For Sylvester, a year passed, living on the planet in that void. He tried his best to destroy the huge rock in space, but it wasn't that easy. The more he tried to manipulate the magnetic fields, the more nature tried to fight him to return to its natural state.
Tired, sore, and mentally exhausted, he had enough of it. At best, he could bring about some earthquakes and kill the natives by increasing gravity on their bodies so much they'd splatter flat on the ground. Mass, apocalyptic-scale destruction was still hard to do.
"Chonky, let's go back," Sylvester tiredly sat up on his hammock by the sea. "You must be bored."
Miraj yawned and woke up from the sandcastle he had made with his paws, "I've been bored for so long, Maxy—I wanna go home and snuggle in Big Mum's arms."
'I should avoid bringing him next time,' Sylvester decided, picking up the fluff before communicating with the Elder God. With a plan of returning soon to continue his training, he quickly exited the realm. He never talked about the evolution process with the Elder God again, as he still searched for a way to discover what Nehilius truly wanted.
"We're late," he muttered as soon as he exited the door and glanced around at the interior of the basement. He could sense the temperature change and knew what time of the day it was.
Quickly, he walked upstairs and entered his personal office to change into spare clothes before preparing himself for the activities of the day. The staff hadn't come in to work yet, so he silently got to work, checking the stacks of documents on the table.
'Let's go and meet Xylena in Blackhart,' he decided and tried to finish all his work.
Knock! Knock!
"Your Holiness," Gabriel entered, poking his head in from a gap at the door. "The five people selected for the Hive Project are here."
Sylvester got up and waved, "Bring them in."
The door fully opened, and five figures walked in. However, one of them was too excited and came jumping in to hug Sylvester. It was Prince Rex, looking as bright and cheerful as ever. And being his godfather, Sylvester reciprocated the hug.
However, the rest of the people weren't as calm. He looked at all of them; the middle-aged man, the little girl, the Elephantkin, and the woman likely from the West.
Despite not wearing any regal clothes, Sylvester simply had the aurora of someone important, and his looks, albeit young, never allowed people to take their eyes off of him so easily, making them feel nervous.
"Welcome to the Holy Land," Sylvester walked over to greet them with a welcoming smile. "I hope you've had a pleasant experience over the past few days. I'll be training you from now on in the subjects of administration, science, ethics, and a few other things until you realize your expertise. But before that, I would like to hear your introductions."
The middle-aged, black-haired man stepped forward first. He had grown a thin beard by now, and his figure looked relatively healthy. "I'm the third-ranked Noah, Your Holiness. I can read and write the languages of the West, take care of horses, and clean the stables. But I reckon I won't be doing that anymore."
'Someone with a sense of humor?' Sylvester silently judged the man based on the scents. There was a mix of excitement, worship, and hope. 'He wants something from me.'
Then, Sylvester looked at the tall Elephantkin. The massive, likely eight-foot-tall being had the head of an elephant and a humanoid body but with gray skin under the loose robes. With two small tusks and glasses on his eyes, it was quite a strange sight.
"I am the fourth-ranked Noby, Your Holiness," Noby said, his voice sounding hoarse and old. "I'm honored to work here alongside you and learn a great many things."
'Excitement, interest and curiosity? He's merely here to spend time.'
Sylvester then stepped before the brown-skinned woman, probably in her thirties but physically fit. "Ah, you must be Emara. The Lord Inquisitor informed me about you."
This time, there was some fear, hope, happiness, and a whole lot of worship, more than what the Clergymen usually had.
"T-Thank you… Thank you for everything, Your Holiness," Emara cried her tears out right away. "I-I'm second rank, Emara. I was a slave before you abolished it, and then a pained mother, abused wife… Thank you for your grace."
Sylvester patted her shoulder to calm her down, "The rough days are gone, Emara. With your wits, it is time to pave a new path forward. Were you treated well? How are your children?"
"They are well, Your Holiness. They have been accepted into the monastery school—the house we are given is also beautiful. I don't know how I can repay this kindness."
"With your service to the faith and honesty towards the realm," Sylvester said and moved on to the next person; the amusing little girl with dirty blonde hair, eyes that seemed uninterested, and a face that had no expression.
'The one who shows no emotions.' He looked at her for a while. Just a ten-year-old child, her body was initially malnourished from what he had read in the reports. And the first thing she wanted was money for her family.
"Ella, rank one," Ella replied monotonously.
Sylvester chuckled, "You are…"
"Small, hence more likely to grow the most. I should work hard and follow your guidance," Ella replied as if she was completing what Sylvester was about to say.
'Fear? She's afraid of falling out of favor? Or getting punished?' Sylvester smelled the scents and wondered. 'Is that why she's trying to predict everything?'
Pat!
He patted her head, "Haha, you are a very cute little child."
Confused, Ella looked up, thinking she had guessed the wrong thing. This was the first time she actually took a direct, good look at Sylvester, and no matter what, she found herself charmed by this big brother who happened to be the Pope.
"Cute?"
"Adopted!" Sylvester barked, looking at his Wazir. "Gabriel, finish the documentation. From now on, Ella shall be my adopted daughter."
"..."
"A-Are you sure?" Gabriel questioned.
Sylvester shrugged and looked back at Ella. The little girl had the most likely possibility of achieving immensely great things with her intelligence quotient, which showed how great her comprehension abilities were. He wanted to nurture her mind in the right environment, where there was happiness and warmth. Besides, he had another reason to take in a cute little child.
'This should keep Mum happy and occupied. She even has blonde hair like me.'
He understood how hard it was going to be to teach the five who had such great minds. He had no doubt that his own intelligence quotient was high, but it was definitely not as high as the five in the room, at best equal to Rex in the best possibility.
Ella kept staring at Sylvester in a daze as her life changed so drastically with a single order from this man.
"Gabriel, did you prepare what I ordered?" Sylvester asked further as he stepped back.
"Of course."
Clap!
At Gabriel's signal, the room's door opened, and Bright Mother Anya entered with a trolley with five boxes stacked on it. With a big smile, she handed one box to each of the five and swiftly left as she came.
Sylvester gestured with his hand, "Open it."
"Meow!"
"Mo?"
"Mew."
"Mow mow."
"Nya?"
From each box came a cat, all neatly trimmed and white in color. Cuteness was immeasurable. They were expertly trained by the one and only Miraj, the Lord of Chonkers.
"These are your little pets, friends, and emotional support. They have been trained to understand your commands, so you can bring them everywhere you wish to. By rank, these five cats are honorary Priests, so they must be treated with respect," Sylvester clarified to them.
He knew from past knowledge that highly intelligent people often suffer when it comes to making meaningful connections, making friends, falling in love, or simply the inability to deal with the stress of life. With a mind that thinks too much, it wasn't just calculations; their emotions were also enhanced.
"I love it!" Rex was happy already, hugging the white cat. Noby the elephant was delighted to let the cat sit on his giant head. Emara and Noah just smiled and acted normal. But Ella didn't react much and merely held the cat against her chest like a stuffed bear.
'Yep, she's happy.' She didn't show it, but Sylvester had other ways to observe her emotions.
Clap!
Sylvester got back their main focus, "I'm heading down south to the Blackhart Kingdom, and all five of you will be coming along. There's a place that you must see before I begin your formal training. Go back and pack your clothes."
"Understood, Your Holiness."
The five quickly left his office, letting Sylvester and Gabriel talk alone. The two took their seats and relaxed, returning to their friendly roles.
"Where are you taking them?" Gabriel asked.
Sylvester smiled and pointed at the large map behind his seat on the wall, "To the place where it all began, my friend."
"Deserte Village?"
"Correct," Sylvester muttered and stood up, getting a closer look at the new map of Sol with all the development and changes in locations marked. "I want to see the village healer Sophia, who helped bring me into this world. I have a few questions to ask her."
"Do you want me or Felix to come along?" Gabriel asked, worried for his good friend as he felt there was something extremely personal regarding the visit.
Sylvester shook his head and locked the table drawers before leaving, "You're needed here, same for Felix. I will be fine… keep an eye on the Tears of Solis and inform me if a large consignment is caught."
"I will do that, but you—"
Sylvester left before Gabriel could ask any more questions.
"What happened to Max?" the Saint Wazir couldn't help but wonder and worry. "He looks so rushed these days."
Thank you for reading. Gifts and GT votes are highly appreciated.
