I reign supreme in the Western fantasy world for eternity.

Ji Tian recalled that he had traveled from the eastern border to the western border, from the capital to the border, and had stayed in the human kingdoms for so long, yet he had never truly encountered a demigod who was still alive.

Cardinal Valentine of the church, by using the "Scepter of the Holy Spirit" to summon the souls of sages from all ages to possess him and briefly touch the threshold of demigodhood, was ultimately just borrowing, not possessing his own level of attainment.

He had only been in the Elf Royal Court for a week, and he had already met two of them.

First, there was the mediocre demigod in that lake who only knew how to test the hero's honesty, and then there was Elune deep in the underground labyrinth who lived a life more insightful than anyone else.

Ji Tian initially thought this was because those elves were either among the first creations of the goddess or had been given certain missions by the goddess, and thus had a closer relationship with the goddess of life. It was not surprising that the goddess of life would grant them long lives.

But Ophelia's father's words forced him to reconsider this assumption: "Then I'll go and ask the demigod elder of the family—" The meaning was already quite clear:

The Roland family has a demigod who can help his family's descendants at any time.

Just as I was thinking this, Ophelia's voice came from the side: "I only know that the Roland family is one of the five great noble families, but my mother has never told me what their specific background is."

...However, the sacred objects of the Elves are generally weaker, far inferior to those of the human church and the dwarven royal family; demigods, on the other hand, seem to be more commonly found.

"Didn't you ask your father?"

"No, he rarely mentions family matters, and I'm not particularly interested in knowing either. If the sect leader is curious, I can ask him."

Ji Tian waved his hand, "Never mind then, let's ask the ambassador at the embassy how much he knows first, and we can ask him again after we meet with the high priest of the elves."

It took some time to repair the treehouse.

Lilith used her stick to pry open the loose steps, and dragged several branches of similar thickness from the nearby woods to measure their dimensions.

Elena took out tools from her storage ring and helped her replace the broken step.

Ji Tian inspected several damaged sections of thatch on the roof and replaced them with new ones.

Ophelia stood to the side and watched for a while, then bent down, straightened the clump of wildflowers that had been trampled on at the bottom of the steps, and tamped down the surrounding soil with her feet.

Lilith straightened up and wiped the sweat from her forehead with the back of her hand: "Second Senior Sister, these steps in your house are really hard to repair. Luckily, I, Lilith, am exceptionally talented."

Ophelia's lips twitched almost imperceptibly: "Thank you."

"Don't mention it, I'll come and fix it for you whenever I have time." Lilith chuckled and hoisted the wooden stick back onto her shoulder.

The group left the treehouse.

The forest path winds and twists under the moonlight, and occasionally the night wind rustles through the tree canopy, the sound like whispers passing overhead.

When they rejoined the main road of the capital, most of the streetlights were already on, and the crystals embedded in the ancient tree branches emitted a warm yellow light, making the shadows of pedestrians both shorter and longer.

The embassy was still in the same location, and the two magic lamps at the entrance were still lit as usual. The guards rushed to greet the hero and inform the ambassador after seeing the hero's nameplate.

The ambassador, who was sitting in the foyer reviewing documents, rose to greet them upon hearing of their return: "Brave warriors, I have heard about the situation at the border. You have all worked hard. Would you like some rooms arranged for you to rest? The royal court will send someone to pick you up tomorrow morning to formally complete the reporting process."

Ji Tian didn't rush to rest. "Wait a moment, I have a few questions I'd like to ask you."

The ambassador gestured for them to sit in the reception room, and then sat down himself: "Please speak, sir."

How many demigods are there among the elves?

The ambassador was slightly taken aback, seemingly not expecting him to ask such a question.

"There are no exact figures, and even we diplomats cannot fully grasp the situation of the elven demigods. However, according to church records and my personal understanding, the number of living elven demigods exceeds the combined number of human kingdoms and demons."

The demigods in the human kingdoms are mostly historical figures. They are either powerful beings who have ascended to immortality or retired from public life, or legendary figures who exist only in ancient texts. Currently, the only living demigods are likely the Church.

The ambassador paused at this point to allow everyone time to process the information.

This is not hard to understand: human lifespan is too short, and those who can reach the level of demigods are extremely rare. Even if they do reach that level, they may consume a lot of their lifespan for some reason.

The first hero's party priest who left behind the "Sage's Crown" is the best example.

Ji Tian gestured for the other party to continue.

"But the elves are different. Their lifespan is measured in millennia, and the lifespan of demigods is even longer. The five great noble families have been passed down to this day, and each family has at least one demigod in charge, not to mention the royal family."

Elena asked, "Under what circumstances do these demigods usually appear?"

The ambassador gave a wry smile: "Under normal circumstances, they won't appear. The elven demigods follow a very ancient covenant not to interfere in worldly affairs easily. This covenant is older than the human kingdoms, the church, and even the elven royal court itself. I'm not qualified to look into the specifics, but I know that 'demigods can exist, but they cannot influence the course of mortal affairs with absolute power.'"

Ji Tian leaned back in his chair, lost in thought: "So they're just 'watching'?"

The ambassador nodded. "You could say that. They might intervene at crucial moments, such as when the Elven race faces annihilation, or in events of great importance concerning the survival of the world. But most of the time, they're practically invisible."

Lilith blinked, the thought "The Demon Race is doomed" resurfacing in her mind after half a year, only receding after the other party said that the Elven Race wouldn't easily intervene. A few moments later, she asked in a low voice:

"Don't they get bored? They've lived so long, yet they can't get involved in anything, they can only watch their own people fight with other tribes..."

The ambassador smiled and said, "That's probably why they choose to live in seclusion. Out of sight, out of mind."

Seeing that no one spoke, the ambassador glanced at the increasingly dark night outside the window, then stood up: "You've all had a long day. Your rooms have been arranged. An envoy from the royal court will come to pick you up tomorrow morning, and I will accompany you throughout the process."

Ji Tian nodded his thanks, and the group was led to the guest rooms in the backyard of the embassy.

As they walked down the corridor, Elena walked beside him: "Are you thinking about human demigods?"

"I'm wondering why the demigods in the human kingdoms would 'retire' or 'go into slumber'."

"Do you think it's related to the 'Hero' system?"

"Possibly. The Hero System itself is a kind of substitute. The demon race has the Demon King, and the opposing side has the Hero. Both sides have the power of gods supporting them."

If either side possesses demigod-level power as a norm, then this "hero versus demon king" game becomes unplayable. Therefore, the demigods must withdraw.