Nordic: I Created a Forbidden Land for the Gods

Neil remained calm in the face of those stares, having anticipated them, and therefore did not pay them much attention.

Anyway, he didn't come here to please these gods. Back in the inland, some people prayed to the gods for peace, and then within two days they were caught up in the aftermath of a fight and died. He had seen too many things like this.

He has basically given up hope and just wants to focus on doing his own thing.

The gods wouldn't pay much attention to the inconspicuous minions; they would glance at them and then look away, waiting in line outside for inspection before entering the gate.

"Not only gods, but also heroes, dwarves, and even elves, those who can correspond to runes, can all come here."

"There are more people wanting to enter the market than I expected."

"Is it because the battlefield is about to open, so they're making preparations in advance?"

Neil waited, keeping an eye on his surroundings.

Before coming here, he and Slud confirmed many details and knew that the market would usually only have twenty or thirty transactions, not much more.

But now that we see there were already two or three hundred people before he arrived, and more are still arriving one after another, we can't help but make this guess.

"From this perspective, the number of deities that will travel to the Ice Sea in the future will be much greater than we imagine."

"This is only the side of the gods; there's also the side of the giants, who pay more attention to the battlefield situation."

"When the fighting starts, it might be even more brutal than inland."

Just thinking about it made Neil feel heavy-hearted.

However, he also discovered his advantage, which was that gods and giants had to make various preparations and needed a certain amount of time to go to the battlefield.

Regardless, he was now on an island in the icy sea.

Even though Winterfell Island's defenses aren't very strong, it still has plenty of time to develop.

Slud's father, Odin, informed the Valkyries to prepare in advance because they were currently located in the Nine Seas.

"As for how I should develop next, it all depends on what good stuff I can find at this market."

Neil thought to himself as he waited in line.

One after another, deities were questioned in front of him, and he noticed that every time those figures were questioned by the guards, it seemed that some force was interfering.

Just like when someone is operating an ATM, they might cover their mouth with their hand, making the sounds that were originally audible become muffled.

Neil observed carefully and found that it was the guards who did it. Unlike the other spiritual beings, they were all physical beings stationed here, carrying long spears and wearing armor, and all looked very capable.

Although these guards were seeing this for the first time, Neil's expression turned solemn when he saw the style of the spear. He had seen gods use it when he was inland, and a single swing could destroy half a mountain range.

Neil found it terrifying at the time, but now it seems to be just a standard weapon of the gods.

Neil continued to observe and found that after each interrogation, although the faces of the figures could not be seen clearly, they all seemed to be emotionally agitated, causing the illusory spirits to constantly surge.

"Why is the entry fee so much higher this time?"

"We are fighting for the honor of the gods with war imminent, and now they're starving themselves in the rear? Have they no shame?"

"This is profiting from war!"

Some of the figures couldn't help but curse, their voices even overpowering the interference.

According to their statements, these guards would also clearly "overstep their authority" by asking for unnecessary and valuable information, and would not allow passage if they did not answer.

The guards of the person in question were right in front of them, yet they didn't react much to such blatant exposure, seemingly indifferent.

On the contrary, the figures still in line seemed to have unpleasant expressions.

But not many people chose to leave. They knew they would be slaughtered, but with war approaching, they wanted to plunder as much profit as possible in the war, so they had to make the necessary sacrifices.

Like the figure who just spoke up, deliberately exposing his shortcomings was also to incite public outrage so that he wouldn't have to pay the price.

But seeing everyone else silently accepting the situation, he could only reluctantly pay the original price.

Only after paying an additional "compensation" did they finally gain the right to enter the market.

"Logically speaking, as long as there is a level 3 'communication', then it is also possible to trade in the wild, but no one chooses to do so."

"It seems that not only people cannot understand each other, but even gods cannot understand each other. They are no different from isolated islands."

Neil muttered to himself, then subconsciously reached for his waist, where a cloth bag was hanging.

This is Slud's treasure, made by the dwarves and containing multiple runes, including storage runes, so it can be brought along even in special spiritual spaces.

When Slud went out to sea on a mission, she didn't carry much with her, and she had used up most of it, but she still had some left.

Including the wealth he recovered from the battle with the evil dragon, he had resources equivalent to about 50 mithril coins. As a mortal, he was extremely wealthy, but compared to other gods, he was very poor.

If it were Slud who came up, even if she had such wealth she would be allowed to leave, she would probably be forced to sign all sorts of unfair contracts that she would have to fulfill later. From this perspective, it was more correct to send Neil over.

"Even so, we don't know how much they'll take, and maybe they'll take it all."

"So, once we enter the market, we can only use runes to trade...?"

Neil frowned, but there was nothing he could do but take it one step at a time.

The team slowly advanced, and soon it was Neil's turn.

"Next... is it your turn?"

The guard in charge of the inspection began, but paused when he saw Neil.

Compared to other "radiant" spiritual entities, like the sun, Neil was as inconspicuous as a black lump of coal by the roadside.

When he saw how many people were still in line, he thought they were just pebbles on the roadside and subconsciously ignored them.

Neil nodded and was about to step forward, but a figure behind him strode forward forcefully, pushing Neil to the back and insisting on being checked to enter the room.

"I have something urgent to attend to, could you please let me through?"

The figure laughed heartily; it was one of those who had been greedily eyeing Neil earlier.

From this moment on, his entire body circulated energy, forcefully suppressing Neil and rendering him utterly unable to resist.

Neil frowned at the sight and looked on coldly, but as if the weak deserved to be bullied, the other figures around him remained silent and acted as if it were perfectly normal.

Even the guards did the same; after glancing at Neil, they decided to look away and deal with the figure first.

After all, he's a black lump of coal; it's impossible to offer him anything good, right?

But it didn't matter if he didn't look; with just one glance, he saw the mark on the back of Neil's hand.

His expression changed drastically.

"Lord Ian, I have an urgent matter to attend to. Please handle it quickly. Thank you."

The figure in the robbery team smiled and spoke, somewhat obsequiously. Before the guard could even speak, he took out a cloth bag and offered it to them, appearing to be very well-mannered.

The guard took it directly, then, holding a long spear, swept it away with his club.

Amidst the groans of pain from the spirit being and the astonished gazes of the other outsiders, the guard who had been "dutifully performing his duties" suddenly knelt on one knee before Neil, looking utterly terrified.

"I never expected you to be that person's envoy. I am truly sorry that you have been treated this way."

"This is just a small compensation from me, please don't mind it."

He spoke respectfully and nervously, presenting the generous gift he had just received with both hands.