Chapter 50: The Power of Eunice, Lady of the Night

"What are you doing?" Wang Yu watched as the Lady of the Night scrutinized his mental sanctuary, and he inexplicably sensed an emotion called curiosity emanating from this impossibly tall, faceless woman.

"I am curious about this thing; such a peculiar object, I have never seen one before..." The Lady of the Night did not mind Wang Yu's familiarity, stating her curiosity directly.

"Aren't you a god? To be curious about something like this—theoretically, this is my mental sanctuary."

Wang Yu raised an eyebrow. He knew his mental space was unique, though he truly didn't know why. Perhaps this so-called "Goddess of the Night" could provide some answers?

"Your mental sanctuary? I have never seen such a sanctuary. There is not a single trace of the Void within it, only pure mental energy. How did you achieve this?"

The Lady of the Night’s tone held confusion and bewilderment. Wang Yu felt she was perhaps too "human." In his eyes, while gods shouldn't be mechanical or rigid, they shouldn't be as human-like as this lady.

"I don't know." Wang Yu didn't understand the origin of his mental space's uniqueness either, but it had brought him many benefits, such as immunity to mental arts and protection from Void corruption.

Wang Yu looked at the tall deity in her deep black gown, his thoughts drifting.

After Wang Yu told Avia about this "Goddess of the Night" named Eunice, Avia had used the "Memory Library" spell to consult deep archives, eventually identifying the lady with reasonable certainty.

In the folk history and records of Sewentan, there was a deity worshipped by commoners. She was not a famous god, nor did she possess an orthodox church.

Her worship existed only among the folk, with very little documentation, appearing only as minor historical notes in secular chronicles.

The records spoke of a deity associated with the night, who wielded the power of darkness. At night, she could cloak her followers in darkness, granting them the blessing of concealment.

Ironically, while the prayers addressed her as the Sovereign of the Night, the powers she clearly demonstrated in the records seemed limited to night-time concealment and simple shadow-stepping.

The statues and descriptions depicted her as female, hence the title "Lady of the Night," and her name was indeed Eunice.

There were many such apocryphal deities, so many that it was hard to distinguish truth from fiction. Bored writers and adventurers loved to invent impressive-sounding gods, loudly touting their greatness and power.

In reality, such gods often didn't exist. The recognized deities were few, all with established names and churches; the rest were usually bizarre Void entities.

If not for the name "Eunice," the title "Lady of the Night," and the origin "Sewentan" all perfectly aligning with the "god" in his mental space, he might never have connected the folk myth to her. But the sheer number of consistencies confirmed her identity: a minor, churchless folk deity.

"Is she a Void entity...?" Wang Yu looked at the Lady of the Night, who was still staring at his sanctuary, and shook his head. Unlikely.

A major trait of Void entities was their chaotic madness; none of them were normal, and their minds were never sound. If one could communicate normally, they were definitely not a Void entity.

To be sure she wasn't just a sane-looking lunatic, one could observe the Void surrounding them.

Though ordinary people might go mad just looking at a Void entity, the dense concentration of Void energy around them was a clear indicator. Clearly, the Lady of the Night possessed neither trait.

"So, is she truly a 'god'? It feels a bit too... weak...?"

Yes, whether it was the Void entity Wang Yu saw as the Lord of Extinction, or the glimpse of the God of Light in Bishop Fang’s mental space, both were far more powerful than this tall lady. And as she said, she couldn't even choose her own followers?

"I have a question, if you don't mind answering? What do you mean by saying you cannot choose your followers and that no one remembers you?"

"That is indeed what I mean. A long time ago, by your reckoning, many worshipped me, and I could grant them power. They were humans I cherished."

"But I know not when it began—my followers died, and no new ones emerged. As more died, my faith dwindled, and my power faded."

"Until not long ago, about a hundred years, all my followers were gone. Since then, no one has remembered me; all sentient beings forgot me. If there were no accidents, my decay would have continued until I vanished completely."

"But within this year, a group of mindless goblins suddenly began to worship me and remembered me. I do not like these mindless creatures, for their faith only makes me chaotic."

"Yet their faith was strangely devout, more so than my most pious followers of old. Thus, they gained my power, until yesterday, when you killed those creatures. Once again, someone remembered me, and that person is you."

"Though, on that same day, another human remembered me, but she does not worship me. I only know she remembers my existence, but I cannot communicate with her..."

"Avia? But, to be unable to communicate without faith—that seems strange."

Wang Yu was certain he had not a shred of "faith" in this Lady of the Night, yet he could communicate with her directly. Was this another consequence of his unique mental space? It seemed so.

"I can feel that you do not worship me, yet I can converse with you. You are special. If you are willing, I wish to receive your faith..." the Lady of the Night’s voice echoed.

"Sorry, I don't intend to..." Wang Yu pursed his lips. Honestly, he didn't even know how to enter a state of "faith." He couldn't define it.

Does acknowledging a god count as "faith," or must one be obedient from the heart?

If it were the former, it might be fine, but if the latter, Wang Yu feared he couldn't manage "faith" at all.

"Speaking of which, what benefit is there in worshipping you?" He suddenly recalled the divine arts of the priests, and a line from a novel he’d read in his past life: "It doesn't cost anything, might as well believe a little."

Wang Yu was suddenly curious. To talk of faith without asking what one gains—a sentiment that would be considered blasphemous by any pious believer—was uttered by Wang Yu so casually.

"If you were my follower, I could grant you the ability to gain secret protection in the night, and the ability to traverse shadows."

"Abilities that match the folk records... she really is that legendary existence." After learning what she could truly grant, Wang Yu was even more certain she was the same god from Avia's research.

But why would a Sewentan deity be forgotten, only to appear here? That was another question.

"Very nice abilities, but unfortunately, I am not your follower."

Wang Yu truly felt a bit of regret. He had witnessed the power of those abilities; the "invisibility" the three goblins possessed must have been the blessing of night concealment.

And the ability the two goblins used to spring from the thorn vines must have been shadow-traversing.

Wang Yu had to admit, these were tempting skills. Even mindless goblins could become formidable assassins with them.

Not to mention humans with better physical stats and intelligence; these were the dream abilities of countless assassins. Divine arts were, at times, unreasonably powerful.

Wang Yu also hoped to acquire these two abilities—concealment and shadow-stepping. Though the night-time restriction seemed harsh, the effects were undeniably potent and practical.

It was a pity. This god seemed quite reasonable; if he worshipped her, he could likely obtain these powers. But based on her words, he couldn't be considered a "believer."

Wang Yu shook his head, deciding to end the conversation there. A little knowledge was enough.

Since he couldn't gain anything from the Lady of the Night, the best course was to relay the situation to Father Fang. Let the Archbishop of the God of Light handle it; the Church of Light wasn't exclusionary, so they likely wouldn't do anything extreme.

"I believe it is not impossible to try." As Wang Yu prepared to leave, the Lady of the Night, Eunice, interrupted him.

Wang Yu turned his gaze to the "god." "I believe you are special. Since you can converse with me without faith, perhaps I can bestow my power upon you directly. If you are satisfied with my power, I hope you will then offer me your faith." The Lady of the Night laid out her plan.

He was somewhat surprised. This "god" was so interested in his faith? Was this what other gods called a "divine selection"? A saint or chosen one? Should he consider this good luck?

"Is that so? I think I can give it a try." Wang Yu nodded.

"Then I shall channel my power into this space. Try to gather it, then guide it; you should be able to use my abilities."

As the Lady of the Night spoke, her tall figure began to turn ethereal. Her black, night-sky-like gown seemed to dissolve, transforming into flowing streams of darkness.

The black fluid flowed across the clear lake at Wang Yu's feet, looking like black serpents gliding over the water. Wang Yu didn't understand what "gathering" meant, so he chose the simplest, most direct method: he walked over and reached out.

Wang Yu walked on the surface of the lake, approached the winding rivers of black liquid, and plunged his hand in.

In an instant, he felt a special power with an owner—a complex force woven from various concepts.

"Concealment," "Darkness," "Negation"... these concepts were tangled within the chaotic power.

This power was very similar to the Void energy he had encountered at the mansion; they both carried a brand—they were owned. Undoubtedly, the owner was the Lady of the Night, Eunice.

Try to absorb it? Wang Yu didn't know how to handle it, so he treated it like Void energy. His mental power surged, guiding the force into his body like water being drawn in.

Perhaps due to the Lady of the Night's permission, the power didn't reject Wang Yu like the Lord of Extinction's Void energy had; it entered his body naturally.

Once absorbed, Wang Yu found he could invoke these powers in the material world just like his Void energy. Well then, let's test this ability.

His mind returned to his body. Wang Yu exited the mental space, stood up from his desk, and walked to the bed. He clicked off the magic crystal lamp, and the room was plunged into darkness, save for a sliver of moonlight from the window.

He naturally mobilized the power stored in his mental space. Without needing much control, the energy began to cloak his body.

Wang Yu noticed his body turning gray, the color fading, as if his existence were being peeled away from the material world...

So that's how it is? By using this special power to pull oneself into the gap between the material world and the Void, achieving an effect where one exists but cannot be observed?

As expected of a divine art; it could achieve such an effect. Wang Yu was looking forward to it. This power was very useful. If he could keep borrowing it from this "god," it would be a great help. Wait...

Wang Yu discovered that once the color had almost entirely drained from his body, the transformation ceased; he neither turned transparent nor vanished.

He remained in that state of muted gray, but beyond that point, the power offered no further response. Aside from the negligible drain required to maintain this pallid form, the essence gifted by the Lady of the Night lay dormant.

"Hm? Is it because I am not a believer? That is a possibility." He did not dwell on it. Since this ability was subject to such strange limitations, he reasoned that the Shadow Step must be similarly restricted. He decided to test it.

With a shift of his intent, those energies were automatically summoned once more, circulating through his frame until they saturated his entire being.

Wang Yu sensed the change. Standing in the darkness, he felt a vibrant, pulsing energy; the shadows seemed to welcome him, making him feel as though he could glide through the gloom with the ease of a fish in water.

Was this the Shadow Step? Wang Yu attempted to move in accordance with this sensation, but it was the same as before—he hit a wall.

He tried to traverse the shadows, but though the feeling of fluidity remained, no matter how he channeled it, he could not slip through the dark. Instead…

Wang Yu took a few steps and realized his movements had become significantly faster. The sensation of being in his element was indeed accurate.

He felt more agile and better adapted to the darkness than ever before, but it was merely an increase in dexterity; as expected, he could not leap between shadows.

Wang Yu looked down at his gray-toned body. What, then, was the purpose of this ability?

He noticed a large tree outside his window, where a black cat was dozing on a branch.

The branch was close enough that he could reach out and touch the creature, making it a perfect subject for his experiment.

Wang Yu opened the window. The friction of the sill and frame caused the cat to lift its head in alarm, but it soon lowered it again, seemingly losing interest.

Wang Yu stared at the cat. Its alertness was commendable, but was it possible it simply could not see him?

He extended his hand out the window, inching toward the cat’s face. At the same time, he realized his night vision had sharpened considerably.

He could not perceive color—everything was a shade of black—but he could discern the outlines of objects with startling clarity. Without this heightened perception, it would have been nearly impossible to spot a black cat in such a pitch-black night.

Wang Yu’s gray-white hand crept toward the cat. One meter: no reaction. Half a meter: still nothing. Twenty-five centimeters: not a twitch.

Ten centimeters: as his fingertips neared the cat’s whiskers, the creature suddenly looked around, confused, its paws shifting as if sensing something amiss, yet it remained still.

Nine centimeters: his fingertips brushed the cat’s whiskers. With a sharp, startled yowl, the cat’s fur stood on end, its back arched, and in the next heartbeat, it leaped from the tree and vanished into the night.

Watching the cat scramble away as if it had lost its wits, Wang Yu chuckled uncharitably. He admitted, it was a bit mean-spirited.

"Everything has been weakened, but my stealth has certainly been enhanced. Even a cat, with senses far sharper than a human's, needs to be within inches to detect me. This is not a bad ability to have."

"The Shadow Step has also been reduced to a mere boost in agility within the darkness. Though not as versatile as I’d hoped, it is a tangible improvement."

Wang Yu nodded. If possible, faith might not be a bad thing, but for now, he had yet to grasp the concept of "belief."

His consciousness returned to the mental void. The Lady of the Night, her face a featureless expanse of darkness, looked toward him. "My power—what think you of it? Are you willing to offer your faith to me?"

"It is quite good, though weakened in every aspect." Wang Yu acknowledged the strength of the ability but pointed out its limitations, questioning if his lack of faith was the cause.

"That is not so. Should you borrow my power, you ought to be able to wield it fully. Yet you cannot. Your uniqueness leaves me both puzzled and intrigued."

"Though you have yet to offer your faith, I desire it nonetheless." The Lady of the Night offered a negative reply.

Wang Yu was stunned. He knew his mental space was unique, but he was baffled as to why this manifested in the power affecting his physical form.

However, he had no answers, and he doubted the Lady of the Night knew either, so he let the thought go.

Wang Yu rubbed his chin. The ability was useful and worth borrowing, but he doubted the Lady of the Night would allow him to use it for free indefinitely. So…

"Here is the thing: I do not know how to offer faith, and I suspect you require it. Forgive my bluntness, but I do not trust you. In the next two days, I shall consult a man of great power whom I respect."

"If there are no issues, I can help you spread your faith. In exchange, I wish to continue borrowing your power. How does that sound?"

Wang Yu’s plan was simple. The Lady of the Night seemed harmless, but he could not rule out hidden dangers. He would consult Father Fang, a man of significant standing. If the priest gave his blessing, he would have no qualms about spreading the faith of Eunice, the Lady of the Night.

These abilities were practical; any rogue-like professional would covet them, so finding followers would not be difficult. As for the "Lord of the Night" of the official Church, fortunately, that deity was entirely indifferent.

There were already countless fake "Night Churches" operating under the name of a god who was never seen or heard from.

In reality, the official church didn't care; they barely even manifested miracles. If not for the fact that the Church of Light and other faiths recognized the Lord of the Night, some might doubt the deity existed at all.

Therefore, if Wang Yu were to commission a statue of the Lady of the Night, the official Church would not intervene.

Moreover, once adventurers realized that believing in this deity granted such tangible abilities, they would surely not be stingy with their faith.

Compared to the complexity of orthodox divine arts, the two techniques of Eunice, the Lady of the Night, were simple and practical. He would likely have no shortage of followers.

"I am grateful for your offer. This is what I require, and my power is yours to borrow. Yet, I still hope to receive your faith."

The Lady of the Night’s response was one of acceptance; it seemed she truly needed that faith.

"Ha, let us wait until I understand what 'faith' truly is." He hadn't expected her to remain so fixated on him, but he was pleased to have gained two new special abilities.

However, all of this hinged on Father Fang’s approval…

Wang Yu narrowed his eyes. He had not forgotten that this might be a scheme by Saint-Tain against Alastair. Although the Lady of the Night seemed benign, one could never be certain what she was hiding.

Recalling the key phrases he had noted—"cultist group" and "chaos in the Wall District"—he pondered.

"I will call you by your name, Eunice," he asked. "Have you noticed any other deities like yourself gaining followers recently?" Wang Yu held no reverence for gods, at most, a measure of respect.

"I know nothing of the outside world. My followers are my eyes and ears, yet those mindless wretches provide me with no news. They offer me nothing but the filth of slaughter…"

The Lady of the Night’s tone carried a touch of human-like dissatisfaction and disgust.

Unable to glean anything further, Wang Yu decided not to linger. He would consult Father Fang tomorrow. He bid the Lady of the Night a casual farewell, and his consciousness returned to the waking world.

Wang Yu lay back on his bed, the Eye of Inner Detection automatically engaging. He fell asleep the moment his head hit the pillow, his sleep quality as excellent as ever.