Trait Hoarder
Chapter 244: River Goddess – (2)

River Goddess – Part 2

‘Oh no. No, no, no.’

I immediately pulled out the Manpasikjeok and began to play.

Pillilililil.

A gentle ripple of mana spread outward.

A wave of green light enveloped me, Red, and the Goddess all at once.

The scattered fragments of water stopped moving.

The collapsing mana core halted its breakdown.

I followed up by swapping traits.

[Healing Hands] [Repair] [Earth]

I layered [Sacred Knight] with [Healing Hands], and [Artisan] with [Repair].

[Mana Soul] and [Earth] supported them both.

With that setup, I placed my left hand on the mana core.

[Healing Hands] and [Repair] activated at once.

A brilliant burst of white light flared, and cubic shapes spilled out, creating a strange scene.

As if time had reversed, the mana core restored to its original form.

“Kyaaaah!”

“Kiiit!”

The fish-men screamed in words I couldn’t understand.

Perhaps realizing it was over, they gathered around and bowed deeply—toward the mana core in my hand, toward the colossal water elemental slowly rising.

[Here…]

A still-unstable voice brushed across my mind.

[Where… am I?]

“Are you conscious?”

There was no need for dragon tongue or river affinity.

I simply addressed the fully restored mana core, the now-upright River Goddess.

She looked down at me.

Light shimmered in her eyes.

Different from before.

Not the blazing blue flames, but soft and clear—like the shadow of a blue star.

[Human paladin? Are you a wielder of Osiris’s sword?]

She asked, then immediately realized it herself.

[No… That’s not it. Earth’s power… You’re the paladin of that northern earth goddess. Hm? Strange. I sense other powers besides the Earth Mother’s.]

A god is still a god, even in decline.

She had sensed the latent power of lightning, Bingbaek, and Supreme Flame within me.

Swoosh! Flap, flap.

I tapped Red’s reins lightly while holding the [Dragon Knight] trait.

Red read my intent like a phantom and rose upward.

Straight across from the Goddess’s face—eye to eye.

“How’s your memory? Do you understand what’s going on right now?”

[I…]

She looked lost, as if waking from madness with no grasp on reality.

The Goddess turned her head slowly.

She looked once at the fish-men bowing at her feet, once at me floating before her, and once toward the distant Aswan Dam.

Her expression twisted with rage.

[Osiris! That selfish wretch! He deceived me. Me, his most devoted follower! He plotted to entrap and destroy me!]

RUMMMBLE.

The waters surged.

The river trembled as if it would flip.

A rising wall of water, a tsunami-sized wave, threatened to surge northward.

Pillililili.

At that rate, it would all be over.

The River Goddess didn’t realize it.

That her HP was already at zero.

I had performed emergency care, but she was in critical condition.

I quickly played the Manpasikjeok again.

As the mana and river calmed, the Goddess’s eyes exploded in fury.

[Human! What do you think you’re doing?!]

“Lady Goddess. Please assess your situation first.”

[If you hinder me—]

“Seriously now. Look at your own condition. Can’t you feel the state of your heart right now?”

[Hmm?]

The Goddess finally faltered.

She raised a hand to her chest, felt the mana core within—and gasped, her body rippling in shock.

[What is this? Why is my heart so fractured? It could shatter at any moment!]

“Let me explain.”

I calmly laid it out.

How she had gone mad after the construction of the Aswan Dam.

How Lake Nasser was engulfed in a vast fog.

How war broke out between the fish-men and the Osiris cult.

How I arrived, joined forces with the fish-men, and awakened her.

[All that… happened…]

The Goddess finally calmed.

[You’ve endured much. You, human paladin. And my children as well.]

She gently stroked my head.

A breeze-like touch of pure elemental water swept past me.

I felt an unexpected fullness.

If this were a game, I would’ve gained a big chunk of experience.

Of course, nowhere near enough to matter.

‘A god’s blessing still isn’t enough.’

The real solution would be a Nectar Bath.

Just as I thought that, my ears rang open.

[Ohh, Goddess!]

[Receive the blessings of the ten thousand worlds!]

[What a relief, truly a relief!]

[We can die without regret now!]

The fish-men shouted.

The river affinity, which didn’t apply outside water, now activated through her direct blessing.

That likely meant underwater breathing and free movement in water applied now—even outside the river.

Only in freshwater, though.

The River Goddess was still a river goddess—not a sea goddess.

[My children, I am sorry.]

She spoke with a voice full of compassion.

[You have suffered greatly all this time. Now, cast aside all worry. This mother shall break through that wretched wall and strike down the treacherous, selfish ruler, bringing prosperity and abundance back to this land.]

So it’s come to this.

I smacked my lips, listening to her declaration.

My vision darkened.

I could already see what was coming—for her, and for the fish-men.

“You intend to fight Osiris?”

[Isn’t it obvious? Osiris tried to kill me. He sent his own followers to hunt down my children. Is this the reward for millennia of devotion? I shall sweep the earth and strike down Osiris’s followers to take my revenge.]

I let out a sigh.

There was no hiding my feelings.

Red, infected by my mood, let out a loud sigh.

The River Goddess frowned, and even the fish-men below started protesting.

[Do not disrespect the Goddess!]

But what could I do about a sigh?

I looked the Goddess square in the eye and asked.

“You sure you can win?”

[Hmph. You dare doubt me?]

“Isn’t that fair? You don’t even remember your own name right now. Do you truly believe you can take on Osiris like this? Even if Osiris doesn’t descend from Sekhet Aaru into reality, I doubt you could even defeat the Pope of the Order.”

[How dare you, how dare you…]

The Goddess started to erupt again.

I preemptively played the flute.

Her mana was forcibly subdued, and her anger settled.

But that was only a temporary measure.

Before her fury returned, I opened both palms wide.

“Goddess. I’m not saying you shouldn’t take revenge. Osiris clearly betrayed you. He deceived you with cunning and led you into a trap. That’s why you ended up like this, isn’t it?”

[So you do understand.]

“But even if you destroy the Aswan Dam and overturn the Nile, what does that really accomplish? Sure, some of Osiris’s followers will die, his power will weaken a little—but how much pain will Osiris himself actually feel? At most, it’d be like a papercut on a human finger.”

[Hmph! Even so, I must do it! I must make him understand—just a fraction of the pain I’ve endured, the sorrow my children have suffered!]

“No.”

I shook my head firmly.

“What you must do now, Goddess, is survive.”

[Survive? How very human of you. There are times when something more important than survival exists.]

“Of course. That’s true. But are you really planning to drag all of your children into death just for your revenge? Even these ones—who’ve barely managed to survive in this little lake, clinging to hope for your return?”

I pointed to the fish-men.

Naturally, they raised their voices in protest.

[Please don’t worry about us!]

[Goddess! Do not forgive the vile god who has offended your majesty!]

[Kill him!]

[Rip him apart, crush him, and throw him into the river!]

[Osiris must be annihilated!]

They shouted like zealots, spittle flying from their mouths.

The light in the Goddess’s eyes dulled.

She knew the truth.

That this was like throwing an egg at a boulder.

Driven by rage and pride, she’d tried to break the dam immediately—but that was just blind emotion.

Sure, breaking the dam would be satisfying.

The blocked river would flow again.

She could reclaim the mist and recover immense power in an instant.

But then what?

Once war began with the Osiris Order, and their overwhelming might came crashing down…

The future was obvious.

The fish-men would be wiped out.

And the Goddess herself would be slain.

Especially now—with cracks running deep through her heart.

[Hooooo.]

The Goddess exhaled a long breath.

[Human Paladin. You’re right.]

[Goddess!]

[Just give us the order!]

[We will kill the humans and offer their hearts to you!]

[I am neither the Old Father nor the wicked gods who once roamed this land. What would that achieve? A fleeting moment of satisfaction.]

The Goddess locked eyes with me.

[If you insist on stopping me… you must have an alternative.]

“That’s right.”

I nodded without hesitation.

At this point, the Goddess had three choices.

The first—destroying the dam—was already off the table.

So I presented her with the second and third options.

“There are two main paths you can take.”

[Let’s hear them.]

“The first is to be reborn with a new divine identity.”

The river no longer flows.

It’s been dammed, transformed into a lake.

So in that case…

In that state…

She should abandon the divine status of a river goddess and instead take up the mantle of a lake goddess.

Her power and influence would diminish, but at least she’d preserve her current existence.

Survival in Lake Nasser would be assured.

[That’s not a method I like.]

The Goddess spoke in a subdued tone.

[That would mean I must kneel to Osiris forever. Revenge? Not even a dream. It’s a path of pure survival. If Osiris wills it, he could dry me out anytime he pleases.]

“There’s certainly that drawback. The second option is mass migration.”

[Mass migration?]

“Yes. Earth has rivers that rival the Nile. There’s the Amazon, and the Yangtze as well. If you relocate and establish yourself there, you can survive and grow stronger. Your children too.”

There was an added benefit.

The Amazon and the Yangtze currently have no divine rulers.

The Yangtze is especially favorable.

The South American continent is ruled by the Mamakilla Order, so any migration to the Amazon would require prior negotiations with them.

But in China? No such need.

The Amaterasu Order once held sway there, but they were driven out after World War II.

[Migration… migrating…]

The Goddess clearly hesitated.

She glanced slowly back at the Nile.

Of course she would.

The Nile was her origin—her source of power.

She had drawn strength from it, risen as a god through the worship of its people.

Abandoning the Nile overnight, to travel to a faraway land with unfamiliar earth and water?

That’s no easy decision.

I waited calmly.

I had one more proposal to make.

But if I rushed it now, my own motives would be too transparent.

At the very least, I had to let her make the decision about migration first.

[So the choices are war, transformation… or migration.]

The deliberation didn’t take long.

There wasn’t much of a choice to begin with.

After a long silence, the Goddess slowly swayed the light in her eyes up and down.

[No matter how I think about it, Human Paladin, I can’t come up with a better plan than yours. I will migrate.]

[Goddess!]

[My lady!]

The fish-men wailed, but the Goddess’s will was firm.

“A wise decision.”

[But there is one thing that worries me.]

“Please, tell me.”

[It’s one thing for my children—but how do you plan to move me? For a divine being to leave her source is no easy matter. At the very least, I’d need a soul stone touched by the hand of a god… or a legendary artifact.]

Her gaze swept over me.

From my belt to inside my armory pouch.

The Black Tiger Sword, Mjölnir, even Aegis.

As expected, those wouldn’t suffice.

I reached into my pocket and pulled out a tiny wooden boat.

Skidbladnir—the Sky Ship.

I unfolded it.

Once opened wide, it rose into the air.

After reaching a certain size, it expanded on its own, returning to its full form.

A reconstructed aerial carrier, equipped with various magi-tech enhancements.

[Hooh?]

The Goddess’s eyes widened.

I proudly pointed toward the Sky Ship.

“How about it? Wouldn’t this be worthy enough?”

[Its grade is certainly very high. Even if I dwell within it briefly, my power won’t be diminished.]

“Right?”

Now came the main event.

I swallowed hard.

The Goddess looked at me, her gaze piercing straight through me.

[You wouldn’t offer me this without wanting something in return.]

“Of course. Life is give and take. One thing goes, another comes. If I arrange your migration, how do you think Osiris will see me?”

[He won’t be pleased.]

“Exactly. And if he finds out I was the one who brought you back to your senses, he might even declare me an enemy of the Order. I’m taking on a massive risk by helping you, Goddess.”

First, I needed her blood.

That alone was non-negotiable.

But if I was going to relocate her, even turn the Osiris Order against me?

A single drop of blood wouldn’t be nearly enough.

The Goddess stared at me for a long time, then spoke.

[You’re right. Human Paladin, you must have helped me with something in mind. Speak. What is it you want?]

Yes!

I straightened up and answered with confidence.

“Three years. Starting today, I’d like you to help me for exactly three years.”

[Help you?]

“When you dwell in my ship, you’ll gain control of it. You know that, right?”

[I do.]

“Effectively, you’ll act as the ship’s magical spirit. While in that state, I ask that you aid me for three years. In exchange, I’ll guarantee your relocation to wherever you wish—along with your children. And when conflict with the Osiris Order inevitably breaks out, I’ll support you with everything I have.”

This was the real reason I’d gone to all this trouble.

To have the River Goddess serve as the magical spirit of the Sky Ship.

–TL Notes–

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