They all call me an Outer God.

War is bound to come.

These words struck Ria like a boulder into his heart. In an instant, he felt powerless. No matter what he did or how much he accomplished, fate continued to move in the predetermined direction, unchangeable.

Although the War Knight's consciousness has been annihilated, war is war after all, and where there is intelligence, conflict arises.

Although His consciousness has dissipated, He is extremely difficult to destroy. Currently, the numerous minor and major conflicts between Enderus and the supernatural beings on the border are already enough to cause trouble, and He is no longer able to undertake a divine war.

How many humans could survive a great flood?

"I wonder how the Order Association's Ark Project is progressing. My initial assessment is that if we put 300,000 people in there, they can survive for a year if they live frugally."

As for who these 300,000 people are, and who is qualified to be among them, that's not something he should worry about.

When a real disaster strikes, ordinary people will not even have the chance to know that the Ark exists before they have to face death.

Reality is just that cruel.

Seeing that Ria remained silent, Hastur raised his glass and gestured towards him, asking, "Could it be that you're one of those who oppose the war?"

Ria also raised the crystal goblet in front of her, looking through the red liquid inside at the distorted opposite side.

"No, quite the opposite, I am a black marketeer."

"War is a good opportunity for me to make money."

If war is unavoidable, then one can only think about how to gain greater benefits from it. If necessary, Ria may even choose to throw himself into the battlefield.

"I look forward to the war between the extraordinary, Your Majesty. If you are to become an enemy of your own blood relatives, I am perfectly willing to stand by your side. The more chaotic the scene, the more exciting it is, isn't it?"

"I am very pleased that you would take the initiative to bring up such an idea."

"I have another idea that can maximize the utilization of resources."

"please say."

“Your Majesty, these great races have received your favor and should become your most loyal soldiers in times of war, joining the battle together. Only in this way can we avoid wasting resources.”

A smile played on Ria's lips as she raised the crystal goblet to her lips, swirled it around, and then tilted her head back to drink it all in one gulp. Afterward, the young man gently placed the glass on the table and slowly wiped his mouth with a napkin.

His eyes were reddish at the corners due to the alcohol, which ruined his usual cool demeanor, and he even looked somewhat eerie at first glance.

Hastur laughed: "Your words are so direct, you don't know how to be discreet at all."

Ria: "Because there is absolutely no need for that roundabout way, Your Majesty. I am a businessman, and businessmen simply do business based on mutual consent. I pay my price, and you pay yours. This will not change for anyone."

That's how it should be, that's correct.

Ria nodded inwardly. The Lord of Trade always adhered to the rules of trade, though of course, these rules were set by himself.

"Let's make a deal, Your Majesty. I will assist you in winning this battle as a god, in exchange for the Yths declaring war on the extraordinary creatures of the Enderus coast before the Old Ones of R'lyeh awaken."

"In addition, I would like to ask you to meet someone."

As Ria spoke, she suddenly turned her head to look at her side. Dense and eerie black tentacles emerged from the ground and slowly spread into a cocoon shape. Not long after, the black cocoon cracked open, revealing Ivand, who was not human.

"The mentor will be the key to the war. He holds the key to wisdom. Believe me, he will be an indispensable fighting force." This is a familiar chosen by the Key of the Gate, becoming an angel's mentor directly from an ordinary person. Ria believes he will wake up, even if everyone will have to face true [evil] after he wakes up.

But then again, all these problems can be perfectly solved if he is awakened in the heart of the enemy.

“Our chances of winning are greater than we thought,” Ria said, wrapping her mentor’s mutilated body back into her tentacles.

Hastur sighed, "It seems I have no reason to refuse."

"Then our deal is done. It's a pleasure to cooperate. Your Majesty, please sign this treaty."

With a wave of his hand, the young man presented Hastur with a blank sheet of paper, along with a brass-cased fountain pen for signing.

Since his level of Riamyne was raised, he has learned to use both verbal and written agreements. This double guarantee can put people at ease. The blank paper is a condensation of extraordinary power, and there is no risk of it being suddenly torn up.

The King in Yellow also gripped the pen and signed his real name without hesitation in the lower right corner of the blank agreement. The language was alien script, which looked like a piece of torn centipede corpses pieced together.

"Pleasant to work with."

The two reached a deal, and the atmosphere was harmonious for a time. Before Yomos returned, Ria and Hastur had a debate about what art really is.

He could sense that the King in Yellow was a very accomplished artist, far superior to himself, a complete novice. Sometimes, an artist's inspiration comes from dreams.

Their dreams attract the gaze of the gods, and that gaze distorts their spirit, alienates their minds, and makes them believe that they know everything and are in a state of constant inspiration.

These individuals also exhibit negative symptoms such as feeling misunderstood by everyone around them and being alone.

It is undeniable that the vast majority of artists suffer from mental illness, and more than half may suffer from depression or bipolar disorder.

“But Haddock is a born artist.” Hastur still held Haddock, the Iskandar, in high regard.

"If other art masters pursued self-realization or fame and fortune, the source of his creation was love."

"You mean him and that Yondaros hound?"

"Yes, the Iss people generally don't understand emotions, but when I asked Lord Haddock to choose between the hound of Yandaros and the life or death of more than half of his people, he still chose the hound."

Ria: "..."

Is it fair to say that someone is sentimental or not, that he would be willing to die for love?

Haddock is still muttering to himself.

We are truly in love.

How can anyone compare to her?

Art cannot be forced; true art can only be created from a subjective perspective.

Everyone sees art differently, but Ria knew that Haddock would no longer be able to stay in his own body. In order to satisfy his unwavering love for Miss Yendaros, he decided to transfer his consciousness to a hound.

(End of this chapter)