"Rejoice, new citizens. My Master has deemed you all worthy to receive his gifts!" Slime announced to the whole group.
The new citizens were happy that God accepted their gifts. From their perspective, they thought they were being rude for only giving a few useless black rocks.
"Thank you for letting us live here!"
"We will make sure not to destroy the sanctity of this paradise!"
"Yay! Are we going to stay in this place forever?"
All of the new citizens thought that the gifts God talked about were the fact that they were allowed to stay in his kingdom. They didn't think God would give them something. After all, they were still under the impression that Gods only give misfortune and hardships to mortals, not gifts.
Achram was the only one who knew how fortunate all of them were. He knew that God would be giving them a new chance at a life that was beyond a Thall. They would all evolve through the use of Ether!
"Prepare yourselves. God will give all of you something that we only have ever thought to be a myth. But this is the truth. It is what allowed me to evolve beyond what I was."
The seamstress and the rest of the new citizens looked at Achram with confused looks. They didn't ask him how he changed so drastically because he always kept it secret. They were more than pleased to know that they would also get the chance to become like him.
They all saw him brave the snow and blizzard as if it didn't even faze him. He could carry a boulder with one hand. He could see a small pebble from the horizon. They all witnessed how powerful he became once he changed into this new form.
"Are we going to change like you?"
"What do we have to do? Do we have to gather more of those black rocks?"
"We don't have anything to give, but if you're going to make someone powerful, take mine and give it to my kids."
Achram shook his head and let the Slime explain. "Don't worry. Master said that all of you will be given this gift."
They all looked uncomfortable. "We don't have to give anything?" They were used to the stories and culture they had back in the village. If they wanted the next day to be sunny and clear, they had to sacrifice water and throw it to the god of trees. If they wanted their hunt to be blessed, they had to sacrifice bones and meat on the sacrificial fire.
"Yes. I was like all of you too. But this God is different. He does not ask anything of us. Being his citizen is all he asks."
They couldn't believe it.
Slime knew that seeing was better than believing, so he asked his Master to bring down the Ether for the rest of them to see.
Patty immediately gave out 2000 Ether through the Stock Broker minion, which left him with only [Ether: 450] left. He used to think that Ether was useless and didn't bother finding more ways to get them. But now that he knew how much the Thalls loved it, he vowed to get more of them.
The more loyal Thalls he got, the more Kores he'll have.
The new residents of the kingdom all looked up simultaneously as a bright ray of golden light beamed down directly toward them. Even though the intensity of the light was the same as looking up at the sun, they didn't feel any discomfort in their eyes. It felt warm and comfortable, like looking at someone they loved.
Their jaws dropped as they saw a mound of red sand crawling down from the heavens like tendrils. They saw 20 distinct branches, each targeting a single villager, adult or child. Everyone was eligible to receive this gift from the heavens.
And even though the kids didn't know what this was, they all felt that this was something even better than any golden treasure, predator carcass, or bones that they could ever find down in the village.
The adults, on the other hand, all knew what they were looking at. They knew it instinctively as if the image of an Ether was carved down into their very DNA. Its red luster, its sand-like particles, the rainbow glittering all over it, there was no mistake. This was Ether.
They never even thought that they would see a grain of Ether, much less see a wave of it coming crashing down towards them.
Rhita looked at her husband, and he simply nodded with a smile. She had never really fully believed that Achram was telling the truth about the Ether. After all, it was so unrealistic. It could have been a simple hallucination he got from his near-death experience.
Now that she saw it with her own eyes, she was sure. This God was the real deal; it was the God they had been waiting for. She vowed there and then that she would serve Him for all her life along with her family.
As the Ether all touched down and enveloped each of their bodies, they felt a strange sensation in the very depths of their soul. It felt as if it was burning and freezing at the same time. They felt their body ache and soothed, they felt it broken and healed. It was a strange feeling. Before they could shout out in pain, a relief followed that made them forget all the feeling of their bones breaking.
Everyone closed their eyes as the red grains of Ether covered their entire bodies in a cocoon. After a minute elapsed, one of the red spheres burst and let out a bright white light.
What came out was a changed Uno, with bright yellow skin, sharp jaws, and a thin nose like that of a human. His eyes were calm and devoid of any childish thoughts. He grew a few inches taller in the evolution as though he aged into a young adult in mere seconds.
The first thing he noticed was that his arms were covered in strange geometrical lines as sharp as blades. His arms felt even lighter, so light that he felt like he could move them so fast that his eyes wouldn't even be able to catch up.
He felt an innate understanding of swords. Back when he was unevolved, he thought he was pretty good with swordplay. Now that he evolved and learned all of this knowledge about the intricacies of the sword, he felt foolish. He was nothing more than a little toddler who couldn't even walk trying to swing a stick.
"Lazeus Unparalleled Sword Intent," Uno said to himself. That was the Trait he gained from this evolution.
[You have used 100 Ether to evolve Uno (Thall) to the next stage of their species]
[Species: Teks yellow sapiens neanderthalensis ====> Lazeus HoboThall]
[You have invested in Uno]
[You will now earn 35% of his cultivation]
Patty saw the notifications and was pleased to see that he would now get 35% of his investment's cultivation. After getting 20,000 Minion Growth Crystals because of that tragic summoning binge, he decided to spend some of it to upgrade his Stock Broker to level 35.
Soon after, more Ether cocoons popped and showed the new evolved versions of the new citizens. Their skins all looked a pristine yellow, which was golden like the sun. The men all gained more height and better muscle proportions, while the women turned more slender and their faces smaller like that of a human.
Although they all looked different, there was one thing in common with all of them. First, they all lost their body hair, which made them distinctly different from other Thalls. Even though this happened, the men didn't feel as though they lost their manhood. They felt that they didn't need those anymore. Their innate strength was enough to protect themselves.
[You have invested in Rhita]
[You will now earn 35% of his cultivation]
[You have invested in Dos]
[You will now earn 35% of his cultivation]
…
The rest of the villagers all instinctively knew their new powers. They all had golden markings around their bodies, but the location was different for each of them. They knew that the markings represented their power, their strength, and a reminder of the blessings that they had been given.
Everyone metamorphosed into entirely new beings. They didn't feel as if they lost their identity, it felt as if they had improved!
But no one improved more than one particular Thall.
"Mom?"
Rhita felt her knees weaken as she heard Quatro call out to her. She was surprised to see him standing on his own, his eyes as clear as day, and the sickly look on his face was nowhere to be seen.
"Thank God! You're saved!"
The Achram family all converged upon Quatro as they celebrated his recovery. He was the very reason why Achram even went up to the mountain in the first place.
Quatro smiled and welcomed their hugs. But he didn't forget to thank the one who cured him in the first place.
He looked up at the skies. "Thank you, Master! Your package is about to arrive very soon!"
Patty heard him and just as he thought that, he suddenly heard a knock on the door. A robotic voice from a drone talked from the outside.