Madman’s Retirement

Grant decided to come out and meet them in the end, rather than leading them into his domain.

His new student ended up following him outside back into the real world, as he wasn't quite that comfortable there. Despite spending a great deal of time there, he spent most of it inside of the house, rather than outside.

The boy followed him outside, choosing not to stay within the house.

The boy may have spent a lot of time within Grant's divine realm, but much of that time was spent with Grant, or with the golem and inside the house, away from the divine realm.

Otherwise he wouldn't dare to step out, with much of what he saw being absolutely terrifying for the normal person.

As they left the divine realm and entered the york outpost again, Grant's eyes immediately landed on the two people they had come to talk to.

An elderly elven woman and her younger companion. Though they seemed like two average citizens, eyeing the sheath that held a sword glittering with divine power quickly gave them away to those who could properly inspect it, a glowing beacon that they were more than they appeared.

Hiding from general intelligence, but scaring away anyone who would be truly dangerous by using the protection of Isis.

Grant sat down before the two, with the young ogre following suit, sitting on newly produced earthen chairs.

" I am surprised that the head of the church of Isis has come all this way to express their thanks." Grant noted as he sat down.

The old elf merely smiled as she responded. "It is important that one thanks their benefactor personally, to express our gratitude." and upon seeing the child, showed a kind smile, pulling out a piece of candy to offer to the child.

Unfortunately he refused, choosing to hide behind Grant warily, in spite of her gentle aura.

The guard looked a little sad as he looked at the poor child, wondering what he'd gone through to distrust them so.

"He's from a monster society. You know how their cultures tend to distrust our own." Grant said bluntly, as the two nodded in understanding.

Its true, monsters and races, a great divide between two groups of being. As the races see monsters as savage beasts of all shapes and sizes who would consume human flesh if given opportunity, the monsters saw the races as conniving manipulative beings who domesticate their own, and would gladly dismember them to use and display.

Those who are not of the same race will have different hearts. Even as monsters lived amongst the people of the empire, they still faced persecution.

But that was a topic for another time.

"Surely there are other matters you've come to discuss, after traveling this far?" grant said humorously, as both parties knew there was more to discuss.

Trenee nodded. "Indeed, there are other matters that we have come to discuss with you currently." She said seriously, and Grant nodded.

"In that case, tell her to come down."

Grant said it casually, but the guard to the side reacted immediately, about to pull out his sword in anger, before the elderly Trenee stopped her.

"Great Mother!?" He asked uncertainly, as she gently shook her head.

"Oh? Am I unqualified to meet her?" Grant asked jovially. "Then let me dress up."

And then his aura soared.

Golden core, early level

middle golden core

late golden core

peak golden core

Nascent soul

early Nascent soul

middle Nascent soul

late nascent soul

peak nascent soul

spirit transformation

early spirit transformation

middle spirit transformation

late spirit transformation

The look on their face was priceless.

Of course the current cultivation in theory shouldn't allow him to soar beyond golden core, but that was the wonderful thing about creation.

It has no limits.

Grant smiled as he tormented the two of them with the presence. He was not a malicious person, but teasing others was always a little bit fun. Besides, he was sure they'd be fine.

Their Goddess has been watching after them after all.

A creation-type cultivator. I hear that your kind is rare amongst them. Came the ethereal voice, as a woman appeared besides her children, relieving them of their fear, as the aura could no longer affect them.

There was a sense of strength around her, of the matriarch. For Isis was the mother of the gods and though her strength was not of the highest, her presence was one to be praised.

She was different from her classical depictions, dressed in a simple white dress, more akin to the garments of the greeks than the dressings of egyptian culture.

Though she still had he classic wings and skin tone, her hair had whitened, showing age and maturity. She radiated of life. A sundial was pinned to her dress, and a lion cub draped over her shoulder, resting blissfully.

Grant had read the files, and how the current Isis was one that was influenced by greek and roman culture, but more importantly, had merged with the titan Rhea to create the current Isis, much like the current Jorvus Mars was a melding of the sons Jovus and and Horus. though her position as the goddess of magic had disappeared, she gained a firm grip on the authority of maternity and despite Jorvus being king of the gods, Isis held some real sway as the matriarch, much like a dowager empress still holds power over her own son.

Isis had been watching from the start, invisible to those around them and likely the young man, with the only ones aware likely Grant and the old elf Trenee.

The elf in question looked at her God with reverence, yes, but also familiarity, as if meeting an old senior, someone worthy of admiration in contrast to the young man who showed a look of reverence and awe.

"No rarer than a god of faith at approximately high spirit transformation staring at you for a while is I'd say." Grant said smiling, showing the goddess a knowing look.

You've known for a while, haven't you? Though her face did not change much, there was a hint of amusement in her voice as she recognized that he had see through her attempt.

"Of course." Grant chuckled, as he casually shielded the child. "As if you wouldn't want to come down and discuss this in person. As the former goddess of magic, you should be well aware of the implications of the system."

Isis nodded seriously as she responded. I had to ask Hecate and the ravensage odin to keep quiet lest they scare the other gods. As it is, my son is investigating its players for he is distrustful.

I must admit, I share some of his concerns. She added as she stared Grant down.

Grant raised an eyebrow. "Oh?"

This system of yours, it is not fully under my control. Though it complies with my demands, I can tell that it is compliance, and that I cannot enforce my will in any disconcernable way.

Grant snorted. "I sure hope not. We made the system to be untouched by any external force, save those who were there upon its birth. "

And you're unwilling to convince it otherwise?

"Convince it? You assume that I was there for its birth. I was not. The system obeys me due to its fondness for our relationship. Do not misunderstand. I cannot control it. The system does everything it does in the name of its intended purpose." Grant did not control it, merely working as equals under the same cause, and in a situation where the system owed Grant many favors.

And that is? The goddess probed, only for Grant to give her a mysterious smile.

"You know, I've been curious for a while. How did you get the system anyway? There should be no intersection between your universe and mine." Grant asked as he redirected the conversation, genuinely unsure how the two were connected.

"Initiative? It was your leaders who approached me first. The goddess responded, confused by his lack of knowledge on this, and indeed, Grant's eyebrows furrowed as he wondered why Flamel hadn't mentioned this beforehand.

He had assumed that as a former goddess of magic, Isis had found the leyline and managed to communicate with other universes, found his, and sought a deal with the most powerful of that universe, resulting in the system arriving here. Or perhaps the old gods of this world collaborated with Isis and guided her to the concentration.

But this didn't seem to be the case.

"Who was it that approached you?" Grant asked, and Isis hummed, as she recalled the person she encountered.

A man, a bit of a barbaric one, but he was strong, wielding a huge sword beyond any which I have ever seen in hand. He felt like the center of a storm, unyielding and overbearing. No one in the pantheon could stop him. They didn't even notice him. The goddess recalled somewhat bitterly, and though the description was basic, it was a very familiar recollection, one that made him think of a dear friend who had disappeared decades ago.

"And when was this?" Grant asked somewhat gingerly, unsure if he wanted to hear the response, and her answer merely made his suspicion grow.

130 years ago.

130 years ago. Just before Grant left earth for the smaller realms on the orders of his master, and when he disappeared all those years ago.

Zhong Shou.

It seems his master had been planning this for a long time.

You know him? Isis asked and Grant nodded.

"I knew he wasn't dead, but he's been gone for a while. To think he had been here." Grant thought mischievously, now realizing that he knew his friend was here, but this was not true vice versa.

He'd have to prank him one of these days.

A sense of relief filled Grant, a stone he had not realized had settled in his heart, as a long missing friend finally reappeared.

"You wanted to know why the system was made?" Grant asked the goddess with a mysterious smile.

I asked for it to give my children second chances. But that was not why it was made. I asked for it to help my children. So I must know the end point of it, to know how it'd affect my children.

"It was for the future." Grant said, having no interest in hiding the truth, believing it important to reveal the truth. An extremely important truth, known only to the highest beings on the planet. One that if it got out, would cause the world to go insane.

"The system was made to raise the overall level of the planet, to help earthlings to become stronger"

Isis frowned. To what end? I would say that the planet is already strong enough, and that the conflicts of all children on earth intense enough. More power seems dangerous. Isis as the matriarch had long observed the Earth, and had long seen the chaos that became of their empire precisely because of the power that individuals held.

Why would they simply want to increase that, to amp up the chaos?

Grant nodded. "Indeed, the wars amongst men and beasts, and men amongst men is intense enough, but it is not these conflicts that we feared. As long as we had the bigger fist, these issues were manageable. There is something greater, something far more terrible that we must be prepared for, something that looms overhead like the blade of damocles, one that threatens all living beings on this planet, one that not even our fists can beat."

Hearing this, Isis' expression turned grim as she saw the seriousness in Grant's face, as he even took off his mask to express this point.

If this threat is so great that you have felt the need to accelerate the growth of all life on this planet, it must be something truly worrying.

What could be so dangerous that a spirit transformation cultivator would find threatening.

He grimly pointed up, up to the heavens, to the stars, to the enemies unseen.

"For the outside.

It was to protect us from what is beyond.

To protect us... from space."

The final threat to all things that lived on Earth was an external threat, one unseen, and yet one that could destroy all civilization, and set all life back by centuries.