Chapter 254 To The Path
Clyde stared at the arrival of the Goddess with a straight face. He actually didn't know what to feel at this moment. Should he smile to greet her? But Clyde knew that she wasn't that excited to meet him right now.
So it's better to put on a neutral face-to-face her. They wouldn't be here for a friendly chat after all.
The Goddess who was now in the form of a woman with a brown body and red hair approached Clyde with slow steps. From her eyes, Clyde could tell that she was looking at him with scrutinizing eyes, still trying to find out who or what he is.
"Is this alright? We meet in the open," Clyde said.
"It is alright. This is my domain. No one will disturb us," Goddess Pele replied.
Clyde nodded with satisfaction. "Good. Let's get straight to the point. Do you know anything about the domain of the other Celestials?"
Goddess Pele frowned. "What do you mean?"
"Answer me first."
Goddess Pele gritted her teeth. She had never taken orders from anyone before. Now when she heard someone order her, the fire of anger inside her suddenly flared up. The only thing stopping her was the Oath she had spoken to Clyde.
"I can do that. However, I refrain from doing it," Goddess Pele replied.
"Why?"
"We... have never been on good terms with each other."
"But I need information from the other Celestial domains."
"May I ask, what do you need it for?"
"I need to do my revenge."
Clyde's answer made Goddess Pele flinch. She felt something hit her heart for a brief moment.
As a Celestial, she naturally knew what Clyde meant about revenge. Clyde is likely someone who survived the Selection Stage and lost everything because of it.
Goddess Pele never cared about those lowly beings. Until now, when she came face to face and felt Clyde's power for herself.
"You want revenge on the Celestials?" Goddess Pele asked.
"Not yet. I just want revenge on the people who were their followers. Those people betrayed me and almost killed me," Clyde explained.
Goddess Pele almost breathed a sigh of relief. But Clyde immediately said something else before she could say anything else.
"You will receive it after them."
Goddess Pele snorted without her knowing it. "You can't beat us, kid. You may be strong enough to beat me but there are many stronger than me. You can't stand against them."
"Yet," Clyde said simply while looking at Goddess Pele. Her gaze instantly made the Goddess shudder. She thought back to how her fight with Clyde was.
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The memory is still so fresh that Goddess Pele can still feel the pain Clyde gave her.
"Anyway," Clyde said. "I want you to find out about God Loki. There is someone named Mona. Find her."
"I told you that we Celestials don't have good relations. Especially with Loki..."
"I don't care," Clyde said. "You have to find her."
Again, Goddess Pele felt anger explode in her heart. Clyde's words were too much for her. Suddenly flames exploded covering Goddess Pele's body as if she was experiencing sudden combustion. The flames coursed through her hair making it flutter upwards like a bonfire.
Clyde was a little surprised. He was already grabbing the hilt of his sword but stopped immediately as soon as he remembered that the Goddess had given his Oath to him.
"What do you think you're doing?" Clyde asked. "Remove your fire."
Goddess Pele wanted to direct her fire toward Clyde with as much power as possible. However, the Oath forbids her from doing that.
The fire all over her body went out as suddenly as its appearance. Goddess Pele looked down with her hands clenched at her sides. Inside her, she said some curses to Clyde.
"Listen here, Pele," Clyde walked closer to her. "You said yourself that you wanted to give your Oath back then, wasn't it? In exchange, I spared your life. Why are you acting like that now?"
Goddess Pele still didn't raise her eyes.
"Don't do that again. Because I have your Oath and I think I can do what I want with it," Clyde added his threat. "So you will do as I tell you. Find someone named Mona in God Loki's domain. That's to start with.
Then, for my next request, I would like you to show me the path to the Nexus of Creation."
The Goddes' eyes widened at Clyde's last words. She looked up and finally could see his eyes.
"W-What?" the Goddess stuttered.
"Path to the Nexus of Creation. Where is it?" Clyde asked again. This time in a demanding tone.
"H-How did you know there was a path here?"
"You don't need to know about that. All you have to do is tell me where the path is."
Goddess Pele pressed her lips together. There are many things that make her not want to say where the path is. One most obvious thing is that by knowing the location of the Nexus, Clyde is tantamount to knowing the weaknesses of the Celestials.
And information about the path that allows beings other than Celestials to enter the Nexus of Creation should only be known to Celestials and very few followers who are in the highest hierarchy or the inner circle of a Celestial. That information shouldn't be available to a creature like Clyde.
Unless he has allies who are traitors in the deepest circle of certain Celestials.
"Can I ask something first?" Goddess Pele asked.
Clyde shook his head briefly. "No. Tell me where is the path."
Goddess Pele took a deep breath. She couldn't fight against Clyde who she gave Oath to her. She could only obey his orders.
"That place is quite far from here," said Goddess Pele. She thought that if she had experienced this kind of suffering, then the other Celestials should also feel it.
"Take me there. And don't mess around," Clyde said firmly.
Goddess Pele just nodded. Then she stretched her arms to the sides. A yellowish light appeared and created a dome that enveloped the two of them.
Clyde looked around while placing his hand on the hilt of the Elderglass Sword. Be prepared if so Goddess tries to do funny things to him.
The scenery around them changed very quickly. Clyde immediately noticed that they were moving inside this light dome so he refrained from pulling out his Elderglass Sword.
"Don't worry. I will take us down that path and have no intention of doing anything else," Goddes Pele said.
"You're smart enough to understand that," Clyde replied.
A moment later the light dome stopped. Now they are in the bowels of a volcano. Lava flowed beside them and emitted hot smoke.
"You said it was quite far," Clyde said.
"If you think that this place is inside the volcano you saw, you are wrong. This place is very much on the other side of my domain."
"Oh, okay. So where is the path?"
"Follow me."
Goddess Pele went first. Clyde followed behind her with wary steps.
The sound of boiling lava filled Clyde's ears. The hot air inside this volcano also makes it hot. He thought that actually, this heat was much hotter than what he was feeling right now but due to his Level and the fire elemental power in his body which had been strengthened, the effect did not make him suffer. Even when he is in the volcano of a Goddess of fire.
Goddess Pele took him deeper into the volcano. The deeper he went, the darker and narrower the path became. Clyde felt a suffocating, claustrophobic sensation.
"Is it still long?" Clyde asked.
"No. In a moment," Goddess Pele answered curtly.
They then entered a downward path. The narrow passage finally opened but it did no better for Clyde.
He was indeed on an open road but to his right and left were very far ravines. Beneath the abyss was boiling red lava.
Clyde grimaced. He gripped the hilt of his sword tighter, prepared for whatever happened. If Goddess Pele wants to do something for her, this is the right time for her.
But apparently, she didn't do anything even when they reached a door. The door was simple looking, made of smooth plain black stone.
"This is the path," Goddess Pele said. "What are your plans after finding the Nexus?"
"You don't need to know," said Clyde. "I'll go inside. How do you open it?"
There doesn't seem to be a handle or anything. The stone didn't look like a door either.
Suddenly, a light appeared that enveloped Clyde's body from all sides. The light was golden like sunlight and felt warm.
When he turned his head, Goddess Pele just stood staring at him with a stiff expression. As if waiting for something to happen anxiously.
"What did you do to me?!" Clyde asked. He pulled the Elderglass Sword from its scabbard.
But a moment later the light grew bigger and enveloped his vision. Teleporting Clyde from that place.
~~~
