But then we also don't need to posit an absolute interval in telling Obatala what to do and Obatala doing it. This is an ideal world after all. Isn't it safe to say within the Intelligible world of the divination setting itself, the divination is the event happening?

In that case, the Odu might represent so many elements in the story, from the Gods that Obatala is said to get gold (ethical and intelligible values) from, to the materials for the descent, to the goldsmith who fashions the chain (a very strange entity. I need to know who he is. Maybe Ogun?).