The dragon's harem

Chapter 1636: … Into the Vault

Looking at Yog with a shocked face, Gojo needed a second to collect his thoughts. While the lesser gods get born and die all the time, the higher ones rarely get replaced across the eons. The more ancient and powerful a god is, the more likely they’ve seen civilizations fall and rise, other gods live and die, wars rattle the entire universe, and they have lived through horrors that would make mere mortals melt into madness.

Yog here was one of the oldest, having lived since the creation of the universe, all while bearing AO’s omniscience. To her, to everyone but the creator, knowing all was forbidden knowledge.

Gojo couldn’t begin to fathom the extent of what someone like Yog or Amaterasu had suffered and endured. She was a being with far more experience in life than he, yet…

Yog had grabbed Gojo by the wrist and started pulling him toward the green door.

“Let’s go take a look inside. I know those two stored many things, but I wasn’t sure where. I can smell it from here, the artifacts they have inside.” She sniffed the air, for some reason being able to tell that the space behind this green door was linked to a private shadow pocket.

Gojo looked at her, both disappointed and glad the goddess of magic isn’t some arrogant, bloodthirsty monster. It’s better for her to be an annoying brat than anything else. He had seen his fair share of insane wizards and archmages who got drunk on their power and started forcing their will upon the world.

It was a relief seeing someone just like him, only fueled by curiosity and a genuine love for magic. But he wasn’t oblivious that while she acted carefree, Yog still held enough power, wisdom, and ruthless intellect to make any madman shiver in horror.

He sighed with a faint smile, taking a step forward and reaching for the doorknob. He grabbed it firmly and twisted. He felt a bit of resistance at first, but then it clicked open.

The door opened, silently at first, but then screamed, its hinges screeching due to the lack of oil. This door hadn’t been opened for ages. In fact, it might’ve never been opened before.

He had expected a gust of warm wind to wash over him, to smell or feel something, but instead, he felt nothing. Even the smell of his disgusting coat disappeared. He didn’t feel cold anymore, and for some reason, everything behind him faded away from his vision.

Gojo’s gut feeling was quickly confirmed by Yog as she looked through the keyhole. “Hoo, this door. It has never been opened before. I bet those two never used it, just teleporting inside through the shadows.” She looked closer at the wood.

“It’s made from the world tree wood, the steel belongs to Mary, and this is Mora’s craftsmanship and Cain’s sealing magic.” She giggled, and Gojo stared at her.

Hearing all of the names was both stunning and expected. Who else would make a door for the Mother of All Life and Death herself? Of course, other powerful gods.

“Yggdrasil, the Metallic Queen, the dwarf God, and the Overgod. I guess, I couldn’t expect anything less from Death and the mother of all life.” He tried to peer into the magic, but regrettably, without his void eyes, he couldn’t see much.

Without his powers, Gojo felt blind, deaf, weak, and fragile.

“It’s one big family. Yggdrasil is Cain’s aunt, Mary is one of his wives, and Mora is his father’s old friend. It seems that Cain created this place. He used Yggdrasil’s space magic, Mary’s time magic, and formed the great spell, keeping this space stable. He then had Mora build a vessel to hold that space, which is this room and door.” Yog knocked on the door a few times, copying the magic into her arsenal.

Gojo looked around, then stared at Yog. “He’s such a great mage, yet you’re here dancing naked around me from time to time. Aren’t you ashamed of yourself. I feel sorry for him.”

She looked at him with a grin. “Why would you feel sorry for yourself?” Gojo blinked. “I feel sorry for him, not me.”

She laughed and walked forward, waving her hand to him. “Yeah, look at this.” Quickly changing the subject, she started casting some strange magic.

“I’ll translate it into a spell book and give it to you later.” She walked inside, and Gojo followed her, looking at the dark walls around them.

The inside of the room was indeed vast, like an endless black mirror that extended to eternity. Looking at the ground, he could only see an endless dark abyss; above him was one massive, magic circle, shining with faint blue light. And on each side, there was nothing.

The clothes, the treasures, the magic artifacts, and all of Gojo’s ambitions and dreams were not here.

“I thought she said I’ll find clothes here?” He was extremely disappointed, frowning deeply. Not because he didn’t get any clothes, but because he didn’t see a single magical artifact yet. He had imagined a magical wardrobe that spits clothes, a golem butler, or several scrolls to be tossed around like dirty socks.

The moment Gojo spoke, a wooden wardrobe appeared beside him, its doors opening on their own with a creak. Inside were several sets of clothes, all roughly matching his size.

His eyes opened wide. Even without his void eyes, he could tell the power of the magic sealed in the wardrobe. It had appeared out of nowhere after all.

Yog looked around with a passive face. She sensed the magic before it could start, but Gojo was surprised. As a human, his sharp draconic senses were nowhere to be seen.

“So it works like this!” He gasped, but failed to notice that his bloodied hide coat and Arad’s expensive shirt had already vanished. He was now wearing shorts and an old-looking black shirt.

Yog grinned. “Look at yourself. It changed you to the clothes you thought about before giving a full wardrobe to pick from. Amazing magic indeed.” She too was affected, her robe disappearing to get washed, and a fresh gown took its place.

“Oh, it gave me one.” Inspected the gown for a few seconds.

“So? How does this place work? Do I just think of something, and it appears?” He looked around and closed his eyes. “No, it must be something that already exists in this space. If I think of a steel sword…”

A hundred racks of steel swords appeared behind him, flashing into existence out of the endless abyss beneath them. He reached toward them, gasping. “Wow…”

The rows shifted. He had thought that some of those swords were dull and rusted, so a row of whetstones raced past him, followed by a sofa where Yog sat.

“Are you seeing this? I only need to think of something, and this space would bring it out.” He walked around, summoning several rows of clothes, scrolls and staves.

Yog looked at him. “Now, I’ll give you quiz. How vast is this space. Guess wrong and I’ll have you suck my toes for a while. Answer right, and I’ll do whatever you want for a day.” She leaned back.

Gojo looked at her, thinking. This place has to be massive, at least a whole world. No, it must be the size of at least two worlds. Death and the Mother of All Life won’t store all of their things in one place.

“It’s at least two worlds, but can be expanded. Most likely, this place is a near endless maze that the Mother of All Life and Death can expand at will.”

Yog crossed her arms, creating a buzzing sound with magic. “Wrong, wrong, and wrong.” She extended her right foot toward him and wiggled her toes. “You’ll be sucking them, but for now, I’ll tell you the right answer.”

She looked to the side, and Liliana was there, scrubbing her body with a sponge. Liliana froze, Gojo froze, and Yog smiled. “This place extends to anything that has a shadow, that is alive, or dead. The amount and power of things that can be pulled depends on the one willing it.”

She smiled. “I’m stronger than you, so I can pull things from anywhere in the universe. Your girl here, Liliana, is alive and has a shadow, meaning she is the property of The Mother of All Life. When she dies, she belongs to Death. Either way, she can be summoned here.”

“Gojo! What, you’re here?!” Liliana gasped and rushed to hide behind him, glaring at Yog. “It’s you again! Curse you, Goddess of magic! What did you do?”

“I can send you back if you want.” Yog stared at them. “But, I guess you two have things to talk about.”