Chapter 157: Ch 157 : The Strings of Faith
Sunny’s consciousness, a ghost exempt from the laws that bound gods, slipped through the vibrant, chaotic world of the Realm of Advancement.
He mapped the strange landscapes as he traveled, his mind effortlessly cataloging territories that would one day belong to his empire. In mere seconds, he crossed a continent of realities and arrived at the Kingdom of Solara.
He didn’t just observe; he entered. His consciousness plunged into the very being of King Ragnok, diving deep into the inner sanctum of the new demigod’s soul.
It was a quiet cosmos of its own, a universe of potential. And floating within it were suns; glowing, pulsing orbs of talent.
His focus automatically drifted to the two brightest, a pair of golden orbs that radiated immense power. One was the essence of Reality Talk. The other was King’s Authority.
With a gentle, practiced will, his consciousness engulfed the orb of King’s Authority. It did not consume or destroy it. Instead, it created a perfect copy of King’s Authority and when this newly formed orb entered Sunny’s consciousness, it evolved.
This was the newly formed better version of King’s Authority, with Sunny gaining this talent, the task was complete and his consciousness automatically began to drift back to his God space.
"Time to return, I guess," Sunny thought, and in another flash, he was back. His consciousness settled back into his divine form, the journey of billions of light-years and the violation of a universal law completed in less than a minute.
He immediately turned his God’s Eye inward, peering into his own soulscape. He saw the familiar, brilliant orbs of his own talents, but now there was a new one, a golden sun that hummed with a power he had never felt before, this sun was connected with quadrillions of threads reaching to all over the territory of Sunny.
"Let’s see how much it has upgraded," Sunny said, focusing his God’s Eye on the new orb. The knowledge flooded his mind.
[Talent Name: God’s Authority]
[Grade: SS]
[Description: You can draw upon and wield the powers of any being under your rule, provided they have faith in you.
With a deeper understanding of this law, you can wield multiple powers simultaneously.
The chances of your lifeforms being born with ’Talents of the King’ (e.g., commanding presence, strategic genius, King’s aura etc) are increased.]
The description was simple, but the implications were earth-shattering. "The need for loyalty is replaced... I only need someone to have faith in me, and I can use their talents..." The thought hit him with the force of a physical blow. The 5.5 billion subordinate Gods... the trillions of lifeforms in their worlds... they all had faith in him.
He closed his eyes. "Oh," he whispered to the void. "Oh, I can use all of them." He was no longer just an emperor with a vast army. He was a living pantheon, a single being who could embody the strength of every god under his rule.
His mind then caught on the second part of the description. "Talents of the King... King’s Aura?" He remembered the rare lifeforms born in Veridia who possessed something similar ’Regal aura’.
Even as a child, one had an aura that could suppress a C-Grade powerhouse. As an adult, his very words had become a minor form of law, bending reality in a small area around him. To have a chance to create more beings like that was a gift of immense value.
Now, it was time to test this new, incredible power. "Whose talent should I draw upon right now?" he wondered. His first thought went to the other SS-Grade talent holders in his Pantheon, like Asura and Joker. But he quickly shook his head.
Asura’s talent fed on evil, and Sunny had no desire to encourage sin in his empire. Joker’s talent was based on mockery, a tool that did not suit his own personality. He was rich enough not to need such a crude method of earning faith.
His thoughts then settled on one God: Strategist. "Should I draw upon his ’Children of Wisdom’ talent?" His own Divine Comprehension was a tool for learning, for speed. But wisdom... wisdom was about depth, about seeing the connections others missed.
"Children of Wisdom, here I come," Sunny declared. He activated his God’s Authority.
The vision that flooded his senses was breathtaking.
He was no longer in his God space. He was at the very center of a living galaxy of light. Quintillions of shimmering, gossamer threads stretched out from him in every direction, each one a single soul bound to him by a strand of faith.
The threads from his demigods were brilliant comets, blazing with power and devotion. And the threads from the 5.5 billion subordinate Gods... they were colossal rivers of pure, golden light, a torrent of belief and power flowing into the heart of his new empire.
He focused his will, searching for one particular river of light. He found the thread connected to Strategist and gently touched it.
Instantly, his mind was connected to the God’s soul, and the thread split into two smaller strands, each representing one of Strategist’s talents: Magic Affinity, and Children of Wisdom.
Sunny touched the strand for Children of Wisdom. He felt a wave of unknown power flow from the thread, through his consciousness, and into his very being.
It wasn’t a violent surge, but a gentle, profound infusion of pure clarity. The complex, chaotic patterns of the cosmos seemed to simplify, to resolve into elegant, beautiful equations.
He could see connections, possibilities, and strategies that had been invisible to him just moments before.
"Such a magical feeling," he breathed, his mind now operating on a level he had never dreamed of. "I should have copied this talent sooner." With his own Divine Growth, he could have evolved this power into something truly legendary. ’I hope Strategist can upgrade his talent to SS-Grade soon,’ he thought, already seeing the potential.
With this new, sharper mind, he turned his attention back to his most important task: the comprehension of the Law of Manifestation. The path, which had seemed like a mountain to climb, now looked like a gentle hill. But before he began, he sent out one final command.
"Thea, notify me the moment those two siblings reach the place I tasked them with." The grand plan was always in motion.