Just as Metron introduced, the bright grew brighter, the wicked grew wickeder—the people here fully embodied this principle.
People like "the Greatest Green Lantern" Abin Sur—those who would bite the hand that fed them, constantly scheming how to brainwash their boss—didn't exist here.
Their gratitude allowed Thea to smoothly complete the trade. Between input and output, her divine power suffered no loss, but among the numerous residents, this golden figure had already earned their trust—and a bit of faction goodwill.
Thea knew these folks weren't particularly useful. Gaining their favor could only earn good relations—she couldn't mobilize them to push for democratic elections and overthrow Highfather. That would be laughable.
This place was similar to Earth's reliance on superheroes. During war, they depended on a few true gods represented by Highfather to withstand enemy attacks. Thea was now in this category, of course.
Darkseid's side was the same—leading several generals against Highfather in direct combat. Their victory or defeat determined the war's outcome. The battles among the small fries below could only be considered entertainment, having no real impact on the overall situation.
Across countless years and battles, supposedly fought with earth-shattering intensity, it was actually just combat between those dozen gods. This was why Metron valued Thea so highly—this gain and loss could truly affect the final outcome.
Metron sat in his chair, leading Thea toward the city's central tower.
Upon arriving, Metron seemed to suddenly lose interest in conversation, sitting with his arms folded, contemplating some problem in silence.
Thea walked on the red carpet. She had to admit Metron had high standards, constantly floating around without his feet touching the ground. Sometimes she even maliciously wondered if this guy, from never using his legs, might have muscle atrophy.
After entering the tower, onlookers couldn't follow. They sent blessings from afar before gradually dispersing.
Honestly, Thea disliked this place intensely. From entering the tower, she felt the atmosphere's solemnity. It was too grave, too heavy. A voice in the air seemed to constantly whisper in her ear, speaking of grand, glorious truths. This absolute justice had never been her style.
Fortunately, as a deity now, these beliefs couldn't shake her core. But to give the new boss a good impression, she became much more serious, pretending to be very "just" even if it was an act.
She maintained a proper attitude to give the new boss a good impression, and he didn't treat her like a common soldier either.
After passing through three checkpoints, a tall, imposing middle-aged man stood at the gate, watching them from afar. The middle-aged man held a staff, wore half-armor, his thick beard accentuating eyes of infinite wisdom.
Running over to kowtow wasn't happening! The young miss wasn't that servile, especially seeing Metron beside her gliding along at a steady pace—she couldn't make exaggerated gestures.
But this didn't prevent subtle expressions—apprehension, nervousness, excitement, all mixed in, giving some response to Highfather who'd courteously come out to greet her personally.
Staring intently at the new boss would be inappropriate. Thea could only scan with normal glances. This Highfather was truly inscrutable—just seeing his figure automatically brought associations with justice, fairness, and benevolence. This was the strongest person Thea had ever seen.
She estimated he held at least several, perhaps over ten divine positions. Unlike Thea's beginner god status, his fusion with the Source was quite deep. If Thea understood the Source, he'd reached the level where he himself was the Source.
"Thank you for the summons, Supreme Highfather." Metron was too proud—having delivered the person, he stopped talking. Thea reacted quickly, immediately expressing her attitude and bowing to show respect.
"My child, welcome to New Genesis." Highfather's face was full of benevolence as he gestured for her to rise, then seemed to spend a moment seeing through her capabilities. The corner of his mouth slightly rose as he turned to Metron. "Summon the Council of Eight to welcome our new member."
"Come, my child. They'll need some time to assemble. I'll show you around—this will be your home from now on." Highfather gestured for her to follow.
Thea was quite annoyed by these old people constantly calling her "child," but she had no grounds to object. The man's age divided by a hundred million, with the remainder still exceeding her actual age. This had nothing to do with fist size—she could only listen obediently.
"The New Gods aren't unified. Metron must have mentioned this. You must remember Darkseid's name—he's the enemy of all intelligent life. He'll destroy all civilization and enslave all beings. If that day truly comes, all creatures will be unable to choose their own destinies. He is our eternal enemy." Highfather spoke solemnly.
"The gods warring among themselves isn't personal grudge—it's war concerning the universe's soul, war between the Army of Light and the Army of Darkness."
He pointed at the land beneath the floating island. "That day's battle, even after eons, still appears before my eyes like yesterday. Darkseid and I fought for seven days. The entire world reached the brink of collapse. Though Darkseid and his subordinates were driven from here, we paid an incalculable price. Our homeland was completely destroyed, with no possibility of rebuilding."
Highfather gestured for Thea to look herself.
Only then did she use super-vision to observe carefully. Initially she thought only the planet's surface was damaged, but upon actual observation, discovered the problems were far greater.
Deep craters could be filled, ruins cleared, but the damage from both sides' energy couldn't be restored.
Many damage traces involved energy types Thea couldn't comprehend. Even after eons, some still functioned.
Highfather had guarded this place for so many years without solution. Thea could hardly have any answer.
But she knew Highfather didn't want constructive suggestions—he was cautioning her about the difficulty of predecessors' victory, that she should cherish and protect it.
This was like HR leading new employees through company development history, frequently discussing the hardships of founding, reminiscing to deepen new employees' identification and sense of mission. Highfather merely expanded this goal to an entire world.
The only difference was that Thea, this new employee, had overly outstanding performance and personal ability. Assigning her to guard gates or tend horses would be inappropriate. Direct promotion to management was inevitable, so the chairman Highfather personally conducted ideological education.
Thea felt her thoughts were close to the mark. She had no intention of defecting to Darkseid, so she might as well express loyalty along with Highfather's words.