In Lin Xiang's eyes, the gradually degenerating faith began to burn with invisible flames. The Media Goddess's beautiful face started to crack, lotus-like fissures spreading across her body, fueled by a faith without reward or fruit.
"What have you given back to your believers? Those novel toys? After a moment of stimulation, their souls remain empty."
Television was the Media Goddess's altar, and all viewers were sacrificing their time to her.
Yet, gods needed human faith, and humans also needed divine guidance; the absence of either was a disaster.
"How about it? My promise is still valid," Lin Xiang approached the scarred Media Goddess, looking down at her. "Only now, you must wager everything you have."
The Media Goddess attempted to transform into radio waves and escape her bonds, but her body became fragments flashing with colorful light, like a movie with dropped frames.
She was already so weak she couldn't maintain her form! The fragments reassembled in place, the images of legendary movie stars like Marilyn Monroe and Audrey Hepburn flashing by in succession. These disguises, used by the Media Goddess, could no longer be maintained. At this moment, the Media Goddess returned to her true form!
A figure shimmering with red, green, and blue light appeared before Lin Xiang. After the divine blessing from faith departed, the elegant and beautiful Media Goddess revealed her most primitive essence.
"This is your original appearance," Lin Xiang boldly invaded the Media Goddess's memories and found the scene of her birth.
At the 1900 Paris Exposition, the Lumière brothers of France, with their patented film projector, screened "films" on a giant screen thirty meters wide and twenty meters high. This projector, equipped with synchronized sound recording, caused a sensation worldwide.
Amidst the gasps and praises of all attendees, the Media Goddess was quietly born.
At that time, the media was very weak, but Mr. World had discovered her potential early on and introduced her to a renowned capitalist.
At this time, Edison was locked in an intense battle with Tesla over alternating current and direct current. The film projector offered him a business opportunity and the hope of defeating Tesla. Riding the wave of cinema, direct current successfully defeated alternating current and won this protracted war.
Direct current, tied to the projector, brought Edison immense wealth, while the media also grew stronger through faith during this period.
With rapid economic development, the populace, ravaged by war, began to channel their energy into pleasure. Industries like film and entertainment started to flourish. From black-and-white films to talkies, and then to color films, the popularization of television further spread the Media Goddess's altar into every home.
Some say the advent of cinema extended human lifespan, but in reality, it stole more time.
"What a pity! Humans are willing to sacrifice their time and emotions for you, yet they can abandon you without a second thought."
Lin Xiang's eyes pierced through time, seeing into the near future. People who once adored television and movies abandoned them, turning instead to computers and mobile phones.
The media still existed, but it could only relinquish its dominant position and reside beneath the internet.
The first generation of media, represented by newspapers and magazines, had faded into obscurity. The second generation of media, film and radio, were also in their twilight. Future media would be dominated by the internet and mobile phones.
The Media Goddess remained silent. The audience's faith in her was scattered. People loved the joy and excitement the media brought, yet not a single person devoutly believed in the media itself.
"It seems our game cannot continue," Lin Xiang reached into the Media Goddess's chest. "You don't even have believers to vote for you. As a deity, you are truly a failure."
As Lin Xiang seized the Media Goddess's divinity, the light in her eyes immediately dimmed.
What Lin Xiang desired was the media channels held by the Media Goddess. Stirring up public opinion to change images was Lin Xiang's forte. Seeing the Media Goddess crudely use these powers to control evil gods born from stories, Lin Xiang had lamented her wastefulness more than once.
The Media Goddess's downfall was silent. They were more like employees of the laws than their masters. The death of the Media Goddess would not change the reality of media's existence, nor would it lead to any uncontainable anomalies.
In Lin Xiang's view, media was a medium for disseminating information; any intermediary or technological means for transmitting and acquiring information was media.
Having gained much, Lin Xiang dispersed the mist and quietly departed, leaving the mess to Odin and Mr. World.
Lin Xiang was unconcerned about the outcome of the battle between the two leaders. Soon after, Ostara's rabbit spies relayed the results of this war.
Mr. World, heavily injured, fled and his whereabouts were unknown. Ostara refused Odin's invitation and continued to maintain neutrality as the Easter Goddess. As for Shadow and Laura, their grievances could no longer be sorted out.
The Old Gods' gathering at the House on the Rock was imminent. Lin Xiang had swallowed the largest piece of cake, and naturally, she had to show respect to Odin, who provided the raw materials.
The House on the Rock, located in Wisconsin, sat beside Highway 23. The house housed many ancient artifacts, protected by powerful magic. The Old Gods, clinging to their past glory, naturally chose it as their meeting place.
However, the scene was not as grand as Lin Xiang had imagined. Only a handful of Old Gods responded to Odin's call. Lin Xiang spotted a familiar figure among them: Queen of Sheba, Bilqis, from the desert.
Anansi the Spider God from the African continent, the Djinn from Arabian tales, Kali, the Destroyer Goddess from Indian mythology, Ame-no-Uzume-no-Mikoto, the origin of Japanese shamans, and the Slavic gods Chernobog and Zorya.
These deities were all renowned. Even so, the gathering appeared somewhat meager, not to mention that Queen of Sheba was a spy sent by the New Gods.
Lin Xiang's appearance attracted the attention of all the gods present. The fact that such a powerful goddess could be born in America, far from her homeland, undoubtedly piqued the curiosity of the already weakened deities.
Queen of Sheba, tasked with gathering information, rose to greet her. "Welcome, Goddess from the East."
Ame-no-Uzume-no-Mikoto, also from the East, clearly knew Lin Xiang's background. In Japan, Tianquan Shingū shrines dedicated to Mazu were built on many islands, including Kobe and Nagasaki, with Ru Yi Niang Niang, who shared the same origin as Mazu, also enshrined alongside.
Ame-no-Uzume-no-Mikoto's most widely circulated legend was her semi-nude dance at the command of the gods, which attracted the sun goddess Amaterasu, hiding in a cave, to peek out and bring light back to the earth.
This goddess, in charge of dance and rituals, bowed humbly and introduced the assembled gods to Lin Xiang.
The cunning Anansi the Spider God, the Ifrit, the prototype of the lamp story, Kali, the wife of Shiva and the Destroyer Goddess, Chernobog, the god of darkness, and Zorya, the twilight goddess who guards Sirius.