Rin Tohsaka: "Ninety thousand?!"
The twin-tailed little girl was completely stunned. This was by far the most expensive item she had ever seen.
Rin Tohsaka: "Why is it so expensive?!"
Su Mo: "The price is set automatically by the Group Store. Considering its most basic effect is to elevate a human body to at least the level of a Divine Beast, this price is not unreasonable."
Rin Tohsaka: "Ah, no! I know that Lord Su Mo's products are always more than worth their price!"
Rin Tohsaka: "But the key problem is, I don't have that much money!"
Rin Tohsaka: "Waaaaah!"
She didn't doubt the quality of the product Su Mo provided, but she certainly doubted her own wallet. How was she supposed to save up ten thousand points?
Not to mention, this wasn't the only item she wanted. She was still planning to save up for the Greater Source Mana Refinement Technique! That was divine power!
Falling into the same predicament was Kanae.
Kanae: "The Five Spirits Breathing Style is indeed amazing, and its Tier 2 ceiling is enough to slay Muzan Kibutsuji..."
Kanae: "But I can't afford ten thousand points either!"
Kanae: "I can only save up slowly."
She was extremely satisfied with Su Mo's optimized skill, but not with her own wallet.
Just then, Erica also finished browsing the store. At this moment, the corner of her mouth was twitching slightly.
Erica: "You guys have it good. At least there's hope if you save up."
Erica: "Take a look at what I'm dealing with!"
Erica: [Screenshot.jpg]
What Erica provided was a screenshot of the Group Store's prices.
The [Boots of Hermes - Advanced] was fine; its price of 10,000 points was in line with items of its level.
But the [Conceptual Spirit Armament Construction Guide] next to it was a different story.
Rin Tohsaka: "What? 990,000?!"
Rin Tohsaka: "That's ridiculous! Even a divine artifact wouldn't be this expensive, would it?"
In less than a minute, the spot for the most expensive item had changed hands. Rin rubbed her eyes for a long time, thinking she had seen an extra zero.
But she hadn't.
Erica: "Knowledge involving an entire magic system is naturally priced completely differently from a single technique of the same level."
Erica: "After all, mastering this skill is equivalent to mastering hundreds, if not thousands, of Tier 1 and Tier 2 techniques."
Erica: "From that perspective, this price isn't really that expensive."
Erica: "Of course, it certainly gave me a shock."
Rin Tohsaka: "Shocked +1."
Rin Tohsaka: "Suddenly, ten thousand points doesn't seem like much. At least it's achievable."
Kanae: "+1."
When the prices of these items were so high that they could only gaze up at them, they paradoxically didn't feel much emotion. They even began to find the previous prices acceptable.
As the group was recovering from their shock, Erica noticed that Su Mo had, at some point, walked over to where the Divine Beast Boar had disappeared, seemingly studying something.
"Lord Su Mo?"
Erica immediately stopped chatting and quickly walked up behind Su Mo, asking with a puzzled tone.
Hearing her approach, Su Mo slowly stood up. Erica noticed that in his palm, he was holding a dozen or so golden motes of light.
"These are fragments of True Aether left behind after the Divine Beast's body disintegrated," Su Mo explained casually.
"Are you studying the structure of the Divine Beast?"
Erica's eyes were filled with adoration. He doesn't forget to research even after a battle is over. As expected of Lord Su Mo!
"Mhm."
Su Mo nodded, then asked casually, "By the way, Erica, let me ask you: what do you think makes a god, a god?"
"Huh?"
Hearing this question, Erica almost froze on the spot.
Lord Su Mo is asking me an academic question? Is he testing me? But even if he is, why use such a common-sense question?
"A god is—"
Erica was about to answer on the spot, but after opening her mouth, she found she had nothing to say.
The concept was so fundamental that it needed no explanation, and precisely because of that, it was impossible to answer.
What was the precise definition of a god?
After a few seconds of being tongue-tied, she tentatively offered, "An existence that can use divine power?"
"Incorrect."
Su Mo immediately shook his head.
"I can also wield so-called divine power, but I am not a god."
Clearly, the ability to wield True Aether was not the key factor in distinguishing a god.
Hearing this, although she really wanted to retort with, "Is there a difference between you and a god? Even gods aren't as ridiculous as you," she recalled the Greater Source Mana Refinement Method Su Mo had provided, which could indeed allow anyone to wield divine power. Erica could only try a different definition.
"An existence that can use an Authority?"
After tentatively saying it, before Su Mo could negate it, she shook her head herself. "No, God-Slayers can also use the Authorities of gods, but they are not gods either."
If even the key element of Authority couldn't make the distinction, what other way was there?
"An existence that can absorb faith is a god?"
"No, many spirits and subordinate gods can also absorb faith."
"An existence recorded in mythology is a god?"
"No, for example, the eight million gods of Japanese region are mostly just spirits and specters."
After proposing several hypotheses, Erica refuted her own definitions each time. Unable to find an answer, she could only surrender in the end.
"I'm sorry, Lord Su Mo, I don't know."
Erica lowered her head in shame, feeling a little embarrassed. As a Great Knight, she couldn't even answer such a basic, common-sense question.
Will Lord Su Mo be very disappointed in me?
Feeling uneasy, Erica timidly raised her head, observing Su Mo's expression from the corner of her eye. She found that upon hearing her answer, there was not a trace of disappointment or contempt on his face.
"It's fine."
He nodded with a gentle tone, then, with his usual calm demeanor, casually dispersed the golden motes of light he had captured.
Finally, Su Mo turned sideways to face a young boy who had quietly appeared before him at some point.
And he asked again.
"What about you? What do you think makes a god, a god?"
Only then did Erica notice someone had appeared beside Su Mo.
Seeing the strange boy's divine posture and the terrifying pressure flickering in his golden pupils, Erica's own pupils contracted instantly, and she broke out in a cold sweat.
She instinctively went to grab the hilt of her beloved sword, only to find empty air.
This movement caught the strange boy's attention. He merely glanced at her casually, and Erica's mind immediately went blank.
This awe-inspiring presence, and a pressure that crushed even that of a Divine Beast... having been educated by her magic association, Erica quickly realized the boy's true identity.
Looking at the still-unflustered Su Mo, even knowing he had most likely also recognized the other's identity, out of concern for safety, Erica bit her tongue and, through sheer willpower, forced her mouth open under the divine pressure to give a warning.
"Lord Su Mo, he... is a god!"
Her voice trembled slightly, a product of instinctive fear.
"A Heretic God!"