In the dim room, Roel looked at the orange-haired girl seated in front of him with an earnest but anxious gaze.

Edavia blinked in curiosity. Her impression of Roel was that he was a composed and cautious individual. His heart hadnt even wavered much when she revealed that she was an evil god. That was why she was surprised by his current emotional turmoil.

It was unfortunate that the Mother Goddess had hindered her ability to perceive the outside world, so she was oblivious to most of the happenings outside. She gave the situation some thought before beaming a smile at Roel.

You look desperate. Something must have happened. Does She resemble Sia a lot?

I dont know. Im just perplexed by Her attitude, but its not just Her. I want to know about the Savior too. Roel dove straight into the point and revealed his request.

Edavia blinked her large eyes. She looked unaccustomed to how Roel was suddenly relying so much on her. She rested her back against her chair and pondered.

I can fill you in on the detailsits not that big of a dealbut I should first put out a disclaimer. While I am able to access countless lives here to alleviate my boredom, that doesnt mean that Im an omniscient being. For instance, I dont know everything about Sia.

Access countless lives?

Roel keenly picked up on those three words. He instinctively glanced at the towering rows of bookshelves behind him. Taking in his reaction, Edavias lips curled upward with a hint of mischief.

Omo, did I give myself away? Youre right. Those books are my way of killing time. They are soul records containing memories of the deceased.

Soul records? How could something like that be made? Not to mention the quantity of them 24062

Only then did it belatedly strike Roel that he had never seen the walls of this room. The two times he had come here, he had instinctively followed the light source and headed straight for Edavias table. He had never bothered taking a proper look at this room due to its low visibility.

But now that he thought about it, it was possible that the reason he had never seen the walls of this room was not its poor visibility, but that it was simply too big.

Roels heart began beating faster as he stared into the darkness of the room, wondering how far the darkness stretched. A new question surfaced in his mind: If this is my Inner Sanctum, where did these books come from?

With more questions than ever lingering in his head, Roel turned to Edavia for answers. The latter had released her braids at some point in time, transforming into her evil god appearance.

Surprised? Fufufu. You must be curious to know whats going on. Rest assured, these books arent your records. They are my private collection.

Edavia floated upward and landed on the table. She picked up a book that looked awfully bulky compared to her petite frame and passed it over to Roel. Roel hesitated for a moment before he took the book and examined it.

The book had no cover. It had a wondrous texturenot in the sense of off-putting materials like human skin or whatnot, but it emanated a warmth that felt as if the book was trying to communicate with the holder. Its content was even more amazing.

This book was an autobiography of a dwarf named Holmes Jinn. It contained plenty of pictures that had the remarkable effect of immersing the reader into the situation they depicted, allowing the reader to take on the first-person perspective of the protagonist, which was, in this case, Holmes Jinn. It was similar to the Witness State, just that it was viewing another persons story.

Holmes Jinn was a Dwarven master craftsman living in Sias era, known for having once constructed a palace for Sia. Fufufu. What do you think? Feels not too bad, right?

Yes, it feels not bad, but I can sense fragments of a soul. How are these books made? Roel asked with a deep voice that sounded almost like a growl.

His wariness was swiftly on the rise.

If Edavia was truly an evil god who plundered the souls of others to forge books, he wouldnt contract her no matter how much power she could bring to him. This was not just a matter of principles but the underlying risks as well.

Contracting a being whose values differed too much from his posed a latent danger to him and those around him as well, not to mention that it would be hard to work together when they couldnt establish mutual trust.

All in all, he would rather not keep such a ticking time bomb by his side.

Roel and Edavia looked intently at each other, the flickering candlelight causing shadows to flash across their faces. After a moment of silence, Edavia suddenly revealed an irrepressible grin and started laughing nonstop.

Hahaha! Who could have thought that a day would come when I would be questioned in such a manner? What an arrogant fellow you are! Rest assured, I am above such crass actions. You can think of these books as a byproduct I receive from assisting Sia.

Byproduct?

Roel was surprised by the unexpected answer. Edavia nodded affirmatively before elaborating.

All things aside, its too much trouble to deal with powerhouses of the caliber of Holmes Jinn. Even I wouldnt kill him over something as minor as this These books are indeed made out of souls, but to be more exact, it is only the portion that contains their memories.

This means that youre taking away the memories from the souls?

Thats right. Granting deceased souls a fresh start in the world was my responsibility back in Sias era. These books are the compensation I receive from Sia for my work.

I see. Roel nodded.

He thought that there was some credibility to her word, especially since Holmes Jinn, the Dwarven master craftsman depicted in the book, was an Origin Level 1 transcendent.

Edavia would be making an enemy of the Dwarves by attacking someone like that, regardless of whether she won the battle or not. It was unlikely that Sia would condone her actions if she went around wreaking havoc like that.

Taking a step back, if each book truly represented a life, the sheer amount of effort required to amass this hulking collection of books was unthinkable. It would have been impossible for even the Spiriteer Sovereign to take the lives of so many individuals.

This conclusion took some of the tension away from Roel. He passed the book back to Edavia, who received and hugged it.

Lets cut the idle talk and get back to the main topic. You anxiously came looking for me here because you want to know the relationship between Sia and the Mother Goddess. Fufufu. You have asked the right god.

Do you know the reason behind Sias departure?

Im afraid not. That secret is beyond me. However, I do have some guesses in mind. Edavias lips curled into a sinister smile. It looked as if she had thought of something interesting.

Let me dive into the conclusion. I suspect that Sia has split.

Ah?

Roels solemn face instantaneously plunged into confusion, and a dumb noise escaped from his throat. His moronic response had Edavia clutching her stomach and guffawing.

His cheeks twitched at her mockery, but he chose to focus on deciphering the meaning behind her words instead. Edavia had looked and sounded completely serious when she revealed her conclusion earlier, so it didnt seem like she was pulling his leg, but

Sia has split? What does that even mean? Does She have a personality split, or what?