Vile Evil Hides Under The Veil - Chapter 1955

"I see, but—" Eren nodded in agreement before a question formed in his mind.

"Resident Goddess? This is the first time I’m hearing that term," he murmured, frowning.

Even without the sea monster’s explanation, he could guess that Valys—the dragon father of the twin dragonesses—wouldn’t be allowed to enter Labh Salem as he was.

However, he had always assumed that a world’s World Will was solely responsible for such restrictions. He had never imagined that an Immortal could be granted administrative authority over the world they once lived in.

Was this privilege only given to Immortals by their homeworlds? If so, Eren wondered whether he could one day become the Resident God of Anfang.

The sea monster’s next words confirmed Eren’s suspicions.

"Yes, brother. When someone ascends to Immortality, their homeworld sometimes allows them to establish an Immortal Domain within it.

In most cases, however, the World Will grants them the ability to open a Gate to their Immortal Domain, allowing the departed souls of their homeworld’s devotees to enter. Mortals refer to this as their gods’ Divine Kingdom.

If the god they worship is a Resident God of that particular world, their devotion allows them to bypass the cycle of life and death, granting them rebirth within the Divine Kingdom.

Of course, there’s more to the Divine Kingdom established by any Immortal, but fundamentally, it plays a crucial role in gathering faith power. If the Divine Kingdom is well-managed, it significantly strengthens the Immortal’s influence.

This becomes even more effective if the Immortal is chosen as the Resident God of a world. Normally, only those born in a particular world can become its Resident God. However, there is a way to bypass this requirement."

"Avatars!" Eren immediately understood why Immortals were so keen on creating and sending their avatars to various worlds. It turned out that the act of creating avatars was a long-term investment.

If an avatar progressed far enough in the world it was sent to and successfully achieved Immortal Ascension, the original god would then qualify to become that world’s Resident Deity.

At that point, they could either welcome their avatars into their pantheon or assimilate with them, forging a new identity and adapting their faith system to suit that world.

In essence, Immortals did everything possible to maximize their ability to gather faith from different worlds.

Eren’s thoughts drifted once more to Goddess Two Lips.

No wonder she had rebelled against Goddess Greater Mother. As an avatar of the Greater Mother, the witch goddess had known that, sooner or later, she would be forced to submit to her original self. Especially when she was so successful in Labh Salem when she was active as a witch here.

Given the status of the Greater Mother—one of the most revered goddesses across the boundless cosmos—the likelihood of assimilation was far greater than the chance of coexistence.

What did it mean for an avatar to be assimilated by its original self? It meant the complete loss of individual identity. In practical terms, it was the avatar’s death.

The witch goddess had dedicated much to the Greater Mother, but she refused to be consumed by her original self. So she rebelled and achieved Immortal Ascension on her own.

Rather than joining the Greater Mother’s pantheon, she had chosen to establish her own and directly challenge her former self.

From the look of things, the witch goddess had come a long way. Not only had she successfully separated her identity from the Greater Mother, but she had also managed to secure the position of interim Resident Deity of Labh Salem.

It was no wonder that the Greater Mother sought Eren’s help in stopping her. It seemed the Greater Mother wanted full control over Labh Salem’s administrative authority—she wasn’t interested in sharing it with anyone, not even her former avatar.

***

"That’s right, avatars," the sea monster nodded before continuing.

"A Resident God of any world can freely enter and exist within that world without facing the restrictions imposed by the World Will. Typically, a Resident God acts on behalf of their homeworld, serving as its guardian in exchange for certain privileges.

Most of Labh Salem’s inhabitants, except for a select few, are unaware of this, but Goddess Two Lips has been granted the role of Resident Goddess. Though her status is somewhat uncertain at the moment, she can be considered an interim Resident Goddess for now."

Eren’s mind buzzed with new thoughts. He was reminded of the time when Goddess Two Lips had recently contacted him—just as one of his clones, Jalen, was marrying Shaai Sena using ancient witch customs.

The witch goddess had proposed a deal, though she hadn’t revealed the details yet. However, after hearing the sea monster’s explanation, Eren had a strong suspicion that it was related to solidifying her status as the Resident Goddess of Labh Salem.

***

"How… How do you know so much about my father?"

Azurea narrowed her pretty eyes at the sea monster and asked coldly. While she knew he had served her father in the past, she couldn’t believe that her father would willingly share such information with him.

Her anger flared as she concluded that the sea monster had been planning to betray dragonkind from the very beginning. After all, he had served their family even before her birth.

The fact that he had successfully stolen the Immortalwood Conch from its safe place meant he must have meticulously planned every step. She was now convinced that he had gathered all this information about her father with the intent of stealing the Immortal Artifact from the very start.

"Stop treating me like your family’s servant boy," the sea monster said in a serious tone, frowning at Azurea.

"And even if I did steal the Immortal Conch from your father, that only makes him the bigger thief between us. In fact, he’s a petty thief. I probably did him a favor by taking it."

The sea monster added, turning slightly to reveal his upper shark fin, which was still stuck inside the Immortal Conch.

===

AN: Goddess Two Lips has a brief conversation with Eren in chapter 1832.