From Hogwarts to Strixhaven.

Chapter 675 Anxiety about the Gods
“God…that sounds too unbelievable…” Hermione looked bewildered.

Although almost all English people are Anglicans, Hermione herself unfortunately is a witch and hasn't attended the local church with her dentist parents since she was eleven. It's hard to say whether the Grangers were afraid that their daughter's witchhood would offend the Lord and His servants in the church.

"What abilities do those gods have? When they use these abilities, is it more like our magic or more like the science of ordinary people? Are the gods really omnipotent? Can they create an object that they can't even lift themselves?" After a brief moment of confusion, Hermione's curiosity about "gods" exploded, and she asked several questions in a row.

“Heh…” Ivy chuckled, leaning back in her chair and casually crossing one leg. “Your question is probably the one that anyone with a scientific understanding would ask when they first hear that gods really exist. To summarize your question, what you really want to ask is, what is the nature of God?”

“I will tell you that the nature of God is indescribable. There is no known language that humans can learn to describe the relevant knowledge. However, knowledge about God does exist. We must construct everything about God in our minds, souls, and cognition through the parts that can be observed and understood.”

"The first and foremost component that all deities must possess is divinity, which is also the most difficult part of deities to describe. Some people believe that divinity is related to the origin of a world, which can be understood in terms of rules and theorems, but others believe that divinity is a concept that is above all else. It is undeniable that divinity is the qualification to become a god and is also the most crucial part of a deity."

"The source of divinity can be natural phenomena in the world, such as the sun, moon and stars; it can also be races and groups, such as humans, elves, warriors and mages; it can also be abstract concepts, such as war, death, love, trickery and justice."

"The manifestation of divine power depends on the domain and function He is in charge of. The God of Death is responsible for managing the afterlife, allocating the destinations of souls, or judging them. Racial gods are usually specific beliefs within a race, and these racial gods can be combined with other abstract concepts, such as the Elven God of Magic or the Human God of War. If a race has a significant influence in the world, then that race may even have multiple gods in charge of different domains, thus forming a pantheon. However, when the pantheon becomes too powerful, it may even lead to division and war."

“A similar thing happened in a world I traveled to called Faerûn. Many years ago, the Elven Pantheon experienced an internal strife, and the former Queen of Gods led a large group of elves who worshipped her to break away and live in the Underworld. This turned the surface elves and the underground elves into mortal enemies. A race’s faith can influence its gods, and changes in the gods can in turn affect the race.”

"For those races that become too prosperous, they may even establish multiple powerful civilizations, and different gods will emerge from among these civilizations."

"Like the Asgardian gods of Norse mythology and the Olympian gods of Greek mythology?" Hermione couldn't help but move forward, just like when she heard something interesting in her Transfiguration class. Unfortunately, there was no table in front of her to block her view, nor any parchment on the table to take notes. "Then... do we have gods in our world? You know, there are 60 billion people on Earth!"

“There’s only one.” Ivy picked up her teacup and took a sip. “The Void Lady who governs death, the souls of Cassandra’s parents, is someone I obtained through a deal. After I made her a body, she has already traveled to Faerûn.”

“Our world only has one God? Jesus Christ and God don’t exist…” Hermione gasped. “But why? Worlds still in the Middle Ages have many gods, but our world only has Death? There must be quite a few people with faith on Earth, right? And there aren’t even any gods born from faith?”

"Lady Void, she can be called the Grim Reaper of wizards, because she is the only Grim Reaper on Earth, and she can also control the souls of ordinary people after they die. As for why there is only one god, it is probably related to the origin of our world. For me, this is also a question that is still unclear."

Ivy glanced with amusement at the expressions on everyone's faces in the headmaster's office, and continued answering Hermione's question: "As for whether gods are omnipotent... there is a relative answer. Normally, gods can only be responsible for matters within their own domain and function, but there are indeed some gods who possess supreme authority in their own world. They are usually the creators and managers of a world, and even other gods within that world cannot disobey them. But in other worlds, their divine power is not so useful."

Dumbledore, his expression turning slightly serious, finally snapped out of his reverie and stopped Ivy from continuing to share her knowledge about the gods: "Ladies and gentlemen, I think it's time to go to the Great Hall and see what kind of lunch the house-elves will bring to our guests today?"

Ron was the first to respond: "I'd like veal steak or fish fried in butter!"

“But before you leave this room, I have something else to say.” Dumbledore stared at Ron and Harry. “I don’t want to hear about the knowledge Ivy shared spreading within Hogwarts…”

“I assure you, sir!” Harry and Ron exchanged a glance and said in unison.

After the two quickly left through the exit of the principal's office, Hermione said in a slightly teasing tone, "If you hadn't given them an extra heads-up, I doubt that extra knowledge would have stayed in their heads until tomorrow morning, but now, that might not be the case."

“They won’t do anything, will they, Miss Granger?” Dumbledore asked with some concern.

"We'll see if they still remember this in a week." Hermione smiled and walked out with cheerful steps.

Just before leaving, she turned back: "When do we—when do we start school? I mean, Streihaven…Professor Doom? And where should we buy textbooks? NEWT doesn't have much time left, maybe I can start studying after the exams?"

Hermione's question wasn't unexpected, as Ivy knew her well, and it was indeed Professor Doom, the Head of Admissions, doing his job: "Don't worry, the deal with Hogwarts' Pegasus Farm is a long-term partnership. When the new term begins at Striaven, I'll naturally take you there. Striaven uses a similar Sorting system to Hogwarts, but instead of students' inherent qualities, it's based on the magical topics they're interested in. Before applying for Sorting, first-year students must complete a year of general education at the central campus. If you're interested, Striaven also has summer programs; I can register you, Hermione."

“Great! One last question: Does Strelhaven have an acceptance letter? Maybe I can take it home and show it to my parents. I’m going to college in the wizarding world!” Hermione grinned, her clean, white teeth gleaming with magical light. It seemed her dentist parents hadn’t been able to help their daughter in her profession.

“Good question.” Ivy summoned the Grimoire of Destruction, tore off a few sheets to use as letter paper, and conjured several envelopes at will. With a swift, gleaming quill, she completed a letter almost identical in content to the acceptance letter she had received years ago in an instant. Ivy caught the quill from mid-air, personally signed her name at the end of the letter, and then stamped it with a large, multicolored seal before placing each acceptance letter into an envelope.

“Ahem.” Ivy stood up and cleared her throat. “Congratulations, ladies and gentlemen. I am honored to inform you that you have all been accepted into Strider College of Witchcraft and Wizardry. Here is your letter of acceptance, Miss Hermione Granger, and this is yours, Mr. Draco Malfoy, and you, Miss Cassandra Worre.”

"Thank you, Professor Doom!" Hermione shook hands with Ivy and left happily.

"It is my honor, and the Malfoy family's honor, Professor Doom!" Draco's face beamed with joy, his mouth almost reaching behind his ears.

Cassandra, who had already expressed her ambition to follow Ivy and share his burdens, never expected to receive an acceptance letter herself. Holding it, she looked at Ivy in confusion.

“Stridhaven’s acceptance letter doesn’t have a reporting deadline, and I don’t always have work for you to handle. When you have free time, you can go to Stridhaven for further studies and continue to improve your skills,” Ivy explained.

"By the way, we'll be spending most of the next period of time in Grellion. As you've heard, it's a world currently at war, so I think you might need some weapons and equipment for self-defense. Clothing is fine; I can take care of that for you. But it's best if you choose your own weapons. Is there anything that interests you? A longsword? A dagger? A warhammer? Or a ranged weapon like a bow and crossbow?"

Although Cassandra wasn't exactly a traditional witch, the only non-wand weapons she had access to were the armor displayed in the Hogwarts corridors and the longswords held by knights in portraits. She tilted her head and pondered for a moment before giving a somewhat unexpected answer: "A gun? How about it? Of the memories you implanted in me, it's the one I remember most vividly... It makes a lot of noise, and it seems quite powerful... Can it really kill a wizard in one strike?"

Ivy raised an eyebrow, somewhat surprised, and began analyzing the firearms suitable for use in Glarion, especially by a witch like Cassandra: "Muggle-made firearms are indeed excellent weapons, but without an industrial system to manufacture replacement parts, you'll have to learn how to maintain them and make your own bullets. Therefore, reliable and easy-to-maintain firearms are the best choice… I'll make you a revolver. Perhaps you can even find a way to replace its bullets with magic or spells!"

Since magical girls using long-handled weapons could easily evoke certain unpleasant (turn-around) images, Ivy chose a simpler, more stylish revolver for her sorcerer. As for the idea of ​​incorporating magic into bullets, that was a natural progression.

"Here you go, Miss Worley." Dumbledore handed her a note as well. "Your leave request. It's not the weekend yet, but your parents probably need to be relocated. I'll give you a day to take them to Diagon Alley, but you need to be back at school before the first class tomorrow morning, is that alright?"

Cassandra didn't rush to take the note, but instead looked at Ivy.

"Your Hogwarts studies are coming to an end. Don't you think it's a pity to give up now? Go ahead, and come back to me after you've finished your studies here." Ivy could guess that the girl was thinking of dropping out. For the sorcerer who was deeply bound to Ivy, Hogwarts and Strathaven were not necessary experiences.

Cassandra thanked the old headmaster after receiving the leave slip, and then went downstairs with her parents, who always obliged to help.

Ivy could tell that Dumbledore still had something to say to her, so she sent the little elephant away as well.

“Go ahead.” Ivy reached out and scratched Fox’s chin. The magnificent bird closed its eyes comfortably, while Spark, which had been perched on Ivy’s shoulder, let out a disgruntled cry. “I hope it’s not some old white-bearded man’s complaint about knee pain.”

The white-bearded old man with a scar on his knee bearing a London Underground map chuckled. "Of course not. Just think of it as a little worry on my part..."

Dumbledore's smile faded, and he reverted to his usual calm demeanor as the old wizard: "That Death... the Lady of the Empty City you speak of... she has acquired a body and has also traveled to another world... If she doesn't return, or if she finds a new faith there... what will happen to our world? Will the order of death be disrupted? Will those who have been resurrected be affected? What about Ariana...?"

“No,” Ivy replied immediately. “It’s quite common for deities to travel between worlds, and the death order in this world doesn’t rely on the Lady of Emptiness to function properly. As for the possibility of her obtaining a new divine office in Faerûn, it can’t be completely ruled out, but that wouldn’t affect this world either. Similar things have happened in Faerûn more than once, and many of the local deities in Faerûn aren’t native gods. Usually, there aren’t many deities who can influence believers across worlds, unless they have other aspects in that world.”

Sigrún has taught at the Iceland University of the Arts as a part-time lecturer since and was Dean of the Department of Fine Art from -. In – she held a research position at Reykjavík Art Museum focusing on the role of women in Icelandic art. She studied fine art at the Icelandic College of Arts and Crafts and at Pratt Institute, New York, and holds BA and MA degrees in art history and philosophy from the University of Iceland. Sigrún lives and works in Iceland.

"This world is quite far from Grallion... I can't sense Shane's divine power..." By the fence of Pegasus Ranch, Amal, the priestess of the Dawnblade Knights, said solemnly to her captain, Ashius, "Even standing in the sunlight, I feel as if I'm in the cold, biting darkness..."

“I feel the same way… However, when we first arrived in this world, it didn’t seem to happen like this. What’s going on?” Ashius clenched his fist and asked with some doubt.

"Wait... the sun... is back? Shane seems to be right behind us..." Amar turned around in surprise, only to see the military advisors of the Fifth Holy War walking towards them...

(End of this chapter)