The Witch of Greed's Graveyard—this place was once merely a forest. But Echidna, in her quest for bodily immortality, transformed it into a so-called "experimental base," better known as the "Sanctuary." Every villager here was tied to her experiments.
The origins of this place were layered in mystery.
Four hundred years ago, the Witch of Envy, Satella, lost control due to her immense Witch Factor, unleashing an Authority rampage that affected half the world.
The Three Heroes saved the world by destroying Satella's physical body and sealing her immortal soul within the "Castle of Dreams."
To prevent another catastrophe, the Three Heroes decided to seal the souls of the deceased witches alongside Satella's, using them as ballast to suppress the Witch of Envy's power.
Even in death, Satella couldn't rest peacefully. Some witches came to resent her, while others pitied her deeply.
Collecting the souls of witches was incredibly dangerous, and the task ultimately fell to Echidna.
Driven by her Greed and thirst for knowledge about her fellow witches, Echidna didn't refuse.
But gathering those souls came with a heavy price—misfortune.
After sealing the other witches' souls within the Castle of Dreams, Echidna herself could no longer hold on.
That's why she created the Sanctuary—to seek physical immortality.
If she died, her soul would be sealed in the Castle of Dreams, forever accompanied by the other witches.
Unfortunately, she failed. This world was incomplete, its foundation for godhood shattered.
The appearance of the Devil of Melancholy was merely the final straw.
After her death, the Divine Dragon sealed her into the Castle of Dreams.
According to another version, the one originally tasked with gathering the witches' souls had been the Witch of Sloth. But after battling the Dragon and traumatizing it, the Dragon refused to approach her again and instead turned to Echidna.
The scene shifted before Noah's eyes.
Blue skies, white clouds, fresh air, and a vast green meadow.
This was the Castle of Dreams—the magical construct formed from spells to seal the souls of the witches.
"Oh my! What a terrifying presence. To think the god who just rewrote the world's fate would so boldly barge into a young maiden's boudoir…"
On the grass sat a small tea table, shaded by a parasol with a white base and violet floral trim.
In a pure white mourning dress that accentuated her graceful figure, Echidna sat elegantly in a white tea chair.
Her snow-white hair and goddess-like face made her seem ethereal. Her pale fingers covered her lips, and her pitch-black eyes shimmered with astonishment.
But beneath that surprise lay barely restrained curiosity and a thirst for knowledge.
With a smirk, Noah walked to the tea table. Under Echidna's dazed gaze, he pulled out a chair and sat down, his golden eyes fixed on the beguiling witch before him.
"Great Witch of Sin—Greed, Echidna. I'll skip the small talk. Do you want to be resurrected? Do you want to learn the secrets of the gods? The secrets of the world? The endless, hyperdimensional, boundless truths?"
He judged people as he spoke. And frankly, he enjoyed talking to smart people. No need for meaningless chatter—he spoke, and the other party would understand.
Beings with Authorities—whether witches, dragons, or humans—had long surpassed normal human cognition.
Ninety percent of Echidna's outward behavior served her Greed. Her emotions, speech, and actions—only a sliver of them still belonged to a "person."
"My, my. Lord God, how imperious and domineering. Jumping straight to the heart of the matter. Aren't you supposed to ask, 'Who are you?' and 'What's your purpose?' or something?" Echidna responded gently, but the gleam of unrestrained curiosity in her eyes betrayed her inner thoughts.
He had seen right through her nature as a witch.
Those black eyes of hers stared at the god who had suddenly appeared and then calmly sat across from her—so naturally, as if he belonged there. Her cheeks flushed as if with shyness.
Of course, it wasn't shyness. It was the thrill of the unknown, the desire to explore, the overwhelming curiosity.
Even though she was dead and her soul sealed away, her Authority still remained. She could still read the World Memory.
The moment fate was completely rewritten, she sensed that supreme power.
So vast, so unknown, and so powerful it could treat the world like a blank canvas.
And he hadn't even tried to hide it. The moment he appeared in the Sanctuary, she'd sensed it. She hadn't even had time to prepare herself before he stepped in.
Noah gazed calmly at the witch, whose inner world was already burning while her exterior feigned composure.
"Your answer, Witch. I'll only ask once."
"Please don't be angry, Lord God," Echidna said, hastily rising to her feet. Like a flustered little girl, she clutched her chest.
"Although I yearn deeply for answers to the questions you've asked me… may I ask just one question before I respond?"
Noah's golden eyes narrowed slightly. "Ask, Echidna."
She blinked, feigning innocence like a bashful maiden. "I don't have the right to choose, do I?"
Noah folded his arms, smiling faintly. "Smart. No, you don't. I'm offering an opportunity, not a choice."
Echidna nodded, understanding. "I see. You're a god who can rewrite the world at will… So then, what price must I pay?"
For there is always a cost to receiving—even more so for something like resurrection and the fulfillment of her endless curiosity.
Noah replied with playful amusement, "And what do you think the price would be to receive such a gift? Here—have a glimpse of the universe's truths."
A speck of golden light appeared before Echidna.
Inside it were some basic truths of the Teyvat Universe, knowledge about the gods, and details of the World Annexation Plan.
Echidna blinked at the glowing speck, and without hesitation, reached out to touch it.
She had to. It contained the unknown.
The moment her finger brushed it, a torrent of knowledge poured into her soul.
After absorbing it all, she jolted upright from her chair and practically dove onto the tea table. Her chest flattened against the surface, eyes ablaze as she stared at Noah. Her face was flushed.
She reached toward his hand—then paused, remembering who he was.
Still, her voice trembled with fervent emotion. Her gaze radiated unfiltered desire.
"I'm willing to give everything I have—my freedom, soul, life, body, future, everything—in exchange! Lord Heavenly Principle!"
She had thought this god already beyond her comprehension, but the glimpse of universal truth had obliterated even that scale.
There were levels to divinity. The gap between gods was wider than the gap between witches and ants.
She couldn't understand him. Couldn't even peer at him. And precisely because of that, her passion ignited into unprecedented ecstasy.
Noah picked up the cup of tea on the table, gently swirling it.
"Your tone lacked fervor—and it wasn't nearly passionate enough."
"Say it again."
At Noah's command, Echidna didn't hesitate. She stood up from the table, walked over to him, and knelt down. Her hands clasped together tightly.
Her breathing was rapid, and her voice was filled with pleading and excitement, like a nun praying desperately to her god.
"Ah~ O Supreme Lord Heavenly Principle, I am willing to give everything. I beg you, save me. As a witch, I cannot control my Greed—my endless desire to explore the unknown and to obtain all knowledge."
"No matter the cost, I seek your salvation. Please rescue this pitiful witch."
"If you must play with my fate, my body, my everything, I will have no regrets."
"No, I long for you to claim me, to toy with me—because that, too, is part of my desire."
"Everything about you, everything you want to do to me—I must know it."
"Anything related to you, I cannot resist."
"So please, I beg you, redeem me."
Her tone, gestures, and gaze radiated unending thirst for knowledge.
By the end, she had spread her arms wide, gazing up at Noah as if yearning to fall into his embrace.
Noah looked at the witch's purely deranged yet radiant expression and couldn't help but think of a certain witch from Teyvat who had already become a Primary God.
Just as unhinged. No—Echidna wasn't quite that extreme, but her purity was exceptional.
"Bark like a dog."
He reached out and scratched her under the chin.
When it came to handling deranged types, Noah was a seasoned expert.
"If that is your will," Echidna said without pause, immediately dropping her hands and posing like a puppy. A crisp, clear voice rang out:
"Woof woof~"
She looked up at Noah with an expression both clear-eyed and adorably dumb—like a small puppy seeking favor.
If she had a tail, it would surely be wagging.
Noah watched the fully committed Echidna and inwardly commented:
Such pure madness was certainly extreme—but also easily manipulated.
After all, witches, in any world, were synonymous with obsession, extremity, and enigma.
He withdrew his hand from her chin. His golden eyes gleamed.
Buzz—
A tremor ran through the world.
A strand of the Order Chain—visible only to beings of Primary God level or higher—pierced through the entire plane.
The Cosmic Nexus had locked onto the Re:Zero world across dimensions.
The Re:Zero world wasn't far from the Tree and Sea, and with Noah, the Creator, acting as the anchor, the Nexus could directly target the plane and begin assimilation, turning it into an exclave of the Teyvat Universe.
Of course, this was only possible because the world was sufficiently nearby—and weak.
As the Order Chain projected into Re:Zero, all beings in that world who met the quasi-god standard were ranked by the Cosmic Nexus.
However, none of them were yet affiliated with any specific divine system.
Upon ascending to godhood, they would choose which pantheon to join.
Echidna froze for a second.
After digesting the new information, her cheeks flushed red.
"Ah! This is the Cosmic Nexus… This is the secret only those with divine potential may access! Ah—more! More! I want to know more~~!"
She pawed hungrily through the data just granted to her, like a parched traveler stumbling upon an oasis.
The system's functions. The various pantheons. The hierarchy of divinity.
Even the public chat groups—she applied to every one.
Now, she had a very clear understanding:
She was merely a witch from a small, insignificant plane within the vast Teyvat Universe.
The newly obtained system in Echidna's possession was a tool connecting her to countless worlds within the Teyvat Universe—so many worlds, so much unknown.
There were countless gods, even Supreme Gods capable of creating entire worlds.
World creation—such "ultimate knowledge"—was right in front of her. Her Greed was on the verge of going mad.
"Aaaaahhh... more, more! I want to know more and more!"
Echidna clutched her face with both hands, her expression euphoric to the point of madness. Even Noah twitched at the sight.
Yes, he was very satisfied. Watching a beautiful lunatic lose control was quite the rare delight.
After a deep breath, Echidna calmed herself and looked at Noah with an apologetic expression.
"Forgive me, Lord Heavenly Principle. I was terribly rude just now."
Noah replied with a playful tone, "No, your honest display was highly entertaining."
"As long as you enjoyed it," Echidna said, brushing her flushed cheeks with a hand as she returned to her usual scholarly poise.
Noah took a sip of the tea and gently set it down
It was, after all, just her mana—not some bodily fluid.
"Now that you've been incorporated into the Cosmic Nexus, you understand why I came to you, don't you?"
Echidna rose from the ground and looked at Noah with frenzied admiration.
"Yes, O Supreme Lord Heavenly Principle, Sovereign of the Universe, Creator of All Things."
"It's about the vacant Divine Seats of the Seven Deadly Sins."
"Though you could appoint gods directly to those thrones, that would be boring. So for the sake of interest, you sought out us little witches—whose personalities resonate with those sins."
"All in the name of entertainment."
Spreading her arms wide, her voice rose with dramatic flair.
Then she reverted to her intellectual tone. "Isn't that right, Lord Heavenly Principle?"
Noah smiled. "You've got it."
His intent was never hidden. Anyone who spoke to him face to face would easily understand.
He could assign godhood at will in Teyvat—but that would be dull. He wanted it to be meaningful.
Only characters from anime or stories he found interesting were eligible.
And when the time came for the grand-scale Gift Game, familiar faces clashing for supremacy—how fun would that be?
Noah continued: "Still hiding? I did say I was talking about all of you. If you keep hiding from me, I'll be very upset."
A soft, timid, teary voice answered:
"N-No... I-I didn't... I just don't know how to f-face you..."
A petite girl appeared with pink hair tied like a peach, dressed like a village girl. She stood trembling, hands clenched at her chest, tears brimming in her red eyes.
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