It was a few months after that Gideon and Rebecca welcomed their first child; Alice.
Alice was born with divinity and it seemed she also displayed natural authority as a divine being. When she uttered words, phenomena happen around her. For example, when she was playing in the room with the toys Gideon prepared for her in the Flying Island villa, and then a butterfly suddenly appeared in her peripheral vision, she would utter some baby talk and the butterfly would appear in her hands. It was as if the laws of space-time are under her command. Which was something only the divine had power over.
Gideon was amazed by this but because of this, he had to seal most of her power to protect her and those around her. She couldn't control this properly yet after all.
However, even after sealing most of it, she still displayed genius level understanding and learning as if this was innate for her.
Alice was such an angel for both of them. Rebecca had to take a leave from work and let Gideon handle matters concerning the business.
Atreus had advanced to the Nascent Soul Realm and was not far from the Transcendence Realm. 'Gideon' was also appearing publicly as a silent type mysterious guy who destroys dungeons and saves the innocent and ordinary populace of Earth from threats that the police or other civilian organizations cannot handle on their own.
Terrorists were put out of business. Smugglers all gave up their wicked ways and the criminal minds were gathered in a place Gideon fashioned himself.
It wasn't so he could punish them but for them to hone their criminal minds and channel it into an avenue that they can unleash their evil upon, the evil gods. It was called 'hell' for criminals outside its confines, but inside, it was paradise. After all, Gideon used his own Divine Authority and Divinity to create this afterlife. An afterlife where those criminals, when they die in the mortal world, would return to this prison to be re-educated and learn from their mistakes. And when they have achieved something worthy of medals and merit, they are given territory and men to manage for them to progress into the world of this afterlife.
Gideon thus dubbed this place as, Thuglife. An afterlife that specialized in training the wicked mind and channel it to positively affect the world at large. They may be criminals when they come inside but when they do come out, they are heroes for the ordinary people on Earth.
'Gideon' had been cultivating according to Gideon's instructions and he already achieved the same cultivation level as Atreus. Not that he was talentless, but that Gideon made sure to have both of them matched up so a competitive environment is created.
Next, Gideon set up a guild where he would personally teach the members how to cultivate and contribute to society as a whole. As long as the threat of the evil gods remain, Gideon will continue to improve Earth and its people to higher levels and greener pastures.
So, he announced that anyone willing to join the Johnsons Hunting Dungeon Raiding Guild will be taught a way to improve themselves without the need to awaken.
He especially called on the Chinese and South Korean populace; ordinary men and women who wish to embark upon the path of destruction… of their enemies and contribute to society. He did this because they were the most familiar with the method: Cultivation.
What he taught was a modified version of the cultivation method that he learned from his master. However, the secret to it was that Gideon would know where and what they are doing, their thoughts and feelings at all times.
This was a way to protect his legacy by eliminating those who have evil thoughts of using the spiritual arts for selfish and evil purposes.
Soon, the Guild was established and Gideon became the Ancestor of this lineage while Atreus was the Guild leader or Patriarch.
As ancestor, Gideon was only in charge of teaching the foundation, not build the castle. He left that for the lineage to learn to crawl until they can stand up and walk on their own.
The Johnsons Enterprise was continuing to grow while Gideon was in charge. The revenue kept multiplying by ten orders of magnitude every time he gains profit.
With the establishment of the Pharma, F&B, and the consolidation of the Forging Technologies, its clutches in the business world and economic empires was airtight.
Gideon made sure that even the governments were thriving by providing support to their programs and projects. One of such was the establishment of academies that aimed to train children in the art of war as they hit high school. It was not mandatory. It was by choice. However, even without making it mandatory, the population of children wanting to contribute to society by becoming hunters and becoming affiliated to Gideon's guild was staggering. There were still children that were encouraged to keep studying the liberal arts and sciences because society cannot function without them, but the funding they received were also substantial especially from Johnsons Funds. It was established for the sole purpose of supporting children who apply for its scholarship to receive the best of the best treatment granted that they work hard for it.
Soon, every city in every nation had Johnsons Enterprise's fingerprints in them. In a way, Johnsons Enterprise currently ruled the world.
Whenever budget proposals were handed to him by government officials, Gideon would assess them and modify 'corruptible' parts and issued corruption countermeasures for it through specific people, especially the Shadowless.
The Shadowless turned out to be so proficient in their directives that Gideon personally trained them for a week to specialize in stealth and shadow melding. Their efficiency increased by leaps and bounds and even new recruits popped up here and their to increase their numbers.
Every major city now had Shadowless members lurking around. Gathering information, building up the information archive of the Shadowless Organization under Gideon and its primary function to prevent corruption. When corrupt officials begin to scheme, they are dispatched. No mercy can be found. Their families well compensated and care for. Gideon's was the Steel Fist of punishment. He did not care about justice or righteousness in the truest sense, he only needed to uphold his own belief. And his belief was that if Earth falls because of these selfish bastards, then to hell with them.
Besides, anyone killed by anyone even remotely related to Gideon, would wake up in the afterlife called Thuglife. It was to give them a chance to train before they are called on deck and then at bat again. When that time was, would depend on them entirely. Everything in Thuglife was automatic.
And so, Gideon's number one line these days was, Money isn't a problem. And as a joke, Jane said he should out that up as a banner in the headquarters' building his face and those lines in it.
Gideon did not find the idea deplorable, so he executed it and voila! His face was plastered on his building saying, "Money isn't a problem." While the banner had other messages such as, "Come discuss your endeavors with us" and such.
…
A year and a half later.
On the Flying Island.
The Johnsons had moved to this island when Alice was born. It was decided by Rebecca and Gideon. It was all for Alice's sake.
"Alice~"
"Grandpa!"
There went Alice as she floated towards her grandpa. Yes, she floated. Since she became able to talk, she was using her powers actively without being drained. Oddly, she wouldn't get tired whatever she use her energy on. But later on, Gideon found out that she'd been siphoning from his supply through a psychic connection between them as father and child.
Since that was so, Gideon happily supplied her with energy. Although she could siphon, Gideon was also able to stop it at will.
"Were you a good girl while we were not here?" Asked grandpa.
"Yes I was! Will you give me a reward?" She asked full of expectation in her eyes.
Grandpa looked toward Rebecca before she signaled with a nod, indicating Alice was telling the truth.
"Is that so? Who's the most obedient little angel here?"
"Me, me, me!"
"Yes! And good little angels are rewarded don't they?"
"Really?"
"Yes, they are! Here you go! This is grandma's secret recipe. You won't be able to get this anywhere else on the plane so continue to be good so that you'll receive more of these, right?"
"Yes, grandpa! Thank you! Mua! Thank you grandma also!"
"Good child. Good child."
Both grandparents received kisses and she returned to Rebecca's bosom. She giggled a lot while she ate the special candy grandma created which grandpa gave her as reward.
"Isn't she growing up so fast, Becca?"
"Yes, she is, mom. Gideon had already sealed most of her powers but she still continues to surprise us with her growth. At this rate, she'll absorb everything she can learn in this world and be a person who stands at the peak where loneliness is evident. Gideon said so."
"Is that so? She won't stray at all when we continue to shower her with love and guidance. That's all that needs to be done. Just like Gideon was when he was a child. We never got strict with him to the point of grounding him or whatever, we jus taught him the rules and when he breaks rules there will be punishment and consequences. So, he been such a thoughtful child then."
"I can see that in him as well. He never disciplines her with threats and fear, he just gives her freedom to do what she wants but continues to teach her what's safe and what's not."
"I know she'll grow up strong and beautiful. Inside and out." Grandma was talking to Rebecca while Alice was sucking on the piece of candy she received as her reward.
…
At dinner time the tale was set and food was on the table center. The clock was pointing to before the 6th hour and the second hand was coming to the 58, 59, and then when 60 was reached and the second hand moved past it to indicate 6 o'clock, Gideon appeared and ate with them.
They were always amazed how Gideon could arrive at exactly the time they set. This was also one of Alice's entertainments when Gideon does it.
"Papa! Eat these things I prepared for you!"
"Thank you, Alice. Did you really prepare them for me?" He teased.
"Of course! I even got my hand chipped right here, see?" She showed a finger with a band aid on it and waved it before Gideon's face.
"Oh no! My baby got hurt preparing papa's meal! What should I do to make the pain go away and thank my baby?" Gideon spoke like the world had fallen on his shoulders and was struggling to keep it up.
"I think, Papa should give me a baby brother or sister to play with!" Alice innocently asked. She did not have any children around her age after all. She plays with her grandparents and Aunt Deborah, but she wanted to play with a child her age.
One year old, and Alice already knew how to walk, talk, and even seemed to be acting as if she was 5 years old or even older.
Both Gideon and Rebecca got their tongue tied in a knot. They could do it, and give her what she wanted, but… talking about ir in front of others was quite embarrassing for them.
"Ahem. I'll have to consult with your mama about it, okay? If she doesn't agree to it, what would you have instead?"
"I want to train like papa! Going around the world to eradicate evil organizations like a super hero!" She declared.
"Is that so? Then you'll have to work hard with Mama first won't you? Mama can teach you all magic, don't you like magic?"
"Magic?! Yes, yes, yes! I want to learn magic!"
"Then it's settled. Since Alice wants to learn magic, Mama will teach her magic." Is what Gideon said but he secretly told Rebecca to teach her just concepts like bad, good, and evil to her so that she would not cross a line while exercising her powers. What a joke! Teaching a master your pitiful skill is just embarrassing! Gideon was considered a master in magic, but his daughter Alice was a natural. Just her imagination alone matches his years of study and practice.
Alice was so thrilled about learning magic from Rebecca that she yet again rewarded kisses to her family.
The whole villa was filled with sweetness. A sweetness overload because of Alice!
…
Down in the surface, the world was going towards the direction Gideon intended. The patron gods had shut up and let the heralds decide the fate of the Earth though with their help.
Since Gideon had banned strengthening via blood sacrifice of the innocent, heck, even criminals had to undergo trial before they are convicted or sentenced to death.
Although some had stopped on the surface, there were some who were cunning enough to continue in secret… however even then, it was as if Gideon had an eye on every individual in the planet. As if he was aware of everything that happened on Earth, as if he was a god in human skin.
It was when the secretly defiant heralds died one by one that the heralds in the world turned to this speculation. The gods however, confirmed their suspicions… Gideon had already stepped into the realm of the gods before ascension. The only thing stopping him from ascending was the knowledge on how to ascend. Acquiring the power of a God, albeit, a mere taste of it while in a fleshy body was something that every God in the Divine Realm knew the temptations of. They spent all their lives finding the path to ascension and succeeded. In the end, they couldn't even enjoy their divinity on earth because they were expelled to the Divine Realm where they served to be the final form of defense for Earth against supernatural threats.
Bound by universal laws that strictly regulate them.
There was one thing they understood more than anything… Gideon was stronger than even the Greater Divinities, even when he was still on Earth. The first witness and evidence of this was Bia's subservient attitude whenever Gideon spoke with her. And Bia, she finally understood that Gideon really was a Supreme Divinity individual. Someone she couldn't afford to make an enemy of.
"Gideon, that herald Bia took in, when he returned to Earth from the other world, he must know some secrets! If not, how could he be even stringer than us Greater Divinities who have been deities for centuries?"
Some indignant deities questioned but their tone was one of accusation and certainty.
They believed their assertion to be correct. They believed Gideon held secrets from the otherworld he was not sharing with them.
"We must uncover the secret! If he willingly shares it good! If not, heh, when he ascends, don't we have fellow Supreme Divinities here as well? Wouldn't he have to answer to them then? Let's see how he'd walk around the Divine Realm then."
"That's right. Hehe."
These gods were obviously not that bright. They were probably brutes who achieved divinity through their muscle-filled brains.
Some of the gods just passively listening were wishing for these stupid ones to test the waters. Then when the waters were muddled enough, maybe they'd find opportunities for themselves.
"The evil gods have surely been frustrated enough, they'll surely become more aggressive in the coming days."
"That's right. With Gideon and the rest of the heralds on Earth, they'll surely be able to fend them off unless he decides to sit back and watch as well."
"We must not antagonize Gideon or else…" Some of the wiser gods chose not to stand in Gideon's way.
The gods were divided yet united in their purpose of preserving the Earth. However, things weren't always as peachy.
…
Back on Earth.
Gideon was analyzing the movements of the few evil gods aiming for Earth as he focused his gaze towards the void.
"The evil gods are restless. They'll soon learn to find or create a bigger ammunition to send our way. Worst yet, they'd find a way to infiltrate even the Divine Realm of Earth and start wrecking havoc there.
"The evil gods are restless. They'll soon learn to find or create a bigger ammunition to send our way. Worst yet, they'd find a way to infiltrate even the Divine Realm of Earth and start wrecking havoc there, by infecting a herald with their own energy before making them ascend and become its representative.
"This must be prevented and if all else fails, a countermeasure must be in place."
Gideon had a rare serious expression on his face. By the end of his thoughts, he'd already formulated countermeasures for at least a hundred scenarios which possibly could happen. Although some situations' countermeasure overlapped with others, it was still a countermeasure for individual scenarios.
Now, Gideon had led the world to a new era. An era of empowerment not only for awakened and heralds but of the common and ordinary folks of the globe.
A year later fraught with danger, glory, deaths, and also of growth. It was also through this era that genius cropped up like mushrooms after a lightning storm.
Geniuses came to the Guild established by Gideon, taught by Atreus who had inched closer to Transcendence Realm within this time, and taught other disciples the technique that Gideon had set for outsiders. Those not meant to be included in their lineage. Sometimes referred to as Outer Sect disciples. Some climbed higher, while some were buried in the mud of competition.
The competition for personal tutelage from Atreus was such a heavy temptation as they have all seen the results of Atreus's training through the livestream of his dungeon raids, alone. Because of this, Rebecca proposed to have a Media Center for Johnsons Enterprise as well to cater to those who preferred to make a living through livestreams. There were much to be had in terms of general information from these so called tubers or vloggers.
When Gideon saw the proposal, he simply looked at the window and saw the reflection of his face and the words they put into his mouth. "Money isn't a problem."
He pointed at it and Rebecca smiled knowingly.
"It's really growing on us, isn't it?"
"It sure is. How goes your training, Becca?"
"It's going well. I've consolidated my powers at the Ninth Circle. After this, there's no longer any memory. What comes after?"
After a moment of silence, Gideon answered her, "After that, is a memory that's rightly kept to myself. Let me tell you a story about that year when I reached the pinnacle of magic in the otherworld."
Gideon stood up, went for the sofa facing Rebecca as he gestured for her to sit.
Thus, Gideon told a story, an epic that served to grant Rebecca an idea towards the next stage.