Chapter 1162 – Change

Change was the greatest impetus for gaining new Records.

Meanwhile, routine and habits were the enemy of progress. Regardless, everyone had to consistently challenge themselves and be willing to undergo some level of change.

But… it was simply too easy to fall into a routine. Even unknowingly. For mortals, this was one of their biggest killers when someone finally found a chance to settle down and got complacent with their lives, and by the time they realized they needed to change something if they wanted to continue on their Path, it was too late.

Gods were the same, except they didn’t have the cruel march of time chasing them to their deaths. This was both a boon and a curse in some ways, as it was very common for gods to live a life of habits simply as a result of their unlimited lifespans.

A god could choose to sit down and meditate in the emptiness of space for ten eras in a row if they wanted to. Some even did things similar to that, especially those from the Dao Sect, all with the excuse of tempering their minds and wills.

Not to speak badly about it, as it clearly worked for them. Especially when they returned to the world after their pilgrimage with a new perspective, and perhaps more importantly, even if they didn’t change much, the world would have.

Additionally, the more entrenched in habit and everyday life one became, the more any form of change could lead to growth.

That’s also why every integration was a massive opportunity for the gods to progress, as it was a wake-up call for nearly every god to get moving and do something. An integration was the biggest change the multiverse could undergo, and it introduced an entirely new universe of Records and experiences for the gods to participate in.

Of course, the gods had to engage with the new universe actively to reap the greatest rewards. If they didn’t, they would still benefit a little, but far from as much as the gods actively taking part in the happenings of the newly integrated universe.

This was also another argument for joining large factions, as a god would benefit and have an easy way to engage with the new universe through their faction. One of these ways was naturally through the mortals, with the most popular and effective way being to bless people and harvest Records from the exploits of the blessed.

In fact, Blessings were a great way to get all new Records. The only problem was that these Records tended to be low in both quality and quantity compared to what a god needed. Even then, merely engaging with those one blessed on a regular basis allowed a god always to experience at least a bit of change here and there.

There were many other ways to experience change and try new things, though most of them had negligible effects at best. The benefits tended to be barely worth the time invested, and it was likely just done as a favor for someone.

One of the examples of a minor thing a god could do to potentially give a bit of Records was helping out with a project of another god. This could take many forms, but one example that rarely yielded benefits was donating an image to a certain World Wonder.

At least Artemis had never expected much from it. In fact, she’d only agreed as a favor to the Wyrmgod and due to how stuck she felt in her Path.

Throughout the years, she’d gradually grown in power, passing through the Circles of Divinity and gaining more influence within the Pantheon of Life. However, she had been one step away from Godqueen for more than four eras now.

Becoming a Godqueen wasn’t simply a question of getting another level, but of fully realizing one’s journey through the Circles of Divinity. It was a step many gods ended up struggling with, with Artemis being just one of them, even within the Pantheon of Life.

For reference, the Pantheon of Life had under a hundred at the Godqueen level or above. Meanwhile, it had just about three thousand in the same situation as Artemis, sitting just a step below.

Moreover, Artemis knew the difference was even worse in places like the Holy Church or among the Risen. Their rarity was one of the reasons why a Godqueen or Godking was a valuable asset of any top faction, but it was also proof that the god had the potential to go beyond the Circles of Divinity and become an Empyrean God.

Artemis would be lying if she said she hadn’t been anxious about whether her Path would truly allow her to become a Godqueen, especially after it had been so long without any tangible progress.

Sure, she’d improved, but there was no feedback on whether her improvement was taking her in the right direction or not, much less when it was enough. The way to become a Godqueen was to condense one’s Path, and one could continue improving while at the peak of the Circles of Divinity; however, based on the quality of the foundation, it became increasingly difficult.

For at least the last two eras, she had felt in a limbo, treading water with barely any progress while just stuck in the same routines. Even with the new integration, she felt little change despite actively engaging with the new universe.

It had seemed like yet another integration that wouldn’t do much for her… and then Jake happened.

The actions of her image within Nevermore had set in motion something no version of Artemis could have predicted. However, a part of her wanted to believe that her image had sensed something back then. In a state where both of them were roughly equal in power, Artemis’ image had a perspective that the god version simply couldn’t have.

Going to Nevermore right after getting the recording had been an impulsive —and perhaps even a little reckless —decision. Yet what happened there had been the first true sign of progress she’d felt in a long time. In a short span of time, she went from barely meeting her former Patron and Primordial of Life to sitting in a room with half of the Primordials in the multiverse present.

There, she’d witnessed things she really shouldn’t have, including her first real encounter with Jake. Initially, she had a hard time understanding why the image had acted as it did… until the clash between Valdemar and Jake, that is.

That was the first time Artemis began to understand. Feeling his aura, she felt her heart skip a beat, the same way she was certain her image had.

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At least in her eyes, and the eyes of many who had lived long lives and reached high grades, outward physical appearances didn’t matter. Monsters could change their own physical shapes to look however they wanted, for the most part, and the enlightened races strived toward forging their body in their most ideal selves. Someone looking good wasn’t even a factor in Artemis’ eyes when it came to attractiveness.

One’s presence was what mattered instead. Everyone had their own unique presence and energy signature, and they all carried traces of the person’s Path and who they were as individuals. There wasn’t a type of presence and aura that everyone universally agreed was attractive, but what people liked varied heavily from person to person.

Artemis liked Jake’s presence. She found it attractive, which was the first important step in wanting to get closer to someone. Luckily for her, he seemed to reciprocate that attraction, allowing them to move forward slowly.