The key leaders, including Former Village Chief Brane, voiced their opinions individually. "I would like to see the goddess who destroyed my long-standing Village Chief's compound and also understand how she's related to Naka," he said, his eyes firm and resolute.
Upon hearing their opinions, Orion nodded in understanding. "Let's go," he said, standing up from his seat.
The other key leaders followed suit, rising from their seats one by one and falling in line behind him as he led the way forward.
At the edge of the floating island, filled with countless tall trees and greenery, a thick streak coalesced from multiple bolts of lightning struck the ground before dispersing to reveal Orion and the key leaders.
They stood before a small building that appeared to be newly built, guarded by two three-star warriors. In the distance, four high-rise buildings could be seen, with smoke billowing from two of them.
The building before them was where the goddess Ilse was currently residing. The other two buildings in the distance were the facilities where the Vylkr alloys were being heavily processed. The remaining two buildings were the research centre for recreating the Vylkr Fusion Armlet and developing newly enhanced Gearweavers for the warriors' use.
Orion hadn't placed her there by mistake. This way, before she could inflict any harm on the inhabitants of Paradise, they could swiftly throw her off the floating island down to the Vylkr-filled earth below.
If they couldn't manage that, they could always use the Vylkr energy from the warriors and the Vylkr alloys to weaken her and easily remove her from Paradise. It was a well-calculated move.
The only reason he hadn't utilised Vylkr energy during his attack was that he didn't want to utterly destroy her again but simply incapacitate her. Like Aerialia, he harboured the belief that the Aegis of the Arctic Deity had a reason for doing this and wouldn't cause unnecessary harm to them.
Orion walked towards the small building while the key leaders remained in their positions, hesitant to take a step forward. However, seeing Orion about to pull the door open, they each gritted their teeth in resolution and took a step forward.
The two three-star warriors greeted them respectfully, and they reciprocated.
As they entered the small building, they were immediately met with the sight of a sleek, dark humanoid figure. It had elongated limbs and a lithe body, with smooth, obsidian-like skin shimmering with an eerie, iridescent sheen. It stood at approximately 1.8 meters (6 feet) tall.
Its eyes glowed with a faint, malevolent light as it acknowledged their presence before shifting its focus to the sleeping figure on the bed.
The sleeping figure was a gorgeous young woman with dark skin, and wavy, long, golden hair streaked with black and white cascading down. She was dressed in a deep golden gown adorned with numerous gems and crystals.
Her neck, arms, waist, and ankles glittered with various golden and gemstone jewellery, while her feet were adorned with golden shoes encrusted with rubies and other precious stones.
Orion had stationed the Morphic Puppet to guard over her unconscious body, with strict orders to incapacitate her again if she attempted to leave the building or engage in any similar actions to what had happened the last time she awakened.
"Goddess Ilse!" Queen Selene exclaimed, tears brimming in her eyes as she gazed at the sleeping figure on the bed.
Despite her altered appearance, the overwhelming sense of satisfaction and comfort confirmed to her that this was indeed goddess Ilse.
However, Queen Selene refrained from rushing forward impulsively. Instead, she maintained a cautious distance, her eyes roaming goddess Ilse's form, absorbing every detail.
The key leaders, too, kept their gaze, scrutinising the sleeping goddess's appearance.
"Do you have any idea when she is going to wake up?" High King Kael asked, his gaze fixed on Orion.
Unlike the other key leaders, the Pixies had various dealings with Aegis of the Arctic Deity, so he wasn't as impacted by the presence of a goddess who was supposed to have been dead for thousands of years.
"No, I don't. We will simply have to wait and see when she awakens. For now, we should continue with the projects we have already planned. The citizens are calm because they trust us, but if we show any signs of worry, Paradise might erupt into chaos even before she wakes," Orion responded, shaking his head.
The recent event had shaken the warriors to their core more than the Vylkr spawn attack, so he understood the importance of maintaining calm and order.
"What if she awakens and decides to cause trouble again?" Caretaker Zola asked, her brows furrowing in thought.
Before Orion could respond, Queen Selene immediately interjected, "The moment she awakens, I'll be there. If goddess Ilse sees me and realises that I'm her child, I doubt she'll do anything to harm Paradise."
"I'm impressed that you're willing to take on such a risk, Queen Selene, but your words are not reassuring. We need an effective method to deal with her if she causes even the slightest disturbance in the Orion Cities," Caretaker Zola responded, shaking her head in disagreement.
"I'm afraid to say that we have no effective method to handle a god if she decides to cause trouble again. With the Morphic Puppet here, our best option is to remove her from the Primordial barrier and hope she can't return or that she meets her end in the Vylkr vine-infested lands below," Orion replied with a sigh.
Caretaker Zola held back her words and sighed, her hands tightening into fists, mirroring the tension the other Key Leaders in the room felt.
They knew Orion's words were true, yet they struggled to accept their defenselessness against a god, especially one connected to Naka.
"Well then, if that's settled, there's no reason for us to linger here. Let's return to our duties in the Orion Cities," Former Village Chief Brane responded, turning towards the door with Former Village Chieftess Zara beside him.