CH666

“There’s already gods requesting you make more of those bracelets,” Myriad told him that night. “By the way, thanks for the advertising.”

“Thought you would like that and will do, I’m slowly filling up my spatial rings when I have the spare mana for it and when I’m in the shop I can make a hell of a lot more at once, I’ll be busy for the next couple days but after that, I’ll be making as many as I can in my spare time. Also, I made something completely different that Falk suggested I should probably get spread to the awakened warriors of the world at least, a way to use multiple bodies. It requires my tools and some homunculi which Thera can manage. Do you think you can spread that around up here to get something organized and then we can discuss payment?”

“After how much you’ve just taken for yourself and your girlfriend you’re still concerned about getting more?”

“Yes? Why wouldn’t I be?”

“A general sense of shame perhaps?”

“Never heard of it. Anyway, I was thinking they could reward me with five measly job levels-”

“There’s no conceivable way that’s happening.”

“Lame. On the plus side, I do have one idea. If I take making an achievement in your name I’ll get those levels after completing the quest, right? I’d say creating those bracelets should qualify and even though I’ve given plenty out, with the amount it looks like I’m going to be handing out your fame is only going to spread, so-”

“Ben, I am begging you not to do that to me. How badly do I need to debase myself to convince you not to rip away every drop of faith to my name just so you can finish that job?”

“Oh, come on, it wouldn’t be that bad.”

“It would actually be worse, I’m pretty sure I’d go into debt. Raising a first or second-tier job is one thing but I wouldn’t even want you trying to do that to me with a third-tier one, let alone the horrific thing you’ve currently ended up with.”

“Ugh, lame but fine, back to the drawing board. For now then, it looks like I’ve managed to both increase and decrease my workload but there’s no denying that I’ve made the world safer in just one go so if I’m making and spreading more of my work then what do you think would be an appropriate reward to ask for? I genuinely feel like somebody should be giving me their blessing just out of principle at this point, why the hell was the demon’s god less of a tight-ass about it than the rest of you?”

“The rest of us aren’t gods of souls collecting a galaxy’s worth of faith. Giving you that probably cost him close to nothing.”

“Boo, even if that’s true I deserve some appreciation for all I do here from the gods that actually benefit from it. I’ve put in so much effort and have literally changed the world more than once with my creations and discoveries, if there’s anyone who deserves more blessings then it’s me.”

“Yet complaining about it won’t change things.”

“Ugh, I know, if I want them then I just have to grab them with my own two hands. In that case, what do you think would be an appropriate reward to ask for?”

“Given that money won’t mean anything if we’re all dead, the rest here are pretty willing to be generous with that.”

“I am so, disgustingly, filthy rich already Myriad. Like, if I wanted to I’d never have to work again. I could hire staff to look after all of my needs for a dozen lifetimes and still have wealth left over. What the hell am I going to do with more money?”

“Then what would you want? I’m going to tell you right now, I wouldn’t expect the gods to spend any more power on you after the last time so pick a resource or something.”

“Do I still have no chance of getting to enjoy all of the forbidden books in the library’s basement either?”

“You already know the answer to that.”

“God, I hate this world so much. Okay, give me a minute.”

With everything he could desire being shot down, Ben considered his various goals. He still wanted to get through the summoning spell and the mystery one and felt like he was making good progress, even more so since awakening alien thought structure now that he had so many new ways of approaching it, but he didn’t think the gods would be able to help him on that front.

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Likewise, he still wanted to fix Inux but wouldn’t be able to expect much help from that either, with the gods already being clear that they didn’t know how he was made to begin with, meaning they’d be useless on that front too.

Other than that what he wanted could be summed up simply as power but he knew they weren’t going to give him any as a reward, whatever he wanted was stuff he’d have to get for himself, but he could ask for something that might help him on that path, with an idea finally coming to mind.

“I want to see the mythic items of the world,” He finally told his god. “Even if raising my crafting isn’t a priority, it’s not like it would hurt and this would cost them all nothing. I refuse to get more reasonable than this.”

“Hmm, I don’t actually see a reason they’d decline other than stubbornness for some of them,” Myriad said after a second’s thought. “I’ll bring it up later.”

“Okay, sounds like a plan and a half so don’t let me down here.”

Not the best reward but also far from the worst, it was something he could be satisfied with while they continued on talking for the night before finally awakening to the day ahead.