Getting rid of the temple and its believers’ priests changed the villagers’ lives. But they were not the only ones who gained something from this.
The biggest winners of the current situation were Aiden and Goddess Apophis.
Due to her help and her Divine Miracle of purifying the village well, the village had started to see her as a guardian deity. As a result, the whole village became her followers overnight.
[Current Follower Count: 267]
The only unfortunate thing about this situation was that the village barely had enough people. But that could slowly be improved as Aiden spread more and more of his goddess’s name.
Moreover, he had the system in his corner and as long as his goddess had influence, he could start introducing modern conveniences to the village, attracting even more people.
The next morning, villagers started to come and visit their temple as more and more of them recovered. And with them, they brought more offerings.
Their devotion put Goddess Apophis in a good mood and she spent most of her time lazing around inside the hut while using her powers to keep the village and the pathway to the temple safe.
As for Aiden? He had gained another mission from the system.
[Updating Current Objective: Rebuilding the Goddess’s Temple (100% Completion).]
[Reward: +0.5% Divinity]
[Additional Reward: Gaining the First Temple.]
The system had prepared what he needed to do next and Aiden decided that it was time for him to start rebuilding the temple from scratch.
What had been restored worked well, but he wanted his Goddess to have the best. And to do that, he needed money as well as skilled people.
"Well, money is something I should be able to get easily due to the system. The offerings are more than enough for it. But I am concerned about the technology. I doubt the people of this time would be able to understand what I need them to build even if I explain it to them."
And even if they did understand it in theory, that did not mean that they would be able to replicate it using the resources they had.
Once again, Aiden felt stuck. But this time, he had a steady source of offerings to keep him going.
[New system tab in the shop has opened.]
[Tab: Mystical Help]
[Tab Information: You can receive help from the system’s workers at a fixed rate for any task you need. As long as you keep the coins coming, we will be able to provide any service.]
Aiden immediately opened the new tab to look around at his options. And there were a lot of things he could do with what was available to him.
Not only were there workers for construction, but also for piping and electricity. Additionally, the normal shop had fuel for power that would not harm the environment.
It was a perfect combination for someone like him who did not have a lot of technical skills but only had a vision of what he needed.
The only problem? Of course, it was the coins.
Sigh
"Capitalism truly runs this system. Just how long will it take to gather all these resources?"
Aiden questioned as he looked down at the system screen. His happiness was being drained away by the sudden burden he had to bear.
[You can substitute the heavy cost of the system by getting a discount. You would need to meet a specific condition to make that possible.]
"I get a discount? Why did you not tell me this beforehand?"
There was no modern person who could ever say no to a discount. And Aiden was no different.
[Conditions for the discount: Please provide an ancient god’s relic. You can purchase it back once you have acquired enough credit in the store.]
And there went Aiden’s happiness.
"Where do you think I will find an ancient god’s relic? Do you think I am made of money...no, wait! Maybe I do have one available."
Or rather, his goddess had one available.
The first priest Aiden had defeated had used the power of another god’s relic to channel his power. But he had lost control of that power and died.
But the relic itself had been recovered by Aiden and the villagers, and he had taken it.
His goddess had claimed the relic for herself and was curled around it in a protective hold, not wanting to let it go.
Aiden wanted to use this relic, but if his goddess said no, then he had no intention of forcing her to give it up.
For now, he decided to wait for his goddess to wake up before asking her for the relic. He refused to disturb her sleep.
After two minutes, the goddess finally opened her eyes and looked at Aiden with an annoyed look on her face.
"Is there anything I can help you with?"
The goddess questioned Aiden after a few seconds of him not saying anything. He had noticed that the goddess was awake, but he had no intention of disturbing her until she did so herself.
And now that she had given her permission, Aiden finally spoke up.
"Goddess Apophis, I would like to ask you for a favor. But please ignore it if you think I am sprouting nonsense."
Aiden began with these words and the Snake Goddess looked even more intrigued by them.
"What do you need from me?"
She asked in an easy-going voice as she slithered around the relic she was holding. This made Aiden even more nervous to ask her for it.
But since it was for her own sake, he decided to be brave and open his mouth.
"My Goddess, may I receive the relic you are cherishing? I need it to fulfill a task. But I promise I will recover it for you soon enough."
Aiden asked, waiting for his goddess to make a decision. And finally, she slithered away from the relic and looked at him with an amused expression.
"You wish to acquire this relic? I do not mind if you do. Here, take it. There is no need for you to get it back either."
The goddess handed the relic over without much convincing. Her tail stroked Aiden’s face and he leaned into her touch.
"Remember, my dear follower. You are my first and my most precious. I will give you what you need if you ask for it. So you should be a little bolder when asking for things next time."