Chapter 3: [Arc 0] Chapter 3: Skvalv and Terra Sol

“Gahahaha! You do not know how much of a help you have been, son” – Old man.

After the old man stood up again, he led me to the waiting room while laughing aloud.

Guess I’ve escaped the worst scenario?

This old man is probably the owner of the office, and more likely, he’s not human.

His clothes are somewhat old, or more like medieval. He looks like he’s cosplaying an artist from medieval Italy. Loose robes in beige colors, a flat dark-blue hat that painters usually would have, and a white crystal pendant that would fit right in at a museum.

That’s the only stuff that's somewhat normal about him though. He cleared the waiting room free for dust by just clapping his hands! The desk and the tables are shining! How did he do that?

Then he started to produce enough refreshments to cover the tables from his pocket.

I can’t remember that humans had four-dimensional pockets in their robes. I don’t remember much from the beginning, but still.

“Well, time for self-introductions”, said the old man just he placed himself on one of the couches.

“H-hello. I d-don’t remember my name, but it’s a p-pleasure” - ???

I sat down on the couch so that I faced the old man while trying to introduce myself.

“Relax, I will not eat you. But you cannot remember your name?” – Old Man

“Y-yeah. I think I lost my memories right before I, eh.” - ???

“Before you died and came here, you mean.” – Old Man

I did die then.

“Yes, just as you say” - ???

“I am afraid that I cannot help you with your memories. Since your old body is gone, then the forgotten memories that would remain with it be gone too.” – Old man.

Aw, damn. So my memories are gone for good.

“Anyway, my name is Skvalv, the Lesser God of arts, living in the world Terra Sol.” – Skvalv

A god of art, huh. That fits him though, with those wrinkles and that beard, not to mention his clothes.

“But how did you end up in my office?” – Skvalv

Well…

---

One explanation later:

“Ghahahahaha! After all those lucky shots in escaping the guards, the ‘Race-customize’ program I had left open made you forget about reincarnating yourself? And you managed to stay hidden here in several Earth-weeks while reporting the finished work to the upper gods? That is hilarious! Ghahahaha!” – Skvalv

Gngngng. He doesn’t need to laugh that much.

And he said that there had been several weeks since the mafia fight back with the DPs. Crap, I didn’t notice.

“Yeah, yeah, I get it. I’m the comedy of the century. Can we move on? There’s something I want to ask as well.

“Why sure. Ask way son” – Skvalv

“First of all, what’s a Lesser God? Then what about that Terra Sol place?” - ???

“Oh yeah. You are from a different world, was it? All the ones that come to this part of the Crossroad to Limbo are from worlds that don’t have a direct connection with your gods” – Skvalv

This place is the Crossroad to Limbo huh. The name I made is still better *Hmph*.

“In that case, I will explain it all from the beginning. You do not have anything to do anyway from the looks of it. Gahahaha” – Skvalv.

Is this guy, eh, god, messing with me? He’s messing with me, right? 

“First up is about Terra Sol then.

"Terra Sol is the name of a world that contained and created a ridiculously huge amount of a type of energy named aether. Aether is the source of supernatural powers in the mortal worlds, like magic. The problem is that Terra Sol’s aether level is so huge that it could cause the world to self-destruct if left untouched.” – Skvalv

Okay, that doesn't sound so fun.

“Couldn’t you do something like donating the overflowing aether with the other worlds in small enough amounts then?” I asked since I was from a world with limited resources myself.

“No, each world has its own type of aether. It is like fingerprints for you humanoids. If you try to force one world's Ether to a different world, even if it wouldn’t lead to an overload, it would create aether poisoning to that world.” – Skvalv

“Aether poisoning? Like food poisoning?” - ???

“Exactly! The term came from there. Aether from a different world would disrupt the world’s functions, thereby creating natural disasters, or in the worst case, outright destroy that world.” – Skvalv

Isn’t this aether-stuff somewhat way too dangerous?

“What do you do about the extra aether-stuff that Terra Sol-place has then?” - ???

“Due to the scale of the problem, it was decided that the Ultimate Gods should take control over that world” – Skvalv

“Wait, Ultimate Gods? What’s that?” - ???

“Oh, I guess I should explain that first.

"The realm of gods is divided in several hierarchies, where each god rules alone over a concept or shares the rule over a concept with other gods, either of the same ranking or less. 

"Lesser Gods like me is at the bottom of the hierarchy. Then comes the regular Gods. They are just as important as the gods you know about.

"Above them again is the Supreme Gods. They are what you would call chief gods, ruling over the Gods and Lesser Gods. There is usually one Supreme God for each religion or mythology." - Skvalv

"Mhm, mhm. I get it. Then, the ultimate ones?" - ???

"The Ultimate Gods are something like a joker. They didn’t start as gods but as concepts of elements. There were 12 such concepts, and after a long enough time, they developed a sense of self and gained the title of gods.

"The Ultimate God has equal strength as the Supreme Gods, but have no mythology nor religion that supports them, nor do they need them." - Skvalv

“So, since the Ultimate Gods had a lot of free time and they also have the necessary powers order to solve the aether-problems to that world, one of them was chosen to become the leading god of Terra Sol, right? Does that make you that Ultimate Gods’ subordinates then?” - ???

“Guilty as charged! However, it is not one of them, but them all. All twelve Ultimate Gods are governing Terra Sol as a group instead of as several individuals, sharing their options and working together to keep the world safe from itself.” – Skvalv

Oh, a democratic rule between gods. Not bad.

“Then, did the Ultimate Gods have a solution to the aether problem?” - ???

“Yes, they did. It was an easy solution. They created a World System to Terra Sol.” – Skvalv

“World System?” - ???

“Yes, a system that controls and enhances a world. It is used in worlds that have a greater than average aether level. It records information about the world and allows the mortals of that world to access it. It is also possible to gain certain powers through that system.” – Skvalv

“Sounds kinda like the games I used to play.” - ???

“That is where they got the inspiration from.” – Skvalv

“But why creating such a system on other worlds? Did they also have too much aether?” - ???

“No, the other worlds just had enough aether to activate the system, not enough to make it self-destruct. The reason for using the system is to support the growth of those worlds. It is more fun to train when you can see the results, do you not think so?” – Skvalv

That’s a good point. If I could see my stamina increase in clear numbers, then I wouldn’t mind doing some jogging. Things are more fun when doing them as a game after all.

“However, the Terra Sol system is a step above the regular systems. With it, you can gain certain abilities known as skills, classes that will strengthen your growth, and even evolution to new races is possible.” – Skvalv

“That does sound cool, I admit that. But is just using a system enough?” - ???

“It is more than enough since even the cheapest World System is using a ridiculous amount of the world’s aether. And the one used on Terra Sol is the biggest system yet.” – Skvalv

“So the Ultimate Gods are using the World System to regulate Terra Sol’s aether level then?” - ???

“Correct.” – Skvalv

“But, couldn’t any god use such a system? Why drag something like the Ultimate Gods into the mess?” - ???

“’ Something like’, you got guts there son. But to answer your question, it’s a problem of quantity” – Skvalv

“Quantity?” - ???

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“To make an example; let us say that your old world’s aether level is the size of this nut” – Skvalv

He then picked up something that looked like a peanut from the refreshments on the table to demonstrate.

“A world where it is possible to use magic should have an aether level around the size of this table. A world that you can use a World System on has a level on the size of a truck.” – Skvalv

From a nut to a table to a truck!? Are you kidding me!? What’s up with that power creep?

“In comparison, the aether level to Terra Sol is about the size of the Earth in your old world” – Skvalv.

Huh? The Earth? Like the planet Earth? EEEHHHH!?

“STOP, STOP, STOP! The Earth, I mean, that’s to ridiculous amount to be true, old man!” - ???

“Yup, it’s ridiculous. That is the reason why there was no other choice than to let all the Ultimate Gods govern over it." - Skvalv

Oh crap. I seriously underestimated that world.

"Even so, they just need two of them to manage the system; the Ultimate Goddess of Order and the Ultimate God of Chaos.” – Skvalv

“Just 2 out of 12 are taking care of the system? Isn’t that a little irresponsible?” - ???

“No, in fact, while Order and Chaos are among the weaker Ultimate Gods, they are the best for the job, in terms of ability.” – Skvalv

Why’s that, I asked. Wouldn’t it be better to have all of the gods work on the project?  

“The god of Chaos is taking care of the different skills and other abilities that the mortals of Terra Sol can obtain through the system and making sure that the aether level is kept in place. The goddess of Order is correcting the work of the god of Chaos so that it will not interfere with the other parts of the system.” – Skvalv

Then, Chaos is making the content to the system, while Order is keeping everything in, well, order. I guess they would be okay by themselves with that setup.

“Then what do the other Ultimate Gods do then? And what’s your part of this?” - ???

“Both questions have the same answer: the 10 remaining Ultimate Gods and us subordinate gods are encouraging the mortals of Terra Sol to actively use the system to gain strength and abilities.” – Skvalv

“Huh? Why’s that? Didn’t the system on its own do the trick with the aether?” - ???

“No, the aether problem was fixed with the system alone. The reason for making the mortals use the system is simple; we want some entertainment.” – Skvalv

What’s this old god saying?

“Did you go senile, old man?” - ???

“S-s-s-s-senile!? Why, are you not getting a little too cocky now!? No seriously, do not bring up that s-word again, please! I have a trauma related to it. *Sniff*” – Skvalv

Guess even gods can have traumas. Nevertheless, a crying old geezer isn’t something anyone would want to see, so cheer up already.

“Okay, okay. I won’t say it again. But what do you mean by ‘entertainment’ then?” - ???

“*sniff* just like I said it. Terra Sol has the greatest amount of aether. It is so great that it will not be disturbed by the presence of the gods.” – Skvalv

“It won’t be disturbed by the presence of the gods?” - ???

“Yes. Gods are, as you can probably imagine, beings of great power.” – Skvalv

“Keep the self-praising low please.” - ???

“I do not praise myself! It is facts!” – Skvalv

“Well, I can guess the rest anyways. Since gods are so awesome, they influence events in their favor or so that the events match the gods in one way or another?” - ???

“Correct. This makes anything the gods do predictable. There is no probability of chance in what we do. If we want a coin to come heads-up, it will come heads-up. Dices will end up with the number you want all the time. Anime’s you watch will end up as you want it to. Anything. There are no surprises left to enjoy. No unexpected outcomes.” - Skvalv

That does sound somewhat boring, indeed.

“But can’t you just challenge some other gods to games if you’re that bored? Surely you won’t be affected by another god when challenging them?” - ???

“No, that will not work. If one god loses to another, even as a game, then the concepts that those gods govern will change. If a god of water would lose to a god of fire, then any fire in that world would be impossible to extinguish with water. Just how big the change would depend on rankings to the gods that participated, but even the smallest change could disrupt the laws of nature.” – Skvalv

Okay, that would be bad. Then the only options left, is to…

"Allow mortals to gain power while being undisturbed by your presence." - ???

“Correct again. Battle tournaments, pieces of arts, developing countries, adventures into the unknown. Anything that is happening on Terra Sol is a source of entertainment for us. Even when we take direct actions on that world, the mortals will always find a way to surprise us. By the way, did you see the paintings in my office?” – Skvalv

“Sure I did. What about… oh, it’s that, right?” -???

“It is exactly that. They are the works of artists from Terra Sol. They were given to me as offerings from my believers. One time, I tried to inspire a follower of mine, just to end up with a completely different work than I had expected.

 “But that is the goal of Terra Sol. To make one's dreams, good or bad, come true. That is why the Ultimate Gods have made this World System several times greater than the regular Systems.

“Even the name ‘Terra Sol’ came from an explorer that felt that the world was shining like the sun in possibilities. There are even some gods that choose to descend there to personally experience the world on their own.” - Skvalv

“Okay, it’s amazing and all, I get it. In the end though, why are you here at this Crossroad place instead of on Terra Sol or the divine realm there or something?” – ???

“Haaahhhh. There is that, yeah.” – Skvalv.

 “What happened?” - ???

“As I said before, Terra Sol’s System allows evolutions. You can evolve to a race that has never existed before or even a completely unique species. Due to that, the Ultimate Gods wishes for new evolution paths to be added to the system. And the one that they pushed all the design work is, you guessed it, me.

“I had to leave Terra Sol because you cannot upgrade the world system on a world, so I was forced to come here to the Crossroads that is inside the rifts between the worlds.*Sniff*” – Skvalv

That explains why he’s here now. That was good for me though, since I could escape the afterlife for a little while. Then, why is it…

“Why is that such a bad thing? I mean, you’re a god of arts, Lesser or not. Some templates of new races shouldn’t be that difficult.” - ???

“Usually that is true, but we Lesser Gods and regular Gods have a lifespan. Ridiculously large ones compared to you mortals, but we still have them. And to top it up, a god of arts’ talents as an artist is connected to his power. If that god's power weakens…” – Skvalv

“Then his talent weakens as well, making it more difficult to create something new?” - ???

“Yes, exactly as you said.” - Skvalv

So that's the problem. Skvalv doesn’t look all that young, even if he's called god. He must have been pretty dried up by the time he got the assignment. Even so;

“That’s still not an excuse to delay your work to now. I saw that your office hasn’t been touched in more than a few years.” - ???

“Wait, wait, wait, wait! It is not because I wanted to that I delayed it for so long. One of the other gods tried to experiment with Terra Sol’s power on their world, resulting in a huge mess to clean up. All the gods with free time had to pitch in and help, even those with less urgent works, like me.

“Cleaning up that mess made me lose even more of my powers, even if I have enough to live out the rest of my life. But I did not have that much from the beginning.” – Skvalv

“So your powers, which equals your talent in arts, was in the red from the beginning, and after that accident, it went even further down?” - ???

“Yesh, just ash you say.*Sob*” – Skvada

You’re at a good age, old man, so don’t start sobbing like that. Well, can’t blame him after all the stuff he has been through. Anyone would cry about that.

“Blow your nose and answer me this; what would happen if you couldn’t finish the job?” - ???

 “My pension would be put on wait until I would be finished all the requests. I could not get the offerings from my believers either.” – Skvalv

OKAY, GIVE ME BACK MY SYMPATHY RIGHT NOW, YOU SPOILED OLD GEEZER!!

Here I thought there was something important like the fate of all his believers or something, but the punchline is that he won’t get his pension!? There exist a limit for messing around you know!

“But, thanks to you, I am free to spend my last centuries back home at Terra Sol. Just ask me anything, sonny. If it is in my power I will try to fulfill that wish.” – Skvalv

“Hah? Just for making some character designs?” - ???

“Some of them? Did you not take the count as you went through them? There were at least 400 different requests in that stack! In fact, how did you do that? The gods that received the templates all complimented me on the quality and difference between each of them.” – Skvalv

Wait, did he just said over 400? Seriously!? I thought I used just some hours. Being a ghost must have messed up my sense of time.

“Even if it was nothing for you, it still resulted in that I can enjoy my pension in peace now. So, what do you wish for?” – Skvalv

“I could ask for anything was it?” - ???

“As long as it is in my power to do so. Just do not ask for something too crazy” – Skvalv

Well, why should I reject a gift from a god?

“Please reincarnate me to that Terra Sol place." - ???

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