Dawn broke over the Ruined Shrine of the Nameless.
Elara hadn't moved. She sat in the corner, knees pulled to her chest, staring at the shattered remains of the altar and the dead wolves in the crypt below.
Zephyr floated above her, analyzing his returns.
[Faith Points: 105 / 200]
[Believer Count: 1 (Elara)]
[Faith Quality: Fanatic (Temporary)]
"Fanatic," Zephyr mused. "But 'Temporary'. That's the problem with desperation-based contracts. Once the adrenaline fades, the brain starts rationalizing. 'Maybe it wasn't a god. Maybe the rock just fell.'"
He needed to cement this.
Elara shivered. The adrenaline was crashing. She looked up, her eyes searching the empty air.
"Lord Architect?" she whispered. "Are you... still there?"
Zephyr checked his FP. 105.
He could afford a visual now.
"I am here."
He triggered **[Minor Illusion]**. This time, instead of just eyes, he projected a faint, golden outline of a hooded figure sitting on the floating dust motes. It was transparent, ghostly, but distinct enough to be seen.
Elara bowed her head immediately. "Lord, I... I have nothing to offer you. I am an exile from the village of Oakhaven. I have no gold, no mana..."
"I told you, Elara. I require Efficiency."
He floated down (or rather, lowered the projection).
"*Analyse your status," he commanded. "You are injured. Your left leg has a hairline fracture. You are dehydrated. Your caloric intake is critical."
Elara blinked, touching her swollen ankle. "I... yes. I can't walk well."
"If you cannot walk, you cannot serve. And if you cannot serve, you are a wasted asset."
Zephyr opened the System Shop.
[Lesser Health Potion: 50 FP]
[Bread (create food): 10 FP]
"Expensive," Zephyr grumbled internally. "But this is capex—Capital Expenditure."
He focused on the empty air in front of Elara.
"Receive my Investment."
He purchased the [Lesser Health Potion].
A small glass vial, glowing with red liquid, materialized in the air and dropped into Elara's lap.
She gasped. "Item Creation... High Magic?"
"Drink."
She unstoppered it with trembling hands and downed it in one gulp.
The effect was instant. The bruising on her face faded. The swelling in her ankle receded. Color returned to her cheeks.
Zephyr watched the numbers.
Health: 100%
Faith Quality: Fanatic (Stabilized)
"It's... a miracle," she breathed.
"It is chemistry," Zephyr corrected. "Now, the second investment."
He purchased [Bread].
A loaf of coarse rye bread appeared.
"Eat. Then, we work."
Elara tore into the bread like a starving animal. Zephyr waited patiently. The 'Benevolent God' routine was working. But benevolence didn't build empires. Expansion did.
"Elara," he said when she finished. "Why were you exiled?"
She hesitated. "I... I refused to marry the son of the Elder. He... he wanted my father's land. When I said no, they accused me of being cursed. They said I brought the blight to the crops."
"A political play," Zephyr noted. "Crude. Predictable."
"They threw me out. The wolves were... an accident."
"No," Zephyr said. "The wolves were a variable. But the Elder is the Root Cause."
He floated closer.
"You want justice?"
Elara's hands clenched. "I want to live. But... yes. I hate them. I hate them for taking everything."
"Good. Hate is a fuel source. Just like Faith."
Zephyr pulled up his map. The village of Oakhaven was likely close if she had limped here.
He needed more believers. One girl was +1 FP/day. A village was +500.
But a Level 0 God couldn't conquer a village. He couldn't even leave the shrine. His influence radius was only 50 meters.
Unless...
"System Query: Can a Believer act as a Mobile Relay for my influence?"
[System: Yes. A 'Saint' or 'Chosen One' allows you to cast miracles through them within a 1km radius.]
"Cost to designate 'Chosen One'?"
[Cost: 100 FP.]
He had 45 FP left after the potion and bread.
He was short.
"Elara," Zephyr projected, his voice hardening. "I will give you the power to take back what is yours. But first, you must prove your value."
"How, Lord?"
"This shrine is a mess. It offends my aesthetic."
He gestured to the rubble, the vines, the dirt.
"Clean it."
"Clean... the shrine?"
"Labor generates mindfulness. Mindfulness generates Faith. You have until sunset. If this floor is not spotless, the contract is void."
It was a test. Not of strength, but of obedience. And more importantly, manual labor in *Theos* generated a slow trickle of XP for the deity linked to the location.
"Begin."
Elara didn't argue. She stood up—painlessly, thanks to the potion—and began to move the smaller rocks.
Zephyr hovered in "Sleep Mode" (Low Power), watching her.
Calculated time to clean: 6 hours.
Calculated Faith Generation from labor: ~10 FP.
Daily Passive Income: +1 FP.
"I need 55 FP to reach 100," Zephyr calculated. "At this rate, I'll have my Saint in a week. Too slow."
He needed a multiplier.
He watched Elara struggle with a heavy stone. She paused, wiping sweat from her brow, and looked at the floating projection. She whispered a silent prayer.
[Faith Generated: +0.5]
"Wait," Zephyr realized. "She prays every time she hits a wall."
He triggered [Whisper]—a cheap 1 FP cost.
"Good form. Lift with your knees."
Elara beamed. "Yes, Lord!"
[Faith Generated: +2.0]
"Positive Reinforcement Loop," Zephyr noted. "The more I acknowledge her, the more Faith she generates."
He spent the next six hours micro-managing her cleaning.
"Missed a spot."
"Excellent."
"Move that vine."
It cost him 20 FP in Whispers.
But the return...
[Faith Generated: +60 FP]
By sunset, the shrine floor was clean. The rubble was stacked neatly in the corner.
And Zephyr's balance read: [90 FP].
"Close," he thought. "Ten points short."
Elara stood in the center, exhausted but glowing with pride. "It is done, Lord."
"*Adequate," Zephyr allowed. "You have potential."
Suddenly, the sound of shouting drifted from the forest. Torches flickered in the fog.
"There she is! I saw the light!"
Elara froze. " The Elder's men... they followed me."
Zephyr checked the map. Three hostiles. Level 5 Warriors.
Elara was Level 3.
Zephyr had 90 FP. He needed 100 to make her a Saint and give her the power to fight.
He was 10 points short of a combat upgrade.
"Elara," Zephyr said calmly. "Do you trust me?"
"Yes, Lord."
"Then kneel."
She knelt.
"I need you to pray. Not for help. Not for mercy."
The men burst into the clearing, swords drawn. "Grab the witch!"
"Pray for Victory," Zephyr commanded. "Scream it."
Elara closed her eyes. She screamed, pouring every ounce of her fear and hatred into the words.
"LORD ARCHITECT! GRANT ME VICTORY!"
[Faith Surge Detected.]
[Received: +15 FP]
Bing.
[Total: 105 FP.]
Zephyr smiled.
"Transaction Approved."
"System: Designate Elara as 'Chosen One'."
[Cost: 100 FP. Executing.]
A pillar of golden light exploded from the ceiling, slamming into the kneeling girl. The shockwave knocked the three men off their feet.
Elara stood up. Her eyes weren't brown anymore. They were glowing gold.
[System: Link Established. You may now cast spells through Target 'Elara'.]
"Now," Zephyr whispered in her mind. "Let's teach them about the consequences of trespassing."