"I will bring more people around to help me build the temple tomorrow. A beauty like this deserves to have more people working on it."
The builder looked love-struck as he stared at the beautiful yet ruined temple, and Aiden silently thanked him for it. He also noticed the builder using some kind of magic to store his tools, which explained how he had already been able to restore an entire living quarter.
"I was not able to fix your bed, but the walls should provide you with enough shelter for tonight. Watch out for the wild animals, or you might wake up as their snack."
The builder left quickly, barely missing Apophis’s anger. The goddess’s tail rattled against Aiden’s wrist, and he quickly took her out from under his sleeve before placing her on top of his folded shirt.
The snake hissed in agitation and quickly curled herself into a tight coil.
"How dare that human imply you won’t be safe here? I should smite him and teach him a lesson."
"Lady Apophis, we cannot kill a potential follower. How about you murder him once we have enough followers to stabilize your divinity?"
Aiden asked, trying to calm his goddess’s anger.
He did not mind a few people dying for the sake of his Lady, but the current situation was not the best time to lose followers.
Lady Apophis looked furious, but at least she understood what was important. She allowed herself to be picked up and carried into the newly restored room.
Once more, Aiden built a bed made of soft leaves nearby. It was comfortable enough, but he wanted to give his goddess an even more comfortable bed.
’Tomorrow, I will find a job and earn some money. I am sure I can find something I am capable of doing.’
Aiden did not have much physical strength, but what he did have was a sharp mind and modern knowledge. As long as he presented himself well, he could likely make a good living.
...
Lady Apophis looked at Aiden’s sleeping figure with a serious expression. But honestly, she did not know what to make of him.
He had appeared before her just when her life was about to come to an end, and he had given her the last ray of hope that kept her alive.
In a single day, he had done more for her than her previous followers, or even her creator, ever had. And he had not even asked for anything in return.
Most importantly, she could tell that Aiden was genuine in serving her. He was not serving her because he feared the curse that bound their lives together. And that made her feel a surge of protectiveness toward him.
Gods were usually indifferent toward mortals and often spared them no more than a passing glance when amused. But Apophis was different. She was an ancient deity, born long before the ’neutral’ gods of today came into existence.
She possessed emotions, and as the Serpent Goddess, greed and obsession were in her very nature. So it made sense that someone like Aiden would awaken such possessive feelings within her.
If possible, she did not even want him to leave her temple. She wanted him to remain here with her. But her rational side told her that she could not keep her first believer trapped inside her sanctuary.
After all, Aiden was hell-bent on making her name known among the masses.
Apophis quickly changed from her snake form into her human form before looking down at Aiden’s sleeping body.
"Hmm, since you want to help me so much, I will let you roam around for a little longer. But if you start forgetting that you are mine, I will have to take drastic measures."
Her hand reached out and lightly touched Aiden’s hair. It was soft and felt pleasant beneath her fingers.
She continued to stroke his head for some time before looking outside.
"Hmm, now that I have recovered some energy, I should go and clean up the surroundings a little. Too many pests have started roaming too close these days."
She quickly changed her form again, and this time the snake was no longer a small, helpless two-foot creature. Her body had grown to six feet long, and her fangs carried enough venom to kill anything she came across.
Her aura was still considerably weak, making a few daring beasts want to take their chance. But weak or not, no mortal could stand against a goddess.
That night, Apophis killed more than ten beasts and carefully selected only the meat that a human could safely digest to bring back. Since her venom still lingered in the beasts, she carefully drained it away so it would not affect Aiden.
As her Apostle, Aiden should have been immune to her poison. But she had never had an Apostle before, so she could not be certain. Everything she knew about Apostles came from secondhand sources.
So Aiden was special to her in more ways than one.
By the time she returned to the temple and resumed her snake form, the sun was beginning to rise.
A goddess should not have grown tired from such a simple task, but her body was still too weak to handle expending so much energy. So she drifted off to sleep, hoping Aiden would understand both her gift and the meaning behind it.
She was telling him that he belonged to her, and as long as he remained hers, she would take care of him.
’Not that I am ever going to let you go. Fate gave you to me. It brought you here for my sake, and even if it tries to take you back, I will never allow it.’
...
That morning, Aiden woke up to a huge pile of fresh, cleaned meat wrapped in leaves he had never seen before. There was so much that there was no way he would be able to finish it by himself.
But he had no intention of selling it or serving it to anyone else. This was a gift from Lady Apophis.
She was still sleeping beside him, but Aiden instinctively knew that this was the goddess’s way of taking care of him.
[You have received a gift from your goddess. Your Apostle Rank has increased.]
[You can now expand your inventory.]
[Would you like to store the offering?]
Aiden did not hesitate for even a second. He was going to preserve this gift from his goddess for as long as possible.
For now, he had breakfast to prepare, and he was going to process the meat his goddess had brought him...
There was only one problem.
"I don’t have anything to cook this meat..."
[A new feature has been unlocked.]
[The Shop is now available.]
[You may exchange offerings for Divine Coins.]
[Divine Coins can be used to purchase items from the Shop.]
That solved Aiden’s problem...
Only to create another.
"I don’t want to sell the offering my goddess gave me. Show me another way!"
He demanded, but unfortunately, the system was not at his beck and call. It did not respond or offer him another solution.