Chapter 1144 – The Future of the Multiverse

Artemis did not leave the domain of Yggdrasil with Jake. Instead, she was to stay behind and assist Nature’s Attendant in planting the seed that would one day turn into one part of Jake’s new bow.

Her staying behind also gave the goddess some courage to ask a question that had been bothering her for a while. From her own perspective, she knew why she treated Jake the way she did. She had a natural attraction due to his Path, and he appeared in her eyes like the apex of hunters. He was a natural, and that was something irresistible about his demeanor and aura.

For gods or even those who just lived long lives, physical appearance was barely a factor to consider when discussing attraction. Instead, personality and presence were what truly mattered. The aura someone gave off when entering a room said far more about a person than their physical appearance. Everyone who wanted to was good-looking by default, but one couldn’t easily fool others with the aura they gave off.

And Jake… Jake had an aura that made it easy to mistake him for a god superior to even Artemis herself. At least at times. If he hid his level and focused on it, she suspected he could impersonate a god well, at least for a time. Oh, and he would, of course, be in quite a pickle if an actual god tried to test his aura and accidentally crushed him with their energy-fueled presence.

Despite all this, he was unmistakably a mortal. Yet, despite this indisputable fact, Artemis saw Yggdrasil and Nature’s Attendant both treat him better than even other gods. Even if he was the Chosen of the Malefic Viper, a fellow Primordial, it just didn’t truly make any sense to Artemis.

Perhaps she was inspired by Jake’s bluntness, or perhaps it was a momentary lapse in judgment, but shortly after Jake had been teleported away, she turned to Nature’s Attendant and just straight up asked him.

“If I may… why do you treat Jake like this? Why are you acting towards him almost as if he’s an equal?” she asked Nature’s Attendant. Instantly after asking, she felt a tang of regret, but at that point, it was too late.

Luckily for her, the second-in-command of the Pantheon of Life didn’t seem offended by her bluntness, as he just smiled. “You’ve been a god for a fair amount of time, haven’t you?”

She nodded, indeed having a few eras under her belt.

“During this time, you must have met your fair share of mortals. Geniuses beyond compare. Those who stood at the pinnacle of their generation. Tell me, when you recall all of them, do any of them remind you of the Viper’s Chosen?” the far older god asked her.

“In some aspects,” Artemis muttered. “They all had the same level of confidence. Arrogance, I would almost say. Of course, Jake is different in that this confidence doesn’t crumble even before gods, while the regular genius would still find themselves suppressed by the natural order. He is unique when one considers that, as well as the abilities he has shown as a Harbinger of Primeval Origins.”

Artemis almost didn’t mention that last one as she wanted to avoid that topic if possible. As a high-ranking member of the Pantheon of Life, she had a responsibility towards her faction, and it was expected of her to share pertinent information when obtained.

That’s why Jake had put her in a rather difficult position when he revealed some of the truths of his Harbinger of Primeval Origins ability. However, she had already decided that what was imparted in confidentiality would remain confidential. Jake had trusted her with that knowledge, and she had no intentions of betraying that trust, even if her keeping it a secret could be looked upon unkindly by the top brass of the Pantheon of Life.

“It’s true he does have many unique aspects to him, while others remain rather par for the course,” Nature’s Attendant nodded. “But I think the most unique thing about him is the situation he has put us gods in. We are all so used to the universal law of suppression. I expect my aura to have a profound effect on those significantly weaker than myself, and I approach the interaction with that in mind. I correct my demeanor as much as I can to still make the other person comfortable, even if I rarely succeed.”

“But with Jake, that’s not a thing,” Artemis muttered.

“Precisely so. Talking with Jake is like talking with a being that possesses equal or even superior power to me. I don’t need to correct how I act and make it suitable for a mortal. There is something unique about that, and something I think most of us gods miss. The fact that this ability also seems to extend somewhat to others is a massive bonus. Just take yourself as an example. You are far more casual now than you usually are, and with every time we meet, it gets better. Even with Dina, I now feel like I’m talking to my granddaughter without her being filled with fear that she’s trying hard not to show,” Nature’s Attendant said with a big smile on his face.

“I understand that, but I’m still not certain why that means you, the Mother Tree, and even the Malefic One have chosen to treat Jake almost like an equal,” Artemis kept voicing her thoughts.

“Tell me, dear, why is the biggest difference between a god and a mortal?”

“Immortality,” Artemis answered without any hesitation. Another obvious answer would be power, but some peak S-grade mortals could battle even weaker gods, yet no matter how powerful an S-grade got, time would still spell their doom.

“Right,” Nature’s Attendant nodded. “But gods still die. All the time. Tell me, you seem to have gotten a good understanding of Jake so far, so how do you think he would meet his death? Alone at home in a bed after his lifespan expires, or with a weapon in hand, fighting a too powerful foe?”

“The latter, obviously,” Artemis said, shaking her head.

“I concur entirely,” Nature’s Attendant smiled. “I, too, believe that he will either die trying to achieve greatness, or he will ascend and stand alongside the gods. Complacency and passivity are simply not in his nature.”

“That doesn’t guarantee godhood, though,” Artemis sighed. There simply was no guarantee. There had been more top geniuses of the multiverse who had failed to ascend to godhood than she could count. Even if they tried with every fiber of their being to attain immortality, for some, it would just never come.

“No, and his chances of ascension still remain slim even should he retain his current momentum, but so what?” Nature’s Attendant asked. “We already agreed he has only one of two fates. Godhood or an untimely death in pursuit of it. With that in mind, what do you think the pros and cons are to us treating him like an equal?”

Artemis considered his question for a while before speaking. “Pros are a good relationship, obviously. Cons is naturally the opposite of that. Looking down on Jake would make him view you incredibly unfavorably. However, to play devil’s advocate, I could argue another con is the appearance and personal slight a god may feel from recognizing a mortal as one of them. It feels almost like an insult to a god’s Path to recognize a mere mortal’s as comparable to theirs. It undermines everything they’ve been through to earn the respect they currently have.”

“Right,” Nature’s Attendant nodded. “For the cons, I do agree to some extent. It does hurt the ego a little talking to someone so much younger, weaker, and less knowledgeable like he’s equal in standing to you, but honestly? I can accept it. As gods, we need to consider things on a far wider time scale than mortals, especially when you’re a god leading a major faction. We need to consider not just this era, but the one that comes next. Now consider the pros and cons again, but rather than the here and now, how you will think back on your actions during this time and era in the future.”

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It didn’t take long for Artemis to realize what he was getting as she nodded. “I see…”

“Good,” Nature’s Attendant smiled. “I didn’t need to think for long about how I wanted to treat Jake, and neither did Yggdrasil. Taking a small hit to our ego now for potential benefits in the future is more than worth it.”

“Right,” Artemis nodded.