truthfully recounted everything it knew.
The timing didn't match, and Lin Xiang couldn't help but frown. Before this, Lin Xiang had attempted to ascertain Shadow's kinship through threads of causality but had been blocked by a wild bull spewing fire from its eyes.
"You're not needed anymore. Go," Lin Xiang waved away the mist, and the Scarecrow immediately got up and left.
The evil gods in the bar, fearing collateral damage, had already dispersed when Lin Xiang summoned the mist. Only Balor, who had appeared at some unknown time, and Lin Xiang herself remained in the bar.
"Vivian, perhaps you need my help," Balor said, sitting in the Scarecrow's seat with a solemn expression.
Lin Xiang ignored him and got up, preparing to leave.
"Our era has passed, and people have forgotten our faith! Do you not wish to regain glory?"
Balor had come to be a persuader. Lin Xiang immediately became interested and turned back to ask, "Have you pledged allegiance to the New Gods?"
"I believe it should be cooperation," Balor said, seeing Lin Xiang's interest, and immediately dangled a bait. "Mr. World has promised that as long as we remain neutral, we will be given new identities. As long as you refuse Odin's invitation, you can gain new faith!"
Lin Xiang was well aware of the grievances between Balor and Odin. Balor was also once a king of the gods. A druid prophesied that he would be killed by his own grandson. This king of the gods imprisoned his children in a tower. Sawan, a lesser god of the Tuatha Dé Danann, entered the tower with the help of a druid, slept with Balor's daughter Enya, and they had three children.
Balor was furious when he found out. He threw these three children into the sea, intending to drown them. However, a servant secretly carried them out. But one child fell out without him noticing. This child was found by the god of crafts, Goibniu, and he was Lugh Lámhfhada, the future king of the Tuatha Dé Danann, the "God of Light."
In this cliché story, a figure lurked behind the scenes, manipulating everything. The druid, who always appeared at critical moments, and the light projectiles Lugh used to defeat Balor were all related to Odin. The power that pierced Balor's magic eye came from the rune 'tathlum,' which is also the origin of the taboo against pointing fingers at others.