Chapter 40 (1/2)

Vremya stared at Pravos, making the god of justice shrink down, her neck hunching below her shoulders. He had expected the god of justice to have more to offer, but in the end, she only had one user? “I’m having a hard time believing you aren’t lying to me right now,” Vremya said.

“I’m serious…,” Pravos said and pursed her lips. It looked like she was about to cry. She whirled around and pulled out her personal computer. It was a bit rusty, and the top of the screen was cracked. With a swipe of her hand, she opened her bank account. There were only two hundred fifty earth-grade spirit stones inside, and the most recent transaction, the one made to Kosmos to transfer her strongest—and only—user through a portal, cost one heaven-grade spirit stone, a whole eighty percent of her previous net worth.

“Aren’t you a part of the righteous gods’ alliance?” Karta asked, piping in from the side. “You guys fight the evil gods all the time. How can you have a war without any money?” Even a snack god like her knew the importance of money when it came to war. The side with more money usually had the bigger weapons!

“Blagora manages our funds,” Pravos said and sniffled. “Also, she confiscates my users when they get strong enough. She says I act before I think, and everyone else agreed with her. However, if I propose a plan, and Blagora agrees with it, I can mobilize dozens of immortals!”

Vremya exhaled. At first, it seemed like the cardinal virtues had tossed Pravos to him as an apology. If that were the case, he’d be able to take all her users, all her wealth, and use it for himself. However, now it seemed like the cardinal virtues had tossed Pravos to him because they were tired of watching over and cleaning up after her. “You know what, you can go. I’m looking deep down into my heart, and I’ve found the kindness within. You’re free.”

“Really?” Pravos’ eyes lit up.

“Of course,” Vremya said and nodded. “But your user stays.” Even though Karen was weak, she had still mastered more recipes than his own chef. With that knowledge, she could help Smith Jr. grow faster, and they already had a competitive relationship which was good for both of them. It was hard to grow without rivals: even trees had rivals.

Pravos bit her lower lip and stared at Vremya. The old man looked away, turning his attention back onto his screen. A few minutes passed like this, one god staring at the other. Karta sensed the awkwardness in the air, so she excused herself and went into the garden to check on her chickens. After an hour, Vremya finally looked away from his display to meet Pravos’ teary gaze. He raised an eyebrow. “You’re still here?”

“I don’t have enough money to summon a portal,” Pravos said, her voice so small Vremya could barely hear it despite being a god.

Vremya blinked hard. “If you’re poor, why don’t you go out and kill a few titans?”

“Huh?” Pravos wiped at her eyes with the backs of her hands, trying to do it in a way such that Vremya couldn’t see. “I’m not strong enough to kill titans.”

Vremya snorted and pointed at the armor and weapons Pravos had equipped. “I’ve seen those on the marketplace. They’re pretty expensive and practical too. You can’t kill a titan even while wearing that?”

Pravos pursed her lips and unsheathed her sword. She tapped the blade against the side of her armor. Instead of the sound of ringing metal, there were dull thuds that sounded instead. It was as if two pieces of plastic had collided with one another. “It’s fake,” Pravos said, her face flushing red. “Since gods can’t actually fight each other, armors and weapons don’t really matter.”

Vremya scratched his head before nodding. The response made a lot of sense, and the next time someone asked him why he was naked, that would be his reply. “Well, alright,” Vremya said. He reached into his fanny pack and took out a pouch filled with spirit stones. He was a rich man, and since the woman had given him such a good answer, he’d pay her back properly. Vremya placed the pouch of spirit stones into the god of justice’s hands—although she was a bit hesitant to receive it. “Here’s a hundred heaven-grade spirit stones. Do what you want with it.”