Queen Sheba quickly composed herself. Before leaving, she reminded Lin Xiang not to interact with the Voodoo gods.
The fate of the Voodoo gods was indeed a stark warning. As deities, they had gone against their nature, leading their followers down paths of crime and chaos. It was no wonder the Black community was not well-regarded; their gods were rotten apples, and in such an environment, how many followers could remain untainted?
Lin Xiang's advocacy for the Black community would undoubtedly fuel a surge in faith, and the mysterious Yoruba gods would likely be compelled to seek cooperation. However, this accidental intervention had also accelerated the maturity of the Voodoo gods, and these destined fruits were now one step closer to their demise.
In a forest park in Oregon, Lin Xiang wandered through a deserted wilderness. She had come here last time to hunt Yurena but had hastily retreated due to discovering the Media Goddess's conspiracy, never getting a chance to fully appreciate the forest's beauty.
The dense fir trees and hazy mist reminded Lin Xiang of the Invisible Island, immediately evoking a sense of familiarity. She had spent most of her long existence as a deity on that island.
Thinking back, if it weren't for her missing brother, who still weighed on her mind after the plane crash, staying on the island to enjoy the tranquility might have been a good choice.
The thought made Lin Xiang chuckle. After all, she had an agreement with Mystra, and the exploration of the Chaotic Sea was unavoidable.
The purple flowers of the artichoke bent under the dew falling from the trees. Their supple stems swayed in the mist, shaking off water droplets that splashed onto the leaves, creating a mist.
The moment this water dispersed, Lin Xiang felt as if she had suddenly arrived in an underwater temple. Gentle light descended from the surface, casting dappled shadows that rippled through the sanctuary.
Three black-skinned goddesses, clad in long robes, materialized silently. They were Oshun, Yemaya, and Aya.
"Thank you for all you have done for my followers," said Oshun, who possessed the authority of destiny and was implicitly the leader of the three goddesses. "Please forgive our discourtesy. We were held back by certain matters and could not appear in our true forms."
Lin Xiang had already learned of the Voodoo gods' plight from Queen Sheba. She spoke frankly, "Queen Sheba has already told me. It is I who should apologize to you. My rash actions might have caused your efforts to be in vain."
The three goddesses exchanged a subtle glance. Oshun spoke, "If that is the case, you must know that the conflict between the new gods and the old gods is unnecessary! If we cannot unite to stop this, our world will face terrible disaster."
"Have you found a way to eradicate the pollution?" Lin Xiang asked calmly, not showing any panic.
Yemaya, the water goddess, shook her head. "We have tried many methods. Even if a corrupted deity loses faith and perishes completely, this pollution will not disappear."
"It will split into seeds, waiting to be nourished by wicked desires to grow strong again!"
Yemaya's face was filled with exhaustion and confusion. "Then it will attach itself to the souls of believers and continue to grow, causing simple souls to become violent and lazy."
One could imagine how long the three goddesses had strived to eradicate the pollution. When they discovered their efforts were in vain, they inevitably fell into confusion and dread for the future.
Aya, the earth goddess, who appeared as a middle-aged woman among the three, also spoke. "We have tried to guide our followers towards positive change, but with the Voodoo gods growing stronger with the push of faith, we are powerless."
Aya's eyes were filled with compassion. "We have done all we could, yet we can only delay the inevitable."
"But we have not given up," Oshun said with a convincing, resolute expression. "We still hold onto our last hope. He might be the one who can prevent the disaster."
"So the birth of Shadow was also orchestrated by you," Lin Xiang mused, stroking her chin thoughtfully. "This means Odin is also part of the plan. His unscrupulous methods to defeat the new gods were to quickly unify all living forces to welcome the coming of the end."
"Another twilight of the gods?"
Lin Xiang connected the dots, and a perfect closed loop formed.
Everything made sense now. Anansi, the representative of the Yoruba gods, would so firmly support Odin's war against the new gods because of Oshun's intentions. If they hadn't been consumed by the Voodoo gods, they wouldn't have minded stepping in to support Odin and quickly resolve the situation to deal with this crisis.
"Yes, we need his strength."
Oshun flipped the mirror in her hand, revealing Shadow. "Odin extracted the divinity of his son, Baldr, the god of light and joy, and is having him reborn in the womb of the earth. All the hardships and trials set for him are to push him into a leadership position."
"He is our only hope to escape this crisis."
Lin Xiang understood. Shadow's mother was the earth goddess of the American continent, and the world's laws also placed great hope in Shadow, using their last strength to nurture this child of destiny. This was why even the world's protective barrier could no longer be maintained.
This was truly a desperate measure. A world without protection was vulnerable to invasion by evil entities and divine abominations wandering the Chaotic Sea. The laws had placed their hopes on Shadow.
"There is one thing I don't understand," Lin Xiang said, not rushing to respond. "Why didn't you tell Mr. World? The continued hostility between the new and old gods only depletes their strength. If both sides could put aside their grievances and cooperate, wouldn't that be a better solution?"
Oshun's expression was solemn. "Mr. World, or rather, Loki, knows all of this."
Lin Xiang was not surprised by Mr. World's true identity as Loki. What she didn't understand was why Loki would sow discord at such a critical juncture.
"We also do not understand why he chose to act this way," Oshun said with a bitter smile. "But what is certain is that Loki has not been corrupted."
In Norse mythology, Baldr is the embodiment of radiance and beauty, the god of spring and joy, and the personification of light. As the son of Odin and Frigg, his birth brought warmth to a cold world. This important deity, sensing the shadow of death from a nightmare, caused the goddess Frigg great worry. She traveled the world, asking all things to swear an oath not to harm Baldr.
All things swore not to harm the god of light, except for a weak mistletoe, which was forgotten because it was too frail to cause harm.
Loki induced Baldr's twin brother, Hodr, the god of darkness, to shoot an arrow made from a mistletoe branch at the god of light. Baldr then fell, and the world lost its light.