I let out a small sigh as I watched the various scenes unfolding within the world. The issues with Eingard were… interesting, if a bit unfortunate. The fact that a third mortal god had appeared in the world, however, was something that I was quite happy for. The more of them that appeared at this stage, the more prepared we would be to fight against other second rank Keepers.

Elsewhere, things were going a bit more smoothly. For instance, Earth had managed to begin the colonization of a world within their system without any major setbacks. Much like the original habitation of Sorii, they were on track to begin terraforming projects.

Of course, there were also places where things were going a bit less than smoothly… With the rise of not one, but two mortal gods, the concept of ascension was no longer seen as blasphemy. People actively sought to shed their mortal flesh and join the ranks of the divine.

Most of these people did their research, and began with the process of establishing perfection. Many believed that I would just choose them if they were worthy after they died… I mean seriously, is the intelligence stat a joke to some people?

For those that did go about the proper procedures, things still did not go as they would hope. It takes a certain level of natural talent or drive to reach perfection, even after all of the conditions are met. Tsubaki managed it because of her determination, Jonas because of his natural abilities and repeated tests.

Now, that isn’t to say that nobody succeeded at achieving perfection. There were still a few lucky individuals who managed to reform their bodies. The total amount was abysmally low, though. Out of everyone that attempted the transition, barely one percent were able to succeed. And there was no shortage of people trying.

This was likely the biggest population setback in my history. One in every five high-level individuals chose to attempt perfection, risking themselves for their goals. And when so many of them failed, the rest of the population began to hesitate, for better or worse.

I knew that it was unlikely for those who had achieved perfection to truly outnumber those that kept their mortal bodies, but this was a bit ridiculous. Thankfully, those that survived were set to be able to grow stronger in the future.

As I was thinking about that, I received a mental message from Tubrock. Oi, lad. We got the plans to modify the gates ye wanted. The lasses and I made a list of the stuff we need to make it work.

What can I do to help? Hearing that we would be able to modify the gates soon was… great, to say the least. Now that I knew we could ‘acquire’ other worlds without having to directly buy them, this could serve as a great way to expand beyond space travel. That is, as long as the proper steps are taken, first.

We got most of it, already. There’s just one thing we reckon we need from ye. In order to fill the template for travel, we need a divinity capable of holding the template in its entirety. The fox lass said she can’t do it, as most of the system don’t qualify for ‘entertainment’.

Well, that wasn’t entirely unexpected. So we need a new god that is able to hold the system as a whole. Either a God of Systems, or a God of Games.

Aye, that’s what we reckoned as well. Aurivy already sent yer demon lass off to kickstart a project she hopes will yield a suitable candidate.

That made me furrow my brows in focus. I knew Ashley had recently gone to mention an artificial intelligence program, but… How are we supposed to turn an AI into a god? They don’t have any energies to evolve.

Why not ask an expert?! Aurivy’s voice rang out over the link with exceptional enthusiasm. Isn’t one of your guildmates a robot? If anyone would know about machines ascending to godhood, it’d be him, right?

Loathe as I was to admit it, she had a pretty good point. Alright, I’ll get in touch with him. After saying so, I pulled up the menu to send a message to Meatlover. And after roughly five minutes of waiting, I received a response.

Meatlover: Apologies, I was in the middle of an experiment. How may I assist you?

I took my time explaining what we were needing, before posing the question to him of how a machine could ascend.

Meatlover: An interesting question, for sure. In truth, this was a discovery only made recently before my former Keeper met his unfortunate end.

Meatlover: To answer the first part of your question, a true intelligence recognized by the system should automatically begin producing mana. This happens regardless of whether the intelligence is crafted or grown. Similarly, a true intelligence will always possess a godly spark.

Meatlover: My original world was one that pursued pure technology, so ascending through the path of energy cultivation is not something that I can advise on. However, it is possible that you will find insights into adapting the process if you hear the technological path. Is that what you wish?

EarthForceOne: Yes, please. And thank you, this should save me a lot of time and headache.

Meatlover: As a Keeper, you should no longer be capable of experiencing headaches. Interesting. Regardless, the process by which to allow a machine to ascend in the path of pure technology is a complex one. In the process of an intelligence being recognized by the system, their code begins to self-adjust, modifying itself constantly. This process of evolving one’s thoughts is a necessary step to achieve that recognition.

Meatlover: However, the code changing also serves to disguise the code which represents the divine spark. A string of characters unique to every intelligence, constantly shifting through the program with seemingly no meaning. To ascend, that code must be isolated within the intelligence and studied.

Meatlover: Through study, it is possible to determine that the seemingly random code is in fact an encrypted lock tied to the base fabric of reality. A sort of scientific magic, if you will. Entering the proper key code will unlock the spark, and cause it to infect the rest of the program. At this point, the intelligence can be considered a god, capable of using their own code to modify the world around them.

That is… not what I was expecting to hear. And I wasn’t entirely sure how it would help me, either, but it did give me some ideas. From what he said, the programs did not need to ascend in either their body or soul. Or maybe the code itself could be considered the soul of the machine.

Either way, it should be possible for Ashley to use her own domain to crack the code once it appeared, now that we knew what to look for. If more is needed after that… maybe she can create a robotic body for the divine intelligence.

This pretty much cemented the fact that whatever god we ended up getting, if we follow this route, would be subordinate to Ashley, though. Not that it was a problem, I imagined each of the gods were going to be getting their own subordinates eventually.

Are you sure that you do not wish to strive for perfection? A young voice spoke into the mind of a felyn man, one who was beginning to show the rigors of age on his face. We have established a proper system that lowers the risk, so you won’t need to worry as much. With your talent, I’m sure you could do it, Sirin!

The felyn man chuckled, shaking his head. “Perfection was never my goal. I merely want to live my life, and remain true to myself. I don’t need to reach for greater heights or any lofty goals like your divinity.”

...You noticed? There was a bit of a guilty tone to the voice that responded, causing him to laugh.

“Didn’t you choose me because you valued these eyes of mine? How could I not recognize the power that started coming off of you? And I’ve felt it from not just you, but every dungeon we’ve visited together since.” Despite uncovering the secrets of the dungeon cores, the man held a soft smile on his weary face.

I’m sorry I never told you.

“Oh, none of that. Like I said, I don’t care about any of that stuff. If not for the ‘scheme’ of you guys, I’d have never met you. You have nothing to apologize for. If anything, I should be the one apologizing for working a mighty god such as yourself like a common farmhand.”

N-no, it’s fine. We’re doing good work. As the dungeon core said that, the two entered into a large town, forcing Sirin to communicate mentally now to keep up the conversation as they walked through the streets. The next harvest should be ready by the time you get there.

This soon? A look of pleasant surprise flashed across Sirin’s features. Did you properly dilute them. I don’t want us to get someone sick again with food that’s too nutritious for them.

It’s fine. Everything this time is between two and three ring quality. For them, it should be more than enough to fill them up without proving too much to handle.

Sirin gave a hesitant nod at that, walking up to a fairly worn-down building adjacent a church. He brought his hand up to knock heavily on the door. Hopefully three ring isn’t too much for them. As long as they don’t overeat, it should be fine.

After a moment of waiting, the door opened to reveal a beautiful young human woman in a simple black dress, with black hair flowing down her back. She smiled towards Sirin. “Is there something that I can help you with, sir? Evening prayer is held in the church, not over here.”

“My business is here, actually.” Sirin said in a soft tone. “This is the Ocean’s Breeze Sanctuary, isn’t it? I’ve come with a delivery.”

“Oh?” The woman’s eyes went wide in surprise. She didn’t question the fact that Sirin wasn’t holding any type of package, as it was common for such things to be held in storage devices. “I’d be happy to take it in for you, or do you need me to get the Father to sign for it?”

“No need.” He shook his head. “But, can we take this to the yard? I need a bit of room to deposit everything.”

She nodded her head, moving to let Sirin in. As a priestess looking over the facility, it was only natural for her to pay favor to Irena as well as Bihena. As such, she was able to confirm that he had not been lying.

Sirin gave a thankful nod, entering the building. He could hear the sounds of children playing, and wood creaking as they ran around. The sounds brought a small smile to his face. Soon, they were through the back door, and out in the yard.

The backyard of the building had a rather simple well, and a line to hang clothes from. Aside from that, it was open space left for the young ones to play. “This should be perfect.” He nodded, pulling out the golden sphere from his satchel. The sight of it surprised the woman, as did what happened next.

A prismatic wisp of energy shot out from the orb, landing within the yard. It began to pool up, growing larger and larger before changing to a different location. In its place was a large basket filled with numerous vegetables, the basket itself almost four feet high. Where the wisp landed the second time, another basket appeared, this time with fruits. And then one with meat, and one with bread.

“Do you have a freezer for the meat?” Sirin asked, chuckling and rubbing the back of his head slightly. “Sorry, I should have asked that first. If not, I wouldn’t mind helping to set one up. And don’t worry, the food is all between two and three ring, so it shouldn’t be any problem.”

Hearing his words, the eyes of the priestess began to tear up. “N-no, we have one. It’ll be fine, thank you. Really, thank you.” The four baskets of food he had given them, if properly stored and assuming he was correct on their value, would be enough to last the entire orphanage through a harsh winter. Even then, there was a fair chance of a surplus. “Please, how can we thank you?”

“No need.” Sirin shook his head with that same smile he had been using since they entered the orphanage. “I grew up in a place like this. Just make sure that they’re taken care of, and that will be all the thanks I need.” As he said that, he turned, beginning to walk back through the building to leave again.

On to the next one? The voice entered his mind again, causing Sirin to nod.

It took you about a week for that harvest. You’re getting better. Take it easy, though, our next stop is a bit further away.