Hars who’s been busy reporting the result of the experiment immediately fell dumbfounded. “Pardon? Have you overworked yourself too much? I think it’s time for you to take a rest.”

  “I am not tired! I’ve just been thinking about what kind of status can make our research for eternal life unhindered no matter what kind of chaos happens in the Sacred Kingdom.”

  Hars nodded. “Then, how come you suddenly want to be a god?”

  “After mulling over it, I concluded that the person with the highest status in this world is the creator. Especially since Tsukiko has somehow succeeded at spreading the belief in the creator god.”

  Lacius continued, “Of course, I am not thinking of calling myself the creator god. But, I am thinking of turning myself into the creator’s subordinate god. That status should be high enough and can directly extinguish the thought of fighting against me from everyone’s mind.”

  Hars asked, “Then, how are you going to make the people think of you as a god?”

  “First, I’ll spread the story of how, under the order of the creator, I have descended from the sky to lead mankind into prosperity after defeating the tyrant. Then, we’ll use miracles that can’t be expined by mortals to make them accept me as a god.”

  Lacius grinned while pointing at some finished potions stored in the boratory, “Furthermore we already have a suitable miracle ready for use.”

  “As long as I pyed it right, these potions are enough for me to make most people believe I am a god!"

  Then Lacius rubbed his chin. "Also, to differentiate me from the god of creation, let's call me the god of alchemy, a subordinate god of the creator that has been ordered to spread the knowledge of alchemy.”

  Hars asked. “Are you really going to spread the knowledge about alchemy to the people?”

  Lacius nodded, “Of course. This is actually one of the most important steps. Just like how the creator is said to be the one granting everyone blessings and allowing humans to control the force of nature. I’ll be the god of alchemy that introduces a power that comes from studying nature so even normal humans can control a power simir to blessed.”

  “But, we’ll only introduce the formu for simple alchemical potions like basic healing potions. With the buffer time due to the ck of alchemy materials that can be used for training, I believe we can constantly be several steps ahead of every alchemist in the world.”

  Hars nodded and fell into thought. After a minute, he said, “If you truly want to be the god of alchemy that introduced a power from studying nature, I suggest we better not limit alchemy to potions.”

  “For example, just like what Yuma has once mentioned while talking about alchemy. We can also include the study of changing the properties of items into alchemy. After all, the grander your achievement is, the more awe those people should have.”

  Lacius asked, “You mean like how the genius from Red Leaf City crafted gsses, mirrors, and wine from different materials?”

  Hars nodded, “indeed.”

  Lacius rubbed his chin, “But many people already knew those items like papers, pens, gsses, and others were invented by Yuma, Tsukiko, or Kame from Red Leaf City.”

  “Just say you’re the one who has granted the inspiration to craft those items to them. Thanks to Miss Tsukiko’s hard work, everyone knew that the creator god had often sent oracles to humans. So, as the god of alchemy, you should also be able to do the same thing.”

  Lacius is pretty convinced. But he still asked an important question. “Then, what if someone questioned why am I not the one to introduce it if I am the god of alchemy? Why must I send an oracle to another person?”

  Hars smiled mysteriously. “That’s when we’ll borrow the word from the sacred scripture that Miss Tsukiko has created, and reply to it with - the gods always work in mysterious ways - and shut everyone.”

  “After all, you’re the one that spreads the most important knowledge about basic healing potions that will allow normal people to utilize power equal to a blessed.”

  Lacius thought about it and felt some of Hars’s pn could be used. So, he nodded to show his agreement.

  Then, the two of them continued to discuss the pn to make everyone believe Lacius is a god.

  ***

  Meanwhile, in the Divine Space.

  While Lacius and Hars discuss their pn, all Cedric can do is scratch his head while appuding at just how awesome both of their brains are wired. The way they think is unlike normal creatures at all.

  When people seek higher status, normally they’ll try to get an achievement or something simir. But this guy immediately decided he wants to be a frickin god!

  Cedric continued to retort Lacius’s ridiculous idea in his mind before pausing and asked the System. “Hey, this won’t cause any problem right?”

  “I’ve read some fantasy novels where the main character is a god of something and can strengthen their power by gathering believers. Lacius won’t suddenly turn into a god from gathering beliefs right?

  [...]

  Seeing the System only responded with ellipses, Cedric’s body tensed slightly. “Why the ellipses? Will what Lacius do cause me trouble?”

  [No. It shouldn’t cause any trouble. The current amount of people in your world isn’t enough yet.]

  Cedric rexed his tense muscles upon seeing the System’s first sentence. But the second sentence made Cedric confused.

  “Why do you suddenly mention there aren’t enough people in my world?”

  [The System can’t give further details as you haven’t met the condition to receive basic information regarding the general energy.]

  Cedric looked at the System’s replies and became speechless.

  Although the System said it won’t give any further details. But, what it says is already enough for him to conclude something. “Does the nonsense I previously spew is actually true, or at least contain some truth?”

  [The System can’t give further details as you haven’t met the condition to receive basic information regarding the general energy.]

  Cedric continued to ask, ‘Is it possible for someone to turn into a god from gathering believers?”

  [The System can’t give further details as you haven’t met the condition to receive basic information regarding the general energy.]

  Unwilling to lose against the System, Cedric keeps asking, “Are beliefs a general energy?”

  [The System can’t give further details as you haven’t met the condition to receive basic information regarding the general energy.]

  After that, Cedric continued asking several more questions. But no matter what question he asked, the System seemed to break down and always replied with the same answer.

  At st, Cedric decided to give up testing the System.

  Although it always replied to his questions with the same answers. At least Cedric already knew that Lacius’s pn to become a god wouldn’t cause any trouble to his world.

  The System’s seemingly intentional blunder has also allowed him to find a clue regarding another general energy after virtuous energy.

  Although he still hasn’t understood how to fully utilize virtuous energy. But as people said, the more the merrier. The more general energy he has under his belt, the better it is.

  Anyway, the gains from conversing with the System have already satisfied him. So, Cedric once again focused his attention on Lacius and sent his mental power to observe the situation in Winter City’s pace.

  In the Crystal Cube world, Lacius has long since finished discussing his pn together with Hars and began to take action.

  Using his status as the king of the Sacred Kingdom, Lacius ordered the creator god’s temple in many cities to be repaired and sent some manpower to take over those temples.

  Once he had finished the preparation, Lacius pced Hars as the high priest of the temple and helped him solidify his status as the high priest.

  Although there is opposition from most priests, the current temple isn’t the same as the one during Tsukiko’s time where their power is equal to two or three cities combined.

  When he saw some priests’ resistance, Lacius took a heavy handed measure and expelled or assassinated them while slowly filling the temple with his trusted subordinates.

  He also added the children with earth or water element blessings that he had gathered previously to be a member of the temple knight.

  As the knight under the temple’s control, those children will be required to kill some demons that threaten human civilization.

  Although the training method he shared can indeed increase their level and even help them break through the limit of their own potential. Lacius knew that increasing one’s own power through killing demons is much faster in the early stage.

  Under the lead of several strong blessed, those children are sent to hunt for demons while spreading the temple’s name.

  After doing all that, many people have taken notice of Lacius’s action. But, most of them decided to only silently watch the situation.

  The warning Cedric gave to those high ranking humans still caused everyone to rethink every step they took, just in case they accidentally caused an irreparable problem and attracted Cedric’s punishment.

  The ck of intervention from others is also exactly what Lacius needed.

  With the temple completely under his control, Lacius began to allow it to encroach into the kingdom’s decision making.

  Whether it’s the Winter City or other cities, traces of the temple’s influence are slowly but surely growing.

  While the temple’s influence keeps on growing, Lacius and Hars spend their time researching a healing potion that’s cheap enough to make and merely requires basic technique.

  This potion will be one of his main weapons to stabilize his status as a god in the hearts of civilians.

  Previously, Tsukiko has gathered close to half of the healers in the Sacred Kingdom and several doctors to open many clinics to heal the people. Which should be one of the reasons the temple she leads can reach such a high level of influence.

  Using those cheap potions, Lacius basically wanted to repeat Tsukiko’s technique. But this time he’ll be depending on the miracle-like healing potions instead of healers and doctors.

  ***

  Amidst his research, three years unknowingly passed.

  At this time, the influence of the temple in the Sacred Kingdom had reached an extremely high level.

  At the same time, the four substitute city lords felt something was wrong and quickly gathered their courage to pressure Lacius into returning the city lord for the st time. But, all they received was a cold shoulder from Lacius as he answered with a seemingly logical excuse.

  Lacius’s response caused the substitute city lords to be dissatisfied. Most of them even suspected the city lord had long been killed by Lacius.

  This made the four city lords band together and gather their own army once more.

  But this time, they won’t forcefully conscript nor gather food from the civilians in fear of punishment from the creator.

  Amidst that turbulence, Lacius and Hars have finally completed the formu for the cheapest healing potions they can make.

  The ingredients required to craft the potions mostly consisted of normal pnts, with a bit of low leveled magical beast’s blood and a low leveled magic pnt as the main ingredients.

  Although the effect of those healing potions is even weaker than the weakest healer. But, the sheer amount of potions that can be produced in a day is enough to make Lacius ignore that weakness.

  Now, as long as he can monopolize the main ingredient of that potion, the cheap healing potion will be the miracle granted by the god of alchemy that he just made up for the temple.