Diary of the Improper Monster Girl Transformation.

Chapter 518 Beneath the Sandstorm (Bonus Chapter 278!, 6.4K Pages)
The yellow sand swept northwards with great force, and under the cover of night, it quickly crossed the border and invaded the edge of the northern lands.

Many residents living in the North woke up to find, to their dismay, that the snow covering their doors had been completely covered with a layer of yellow sand.

Everything on the mountainside was shrouded in a yellow shadow.

They may have never seen such a scene of wind and sand passing through in their entire lives, and they were awestruck by the power of nature.

Faced with such an incongruous "natural phenomenon," ordinary people were shocked and panicked, and began to pray in fear and unease.

Because they understand that in this world, only one kind of being possesses such power!
gods.

There must be some divine wrath upon us!

It is unknown who offended the gods, which prompted that great being, seated high in the heavens, to decide to display his majesty.

They, as weak mortals, had no way to defy the gods.

In this world, only gods can fight against gods.

As a result, a large number of believers began to flock to various temples, anxiously praying to their gods, hoping to receive their protection when the crisis came.

In fact, it wasn't just ordinary believers; the priests in the temple also clearly noticed the situation and quickly reported it.

Upon receiving the news, the various churches began to operate, and the leaders quickly made a decision on whether to inform the gods of this still uncertain "natural phenomenon."

After a brief discussion, most of the churches did not hesitate and promptly reported the news to their respective gods.

Whatever the other party intends to do, since He has made such a grand show of force from the start, He certainly won't give up easily.

As the goddess of winter, who was widely worshipped in the North, Euphemia was the first deity to notice these changes.

"Huh? Sandstorm? What's going on?"

Even among the gods, few knew just how terrifying the goddess of winter's control over the northern lands was.

Although the Goddess of Winter did not nominally allow her church to rule the North, she never interfered with any organization or country.

But all the creatures living on this cold land held this goddess in the highest esteem.

All life on the ice plains is unable to escape the clutches of winter.

They were born on the frigid white snow, and they will eventually return to the icy depths of the polar ice.

The cold winter is where they came from, and it is also where they will go.

This unwavering reverence that mortals hold for the Goddess of Winter is the main reason why, after the Goddess of Winter divided the divine duties of "ice and snow," a certain little cat could only be a beloved ornamental pet.

Although the nominal divine office and divine status have fallen into the hands of the ice kitten, the real power is still firmly in Euphemia's grasp.

With this control, Euphemia quickly figured out what was happening—the North had been invaded?
After figuring out the source of the sandstorm, He was completely dumbfounded.

He didn't understand.

"Huh? You... oh, eh?"

God of Sand and Gravel, what's gotten into you?
What the hell?
Why is this guy with a brain full of quicksand causing trouble here?
Does this mean He is going to cause me trouble?
After careful consideration, the Goddess of Winter felt that her idea was still too ahead of its time.

He's already at odds with Freya, so he wouldn't have the time to provoke me, would he?

"No, although He is a bit stupid, He is not that crazy. He looks fierce and violent, but he is actually more afraid of death than anyone else."

Moreover, a guy who is all bark and no bite and who is extremely afraid of death would never want to fight to the death with someone stronger than himself.

And another key point is that the Goddess of Winter doesn't care about this control at all, and has never exposed her control over the North to the world.

In the eyes of the world, many parts of the North were an undeveloped area that could be divided and contested.

However, because the population here is relatively small compared to other places, and the land is vast but sparsely populated, it is difficult to gather a large number of believers.

Therefore, the barren lands of the North, where even birds wouldn't bother, weren't very attractive to the gods whose main base was outside the North.

"So, is this idiot being so high-profile now because he's planning to extend his reach into the North? Spread his faith here, strengthen his own power, and fight against Freya?"

“And it is precisely these kinds of places, which are time-consuming and laborious to cultivate, that outsiders will not easily interfere with, but which is something that He can strive for now.”

The more the Goddess of Winter thought about it, the more she felt that this idea was actually not bad and had a certain degree of feasibility.

For the Earth Gods, who are currently vying for dominance in the nature pantheon, this is indeed a viable backup plan.

If the Earth Gods were defeated in the struggle, swept out of the country, and even had their original territory taken back, they could retreat to the newly developed northern lands.

Of course, this requires a prerequisite: that the North must truly be a so-called "no man's land".

As a staunch supporter of Freya, the Goddess of Winter, as the true lord of the North, would not allow them to extend their reach into her territory.

Anyone who dares to reach out will have their hands frozen solid.

"Um……"

The Goddess of Winter pondered for a long time and felt that she might have guessed about 70-80% of the truth.

However, there was always a strange feeling, as if I was fighting against thin air.

One of the things that made Him most suspicious was the God of Sand and Stone—did He really have such a mind?

Perhaps due to past experiences leading to stereotypes, Euphemia always had the "prejudice" that the God of Sand and Stone wasn't actually that smart and didn't think that much.

"It always felt like He just wanted to show off his power to the world, spread his majesty to mortals, and demonstrate his existence to the gods, without considering anything else..."

"Uh, it can't really be for such a simple reason, right?"

It would have been better if this idea hadn't appeared at all, because once it did, it started spreading wildly in His mind—hiss, the more he looked at it, the more real it seemed!
Feeling increasingly uncertain, the Goddess of Winter finally decided not to reveal herself yet, but to observe secretly and let others test the waters first to see what the God of Sand and Stone was really up to.

After the goddess of winter remained silent and observed, over the course of several days, other gods gradually received the news, and the entire world once again focused its attention on the same place.

The aftershocks of the war in the City of Glory had not yet completely subsided when this strange phenomenon of sandstorms swept through, plunging the world, which had just begun to calm down, back into a tense and delicate atmosphere.

Countless eyes gazed toward the northern part of the world, each with its own unique meaning.

Some are worried, some are expectant, some are excited, and some are uneasy.

Everyone knew that the war in Radiant City was just the beginning of a global conflict, and new conflicts were bound to follow.

Most of the powerful figures, harboring various thoughts, remain hidden, silently accumulating strength, calmly observing the situation, hoping to survive the chaos until the end and find a suitable opportunity to make their appearance.

But no one expected that this opportunity would come so quickly.

Is the one making this move really that impatient?
In addition, there is one more difference this time.

When the two powerful beings, the Sun God and the God of Lust, clashed, few gods wanted to get involved, fearing that they might be targeted by either side and get into trouble.

This time, the God of Sand and Stone certainly doesn't have that much of a deterrent power, and many people will probably be unable to resist taking action, interfering openly or covertly.

Ambitious individuals will be happy to muddy the waters and take advantage of the chaos to maximize their own interests.

However, if outsiders are merely observing with their own differing thoughts, excitedly waiting for the right opportunity...

The ones who would truly be dissatisfied with outsiders are actually the local deities who occupy the local faith, apart from the Goddess of Winter and her followers.

Like the pirate god who controls the northern sea routes, the racial god of the northern barbarians, the god of the winter wolf...

They would feel that their dignity had been challenged and their interests had been violated, and they would be eager to retaliate.

For mortals, the struggles between gods are none of their concern.

At this moment, the local mortals and extraordinary organizations in the North felt not excitement, but a real sense of oppression.

Just as the God of Sand and Stone had anticipated, mortals were immediately filled with fear and unease when faced with His overwhelming divine power.

They didn't know why this deity, who had no past grudges or recent conflicts with the North, would suddenly display his majesty towards them...

But they knew that if they didn't react, the relentless sandstorm would continue to rise and eventually engulf them completely.

The northern region is vast and sparsely populated, so ordinary people don't really care about the interference of outside forces.

Even if the God of Sand and Stone really came to establish a foothold, the local mortals wouldn't resist much.

There are plenty of places to go, so come whenever you want.

The real problem, however, lies in food.

To make mortals understand how terrifying he was, the god of sand and gravel devoted a large part of his energy to eroding farmland.

The grain production in the North was already a major problem, as there was not much arable land to begin with, and now the little remaining arable land is being eroded by the yellow sand.

If left unchecked, the North will soon be plunged into a real crisis.

They must respond.

But the prerequisite is that the god must first clearly tell them what He wants.
What exactly are you trying to do?!?

……

The interior of the Arctic Holy Land was quiet, everything was as peaceful as ever, and it was not affected by the outside world at all.

Among the three suspected parties who were being closely watched by the God of Sand and Stone, this small holy site reacted the least.

The population of the Holy Land was not large to begin with, and the vast majority of them were legendary powerhouses. Only a few young offspring had a greater need for food.

They also have a large amount of food stored in the holy land, so they are not worried about falling into famine in the short term.

They deliberately blocked the passages between the holy site and the outside world, leaving only a window for observation, and waited silently.

These beasts, mostly intelligent and more perceptive than humans, are well aware that the current situation is only the beginning.

In any case, it's not the time for them to react too much yet.

Furthermore, their prayers were answered, and the goddess of winter sent down an oracle, instructing them to tighten their defenses and refrain from making any major reactions for the time being.

They simply sent an inquiry to the church of the natural pantheon, following the goddess's instructions.

In contrast to the tranquility of the Arctic Holy Land, the Witches' Guild reacted with slightly more unease. The Witches' Guild first launched its once-every-hundred-year chief meeting, the "Witches' Gathering," with ten of the twelve chief "witches" sending avatars to attend.

Because the true leader of the Witch Guild is still in a long period of seclusion seeking to break through from Epic to Saint, the meeting, as in the past hundred years, is presided over by Archmage Finn, the [Summoner] who is currently the second most powerful member of the Witch Guild.

The meeting's agenda was simple: to discuss how to deal with this sudden crisis from the gods.
As the host of the meeting, Finn took the lead in proposing his idea. He called on all the magic towers to gather their high-end power together, and for everyone to guard the Witch's City and jointly resist the gods.

Even if they lose other territories, they will still have a high probability of preserving the most important Witch City in the end.

Unsurprisingly, this proposal was not approved by the other chief executives.

For the chief witches, their own magic towers are even more valuable than their partners and offspring, serving as the sole guarantee of their strength and safety.

The idea that they would leave their towers to defend the Witch's City is a joke that is not funny at all.

The meeting lasted a day and a night, but ultimately no useful consensus was reached, and the chiefs dismissed their avatars.

It wasn't exactly a bitter falling out; the meeting at least reached a compromise consensus—to protest against the aggressors to the best of our ability, within certain limits.

As the vice president, Finn had already guessed this outcome from the beginning.

The Witches' Guild was initially established as a "mutual aid alliance," but now it is just a loosely organized group with little cohesion.

Even if the actual president intervenes, she doesn't have much control over the other witch chiefs.

Such organizations can only unite and unleash astonishing will to survive and fighting power when a real crisis strikes.

Now, although the God of Sand and Stone is exerting considerable pressure, it is clearly not yet at the level of crisis.

However, none of the chief witches had any intention of defecting to the enemy. After returning to their respective towers, they began their resistance as agreed.

Almost simultaneously, magical defensive barriers were activated at the core towers of all the territories controlled by the Witch's Guild, willing to expend vast amounts of resources to combat the erosion of the sandstorm.

They demonstrated their attitude silently through their actions.

Witches used to show reverence to the gods, but now that they have power, they are no longer willing to grovel at their feet like slaves.

As expected, the Northern Kingdom Alliance, which had the weakest high-end strength but the largest population, the largest territory, and was the most affected, reacted the most strongly.

The leaders of the various northern countries were in a panic.

The kings convened an emergency meeting of high-ranking officials from various countries to discuss how to deal with the current crisis.

Some advocated surrendering voluntarily, offering sacrifices to the gods in exchange for the kingdom's peace, even if only temporarily.

Some advocate waiting and seeing, neither bowing down in worship nor taking the initiative to provoke, to see what the gods really want to do.

A small number of ignorant and arrogant kingdoms have gone so far as to advocate using the power of their own religious churches to launch a counterattack.

Under the immense pressure from the gods, the entire meeting descended into chaos from the very beginning. The various kingdoms were unable to remain calm, and even the most basic consensus could not be reached.

This is the tragedy of being weak.

These people are the powerful and wealthy in the mortal world. To ordinary people, they possess great power, strength, and wealth; they are the so-called superior people.

However, in the face of true power, they appear so weak, with little strength even to struggle.

Amid the chaos, many noticed that the participants from the Frost Crystal Kingdom, which had always been a relatively unknown member of the Kingdom Alliance, were somewhat different.

The person leading the delegation to the meeting this time was not the robust and generous king of the past, but a middle-aged nobleman with a tall and thin figure.

Although he was dressed neatly and his hair and beard were carefully groomed, it was obvious to anyone with eyes that he was extremely tired.

His eyes were weary, with dark circles that even makeup couldn't completely conceal, and he exuded a heavy sense of weariness.

But his dejected appearance did not arouse suspicion from others, because his current situation was indeed under immense pressure.

He was just like an ordinary nobleman, anxious and fearful because the kingdom was in crisis.

This middle-aged nobleman attracted attention because of his hair color—he had a head of naturally white hair as white as snow.

Upon seeing that head of white hair, some people couldn't help but think of a special person they had heard about not long ago through various news reports.

That was a powerful figure, also with white hair, but full of vigor and far stronger than this listless middle-aged man.

One of the most dazzling figures of this era, belonging to the blazing sun, the [Godslayer].

"If that Godslayer were here right now, things wouldn't be this bad..."

Thinking of this, someone couldn't control their emotions and couldn't help but sigh, saying in a low voice, "That being will definitely not sit idly by in the current situation; they will definitely step forward to negotiate with the gods."

That Saint of the Sun was a ruthless man who dared to declare war on all evil gods under the watchful eyes of all spirits.

A paladin like him, who hates evil as much as he wants, surely couldn't bear to see these innocent mortals suffer.
Thinking of this, the nobleman had a few ideas flash through his mind, wondering if he should go with the flow and escalate the conflict.

Give up resistance, let a large number of mortals die because of the sandstorm, and then force the orthodox churches to step forward and confront the brutal gods.

However, there is a risk in doing this. If he does it, he will definitely be severely punished by the Church of the Righteous God afterward, and he will have no way out.

Not only him, but his entire family will be completely purged because of his actions.

After thinking it over, the nobleman shuddered and abandoned the dangerous idea.

He is a hereditary nobleman; he cannot die for those lowly commoners!
Even though he understood all this, the obese nobleman couldn't help but overthink and let his thoughts wander.

"However, it's not enough to take the initiative to do it; what if you accidentally didn't notice it?"

Throughout the entire meeting, no one noticed that while the obese nobleman was deep in thought, there seemed to be a strange disturbance in the shadows beneath his feet, and in a daze, a pair of smiling, crimson eyes could be seen.

Fear is the fuel for chaos to grow.

Chaos is the breeding ground for evil.

While no one was paying attention, someone in the shadows had already smelled the sweet scent of blood and was hiding among them.

“We can utilize, no, borrow the power of that god-slayer and the other righteous churches…”

The white-haired middle-aged nobleman's expression froze after hearing the obese nobleman's mutterings, and he frowned as he looked over.

Realizing that the other person hadn't noticed his gaze and was completely absorbed in their own world, he slowly withdrew his gaze, then turned his head and stared blankly in a certain direction outside the window.

“Herbert…”

Adrian looked toward the Misty Mountains, thinking of his second son, whom he hadn't contacted in a long time... and whom he was increasingly unable to understand.

The thought of the dangers he might face weighed heavily on Adrian's heart.

Are you alright now?

……

……

"Haha, this couldn't be better!"

Herbert glanced at the message, tossed it aside, and sat down next to Ophidia, saying with a smile, "Yes, it's confirmed now. That idiot god who caused all this is the one who tried to prophesy me."

“God of Sand and Stone, His church has just issued a statement, telling the Northland to obediently hand over what they have hidden.”

The sudden disturbance, coupled with the identity of the Earth God, and finally the forced handover of the hidden treasures by the Northern forces... Yes, it was Him!
Herbert was in a good mood.

He did hope that the other party could create some big news, preferably a big event, so that he could be more eye-catching when he stepped onto the stage.

But to my surprise, this guy was so obedient that he actually put on such a grand show with such unclear implications.

He must be a really good person.
"uh-huh……"

Ophelia glanced sideways at Herbert sitting next to her, her nose twitched slightly, and she narrowed her eyes.

This guy, is he doing this on purpose?
You have such a strong demonic scent about you, and you smell like a mermaid, yet you deliberately flaunt yourself in front of me.

Herbert, are you deliberately provoking me?

When Ophidia woke up again that day, the two of them held hands and returned to the monastery, resuming their previous life.

It seems like nothing has changed, but you can actually tell from the way the two of them are sitting almost touching; something has quietly changed.

She may not have fully understood her own heart yet, but she is trying to make her own efforts and tacitly accepting his approach.

He maintained his composure and kept the appropriate boundaries in their interactions, refraining from any offensive behavior.

"……snort."

Ophidia gave a soft snort and withdrew her disdainful gaze.

But she wasn't the type to directly tell others that she was jealous, so after glancing at Herbert, she decided to pretend she hadn't noticed.

snort!
She gritted her teeth inwardly, pursed her lips, and asked, "Now that you've found it, when do you plan to step in and resolve the issue?"

Didn't you want to prove it to me?
But Herbert didn't seem to be in a hurry at all. He shook his head with a smile and hummed, "Wait a little longer, we haven't reached the most interesting part yet."

"The stage is set up, but not all the actors are in place yet. How can I, the lead actor, make my move now?"

Let the bullets fly a little longer!

Herbert squinted, silently praying for the God of Sand: "Brother, you must hold on a little longer."

"Otherwise, I won't have any fun to watch..."

Ophidia's brow twitched slightly, sensing that Herbert seemed to have other reasons for not telling her, but she didn't ask.

Her instinct was right.

Herbert remained inactive partly because he was waiting for the right opportunity to make his move.

On the other hand, he was waiting for good news.

Although it's sudden, Freyme is about to advance to Epic rank!

(End of this chapter)