Free Web NovelChapter 10: Ch 10: The Faceless God’s Shrine
Raidan was angry at the woman’s attitude, but he had no choice but to stay patient for now.
He obviously wouldn’t reveal his real name.
"My name is Apollo."
As soon as he said the name, the woman’s stunning, long eyebrows lifted in surprise.
"Apollo...A name tied to the Sun. Are you somehow connected to the Sun God?" she asked, as if trying to connect some dots with a thoughtful look on her face.
Raidan shrugged and replied, "I don’t know anything about that. I was born in a simple village in the mortal realm."
He obviously wouldn’t reveal the village’s connection to the Sun God. Who knows if there was a hidden enemy in those higher realms waiting to purge anyone from the godforsaken village?
The woman obviously didn’t believe him, as his face gave him away.
Still, she chose to let it go for now.
"Regardless, I can see you are thousands of miles away from the nearest human settlement. If you intend to travel on foot like this, it will take you years."
Raidan’s mouth went wide.
"Years? As your husband, can you at least send me to a human settlement?" he said, feigning a little naivete.
She glanced at him, then toward the eastern horizon, where the endless expanse of the sky curved like an enormous ceiling.
"I can," she finally said, looking back at him. "But it will take a lot of energy from the mask, and I might not be able to communicate with you for a while." ƒreewebɳovel.com
"Is that mask special?" he asked, becoming curious.
She gave a small nod, "It is a divine artifact, and proof of your connection to the Faceless God. If utilized properly, it allows you to flawlessly copy anyone’s face."
"Well... that’s great!" he said, finally feeling he was gaining something from this bizarre encounter.
"Humph, do not celebrate so soon. You will need to feed it a vast amount of Heaven and Earth resources if you want it to grow and maintain its effectiveness."
"I am known as Eris, And yes, I suppose I can offer some basic guidance to my... investment."
"Investment?" Raidan repeated, the term stinging him deeply.
’Of course I am just an investment. What was I even thinking.. ’
His face became cold again. He didn’t show any interest anymore.
Eris noticed this change, but she had long forgotten how human emotions worked.
So, she just raised her hand, summoning her dimensional power.
Soon, a magical circle formed below Raidan.
"I am sending you directly to the Faceless God’s Shrine. Just remember not to waste your time."
Her authoritive voice echoed one last time before Raidan’s vision turned dark. fгee𝑤ebɳoveɭ.cøm
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[ Zone Changed: The City of Gods, Vanir ]
When Raidan felt his vision returning, he slowly looked around.
He was standing before the stairs of an enormous shrine, appearing to be established on top of a mountain.
And below the mountain spanned an expanse of ancient buildings made of stone and black iron.
The setting vastly reminded Raidan of medieval times from Earth’s past.
But where was he now?
The last words Eris had said felt hazy.
"She said something about the Faceless God’s Shrine... Is this it?"
While he was contemplating in silence, suddenly a girl wearing a pale clay mask looked at him in surprise.
She hurriedly rushed over to him, her hands resting on her hips.
"Hey, who are you? How did you get in without a mask?"
Raidan turned to her in equal surprise, while his right hand instinctively reached over his face.
As soon as he swiped his palm over his features, the Clay Mask, the divine artifact, materialized on his face.
And obviously, his mask was vastly different from hers.
While hers was a simple pale grey and shaped like a cat’s, his was charcoal black and shaped like a demon’s, showing rows of red teeth with two distinct fangs extending from both the upper and lower jaws.
He looked both attractive and intimidating at once.
"Hmm, you do have a mask... But why does it look so scary? Are you secretly a demon?" the girl asked again, removing her mask with a smooth hand motion.
Her face was also beautiful. A fresh youthful face framed by stunning silver hair.
Her eyes twinkled with interest as she examined Raidan’s mask from up close.
Raidan could smell her hair. It was a scent like a mix of jasmine and peony.
Raidan also removed his mask, revealing his not-so-bad face right in front of hers. dangerously close.
"What if I am? Are you going to exorcise me?"
Her face immediately flushed red, and she quickly stepped back to create some distance.
"I wasn’t saying that, you pervert. Anyway, my name is Nia. What is yours? You seem new around here," she said while tucking a strand of flowing hair behind her right ear.
"I’m Apollo," Raidan replied, offering a polite but guarded smile.
He decided to stick with the alias.
"Apollo," Nara repeated, tasting the name on her tongue.
"That’s a rather bright name for someone carrying around a demon’s face."
He chuckled, and the the demon mask dissolving like magic. The spectacle shocked both, but for different reasons.
"Wow how do you do that?"
"Did what?" he asked back.
"That vanishing thing with the mask...I can’t do that like you. I had carry it all the time. Can you please teach me?" she requested with a pleading smile.
"Maybe... Later?"
He could only dodge it, since he himself doesn’t know it works. It happened on instincts, most likely a hidden trait of the divine artifact.
Still, she looked satisfied.
"Anyway, You mentioned I seem new. Is it that obvious on me?" Raidan coughed and tried to probed.
Nia chuckled, "Yes, a little bit. For one, you were staring at the gate like you’ve never seen stone before. And two, anyone who belongs to the Faceless God’s Shrine knows that wearing your mask in the outer courtyard is a strict rule. The fact that you didn’t know that was a dead giveaway."
Raidan absorbed the information quickly. He needed to be careful. Eris had dumped him here with barely any explanation, after all.
Raidan decided to play along.
"I suppose I missed orientation, Nia. But since you seem to know your way around, mind telling me what exactly an ’orientation’ entails here?"
Nia’s eyes lit up. She was eager to show off her knowledge.
"Well, first you have to register your presence at the Main Hall. If you don’t, the Shrine Guards will assume you’re an intruder and throw you off the mountain. Come on, I’m heading that way anyway. I can show you."
