Chapter 1096: "To be a gag gift, or not a gag gift, that is the question." - A worried Jake

The palace assigned to Jake was needlessly big, to the level of it being kind of silly. It had at least a few hundred rooms by Jake’s estimate and all the facilities one could ever need, from a fully equipped blacksmith to an alchemy lab. One could run an entire damn product line out of there, and Jake felt very confident he would never set foot in any but one of them outside of this house tour.

When it came to leisure, it had both an indoor and two outdoor pools and several entertainment rooms, including a massive library and what Jake could only describe as a hyper-advanced wooden puppet theater. Artemis even introduced Jake to a particular formation he could use to reach out to the Pantheon of Life and request anything he needed. Her example was if he wanted a chef to make him some food or have someone come by to make a painting or a statue of him – something apparently quite a few important guests sometimes did to commemorate their visit.

The sleeping quarters were also needlessly large. Many of the rooms were spatially expanded with great flexibility to make them even larger than Jake could see a need for, which Artemis had a good explanation for.

“While most races can reduce their physical forms, to some, it isn’t very comfortable. That’s why it was decided to be on the safer side when constructing the bedrooms,” she said.

Jake stared at the more than a hundred-meter-wide bed as he scratched the back of his head. “I guess that makes sense; it just looks a little silly.”

“Just choose a room more fitting for the human form,” Artemis shrugged. “There are five main master bedrooms often reserved for the top officials of a faction, and I would personally recommend just using one of those. Assuming you even plan on using it in the first place. Seeing as you’re the only one living here, the entire place is private, so you could meditate wherever.”

“Good point,” Jake nodded as they quickly stopped by these aforementioned master bedrooms. He just briefly looked inside before they continued on, soon enough ending up in the living room, where they sat down on a pair of sofas with a small table in between, keeping a professional distance.

“I think that’s about it,” Artemis said. “I do recognize it’s very silly for you to live here alone, but usually, a Chosen like you arrives with a huge entourage of servants and slaves.”

Jake nodded as a thought struck him. He had been wondering something ever since Artemis introduced that Divine Voidpiercer and decided to just outright ask her.

“I studied the Pantheon of Life a bit on my way here, and I can’t help but wonder... what is your faction’s official stance on slavery?” Jake asked, really hoping the answer wouldn’t be something he disliked.

“There isn’t really one,” Artemis answered, shaking her head. “The matter is too complicated to have rigid laws that can be enforced, so it’s taken on a case-by-case basis.”

“What do you mean?” Jake asked, a bit confused.

“Hm... you have a solid knowledge of the ectognamorphs, right? I assume you do, considering your creation of a True Royal,” Artemis asked rhetorically. “As eusocial creatures, there is a natural caste among them, with some innately subordinate to others. The drones of a hive are born into what many would define as slavery to their queen, and I personally have no issue with that. That’s just how their race works. The same is true for others. There are monsters that rely on controlling and enslaving others to defend themselves, as they have no combat capabilities by themself but have everything invested in mental stats. Then there are parasitic beings that cannot live without invading and influencing a host, effectively enslaving them. I do not see myself as a judge who can decide what part of nature I find acceptable, as long as it doesn’t threaten the ecosystems themselves... even if I do have an aversion to some things.”

Jake listened and could agree with some of what she said. He had a deep, innate hatred of slavery, but when it came to Vesperia, he didn’t really feel like it was the same thing. Similarly, he didn’t have any particularly negative reaction during the Tutorial when he fought the rat creatures down there, despite the rat swarms obviously not being creatures of free will.

He didn’t feel completely satisfied with her answer, though.

“What’s your personal opinion on the matter?” Jake asked. “Would you personally take on a slave?”

“I believe that depends on your definition of the word,” Artemis shook her head, with Jake beginning to feel a bit nervous with that answer. “I reckon Vitesse is the cause of this question? I personally wouldn’t classify her as a slave. There’s no contract and no forced compulsion. However, from an outside point of view, the distinction doesn’t seem to matter much. She pledged her life to me, swearing she would serve me eternally for sparing her life. I have clarified her debt is paid, but her oath still binds her. I personally view her more as a servant now, and most of the time, she’s free to do as she wants to, and it isn’t as if her life is bound to mine. One day, perhaps she will feel that her debt is paid, at which point she will leave, but I don’t know when that will be, so until then, she is effectively a slave of her own oath.”

Jake frowned a bit as he considered the matter. “That does sound complicated. Have you ever forced anyone to serve you?”

“No,” Artemis shrugged. “There was never a need. The enlightened races of the Pantheon of Life rarely have slaves of any kind; we just recognize that to some creatures and Paths, it’s natural. We also do not judge if others have them. But you asked me about my personal opinion... and It’s hard for me to really have one. I’ve been a god for a long time, and gods don’t really tend to have slaves. We never need to. Mortals have a natural instinct to serve and worship gods, meaning we can turn the majority of mortals into servants merely by commanding them to do something. With notable exceptions, of course. As for having slaves that are other gods... outside of rare cases like Vitesse, that isn’t a thing at all. You would have a hard time finding a single god willing to become a slave of someone else over death. Even Vitesse definitely wouldn’t have signed an actual slave contract... not that I have any idea how to make one that could bind a god.”

“I think I should be transparent in that I’m vehemently against the concept,” Jake said after listening to Artemis’ words and feeling a bit more reassured. “In my view, it shouldn’t be a thing across the board, and if I come across a monster that enslaves people as part of its Path, well, that just makes it really easy to know my next prey. No matter how natural it is. Regarding the True Royals and the eusocial insects, I do recognize there is some more nuance there, but drones aren’t born with full sapience. I also think it boils down to that they are born into their place in life. Usually, those who are enslaved experience a loss of freedom, which I guess is what I really detest.”

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“The instinct to be free is very natural, and so is your empathy,” Artemis nodded. “Albeit a bit flawed as directly reflecting your feelings onto others is rarely accurate, but I can appreciate the sentiment. Do let me be clear that if your concern is if I’m gonna suddenly start proposing you create an army of slaves, then you have no need to worry. I would rather recommend getting powerful and loyal allies and friends, something you have already proven you’re quite good at.”

“Good thing we’re on the same page there,” Jake nodded, relieved. “Now, I do believe I promised you a gift?”

“You did,” Artemis nodded, though she didn’t precisely look full of expectation. Not that Jake could blame her. She probably assumed this gift was from Jake himself, in which case, what could he even give her that a god could use? Well, maybe he could create something using his abilities as a Harbinger of Primeval Origins, but he seriously doubted she expected that or even knew it was an option.

“Before you see it, I need to clarify something. I don’t actually know what it is and what it does,” Jake said, trying to cover himself against whatever happened next. He knew Villy well enough to know that even presenting the item to her was a massive risk.

He would definitely not put it above the snake god to have given him a gag gift. However, he also couldn’t write off the option that it was a genuinely great gift. Something that would benefit Artemis greatly, and if there was even a one percent chance it was something good, Jake wouldn’t be an ass and deny it to her.

“What do you mean you don’t know what it is?” Artemis frowned. “Is it something you found, or?”

“No,” Jake shook his head and clarified: “It was created by the Malefic Viper specifically to be given to you.”

Artemis’ eyes opened wide when Jake said that as she stared at him. “The Malefic One created something for me?”

“Yeah,” Jake nodded, feeling a bit sad at seeing her surprised face. “But I will warn you. As I said, we have a friendly relationship, so while I’m pretty positive it won’t be anything that can harm you, I cannot guarantee it’s something that will actually benefit you.”

The hunter goddess nodded thoughtfully, and Jake really hoped Villy hadn’t just given him this gift to fuck with the two of them. With a slight sense of dread, Jake took out the bottle and placed it down on the small table between them.

“Here it is. From my understanding, only you can unlock the seals on it and see what it truly is,” Jake said, wishing internally for it to be something good. If not, he definitely had a snake god who needed a kick to the teeth the next time he went back to the Order.

With a sense of seriousness that Jake really hoped was warranted, Artemis picked up the bottle with careful hands, studying the item closely as she did so. She gave Jake a look, and he nodded for her to go ahead as Artemis unsealed the flask, allowing her to finally see what was within it.

As she did, the room fell silent. She stared at the bottle, and at that point, Jake felt pretty damn confident they’d just been hoodwinked by the Viper. That the damn snake god had given her a gag gift or perhaps just an empty bottle or something else stupid like that, just to mess with the two of them.

“Did the Malefic One really create this for me?” Artemis asked after several seconds, looking up at Jake with confusion.

“That’s at least what he told me,” Jake sighed, preparing an excuse for his immature and idiotic friend. “Look, sometimes he’s-“

“This is too much,” Artemis shook her head. “The level of debt something like this creates... oh... I believe I see why...”

Jake was beginning to get rather confused as Artemis continued speaking. “The Malefic One truly values you. I’m in no way worthy of receiving a gift of this level from him, and I believe he has only one reason for doing so... he wants to communicate he does not disapprove and that you have his full backing, no matter the case.”

“What exactly did he give you?” Jake asked, incredibly curious now because it definitely didn’t sound like a gag gift anymore.

“A Transcendent-level Elixir,” Artemis answered. “As in, the kind of item that can only be created through the use of a Transcendent skill. The type of item one cannot even ask for.”

“What does it do?” Jake continued asking.

“As you said, this truly is an item created for me,” Artemis said as she admired the small bottle. “It’s an Elixir that will help me tremendously when I try to break through to Godqueen. Each time a god advances, they have to overcome a wall of varying difficulty, and while I did have confidence in advancing on my own, this will speed up the process significantly and make my chance of success exponentially higher.”

“That actually sounds... useful,” Jake muttered, full of surprise that Villy had really come through for him this time around.

“This is the kind of item people of my level tend to go into wars for. The kind we enter system events with the hope of obtaining, nine gods dying only for one to advance. For him to have created and given something like this to someone like me... it truly can only be a statement. I have nothing of value to offer him, and it’s evident his only reason for giving it to me is because of you,” Artemis said before letting out a small sigh.

“You’ve been transparent with me so far from what I can tell, so allow me to return the same energy. I cannot in good conscience say I wasn’t looking forward to meeting you without ulterior motives. Selfish motives. Progress as a god at my level is tough, and I had hit a wall I hoped this new era’s influx of Records would help me overcome, but at most I hoped for it to be a slow process. However, ever since we met in Nevermore, my stagnation has disappeared. I have become able to progress again... and I see no other explanation than my encounter with you and all that has led to,” Artemis confessed.

She was clearly reluctant to confess that, which she really shouldn’t have been, as Jake just shrugged. “That’s good, right? You also helped me progress and even improve my archery, so at most, that just makes us even. I already confessed I had ulterior motives of getting free archery lessons.”

“I don’t think those two things are comparable,” Artemis sighed. “As a C-grade, it’s expected for you to progress easily. At most, I can help marginally speed up your progress, while to me, a single level could take countless years. At least they could before. For me, as a god, to try and take advantage of my relations to you to further my own progress is improper to say the least.”

“Let’s not act like it isn’t also pretty damn audacious of me to expect a god to give me personal training,” Jake said with a smile. “Everything in this world is a give and take. You telling me that my presence has had a positive effect on you is only good from my point of view. It’s not like you’re the only god either; the Viper seems pretty pleased with the progress I helped him with.”

“The Malefic One has seen tangible returns?” Artemis asked with a high level of skepticism before falling into deep thought. “No... that does make sense. The qualitative power in the Records born from creating a True Royal and taking the all-time spot on the Nevermore Leaderboards has to hold some value to even a god of his level, if for nothing else but the novelty and uniqueness of those achievements.”

“So, no need to feel guilty,” Jake shook his head. “As you said, for a proper bond to be forged, one needs to be equal. I view the Viper as an equal, and so do I see you as one. For me to help you only makes me happy, knowing I’m not the only one benefitting. While I don’t think it’s proper to keep score between friends or people who care about one another, it does still feel bad to only be on the receiving end.”

Artemis looked at Jake for a moment before sighing. “You know, sometimes I forget you’re even a mortal.”

“Hey, no worries, it’s only a temporary condition,” Jake smiled, saying such an arrogant line with so much confidence that Artemis didn’t even feel like she could question it. “Also... you are right that this entire place is definitely way too big for one person to live here, so wouldn’t it make my visit more comfortable if at least one more person stayed here?”

The hunter goddess looked at Jake before smiling and shaking her head. “Well, I was assigned to be your escort and to make your stay pleasant, so I guess I’ll have to sacrifice myself this once.”