"Although this super single-universe-level power is only a regional Authority…"
Noah sighed.
This was currently the only super single-universe-level power he possessed.
However, this power didn't truly belong to him—it was merely allocated to him by the Great Will of the Tree and Sea. He had the right to use it, but not ownership.
It wasn't his own power.
Still… he only sighed and didn't feel much regret at the thought of losing it.
With his abilities, it wouldn't take long to analyze this super single-universe-level dimensional Authority while it remained in his possession.
After all, he already had dimensional Authority of his own—what the Tree and Sea had given him was simply a higher-grade regional Authority.
When he said it wouldn't take long, that was relative to someone of his true high single-universe-level strength. By Teyvat's normal reckoning of time, it would still take hundreds of millions of years.
To dismantle and comprehend a super single-universe-level Authority in just a few hundred million years—if other super single-universe-level beings from great universes heard this, they'd be frightened out of their wits.
To them, a few hundred million years was just the time for a nap.
Noah walked along the sky streets of Fontaine, the endless splendor washing over him.
These so-called sky streets were districts suspended in the air without foundations—an entirely three-dimensional supercity.
What you thought was the first level of streets was in fact the rooftops of entire districts.
This area was the most prosperous part of the Fontaine Court, and home to most of the original Fontainians.
Since the world had transformed from a bubble world into its present single-universe form—and after several eras had passed in that form—any original Fontainians lacking sufficient talent had long since passed away.
Only about one in a thousand of the earliest Fontainians still lived. Most had become Lower Gods, with a few even reaching the level of True God.
Many more were stuck at the fifth or sixth Constellation.
Now, the universe no longer lacked ascendants, so the requirements for mortals to become gods had tightened again.
Once, the universe needed a great many ascendants.
And in the main universe, Lower Gods who ascended upon realizing the vastness of the cosmos often no longer considered themselves truly divine.
To them, only reaching True God counted as becoming a god.
Even the Cosmic Nexus made it clear: True Gods were the real gods—beings who had attained their true selves.
Outside the main universe, in the Endless Planes or certain timespaces created by Primordial Gods, they were indeed considered gods.
In some smaller communities, Lower Gods still served as the backbone.
"Compared to the Star Rail Universe, my Teyvat Universe is far warmer, far more beautiful. Though Teyvat too has its evils, they're all within tolerable bounds."
Noah smiled toward the direction of the Opera Epiclese.
The Star Rail Universe's entire tone was absolute survival of the fittest—weakness itself a sin. All the cosmos's evils, its goods, its cruelties, were on full display.
While the presence of Aeons kept it from becoming a Dark Forest like the Three-Body Universe, in his eyes, the difference wasn't that great.
For the strong, destroying you was simply none of your business.
The strong were not constrained by the universe—they could act without scruple. Their contributions to the cosmos depended entirely on personal conscience.
This was, of course, because the Star Rail Universe had no master to direct its development.
"That's why the existence of a cosmic master—to unify the will of all holders of universal Authority toward the shared development of the cosmos—is the ticket to stepping into the super single-universe-level."
In a universe where even those at the very pinnacle of the pyramid could not unify their will, there would only be internal friction. How could such a universe ever break its limits to become high single-universe-level, much less advance to super single-universe-level?
Even the pantheons of the Mondaiji world, when faced with such chaos, had their peak beings unify their will to gather all the universes and form the Little Guarden.
They too realized that if they continued wasting energy in internal conflict, they would never advance beyond their current limits.
…
At this moment, the vast divine realm of Fontaine—spanning hundreds of thousands of galaxies—was enshrouded by the Gift Game woven from the cosmic Truth and Laws of the Cosmic Nexus of Pan-Human History.
Alongside Fontaine, the domains of the Zoroastrian and Celtic pantheons were also enveloped by the Gift Game.
All beings within these three great pantheons were participants.
The Opera Epiclese, this hallowed hall famed across the universe, was filled with True Gods and higher-ranked deities from all three pantheons.
Every one of these gods' consciousnesses was fully immersed in the Gift Game.
Beyond the participants, the audience numbered more than ten times the combined True Gods of the three pantheons—divinities from pantheons all across the cosmos.
They too were fully immersed in the atmosphere of the Gift Game, surrounded by a breath entirely foreign to the existing universe. Rules alien to this cosmos spread outward from here, and in mere moments, had reached the entire universe.
Noah casually swept his gaze over the beings engaged in the Gift Game.
Every intelligent lifeform's consciousness now dwelled in the spiritual universe constructed by the Gift Game, becoming an almost insignificant part of it, assisting the gods of the three pantheons in comprehending the new Cosmology.
To awaken the Cosmology through the Gift Game meant that every participant would experience an incredibly long journey of civilizational exploration, passing through countless cycles, playing countless roles.
From the dawn of civilization to its very end…
For non-divine beings, it was merely a dream—by the time the Gift Game ended, they might have completely forgotten it.
But for the gods, every cycle, every civilization's journey was absolutely real.
These precious experiences became the most valuable foundation for each participant.
This was why, upon forming a Divine Collective, the power of its gods would leap forward dramatically.
It was not merely because of Pseudo Star Map Creation.
Buzz—
The tide-like veil of Pan-Human History covering the three divine realms receded.
The Laws of the Cosmic Nexus gradually faded until no trace remained.
Every consciousness within the Gift Game returned to reality.
Two beams of conceptual aurora from another universe rose from the Opera Epiclese, shooting straight toward the edge of the cosmos.
"It's… done!"
"Success!"
"This is the power of another universe!"
"The Supreme God of Fontaine has successfully awakened the Cosmology!"
"I knew it would succeed—after all, Fontaine is one of the Seven pantheons! Not something our minor pantheons could dare to fathom."
"Wait! It's not just one Cosmology—there's another!"
"Look! Two Pseudo Star Map Creations!"
Two celestial spheres, the manifested forms of cosmologies, slowly emerged from the conceptual aurora.
Not just one—but two.
Focalors and Furina slowly opened their eyes together, their gazes carrying the ancient weight of having witnessed the birth and death of countless civilizations and finally finding the answer.
Their voices overlapped.
"After nearly a hundred million civilizational journeys, seeking the answer to a new cosmos…"
"The Pseudo Star Map Creation—Dualism of Good and Evil—has finally been found."
Focalors and Furina simultaneously raised their heads, gazing at the celestial sphere emerging within the cosmic aurora. Their heterochromatic eyes, filled with an ancient aura, reflected its radiance.
As the power of another universe gradually took shape within them, that ancient air in their gaze receded, returning to the lively, youthful brilliance from the beginning.
They extended their right hands toward the celestial sphere in unison.
In that moment, their consciousnesses aligned.
Although Focalors and Furina were distinct individuals, their existence was akin to yin and yang—interdependent and inseparable.
Their personalities and divinity complemented one another in an endless cycle.
Even so, despite their identical appearance, the gods could still distinguish between them.
To the divine, Focalors and Furina were simply two facets of a single god, even if each saw herself as her own being.
"How much have we endured to complete this trial, oh Pseudo Star Map Creation…?"
The celestial sphere settled into their hands, radiating the power of another universe across the cosmos.
Everything connected to the Dualism of Good and Evil received its blessing, along with the gift of this Cosmology.
At the same time, on a cosmic scale, a singularity of dualistic opposition exploded in another dimension of the Teyvat Universe.
In the Dimensional Gap, the eternal, dreamlike colossal dragon stirred, her divine slit pupils opening slightly.
Within them, a newborn, primordial universe overlapped the Teyvat Universe like a thin film, increasing Teyvat's mass by the standard weight of a single-universe.
The dragon's eyes slowly closed again, her wings—spanning tens of thousands of light years—gently swaying.
With that motion, countless newborn planes appeared.
The birth of a primordial universe was nothing unusual to one who was the embodiment of Truth itself.
Every Cosmology activation gave rise to a corresponding primordial universe.
But a primordial universe was only the beginning—it had no life, no civilization. Everything remained in disorder. Even stars, planets, galaxies, and black holes had yet to form.
It was only the barest framework of a universe.
For it to grow into a true single-universe, the holder of the Pseudo Star Map Creation would have to work tirelessly.
The holder's own growth was bound to the development of that primordial universe. So long as they guided its evolution step-by-step, they would naturally reach the single-universe level without any bottleneck.
This was why Pseudo Star Map Creation holders faced no barriers in their advancement.
They were, in essence, equal to the universe they created.
"Nearly a hundred million searches for the answer… civilizations born again and again, each time reaching their final end… how many times did we almost break?"
Holding the celestial sphere, Focalors and Furina's eyes glistened.
To others, the Gift Game might seem brief. But to its participants, millions, even billions of years had passed.
No wonder the gods of the Liyue Divine Collective underwent such profound inner transformation after its formation.
After such experiences, transformation was inevitable.
With the emergence of the Pseudo Star Map Creation, the Celtic Tuatha Dé Danann pantheon and the Zoroastrian pantheon merged fully with Fontaine into a single, eternal Divine Collective—so long as the Cosmology endured, it would endure.
[Gift Game Name: O Gods, See the Cosmos as It Truly Is]
[Participants: Fontaine, Zoroastrian, Celtic]
[Progress: Completed]
[Three Pantheons' Cosmology Traceback: Completed]
[Dualism of Good and Evil: Avesta Activated]
[Fontaine Divine Collective Confirmed]
[Cosmology Unlocked; Divine Collective Receives Boon]
As the Gift Game ended, the gods of the Fontaine Divine Collective returned to themselves, slowly opening their eyes. Within them lingered the breath of ancient civilizations and the ages they had endured.
Yet after receiving the blessing of the Cosmology, these auras settled, becoming a vital foundation for their identity as members of the Fontaine Divine Collective.
Neuvillette gazed at the fading cosmic aurora and the Pseudo Star Map Creation now held by the central high god of the Fontaine Collective. He could feel the gift of the Cosmology.
As the Hydro Dragon Sovereign, he commanded the origin power of the ancient dragons—one of the ultimate dragon gods of the entire cosmos.
At the same time, he was universally acknowledged as the most just and fair of judge gods.
The gift he received was great indeed: the Origin of Judgment within the Dualism of Good and Evil.
This was one of the three most important pillars—justice being the dividing line and point of balance between good and evil. The other two were Absolute Evil and Absolute Good.
His future was now set. He would become one of the strongest Primordial Gods below the single-universe level, perhaps even reaching the low single-universe stage.
"And also… during the search for the answer in the Avesta Pseudo Star Map, I already suspected Fontaine might have a second Cosmology. As expected."
But this Pseudo Star Map Creation did not belong to the Fontaine pantheon—it belonged to the Zoroastrian pantheon.
Even though Fontaine was the suzerain of the Zoroastrians, it could not simply seize it. Nor was this aligned with the ideals of justice.
Although the Fontaine Divine Collective had been formed, the original pantheons still existed.
Just as with the Liyue Divine Collective, the Liyue pantheon remained the center and suzerain over the others.
Tet stretched lazily. "Ah~ This trial was such a headache. This was the hardest game I've ever played as the god of games—no contest. I doubt there'll ever be one harder in the future."
Artosh said nothing, but his expression showed he had learned and changed much during the civilizational journey—he had come to fully understand his beloved.
"Uuuuu… honestly, it was just a Gift Game, but why am I so reluctant to part with the stories I experienced? Uuuuuuu…" Azril cried openly upon waking, rubbing her eyes with both hands.
"Really… they were just stories, right? Uuuuu… Were they real? Can any great god tell me if they were real?"
Charlotte sighed. "Who knows if they were real? I'd like to think they were."
Unlike these more carefree gods who weren't thinking much about advancement, most of the deities, upon waking, immediately looked not only at Focalors, the center of the collective, but also fixed their burning gazes upon the unclaimed Pseudo Star Map Creation.
The joy in the air began to heat into tension. If they didn't know such a thing couldn't be stolen, they might have already rushed forward.
Nuada, King of the Celtic Gods; Ahura, the good god of the Zoroastrians; and Angra Mainyu, their evil god—all stared until their eyes nearly bled, their breathing trembling.
Veleslana's eyes bulged as he broke the growing tension with a slightly shaking voice: "The Pseudo Star Map Creation Avesta—that's the Zoroastrian Pseudo Star Map!"
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