The sounds of partying could still be heard filling the streets by the time Ben woke up the next day, his usual trip to Myriad’s realm canceled that night due to a sudden meeting that he had no problem guessing the cause of. Still, it was early enough in the day that he didn’t feel the need to wake Thera up quite yet for them to go off to fulfill Nare’s request so he instead spoke in his head, trying to get his god’s attention.

Myriad Myriad Myriad. Answer me Myriad, I’m so in need of a conversation partner right now.

<I’m done, I’m done, what do you want?>

I got three new titles yesterday, what do you think I want?

<Yeah yeah, of course. I’ve only heard of enemy titles but you already know about them since you got one from Eneth too. I can’t tell you more about the rest, though I’m sure defier of gods will be yet another to give you some sacrilege bonuses from the name alone.>

Okay, fair, but I was more curious about the one weird one. Title holder. Sounds kind of redundant, doesn’t it?

<I’ll admit, even among the many others you have it does stand out in its strangeness. I suppose you’ll be running off to Verbum later?>

Either when I have some free time while teaching Nare’s grandkid or after I’m done, yeah, but I at least have a pretty good idea for its acquisition condition in the meantime. I gained it immediately after my twentieth title, I’m thinking that the system might have given it because of that; the same way I got ‘skill learner’ for the three new skills. Any way you could check for me?

<A not unreasonable guess at least, but no. I would, but there’s a reasonable chance you’re the first to get this many. Titles usually don’t come so frequently.>

Wait, really? They don’t seem that hard to get.

<Maybe you should try living like a normal person and stop doing so much that could draw the attention of the gods, the system, and society as a whole.> Myriad said dryly, being dismissed with a snort.

I’ll have you know I’m super low-key. The average person has no idea who I am.

<I wouldn’t be so sure. Greed’s show is shockingly popular and you’re still very publicly engaged.>

…Okay, ignoring that, since I’m probably right about how I got this title and I know there are titles for skills too, what do you think the odds are that there’s one for jobs I could snag? I’m at thirty-one currently, thirty-two if you count the one I’m working through, what do you think I’d need to reach to be able to get that cheeky little bonus?

<Why do you want a hypothetical title when you don’t even know the effect it would have?>

Because it can’t be anything bad, duh. And since it can’t be anything bad it might be worth getting. So is there one?

<Huuh, if there is then I honestly don’t know of it.> Myriad told him. <You’re at a number of jobs that’s higher than plenty who’ve reached the third tier and I haven’t heard of such a thing from any who’ve become gods, but maybe it’s just an unreasonably high number. If it was something people would gain at a hundred jobs then nobody would ever claim it. Hell, if it was something people would gain at fifty then chances are that almost nobody has ever gotten it, if anyone at all.>

Wait, I might be able to break a world record by getting fifty jobs then? Easy!

<Apologize to the people of the world.>

It’s not like I’m going for it soon, I already know what my next job is going to be, but it doesn’t hurt to think ahead. When I look at all of the options I know I have, I’m pretty sure there’s nine that are low enough that I could finish them in a week, maybe fourteen if I give myself a month, and I already know some of the ones I’m thinking of would give me advanced options that are still well below anything an awakened skill holder would normally take so it would actually be even more than that too. I don’t actually think it would take that long if I put my mind to it.

<Once again, apologize to the people of the world.>

Never. If anyone else wants it then they can also take the time to plan out how to efficiently level their jobs and spend the hours and hours of each day putting it into practice until they’re done and move on to the next one.

<How are you both a masochist and a sadist?>

I’m neither, I’m efficient.

<Sure, keep telling yourself that. So anything else?>

Not really, I guess I should stop putting it off and wake Thera up so you can let Nare know we’ll be there later. No wait, actually one kind of crazy important thing I forgot to ask about after everything else that happened yesterday! What happened to the kidnapped dude, how did that turn out?

<Oh, that went fine, nothing for you to worry about. The perpetrator was easily detained thanks to you and Thera. Well, I shouldn’t say easily since it took some time to free him from the stone he was buried in. You went a little overboard with that.>

Better too much than too little. And the guy who was going to be made into potions?

<Safely home. Once he was calmed down he wanted to give his thanks but it sounds like the guards just said he was discovered by the apostle of Myriad so he and his family have been sending their gratitude my way. Hope you don’t mind.>

Why would I? You can actually use that gratitude so this worked out for the best. And any word on why he was going to be turned into potions?

<What, you didn’t see?>

I pulled out after I was sure I was right about the kidnapping and didn’t realize I would be curious later, but now that I am, tell me.

<War profiteering I suppose. It looks like one of his ancestors was an alchemist engaged in some of the hunts centuries ago and left behind a, well, for lack of a better word, recipe book. As an alchemist himself, he was going to make a variety of potions himself and try to sell them for the next wave.>

Wait, seriously? Any chance I can see it?

<Infinite hells, absolutely not! I can’t believe… No, I can believe you’re asking that, but I still don’t like it.>

Come on, it’s not like I’d ever actually make anything from one of them! I’m just curious and the recipes it contains might have some crossover applications for other potions.

<Still no. Falling stars, I can only hope nobody is ever dumb enough to grant you access to the magic library’s basement.>

Boo, I would take everything I’d learn and put it towards some super ethical uses that would change the world.

<I suppose we’ll never know.>

Fine, can you at least tell me what the potion was supposed to do?

<...Fine, I suppose there’s nothing wrong with that. There were a few options ranging from advanced healing potions better than most things on the market as well as buffing potions, ones that would nearly double a stat for about a month after consumption or raise multiple for lower amounts of time and power.>

The only thing that kept Ben from letting out a whistle hearing that was the fact that Thera was still asleep beside him.

That is a shocking amount of power for a potion.

<Why do you think it used to be such a problem? As distasteful as it is, some races are just uncomfortably good for those sorts of things. There’s some worry that it might crop up a bit more in the future now that so many want whatever extra edge they can get but the most we can do is keep an eye out and try to be aware of it happening.>

Well, good luck with that. I’ll just be here appreciating the fact that dealing with this doomed planet isn’t my problem.

<You live on it, that’s about as much your problem as it gets.>

Ha, maybe, but the madness of its residents is one hundred percent yours.

When his talk with Myriad finished, Ben finally woke Thera up for the day before taking the time to fly Sonya, along with Sachel and the rest of her party, back to Stonewall, letting Ben pick up a few things before he and Thera went back through his personal gate to Anailia.

Given how things had turned out with the meeting, it was going to be another few weeks before they would be told the locations they were going to be requested to fight, but now that the gods were going to handle it directly there was no need for another gathering, they would reach out to contact everyone themselves when the time came.

Which is kind of a conflict of interest, isn’t it? Like, it’s going to be a lot harder for anyone to tell a god no than it would be for them to tell a regular event organizer. Oh well, it’s no longer my problem.

“You know, I wouldn’t have minded getting to say goodbye to Greed one more time,” Ben sighed as they walked towards the gate.

“If he wanted to make a choice that’s only going to land him more angry exes then that’s his problem,” Thera said, feeling more indifferent after seeing the crab run off with some random woman during all of the partying the night prior. “Besides, it’s not like you don’t know where to find him.”

“Very true.”

After everything had finished up yesterday and the party was in full swing, Greed had made sure Ben was aware of all of the locations for his upcoming shows, as well as the fact that he always made sure to keep two seats open in case Ben ever wanted to show up. It was touching, and the sort of thing he promised to make time for before the next wave, even if it was going to take a while.

“Good, so enough worrying about him now, we’re on vacation!”

“Ha, you know I’m working for most of this, right?”

“Then just I’m on vacation, now come on!”

Bleeding enthusiasm, Thera grabbed his arm and pulled him through the gate, off to Nare’s land.