“So, I wanted to talk to you guys about an easy way to power up Abel.”

“Just spoiling every one of your children then, huh?” Myriad asked without even glancing away from his work to enjoy the frown the statement brought to his apostle’s face.

“Don’t you start, Thera was joking about it until she went to sleep. I’m not adopting her.”

“Why not? Despite a few of your own personality issues, I genuinely think you’d be a good father to her.”

“...I have absolutely no clue how to even respond to that.”

“So what’s the way then, Ben?” Helori asked him. “Bearing in mind that if you start telling everyone up here to come down and make some donations like I let you talk me into, someone is going to try and smite you.”

“Well, you’re on the right track but not quite there. Have you guys started producing more demigods like me?”

“We have.”

“Getting Vividus to do it?”

“Not like there’s a better option on the planet when it comes to the mass production of homunculi on that scale.”

“Then it’s simple. I don’t know what parts you’re grafting onto any recipients to do it but just put the collar as high as you can when using a god soul and cut everything off below it so it maintains the changes inflicted on it. From there, transfer what you need to the recipient and pack the rest away for Abel to eat later. Her attributes will explode before you know it.”

“...Your imagination disgusts me,” Myriad sighed as he finally looked away from his work. “But I suppose it’s technically better than being forced to break the leftovers down. I’ll bring it up the next chance I get.”

“Excellent, and if you guys decide against it, I’ll let her know. As one of the few third-tier combatants, I’m sure none of you want her raising a spat and refusing to fight, do you?”

“Always with the threats with you, isn’t it?”

“That’s less of a threat than a prediction. Anyway, while we’re on the topic, how’s demigod production going so far?”

“Ugh, good would be an understatement,” Myriad said, sounding far too frustrated about what should have by all accounts been fantastic news. “There’s the small issue that it looks like odds of getting an integrated body skill instead of a partial body one are only about one percent but still, even the partial body skill has been showing more than effective enough at increasing the holder’s growth rates and abilities as they relate to the used god, with the one in question holding domains of magic, the self, and sight. Initial testing has found it safe enough in the few hundred Vividus has already modified that we’re looking at ramping up production. While it’s not going to be mandatory, we’re expecting to have every combatant associated with an army who wants to undergo the procedure modified by the third wave and at the very least, all first and second ranked adventurers modified too, with hopes that we’d be able to get the third ranks as well, although that’s a significantly larger group given it doesn’t require awakened skills to reach. Still, by the time this is done, this is going to be a world of demigods. I can only imagine what the genetic legacy of this is going to look like a few thousand years down the line.”

“Sounds like a future problem.”

“Considering the fact that you’re a third tier, future problems are by definition going to be at least somewhat your problem.”

“Huh, that brings up a good point,” Ben said thoughtfully. “My integrated divine body is currently at the sixth level and honestly, I’m kind of hoping I get another one or two before the next wave but if I die and ascend, it’s going to become a minor divinity for me, right? You think that means I’ll be able to help transition the partial skill to an integrated skill for anyone who has it?”

“I think I don’t want to think about it. At the very least, so long as you live a good, long life before then, there might not even be a chance for you to try because once this war ends, we aren’t making more demigods like this.”

“Well, I guess we’ll see about that. I did make it extraordinarily clear that the divine crystals belong to me, they’re just being lent out so when the war ends if I take them all back then it’s up to me whether I want to make more demigods, right?”

“...I don’t like this line or reasoning.”

“And since I’ll be a new god,” Ben went on. “That could make a decent avenue for pulling in some believers. Convert now and the church of Ben will turn you into a demigod, free of charge.”

“You’d need someone to do a procedure like that.”

“And? Thera’s outliving me by centuries and she did the very first one in the first place so she’s the only one I actually need to convince into doing it. Speaking of, I haven’t actually broached the topic with her but when I do ascend, would it be weird to try and get her to convert to me, make her my apostle or something? It feels like it would be weird but I know you guys have all sorts of stupid rules up here about how gods should act with mortals who aren’t their own.”

“Anailia’s a love goddess,” Helori chimed in. “She wouldn’t keep you from talking to your partner, even if you did want to convert her.”

“Okay, good point, which means I’m absolutely passing on that. The thought of having anyone I care about pray to me actually feels really gross now that I’m thinking about it, no offense.”

“There was none,” His god told him. “Right up until you said no offense.”

“God, it just feels so weird to think about,” Ben went on, his face scrunching with the thought. “Like, I don’t think I’d even be into casual acquaintances praying to me, let alone Thera or any of her family or Delair and any of the other dryads I know.”

“Well, a shame for you because the people you know in life are usually some of the first converts an ascended god gets,” Helori pointed out. “The bond is already there, just changed. What else would you do for your starting bits of faith? Go without until everyone you know dies of old age and then try to get some believers converted? Because if your god wasn’t proof enough, trying to grow from absolutely nothing is basically impossible.”

“I don’t think I needed to be dragged into that,” Myriad chimed in, being ignored while Ben shrugged.

“I mean, even if I don’t convert the people I know, I could get them to act as intermediaries to try and get me believers of my own on top of all of the other things I’d prepare before my death, such as demigod surgeries. More importantly though, I’ve already started making soul tiles that pray to me and I’m going to keep making them so I should have a healthy little foundation of pseudo-believers set up and ready to go to power me for the start of my existence.”

“Mmh, I suppose that even if the faith per soul is extremely low, you more than make up for that with the volume of them you can create,” Helori conceded. “But you will still need true believers to act as intermediaries on your behalf when acting in the world.”

“Eh, who’s to say? If I ever need to do anything in the physical universe, I have all of my clones I could hopefully descend on or, if I’m really lucky, maybe use without descending since my hive mind and connect will both be minor divinities too, even if I don’t awaken either. Seems to me there’s a perfectly good chance I’ll keep being able to work through them from the comfort of my realm.”

“...Myriad, do you hear your apostle?”

“I’ve tried not to but unfortunately, he’s already mentioned this exact idea to me. I’ve had time to accept it.”

“Don’t worry,” Ben said solemnly. “When I become the most powerful, most beloved god in this universe, I promise I won’t forget you little guys.”

He’d meant it as a joke but to neither Myriad or Helori it sounded that way. He already had two skills that would become proper divinities and his realm access, condemnation, and his actualization already meant that when he died, he would stand above any other god in those inherent domains of power. Even if he failed to awaken anything else, the future they saw for him looked grand, leaving only to see what would happen when he finally reached it for himself.