Chapter 164

Thus, I bestowed new names upon the gods.

The Greek and Egyptian mythologies, Norse and Indian mythologies… They felt a bit too grand to dive into, but oh well. Anyway.

Other than those, I also borrowed names from Chinese mythology, Celtic myths, and Aztec lore, slapping them onto the deities like stickers on a school notebook.

If it weren’t for Wikipedia, I might’ve been in some trouble—my memory of ancient mythologies had its limits. Honestly, all I could recall were Greek-Roman and Norse legends, with maybe a sprinkle of Egyptian stuff. That was about it.

Of course, the gods here didn’t perfectly align one-to-one with the gods from the other world, so not every deity got an exact name match. For example, Zeus or Thor—they didn’t quite fit neatly.

Most of the regional gods also received names inspired by Earth’s mythologies or geographical locations. Surprisingly, among the newly named gods were several dragons who’d been worshipped as deities by humans.

Hmm… maybe it was due to my influence, but dragons generally seemed friendly toward other lifeforms. Unless provoked first, they wouldn’t bother anyone. And if humans prayed earnestly, these dragons would often answer their requests kindly.

It made sense that they’d be revered as benevolent beings, even worshipped as gods.

Anyway, moving past the dragon-turned-gods…

Once given their new names and cultural contexts, the gods settled down, strengthening themselves rather than squabbling endlessly.

Among them, the most prominent group hailed from Greek mythology, calling themselves the Olympians. Based slightly west of Arcadia, they established themselves in various city-states, leaning on their close relationship with humanity as their main strength. Their personified presence allowed them to wield considerable influence over mortals.

Though their proximity to humans occasionally angered other gods, resulting in unfortunate casualties among the faithful, Baal had reprimanded them harshly enough to keep things under control—or so I hoped.

Interestingly, the Olympians were also among the fiercest fighters during conflicts between gods. Without their constant brawling, the number of gods might have been 1.5 times greater!

Next up were the beast-headed gods causing ruckus around Ifrit. These desert-dwelling gods, born from the harsh environment and adapted by beastmen, took names from Egyptian mythology.

Primarily worshipped by beastmen living near the sands and some citizens of Procyon, the city of mages, they remained influential despite being overshadowed by Ifrit, the Sacred Flame. Still, freedom of worship prevailed—believing in multiple gods wasn’t frowned upon.

Using their divine powers, this group known as the Ennead mimicked human magic, creating miracles and slowly turning the barren desert into fertile land.

With wars ceased, they focused instead on cultivating prosperity. Of course, stealing faith from other gods was forbidden, so growing their own followers became essential. It was almost like watching raiders transition into farmers—a fascinating process indeed.

Then there were the gods residing near the Great Forest where Yggdrasil stood, slightly eastward, close to the perpetually snow-covered northern lands. Calling themselves the Aesir, these gods bore names from Norse mythology.

Born among the sturdy humans enduring the brutal northern continent, they exhibited rough personalities, forming a relatively small yet fiercely combative faction. Sandwiched between the elves’ Great Forest, the dwarves’ Sagarmatha, and the giants’ domain, their position was precarious.

While they couldn’t recklessly meddle with the elves or dwarves—lest they incur the wrath of Yggdrasil or Sagarmatha—they still packed quite the punch in terms of combat prowess.

Even though their numbers weren’t overwhelming, their aggressive tendencies set them apart.

Oh, and another interesting tidbit: the infamous battlefield of Betelgeuse lay within their territory, where elves and dwarves clashed frequently.

Despite their strength, even the Aesir knew better than to mess with my creations—the gap between us was insurmountable.

So there you have it: three major factions dominating the scene, plus smaller groups scattered across the eastern continent, such as Lokapala and Kunlun. There were countless others unaffiliated with larger factions, but listing them all would take forever. Let’s leave it at that.

Ah, speaking of peculiar cases…

There was the curious matter of lizardmen’s religion. The belief in the Creator Dragon God and Destruction Dragon God had spread among humans, eventually evolving into something entirely unique: Quetzalcoatl.

In a way, he could be considered a fragment of me. When he approached me for recognition, his origins made him susceptible to immediate submission. Despite being somewhat warped, his fundamental nature tied back to me, making his subservience inevitable.

Still, seeing potential utility in him, I retained part of his individuality and repurposed him into a manageable entity. He now oversaw the administration of lizardmen and managed believers of the Creator Dragon God.

I strictly forbade any form of human sacrifice. Why resort to meaningless bloodshed when the world runs just fine without it?

—

“Alright, that should wrap things up.”

After giving the final god his name, I watched him bow respectfully before departing, stretching lightly afterward.

Great! With rules established, territories divided, and systems in place, I could finally stop meddling in divine affairs. Everything seemed poised to function smoothly without my interference.

“Thanks for your hard work, Mom.”

“Hmm. Sorry about that, Sagarmatha. I promised we’d spend time together, but work kept getting in the way. Thanks for lending your space for those interviews.”

“Yeah, no worries. Watching you work was fun enough.”

Fun? Watching me work? Strange, but if Sagarmatha enjoyed it, I suppose that’s good.

“By the way, Mom…”

“There’s more?”

Sagarmatha suddenly adopted a serious expression, which was rare.

“Mom, do you have an ideal type?”

WHAT?! Where did THAT come from?!

“No, wait… Is this about raising Baal to become your companion?”

“WHAT ARE YOU TALKING ABOUT?! NEVER!”

Baal as my partner?! Are you insane?! Sure, he looks feminine enough to pass as a cute girl, but I’d never choose a man as my mate—not with how uncomfortable the idea makes me.

“I’ve never imagined having a companion, so please drop this nonsense.”

Not that I need one anyway. If I DID need one… Well, Baal’s out of the question. He’s still too young and nowhere near my level. Maybe someone older, more experienced…

Eh? Why did Erebus just pop into my head?! That deadbeat who ran off after causing chaos? No way. Absolutely not.

“Nope. Nothing like that.”

Sagarmatha appeared genuinely pleased by my denial.

Does she find relief in knowing I’ll stay single?

On second thought, if I ever DID get a partner, Sagarmatha would technically gain a stepfather. She might dislike that.

So, I spent the rest of the day kneading her face like clay, pretending her facial muscles were malfunctioning.