Chapter 43: The Spark to Restart Civilization
In a surreal experience, the women watched as Lindy, the video's star poppin' off across the cosmos, turned to rejoin them.
The five were watching the live stream in the Forbidden Library, so they forgot the person streaming was right next to them!
"Interface!" Quinn said hastily.
When she looked up, she saw the most pleasant smile on Lindy's face.
"Yeah, like I was saying. Leon's never used the record feature." Lindy continued as if the conversation had never ended.
"He's just so badass that the gods started recording him. This video is just another example."
Her words were surreal for Quinn and Kira.
The latter had asked if Leon was a social media streamer. Right before Lindy could say [not on purpose], a shooter interrupted her, and she killed an entire zone of people.
As if to prove her point, Lindy didn't stream anything. She waved her hand, and the gods put her on camera.
Now that they had witnessed how Leon became famous, they couldn't refute it. But—
"I-I see… but… I'm confused." Quinn stuttered.
Lindy's eyes glided to the left in perplexion. "About what? I'm not sure why that's confusing?"
The redhead shook her head.
"No. I mean, you're a star. You're the main star in half of these videos!" Quinn reasoned, "You smooth talked a giant into punting a superhuman and scared away a drake with… you scared away a dragon by yourself."
She didn't want to point out how Lindy scared away the drake. It was awkward.
Lindy laughed bitterly and then looked up the skirt of the woman flying above them. When everyone followed her eyes, they were reminded of how surreal and absurd their flying situation was.
It was more absurd because Caitlyn casually stopped and flapped her wings in a stationary position to take on as many shots as possible.
Now she was flying incredibly slowly while princess waving.
The waving was a nice touch that Leon requested. He wanted to be as arrogant as possible to entertain the gods—who were helping him—and to get more people to attack him.
As a final touch, they ignored the archer. They didn't even look at the man.
The live feed had a closeup of his humiliation for not being taken seriously.
It was hilarious.
Flying slowly, ignoring attackers, killing people with light pillars, all of these absurd actions occurred while a box containing six women was tied to her legs.
Yet she still hadn't broken a sweat!
"About that…." Lindy sighed, "Thank you for your kind words, but being the star of the videos doesn't mean I was the star of the event. Caitlyn up there was edited out of the videos."
Quinn cocked her head in confusion. "Wait, what?"
She understood how strong Caitlyn was, but hearing she got edited out of the videos was bewildering.
"Yeah. She blew up that Titan's arm and backhanded that Level 120 thot before that video." Lindy said with a lukewarm smile filled with admiration.
"The gods cut footage that can expose secrets, create misperceptions, or other issues.
Candidates would never approach us if someone watched a fledgling blow off a titan's arm.
Or the retakers would seek us out after learning our strategies.
My skill is powerful, but it's not a strategic attack. Therefore, it isn't giving away secrets.
Regardless… it will be my time to shine soon!" Lindy declared with a fist pump, riling up the women.
Meanwhile, Leon watched the river burning through buildings with a profound look on his face.
After watching the chaos unfold, He had to know who her god was.
Only one person popped into his mind—
Charon.
—but they didn't use real water, let alone soap. So the question was driving Leon crazy!
Charon was the boatman who ferried souls into the underworld in Greek Mythology.
Five rivers led to the underworld: Styx, Lethe, Archeron, Phlegethon, and Cocytus. So far, two of her powers had a river's name, thus leading Leon to believe it was him.
If it were Charon, he'd find the brutality of her powers expected, as the rivers played integral roles in Dante's Inferno.
The River Styx, or Hateful River, appears in the fifth circle of hell as a punishment for those guilty of wrath. It suffocated the person in black sludge.
Lindy used this power inside the Inexpensiveco during the Beast Overclock event to trap enemies in the break room.
Phlegethon was the River of Fire. It appeared in the 7th circle of hell as a river of boiling blood submerging those guilty of harming their neighbors.
Thus, she had just demonstrated the level of hell Alexander the Great and Atilla the Hun experienced daily.
Cocytus, the Wailing River, showed up as a frozen lake created from Lucifer's tears in the ninth circle of hell. It would doubtlessly be ice related.
Those rivers had literal power translations.
The wildcards were the other two.
Archeron was the River of Pain...… there was considerable room for interpretation of what that could entail.
However, it was mostly the same aside from the intensity, which ranged from disturbing to banned-at-film-festivals.
Lastly, there was the Lethe River. It caused complete amnesia or a total loss of memories for those that drank it.
It was rational to believe this power would disorient enemies. However, considering how brutal the other demonstrations were, it was likely Lethe would be the worst of the lot.
So if her power were Charon's, her skill set would be brutal, and he wanted to know about it.
"Yoooooooooo. Who's your patron god?" A voice called from behind Lindy.
Everyone was startled by the person that materialized out of thin air.
Leon had let go of Caitlyn and was now hanging on the outside of the wooden box.
"L-Leon. When… Wait, my god?" Lindy asked after regaining her bearings.
"Yeah, your god. Is it Charon?" Leon asked curiously.
The blood drained from Lindy's face, and he immediately took note.
A voice popped into her head when Leon established a telepathic mental link.
[Heh. If it is Charon, just say yes, you idiot. No one expects us to be experts on our gods, but we're on camera; play it off.]
Telepathy was extremely convenient, and Leon couldn't wait until it leveled up.
"Yes, it is Sharon. I'm surprised you guessed." Lindy said with as much fake confidence as she could muster.
"Me too. What the hell did you ask for while I was asleep?" Leon asked, "It's hard to imagine how someone asked for a water god who doesn't use real water."
Lindy blushed and turned away shyly.
"It wasn't anything special. I just asked for a power that made water, was good at killing enemies, and could provide soap." She explained.
"Apparently, my intensity called to Sharon, and she understood womanly woes, so she borrowed some magic to let me make soap… what's that face for?"
Leon didn't know whether to laugh or cry at what he had just heard. Her admission was an impressive and perplexing trainwreck.
It was also problematic.
"I love it when you joke, Lindy. Haha. Hah. But you shouldn't mess with your patron when the fledglings are watching." Leon chided.
"[His] power is wicked, so they might take your jokes seriously when they recount it for the next hundred years. There isn't internet access, so that's a century of misconceptions."
[This is where you laugh and pretend like you were joking.] Leon communicated in the link.
Lindy's eyes widened, but she immediately turned into toxic charm mode.
"Come on, Leon. I can't stroke his ego too much." She said while flicking her hair, "The guy has the power to bring hell on earth but makes me wait till Level 80 to get some shampoo magic?"
Leon smiled. He was genuinely impressed by what he had just witnessed.
—
Ding! [God Charon is pleased that you prevented another century of identity misconceptions. They have formed a relationship with you!]
—
It seemed that her patron was too. Now that he averted the crisis, ensuring she didn't speak again was imperative.
It would only take 15 seconds to prove she didn't know who her god was again! So it was time to confuse her with something reasonable.
"Lindy, it's the apocalypse, and you have these powers. You're making the poor guy work overtime; I think you can go without a shower for a week."
Lindy puffed out her cheeks but then suddenly—
Ding! Ding! Ding!
—her eyes widened in shock when a volley of notifications came in.
Quinn, Kira, Phan, Rika, and Milly were all equally perplexed. He said a few cryptic words, and the gods went wild.
They figured he said the powers were strong enough to reach level 80 in a week. However, it wouldn't have gotten much of a reaction if that were all!
Naturally, only those who knew he ferried [dead people] into the underworld would understand.
Since they didn't, they were shocked. Now that they had subscribed to his channel, they received push notifications. Now they did, they began to understand how crazy the man was.
Leon gave them a devious smile, which made Lindy more frustrated.
"Either way, Lindy. You're a lot more amazing than you think." He laughed.
"Any water god can kill in droves. Yet your answer earned you a power that summons real hell to earth and had the audacity to ask for soap.
What you just did was incredible, but how you got the power is hardcore!"
Leon reached over and ruffled her hair with a dazzling smile.
Ding! Ding! Ding! Ding!
Notifications flew from the corner of their eyes as the gods signaled their agreement.
—
Ding! [God Charon has just rewarded Leon Traxler an item for their video: Candidate uses enemy attacks as mood lighting for his party airline service!
Name: Charon's Personal Paddle
Description: Necessary when you need to spank a woman without dropping them in the Styx.
Note: You're a lifesaver… because I would have killed that woman. So educate her! I've made it easy by giving you something to make her enjoy it.
Try not to get her sent to the second circle in the process.
—
Leon chuckled at the note. The second circle of hell was designed for those guilty of [lust].
Either way, it was time to get back to work.
He took out a large tube with black markings and began drawing over the wooden box.
"What are you doing?" Lindy asked.
"I'm changing our message." Leon said with a slight smile.
—
Ding! [God Candidate Leon Traxler has earned 25 God Candidate subscribers!]
Ding! [God Candidate Leon Traxler has earned 100 God Candidate subscribers!]
—
"What did he write!?" Kira cried under her breath.
"Look for yourself." He replied with a grin.
His reply startled the blond, but she complied and opened the Live feed again.
A ground angle showed new letters above the [Your Woman Rides Free!] sign.
[Follow me on FL @LeonTraxxx]
"Wait, when did you switch your name?" Lindy chuckled in disbelief.
"Right before I came down." Leon shrugged, "While it's not ideal that people think I'm a sex-crazed playboy, we'll need a lot of people if we want to rebuild civilization."
"Wait! Did you just say rebuild civilization!?" Quinn exclaimed. Her red hair fell in her eyes, and she wiped it away quickly.
"Hmmm? Yeah. You don't want to live life on the road, do you?" He asked.
"No, exactly. I mean what?" She asked.
"Caitlyn. Let's show our loyal followers the final act and deliver the women to the sanctuary." Leon requested gently. She happily began moving again.
He turned back to Quinn.
"As I was saying, I want to rebuild civilization." Leon smiled, "And I have the power to make that happen."
"So wait… why aren't you giving men rides too, then? They're half of civilization, right?" Phan asked.
"Oh, that. Civilization would be disastrous if men, who have proven dangerous after the apocalypse, joined the women. Would it not?" Leon asked.
"It's dangerous, and creating a safe environment for women is important." He continued.
"I also represent a harem god. That doesn't imply having sex with members; however, being an absolute gentleman to guys isn't an obligation to culture.
In short, my role is to build relationships with women and improve their lives. Making them comfortable is a duty, and building a city is something I equally desire.
As far as I'm concerned, humanity can die out after my women live a fulfilling existence. They deserve the best, and I will stop at nothing to provide them with that."
—
Ding! [God's Announcement! God Candidate Leon Traxler (@LeonTraxxx) has declared they'll devote their life to the virtues of their patron god. Watch the video here.]
-
Ding! [God's Announcement! God Candidate Leon Traxler (@LeonTraxxx) is the first to declare their life to the virtues of their patron god. Their achievement shall be recorded in the annals of history.]
—
Ding! Ding! Ding!
The five women were shocked-speechless from what they had just heard. They were even more perplexed by the notifications flooding in.
"That's a lot of harem members…." Milly whispered in disbelief.
"Woah…." Lindy replied with her hands up, "Leon won't accept 99% of the women to his harem. That sucks for them. This power is the best thing since smiling."
They looked back up to Leon.
"Anyway…." He interjected awkwardly, "We're landing in the Sanctuary now and may never see each other again. I hate to ask, but can you leave us a good review?"
"W-Wait!" Kira cried, "That's it? You're just going to leave us?"
Leon blinked twice in confusion.
"We don't have a city site for women to join, supplies, shelter, comfort, or anything else we're promising.
We're providing a convenient service to build our reputation so they'll trust us later."
Quinn began cackling and disbelief, causing everyone to look at her.
The one whose eyes were most prominent was Caitlyn's, who looked like she'd murder Quinn for laughing at her man.
"Convenient? Are you joking? No one used your [service] because it was convenient." The redhead laughed. "Everyone thought you'd assault us for the flight ticket.
But we got onboard because we had no choice but to survive. Then, as promised, you protected us. Now, none of us can believe you did it for free. See?"
Quinn stared into the sanctuary at the group of women staring at the balloon site. They hadn't left the drop-off site!
Caitlyn slowly flapped her wings for a smooth landing.
Thud!
The moment the makeshift hatch opened, there was thunderous applause as Quinn, Kira, Phan, Milly, and Rika stepped foot into the sanctuary.
Leon never believed that his arrogant actions would be the spark to restart civilization!
CREATORS' THOUGHTS 
Margrave
Margrave Extra long chapter <3 I wanted everyone to know who Charon was so that I wouldn't need to make abstract references to Dante's Inferno anymore. It's important to the story.
The Divine Comedy ties together Christianity, Greek mythology, Roman history, the seven deadly sins, and more. It's a great place to draw god representations. It's also the source of Lindy's power.
Thanks for reading! I hope you enjoy the references and notes. I work hard to make this novel mindlessly enjoyable and enriching for those who want to explore.
Gifts
-- Gift
received Weekly Power Status
-- Power
Ranking 
-- Power
stone