Dead Gardens - Chapter 7

‘Charm?’

<Yep.>

‘Are you sure?’

<You got a problem with that?>

‘Well, no. I’m just surprised. I thought you’d fit more as the God of Strength.’

<WHY THE FUCK WOULD YOU SAY THAT!?>

‘I wonder…’

<Don’t go acting all cocky on me now just because I can’t kill you yet, Aleph Von Erich.>

‘Yes, yes, your highness. Hmm… Hey, you still haven’t explained what this [W] mark means.’

<Ah… You mean the one under the (2) mark.>

‘Yeah.’

<Yeah, you’re right. I totally missed that. Haa… This shit is just too boring. Why should I be the one explaining all of these to you?>

‘Well, it’s just you and me here. Unless the moon can answer on your behalf.’

<Her name is Frederica.>

‘Okay. Will Frederica answer my questions in your stead?’

<…>

‘Dominion?’

A loud rumbling suddenly erupted from above. When I looked up, I saw that the serene face on the moon had now turned sour.

<She said no.>

‘Oh. Then, you have no choice!’

<Ha… But I don’t wanna… Alright, alright, fine! FIIIINE! Sheesh… Frederica said I got myself into this mess, so I have to fix it myself, and she’s right. I should at least take some responsibility… Urgh…

<Right. Listen up, Aleph. The [W] indicates the current durability of the object or entity you analyzed. It answers whether it’s Very Weak, Weak, Medium, Strong, or Very Strong. This just talks about whether something or someone would break soon. For living creatures like you and that tree over there, this Classification talks about your quality of life. If you have a [VS] or Very Strong Classification, it means you’re healthy and well. Having [VW] or Very Weak instead probably means you’re dying. Since that buloke has a [W] mark, it means it might die soon.>

‘I see.’

<You can analyze yourself if you want.>

‘Oh, for real?’

<Yeah. Just look at your arm or something and say the magic word.>

I didn’t waste time. I looked at my open palm and promptly said, “ANALYZE!”

Sure enough, a textbox popped up that points at my arm, but… it wasn’t exactly what I expected.

|Name: High Firmamentian Pale Armor

|Classification: (1) Metal, (2) Non-Living [S], (3) Armor, (4) Rare, (5) Throne

| Status:

|VIT: 73

|INT: 13

|DEX: 13

|CHA: 120

‘Err… I think I made an error, Dominion.’

<Ah… You’re right. You analyzed your armor. That’s fine. It gave me an excuse to tell you more about Classifications.>

‘By all means. Don’t let me stop you.’

<As you can see, the (1) mark on this is “Metal.” That obviously means it’s made out of metal, but the raw material used to make this armor is still classified as a “Natural Resource.” A natural resource stops being one once you use it to form something else; in this case, it’s armor. If this armor is made out of buloke, it will probably have a Classification of “Wood.”

<Obviously, armors have no life unless you saw one with a soul. If so, please, tell me about it. But as long as armors have no life, it will always be classified as “Non-Living” in the (2) mark. This armor seems to be sturdy since it had an [S] or Strong durability.

<I’m sure there’s no reason for me to explain why armors are classified as “Armor.” So, let’s talk about the (4) and (5) marks instead.

<The (4) mark talks about the rarity of an item. The higher it is, the stronger. Plus, it sells well too. Rarity ranges from Common, Uncommon, Rare, Legendary, Mystical, and Unbreakable. I’m sure it’s pretty self-explanatory at this point that a “Common” object is rubbish while an “Unbreakable” item is pretty fucking great. If an item is common, the System will not show its (4) mark. Since Gres’ armor is Rare, I’m guessing he’s a pretty high-ranking official, maybe even a noble like you. Looks like Firmament banished a fuckton of nobles today.>

‘Yeah. It’s a part of their current witch hunt against nobles who pose a threat against King Denwyn. Enough about that. How about the (5) mark?’

<…Right. The (5) mark talks about the god that favors the object or entity you analyzed. Each god favors something, and in return, that certain “something” will answer to that god. If an item does so, it will reflect that god’s image. The best way of doing that is increasing stats. As you can see, this armor is favored by Throne, a stoic and patient god who grants extra Vitality to anything he favors. On the other hand, an energetic god like Power gives extra Strength to those who answered his call.

<Throne and Power… I knew those guys before; well, at least, I thought I knew them. I was actually quite close to them a few thousand years ago. But well, they still banished me. Whatever friendship we may have then has now turned to dust…

<Anyway, that’s a story for another day. The point here is that an object or an entity will be given additional stats depending on the god they answer to. I’m sure you already know who the six gods are, but let me tell you about the stats they provide.

<Power gives Strength, as his name suggests.

<Throne, as you can see with the armor you’re wearing, grants Vitality.

<Virtue, the not-so-intelligent god, somehow manages to grant Intelligence.

<The ever so intolerable, annoying, and resentful Seraphim offers Dexterity to those she favors.

<Principality is the one who carries Wisdom at the tip of her fingertips.

<And well, I grant Charm.

<High Firmamentian Pale Armor, the thing you’re wearing, is intended to be worn by soldiers who wish to increase their Strength. But Gres must have had a different idea since he called upon the name of Throne to touch his armor rather than Power. My guess is that Gres commissioned a blacksmith who’s devotion belongs to Throne, and that said blacksmith used raw materials that Throne favors. A skilled blacksmith can call forth two gods to touch their creation, but maybe the person who made this is not a very great one? Or who knows? Perhaps this is just what Gres wants. Maybe he just fancied Throne a bit too much.>

‘I have a question, Dominion.’

<Of course you do.>

‘How come the buloke I analyzed earlier didn’t have a (5) mark? I mean, I would understand if it skips (4), but why did it skip (5) too? I just find it a bit odd that not a single god would favor the poor tree.’

<Of course, a god favors that tree.>

‘And that is?’

<Me.>

‘Huh?’

<All that ever touched the world deserves to be loved, and anything that will ever be created, living or not, is beautiful. Even if they are made in Firmament or on the Dead Gardens, they will receive my love. It doesn’t matter if I haven’t seen or discovered them yet. I already loved them before I met them. Before the touch of the other gods defiled them, they had already received my blessing.

<So long as I remain alive, the world shall know beauty. There is wonder in the strong, marvel in the enduring, awe in the intelligent, elegance in the agile, magnificence in the wise… You’re a curious one, aren’t you, Aleph? But I bet a person like you seldom receives questions. So, allow me to feed your endless curiosity. How much Charm do you think an object or entity has if the System doesn’t give it a definite Charm stat?>

‘Zero. I think it would be fair to say that if the System doesn’t show a Charm stat, then that thing I analyzed must have had no Charm.’

<Wrong. Utterly fucking wrong.

<You belittle my generosity, Aleph. 100. That’s the answer. One-fucking-hundred. Anything and everyone has a base Charm stat of 100. Nothing gets 0. And that is my blessing. As long as I live, all shall receive my essence.

<If the System shows nothing in the (5) mark, assume that it’s me.

<When you saw another god in it instead, assume that I’m with them, taking their spotlight and giving much, much higher stats than they could ever give.

<Always expect me and my 100.>

‘That’s… That’s such a high stat. I would think that someone with a hundred points on Charm must be absolutely gorgeous!’

<Exactly, Aleph. Exactly. That’s literally what I’ve been ranting about for a few minutes now.

<As long as life remains in me, beauty will never fade in this world.>

‘And what if you die? What will become of us?’

<Well, that’s an interesting thought: a dream the other gods had long wished to attain but fail to accomplish time and time again.

<But know this, Aleph. Once I die, only then can “true” ugliness be created in this world. And when the time comes that my power ceases to caress this world, then… I don’t know. I fail to imagine a world without beauty. But that day will never come. Because I will never leave! Breathe in the dust and bask in the roughness of the soil, for no matter what your opinion on them is, it will still be beautiful in my eyes.>

‘I bet you just said all that because you wanna flex.’

<Of course. If I’m not gonna be talking about how amazing I am, then what is the point?>

‘Arrogant as ever.’

<Get used to it. That and my beauty!>

‘You call yourself beautiful, but in a world where everything is beautiful, can one truly be beautiful? It just sounds like you’re flexing how useless you are.’

<…>

‘…’

<That has got to be the most annoying thing you’ve ever said so far.>

‘What? I’m not wrong.’

<Haa… Everyone has Charm; some have it more than the rest, just like any other stats. Look, the point I’m trying to make here is that nothing has 0 Charm stats! But a world where a 0 Charm stat exists is what the other gods wish to attain. That’s why they want me gone.>

‘But why?’

<Fuck if I know. Haa… I’ve never gotten close to any of them in the past few thousand years to ask.>

It sounded as if Dominion wanted to talk more, but his voice was suddenly cut short by a loud beeping noise in my head.

<Heads up, Aleph! I’m detecting a hostile nearby!>