A letter of recommendation?" Mane repeated Ananse's words. "Yes. As long as you send a letter of recommendation signed by a god to one of their admission branches in the major worlds, you would gain admission." Ananse reiterated.
Although it sounded simple, Mane knew it wouldn't be so easy. Well, submitting the letter was definitely easy, but he doubted that would be enough to be admitted to a God Academy. Mane could already picture several individuals trying to sneak into these prestigious academies with forged letters of recommendation.
As if she could see the doubt in Mane's eyes, Ananse decided to elaborate, "They are called letters of recommendation, but they aren't mere letters. Granted, the letter would indeed be written and sent to the academy, but that isn't enough. The letters aren't written by some nobody. They are written by the god or goddess themselves."
Mane finally nodded in understanding. It made more sense now. If the letter was written by a god, they would imprint their aura into the letter. The overbearing and indomitable power of a god would flow out of the letter once it was opened, allowing the one who opened it to know that the letter was genuine.
"The god would also have to produce a token of authority, proving the letter was written by them and is intended for the one presenting it." Ananse continued, intent on helping Mane understand that this method wasn't as leaky as it appeared to be.
"I see. But what is a token of authority?" Mane asked. He brushed aside a strand of his hair, while reminding himself that he needed a haircut later. Although he wasn't here physically, his appearance was the same as it was in the real world. Due to his intense training he hadn't tended to his hair for more than a month now. Now his looks were truly reflective of his name. His hair was unkempt and wild, like the mane of a lion.
"A token of authority is a seal that belongs to a god. As I mentioned earlier, it is only by getting a letter of recommendation from a god that one could avoid the entrance exams held by the God Academies. This means that having the backing of an Ascender isn't enough to skip the exams. But there are some Ascenders who are as powerful as gods. These ascenders would be capable of infusing a letter with power that match that of a god. Unfortunately, the rules of the God Academies still stand. Meaning, no matter how powerful an Ascender is, they cannot recommend a student to a God Academy unless they become gods. And the Ascenders have no choice but to obey this rule. Which is why most ascenders attach themselves to a god. And for the more powerful ones who are comparable to gods, they are able to easily get a god to write them a letter of recommendation"
Mane understood a few things from Ananse's explanation. One, the God Academies were so powerful that even powerful ascenders had to abide by their arrangements. One should know that once a person reached a certain realm, they wouldn't take no for an answer whenever they required anything. But God Academies didn't care about how these ascenders felt, paying no heed to their standing and only acknowledging gods.
Two, God Academies were affiliated to the god societies. Although Ananse mentioned that these academies were built on worlds that they created themselves, it was still clear that they were run by the gods themselves. The reason was simple. One could only create a world if one was a God of Creation. No ascender had the power to create a world. And those that did, didn't have the energy to support a fully functioning world. But God Academies didn't have this problem. This could only mean that each God Academy was built and supported by a God of Creation. Also, they only accepted letters of recommendations from gods. This sounded like a trade: you scratch my back, I scratch yours. Mane thought that it made sense for them to accept recommendations from gods, who in turn would support the vitality of their worlds.
"And that is why the token of authority is vital. To understand how the token of authority works, you must first understand what it means to be a Noble." Ananse crossed her beautiful legs and took a sip from her beverage. "I think it's best for you to speak about this Indra" she suggested.
Indra nodded lightly and began to explain, "The Nobility Realm is so called because it is at this stage that a wielder gains his title. Once a wielder breaks through into the nobility realm, the universe acknowledges their presence and bestows upon them a name. This is overseen by the Universe Will itself. But the Universe Will cannot control the kind of title the wielder gets. It is nothing but a steward meting out the wants and desires of the universe after all. However, the Nobility Realm is more important than what many believe. It isn't simply an increase in strength, but a decision of the path the wielder would take. The Nobility realm determines whether one would eventually ascend as an Ascender, or a God"
"What!" Mane exclaimed in disbelief, almost falling off his chair. All this while he had regarded the Nobility Realm as the stage right before the Ascension Realm. To think that it had such a vital role to play in the kind of being one would ascend to be.
"Indeed" Indra nodded his head, completely unfazed by Mane's reaction. It was normal for someone to behave this way after learning the truth about the Nobility Realm. Once Mane had calmed down, Indra continued with his explanation.
"When one breaks into the Nobility Realm, the Universe Will would announce to the gods and ascenders alike that a new being has been promoted in strength. Unless one possesses a shielding artefact to protect them from the gossipy lips of the Universe Will, their promotion in ranks would be announced to the entire realm. But that isn't all. It is after one breaks through to the Nobility Realm that one can forge their Token of Authority" Indra paused a bit. He yawned in a lazy manner and placed his legs on the table. He looked so carefree that it was hard to believe that he was a battle god.
Mane listened with rapt attention. He was finally going to find out what the token of authority was, and why it was important for the ascension into godhood.
"The Token of Authority is an accumulation of the elements and laws that a wielder has understood and comprehended throughout their lifetime. It contains glows that have been mastered and can be used effortlessly, as well as breaths that have been thoroughly understood. The Noble spends his/her time trying to complete the token before they can ascend. The size of the token differs from person to person. For a talented individual like you, your token would be three or four times larger than that of a regular genius" Indra stated nonchalantly
Mane swallowed audibly, his gulp loud enough to fill this small space. And who could blame him. So far his wielding journey had been pretty laid back. It was true that he fought hard and practiced harder than most of his peers, but he found it relatively easy to learn new things. And it was always a simple matter for him to improve on his wielding level. But he had just found out that he would finally meet the true hurdle when he crossed over to the Nobility Realm. Indra said his token would be three to four times bigger than that of a regular genius. Not bigger than normal, but bigger than a genius'. He could only brave himself for the hard work that was to come.