CH867

By the end, Ben was resting his head against the pod that held the man he’d just done his best to save, conflict running deep in his as he did while Nare spoke up at the display.

<Ben, you did you’re best, I don’t->

“I succeeded,” Ben cut him off. “Mostly, I succeeded. It’s not to the point I would have liked but… Well, as things stand, I don’t know if I can do any better.”

<What? That’s wonderful but then why do you look so troubled?>

He took a deep breath, trying to suppress his bits of disappointment to himself no matter how it had felt. He’d been exposed to the other’s mind and he knew the quality of his work. Even as he held him for what warmth and comfort he could give, the truth was inescapable.

“I can save them. This is proof I can save all of them, but I can’t let them out yet,” He explained, pinching his brow as he did. “Unless I start snipping away even more, which I really don’t think would be a good idea, I’m pretty sure if he comes out and finds out that this world is currently being invaded then he’s going to have a genuine breakdown that he might not be able to recover from. I wouldn’t be surprised if he’d decided to stop living then and there and while I won’t know how the others will react until I do them, I’d expect much of the same, especially considering how many of them are going to be the last of their kind. He’s better and now I’m confident that I can help everyone else too, but I can’t actually release them unless we win the war. Otherwise, everything I’ve just done will be for nothing.”

“Ha, I’ve always had high standards for myself as a mortal, you won’t find godhood to have changed that in me.”

<No, I suppose not but this is far from as bad as you seem to feel. They’ll stay in here until the invasion ends? So be it. In that case, they’ll either be greeted with victory or death; either way it will be a release.>

“I’m significantly less for one of those options than the other.”

<Aren’t we all. So what now then? Will you do the rest?>

“Yeah, maybe I should be getting the permission of the other gods of the world like I did you but honestly, I think that gave me a good feel for it. Doing the rest will be quick.”

With connect at its ninth level, he was now able to access roughly ten meters of space in all directions and all of the prisoners had been efficiently packed. He could link his mind to dozens at once from where he stood and that very mind was equipped to go through all of them at once, examining each of their memories from thousands of different angles at speeds that could beat the gods. He could act with unnatural levels of care and it would still be quick as he walked through the building, each step healing and comforting a new mind.

He didn’t release any when he was finished, too sure that the fragile stability he’d helped build would come crashing down in the face of how much they’d need to learn in that new world and the dangers it held but it still weighed on him as he left, off to focus on some of his other work for the day.

He stopped by his research institute and left entire books of tests he wanted run and produced more soul tiles when he got back to the shop, with adding them to the rest of the church in Stonewall being only a small priority but one that would make his god happy for all of the new souls who would give him faith, with getting the other churches of Myriad covered on the list of chores as well.

Actually placing them would be for another day though as he next went through one of his newer gates, having different souls that needed to be placed as he went back to his factory, finding it to be a hub of activity compared to the last time he’d been through, the workers who were managing it finally arrived.

With his presence not going unnoticed. When he’d activated the gate and stepped through, a few eyes turned to him and some whispers went up, with one of them walking over.

“Mister Ben?” She asked, an older member of Nare’s race who eyed him up and down.

“I am. Don’t mind me, I’m just here to finish a few of the different bands that were made and to… Well, I’ll finish those first for now. Mind showing me where they’re piling up?”

“Of course, right this way,” She told him, leading him over to piles of crates that had been left there, filling the space and waiting for him to complete them so they could finally be shipped off.

Ugh, I guess I should be trying to come here once a week to get this done so it doesn’t pile up so much. I guess I can be doing that before or after I train Delair occasionally.

“Want these cracked then?” She asked him. “I can go grab a crowbar.”

“Don’t bother, I can finish them from here,” His material sense was telling him exactly where the rainbow mana crystals were in each case and the souls he’d materialize didn’t need to be by his side so with all of his new mana he added the final component they’d need, ensuring anyone who’d wear then would be empowered for it.

To a point that the ones I’d already been distributing are seriously obsolete. Maybe I should get the gods to try and institute a trade-in program when they distribute all of these new ones. I could replace the old souls with what I can do now, but… Mmh, no. If anyone important enough to need a better model gets it then the old can just be distributed to anyone who’s a lower priority. Since the bands themselves are being materialized, it’s not like there’s a limit on materials.

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“Done,” He said after a moment, feeling his soul refill for the mana he’d spent and seeing that, to the woman’s credit, she wasn’t questioning if he’d really done anything. He hadn’t bothered probing her mind so he didn’t know what she’d been told about him but whatever it had been was enough for her to take his word. “I’ll try to be back once a week so these don’t build up too much but for now I’m going to use a bit of the extra space. You mind if I move things around a bit?”

“Be my guest. Is there any way I may assist?”

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