The gods were at a loss and naturally did not mind trying Tike's method.
Shar immediately said, "It is not uncommon for beings to be both deities and demon lords. There are the jackalfolk god Yeenoghu, the god of torment and cruelty Ghaunadaur, the god of ooze Grumbar, the god of bearfolk Heptagou, the god of kuo-toa Blibdoolpoolp, the god of svirfneblin Laduguer, and the chief god of the drow pantheon—Lolth!"
Except for Lolth, the other targets were minor and lesser deities. As long as the right opportunity arose, defeating them would be easy.
Yet, Yeg had a question, "Their connection to the Abyss is weaker than that of pure demon lords, making them unsuitable for verifying this hypothesis! Moreover, these lords are legitimate deities. If we attack their divine realms without any reason, it will surely attract the attention of Ao and Helm."
After detailed discussion, the members of the alliance unanimously agreed to first kidnap a demon lord according to Yeg's idea.
Thus, the 222nd layer of the Abyss—Cyric's Realm—became the target! This layer of the Abyssal plane had two lords: the faceless Juiblex and the fungal queen Zuggtmoy. In the centuries-long war for dominance over this layer, Zuggtmoy had always held the upper hand, driving Juiblex and its intelligent ooze minions into the deepest caves of the fungal descendants, far from the Fungal Queen.
Yeg and Shar immediately agreed to cooperate. They would join forces to defeat Zuggtmoy and Juiblex. The dispute over dominance of the Abyssal plane was far from over, which meant that the two lords of this layer would be weaker than lords who exclusively occupied a layer! What made Yeg and Shar even more excited was that the two demon lords were enough for them to share, and no one would have any disputes.
Suren and Mystra prepared to head to Mount Celestia to find a breakthrough. This plane, which gathered all truth, goodness, and beauty, was the stronghold of the lawful and good alignments. Yeg and Shar would appear out of place on Mount Celestia, but the Moon Goddess and the Goddess of Magic did not have this concern.
Tike followed Mystra to the Moon Gate's divine realm. It was time to start planning for the advancement to powerful deity status. With the precedents set by Cyric and Cranvoun, her successive promotions would not be too conspicuous.
"Your Highness Mystra, I hope you can introduce me to your subordinate deity—Vanderveen Fospay."
After all, the Goddess of Magic was an established powerful deity. Unlike the other three allies, the gods of magic centered around her were a considerable force!
"Vanderveen Fospay?" Mystra was taken aback, then shook her head and chuckled.
In the eyes of Mystra, a primary deity, Vanderveen Fospay, a minor deity, was merely an insignificant figure whom she did not pay much attention to. Tike's request was entirely out of consideration for her.
"It is his honor."
Mystra whispered something to Azathoth, the God of Wizards, beside her, and then Azathoth left the divine palace to head to the divine realm of Vanderveen Fospay, the god of reptiles and arts.
Vanderveen Fospay had inherited the divinity of Moander, the God of Decay, to achieve godhood. The God of Decay had poisoned the goddess of luck, Tiamat, and did not fare well himself! He perished in a series of accidents, and even his contingency for resurrection was unearthed to serve as nourishment for later generations.
As for the fortunate Vanderveen Fospay, he possessed the divine portfolios of reptiles, arts, and the cycle of life. If it weren't for Mystra's reputation and the stability of the Anti-Ao Alliance, Tike would have long found an excuse to attack and seize the divine portfolio of the cycle of life.
Mystra had intended to win over Tike. After all, no matter how close a group was, once the number of members exceeded three, smaller subgroups would form. Shar and Tike were clearly growing closer, which worried Mystra, who had a strained relationship with Shar. On the surface, the Moon Goddess Suren and the Night Goddess Shar were mortal enemies, but the members of the Anti-Ao Alliance knew that the sisters were putting on a show.
If Suren had to choose between her and Shar, Mystra was not confident that Suren would definitely choose her! Yeg had always been a loner. He hadn't even consulted other members of the alliance when he orchestrated the theft of the Tablet of Fate by the three gods of death. Mystra couldn't believe that Yeg would genuinely cooperate with her on matters other than opposing Ao.
Although Tike and Mystra had some friction, Tike had not taken any actual action yet. Moreover, Mystra had genuinely saved Tike before, so their relationship still had a chance to be mended.
Tike knew very well why Mystra was so enthusiastic. She only saw the members of the Anti-Ao Alliance as tools, but as long as they could help her achieve her goals, she didn't mind maintaining a superficial closeness with her allies.
One willing to strike and the other willing to be struck, the atmosphere immediately became cordial. By the time Azathoth, the God of Wizards, led Vanderveen Fospay back to the divine palace, the two goddesses were already affectionately linking arms and calling each other sisters.
"Your Highness Vanderveen Fospay, the Benevolent Goddess wishes to obtain the divine portfolio of the cycle of life that you possess and has entrusted me to inquire about your opinion."
The divine portfolio of the cycle of life was not highly valued by Vanderveen Fospay. It was merely a byproduct of possessing Moander's divinity, its greatest use being supplementary to the reptile portfolio. However, divine portfolios were incomparably precious, and Vanderveen Fospay instinctively wanted to refuse. But the intermediary for this transaction was his primary deity. Seeing Tike conversing intimately with the Goddess of Magic, how could Vanderveen Fospay dare to embarrass his primary deity?
Vanderveen Fospay's hesitation and struggle did not escape the eyes of the two goddesses present. Tike immediately noticed Mystra's displeasure. She had already given up on the idea of using force and naturally did not want any complications to arise.
"Your Highness Vanderveen Fospay, I have no intention of forcibly taking the divine portfolio of the cycle of life. This is the divine portfolio of swamps that I have condensed. It is more compatible with your reptile portfolio, and I believe the swamp portfolio can help you quickly become a minor deity."
A grayish-green divine portfolio appeared in Tike's hand. For Tike, who was once the Queen of the Ocean and the Goddess of the Earth, condensing the swamp portfolio derived from the domains of earth and water was effortless.
The divine portfolio of arts did not provide Vanderveen Fospay with much combat power. His followers fought by taming reptile creatures. Magical beasts such as snakes and crocodiles were the main combat forces of the church, and the swamp environment was suitable for their habitat. For Vanderveen Fospay, the swamp portfolio was indeed more suitable than the divine portfolio of the cycle of life.
Under Mystra's witness, the two divine portfolios changed owners.
Refusing Mystra's invitation, Tike returned to her divine realm to begin modifying the divine portfolio of the cycle of life.