It did not take very long for the inspection of the Aurans to finish. Aside from a small minority that needed to remain behind for some remedial treatment, the rest were all given permission to settle. When it was explained to them their options for a new home and the special characteristics of each, they inevitably chose to travel to Deckan. That said, they requested the right to settle their own world once one became available, to which Udona readily agreed.

Two days later in Fyor, on the fifteenth floor where the fairy ring was located, citizens parted with confused faces. A long precession of unusual beings emerged from the gate, walking with a purpose towards the gateway between worlds. At their front was an escort of kitsune soldiers, all dressed in a Deckan military uniform.

For most people, this was their first time seeing the Aurans, so their confusion was only natural. Some recorded videos of the strange new people, uploading it to the internet. Even before they reached the fairy ring, the news had already spread to the other worlds.

Once they reached the gate district, one of the soldiers broke off from the escort to meet with the operator for the gate. “This is an order from Her Majesty Udona.” The kitsune said, gesturing towards the Aurans. “They are to be allowed through to Deckan without delay.”

This was rather unusual to say the least, as the next scheduled connection to Deckan wasn’t for several hours yet. Regardless, the gate operator gave a small nod. There was little point in arguing a command from the Greater Pantheon. Those that did had rather short careers… and lives, for that matter.

“Understood, I’m on it.” The man nodded his head, moving to the control terminal. All of the known worlds had already been saved on the console, so it was just a matter of typing in the proper destination.

Soon, a shimmering blue portal emerged, the soldier returning to the precession of Aurans with a nod. “Everything is ready.”

The Auran chief gave a somewhat thankful nod, having had a lasting translation spell cast on him for the time being. It would take a bit more time for the Aurans to adjust to the language of this world, but such measures were helpful to relieve the problem in the short term.

On the other side, soldiers had already appeared at Deckan’s gate district, clearing the area to prepare for the unscheduled connection. While they were there for the protection of the Aurans, a lot of people were curious as to why this group needed such heavy guard. It wasn’t until after the Aurans had settled in a small town prepared for them, only a few hours away from the capital, when Udona made a public announcement.

“Hello, everyone.” She spoke with a warm smile as she addressed the screen, knowing that her people were watching from their homes or workplaces. “By now, I’m sure that many of you have heard about the new friends that have come to join us earlier this evening.” As she said that, a picture of a stone humanoid appeared next to her.

“Let me just clear up any doubts by saying that these are not hostile invaders in any sense of the word. These are our friends that have come from a realm far away to live with us at the personal request of the Keeper, and they are known as the Aurans. I hope that everyone will treat them kindly.”

“The Aurans, as you can tell, are a mineral race, but there is so much more to them than that. For the time being, I am strongly requesting that people give them their time to adjust. Afterwards, I’m sure that they will show everyone just how valuable their presence in our world can be. Additionally, I would like to make another new announcement. This one, I believe, applies to all worlds, not merely my own. Therefore, I ask that you all pay attention.”

“The Greater Pantheon has brought into its fold another member, just as we had with Leowynn. And just as that time, this is another daughter of the Keeper, though I believe many of you are unaware of that fact. Regardless, it is a name that many of you should know. The First Blood, the Goddess of Ki, and Empress of Bloodhaven, Scarlet.”

Udona looked over to her side, allowing the screen to move and show the childlike image of Scarlet of Bloodhaven. She offered a small nod, her face passive. “I know that many of you have become aware of my presence more and more in recent years, and there exist few historians that remember a time before my nation’s founding. I am the first, born from the Keeper’s own blood. Now, I have been granted the chance to stand by my father’s side. For this, I could not be more grateful.”

“As my contribution to the Boundless Caravan, I will be offering a number of choices in exchange for my tokens, which shall be valued equivalent to those of Ryone. First, the ability to buy crystalized ki. Secondly, a unique storage space developed by both myself and Leowynn. Third, I will be taking over the production of any blood related requests from Accalia, so as to lighten her burden.”

After saying that, Scarlet took a deep breath. “Finally, I must make a confession to everyone. The requirement stated by the research foundation to receive my blessing in order to receive an additional domain was not entirely accurate, but it was by no means a lie. The final ingredient required for the advanced forging process is the blood of a divine spirit. At present, I am the only being capable of producing such, so it is not wrong to say that it requires my blessing.”

“However, if they were merely to release that information as it was, there would be those who used nefarious means to retrieve my blood. Even now, there are those who attempt to threaten me into giving my blessing, so I understand why this information was presented in such a way. The process of receiving my blessing, or as it were my blood, has not changed. I will still only be granting such to those I deem worthy. However, should another of my kin ascend to divinity, it will also be up to them to choose if they wish to grant this favor.”

“Let it be known that I will not condone those who wish to use force to extract the blood of my kin. Despite our appearance and abilities, my kin have always sought to exist alongside everyone in harmony. To do otherwise would be to besmirch the name of my father. That said, my divine blood will not now, nor ever will it be an item which can be purchased from the Boundless Caravan. If one of my kin ascends and wishes to offer their own, let it be so, but I will not do the same. That is all I wish to say.”

Udona let out a soft chuckle, shaking her head. “We of the Greater Pantheon happily welcome Scarlet into our ranks. Those of you who wish to learn more about what she has offered, you may visit any Boundless Caravan office for more information. Finally, as a member of the Greater Pantheon, Scarlet will be choosing a number of qualified priests to lead her following, known as the Crimson Church. Information on this, and her personal requirements for obtaining the position, have been passed down to temples across all occupied worlds.”

Chel pressed a button on the remote, turning off the news announcement. “Well, the cat’s out of the bag now.” She chuckled, shaking her head.

James let out a groan. “I get that that’s a phrase carried over from the Keeper’s old world, but why is that even a thing? Who would put a cat into any sort of bag?”

Chel rolled her eyes, shaking her head. “How are you coming on the crystal spheres?” She asked, changing the subject.

“The level transfer orb was finished yesterday.” James shook his head, focusing on the system stone in front of himself. “It seems like that one was only just a small part of this, so I accidentally learned how to make it while studying this. This system stone, though… it is an extremely complex network of energies taking on a crystalline form.”

“More importantly, it appears that it adjusts itself based on the world system that it is located in. If I want to study it in its raw form, I’ll need access to a world that does not possess any kind of game system.”

“I’ll pass that message along to the Keeper.” Chel said as she stretched her arms out. “Maybe he can make you a cheap world without any races or anything, just to study things like that in. It’d certainly be a bargain, seeing as he got those for free.”

James thought it over for a moment. “That might not be necessary. If I get some assistance from Ashley, I think I can create a null system area. Somewhere where the laws of the system are disabled. If I can get that, I should be able to see the system stone in its raw form.”

“I’ll pass that along to her, then.” Chel smirked. “I doubt she’ll refuse. This is a pretty big chance for her, too.”

Within her grand factory, Ashley sat in the control room, a blue crystal orb in one hand. She had already mapped out its internal structure with her domains, so she simply set this one aside, soon making another in her hand. This one, however, was pure gold in color. “Let’s see if this works like I think it does.”

With a small grin, she placed the item on her desk, into a neatly cut socket sized just for this very stone. This golden stone was a recreation with her divine energy, one she planned to use as a test. With her Technology domain, she configured the console of her desk to be compatible with the sphere, allowing a number of screens to appear before her.

Ashley’s eyes went wide at the information flooding in, each a massive code package. Just from a glance, she knew that it would take her weeks to go through the code presented here. Despite this, though, a grin tugged at her lips. Once she reverse engineered this code, she should have access to the base code of the system that governed the world.

“Oldbeard really… you created this as your secret weapon, didn’t you?” She asked, muttering while she looked at the scrolling text. If this item were placed in a world that did not use a game system, it would appear as naught but a common crystal. Incredibly smooth and polished, but with no special properties.

However, if Ashley’s theory was right, Oldbeard had access to an Admin Stone as well, similar to what she had created with her divine powers. With this stone, once she deciphered the system’s operating code, she would be able to program in new systems. She could add in classes, entire frameworks that she previously had to rely on raw divinity to achieve.

It was easy for her to imagine how this could be used as a weapon. Simply imagine if such an Admin Stone landed in the wrong hands, and the stats that increased on leveling up instead began to decrease. If the opposing party did not have a similar method of interfacing with their game system to correct the changes, they would only be able to watch the world crumble around them. Or worse, perhaps the invader could create a special system that triggered a self-destruct in any individual that performed a specific action?

If something as simple as stepping through a doorway with your left foot instead of your right could kill you due to a malicious system, it would only take days for the world to begin collapsing. With any luck, such an ‘attack’ would be able to directly kill the Keeper themselves, as they were similarly bound by their own system.

Given what Ashley had heard about Oldbeard, it was hard to imagine the innocent little girl doing something like this. But, when she considered that Oldbeard’s previous incarnation was a pure game Keeper, and how Oldbeard inherited the position, it was somewhat easier to believe. “Well, now that we have this, we have a defense against attacks from this angle, as well.”

It was fortunate that Sanction’s world had not advanced to the point of creating items like this when they had invaded, or else things may have ended up far worse. In fact, Ashley wouldn’t have been surprised if this invention alone had pushed Oldbeard into the third rank, given the massive power it represented over other game worlds.