Tyche couldn't help but think of Gaia, who had left in a hurry, perhaps finding a new world in a similar way.
Tyche was immediately moved, forcing herself to focus on Chaos before her. As her divinity and divine power continued to drain, Chaos's agitation gradually subsided, returning to a state of deathly stillness.
The five primordial gods departed. Before leaving, Tyche specifically greeted Eros, the primordial god of love, asking him to revoke the affection he had bestowed upon Helios. Eros, of course, would not displease the primordial Tyche for such a trivial matter and readily agreed.
After a period of rest to recover from her exhaustion, Tyche, spirits high, arrived outside the crystal wall system. The memories of Lady Vivian of the Lake contained coordinates for several worlds. Tyche decided to first explore the nearest world, hoping for some gain.
Vivian's memories were incomplete. Those that remained in her divinity after her demise were the most profound. Before her death, this goddess had visited a world outside. For reasons unknown, Vivian did not linger in this world, instead continuing her search despite her weakened divine power.
What excited Tyche the most was that, in the goddess's fleeting glimpse, this world was filled with towering buildings, seemingly possessing a modern civilization.
The only thing that made Tyche hesitant was Vivian's reason for refusing to stay. Perhaps it was because the ruler of this world did not welcome outsiders. Or perhaps this world was not suitable for gods to survive; without the soil for faith to take root, either situation was not good news, which was why Tyche had not departed.
After a moment of deliberation, Tyche decided to send an avatar to test the waters.
Painfully segmenting portions of her primordial essence of the ocean and fate, Tyche did her utmost to create a powerful avatar. After bestowing protection upon the avatar with the power of the crystal wall system, the avatar, carrying Tyche's hopes, set off towards the distant new world.
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Tyche, attached to the avatar's consciousness, had no idea how long she had traveled through the sea of chaos. Fortunately, she encountered no divine beasts or strange creatures along the way. The storms that occasionally blew continuously weakened Tyche's power. The projection of the crystal wall system, after resisting a trivial wave, shattered with a roar. Tyche was now utterly exhausted, relying solely on her will to persevere.
The constant erosion of her divinity sent waves of pain through her. Tyche's avatar could no longer maintain its human form and transformed into a ball of light, continuing its advance.
Before her remaining divinity was completely erased, Tyche finally saw the world from Vivian's memories.
To Tyche's disappointment, this world had no ruler. Therefore, Vivian's departure could only be because this world was not suitable for gods to survive. Yet, Tyche had no better options at the moment and could only grit her teeth and enter the world's practically non-existent protective layer.
Upon entering the new world, Tyche was greatly surprised. Although she had not received any faith, through Vivian's memories, Tyche immediately recognized the grayish-white mist that permeated the world as faith power! There was no reason for Vivian to be mistaken.
Tyche's heart was immediately filled with a bad premonition. It seemed that Vivian's reason for rejecting this world was far more complex than she had imagined.
Passing through the sky and arriving on the ground, the steel jungles rising from the earth greatly exhilarated Tyche. She no longer bothered with caution and plunged headfirst into the city.
Cars zipped by on the ceaseless flow of traffic. The passersby were dressed fashionably and elegantly. The atmosphere of civilization and order made Tyche unable to hold back tears. Immediately, she realized she seemed to have come to the wrong place; all these faces were white!
Tyche comforted herself, saying that it was a solace no matter what, and then prepared to head east.
The next moment, Tyche slammed onto the hard stone bricks, crying out in pain. Her heart sank. Tyche tried to use her remaining divine power to connect with the groundwater, but the feedback was very weak.
This was bad. The laws of this world seemed to not allow gods to easily display their divine power! What was more critical was that Tyche was slowly regaining her physical form, and she quickly shaped an Eastern female body according to her past life. Dressed in a simple, pale blue long dress, Tyche did not stand out among the crowd. The hurried passersby paid no attention to this girl who had suddenly appeared, brushing past Tyche.
Retrieving the long-forgotten English from the depths of her memory, Tyche, guided by the numerous directional signs, arrived before an archway with red pillars and golden tiles. The gilded characters "Chinatown" made Tyche's heart race uncontrollably.
The Chinese characters on the surrounding archways and the occasional Minnan accent were so familiar to her eyes and ears. Tyche strolled under the roadside trees, greedily gazing at everything that was both familiar and strange, her excitement lingering.
After walking back and forth several times, Tyche finally remembered to ask where she was. She quickly grabbed an old woman passing by and asked, "Grandma, where is this?"
"This is Chinatown in Portland, Oregon, child. Are you lost?" The white-haired woman's kind face was full of concern. She held Tyche and urged, "Go back quickly. It's not safe here after dark."
Tyche felt as if she had crossed through time and space. Could she be this lucky?
Seeing the girl in front of her looking dazed, the middle-aged woman had a guess.
"Child, if you have any difficulties, you can temporarily stay at the Mazu Temple ahead. The temple caretaker is kind and will take you in to help with some chores. Don't be afraid."
Saying this, she pulled Tyche towards the Mazu Temple not far away. "What's your name, girl? Do you have any relatives with you?"
Tyche finally came back to her senses and spoke the name she had before the plane crash, "My name is Lin Xiang."
The kind woman clearly misunderstood, sighing, "Don't be afraid, everything will be alright."
Lin Xiang did not offer further explanation and was thus led into the Mazu Temple by the old woman. The temple had a rather prosperous incense, and the smell of sandalwood could be detected even before entering. The old temple caretaker, dressed in a black shirt and cloth shoes, heard the old woman say that Lin Xiang's parents were deceased and that she was venturing alone into a foreign land. He sighed and immediately agreed to let Lin Xiang stay to guard the eternal lamp.
Lin Xiang did not pay close attention to the conversation between the old temple caretaker and the woman. Her attention was captured by the statue enshrined on the altar as soon as she entered the Mazu Temple. A yellow curtain hung around the solemn shrine. On the table below, offerings of clear water, fresh flowers, and various fruits were placed. Amidst the swirling incense smoke, an Eastern goddess with black hair and black eyes emerged from the statue, looking at Lin Xiang with surprise.
Despair, an endless despair, caused Lin Xiang agonizing pain. Nothing was more painful than gaining hope and then losing it.
The goddess came before Lin Xiang, smiled, and softly asked, "Where do you come from?"