From Hogwarts to Strixhaven.

Chapter 600 Banquet Invitation

In the tranquil void created by death, the Registrar Jergus, or rather, his embodiment, the Keeper of the Graves, appeared abruptly.

There was no aura of death about Him, but there was no sign of life either, like an observer walking on the edge of life and death.

The deity, who had gazed upon countless deaths, clearly had no idea who or what this suddenly appearing old skeleton was.

The giant black dog took two steps back, adopting a defensive posture, before transforming back into a wisp of black mist that barely maintained its human form.

"Who are you? How did you get here?"

The gravedigger's skin clung tightly to his bones, making him almost indistinguishable from a newly made mummy. Apart from his bright eyes, which were no different from those of an ordinary person, few would mistake him for a living person.

Upon hearing the question about death, the gravedigger turned to look at the deity who also represented death, and his eyes, reflecting two points of eerie light, couldn't help but reveal a hint of admiration.

"Death always has many detours, and our presence here is no accident." The gravedigger's answer remained shrouded in mystery, failing to address all of death's questions. "However, we are not your enemy. Is that enough to answer your questions?"

The phantom of death had no expression, but Ivy could still sense its hesitation from its two steps back.

Since this guy who suddenly appeared wasn't there for me, then he must be there for the guy on the other side who was randomly firing flashbangs, since there are only these two people in this space.

“Long time no see…” Ivy nodded to the gravedigger. “Should I call you the gravedigger, or the recorder of fate?”

"The gravedigger is enough to refer to us." It seems that the old bones have no intention of changing their identity, still speaking in that deep and slow voice, "We have a message, an invitation, from the restored peace of Faerûn, from our companions who share your bloodline and are worthy of being called family."

"Ah, I understand." Ivy immediately understood what the old bones meant. Although he hadn't expected that Yegor, who had divided up his main divine duties, still had such supernatural powers, being able to accurately locate him across so many worlds.

"How much time has passed? How are they doing now?" Ivy looked at the empty void and couldn't help but ask. Physically, it had only been about a week since he left Faerûn, but who knew how time was converted between the multiverses?

"You spun the threads of destiny from all corners of the earth into a single bundle, like the many branches of a flourishing tree, yet always linked together by a trunk. The heroes who saved Faerûn have gathered, quietly awaiting your return." The old bones' slow voice carried a hint of pleasure, even his thin, bloodless lips curved into a smile. "However, you are already too far from that forgotten land. We have spent too much time finding our way, and our arrival here is only due to our familiarity with Amannata… But as time goes by, I fear that soon our eyes will no longer be able to contain your brilliance."

“Even if we stretch the timescale of our wandering in this world to eternity, we will still be amazed by those ancient and novel secrets…” the gravedigger sighed, his skeletal body gradually fading away. “The message has been delivered, the invitation has been accepted, so please allow me to take my leave for now… The forgotten lands await your return…”

The gravedigger disappeared, but he brought a tremendous shock to the HP world.

Instead of changing form and fighting Ivy, He asked, "Do you know Him? Who exactly is He? What is He?"

“I thought you’d understand as soon as you saw Him.” Ivy felt a little smug. Even though He was the only god in the HP world, Death was still just a country bumpkin who couldn’t escape the boundaries of the world. “He is the Registrar Jergus, an ancient god of death from another world. Like you, He once governed the destination of all living beings after death.”

“Once?” Death keenly noticed the emphasis Ivy deliberately made in her words. “Why ‘once’?”

"Perhaps it's because we're tired?" Ivy realized that the endless void around them was gone, and they were back in the Hogwarts Express carriage, the clanging of the wheels over the rails providing accompaniment to their conversation once again.

All the compartments in the carriage disappeared, and it transformed into a luxurious reception room. The flowing nothingness outside the window turned back into gray mist, and the wilderness of the spirit world reappeared.

Death sat opposite Ivy, seemingly having completely lost the will to continue fighting. She reappeared in human form, but was neither Ivy's mirror image nor a wise old man, but a bride dressed in a black wedding gown.

The black veil absorbed all the already dim light in the reception room, and even the golden light emanating from Ivy's soul couldn't illuminate it. Comparing it to mundane luxury items like velvet or silk would only diminish its value. The silhouette of the woman wearing it exuded a classical and subdued solemnity, the wide skirt covering the entire chair, with only the outline of the chair back revealing that the bride before Ivy was not floating in the air.

Beneath the veil was a pale face, and even with Ivy's keen eyesight, she couldn't discern the details beneath. Yet, her otherworldly beauty was still fully conveyed to Ivy's heart. The only exposed skin on the bride was her rounded, beautiful shoulders, encircled by black lace and connected to long gloves. The cold light emanating from her skin added a touch of softness to this deathly world.

Even more striking are the bride's elegant hands folded on her knees, clutching a bouquet made of iron thorns, which, though never fading, always conveys absolute silence and an end.

Ivy, standing at the end of the carriage, paused for a moment, not because of the inhuman, silent beauty of death, but because she secretly sighed in her heart: "Have I encountered too many goddesses lately? Let's not talk about Shar and Serene, Ambori's image can also be considered beautiful, and the goddess of magic Mystra is the muse and dream lover of many mages... and now another goddess representing death has suddenly appeared."

"Why 'once'?" The Goddess of Death calmly repeated her question.

Ivy conjured up a comfortable armchair, reclined inside, and then began to answer the Goddess of Death's question.

"Because He abandoned His own duties and entrusted them to three mortals, He began to wander among the nations." Ivy briefly described the process by which the Registrar Jergus created the Triune God of Death.

Unexpectedly, this piqued the interest of the Goddess of Death: "The Three Gods of Death, have they fulfilled their duties properly?"

“No.” Ivy shrugged. “Foreground is a world where gods are constantly at war. There isn’t just one god, nor is there just one major intelligent species. Besides humans, who are no different from Muggles and wizards, there are also elves, orcs, dwarves, and other forces that can occupy the continent and establish countries.”

"This has led to the emergence of numerous gods, and the divine office of death alone has undergone several changes. The three gods of death, who ascended to godhood from mortal bodies, are very ambitious and often cause turmoil throughout the world." "Dereliction of duty, a parasite." The goddess of death was undoubtedly expressing her disdain for the scribe, Jego.

“Just as humans might choose to give up their lives, Jeremiah is simply choosing to pass on his responsibilities to those who come after him.” Although there are two sides to every story, Ivy still had to side with Jeremiah at this moment, because he wanted to use the philosophy of this predecessor of Death to guide the Goddess of Death before him. “The fact that the Three Gods of Death did not choose to follow Jeremiah’s path does not mean that there is a right or wrong among them. Representing a domain and exercising a power will inevitably have an impact on the entire world. Besides, Jeremiah has already stepped down, so how the Three Gods of Death fulfill their duties as Gods of Death is no longer his concern.”

“But he still has a conscience,” Ivy added. “At least I was able to connect with Jeremiah because we thwarted the conspiracy of the Three Gods of Death together.”

"Heh. Let's just say that's how it is." The Goddess of Death's laughter carried a hint of mockery. "And you? An ambitious man who ascended to the throne of the Sun God with a mortal body?"

"You previously said that everything about humanity is nothing but self-deceptive ramblings, but you seem to know a lot about human culture." Ivy didn't answer the question directly, but instead teased, "I thought you were a fool who was only interested in matters of life and death."

"I'm the one who asked the question," the Goddess of Death snorted, urging Ivy to answer.

Ivy raised an eyebrow. Perhaps it was just her imagination, but the Goddess of Death before her seemed to be becoming more and more human. Thousands of years of relentless work had turned her into a heartless beast of burden, but once she encountered someone she could converse with, she immediately revealed her previously undiscovered nature.

“You might not believe it, but I’ve never thought about becoming a god.” Ivy spoke sincerely, though it sounded like Versailles, it was truly what he thought. “Becoming a god of a world means being bound to one place forever, while what I pursue is to witness the endless landscape of the multiverse. If I had to do the same endless work for countless years like you, I would have gone crazy long ago.”

“Ever since I acquired this bit of the sun’s divinity, I’ve become quite annoyed by the ramblings of those general believers.” Ivy shifted the conversation’s focus at the opportune moment and asked, “How did you deal with this? Death is an end that everyone will face; you’ve certainly heard and seen just as much as I have.”

“Just as you said, death is the end for everyone.” In her field of expertise, the Goddess of Death immediately adopted a dignified demeanor. “Whether they plead, run away, or accept it calmly, I will only give them the same end in return—death. This is my mercy, and also my duty.”

Although it was a bit convoluted, it was indeed very inspiring for Ivy.

Just as all life on this blue planet will eventually meet its end in death, the sun is also the inexhaustible source of power that drives the birth of almost all life.

Sunlight is converted into heat on the Earth's surface, and the temperature differences caused by different exposure times cause the atmosphere and oceans to flow. With water and wind as the medium, the matter on the planet's surface can be exchanged and circulated. Plants rooted in the earth can use sunlight to fix nutrients in the soil, and these nutrients nourish other consumers on the planet.

Almost all the energy consumed by humankind in creating civilization comes from the sun.

Fossil energy is solar energy fixed underground by plants hundreds of millions of years ago. Wind and water power are potential energy converted from heat energy brought by the sun. Not to mention fusion reactors, which are the most promising emerging energy source, are also a power supply method with the same origin as solar energy.

Whether the believers on the planet sing praises or curse, the sun will continue to give back its light, regardless of their will.

"So the sun has always been responding to believers, just not in the way they expect..." Ivy began to understand why those gods who occupied iconic areas were all powerful. As long as they maintained their uniqueness, they could improve their strength even if they completely gave up. Whether they had believers or not was a secondary matter.

However, although there is an increase, the timescale of this increase is also very large, so large that the rise and fall of humankind is but a snap of the fingers.

If Ivy wants to become a powerful god with this property, she would probably have to sleep for tens of thousands of years first.

With his doubts resolved, the occasional whispers of the believers vanished without a trace. After all, the sun had already responded for Ivy, and besides, he wasn't the sun god of this world, so why bother with them?
"I still want to say thank you," Ivy said sincerely. If she could be guaranteed the freedom to travel between worlds and become a true sun god, it wouldn't be out of the question. After all, the ancient sun god Amannatha of Faerûn is still alive, just in a deep slumber, isn't he? This form does have some advantages.

The Goddess of Death, sitting in the passenger compartment, did not answer. She simply raised her hand, which was covered by a long black lace glove, and waved it at Ivy, as if to dismiss her.

However, Ivy pretended not to see it.

Just kidding, he hasn't gotten what he wants yet, how can he just leave like this?

“Death is not static; there are many alternative paths.” Ivy repeated Jeremiah’s words. “Have you ever considered completely relinquishing the responsibility of death like Jeremiah did?”

Although she couldn't see the face beneath the veil of the Goddess of Death, Ivy still felt she was glared at. The bride in the black wedding dress coldly replied, "No!"

“How about taking a break and giving yourself a vacation?” Ivy persisted in offering an alternative. The theory of opening windows and closing doors also applies to gods. “Being loyal to one’s duty is certainly respectable, but if you suddenly get tired of it one day, then no one will be able to take on that responsibility.”

"I will not tire of it!" the Goddess of Death said coldly.

“That’s not necessarily true.” Ivy shook her head. “Look at your old friend, didn’t he just leave the responsibility of death behind?”

"Even if it's just to confirm what would happen if the power of death were handed over to mortals, I think you should go to Faerun and take a look. Consider it a business trip and research trip." Ivy used a tactic that most working people like to use. Perhaps it's because distance makes the heart grow fonder, but most working people feel a sense of release after leaving the company headquarters.

Judging from the way the Goddess of Death fiddled with the iron thorn bouquet in her hand, she was already somewhat tempted.

(End of this chapter)