Her power stabilized, and she finally got her bearings. She'd flown way off course, but now she knew which way to go. She headed back, excited to tell the overlords what she'd found.
By the time she got back to the academy, it was already dark. The twelve overlords were all waiting for her at the gate, looking worried out of their minds. They'd thought she'd gotten lost in the void, or hurt, or something. The second they saw her, they ran over, checking if she was okay.
"Laia! You're back! We were so worried!" Torin said, clapping her on the shoulder. "We were about to go look for you!"
Laia blinked, grinning. "Oh, I'm fine! I just got lost for a little bit, that's all! Look what I found!" She told them about the divine minerals, about how she'd absorbed that little patch of land, and how her realm was immune to void erosion now.
The overlords stared at her, then nodded, awed. Of course! She'd gone into the void, found a way to fix the void erosion problem, and she said it was "just getting lost"? That was the Overgod for you!
The next morning, a bunch of Imperial nobles showed up at her door. They'd heard about the stranger in the void, the one who could ignore the mist like it wasn't there, and they'd immediately realized she was a hidden Overgod, slumming it to compete in the tournament. They bowed so deep their heads almost hit the ground, shoving a stack of realm expansion tokens and divine crystals into her hands.
"Miss Hayes! We heard you're competing in the tournament! If you need anything, just ask! We'll send all the resources you need!"
Laia blinked, confused, but she took the tokens. Free resources! That was perfect! She thanked them, and they left, crying about how humble she was.
Later that day, she got a message from the refugee network. It was a distress signal, from three clan leaders, the ones who'd been exiled in the Lost Land of the void. They'd been sending signals for weeks, no one had answered, and they were running out of food.
Laia's eyes lit up. More refugees! More people who needed a home, who'd pay her tax! And they were running out of food? She couldn't make them wait until after the tournament! That would be too long!
The tournament didn't start for two more days, anyway. She could go pick them up first, bring them back to her realm, and be back before the tournament even started.
She told her overlords that night. "Hey, guys, I got a message from some refugees in the Lost Land. They're running out of food, so I'm gonna head out early tomorrow to go pick them up. You guys stay here, prep the realm for the tournament, okay? I'll be back before it starts, I promise."
The overlords nodded, grinning. Of course! The Overgod was going to save those poor exiled refugees, before the tournament even started! They promised to take care of everything, and told her to be careful, not to push herself too hard.
Laia stuffed a few extra cheese sandwiches into her bag, grabbed her coat, and headed out early the next morning, toward the coordinates the refugees had sent. She was so excited. More refugees, more tax, more money for her shop. This was gonna be perfect.
By the time she reached the coordinates, the sun was starting to set. The three clan leaders were already waiting for her, huddled together, thin and tired from years of exile in the void. They'd been waiting for days, praying someone would finally answer their call.
The second they spotted her walking toward them, they froze, then scrambled to their feet, brushing off their clothes, trying to look presentable for their new god.