June 27th, Monday morning.
I woke up feeling comfortable all over.
And looking at Tess's naked body wrapped around me and the stained blanket, the events from last night flashed in my mind.
After a hot and steamy shower, we continued our night of passion on the bed.
Tess lasted two more rounds before throwing in the towel, forcing me to stop.
It wasn't that she couldn't physically continue, but because she got mentally exhausted from the repeated climaxes.
In any case, I am satisfied.
Grinning, I kissed her forehead and got out of bed, buck naked.
"Mm... Iver...?" - Tess groaned.
"You can sleep for a bit longer. I'm taking a shower first... Unless you want to join in?" - I grinned.
"Tempting...~ But not now." - Tess responded with a sleepy look.
"Suit yourself." - I shrugged and went into the bathroom.
After a quick morning routine, I put on some clothes and cooked breakfast.
By the time Tess, wearing only a sports bra and panties, came over, I had already made some herb omelets with cherry tomatoes, cheese, bread, cut vegetables with olive oil, OJ, and coffee.
"Yawn~ Good morning, Iver." - Tess yawned while stretching her arms.
"Good morning, Tess." - I smiled and sat down.
"Sniff* It smells great." - Tess smiled and sat on her prepared seat.
"I hope you like it." - I said and picked the cutlery.
"I haven't eaten a herb omelet in years, so it's a good change." - Tess smiled and started eating.
"Seriously? But it's so good." - I raised an eyebrow and ate a piece.
"I got too used to the unhealthy stuff after the accident." - Tess said while playing with her food.
"... If you're comfortable with it, I would like to hear more about it." - I said with pursed lips.
"A bit of a serious topic on the morning. You sure you want to hear about it?" - Tess asked with a gentle smile.
"... Nah. We'll talk about it later. So, are you feeling okay after yesterday?" - I shook my head and asked with concern.
"Surprisingly well, but Ms. Fanny is a bit sore. Junior is lucky Ms. Fanny is a big girl, or she might not want to play with him." - Tess grinned while swinging her legs.
"Stop calling them that!" - I said with a smirk.
"You started it." - Tess playfully remarked and continued eating.
"So, what are your plans for today?" - I changed the topic.
"Hm... I set up the laptop yesterday to do some stock exchange in the morning. It should start turning in a profit now." - Tess said.
"How much capital did you put, anyways?" - I asked.
"Ten million. I divided it into three million on Forex, three million on CFD, and four million on Stocks. If all goes as planned, we'll make a $200,000 profit today." - Tess smiled.
"Nice. So, what do you think about it, anyway?" - I asked.
"It's incredible. The prediction algorithms are insane, and everything is automated. They can even predict future trends almost perfectly. I only need to receive the profits." - Tess said with awe.
"Hehe, nothing less from technology from the far future, right?" - I smirked.
"I suppose." - Tess smiled back.
"So, what about proving your identity?" - I asked.
"It shouldn't be too hard, just bureaucratically exhausting. And the worst part is that they don't accept temporary cards, so I'm stuck here until the card arrives." - Tess pursed her lips.
"Bummer." - I made a sour face.
"Yep. So, what are your plans, then?" - Tess asked.
"I need to make a trip to the other world." - I said.
"Is it dangerous?" - Tess asked worriedly.
"Nah, nothing dangerous in it. But it would likely take a day or two." - I said.
Tess looked like she wanted to tell me something but held it back.
"... Be careful." - Was all she said.
"I will." - I gave a reassuring smile.
But then, something dawned on me.
While "I" am safe, Tess isn't. She is currently only a regular human. A vulnerable, mortal human.
Any simple accident might kill her.
Although diseases are non-issue, some accidents might prove fatal.
I wouldn't know what to do with myself if she suddenly had a car accident and died while I was away.
But the problem is, I can't evolve her. The risks outweigh the safety gained.
As for giving her affinities? What is she supposed to do with those? Wipe her ass? Just the time it takes to train with them would be weeks or months, and that is with ample mental energy. But she has barely 1 point.
Only a Dark Idol could offer some self-protection, but they are stationary.
"Ugh... If only she could carry an idol around, her safety would be... TROD!"
{Yes?}
"Can I make a Dark Idol from portable items?" - I asked directly.
{It's expensive but doable. However, the cost-effect ratio is abysmally low and limited by the material's ability to store energy. Use it on the house and car instead. That can give a sufficient self-protection ability from most urban dangers.}
"Hm... True. But can they be detected by psychic means?"
{When they are in gathering mode, they are easily detectable, as they are made to gather believers and energy. However, you can toggle that off, making them impossible to spot without detection power a few thousand times more powerful than the one probing you last time or divine means.}
"Nice. I'll do that. But what if I want to give Tess a personal protection tool?" - I asked.
{You can create a Divine Relic or runic device, but you won't be able to make a Divine Relic until you reach Increase Compatibility 3. As for making a runic device? That is up to you.}
"... Thanks for the info."
"Iver? What's wrong? You're not eating." - Tess asked.
"Ah, nothing. I want to turn the house and car into idols for your protection." - I said while continuing to eat.
As a Zealot, Tess knows what a dark idol is.
"Thank you... but isn't that a bit excessive?" - Tess raised an eyebrow.
"Nah. They can also become waypoints, so it's fine." - I said and continued eating.
"If you say so." - Tess shrugged.
And so, after finishing breakfast, I converted the house and car into dark idols.
Name: Tess's House
Type: Material Structure
Controlling Zealot: Tess Hudson
Grade: 2(500/75) (Automatic grade improvement disabled)
Energy Storage Capacity(Any): 2,982
Stored Energy: Basic Energy: 500(Stored)
Automatic Repair: Disabled
Divine Powers: Dark Offering, Evolution, Energy Conversion, Sanitization, Teleport, Touch of the True Sun, Analytical Eye, Mark of Zeal, Void Shield, Displace Object, Divine Might, Disruptive Void Coating, Unreality Barrier, True Sun Fireball, Space Grip
Name: Tess's Car
Type: Material Structure
Controlling Zealot: Tess Hudson
Grade: 2(100/75) (Automatic grade improvement disabled)
Energy Storage Capacity(Any): 341
Stored Energy: Basic Energy: 100(Stored)
Automatic Repair: Disabled
Divine Powers: Dark Offering, Evolution, Energy Conversion, Sanitization, Teleport, Touch of the True Sun, Analytical Eye, Mark of Zeal, Void Shield, Displace Object, Divine Might, Disruptive Void Coating, Unreality Barrier, True Sun Fireball, Space Grip
Basic Energy: 7,642 -> 6972
Well, I learned two things after doing this.
First, regular material buildings are... poor idol material. Perhaps I got my standards up too much, but these are lackluster.
And second, I can allow my Zealots to use all my spells, but there is a catch. More general skills, like Dark Offering, Evolution, and Energy Conversion are fine, but it gets different for other spells.
First of all, the level of the spells can reach up to the original, depending on the idol rank. And second, these spells are also dependent on affinities.
In Tess's case, the effects are reduced to 1/4 of mine. She can only make up for it by inputting more energy.
Anyways, it's enough for self-defense. If she died even with these layers of defense, then I can only raise my hands in surrender and give up.
I then prepared some foodstuff that can't be made in the Kin Field, kissed Tess like a husband going to work, and with a flash of black flames, went to the Ascended World.
...
While floating in-between realities and without senses, I was suddenly given a choice.
Option 1: Arrive at my original place.
Option 2: Arrive at a Dark Idol.
And if I don't choose anything, the first option is defaulted.
However, I still chose to arrive at my original location. It would be better to keep this as a Hole Card.
So, after 15 seconds past, I arrived at my destination.
...
Fwoosh*
With a silent flash of black flames, I returned to the stone crevice.
However, I immediately felt something was off.
There were spores in the air, a lot of them. And Kin plants were budding from the ground. Colorful flowers and mushrooms were sprouting from the ground, releasing golden pollen and spores, fertilizing the soil, and enriching the air.
I took a deep, greedy breath as I felt the connection to my Dark Idol.
Name: Primrose's Spore Spreader
Type: Kin - Giant Spore Spreader - Land Variant (Amorphous Organic Living Structure)
Controlling Zealot: Primrose Goodman
Grade: 7(37,672/504,000) (Automatic grade improvement enabled)
Influence Radius: 640m(Grade 7) + 26,210m(Body)
Influence Power: 64(Grade 7) + 5,000(Body)
Passive Mental Energy Regeneration Boost: 64% (164% regeneration rate)
Praying Mental Energy Regeneration Boost: 196% (296% regeneration rate)
Energy Storage Capacity(Any): 2,521,489,760
Stored Energy: Basic Energy: 37,672(Stored), Evolution Energy A: 168,000(Stored), Enhancement Energy A: 168,000(Stored)
I opened my mouth in shock and awe as I stared at the ridiculous numbers.
"What the fuck..." - I muttered.
First, the idol leveled up twice during these four days. I expected that, but the energy present was higher than I anticipated. However, thinking about it, the energy Primrose got from killing was likely funneled to the Dark Idol. However, even then, it was a bit too much.
In any case, because of that, the regeneration rate significantly improved. If one prays in the center, then their mental regeneration becomes three-fold.
Second, the Large Spore Spreader evolved into a Giant Spore Spreader. Its influence ranges more than tripled, its influence power reached a jaw-dropping 5,000 points, and its capacity more than doubled and grew in real-time by tens of thousands of points a second.
Third, the stored energy. Besides the Basic Energy that increased by around 0.6-0.7 points a second, over twice my projected estimate, there was also Evolution Energy and Enhancement Energy, and a lot of it. Even more than when Lord Arnerd made that deal with me.
"Did Arnerd offer all his crystals?!" - I thought in shock and awe.
While I was stunned, I was suddenly contacted through the Kin Network.
And it wasn't Primrose or Lord Arnerd or any other regular Kin.
"Identify yourself, Civilian. From which Primary Field are you from?" - The sender demanded, full of authority.
And there was a good reason why he acted this way.
"Greetings, Expert. I am Iver, an unaffiliated wanderer that now belongs to this Field. Are you an Expert from the nearby Primary Field?" - I asked back while playing along.
That's right, the one who sent me the message is an Ascended Expert from the nearby Primary Field. I didn't think they would come so soon.
But what happened next stunned me speechless.
"My deepest apologies for my blind rudeness, Divine One! I am Nix, a lowly believer that came to investigate the happenings in this new Primary Field. Archdruidess Primrose and Lord Arnerd informed me of everything, and I wish to meet your eminence in person." - He sent a message oozing with respect, hope, and worship.
"What. The. Fuck?" - I blurted in incomprehension.
First, he called me the Divine One and Primrose an Archdruidess and even named himself a Lowly Believer.
And second, Primrose and Arnerd told him everything, and he wants to meet me?!
"What does he know!? What did they tell him?! No, WHY did they tell him?! And why does he sound like he's worshipping me?!" - I grabbed my head in frustration.
There are too many unanswerable questions, and I am starving for answers.
Forcefully calming myself down, I considered my options and replied, "I will arrive shortly. Please wait in the central dome."
"Yes, Divine One!" - Nix replied.
And with that, our communication ended.
After taking a deep breath and exhaling, I muttered.
"Let's see what is going on..."
With that decided, I started running toward the center.
While running, I noticed the plant distribution on the ground.
Half were tree sprouts, flowers, grass, and mushrooms, while the other half were Minion sprouts. And the amount was horrifyingly large.
In a rough estimate, it wouldn't be an exaggeration to grow a few dozen million Minions in a month.
"Primrose wasn't bluffing." - I muttered as I ran.
Soon, I reached a denser and more lush region, the previous border, and entered it. Shortly after I did, I was contacted by Primrose.
"My Lord, you are back!" - Primrose jovially said.
"Primrose, what is going on?! Didn't I tell you not to say anything about me?!" - I said, annoyed.
Previously, I requested her not to tell others about me, and Lord Arnerd also gave his word. So I couldn't help but feel disappointed and frustrated at this turn of events.
"I apologize, my Lord! But Sir Nix read my mind! I couldn't defend against it!" - Primrose said bitterly.
At her words, I suddenly remembered that the description of Shapeshifters included mind reading.
It was reasonable that Primrose couldn't stop the information from leaking.
As the mystery was solved, my heart slightly relaxed.
"Okay, I don't blame you. Please brief me about what happened." - I said calmly.
"Yes, My Lord!" - Primrose said respectfully and started explaining.
Four days ago, several hours after I left, Nix arrived to check the Kin Field after their scouts reported that the human siege was overwhelmingly defeated.
Initially, Nix was very authoritative, demanding sensitive information. However, when Lord Arnerd and Primrose dodged his questions, he got irritated and read her and some of the Kin Leader's minds.
Yet, after he read their minds, his attitude became more respectful, acting more humble as he started to inquire about information in a less invasive manner.
Left with little choice, Primrose started explaining things while repeatedly explaining that we were on his side, proving it with the Spore Spreader and Lord Arnerd.
Surprisingly, Nix was very understanding and cooperative and even requested her to help him evolve.
Of course, Primrose rejected his request, stating she needed my permission.
In response, Nix didn't throw a fit but instead asked to trade the vehicles for merit. As I previously discussed with her, Primrose agreed to exchange the hovercraft and five of the six jeeps. After Nix took several hours to evaluate them, he estimated their worth at around 2,400,000 merit points, and they both agreed on the deal.
Overnight, Nix transported the vehicles to the Primary Field, and Primrose received the payment, 2,400,000 Minion crystals, and after dividing it with Lord Arnerd, she offered her share, acquiring 168,000 points.
And then, Nix decided to stay in the Kin Field for the next three days as an ambassador, staying near the center at all times, where his attitude and behavior showed gradual but noticeable changes.
He showed increasing interest in the Spore Spreader, religiously consulted with Primrose, and even tried praying after discovering it increased mental energy regeneration, increased his focus, and helped training. However, the most significant change happened when the Spore Spreader finished evolving.
Within a day, from a starting believer, Nix became a devoted religious man. Not only did he pray for hours at a time, but called Primrose Archdruidess.
And it wasn't just Nix.
Everyone.
Every. Single. One. Even the Minions.
They all became devoted believers, gathering in the center and praying. Only those that needed to eat, rest, train, or perform a duty weren't praying. (Well, Except Lord Arnerd, who continued eating like a starved animal.)
And I understood why that happened.
It was the influence power. The overwhelmingly immense influence power.
That, combined with the Spore Spreader's initial cultural, spiritual, and existential significance to the Kin Species, made it an irresistible lure to the Ascended Expert who resided in its center, where its influence is the strongest.
Whatever secret schemes or machinations the man had, he dug a hole for himself when he decided to stay.
And now, he is my diehard believer from his own volition.
"Heh... If things are what I think they are, then conquering this world would be surprisingly easy." - I smirked.
A cunning but simple plan formulated in my mind.
June 27th, Monday morning.
I woke up feeling comfortable all over.
And looking at Tess's naked body wrapped around me and the stained blanket, the events from last night flashed in my mind.
After a hot and steamy shower, we continued our night of passion on the bed.
Tess lasted two more rounds before throwing in the towel, forcing me to stop.
It wasn't that she couldn't physically continue, but because she got mentally exhausted from the repeated climaxes.
In any case, I am satisfied.
Grinning, I kissed her forehead and got out of bed, buck naked.
"Mm... Iver...?" - Tess groaned.
"You can sleep for a bit longer. I'm taking a shower first... Unless you want to join in?" - I grinned.
"Tempting...~ But not now." - Tess responded with a sleepy look.
"Suit yourself." - I shrugged and went into the bathroom.
After a quick morning routine, I put on some clothes and cooked breakfast.
By the time Tess, wearing only a sports bra and panties, came over, I had already made some herb omelets with cherry tomatoes, cheese, bread, cut vegetables with olive oil, OJ, and coffee.
"Yawn~ Good morning, Iver." - Tess yawned while stretching her arms.
"Good morning, Tess." - I smiled and sat down.
"Sniff* It smells great." - Tess smiled and sat on her prepared seat.
"I hope you like it." - I said and picked the cutlery.
"I haven't eaten a herb omelet in years, so it's a good change." - Tess smiled and started eating.
"Seriously? But it's so good." - I raised an eyebrow and ate a piece.
"I got too used to the unhealthy stuff after the accident." - Tess said while playing with her food.
"... If you're comfortable with it, I would like to hear more about it." - I said with pursed lips.
"A bit of a serious topic on the morning. You sure you want to hear about it?" - Tess asked with a gentle smile.
"... Nah. We'll talk about it later. So, are you feeling okay after yesterday?" - I shook my head and asked with concern.
"Surprisingly well, but Ms. Fanny is a bit sore. Junior is lucky Ms. Fanny is a big girl, or she might not want to play with him." - Tess grinned while swinging her legs.
"Stop calling them that!" - I said with a smirk.
"You started it." - Tess playfully remarked and continued eating.
"So, what are your plans for today?" - I changed the topic.
"Hm... I set up the laptop yesterday to do some stock exchange in the morning. It should start turning in a profit now." - Tess said.
"How much capital did you put, anyways?" - I asked.
"Ten million. I divided it into three million on Forex, three million on CFD, and four million on Stocks. If all goes as planned, we'll make a $200,000 profit today." - Tess smiled.
"Nice. So, what do you think about it, anyway?" - I asked.
"It's incredible. The prediction algorithms are insane, and everything is automated. They can even predict future trends almost perfectly. I only need to receive the profits." - Tess said with awe.
"Hehe, nothing less from technology from the far future, right?" - I smirked.
"I suppose." - Tess smiled back.
"So, what about proving your identity?" - I asked.
"It shouldn't be too hard, just bureaucratically exhausting. And the worst part is that they don't accept temporary cards, so I'm stuck here until the card arrives." - Tess pursed her lips.
"Bummer." - I made a sour face.
"Yep. So, what are your plans, then?" - Tess asked.
"I need to make a trip to the other world." - I said.
"Is it dangerous?" - Tess asked worriedly.
"Nah, nothing dangerous in it. But it would likely take a day or two." - I said.
Tess looked like she wanted to tell me something but held it back.
"... Be careful." - Was all she said.
"I will." - I gave a reassuring smile.
But then, something dawned on me.
While "I" am safe, Tess isn't. She is currently only a regular human. A vulnerable, mortal human.
Any simple accident might kill her.
Although diseases are non-issue, some accidents might prove fatal.
I wouldn't know what to do with myself if she suddenly had a car accident and died while I was away.
But the problem is, I can't evolve her. The risks outweigh the safety gained.
As for giving her affinities? What is she supposed to do with those? Wipe her ass? Just the time it takes to train with them would be weeks or months, and that is with ample mental energy. But she has barely 1 point.
Only a Dark Idol could offer some self-protection, but they are stationary.
"Ugh... If only she could carry an idol around, her safety would be... TROD!"
{Yes?}
"Can I make a Dark Idol from portable items?" - I asked directly.
{It's expensive but doable. However, the cost-effect ratio is abysmally low and limited by the material's ability to store energy. Use it on the house and car instead. That can give a sufficient self-protection ability from most urban dangers.}
"Hm... True. But can they be detected by psychic means?"
{When they are in gathering mode, they are easily detectable, as they are made to gather believers and energy. However, you can toggle that off, making them impossible to spot without detection power a few thousand times more powerful than the one probing you last time or divine means.}
"Nice. I'll do that. But what if I want to give Tess a personal protection tool?" - I asked.
{You can create a Divine Relic or runic device, but you won't be able to make a Divine Relic until you reach Increase Compatibility 3. As for making a runic device? That is up to you.}
"... Thanks for the info."
"Iver? What's wrong? You're not eating." - Tess asked.
"Ah, nothing. I want to turn the house and car into idols for your protection." - I said while continuing to eat.
As a Zealot, Tess knows what a dark idol is.
"Thank you... but isn't that a bit excessive?" - Tess raised an eyebrow.
"Nah. They can also become waypoints, so it's fine." - I said and continued eating.
"If you say so." - Tess shrugged.
And so, after finishing breakfast, I converted the house and car into dark idols.
Name: Tess's House
Type: Material Structure
Controlling Zealot: Tess Hudson
Grade: 2(500/75) (Automatic grade improvement disabled)
Energy Storage Capacity(Any): 2,982
Stored Energy: Basic Energy: 500(Stored)
Automatic Repair: Disabled
Divine Powers: Dark Offering, Evolution, Energy Conversion, Sanitization, Teleport, Touch of the True Sun, Analytical Eye, Mark of Zeal, Void Shield, Displace Object, Divine Might, Disruptive Void Coating, Unreality Barrier, True Sun Fireball, Space Grip
Name: Tess's Car
Type: Material Structure
Controlling Zealot: Tess Hudson
Grade: 2(100/75) (Automatic grade improvement disabled)
Energy Storage Capacity(Any): 341
Stored Energy: Basic Energy: 100(Stored)
Automatic Repair: Disabled
Divine Powers: Dark Offering, Evolution, Energy Conversion, Sanitization, Teleport, Touch of the True Sun, Analytical Eye, Mark of Zeal, Void Shield, Displace Object, Divine Might, Disruptive Void Coating, Unreality Barrier, True Sun Fireball, Space Grip
Basic Energy: 7,642 -> 6972
Well, I learned two things after doing this.
First, regular material buildings are... poor idol material. Perhaps I got my standards up too much, but these are lackluster.
And second, I can allow my Zealots to use all my spells, but there is a catch. More general skills, like Dark Offering, Evolution, and Energy Conversion are fine, but it gets different for other spells.
First of all, the level of the spells can reach up to the original, depending on the idol rank. And second, these spells are also dependent on affinities.
In Tess's case, the effects are reduced to 1/4 of mine. She can only make up for it by inputting more energy.
Anyways, it's enough for self-defense. If she died even with these layers of defense, then I can only raise my hands in surrender and give up.
I then prepared some foodstuff that can't be made in the Kin Field, kissed Tess like a husband going to work, and with a flash of black flames, went to the Ascended World.
...
While floating in-between realities and without senses, I was suddenly given a choice.
Option 1: Arrive at my original place.
Option 2: Arrive at a Dark Idol.
And if I don't choose anything, the first option is defaulted.
However, I still chose to arrive at my original location. It would be better to keep this as a Hole Card.
So, after 15 seconds past, I arrived at my destination.
...
Fwoosh*
With a silent flash of black flames, I returned to the stone crevice.
However, I immediately felt something was off.
There were spores in the air, a lot of them. And Kin plants were budding from the ground. Colorful flowers and mushrooms were sprouting from the ground, releasing golden pollen and spores, fertilizing the soil, and enriching the air.
I took a deep, greedy breath as I felt the connection to my Dark Idol.
Name: Primrose's Spore Spreader
Type: Kin - Giant Spore Spreader - Land Variant (Amorphous Organic Living Structure)
Controlling Zealot: Primrose Goodman
Grade: 7(37,672/504,000) (Automatic grade improvement enabled)
Influence Radius: 640m(Grade 7) + 26,210m(Body)
Influence Power: 64(Grade 7) + 5,000(Body)
Passive Mental Energy Regeneration Boost: 64% (164% regeneration rate)
Praying Mental Energy Regeneration Boost: 196% (296% regeneration rate)
Energy Storage Capacity(Any): 2,521,489,760
Stored Energy: Basic Energy: 37,672(Stored), Evolution Energy A: 168,000(Stored), Enhancement Energy A: 168,000(Stored)
I opened my mouth in shock and awe as I stared at the ridiculous numbers.
"What the fuck..." - I muttered.
First, the idol leveled up twice during these four days. I expected that, but the energy present was higher than I anticipated. However, thinking about it, the energy Primrose got from killing was likely funneled to the Dark Idol. However, even then, it was a bit too much.
In any case, because of that, the regeneration rate significantly improved. If one prays in the center, then their mental regeneration becomes three-fold.
Second, the Large Spore Spreader evolved into a Giant Spore Spreader. Its influence ranges more than tripled, its influence power reached a jaw-dropping 5,000 points, and its capacity more than doubled and grew in real-time by tens of thousands of points a second.
Third, the stored energy. Besides the Basic Energy that increased by around 0.6-0.7 points a second, over twice my projected estimate, there was also Evolution Energy and Enhancement Energy, and a lot of it. Even more than when Lord Arnerd made that deal with me.
"Did Arnerd offer all his crystals?!" - I thought in shock and awe.
While I was stunned, I was suddenly contacted through the Kin Network.
And it wasn't Primrose or Lord Arnerd or any other regular Kin.
"Identify yourself, Civilian. From which Primary Field are you from?" - The sender demanded, full of authority.
And there was a good reason why he acted this way.
"Greetings, Expert. I am Iver, an unaffiliated wanderer that now belongs to this Field. Are you an Expert from the nearby Primary Field?" - I asked back while playing along.
That's right, the one who sent me the message is an Ascended Expert from the nearby Primary Field. I didn't think they would come so soon.
But what happened next stunned me speechless.
"My deepest apologies for my blind rudeness, Divine One! I am Nix, a lowly believer that came to investigate the happenings in this new Primary Field. Archdruidess Primrose and Lord Arnerd informed me of everything, and I wish to meet your eminence in person." - He sent a message oozing with respect, hope, and worship.
"What. The. Fuck?" - I blurted in incomprehension.
First, he called me the Divine One and Primrose an Archdruidess and even named himself a Lowly Believer.
And second, Primrose and Arnerd told him everything, and he wants to meet me?!
"What does he know!? What did they tell him?! No, WHY did they tell him?! And why does he sound like he's worshipping me?!" - I grabbed my head in frustration.
There are too many unanswerable questions, and I am starving for answers.
Forcefully calming myself down, I considered my options and replied, "I will arrive shortly. Please wait in the central dome."
"Yes, Divine One!" - Nix replied.
And with that, our communication ended.
After taking a deep breath and exhaling, I muttered.
"Let's see what is going on..."
With that decided, I started running toward the center.
While running, I noticed the plant distribution on the ground.
Half were tree sprouts, flowers, grass, and mushrooms, while the other half were Minion sprouts. And the amount was horrifyingly large.
In a rough estimate, it wouldn't be an exaggeration to grow a few dozen million Minions in a month.
"Primrose wasn't bluffing." - I muttered as I ran.
Soon, I reached a denser and more lush region, the previous border, and entered it. Shortly after I did, I was contacted by Primrose.
"My Lord, you are back!" - Primrose jovially said.
"Primrose, what is going on?! Didn't I tell you not to say anything about me?!" - I said, annoyed.
Previously, I requested her not to tell others about me, and Lord Arnerd also gave his word. So I couldn't help but feel disappointed and frustrated at this turn of events.
"I apologize, my Lord! But Sir Nix read my mind! I couldn't defend against it!" - Primrose said bitterly.
At her words, I suddenly remembered that the description of Shapeshifters included mind reading.
It was reasonable that Primrose couldn't stop the information from leaking.
As the mystery was solved, my heart slightly relaxed.
"Okay, I don't blame you. Please brief me about what happened." - I said calmly.
"Yes, My Lord!" - Primrose said respectfully and started explaining.
Four days ago, several hours after I left, Nix arrived to check the Kin Field after their scouts reported that the human siege was overwhelmingly defeated.
Initially, Nix was very authoritative, demanding sensitive information. However, when Lord Arnerd and Primrose dodged his questions, he got irritated and read her and some of the Kin Leader's minds.
Yet, after he read their minds, his attitude became more respectful, acting more humble as he started to inquire about information in a less invasive manner.
Left with little choice, Primrose started explaining things while repeatedly explaining that we were on his side, proving it with the Spore Spreader and Lord Arnerd.
Surprisingly, Nix was very understanding and cooperative and even requested her to help him evolve.
Of course, Primrose rejected his request, stating she needed my permission.
In response, Nix didn't throw a fit but instead asked to trade the vehicles for merit. As I previously discussed with her, Primrose agreed to exchange the hovercraft and five of the six jeeps. After Nix took several hours to evaluate them, he estimated their worth at around 2,400,000 merit points, and they both agreed on the deal.
Overnight, Nix transported the vehicles to the Primary Field, and Primrose received the payment, 2,400,000 Minion crystals, and after dividing it with Lord Arnerd, she offered her share, acquiring 168,000 points.
And then, Nix decided to stay in the Kin Field for the next three days as an ambassador, staying near the center at all times, where his attitude and behavior showed gradual but noticeable changes.
He showed increasing interest in the Spore Spreader, religiously consulted with Primrose, and even tried praying after discovering it increased mental energy regeneration, increased his focus, and helped training. However, the most significant change happened when the Spore Spreader finished evolving.
Within a day, from a starting believer, Nix became a devoted religious man. Not only did he pray for hours at a time, but called Primrose Archdruidess.
And it wasn't just Nix.
Everyone.
Every. Single. One. Even the Minions.
They all became devoted believers, gathering in the center and praying. Only those that needed to eat, rest, train, or perform a duty weren't praying. (Well, Except Lord Arnerd, who continued eating like a starved animal.)
And I understood why that happened.
It was the influence power. The overwhelmingly immense influence power.
That, combined with the Spore Spreader's initial cultural, spiritual, and existential significance to the Kin Species, made it an irresistible lure to the Ascended Expert who resided in its center, where its influence is the strongest.
Whatever secret schemes or machinations the man had, he dug a hole for himself when he decided to stay.
And now, he is my diehard believer from his own volition.
"Heh... If things are what I think they are, then conquering this world would be surprisingly easy." - I smirked.
A cunning but simple plan formulated in my mind.
