"What are they?!" His reply, incredulous: "They’re only Kharvos’ most abundant resource," his palm opening to reveal a small, translucent, pale amber stone.
"Well, it’s pretty, like a little sunset. What’s it for?"
"Illumination, majorly"
"So, it’s a glowing rock? That doesn’t sound so special"
"I said majorly, Astrael; they release heat too, not just light. The Kharvans have a plethora of uses for this ’glowing rock’. From glassmaking to drying harvested crops, and some of them even use it for light-based communication."
"Your followers live in a desert; isn’t the sun already hot enough to dry crops, although using it as a heat source for glassmaking is... creative. Quick question, though: how does that small stone provide enough heat"
The sound of someone clearing their throat interrupted our conversation. "We are still here, you two", Solch reminded us.
"Oh hush, you’re interrupting possible profit" Waving his hand at Solch dismissively, he turned back to me,
"Right!" picking up where he left off "This ’small stone’ is the lowest-grade Sunstone, and right now, it’s not even charged. If it were, it’d be golden-orange rather than pale amber."
"I still don’t see much use for it, beyond lighting, honestly"
"I’m sure you will."
"Are you two done now?" Valea chimed in
My head dipped in an affirmative nod
"Good. This assembly has come to a close!"
And with that, we all returned to our personal domains.
Getting back to my domain, I thought I’d meet the same village I left, maybe with one or two upgrades, but no amount of mental prep could have prepared me for the true nature of time dilation.
Looking down at what was once a village, all that could be seen was a sprawling kingdom; an organic-looking, dense central settlement surrounded by increasingly agricultural outskirts.
Quite a number of things were new, like this massive complex sitting close to the heart of the land, with large timber frames, stone lower levels, multiple courtyards, and gardens. It had a quiet elegance to it; if I didn’t know better, I’d say it was a place befitting royalty.
Now, the Royal District was close to the heart, but at the very heart of Vasyti was a temple.
"As it should be." My face was smug as I said it
And, in fact, because this is my temple, I’ll take my time in describing it- why you may ask? Because I’m a God, I can do what I wantƪ(˘⌣˘)ʃ
From the outside, the temple stood upon a broad foundation of pale stone, its walls constructed from massive timber beams darkened by age and carefully maintained over generations. Tall wooden pillars framed the entrance, each carved with symbols associated with my authority: shelters, enclosed spaces, stars, and perhaps stylised representations of the barrier that had protected Vasyti since its founding.
A wide staircase led to enormous double doors, their surface covered in intricate carvings depicting the history of Vasyti. The earliest carvings were simpler, almost crude, while later additions became increasingly elaborate, marking the generations that had followed. Above the entrance, a large circular window allowed sunlight to spill into the main hall during the day.
Inside, the temple opened into a vast central chamber supported by rows of timber pillars. The high ceiling gave the interior a sense of spaciousness despite the density of the city outside. Torches were embedded into the walls and pillars, providing a warm golden illumination once daylight faded.
At the far end stood the altar.
But unlike the crude altar I remembered, and I’m so happy it’s gone, this one had been rebuilt into something imposing. It rested upon a raised stone platform beneath a large opening in the roof, allowing sunlight to fall directly upon it during the day. Behind it stood a towering depiction of... me? Carved from pale wood and inlaid with gold, surrounded by symbols of shelter and protection.
Along the walls were records of Vasyti’s history: the founding of the settlement, the arrival of the survivors from the cursed lands, the first temple, the first royal line, and the names of those remembered as important figures in the kingdom’s development.
And somewhere among those records was August.
My heart dropped "Don’t tell me", my voice soft as I read the line of text that followed.
Saint August, Patron of Potential and Growth.
"The life of a mortal, it’s saddening, but it’s true" The discovery elicited a sigh from me before I shook it off.
The village was gone, as I have mentioned like a zillion times, but the closest one to it was the agricultural belt, though the level of greenery there was almost wild, not to mention the various specialised agricultural centres: like the grain fields, vegetable gardens, fruit orchards, and the fibre plantations. From the looks of things, vegetation and agriculture did become the foundation of the economy.
And speaking of economies, they also have markets and a smithing district; speaking of which, I wonder how Igris and those other kids are doing. They are probably old by now, hopefully alive, but old.
[# Welcome back, host §(*￣▽￣*)§ #]
"Oh, shut up, I returned more than 10 minutes ago"
[# (┬┬﹏┬┬) #]
"And since when are you so proactive? What happened to my system?!!"
[# So much for being nice... Anyways, host, I advise you to check your system profile for a little surprise#]
’What could this irritating system be planning this time?’ internally sighing at the thought, the panel opened in front of me
{†Minor God System†}
‡Profile‡
Name: Astrael
Title: God of Shelters
Divinity Rank: God [0.3]
Domain: Initial mortal region (Vastyi Kingdom)
Authority: Shelter (EX)
Followers: 3,951 (400 fanatics / 1,700 devotees / 1,851 casual)
Faith Points: 9,999,999,999+ (Used for Skill upgrades, miracles...)
Divine Energy: 5000/5000 (Used to manifest divine abilities...)
"Holy smokes! Don’t tell me my faith points were also subject to time dilation" The sheer absurdity of the number left me partially stunned.
[# The source of your faith points was subject to the dilation, so what do you think? #]
"How do I even use all this?" I asked, unable to resist the urge to scratch my head, an old habit brought over from my human life
[# Miracles, host #]
"Right, why didn’t I think of that?" My voice dripped with sarcasm
[# You asked for a solution #]
"I asked for a useful solution"
[# Use it as a reserve; convert it to divine energy when your divine energy reserves run low #]
"I can do that?" surprised, I asked the system for confirmation
[# Yes, yes, you can. 1DE is equal to 1000FP. You’re welcome for the information #]
"Why are you just telling me this now?!"
[# You didn’t ask, host #]
"(╯‵□′)╯︵┻━┻"