A god could strip divine domains, but such things were immensely valuable even to gods. If the Spider Queen were sent to the God of Alchemy's divine realm, would he really return the extracted domains?
There was nothing stopping him from lying. And in his current weakened state, the Spider Queen's domains would be an extraordinary boon, enough to restore him and perhaps even elevate him beyond his former peak.
Faced with such temptation, would he really give them back?
Worse still, he had deceived Ambrose before. That lingering distrust remained between master and student.
Now that the God of Alchemy had made his offer, Ambrose had to think carefully.
Heki Stone muttered under his breath, "A god who answers your call instantly... What's there not to trust?"
Everyone present heard him, and, truthfully, many thought the same.
At his level, what more could you ask for?
Just as they expected Ambrose to agree without hesitation, he instead said, "Master, you're right, I don't fully trust you. If these were merely my spoils, I wouldn't mind taking the risk. But this time, it's not just mine. If you can't give us a convincing guarantee, I'll have to seek help from another god."
His words surprised the members of the Elegiac Society. For someone usually so obsessed with profit, Ambrose showed unexpected integrity when it mattered.
They expected the God of Alchemy to be angered. Instead, he replied calmly, "I knew you'd say that. Don't worry. You have no idea of the weight that the name ‘Elegiac Society' carries. I wouldn't dare cheat you."
Ambrose glanced at Poet. Since the two seemed acquainted, the decision fell to him.
The Poet patted Ambrose's shoulder. "He's right. Trust him. Your master won't deceive you."
With that reassurance, Ambrose moved on.
"The Spider Queen has four domains we can extract. How do we divide them?"
Poet spoke first. "Don't include me. They're useless to me."
That wasn't modesty: he simply didn't need them. But that made things awkward. He had contributed the most. If he took nothing, others would hesitate.
Heki Stone had no such reservations and was just about to speak when Ambrose shot him a glare. "Back off. You know how much you contributed. I'll let you ask Arthur Lyon a few more questions later, but don't even think about claiming a domain."
"Deal!"
He hadn't expected a share anyway. This was already a win for him.
With that resolved, Ambrose turned back to Poet. "If you don't want anything, it'll be hard for us to divide the loot up. How about you let us help you with a request?"
"Well, domains really are useless to me." Poet stroked his chin, then said, "I want to hold a concert. But organizing the venue and audience is troublesome. You handle that for me."
Ambrose: "..."
Maybe giving him a domain would've been easier. Poet's music was truly lethal. Even undead might have their souls shattered after listening to it for too long. Just a few seconds of doing so had nearly driven Ambrose mad. A full concert might reduce him to ash.
Still, if this was what it took to become a god...
At worst, he'd reserve a concert venue in Lyon. Those paladins might well ascend to heaven after hearing Poet's music!
"...Fine. I'll do my best to arrange it," Ambrose promised. "But not immediately, since the continent is unstable. We all need to prepare."
"No rush," Poet replied generously. "Undead are immortal, after all."
The ghoul, Yugasi, also declined a domain. "I didn't contribute much," he said. "And the Spider Queen's domains don't suit me. I'd rather walk my own path."
Only then did Ambrose realize that Yugasi, like Aige, was already a demigod. He was just one step from true divinity. For someone like that, absorbing incompatible domains could permanently limit his growth.
Yugasi added, "If anything's left of the body after extraction... give it to me. A god's flesh tastes incredible."
With both of them out, the rest of the division became simple.
There were four domains, one for the God of Alchemy, one for Black Rose, one for Ambrose, and one for Gareth and his wife. Perfect.
Now that they had reached an agreement, the God of Alchemy waved his hand and took the Spider Queen away.
"My power is still weak. Extracting the domains will take time. Be patient."
Ambrose wanted to ask how long, but the god's projection had already vanished. Clearly, his former master was likewise eager to recover his strength.
With the battle over, the members of the Elegiac Society dispersed as quickly as they had arrived.
Soon, only Ambrose, Black Rose, and a few wandering low-level undead remained.
Ambrose asked, "What will you do with your domain? If you ascend, Aion's rules will bind you. You won't be able to act against Lyon directly."
Black Rose replied calmly, "Of course I won't ascend. I'm not ready to face the Lord of Dawn's holy light. "I'll trade the domain for assistance from other gods. It will make destroying Lyon much easier."
Her words gave Ambrose pause. Ascending meant an entirely different set of rules. The Lord of Dawn couldn't casually strike him down now, but if he became a god, that restriction would vanish.
Of course, gods usually remained within their divine realms. And if the Spider Queen Loss hadn't gone crazy and attacked him directly, she would never have landed in such straits.
But what if...? What if the Lord of Dawn were to find him?
Even as a god, a single strike from the Lord of Dawn might reduce him to nothing.
Still, Ambrose quickly steeled himself. "No matter what, I will ascend. Even if it's dangerous, I have to try."
It was the only path forward. Even if it was lined with thorns, he would walk it.
"I knew you'd say that," Black Rose replied. "Then before you ascend, let's have more children."
Misleading though the wording might be, it reminded Ambrose of something.
"...Wait. I forgot about Milena. Where is she?!"
Earlier, he had told Milena to stay with the drow. But the battle had escalated too quickly. All this had happened over the course of fewer than ten hours.
He had completely forgotten about his daughter.
Black Rose's expression shifted as well. Had Ambrose lost his daughter?
They split up immediately to search for her.
The underground city had been devastated after being crushed repeatedly by Gareth.
After several passes, Ambrose finally found Milena in the ruins, looking utterly confused.
She was still in her drow disguise and hiding inside a collapsed structure.
"Father," she said blankly, "what happened? I waited for hours, then suddenly there was an earthquake, and everything collapsed."
"Why didn't you run?"
"I was afraid you wouldn't find me if I ran."
Ambrose: "..."
She had been incredibly lucky. Had she been in Gareth's path, she would have been badly wounded, or worse.
This time, Ambrose had to admit that it was his fault. He hadn't expected her to be this obedient.
"Alright, it's over now. Let's go home."
Milena blinked. "Home? Did you find the mastermind?"
"She's already dead."
"...What? But I didn't do anything."
She looked genuinely upset. She had finally gotten a chance to prove herself, but things had ended before she could do anything.
Wouldn't she still be seen as a fool?
Ambrose chuckled. "It doesn't matter. Let me teach you something. History is written by the victors. We won, so we decide how the story goes. You can take all the credit. No one will argue."
"But... that's not true," Milena protested. "I didn't do anything."
Ambrose smiled. "Only fools obsess over the process. If you don't want to be one, start here. Make them believe you solved everything through your brilliance. As for how, make it up."
After bringing the thoughtful Milena back to Black Rose, Ambrose withdrew.
This trip had been meant to gather mycelid spores, yet he had gained a divine domain instead. He was now only one step away from godhood.
Returning to his alchemy workshop, Ambrose located the ingredients needed for sunscreen from the three types of spores, then contacted Black Rose.
At this point, they didn't even bother discussing costs. She simply agreed to gather the supplies and send them in bulk.
With that done, Ambrose opened his personal space and approached Trisna's body.
Everyone had forgotten about the legendary drow blessed by three goddesses. Her corpse alone was immensely valuable.
But as Ambrose considered how to make use of it, the black dagger embedded in her body melted into liquid and seeped inside.
The corpse rose to its feet as the temporal stasis was nullified completely.
When Trisna stood again, her eyes had turned pitch black. In a strange voice, she said, "You've taken all my benefits. How do you intend to compensate me for my losses?"