The boar had climbed partway up the mountain when it stopped. Seated on its back was Compass Carburettor, breaking into a smile upon sensing a surge of energy within himself. "I knew he would figure it out."
A Deity was represented by their heroic tales. So, whatever they did was what represented them in the future.
Had Compass Carburettor slayed a boar before their eyes, that would become his legend. Though of course, killing a boar wasn't deific enough. Maybe there was a stampede of ferocious animals attacking the village and if he had been the sole individual that fought against them and even succeeded, then that tale would have been strong enough to birth him into a Deity.
That was the core function of this world. Humans could become Deities if their actions were legendary enough. But of course, the limitation of that was perfectly evident.
Suppose he became a Deity that was known to slaughter animals, then the powers he had were attuned to that. Meaning, killing was all that he would be good at. And even if he were to bless his followers, giving them the power to kill was all he could do.
For a merchant like him embodying merchant qualities, that was a no-no. If power was all it took to kill his enemies, then it wouldn't have been a problem in the first place.
Moreover, leading wars would cripple his foundation as through every battle, he would lose believers. Therefore, he picked the route that he was the best prepared in—humanity.
He lead the villagers through the train of thought he had wanted, allowing them to reach the conclusion that he was the God that represented Humanity. Of course, this wouldn't have been possible without the Village Head.
But yes, Compass Carburettor inferred the Village Head's character and intelligence through their short interaction and used it to lay down the clues which prompted the Village Head to conclude that he was the God of Humanity.
If seen from a third-person perspective, it would seem like the villagers came to that conclusion on their own, but in truth, it was Compass Carburettor that lead them on that route through his actions and wordings.
There were many ways one could have taken advantage of his position. But Compass Carburettor felt that representing the people themselves instead of some supernatural product was the best choice available to him.
And hence, he took it.
Boom!
A stream of energy surged into him as immediately, the shadow he cast became a shade darker, turning tangible. The energy vanished after a couple of seconds, following which a small stream flowed out of Compass Carburettor's head and condensed into a brain before him.
It resembled a human brain at first glance but gradually began to be covered by engravings of gold throughout the brain muscles, transforming it into a Relic of sorts.
In an instant, Compass Carburettor had gained the qualifications to become a Deity as his body vaporised and reformed once again. There wasn't any physical difference other than the fact that he no longer had the food and water requirements as a mortal.
All information regarding his nature flowed into him as Compass Carburettor gained complete understanding regarding what a Deity signified.
They were entities representing a concept each in the world. Their actions were determined by the wishes of their believers.
Basically, they were a convenient means for mortals to achieve their desires.
It was laughable when one thought about it. Despite possessing awe-inspiring power, Deities were strictly tied down to their believers, unable to leave or manipulate them. And a Deity without believers ceased to exist as one.
It would turn into a statue and remain in its original domicile until it gained a believer in the future. All that was left to fate and chance. That was a Deity's fate.
Therefore, the only way a Deity could take action was through the concept it represented. It if was a Deity of War, then it could invade other regions happily. But if it was a Deity of Peace, its actions were restricted to its domain only.
It couldn't do anything that would trigger a war. The moment it goes against the very beliefs it symbolises, the Deity would lose all powers and vanish.
That was why Compass Carburettor didn't take on any concepts regarding nature or powerful concepts like war or peace. They were all restrictive in one way or another.
Therefore, he picked the greatest variability there exists—Humanity!
In this game of chance and restriction, he took the variable that gave him the greatest room for manoeuvrability and freedom.
All Deities had three primary authorities: Symbol of Authority, Tool of Authority, and Mode of Bestowal.
A Symbol of Authority was what connected the Deity to its believers. When believers prayed in a temple, they prayed to the statue. But for the rest of the time, they relied upon something as a mental anchor.
And that was the symbol, something they used to affiliate themselves and recognise others of the same faith. Even the Secret Society had the symbol of two 'C' tangentially joined together that they worshipped towards.
All Deities in this world similarly had a symbol. But confusingly, Compass Carburettor's symbol was a human shadow. It wouldn't be easy to disseminate it like the symbols of other Deities.
The second authority was the Tool of Authority. It was what the Deity used to bestow blessings on the believers. Moreover, it also served as the Deity's weapon to exert its influence. If there exists a Deity of Flames, it would be able to bestow the blessings of fire to its believers.
Similarly, a Deity of Swords would bestow the blessing of a Sword to its believers, allowing them to manifest swords out of thin air.
Compass Carburettor's Tool of Authority was the human brain that had formed in his hands. It…wasn't a weapon one could use to fight nor did it give any supernatural powers like the other Deities that allowed their believers to fly or wield flames and the like.
For a moment, Compass Carburettor wondered if his decision was right. Indeed, he gained a lot of freedom as he had wanted, but in contrast, his power as a Deity was pitifully low. Rather, he wasn't any bit stronger than before.
"No, there's a way." He thought as he stared at the brain in his hand, letting out a laugh.
