Infinite Mana In The Apocalypse

Chapter 4067: Effort! III

There was an overabundance of glory and matured wonders spreading across the Early Veiled Shore.

The air itself seemed drunk on possibility, heavy with the scent of herbs that could reshape existence and fruits that contained wisdom of ages. Every surface gleamed with the particular sheen that came from being touched by a Principle’s authority.

At such a time, a voice cut through the sacred atmosphere with decidedly unsacred words!

”Holy shit...”

The Queen of Matter stood surrounded by towers of books...some containing glorious Fables of cosmic significance, others holding utterly useless tales of beings who had lived and died without note.

She could feel it all, every wonder occurring across the Shore resonating through her existence like vibrations through a tuning fork.

Her complexity and purity had exceeded five hundred million, not through any particular effort on her part, but simply from being present when a Historical Record unfolded.

The passive harvest of witnessing something significant had elevated her beyond what years of traditional advancement might have achieved.

As she marveled at the sensation of growth without effort, space beside her warped with the particular distortion that came from Order asserting itself.

A figure materialized...Sigrid, though not quite. This was one of two ordered states she now maintained, one body remaining near Noah while this one appeared directly behind the Queen of Matter.

”Hey,” Sigrid said with casual directness.

The Queen of Matter jumped with such force that several of her floating books tumbled, their Fables spilling into the air as glowing text before reassembling.

”You scared the shit out of me!”

Sigrid regarded her calmly, the green-gold light of the ongoing harvest casting her features in ethereal relief.

Her expression carried the particular focus of someone with a specific goal. ”Are you the Record Keeper here?”

The Queen of Matter’s demeanor shifted instantly from startled to professional, though her attempt at formality came out somewhat garbled.

She cleared her throat with exaggerated importance. ”Yes, Ma’am Most Recent Harem Member Addition...I mean, THE Living Order! I hold all the Fables of everyone in the Infiniverse! I know the Fables of Sir Osmont, those around him, and... hey!”

Her formal introduction cut short as Sigrid reached out and grabbed her by the nape of her neck with the casual efficiency of someone picking up a cat.

The Queen of Matter found herself being carried toward a quieter corner of the Shore, her feet dangling slightly above the golden sands.

”Tell me all the Fables,” Sigrid commanded, setting her down but maintaining a grip that suggested flight was not an option. ”Starting with his.”

The Queen of Matter’s eyes sparkled with the particular gleam of someone given permission to share their obsession. ”Yes Ma’am! There is so much to cover! Sir has gone through so many phases, so many transformations. After I joined him, he allowed me to glimpse even more of his Fable...the complete weaving of it!”

She began gesticulating wildly, her enthusiasm making her forget she was essentially being interrogated.

”There’s the Beast World where many things kicked off...oh, the progression from nothing to everything! The Atlanteans! The Demon World with its hierarchies of power, oh, and Baal. I liked him! And the Cultivation World!” Her voice rose with particular excitement. ”Oh, the Cultivation World... I wish he had spent more time there, expanded the weavings of Cultivators more! Can you imagine? Foundation Establishment! Core Formation! Nascent Soul! The poetry of advancement through understanding! Ah...!”

...!

As the Queen of Matter’s words tumbled over each other in an increasingly scattered stream of consciousness, Sigrid’s frown deepened. She sighed with the particular exhaustion of someone realizing they had asked for information from someone who loved information too much.

”Focus.”

White light erupted around them...not harsh but organizing. Order itself reached into the Queen of Matter’s scattered thoughts and arranged them into neat categories, chronological sequences, relevant narratives. The Record Keeper’s eyes cleared as if waking from a dream.

”Ahem, yes.” She straightened, her voice taking on the clarity of proper narration. ”We can start with... a skill book. It all starts with...a skill book.”

While Sigrid began listening to these organized Fables through one body, her other form remained near the Primordial Excavation Depths with Noah. He turned to her with an expression of gentle amusement.

”You could also just ask me directly...”

This Sigrid looked over with an expression that managed to be both cute and indignant, letting out a small harrumph. ”I thought you might embellish your good sides and say nothing of the bad.”

Noah’s smile deepened at this logic...the idea that he would hide his failures when his entire path had been built on learning from them.

But he didn’t argue, instead rising to survey the overabundance that surrounded them. Sacred Herbs swayed in breezes that carried beneficial properties. Fruits hung heavy with concentrated advancement. Grasses that could elevate existence simply by walking across them spread in all directions.

”I can’t possibly take all this for myself,” he announced, his voice carrying across the Shore with the clarity of decision. ”Those in the Shore can enjoy a Harvest Festival!”

...!

”RAA!”

Emperor Penguin’s enthusiastic cry erupted immediately, his flippers slapping together in anticipation.

Around him, others began gathering...Kazuhiko with his hand instinctively on his sword even in celebration, Henry with lingering destinies that seemed lighter than usual...

Noah moved toward the Tender Tree, arriving at its plot in a single step that compressed distance into intention. He reached up to pluck the first humanoid Tender from its pod, and as his hands made contact, something unprecedented occurred.

The moment he grasped the Tender...an act of harvest, however gentle...the Principle responded.

|Effort detected: Harvesting|

|Effort Multiplication activated|

|Work performed within sight of Glyph gains exponential returns|

The Tender in his hands suddenly blazed with soft light. Its eyes, which had been merely aware, became luminous with purpose. Its form, already designed for tending, became more refined.

On its back, where simple farming equipment had been forming, complex tools materialized...not just physical implements but conceptual ones. Tools that could tend to ideas as easily as plants, that could nurture potential as readily as soil.

|Tender enhancement through Effort Multiplication:|

|Physical capability increased 1000%|

|Intuitive understanding of all Shore plants gained|

|Can perceive and tend to conceptual growth|

|Emotional nurturing capability added|

|Efficiency transcends physical limitation|

It was ridiculous. It was unfathomable. The simple act of harvesting had transformed what was already miraculous into something that defied classification!