Degritone looked into his mental space. The void still existed, but nearby was a black mist with a glowing center. It was a mental representation of one of the two. Given its size, it was probably Chuuni, since Music was usually huge, taking up roughly a third of Degritone's mental space, while Chuuni simply took up the same amount of space as himself.

With the strangeness of the situation and the fact that whichever it was at least imitating Music, if not being Music, he couldn't rule out either option. Well, there is a way, Degritone thought. If whoever that is is capable of creating music while I think, it's Music. It sounds like they are, so it's most likely Music that shrunk... or, I guess, Chuuni could have much higher independence with the system existing and be imitating Music to try to keep me more calm.

Mentally shrugging, he returned his attention to the real world. A few seconds later, he felt a poke on his chest. Opening an eye, he looked at the culprit, the little loli on his belly. Melena said, "Are you ok? Your breathing increased in speed by like 20%."

"Yeah. One of them returned. Can't be certain which because they have basically the same 'bodies' in my mental space they live in."

She nodded and went back to interacting with her interface and Degritone closed his eye. Almost immediately, he said, "Oh yeah. Is Condensing useful? It seemed very useless for me at the time, given I had Chuuni around and he was literally invincible and could make others around him so, but blah."

He felt her bounce very slightly, probably a shrug. "With the recent update, it's definitely useful. Having unpiercable armor, unbreakable weapons, and tools that can't be broken is useful. Their main use cases are master Condensers who can bring out and dismiss their Condensed objects at a single thought to protect against ambushes and people who aren't yet tier 1."

"How do people normally materialize images, and what's normally required for it?"

"Having a detailed image that you can very easily call up in your mind and then willing the system to materialize it is usually enough. The main requirement is your ability to rapidly call the image to the front of your mind. Detail is only really used to strengthen it, though too much detail can mean it takes too long to call up for the system to properly recognize.

"This can be used to create very detailed portions of images in order to create specific Skills, like a sword swing or a thrust. Detail is hard to quantify. However, there are some people who are capable of calling up a single, whole image that is so detailed as to create or use 5 SKills at once. Those people typically become Patrons, if their image is original enough.

"Tier 2 images are images that are basically... well, you said your world was more advanced, technologically, than even the most advanced world before you, so it the system should translate this for you. Tier 2 images require keeping track of every single atom in the image. Well, entering Tier 2 from tier 1 simply requires a general idea about their positions.

"No one, not even the Patron with the strongest image, the Patron of Duels, is capable of materializing a whole image at tier 2 at the same time. Imagine my surprise when my first protege in centuries lies down immediately after having his status completely reset and materializes a tier 2 image the size of my domain, and me forcefully attempting to stabilize an area around me causes such a small area to be returned to normal."

She laughed slightly as she said, "Now imagine my surprise once again when said protege asks how to materialize images."

He released his image and moved his hand to the top of her head with a slight smirk on his face. After a few seconds, he asked, "One final question, I think. At least for now. May think of more as you answer this or ask something that's not exactly seeking information. Is there an energy more base than Health, Mana, Stamina, and maybe Soul, if that counts as an energy?"

"None that we know of, though it has been theorized that one exists. It is not known how one would replicate everything the system does with purely the three energies, and images themselves are an odd outlier in that they are not fundamentally made of any of the three energies, nor out of souls. By all measurements, a tier 1 image is completely solid, unlike tier 2 images which are directly made of atoms.

"How something can be actually solid in a world of atoms is unknown. Additional support for the hypothesis of a more base energy is that Health, Mana, and Stamina can all move without an actual medium for them to exist inside. Heat, kinetic energy, and pressure need atoms, for example. However, unlike electricity and light, they are actually not particles.

"Mana conversions also support this hypothesis in that, despite appearing like the normal version of what they convert into when interacting with matter, they can travel through a vacuum. Kinetic Mana, and all the more specific versions of kinetic Mana like heat Mana and pressure Mana, can travel without atoms, for example. We can't rule out that a more base energy or form of normally noninteractive matter exists for these energies to propagate through.

"Unless the energies can somehow instantaneously swap between acting like particles and like a property of matter, there must be some medium in which the three energies propagate through. We're still uncertain the exact mechanics of how thought alone can cause the energies to move, but that can probably wait until we have a better understanding of what the energies are."

Melena paused for a while. "Sorry, usually only two types of people get to the level of a Patron: People who study the system and battle junkies. I'm quite passionate about system mechanics."

"It's fine," Degritone said, messing with her hair. "I asked. People back home... there's this site called YouTube, where people can... how to describe this... they can record visual and audial experience into something called a video and put them on YouTube for everyone to see. There are a bunch of science YouTubers that basically just do what you just did: Explain something scientific. I enjoyed watching PBS Space Time, Veritasium, and a few others.

"People would love to hear about these things and the exact experiments done to prove or disprove theories about things. Plus, I love your voice. Well, I love every loli's voice, but blah. I hate my inability to not be precise in no-stress situations, sometimes."

"Are you ready for your test?" Melena asked.

"I'd prefer to stay here and listen to you talk about system stuff forever, or maybe play some games or whatever else, but blah. I know I have stuff to do elsewhere, which just became infinitely harder without Chuuni," Degritone said before sighing deeply. "Plus my head still hurts a ton. So, while no, I am not ready, yes. Let's do it."

Melena hopped off Degritone's stomach and walked a few feet away while he stood up. "I know exactly how bad tests of loyalty can go. Either you reveal that you're a scumbag by putting someone into a situation that they find highly unbearable, like asking your friend to hit on your girlfriend and later finding her crying and having to choose between your friend or your girlfriend, or you find out that their loyalty did, in fact, have a price.

"While yes, these are more structured than those, they're still quite dangerous, though not physically. So, this will be the final real test. So, what would you say you are the most loyal to?"

Degritone thought for a few seconds. "It's hard to say if I'd betray a loli to save my family or not." He crossed his arms. After a few seconds of silence, he said, "Give me a minute or two."

"This was not supposed to be a hard question."

"Well, for me, it is. Would I wear a different color shirt for a loli? Probably. Would I wear pants instead of shorts? Maybe? Stop wearing gloves? Without the system, my hands would have started hurting because I'm used to them being able to take the increased abuse from having gloves on, but probably yes, almost definitely with the system. Kill my family? Almost definitely not.

"Honestly, I'd probably say lolis. If my mom asked me to do something, but a loli asked me to do something else, I'd probably do that first, or exclusively if they're exclusive and the thing the loli asked me to do wouldn't go against my short list of things not even a loli could get me to do. So, lolis."

"That's a little broad, don't you think?"

"Eh, it's first come first served, basically. Older loli orders take precedent over newer ones. Granted, the only standing order I have from a loli is to not die, but still. If a loli ordered me to never level up again, I would only start leveling up if that loli and specifically that loli rescinded that order."

Melena blinked once then said, "Then I order you to never follow any order that would prohibit your growth under the system."

"Noted."

"What would you do if I ordered you to stop caring about any other lolis?"

"Hm. My heart would sink as I realized you were tyrannical, but tell you I'm unable to follow that order because every loli matters. I would, however, agree to romantic monogamy, as I have always planned on monogamy, since that was the norm where I grew up and would probably be an unstated expectation of my partner. Preferably a legaloli, since I wouldn't die too soon before a legaloli, while I'd have 11 years on a 10 year old."

"Then I order you to only enter a romantic relationship with a loli if you want to do so, not because you were ordered to do so."

"Noted."

"Now. Your test will be simple. I am going to release your information to the other Patrons and allow them to bid on you. All of us will be able to watch your accomplishments for the next 30 days of your local time as the bids are made. We Patrons gain some benefits based on the accomplishments of our proteges. You will pick the winner, with that Patron paying whatever their bid was to you, and you will be transfered to that Patron.

"Your test is to simply pick me at the end of the month. My bid will be one vitalower and one additional object of your choice from my garden, determined when you claim your prize. As this is technically outside the direct Patron power system, it won't even impact my ability to grant future rewards."

"Do you really expect there to be bids that," long pause, "are-would be enough to make me stop coming here to see such a cutie?"

Rolling her eyes with a smirk, she said, "No. So few people have ever chosen me for a reason. If you've already gotten as far as choosing me as your Patron, I'd expect nothing less than for you to stick with that decision. Now then-"

He inadvertently stopped paying attention when he got an announcement.

Quest complete!

As you are higher level than the maximum level of monster during the war and did not participate, you gain no rewards.

Degritone saw Melena looking at him expectantly. "Sorry, the invasion just ended after you said 'now then' and I got a notification, what did you say?"

"I asked if you wanted real rewards now or if you'd still hold off on rewards, since the interest will eventually be greater than the flat values I could give right now."

"Interest, always. I'll cash out right before I need the power. How did my answer in what I'm loyal to impact my test?"

"I was going to have it be system-generated offers to get you to part ways with someone or something you're loyal to, but since it's an entire 20% or more of the population of humanoid races, and you stated that giving up every single loli is not something you'd do even if ordered, I decided to choose a more personal showing of lack of loyalty, should you choose a bid other than mine. Now, goodbye. I'll see you in 30 of your days."

Degritone appeared in open air and began to fall. Looking down, he saw rubble he recognized as the skyscraper he'd been on before he went to meet Melena. A majority of the rest of the city was still in tact. He activated Guard right before he hit the ground, sending a bit of dust flying as some of the rubble shattered under his now completely solid form.

New bid!

Patron of Water has bid 300 Free Stats

Degritone scrunched up his face and commanded the system to not show him those notifications. He tried pulling up the police golem console and found it still worked. Closing it, he climbed out of the rubble and into the streets. Walking toward the first police golem he saw, he sighed and said, "It just needs to be able to be called to the front of my mind quickly, right?"

Mid step, he tried to call up the image of Flashing, but the process of Flashing took too long to all properly enter the front of his mind at once and he failed to Flash. He tried an easier image to call to the front of his mind, the Immortal Troll he'd been working on for days before the void happened. Instead of trying to get everything in at once, however, he simply focused on a patch of its skin, specifically its pores.

Inside, he imagined the droplets of sweat being infused with some of his extra Health and a small bit of Mana, then being sent out too small to stick to skin, simply adding humidity to the air. Once the created humidity touched a creature, it imbued that creature with the Health and sent back its location using the Mana inside.

It took him a little over a second to pull the whole image to the front of his mind, and it didn't even attempt to incorporate the fact that IIT's Sweat had a Swordsman's Territory-esque predictive ability, if only for actual attacks. It didn't work. He brought the image of a baseball to the front of his mind, which took fractions of a second. With a small force of will at the same time, a baseball appeared in front of him. He dismissd it before it hit the ground.

"Ok, I should probably find a new image, then. Or start from the very basics, like his early years, then slowly bring it back up to full power as I get more and more familiar with the image. I've had years to get as familiar as I am with my calming image. Anyway, golem!" He exclaimed as he got within a few feet of the golem. "Criminal report and combat report, last nine days."

In front of him, his golem console popped up. On it was an empty section labeled "Crimes" and a section labeled "Combat" with hundreds of entries. Almost all of them were simply, "Predicted monster kill on civilian. Neutralized in single attack," or "Civilian asked for assistance in monster fight. Neutralized in [single digit] seconds."

However, there were 23 others, explaining the rubble. "Predicted monster annihilation of multiple citizens. Attack intercepted," followed by either, "Civilians dealt with monster, requiring only [single digit] interventions," or, "20 intervention threshold met, monster neutralized in [double or triple digit] seconds." These were all unwaveringly followed by, "[1, 2, or 3] buildings destroyed in conflict. Building owners listed for compensation when implemented."

He closed his console and went to find somewhere comfortable to sit and think on. After he sat down, he rubbed his face with both hands at once and began thinking on the future. After a few minutes, he said, "I'm not really sure what to do. All my plans for the near future were predicated on Chuuni existing. I guess I could go power level and make my image, but I'll stop getting meaningful experience at level... 40? I'm not actually sure, but seems like it'd be around there based on what Melena said.

"'Get strong enough that no one can contest you' is really the only - I need for taking over the world..." He sighed. "I guess I could work on making cloakium myself so I can make more golems. If I had enough of them, taking over the world would be trivial. Could I get them to be self-replicating? ...How? Cloakium is definitely not a material that can be made."

He leaned back, tilted his head so it would rest on his right shoulder if he had his headphones on, and grabbed his left pinky finger between his right thumb and right pointer finger's major knuckle, placing his hands on his belly. "I guess I could search for a more base energy. Assuming the world works like that old RP, working directly with it without system interface would allow me to skyrocket in power.

"Somewhat big if. The system could be the unifying - between omniverses in this pocket of creation, rather than an actual energy. It was never explicitly stated because hopping pockets was never really clarified, since we ended right as we became capable of that. Mwait, why can't I just create my own cloak? I'd spent years imagining it and a monthish of relative time seeing it.

"I guess it could be a large tax on my mind, like the Immortal Troll was, though maybe that was because of system assistance from beta update stuff. Anyway, let's try it."