The elf nodded appreciatively. "I have to thank the sage for his gift. It is so thoughtful. The sage is always thorough in everything he does. Even when screwing you over."
The realm lord looked at the serpentine world god when he said his last statement. That is to let him know that he will certainly be sharing the story. He might even share the videos so that everyone can know what specifically happened.
The realm lord continued. "Let's end this then. As I promised, I will offer you another allocation in my project. So are you willing to accept it?"
"I am very willing to accept it." The sage answered immediately.
The realm lord promised them a reward. It is an opportunity for them to invest more in his project. They have to pay for the investment but it is highly sought after right now. If not for this opportunity, then they wouldn't have helped him to test his project. They built the pillars according to his blueprint and tested them for an opportunity to pay for an opportunity to earn Authority.
"That's good." The elf said then he turned to the silent serpentine world god.
The serpentine world god was silent. So the realm lord asked, "What about you?"
"Can we postpone the deadline? I am kind of poor right now." Came the reply from the serpentine world god.
The elf facepalmed and stifled his laughter. He only chuckled and managed to say, "It was that bad huh? Unfortunately, we can't postpone it. I will be done in an origin cycle or less. Then the era of conquest will start. I'm sorry but I can't wait for you." ɪꜰ ʏᴏᴜ ᴡᴀɴᴛ ᴛᴏ ʀᴇᴀᴅ ᴍᴏʀᴇ ᴄʜᴀᴘᴛᴇʀs, ᴘʟᴇᴀsᴇ ᴠɪsɪᴛ Novᴇ(l)Fɪre .ɴᴇt
The sage took that opportunity to intercede, "Can I take his allocation since he can't afford it?"
The serpentine world god sputtered in outrage, "You swindler. This is what you were after all along."
The sage didn't spare him any attention. He remained focused on the elf. The elf felt that he has been placed in a complicated situation. He asked the serpentine world first, "Are you sure you won't be able to get the funds soon?"
The serpentine world seethed and replied through gritted teeth. "No."
The realm lord sighed and said, "Then I am afraid that I will have to offer this allocation to the sage. He has the resources and I did promise two allocations to be divided amongst you."
"That is a good idea." The sage agreed readily. "It will not do for such an opportunity to go to waste."
The serpentine world god looked at the sage and his calm expression with hatred in his eyes. He lost thousands of origin cycles worth of stuff. What he needs for the allocation is a small portion of what he lost and he can probably recover the amount he borrowed or make some effort but he can't spend it on the allocation.
He is currently in a deficit. He can't afford what can be termed a luxury. He already has some allocation in the project and getting more will be very good but getting more is not advised in his situation. It is not a good idea to spend money on luxury fashion when there is no food to eat.
The sage on the other hand is swimming in resources. He can afford more than 10 allocations if the opportunity to invest that much is made available. All because the sage stole his wealth. His fury threatened to overwhelm him. His thousands of arms moved to deliver vengeance but he stopped when the elf spoke.
The realm lord said to the serpentine world god, "I can see that you intend to fight the sage but I wouldn't recommend it. It would be foolish of you to believe that the sage's scheme has ended with this win. You might be playing further into his hands by fighting him."
The serpentine world god was not convinced. He continued to stare hatefully at the sage. Nothing can change his mind from having a battle with him now. He has nothing left to lose so he will go for it.
The realm lord interrupted his thoughts with some well-meaning advice. "Don't think that you have nothing left to lose. There is always another low no matter how low you are currently. How about you take a walk? Let your mind settle. Think about everything that happened and what could go wrong. Then come back and fight him with a plan in mind. Don't just rush into this with anger as your only directive. Facing the sage in ignorance is bad, as you well know. Facing him in ignorance and anger is worse. I assure you."
The serpentine world god thought about it and he felt that the realm lord made sense. It is a good idea to have a plan. He has always been many steps behind the sage in their partnership and competition. He lost badly because he didn't expect the unexpected. He gave a nod of appreciation to the elf then he flew away to think.
"You just spoiled my fun." The sage said.
"I did it because you spoiled my fun too. You must have an inkling about what I am aiming for so you know I need my world gods. It is not about the resources anymore but the number of world gods participating. The more world gods are invested in this project of mine, the better. So you have cost me one more world god."
The realm lord has a lot of resources and can get more if he wants. What he can't get easily are world gods. The more world gods that are invested in his project, the more world gods that care about its success. In a way, he will be getting the backing of several world gods. Those backings are more important to him than some wealth. In the void universe, there are some things that wealth cannot buy.
The sage nodded. "I know and I have something to make up for it."