The girls smiled and waved goodbye to Rod.
The masked elf curiously glanced back at Rod, only to meet his searching gaze, which startled her into quickly turning her head away, pretending as if nothing had happened, though the tips of her ears were a little red.
Before leaving, Alise didn't forget to remind him.
"Rod, we're leaving now, we'll call you for lunch!"
Just as Goddess Astrea was also about to leave, Rod slowly reined in the smile on his face and suddenly spoke.
"Goddess Astrea, can gods in Heaven see and influence the mortal world?"
Goddess Astrea turned back in surprise, meeting Rod's sincere gaze, which was eager for an answer, and after a moment of hesitation, she softly said,
"By the rules, no."
The subtext was that it was actually possible.
"Why are you suddenly asking this, Rod?"
Rod did not hide anything but tried to confirm his suspicions.
"Actually, during my time in the Dungeon, except for a few special days, I never had enough food or warmth."
Although Valletta took good care of him, the Dark Faction were a bunch of reckless madmen, so they naturally paid lip service while doing the opposite.
"I even thought I would freeze to death there... Yet, whenever I shivered, the campfire in the fireplace always brought me warmth."
After a pause, Rod softly added.
"It felt to me just like when you held me before."
Goddess Astrea's expression was subtle as she narrowed her eyes.
"Hmm... Is it possible it was just an illusion caused by the simple warmth of the fire?"
Rod shook his head, denying it with an incredibly serious expression.
"At first, I also thought it was an illusion, but besides the first day when I added the only piece of firewood I had, I haven't added any fuel to that campfire for over ten days, yet it just kept burning."
"It kept burning until Laila and the others came to rescue me, and it finally went out after protecting me one last time..."
At this, Goddess Astrea could no longer offer a denial.
Her slender fingers pressed against her forehead, and she seemed a little troubled.
"Hmm... I see, would that divine friend do such a thing...? No, given her homebody nature, it might actually be possible..."
"And even though Rod already has me, he's still thinking of another goddess, which makes me feel a bit strange."
"The reason Rod is asking me this isn't because he wants me to use the Sword of Justice to punish her for breaking the rules, is it?"
Goddess Astrea pouted slightly, gently waving her fist as if to vent her small grievances on that divine friend in Heaven.
Although the scene of the Goddess of Justice chasing after the Hearth Goddess and fiercely knocking her on the head seemed quite interesting, he was more curious as to why that goddess, who strongly disliked men in Heaven, would pay attention to him.
Rod shook his head with a wry smile.
"Of course not, I want to ask, if according to the normal schedule, when will she descend to the mortal world?"
Goddess Astrea saw through Rod's thoughts and revealed a bright smile.
"Hehe, Rod is indeed a good child who values loyalty and righteousness... Regarding this, the gods in Heaven can only descend to the mortal world when another god ascends."
"She would surely be very happy to know your thoughts, but as a human with a finite lifespan, there's no need to be so fixated on this matter."
Rod's attitude remained unchanged; he simply stared at Goddess Astrea, his eyes slightly narrowed, emanating absolute will.
"What if... a god ascends very soon? Will it be her turn?"
Since he had already confirmed that he had actually been secretly looked after by that goddess during those days, Rod wanted to repay her no matter what.
If he were to wait for her to descend according to the normal timeline, it would be far too long.
Goddess Astrea's blue eyes pierced through the resolute Rod.
"You..."
Rod added.
"I will not harbor ill intentions towards the innocent."
The human and the god stared at each other for a long time, and in the end, Goddess Astrea was the one who yielded.
She turned her head and let out a soft sigh.
"What you just said, I'll pretend I didn't hear it."
Rod felt a bit disappointed internally, but Goddess Astrea immediately continued.
"I will go find Hephaestus; she seems to have a way to contact Heaven. If you are lucky, Hestia might have swapped duties with someone before the next god ascends, perhaps giving her a chance to descend early."
"Hmm, everything depends on luck."
Rod showed a sincere smile of gratitude.
"Thank you, Goddess Astrea!"