Shin was a naturally quiet being. He much preferred listening over speaking, for when one listened all kinds of things could be heard. For example, simply listening to the way Statera Luotian phrased things allowed him to understand why they would bring a seeming mortal to this meeting. Not to mention the occasional nuggets of information said mortal occasionally offered their God; Timeless Crystals were something even he hadn’t heard about before.

  He had also confirmed that there were at least four Origin Deities that had discovered their…Specialty, as he called it. Statera Luotian had their Sight; Yueya Oshun their Beauty; the Emperor, his Voice; and the Dragon, her Power. He had his suspicions about the others, but nothing concrete yet.

  His gaze drifted about the room as the Origin Deities mingled, content to let the conversations wash over him. Three distinct groups had formed, not including the plus ones, with the Primeval Dragon sitting out the conversation. The Emperor masterfully steered his own conversation with Reilly and Sylphina, the golden-skinned god dominating in charisma and presence. Shin found himself standing beside The Progenitor and MR-10 as the two gods conversed. He felt wholly out of place beside the gleaming white pyramid and ball of light, especially considering his own, far darker color scheme, but thankfully he was not forcibly drug into their conversation.

  The other member of their little group, however, was not so kind as to allow him his silence.

  “I must admit, I am anxious to get to the rankings.” Statera Luotian said, rubbing his chin thoughtfully. Shin mentally sighed, linking his boney fingers together behind his back. The purple-robed god cast his gaze about the room thoughtfully, various incarnations of himself engaging in conversation with each of the other groups. One laughed at something Reilly said, the other discussing something with Nyxteria in hushed tones – the great space-bird clacking its beak together thoughtfully – while others still talked to a few of the plus-ones.

  He was the only god to deign to split their consciousness to speak with everyone. Was he really just friendly? Shin did not look away as Statera turned his gaze back to him, piercing green eyes just as steady as ever. His aura was open and honest, guarded in all the ways that mattered, but still clearly friendly.

  Shin did not dislike that kind of attitude. It was simply exhausting to deal with.

  “I do agree,” he said, nodding, turning his ears to other conversations. Statera’s plus one was having an interesting conversation with others – he truly applauded her skill in which she navigated the conversation she held with the Emperor’s Jester. Wheedling important information out of the man, while surrendering small nuggets of her own. He dared to say it was even more precise than the Emperor’s skill, which was far more domineering in nature. That said, he did have a question for the purple-robed god about that. “What is…cultivation?”

  “A quirk of my universe,” Statera said with a long-suffering sigh, shaking his head helplessly. “I dare not call it a mistake, but its creation was an oversight on my part. Call it a method of achieving immortality.”

  “I see.” Shin said with a nod. “In my Realm, immortality is largely false. Power extends life, but only I am eternal…so far. Death can touch all.”

  “Seems lonely.” Statera said softly.

  “I prefer solitude. It allows me to think clearer.” Shin allowed. “Though occasional conversation is…nice.”

  “Is there a way for you to find solitude, in your realm?” Statera asked. “I find such endeavors difficult. This is my first time experiencing quiet in a long, long while.” He said wistfully. Shin graced the horned man with a small glance, a sense of longing radiating from him. And, despite himself, found he wanted to answer.

  “I made such a space.” He allowed, and said no more. Statera made a small hum in the back of his throat, stroking his chin thoughtfully, when another little bit of information caught Shin’s ears. Statera cocked his head to the side, glanced over at Nyxteria, who was still chattering away at a far more pale-looking incarnation of Statera, and shuddered. “Did Nyxteria truly just say it had frozen an entire solar system in timeless crystal just because it liked the way the planets orbited the sun?” Shin asked.

  “Yes. Yes it did. Now it is asking me if I can make a copy of one of my eyes for it to freeze.” Statera said dryly, fixating his gaze upwards, above the round table that dominated the center of the room. Shin involuntarily shuddered. Scary bird.

  Ding!

  Shin bowed his head to the words of the Great One, immediately moving to his seat and settling in place. The others did as well, though only Statera, who muttered something about Boxes and being pushy, and the Dragon, seemed to be almost dismissive of the Great One’s decree…Shin hesitated for a moment as he watched Statera sit down, muttering to himself and looking up at the same spot above the center of the table as before.

  He wasn’t reading anything, simply staring at a spot in space. Could he possibly be able to see through the Great One’s messages, to see their true form? Shin steepled his boney fingers before his face, resting his elbows upon the table, and hummed. Now, that was interesting. Interesting indeed. He glanced about the room at the others, wondering if anyone else was capable of such a feat.

  It was time to listen, once again. Listen, and learn.

  Yueya giggled to herself as she sat in her chair, almost giddy with excitement as the Overgod of the Multiverse displayed a whole bunch of information about their respective universes. To begin with, she was provided with a list of specs for her own world, the One World, that detailed everything from the number of species, to the stability of the barrier that separated her universe from the Void, and what she might to do strengthen said barrier on her own. It was all incredibly fascinating, and while most of it was information she could have gathered on her own, it was still nice to have it all laid out before her without her having to do much.

  That said, as interesting as this was, she truly couldn’t wait for the next bit.

  The promised rankings.

  She squirmed in her seat a little, glancing at the others. The Emperor flashed her a smile when she locked eyes with him, going over his own information as he was, but quickly returned to scrolling. Shin, the skeleton, stared hollowly out across the room, seeming more content to observe everyone else than think about his own realm. Or perhaps he had already learned everything he wanted, as she had.

  Ding!

  Yueya hummed as she read the note, nodding her head. That made sense. It was the conclusion she had come to, as well. She had her own issues within her One World, so perhaps finding someone who had the opposite issues would help her solve them.

  Ding!

  Yueya blinked at the rankings. She was…number eight? That wasn’t great, but it wasn’t horrible either, she supposed…

  “Statera Luotian is lower in power than I? How is that possible?” The Emperor demanded.

  “Personal power, is not, everything it seems,” The Progenitor rumbled.

  “That beggar is more powerful than I only because he relies on outside help.” The Primeval Dragon rumbled, clearly displeased with the results and taking an interest in the rankings for the first time. It sneered and Yueya chuckled – that, at least, was a better expression than the one of perpetual boredom it had been showing.

  “Facts are facts, you overgrown lizard,” Reilly taunted, taking a swig of wine he had snatched from Yueya and kicking his feet up on the table once again.

  “I will devour you,” The Dragon growled, the shadows of its wings deepening. Yueya felt power crackle in her fists in response, a part of her expecting a fight. But none came, fortunately, as the Dragon sat back, glowering at the smirking Reilly.

  “Middle of the pack…that’s honestly surprising.” Statera muttered, turning her head to the side to listen to something her plus one had to say. The winged being – the Mad Scientist, as she was called – whispered something in her ear that seemed to mollify Statera, however.

  Ding!

  Oh, so Statera and she had the exact opposite problems. Her One World was too big for the number of powerful beings within it, while whatever realm Statera ran must be too small. That…she wonder if they would be allowed to visit each other’s domains after this? It would be far more beneficial than merely looking at statistics and such.

  “I suppose density refers to the number of powerful being’s we’ve raised up within our domains after all.” Statera mused, scratching his chin.

  “Why is Statera at the top of the density ranking, yet their power is so low? What is with the disparity in my own status, as well? I believed the strength of my army to be unmatched, yet based on this information I am falling behind.” The Emperor mused. “Of all of us, Shin seems to have the most balanced Realm in terms of density and size. The Dragon, of course, is at the bottom.”

  “Bah. You all worry about these things too much.” The Primeval Dragon scoffed, rolling her eyes.

  “It should be clear by now that we all prioritize different things.” Rising Wind, Crashing Waves commented, ignoring the Dragon’s statement. The great stag’s antlers glittered beautifully in the light of the room, wisdom oozing from each word. “The Dragon prioritizes power of its own over all else. The Emperor likely prioritizes the strength of his nation and army, as well as his own position. I am far more relaxed about such things. And Statera prioritizes the growth of their People.”

  Yueya hummed to herself. And I prioritized the size of my realm, creating the largest work of art I could. Yet there is beauty in people as well. That, at least, was an important realization to have. It would help with her projects moving forward.

  “How did you figure I did that, besides the ranking?” Statera asked, cocking her head to the side. Yueya shook her head at the god. The way they switched between genders at seeming random was both endearing and annoying at times – but, she supposed, they all had their quirks.

  “Nyxteria knows! Nyxteria does not believe anyone else refers to their creations as their children besides the Progenitor.” The great space-bird cawed, clacking its beak and ruffling its feathers. Statera opened his mouth as if to protest, paused, then nodded and sat back, a complex expression on his face. Children. I suppose I don’t really consider my creations as my children, do I? Yueya mused, glancing over her shoulder at Astraea, the goddess she had brought along with her. The star goddess averted her gaze, and Yueya felt her expression soften. I know at least one amongst my creations that feels differently, however. Perhaps I should put more thought into that, if it helps increase the density of power. Though I doubt I will ever truly change my view.

  Ding!

  Now what did progression mean? For someone like the Primeval Dragon to be so high, yet The Emperor and herself so low. What did progression even mean? A quick glance showed Statera Luotian only nodding to herself, closing her eyes. The Mad Scientist nodded as well, whispering a few words to Statera that she…couldn’t make out.

  Yueya hummed. Curious. Statera’s universe, at least, was one that she would have to visit if given the opportunity. She turned her attention once more to the data set that was still before her, beside the list of rankings, and now started to compare it all. She didn’t need to be first, as making art was no competition, but…well. She couldn’t afford to fall behind now, could she?

  I couldn’t say I was surprised with the results of the rankings. Though I expected to be higher in terms of personal power, the Mad Scientist had put it in perspective for me; compared to the universes she had been to, there were far more powerful beings in a far smaller space than pretty much any universe she’d seen. That was only further expanded upon with the size and density rankings.

  While I was aware of this problem and was taking steps to fix it with the Seeds, it was only further impressed upon me now. That, and the competitive part of me wanted to be top of the personal power rankings.

  Ah, well. There was time to correct that.

  But first…

  I looked about the room with my arms folded across my chest. We had all mostly finished analyzing our stuff, and the meeting seemed to be coming to a close. Sort of. There was one last little bit that I was expecting, and – ah. Mr. Boxes’ incarnation pulsed once, heralding his next statement.

  “At this point you have learned all you can from a simple data analysis. Next will be a field trip to each of your respective universes; please note that it is not required to visit each universe, and in fact I encourage you to find your own groups. Some of you are inherently incompatible with other universes, such as with Sylphina and MR-10.” Boxes said. “I will not accompany you on these trips, nor will I provide insights. Portals will remain open to and from each realm, accessible only by the respective Origin Deity and those guests they deem capable of entering their Realm, and leading back to this room. They will close once each respective Deity is done.”

  That got a shift of murmuring from the assembled gods, and I smiled. This was the part I had really been waiting for. Now, who to choose?