Chapter 50: Ch 50: Heading to help

The system was finally back and giving Aiden missions. But thinking back on it, this was not the first time the system had given him a mission after Aiden had taken some action.

He could only conclude that not all missions were handed out. Some were based on his decisions to take action.

But as fascinating as this was, Aiden did not have time to experiment with this. First, he had a situation to take care of.

"Well, since I have accepted to help you, we should get started. I would like to give you a name to cement your position as a fellow follower of our goddess. Do you have any preference?"

Aiden asked, and the ex-slave looked taken aback.

"A name? That kind of thing is—"

"Extremely important. Since you are now a part of our temple’s forces, your reputation is tied to ours. And I will not allow my Goddess to feel any shame because her follower does not have a name."

Aiden was so firm that he left the ex-slave no chance to interfere.

The ex-slave still looked unsure, but he nodded to show that he was willing to get a name from Aiden if he insisted.

"Do you have any preference? If not, then how about Caelion?"

Aiden picked up the first name he could think of from a recent book he had read. He was not that good at naming things, but even he felt like it was a good name.

The ex-slave must have thought so as well (or he had no preference) because he just nodded.

[You have gained a faithful follower.]

[The follower has the qualities to develop into your head priest. Would you like to cultivate him?]

Aiden was not happy to see this message, mainly because he did not want Caelion to become his follower but a follower of his goddess.

But well, his power was her power, so he would adapt to it for now. As for the head priest...

’I shall wait and see. For now, there is no need for me to push for it.’

There were still things Aiden needed to do as a human. No, rather, there were only things he could do as a human.

A god was usually bound by too many rules that forced them not to interfere beyond a certain point. But as a human, Aiden was free to do as he wished. And that freedom was his greatest weapon for now.

...

The festival finally concluded safely the next day, and all the items and herbs he had in stock were sold out.

Well, they were sold out on the first day itself, and people kept wanting to buy more. It was a wonder that they managed to get by without any major accidents.

Aiden decided to leave with Caelion for his village as soon as half of the clean-up work was done.

The local people were actively participating, and they worked hard. Plus, the recent developments in the territory made it convenient for them to do what was needed to speed up the process.

Aiden gathered the dwarf head, the fairy leader, as well as the village chief to pass his instructions before he went out.

"I will be away for a few days, but if you truly need to contact me, you can head to Priestess Lumi. She has a way to get her message to me."

Since they were fellow high-level followers of Goddess Apophis, Lumi could convey her message to him through his goddess.

But of course, it was only for emergencies and not to be abused.

Not that any of the villagers would abuse this right, and Lumi also knew better than to bother him for no reason.

"Don’t worry, Priest Aiden. We are sturdy people, and this village is sturdy as well. Moreover, we have Goddess Apophis’s protection protecting us. I am sure nothing will happen."

The dwarf head pointed out, and Aiden nodded.

"Alright, I will leave it all up to you. Please take care of this village in my absence."

Finally, the meetings were done, and after passing final instructions to Lumi, it was time to head out once more.

Their destination was the nearby Kinsek Village, so it did not take them long.

But the second they left Goddess Apophis’s barrier, the world suddenly became a little bit duller. Not only that, but the development that Aiden had pushed for also ended right behind the barrier wall.

It was still bright out here, so they could travel, but the security of the street lamps and the paved road was surely missed.

"It’s such a huge shock...to suddenly go from all that to this barren land. But honestly, what kind of technology is that? And where did you get it from? Goddess Apophis might be strong, but she’s still a local god, right? Even the gods with the most followers don’t have advanced villages."

Caelion commented with awe in his voice, and Aiden felt a sense of pride.

After all, he had made this possible. But it was only because of the system and his knowledge from his past life.

However, the fact that none of the other gods had been able to develop such conveniences did make him wonder why. Was it because they did not care about development as much as humans did? Or because they were limited?

’Or, is it because they gain knowledge from other worlds? Is it some kind of limitation?’

His goddess had not said anything, nor had she shown any surprise at what he could do. And Aiden had never asked her either.

If it indeed was a limitation for the gods, then it was a good thing he was still human. And he would remain human for this very reason.

But it did raise another question—

’Just what is this system, and where did it come from? And what about its authority and ability to be able to do something that even the major gods cannot...Just what is it that it wants from me?’

Unfortunately, Aiden did not have answers, and he could not stop using the system either.

Then again, it was a problem for future him to resolve.