NOVEL WEB Volume 1 Chapter 85: Audience with a God
Immersed in using Ascension Power to influence the disaster, Garde was startled when he suddenly realized a large group of people was staring at him.
“You all saw that?”
It wasn’t something he intended to hide, but if word spread, traveling across different nations would surely become more complicated.
After all, only ancient entities, predating Terra’s civilization—the gods—could influence natural disasters.
The idea that Garde, a mere mortal, could do what many gods couldn’t, was something people simply wouldn’t believe.
If it had just been a minor disaster, it might have been different.
But to halt a disaster that had engulfed almost all of Hotland—was that even possible for anyone?
From now on, Garde would probably be labeled as a “Feranmut” and face caution from every nation.
“Garde, are you really an Adakrys?”
Even Saria, one of his closest allies, was questioning him.
The members of Rhine Lab rushed toward him, their eyes wide, as if they were looking at some kind of monster.
“My dear Saria, what else could I be if not an Adakrys? Your future Department of Defense Head, boyfriend, and husband-to-be?”
Knowing that his display had far exceeded what anyone would consider normal, Garde explained, “Just think of this as part of my Originium Arts. What I did wasn’t as grand as it seemed.”
“I just happened to find a suitable leverage point. By using it, I was able to apply my Originium Arts to shift the disaster in Hotland. In reality, I merely harnessed the disaster’s own energy.”
It was like how a physicist from Garde’s past life had once said: “Give me a lever and a place to stand, and I can move the world.”
The principle behind Garde’s disaster-busting was similar.
At first, he didn’t even intend to destroy the disaster—he just wanted to create a temporary shelter from it.
Yet, once that space was made, it snowballed, like an avalanche, wiping out the entire disaster.
His explanation left Saria speechless.
Under normal circumstances, she wouldn’t have let Garde brush off such an event so easily.
But as he reminded her, he was her chosen Defense Department Head, her boyfriend, and her future husband.
Even if Garde were one of those ancient beings she had read about—creatures known as “Feranmut”—would she turn her back on him?
Her real concern should be, if Garde truly was one of those creatures, would they be biologically compatible?
After all, she had heard that if a Sankta married someone from another race, their children wouldn’t be Sankta, while if a Sarkaz married anyone, their offspring were always Sarkaz.
There were even instances of Vouivres marrying Adakrys.
Sometimes, the child was a Vouivre, and other times an Adakrys.
So, despite the various races of Terra, biological incompatibility wasn’t really an issue. Garde, being an alligator-like Adakrys, could marry a tiger-like beastwoman, and they might have a child like Gavial, or perhaps a cat-eared Feline.
But still, could Originium Arts really change a natural disaster?
Saria glanced at her shield but couldn’t stop thinking about the last scene from her dream—the one where she became infected by Originium shards…
Each person’s Originium Arts affinity was something they were born with and could hardly change, unless something extraordinary happened—like contracting Oripathy.
“Saria?”
Hearing Garde’s voice snapped her back to reality.
She gestured for him to continue.
“Do you have robots like this in Columbia?”
Garde dragged the shattered remains of the Nightzmora Knight he had fought in front of her.
“What is this…?”
The moment Saria laid eyes on the Nightzmora Knight, her interest was piqued by its mechanical form.
Was this some creation of ancient civilizations? Why did it take human shape? How did it operate, and what powered it?
A few Rhine Lab researchers, experts in their fields, gathered around the robot, eager to dissect it.
Saria even started trying to pry it open.
“Is it okay if we take it apart?” she asked.
“Go ahead. There should be plenty more like it deeper within Hotland,” Garde said, shaking his head. “I’m just worried these robots might become obstacles for us later.”
Hearing his concern, Saria’s expression grew serious.
“It’s tough!” she remarked, her hands covered with a calcium layer as she struggled to pry open the robot’s outer shell with all her strength.
Despite the effort, the robot’s nearly indestructible exterior had already been reduced to rubble.
“And strong too,” Garde added, nodding. “It took some effort to take it down.”
Suddenly, Saria noticed bones inside the chest cavity of the mechanical Nightzmora Knight.
Although it was a robot, it had something resembling human rib bones inside it.
“Is this its power source?” Saria muttered, her brows furrowing.
She began to realize why Garde had wanted them to examine the machine.
Could it be that an ancient civilization had modified the remains of Nightzmora creatures?
“While it might not be exactly as we’re imagining,” Garde continued, “I can’t shake the feeling that something’s amiss. I want to join forces with the inhabitants of Hotland to launch a probing attack on this ancient civilization.”
Given how Garde’s presence had already altered the course of events, he could no longer be sure that the future wouldn’t see armies of Nightzmoras invading Terra in the coming years.
To prevent this, he had decided to unite the people of Hotland.
After all, if something catastrophic were to happen deep within Hotland, the Lizardman civilization would be the first to suffer.
Garde had no desire to secretly play the role of hero, saving the world all by himself.
At the end of the day, how many Lizardman did he even know?
If things got too dangerous, he would simply take those he cared about and leave Hotland.
Weighing the golden sand he held in his hand—transformed by the Ascension Power—Garde approached the Lizardman crowd.
His voice easily overpowered the murmur of the gathered Lizardman.
“Everyone, I have something to say. Could you be quiet for a moment?”
But before Garde could proceed, something unexpected happened.
At the sight of him, the Lizardman exchanged glances and, one by one, dropped to their knees.
It was as if they were in the presence of a god.