in the name of the queen.

Catalina's disappearance seemed like a trivial matter that only troubled Roland for a few weeks.

Since she chose to join the Palace of Poseidon, their alliance was automatically terminated.

Roland did not reply to her letter, but silently wished his former ally all the best.

He just regretted that human exploration and control of the ocean had to come to a temporary halt.

Technology is too backward.

The semi-ironclad ships of this era are good for showing off among humans, but they are still far from being able to challenge intelligent life in the ocean.

Perhaps the ocean should belong to marine life.

What shocked Roland deeply was another sentence.

“A fish is no longer a fish when it steps onto land, and a man is no longer a man when he steps onto the path of the stars.”

Before this he had little time to think about such philosophical questions.

Of course, people are people, no matter how powerful they are, they are still people.

Roland always maintains the simplest views.

But he must face the question of the century: is Sophia still human?

Roland gradually realized that Sophia's way of thinking and behavior patterns might have some human characteristics, but she was definitely not a normal person.

He had thought about it more than once: what is the difference between her and ordinary humans?

Strength? In human history, there have been beings whose strength far exceeds that of Sophia, such as many chosen ones in the Age of the Gods, including Sophia herself at that time.

But the strong people at that time were not as transcendent as Sophia.

Is it a condescending attitude? There are too many rulers in human history who look down on ordinary people and regard the people as ants.

But they are also different from Sophia. They are all trying to prove that they are different from ordinary people. Sophia is different from them. She has never even thought of looking down on others.

Sophia changed so much before and after the Battle of White Mountain.

Now she is neither the Ice Queen nor a candidate for the Winter Goddess, but a completely different being.

No matter how many times he faced Sophia, Roland didn't really want to look her in the eye.

Her eyes were as deep as the abyss, and she was staring at Roland.

"What's up?"

Seeing that Roland didn't say anything, Sophia didn't hesitate and asked directly.

"I want to know what happened to Tia and the others back then."

The space flow rate in the room obviously increased a bit, and the temperature dropped slightly.

But this time it was not the icy air, but the freshness brought by the flow of air.

Obviously, Sophia and the ice attribute are completely cut off.

"Congratulations, it seems that you have cast off the shackles of the past." Roland said with a smile.

The air temperature returned to normal, and Sophia's slightly angry expression gradually returned to normal.

"I have a lot of her stories here, what do you want to know?"

Even though Sophia has become indifferent to many things, there are some things she can't let go of.

"If Tia is at the same level of strength as you, can she swing that sword?" Roland asked in a deep voice.

Sophia didn't ask which sword it was, she snorted disdainfully.

"Pooh!"

She gave the most accurate answer in one word.

Roland nodded and continued, "If a mortal spoke disrespectfully to you and thought that you were just an ordinary person in the universe like him, would you kill that person?"

"what?"

Sophia was again very frugal with her words.

Roland nodded and said slowly: "If your ex-husband is willing to treat you like most political marriages, will you kill him? Okay, you don't have to answer, I know the answer."

Without waiting for Sophia to answer, Roland cut off the topic.

At that time, Sophia had not awakened her memory and was just an ordinary noble girl. She might lose a lot by marrying the emperor of the empire, but she would also gain a lot.

She probably wouldn't rebel against the rules.

Roland's question made the atmosphere in the room a little heavy. Everyone has some past that they don't want to recall, and Sophia is no exception.

But she didn't seem angry. She just said slowly after a moment of silence:

"If that idiot Rurik is willing to treat his wife well, even if his future wife awakens her memory, they won't become enemies even if they can't be husband and wife."

Roland nodded to express understanding.

It would be a bit hypocritical for Sophia to say that as long as her ex-husband treats her well, she will never leave him even if she regains her memories as the Chosen One.

They are not in a free love relationship and have no emotional foundation at all. They are more like partners in a political marriage than husband and wife.

If Ivan the Terrible abided by the rules of partnership, Sophia would not break them. But it was not realistic for a goddess candidate to live with a fool.

A peaceful breakup is the best option for both parties.

Unfortunately, there is no if. Ivan IV took the initiative to commit suicide, and Sophia fulfilled his wish.

She inexplicably didn't want to continue with these topics. Both Tia and Ivan IV were names that made her blood pressure unstable. However, Roland continued to talk relentlessly:

"It seems that Tia is far inferior to you in terms of strong mentality, growth potential, and tolerance."

"Nonsense." Sophia felt much better.

No one can refuse flattery, unless the other person's skills are too poor or his status is too low, then it is not flattery but licking.

Although Roland asked several questions that raised her blood pressure, he came to a conclusion in the end that made her feel refreshed.

Sophia > Tia.

The last time I heard someone say this was during the Age of the Gods.

The long-forgotten past was awakened. Winter, the youngest and most promising of the “four sisters”, was abandoned by her three older sisters during hibernation and became an abandoned child on the journey to become a god.

She would never get over this.

After countless years, there are still people who can see her advantages over Bitiya.

As expected of you, Roland.

Just as she was thinking about how to respond in a cool yet polite manner, Roland said something that made her blood pressure rise again.

“But they all reached the divine realm.”

Facts speak louder than words. No matter who says Sophia is better, she is the one left behind.

The good mood disappeared instantly, and Sophia's expression became a little stiff.

It feels like trying your best in a game but being betrayed by a stupid teammate, and finally being ridiculed by ignorant audiences.

What's more, she was not betrayed by her stupid teammates, but was sold out directly.

"On the day of my final return, I will end my relationship with them. Before that, I will personally destroy their God's Punishment Legion and make them tremble in endless fear."

"If you do this, we will all die." Roland spread his hands and made another shocking statement.

Sophia narrowed her eyes and stared at Roland.

Roland took the initiative to avoid the star-like eyes after just one glance.

"reason?"

Roland cleared his throat, tapped the table with his fingertips, and asked softly, "Knowing that you are about to ascend to godhood, you are still hibernating as usual. Are you an idiot?"

The teacup that Sophia had just picked up had a crack on it. "Of course not. With Miss Winter's wisdom at that time, she certainly wouldn't be so reckless. So the day of ascension should have been long after you woke up, and you ended your slumber just in time to be in the best condition to face the possible tests on the day of ascension, right?" Roland added quickly.

"Miss Winter would be very happy if she could hear your approval."

Sophia smiled, the crack on the teacup in her palm was faintly visible, and even seemed to be repairing.

Seeing this scene, Roland felt a little numb.

The gap between Sophia and him didn't seem to be narrowing, and might even be widening.

"What kind of power is this?" he murmured softly, but he didn't expect Sophia to explain. After all, this was her trump card and she would never show it to others easily.

"balance."

Sophia said calmly: "The Seventh Era is both an Era of Destruction and an Era of Rebirth. This is because destruction and rebirth complement each other."

"If there were no tigers, leopards, wolves or bears to eat the cattle and sheep, the unlimited number of cattle and sheep would eat the entire grassland until nothing grows, turning it into a desert, and eventually the cattle and sheep would die."

"Tigers, leopards, wolves and bears may seem to be the natural enemies of cattle and sheep, but they objectively ensure the survival of cattle and sheep populations. Although it's hard to understand, you should."

There was a hint of anticipation in Sophia's eyes.

Roland is a wise man of the time. If he doesn't understand, there will probably be no one in the secular world who can talk to her.

She was even a little worried, fearing that Roland would say the same things as ordinary people.

“Life and death are a dynamic balance.”

“Every link in the food chain has value, including the tiny lives we can’t see.”

Roland thought for a moment and continued to explain the process by which microorganisms decompose the bodies of animals and plants.

He even tried to use reincarnation to explain to Sophia the ingenious balance in nature, but as for how to explain microorganisms, he really had a headache.

It is difficult for people to recognize things that they cannot see, and it is also difficult for humans to imagine things that they have never seen before. The so-called imagination and innovation are all stitching together based on cognition.

How can we make Sophia believe that there are tiny creatures everywhere in the air?

Ultimately, it comes down to metaphor.

Comparing a king to a slave? No. Comparing a goddess to a mortal? Doesn't seem right either.

Just as Roland's brain began to think, Sophia's eyes flashed with amazing light. Her voice even trembled a little.

"You, you can see them too?"

Roland: "."

Wait, is there really anyone who can see microorganisms with the naked eye? What kind of monsters are these?
If Sophia could understand Roland's story, Roland would be willing to call her a genius old girl. But she really saw the microorganisms, and this time it was Roland's turn to be confused.

Rank five and rank four are only one step away, but is the gap so terrifying?

From Roland's stunned expression, Sophia understood that Roland could not directly see the tiny creatures floating in the air, but saw them through some special observation method.

In fact, she could only see a few of the little guys slightly when she was in a full-blown state, but she had already surpassed her past self.

After a long silence, Roland did not ask Sophia how she did it, and Sophia did not ask what means Roland used to observe indirectly.

The Second Era in which Sophia lived was the Era of the Gods. The most powerful force was the extraordinary power. Technology was suppressed by the power of the extraordinary and it was suffocating. The entire Second Era did not make any great progress. It was normal that Sophia did not know these things.

When she woke up again, the Fifth Era, the most advanced technological civilization, had already vanished. She still didn't know about these once advanced technologies, nor did she have the opportunity to study abroad on Earth like Roland did.

Sophia's memory is fragmented, yet continuous.

Before awakening, he was the top transcendent in the Age of Gods, and after awakening, he was the top transcendent in the end times.

As luck would have it, the two guys who were chatting across servers ended up chatting with each other miraculously.

Sophia's eyes softened a little. She was looking forward to Roland's next argument. She believed that Roland would always come up with something beyond her expectations.

Sure enough, Roland soon put forward a new and outrageous theory.

"I have a bold guess. The reason why those three goddesses were able to ascend to the divine realm is because their potential, mentality, and realm are not as good as yours."

Sophia: “.”

She subconsciously wanted to refute, but the words stopped at her lips.

There was a question that had troubled her for a long time: why did the day of ascension to the gods in the oracle come forward, and why did those three people who were inferior to her in every aspect succeed in becoming gods.

The three of them are not even necessarily stronger than the Sea Emperor and the Demon Emperor.

If there are only three places to become gods, Sophia thinks the order should be Winter > Demon King > Poseidon > Demetrius (Abundance) ≈ Freya (Nature) > Tia.

However, the weakest three went up, and the stronger three became losers.

If only one of them was like this, it could be explained as an accident, but if all three were like this, there must be some ulterior motive.

She narrowed her eyes and her voice was cold and emotionless.

"Keep talking, I'm listening."

"Let's make another bold assumption. What if ascending to the Godhood is not a meteoric rise, but a trap?"

Roland's voice was calm, but he said something that made Sophia change color.

Sophia almost wanted to retort, but she held back.

Roland admired her calm mentality and continued, "It's not impossible. Gods are just more powerful humans. They are not saints, and there is no reason for them to give alms to the weak. To think that the strong will help the weak is just a beautiful vision, not a fact."

"Is there any benefit for the strong in the God Realm to allow people from the material plane to ascend to the God Realm?"

Sophia's breathing became a little rapid. Roland's speculation was too bold. She had never thought about it.

"If they have a plan, they will choose the loser with less potential, weaker mentality, and easy to control rather than the one with a strong mentality."

Sophia's body shook slightly, and a cold light flashed in her eyes.

She vaguely felt that Roland's inference was very close to the truth.

She knew the six candidates at the time.

Tia is not a strong person at all, she just wants to cling to the strong. Demetrius and Freya are a little better, but they don't have the courage to risk everything to become stronger.

The Demon King and the Sea King are essentially the same kind of people as her, but with slightly less potential.

They always believe in themselves, and never put their fate in the hands of others. If the three of them ascend to the divine realm, they will never stay under others for long.

"I see."

Sophia pondered for a moment and asked slowly, "What does this have to do with what you said before?"

"Of course."

Roland said slowly: "According to the classics I have read over the years and the archaeological discoveries of the Age of the Gods that you described, before the First Age, the Theia plane also had a glorious civilization, but they were completely destroyed in the apocalypse."

"This is the fate of every material plane and the most basic operating law of the universe, just like the growth and decline of flowers, plants and trees." Sophia said lightly.

Roland interrupted quickly, "It's completely different! According to your description, the Theia plane in the previous era is obviously larger than ours."

"If my guess is correct, the real purpose of the God's Punishment Legion is not to destroy us, but to test the upper limit of the strong in the entire plane."

Sophia's body trembled slightly, and she understood the hidden meaning of Roland's words.

The rulers of the divine realm are greedy and stingy. They hope to draw energy from the material plane through the gods, so they need to let these later gods return to the material plane, destroy everything, and help restart.

But they are also unwilling to pay too much, so the power given to people like Tia will not be too much, and will be adjusted according to the strength of the strong people in the plane.

Of course there will be some redundancy, but certainly not too much.

Sophia murmured, "I understand. I acted a little weaker during the God's Punishment War, just so as not to overshadow you and Sif."

"No, you don't understand at all."

"I understand Tia and the others better than you!" Sophia was a little dissatisfied.

However, Roland teased with a hint of mockery: "Even if you understand them, you don't understand acting. Overacting is always exaggerated, and it must be just right. The degree you have to grasp is not to exceed the winter you once had. What you have to try your best to show is that you have finally recovered your original strength."

Sophia was silent for a long time, then slowly said: "Fortunately we are friends, otherwise I would kill you." (End of this chapter)