Chapter One Hundred: Freyja’s Divine Power

When Ye Ran came out after his bath, Xia Li was already seated on Freyja’s little bed, one finger resting lightly against her forehead.

Xia Li’s eyes had turned dazzlingly bright, as though tiny sparks of light were flickering within them, while Freyja blinked her large eyes over and over. When she spotted Ye Ran, she pointed at Xia Li and made a little mocking gesture with her hands, clearly meaning, “Dummy.”

Ye Ran could not help but laugh.

But Xia Li’s expression remained solemn. During the first wave of power entering Freyja’s body, she had seemed to notice nothing at all. Yet when the second wave flowed along her forehead, she suddenly felt as though something inside her had loosened.

When she looked at Ye Ran again, her gaze had changed, filled with bewilderment and curiosity.

Ye Ran made a gesture for her to concentrate and feel it carefully, and Freyja obediently closed her eyes.

Almost at once, Ye Ran seemed to see a pink ring expand outward from within Freyja’s body before fading and vanishing.

When he looked at her again, she still appeared as sweet and delicate as before, yet somehow, in the quiet turning of the hours, something about her seemed to have changed.

Streams of energy circulated through Freyja’s body. Xia Li’s expression first brightened with delight, then grew strange, and finally settled into thoughtful contemplation.

About a quarter of an hour later, Xia Li opened her eyes. Freyja opened hers as well, and there seemed to be a touch of sacred radiance in those lively pupils.

“Ye Ran, you really found a treasure,” Xia Li said as her first words.

Freyja, meanwhile, wrote on the drawing board: “Aran, Freyja has become very, very amazing,” her face full of sly pride.

Ye Ran poured each of them a cup of hot water, pulled out a chair, and sat down. Ruffling Freyja’s little head, he said, “Tell me about it. I’ve been waiting for this day.”

“She really is a second-generation god. The three innate abilities she possesses are the Eye of God, Love God’s Blessing, and Dreams Made Real,” Xia Li said.

“The reason gods can guide origin power is because of the Eye of God. Gods can see the currents that diffuse through every corner of the world, and the origin power within the human body is no exception. This is the most fundamental ability of a powerful second-generation god.”

“Love God’s Blessing, hahahaha. Ye Ran, this is the first time I’ve ever seen a power like this.”

Even Xia Li, who had seen much of the world, sounded excited when she spoke of this ability.

“The difference between gods and humans lies in the gift of the gods. It is somewhat like the teaching of human scholars, but far more direct and far more convenient. A teacher instructs a student slowly, and much depends on the student’s aptitude. A god’s gift, however, is direct bestowal.”

“For example, Athena can grant wisdom, the Thunder God can grant strength, and Queen Hera can grant beauty. These are all direct gifts.”

“Freyja has her own gift too, and that is her blessing.”

Xia Li said this with a smile.

Freyja stood with her hands on her little hips, looking immensely pleased with herself.

“But what exactly is the use of this blessing?” Ye Ran wondered inwardly. “If it’s like her three divine artifacts, then wouldn’t it just be useless?”

Xia Li smiled. “Love God’s Blessing can bring people good fortune. Ye Ran, with her here, your bad luck ends now.”

Freyja’s heart grew even sweeter at those words.

Though she understood only part of it, she knew that from now on, if Ye Ran accepted her blessing each morning, he would have good luck for the whole day.

It was truly an ability beyond anything one could dream of.

“As for Dreams Made Real, you should already be familiar with it. My strength is limited, so I still cannot break the seal on the third layer. Once my injuries recover, I’ll try again.”

“Little Freyja, go to sleep early. I should head back and rest too.”

She rose and gave Ye Ran a meaningful glance.

After Ye Ran kept Freyja company for a while and coaxed her to sleep, he followed Xia Li outside.

Beyond the inn, everything was pitch-black, with only the clear moonlight spilling over the ground in a wash of silver.

Xia Li drew the scarf tighter around her neck, and soon Ye Ran’s footsteps sounded behind her.

“Xia Li, you still have something you want to say.”

Ye Ran draped the cotton-lined fur robe he had brought out over her shoulders.

Xia Li looked at him in surprise. This boy, with his cold and stern appearance, was unexpectedly so attentive.

For a moment she thought of how merciless he had looked when he killed those two beastmen. His methods had been ten times more brutal than theirs. To be honest, he had truly shocked her then.

“Xia Li,” Ye Ran called again when she saw her dazed, and only then did she recover herself. Brushing the hair at her forehead aside, she said, “Mm... ah... Ye Ran...”

“What I said just now was only half of it, about Freyja,” Xia Li said after gathering her thoughts. “Although she is a second-generation god, she is only nine years old. By rights, she should not possess so many innate abilities, and yet she does. More than that, all five of her known abilities are sealed. That is why she appears no different from an ordinary human girl.”

“Originally, with my current strength, I wouldn’t have been able to unseal her divine power. Someone had already been there before me...”

“Gong Ziyue,” Ye Ran said.

Xia Li glanced at him and smiled. “Whether it was the one who sealed her divine power, or Gong Ziyue herself, neither of them had good intentions.”

“How do you mean?” Ye Ran asked, puzzled.

Xia Li shook her head. “Right now I only know four of her abilities. Aside from the three already known—Eye of God, Dreams Made Real, and Love God’s Blessing—there is also another dangerous ability called the Fall of the God.”

“Uh... what is that? Why does it sound so strange?”

Xia Li waved a hand helplessly. “Some divine powers are just that unbelievable. There’s no way to explain them, just like Love God’s Blessing.”

“The Fall of the God is the same. If one day she develops feelings for you...”

“Hey, hey, honored divine envoy, what exactly is going on in your head? Freyja is only nine.”

As a hard-hearted, iron-boned man, Ye Ran found such syrupy speculation unbearable.

Xia Li shot him a look. “Do you want to hear it or not?”

“Yes, yes. Go on,” Ye Ran said with a sigh.

“To be honest, I only understand this ability in fragments myself, but one thing is certain: she can use it to summon the little god of love, Cupid, and let Cupid’s arrows bind the heart of the one she loves. Beyond that, the Fall of the God must surely contain another hidden power that no one has yet uncovered.”

Ye Ran scratched his head. “Why does Freyja’s divine power always have to be so... useless and boring?”

What he needed most right now was a way to strengthen his origin power and vital force, yet this little girl’s divine abilities were always so baffling. Being her chosen one was simply maddening.

“Even for a second-generation god, possessing these four abilities would already be rare enough. But Freyja has a fifth ability as well. In my judgment, what Gong Ziyue originally wanted to unseal was precisely that one, only she failed even with her own strength,” Xia Li said.

“Even Gong Ziyue couldn’t unseal it? Then what ability is it?”

Xia Li shook her head. “I don’t know. But it is definitely a terrifying power that even the gods and demons would fear. Ye Ran, from now on you’ll need to pay close attention.”