HTLCCBFT Chapter 145

Has The Lord’s Career Chart Been Filled Today? – Chapter 145

The God of Death and the God of Wealth had a chance encounter in the divine realm, which immediately erupted into an utterly undignified “brawl.”

As for the specifics of that fight, Oliver, of course, had no way of knowing.

When he opened his eyes the next day to the warm sunlight and looked toward the deity beside him, all he could see were the aftermath of that scuffle.

The Cat God, who usually waited eagerly for him to wake and would inevitably lean in the moment he stirred to plant an affectionate kiss at the corner of his lips, now lay motionless, lost in thought.

Oliver frowned slightly.

He deliberately softened his tone, as if afraid of startling the other: “My dear… are you alright?”

The golden-haired deity, adorned with adorable cat ears and a fluffy tail, looked as if he had rolled in ash—his body covered in the same black mist Oliver had seen before.

Not only was he covered in grime, but the golden fur at the tips of his ears and tail appeared singed, the ends curled and blackened as if scorched by flames.

His strikingly handsome face wore a pitiful, dazed expression.

He resembled a pampered, usually domineering house cat who had just suffered a humiliating defeat outside, his demeanor full of grievance and dejection.

It certainly tugged at the heartstrings of Oliver, who inwardly saw himself as the “master.”

Though he couldn’t comprehend it—from the Cat God’s drunkenness to forcibly dragging him into the Divine Temple, then inexplicably sending him away—how had the deity managed to get bullied by another god in such a short time?

But judging by the familiar black mist, it wasn’t hard to guess it was likely the handiwork of Deyth, the God of Death.

“Did Deyth come to cause trouble for you?”

With the gentlest of movements, Oliver carefully brushed the black mist off the cat-eared deity and inspected the most obvious burns.

Fortunately, upon closer examination, he confirmed that only the golden fur had been damaged.

It seemed that Deyth, the God of Death, hadn’t truly harmed him.

As Oliver gently stroked him, the deity’s body stiffened slightly before he slowly nodded.

Receiving this affirmation, Oliver breathed a small sigh of relief.

He allowed the other to suddenly reach out and cling to him without protest, while continuing to soothingly pat his back and ask with concern, “Is there anything I can do to help?”

—If Deyth were to find out that this shameless golden cat had just engaged in a ruthless brawl with him before immediately running to his beloved believer for comfort, he would surely be furious beyond words.

At that moment, Deyth lay exhausted in his Divine Temple within the divine realm, waiting for the numerous superficial, fiery scratches covering his divine body to slowly heal. He was so enraged he didn’t even want to speak.

Damn it, it was utterly incomprehensible!

With a grim expression, Deyth channeled the purest power within his Divinity to accelerate the healing of his wounds, all while inwardly cursing that strangely powerful God of Wealth.

He was merely a new god who hadn’t yet fully grasped the laws of Divinity and, judging by his naive and foolish demeanor, hadn’t even absorbed all the wisdom he should have.

Yet he was childish enough to be driven by the instincts of his divine form, falling into a state of pseudo-heat!

“Idiot,” he scoffed disdainfully.Yet it was precisely this fool who, last time, had managed to inflict such severe damage to His Divinity using only the divine power attached to the Divine Statue!

And when the other party repeated the same trick this time, transforming into the form of a large cat and attacking Him with drunkenly swift swipes of sharp claws, He still felt unable to withstand it.

Although the wounds were shallow and healed quickly… He was nearly shredded into a fishing net by the other party!

“This is truly too unlucky.”

After who knows how long, having finally completed his recovery, He sat up, supporting his forehead in bewilderment and muttering to Himself, “Why do I suffer losses every time I encounter that fellow?”

Had He been too negligent in his divine duties, causing his divine power to decline too rapidly?

Deyth frowned suspiciously.

He clearly didn’t feel weak at all.

Just as Deyth was preparing to leave the divine realm, He suddenly sensed something.

His form, which had mostly faded, solidified once more. He tilted his head slightly and looked toward the figure that had appeared silently, expressing mild surprise: “Havest, it’s you.”

“Yes.”

The Harvest Goddess, Havest, nodded faintly toward Him, seemingly not at all surprised to find Him here, and said succinctly, “Long time no see, Deyth.”

“What brings you here?” He inquired curiously, then immediately rolled his eyes, a mischievous glint appearing in them. “If I recall correctly, your main Divine Temple in the mortal realm is in that Gray City, isn’t it?”

“Close, but not quite. The city under the protection of my main Divine Temple is Gregor City.”

Havest politely corrected.

As one of the rare goddesses among the chief deities, she was quite tolerant of this companion who could be considered the most temperamental and fond of pranks among the chief deities.

At this moment, she also generously asked, “Do you wish to exchange with me?”

“No, of course not, beautiful Havest. I am deeply grateful for your generosity.”

Instantly, Deyth seemed to change his face entirely. With the nearly healed cat scratches still visible on his body, He inquired politely, “I was just thinking… perhaps you wouldn’t mind if I shared in the enjoyment of listening to your followers’ wishes?”

As deities, They certainly didn’t need to go through the trouble of responding to Their followers’ wishes.

But it was undeniable that if They were willing to put in the effort, They would receive more power of faith in return.

As the Harvest Goddess deeply revered by farmers, Havest remained immensely powerful in divine power even if She paid no attention to Her followers.

However, She often did so—in Deyth’s view, perhaps because the God King She admired most had once been the deity who most tirelessly responded to the prayers of followers.

And ever since the God King disappeared, She, too, had withdrawn and rarely listened to the wishes of Her followers.

If not for this chance encounter, Deyth would have thought that She, like most deities, had voluntarily fallen into slumber.

Havest gave Him a somewhat puzzled look but still nodded: “Very well.”

With Her explicit permission, Deyth eagerly entered Her Divine Temple, acting as if He were genuinely interested in Her followers, and listened with keen interest.

The one praying in the main temple of the Harvest Goddess was none other than Count McKenna, the lord of Gregor City.

He was already forty-five years old, with graying hair drooping limply over his shoulders. His deep brown eyes were clouded, and between the fingers of his clasped hands were thin calluses from drawing bows.

The two layers of excess fat around his waist fully demonstrated that he, once a knight, had been far removed from the real battlefield for a long time.

He prayed absentmindedly, completely unaware that in the divine realm, two deities were quietly watching him—an unprecedented occurrence.

“…Your humble servant praises you from the depths of his heart, majestic and noble Harvest Goddess Havest.” His voice was hoarse as he murmured to himself: “I offer this year’s entire harvest as tribute, and beg you to bestow your blessing—allow this wish of mine before I depart to be fulfilled.”

Count McKenna’s seemingly impulsive decision actually stemmed from a conversation earlier that morning with his most trusted butler, Ken Spire[mfn]肯·斯拜尔(kěn · sī bài ěr) – sounds like ‘conspire'[/mfn].

At the time, he was lying in bed, enjoying his breakfast wine and bread served by attendants, just like every morning when he didn’t go out hunting.

After the servants left, the previously silent Ken Spire suddenly spoke: “My great master, may I ask when you plan to dispatch troops to Albury to reclaim the spoils from that young and weak duke?”

“Oh, my dear Ken.” Count McKenna raised his eyebrows slightly, showing the tolerance he never displayed to outsiders toward this always loyal old servant: “Did you drink two large barrels of wine last night? To speak such drunken nonsense.”

“This is not drunken talk,” Ken shook his head: “Respected master, are you truly going to completely abandon Albury?”

“You should know me quite well.”

Although somewhat displeased with having such a dull conversation on a beautiful morning, Count McKenna still smiled faintly and patiently explained: “That is the territory of that fool Butor. Even though his entire family was killed by those lowly rebels, its control would only return to the king’s hands—I’m afraid it wouldn’t fall to me.”

“Although Albury is far less prosperous than Gregor City, its location is quite important—aside from being adjacent to the southern border and close to those three important mining cities, its nearest neighbor is that Angel Duke Oliver whom even the king fears.”

“Even if I went to great efforts to capture Albury,” Count McKenna let out a soft belch, immediately feeling annoyed at himself for such an unaristocratic gesture, and slowly continued: “With one royal decree, I’d have to obediently hand it over without gaining a single copper coin of benefit, while still having to pay the mercenaries… Oh, such a foolish losing proposition—are you suggesting I should undertake it?”

“Of course not, master.”

But Ken didn’t give up.

He changed tack: “You must have heard that the Angel Duke seems to possess the miraculous ability to turn stone into gold.”

“How could I not know that the pretty little prince who even captivated the old king is actually an Alchemist?”

Before his most faithful butler, Count McKenna didn’t conceal his disdain for the old king in the slightest.

His patience was gradually wearing thin: “If your purpose is to describe to me how enthusiastic that Angel Duke is about digging for that small piece of gold in the remote countryside… then I think you may leave now, my overly concerned butler.”

“Please grant me a few more moments of your patience, wise master.”

Ken continued: “What I hope you will consider is taking over Albury before he solidifies his position as the lord of two cities.”

“What nonsense are you speaking, Ken?”

Count McKenna laughed, his face full of disbelief: “Why would I provoke a pretty little duke for a tattered territory far inferior to my Gregor City? No matter how destitute he may be, his father was once great, and his narrow-minded brother wears that glittering golden crown.”

“Because,” Ken narrowed his cunning eyes and stated with certainty, “You possess a strong claim to the ownership of Albury City.”

“Strong claim?”

Count McKenna laughed incredulously: “Don’t joke about this! I’ve never heard of such a thing! Have you gone mad, Ken? Are you trying to make me challenge a duke and declare war on him!!”

“Perhaps there’s no need for actual combat, only to make him retreat upon recognizing the difficulty, master.” Ken said without any fear: “Aside from the pitifully few loyal knights not dispersed by the king, he only has so-called guards temporarily selected from slaves… He is completely no match for you, my great master.”

“Oh, how wonderful!” Count McKenna shrugged, smiling lazily as he asked sarcastically: “The key point is, why should I engage in something with such low returns? And where is this strong claim I’ve never heard of, my dear butler? Could it be mixed in with the letters you bring to your wife?”

“His Majesty would certainly be willing to grant it to you, master, as long as you are willing to bring your hunting party to Albury, demonstrate hostility toward Duke Oliver, and fully display loyalty to the new king.”

Ken’s lips curved slightly, revealing a faintly sinister smile: “Because compared to his ducal brother who has purer and more noble bloodline than him – the one he had to give up the best opportunity to kill at that time – he would certainly prefer you to obtain that territory. So, why not give it a try, my master?”

---