Queen Sheba, also harboring doubts, was unaware of the impending raid as a spy. The House on the Rock was no secret among the Old Gods. If Mr. World had planned this attack, the information could only have come from her.
The two goddesses exchanged glances, both thinking of Odin.
Lin Xiang helped Cennobite collect Zhuoya's remains and approached Odin, whose face was etched with sorrow. She whispered, "Now I understand why my sister didn't want to trust you."
"To achieve your goals, you wouldn't care about anyone's sacrifice, would you?" Lin Xiang calmly judged Odin's actions. "Our deal is over, and your credibility is gone."
"Don't try anything with us again, or I'll tell Mr. World everything I know! Shadow's identity, the cause of Vulcan and Zhuoya's deaths – you wouldn't want Mr. World to know these things!"
Leaving behind an unignorable threat, Lin Xiang rose to leave.
Lin Xiang felt greatly disappointed. Odin's cunning and strategy were far beyond satisfactory, but his ruthless ruthlessness and disposition made Lin Xiang unable to agree.
Those who walk different paths cannot plan together. Lin Xiang decisively drew a line between herself and Odin, just like Ostara.
Odin still wore the same sorrowful expression. Lin Xiang became even more certain that her choice was correct, and she resolutely left Kali's restaurant.
"Anansi, the master of eloquent arguments, you'd better give me a reasonable explanation."
Lin Xiang frowned, looking at the tiny spider silk on her skirt.
"Goddess from the East, please forgive me for contacting you in this manner."
A tiny spider hung down from Lin Xiang's hair. "Perhaps I know who can answer your questions."
"You know where the Yoruba gods are," Lin Xiang said, somewhat surprised. Although the Yoruba gods, like Anansi, hailed from Africa, their origin myths differed.
Anansi, the god of trickery, was widely worshipped in Africa. This mischievous trickster was a beloved folk hero in his homeland, Ghana. Many children on the African continent grew up hearing their grandmothers tell stories of how Anansi brought the sun, moon, night, and disease to the world. Legends said he knew everything and bestowed wisdom upon his followers.
"Goddess of the sea, go and meet Oshun, and she will answer these questions for you."
Anansi's avatar disappeared after uttering these words. Oshun originated in Nigeria and was a powerful goddess representing love, family, and destiny. Nigeria even had an administrative region named after Oshun, indicating the goddess's influence.
During the Civil War, Oshun had appeared multiple times, subtly acting as the spokesperson for the African Orisha pantheon.
Lin Xiang had initially thought Anansi was playing tricks under Odin's instructions, but it now seemed the Old Gods were not as united as Odin believed.
She reached out and removed the spider silk from her skirt. The almost invisible thread extended in the wind, pointing towards an unknown distance.
Lin Xiang had already made a guess. If Shadow's background was as she suspected, then he was indeed a key figure who could influence the course of the war. As for the Yoruba gods, it was not yet time to meet them. Lin Xiang released her fingers, letting the spider silk fly away with the wind.
To confirm this speculation, the information held by the Yoruba gods was indeed indispensable, but Lin Xiang wanted to regain control of the situation.
In the following days, the media authority began to exert its influence. News and pop-ups flooded the public, exposing the plight of Black people.
Before the formal announcement of the abolition of slavery, enslaved Black people were merely production tools that needed to be purchased in large quantities by Southern plantation owners. Their deaths in the fields were commonplace.
Several of the nation's founders believed in natural rights, in a Creator, and in the rights endowed to all people to liberty, equality, and happiness. Thus, they founded this "ideal nation"—but these Founding Fathers and the people protected by this one God did not include these oppressed and enslaved Black slaves. Their status was equivalent to livestock; even their own children could be bought and sold arbitrarily, leading to the separation of families.
Cotton made the plantation owners of the American South immensely wealthy, and this wealth was built upon the blood and sweat of Black slaves. Blood stained the Mississippi River, irrigating the white cotton on its banks.
The improved circumstances of Black people, who faced severe discrimination, were immediately noticed. As the most influential religious faith among the Black community, the Voodoo gods and the Yoruba gods quickly detected the anomaly.
The Voodoo gods all believed this was a gesture of goodwill from the New Gods. They had not yet learned of the media goddess's demise.
The God of Technology quickly stepped forward to trace this information, attempting to locate the new media goddess by finding the source of this information. The media goddess had perished silently. Under Mr. World's orders, the God of Technology was searching for the missing goddess. The young God of Technology initially thought the media goddess had been intimidated by Odin's power and was hiding somewhere unknown to recover from her fear.
However, after Mr. World's subordinates attacked Goddess Kali's restaurant and killed Twilight Goddess Zhuoya, causing widespread outrage, Odin stepped forward to declare that the New Gods had paid the price for Zhuoya's death.
This news immediately made the New Gods' faction tense. The media goddess, who had not appeared for a long time, had likely met with misfortune, which greatly angered Mr. World. The media goddess's role was irreplaceable; she was the only one who could control that group of self-serving evil gods. But now, the media goddess had not been reborn, which was clearly abnormal.
Mr. World had a bad premonition. For this reason, he specifically asked Queen Sheba about Odin's movements. The Queen, of course, did not know the truth of the media goddess's disappearance. After enduring some verbal reprimands, she went to the casino in frustration.
Lin Xiang, using Vivian's face, listened to Queen Sheba's complaints. "Just because I don't know what happened to the media goddess, he scolds me for not trying my best!"
The Queen angrily downed a glass of strong liquor, her eyes almost spitting fire. "When he sent people to raid Odin's gathering, why didn't he think I was also present!"
"He also pretended to warn me that I could only choose one side between the New Gods and the Old Gods, or I would be the first victim!"
The wine glass in her hand fell to the marble floor and shattered. Queen Sheba's beautiful face contorted, her expression shifting several times before finally settling into helplessness.
Lin Xiang took a glass of champagne from a waiter's tray and placed it before the Queen. "Your faith originated in Ethiopia. Why did you join the New Gods' faction instead of seeking help from the African gods?"
Queen Sheba's legend was multifaceted. She was a prophetess who foretold Jesus' crucifixion. However, in non-Christian faiths, her reputation was not as good. Judaism depicted Queen Sheba as a demon with furry feet and denounced her as a seductress from Assyrian and Babylonian mythology who led people astray.
In Islamic legends, Queen Sheba received even greater condemnation. She was called "Bilqis," meaning demon, and it was said that her actions mostly brought disaster to humanity.
Lin Xiang never considered the Queen a foolish deity. Even when the New Gods dominated, Queen Sheba endured humiliation to preserve herself. Her intellect was not to be underestimated.