They all call me an Outer God.

Chapter 344 The Golden Scales of Trade
The tribesman rebuked Emirana, who felt utterly innocent. She glanced at her father, only to find that Dagon had already closed his eyes and fallen into a deep sleep.

"Your sleep quality is quite good."

Erigana muttered to itself. It had always disliked its father, but now that it knew his predicament, it didn't know how to face him.

"We've only just resolved our differences, yet you want to kick me out of here."

Emigana retorted defiantly, "Fine, I'll leave then. I'll definitely be stronger than you when I come back next time."

As it spoke, it swam away.

Behind it, Dagon reopened his eyes, his gaze chilling as he looked toward the trench that had once served as a sealing place.

It still remembered that not long ago, the mythical black dragon flew in front of it, and the seemingly insignificant human who had actually schemed everything stood on the palm of the mythical creature, telling it that it wanted to make a deal with it.

Ria tried his best to appear harmless, but Little Swarth felt it was too dangerous for him to get close to Dagon and insisted on bringing him along, which left him feeling helpless.

“New Mayor, I have some acquaintance with Takako. She is a good child and longs for human emotions.”

So as a reward for all the effort I've put in here, I hope you'll let it go out into the world and see what it's never seen before. I believe its future will be much brighter than you imagine.

"Man, do you want me to abandon my children?"

"This is just an investment. Eagles drop their chicks off the nest so they can learn to fly. If we do nothing, the real despair will come when natural disasters actually strike."

It's important to understand that Abyss only faked his death; he didn't truly become indifferent to everything.

“Let Emigana leave this place; it has no friends here. This is my request.”

Dagon's pupils shrank to a narrow point.

By what right do you speak to me, you lowly creature?

"Hooooooooo-"

Before Ria could speak, the giant dragon behind her widened its golden eyes and roared in a low voice. Numerous tentacles from the depths of the sea also approached this side. Looking down from here, one could see many glowing eyes, a chaotic mess.

However, Ria simply tapped its scales lightly with her cane, and it immediately calmed down, its tentacles in the deep sea slowly retracting.

"I'm sure you've noticed that I'm not an ordinary human being, and I thank you for not calling me a 'monster'."

Ria tipped his hat to Dagon, his manners always impeccable.

"Since I am the one making this request, I will not tell you any lies."

"Please allow me to reintroduce myself, Your Excellency Mayor."

I am the guardian of commerce and money, the practitioner of the desires that drive all beings to succumb to depravity, the deity who holds the golden scales of justice and injustice—the Lord of Trade, Ria Kercha.

Ria's words were flawless, even though he did not possess the so-called golden scale.

In response to this, Ria hoped that some believers would give him one out of the blue when they were bored in the future.

[The master of trade?]

You say you are—God?

Dagon clearly distrusted Ria and thought his words were absurd; if it weren't for its current immobility, both the humans and mythical creatures before it would have witnessed its brutality.

Those who dare to mess with it will pay the price.

"You don't necessarily need to believe, just listen, or you can call me by other names, Faceless God."

Upon hearing this, Dagon visibly grew even angrier. He hadn't fully matured into the former Dagon, but that didn't stop him from expressing his fury. Ria, however, seemed oblivious to his warning and continued speaking to herself.

"The seal on the abyss remains a hidden danger and needs to be reinforced and strengthened. I once offered a sacrifice to Him, but the response was the former Dagon. We deeply regret its death."

The feeling of regret is real; after all, Little Swarth is still heartbroken, and it seems to be becoming more and more human.

“I will need your help in the future. As Dagon, you will become His agent. I believe we can cooperate happily in the future.”

The implication was that Ria would continue to offer sacrifices to the abyss, and he hoped that this Dagon would be more lenient and not act unreasonably.

Informing the other party of one's trade status demonstrates sincerity and subtly conveys that both sides are equal, and that even if they are not, Ria doesn't care.

He smiled and tilted his head slightly. All the Deep Ones guarding Dagon around him bowed their heads and spoke in unison.

"Praise be to trade—"

"Haven't you figured it out yet, sir? I'm not begging you, I'm informing you."

Why are you doing this? To truly become one of those indescribable beings?

Dagon is not yet fully grown; it is almost unable to move, but its gaze toward Ria grows colder and colder.

Schwarz consumes its pollutants to prevent them from harming its host.

“I don’t need to go to the trouble of becoming indescribable; that kind of thing is already what I want to be.” Ria spread her hands.

Dagon didn't speak, but he had now turned Riyad into a rambling, mentally ill man.

Ria's smile faded slightly: "To be honest, as my meme encoding increases, I've noticed my humanity gradually fading."

Before my consciousness is completely corrupted and consumed, I will request a powerful being to establish contact with me, and if necessary, grant me clarity through 'faith' so that I can continue to achieve my goals.

"Compared to other deities, you are more suitable as the Abyss's agent now, after all, we are all acquaintances."

Who are you acquainted with?

“I am friends with your offspring, which is practically family – isn’t that the best kind of relationship? So, sir, do you agree to this deal?”

Dagon: ...

It disagrees.

But then the human behind it said something to it, and for a moment one of its pupils turned gold. In a daze, it suddenly agreed and inexplicably changed its faith.

Sometimes, Ria's self-disclosure might just be a way to chat with other creatures, or perhaps to tease them and see their reactions, which doesn't conflict with his desired outcome.

As he said, this was not a discussion, but a notification.

At this moment, the trench, once the site of the sealed abyss, is an incredibly vast underwater rift.

No one knows what lies deeper in the trench; any life that attempts to venture further down is swallowed by the lava.

But in a very short period of time recently, countless lives have attempted to visit that place.

A strange-looking, hard-shelled beetle was slowly climbing up the rock walls of the two great rift valleys, its ten segmented legs wriggling.

It had just returned from the deepest part of the world, carrying a bright red snakeskin in its mouth.

(End of this chapter)