The Cultivators who were flying over recovered first, due to their immense power, and landed in a circle around the City Lord and the statue with weapons in their hands, ready to defend against any sort of threat to the area.
"Relax, old friends. This strange man has just made a statue of prophecy for the city. I activated it to see if it was genuine, and the light you saw was the threat of a Demon Lord attack at some point during my life." The City Lord explained to the assembled Divine Realm Cultivators.
"A true statue of prophecy? May we try?" The strongest of the men among the new arrivals asked the Lord.
"Go ahead. He has agreed to sell it to the city, though we haven't agreed upon a price yet." he agreed.
Cain thought for a moment and realized that his quest wasn't done yet, so these men could be very useful to him today. He only had to make it through one day without a Guild War.
In retrospect, it would have been better to claim he was training in seclusion and just spend his time doing nothing all day, but Cain hadn't thought of that option until just now.
"All I ask is that you really do put it in an accessible spot and make it available to the general public. Anyone who wants to test themselves should be given the chance." Cain recommended.
The overjoyed and greedy looks on the Sect Leaders' faces said that this was the right call. If it was in public, they could station recruiters nearby in case someone did show potential to change the world. Whoever took such a person in and trained them would stand a high chance of rising to new heights by association.
"I can agree to that. I myself am not a Sect Leader. That is why I get to lead the city. But these are the Six Divinities whose Sects all have compounds within the valley itself." The City Lord explained.
They really would make out like bandits this time. They were local, so it was easy for them to pluck new talents the moment that they were revealed, denying them to the slower-moving Sects.
One of the Demigods was giving the statue a curious look, then he took out a dull stone blade and extended the hilt toward the statue.
Beyond everyone's expectations, the statue reached out and took the sword from him, making a sharp flourish and then turning its blade down to pierce the stone beneath the Seraphim's feet.
Cain could sense amusement from the statue and suspected that he had attracted the attention of an actual Seraphim with his creation, but the feeling faded quickly, and all eyes turned to face the Demigod who had given it a sword.
"It is a treasure that we use to measure aptitude. It works in a similar way, glowing when power is introduced. I had wondered if there would be resonance, but I never expected that the Rune Statue would take it away from me." The man muttered.
"Rule one of dealing with Seraphim. Never give them a weapon that you need back. They might be righteous, but they love combat." Cain replied.
The Divine Cultivators all nodded in agreement, knowing at least a little about Seraphim nature after such long lives.
"Now it is multipurpose." Luna pointed out, smirking at the statue.
The City Lord turned to address her. "Then why don't you go next, little one? We can see how it reacts to someone else?"
Luna happily got up and rushed to the statue, reaching up to touch the blade in the Seraphim's hands.
The blade lit up from the hilt down, illuminating the entire blade in bright red, while the Seraphim's wings glowed with dim white light, and the statue's eyes glowed in a fierce black light that seemed to dim everything but the statue itself.
The overall effect was disturbing, and even the Demigods looked confused.
"The blade says that she has the potential to easily become a Divinity, and the wings say that she has a slight chance of making a memorable contribution to history, but what is with those eyes?" The City Lord asked.
"Could it be because I am a Priestess of the War God?" Luna asked, taking out her ability-created crown and placing it on her head proudly.
"That could be it. The Runes only specify prophecy and fate, not specific indicators for them." One of the Demigods agreed, stroking his beard as he thought.
"You, whoever you are. Come and try this statue." The City Lord demanded of the man who had originally requested such an item to be created.
"Yes, your holiness." He responded and immediately placed a hand on the statue, not channeling any energy, to see if he could trick it.
The statue pulled a surge of energy out of him, and the blade lit up with a blue light all the way down the length, slightly less brightly than when Luna had tried, and half of the fingernail began to glow on the middle finger of the left hand.
"Good potential. There is no reason you can't make the later stages of the Immortal Rank. It seems that your chances of being the protagonist of future legends are somewhat dismal, though." The City Lord informed him.
The man was about to suggest that Cain was messing with him, as he was certain that the statue had just given him the finger, but under the attention of the Demigods, he had no choice but to hold his tongue.
A portal opened in the air, and one of the Sect Leaders pulled a small boy of about five years old from inside.
"Ragnar, test yourself on the statue," he demanded of the startled child, who still had food around his mouth, having been taken from his afternoon snack without warning.
He touched the statue and began to look pale as it pulled energy from him. He was unable to externally use his energy yet, so the statue did it for him, lighting up scattered feathers on the wings and a thin line of red light on a mostly blue glowing sword.
"A slim chance to make it to Divinity, and some random chances of making a notable impact on the future? That's exactly what the Oracle said when you went to visit, isn't it?" The City Lord asked.
"In almost exactly those words. Go back to your Mother and keep cultivating, boy." With those words, the boy vanished again, and the crowd began eyeing the statue with renewed interest.
The Oracles weren't easy to get to see, and they were very busy, but the statue didn't have other things to do. You could see it anytime.
None of them were under any illusions that it would be an easy task in the near future, though. The statue had shocked the crowd, and once the City Lord placed it out, he would need to guard it to keep the crowd of Cultivators who wished to know if they could be the Protagonist of the History books from overrunning it.
"What will it say about you, I wonder?" The City Lord asked Cain.
"Who knows? I just spend my days seeking knowledge. Those who apply the knowledge are the ones more likely to be remembered by history." Cain shrugged.
"Come try your creation. I suspect that it will have something interesting to say." One of the Demigods informed him, and it clearly wasn't a suggestion.
Cain sighed and stood up, wondering if this was the end of his hopes for completing the one day without a Sect War quest.
Cain placed his hand on the statue, and the blade lit up with a piercing Golden Light, bringing gasps of awe from the entire crowd. Then the statue itself lit up, and the noise got even louder.
"What in the seven heavens is that? Did he break it because he is the creator?" One of the onlookers asked.
The Demigods on the back of the statue, who were shielded from the light of the sword, all turned to examine Cain, clearly intrigued by him. Cain had to wait until the light of the sword faded to see what had drawn their interest, but when he did, all he could do was laugh.
The entire statue was lit up, mostly in the pale silver of Ancient Seraphim, but with all the feathers in different colors, giving the appearance of a Modern Art project, but the most striking feature was the hair, which was glowing with impossible colors, ones that the human eye should not be able to perceive. Some of them weren't even visible to Cain, though he could sense that they were glowing, and he only lacked the ability to perceive them properly.
"A near certainty of becoming a Major God, with a slim chance of doing anything? Is that what the statue is trying to tell us? Does it lack the ability to interpret the potential of those who have the power to shape worlds to their liking?" The City Lord asked.
"Most likely. I don't have that ability, and I don't know how to explain it properly, so my creation likely has the same difficulty." Cain offered.
The Demigods looked at each other, conferring silently, then nodded in agreement. "We can only do what we can do. Even the Oracles can only see so much of the future."
Before they could say any more, a teenage boy in flowing blue robes had rushed out of the crowd, reaching for the statue. They were all fast enough to have stopped him, but let him try anyhow, not willing to shatter his dreams if he should be someone like Cain, who had infinite potential.
"I will be the Greatest Hero in History!" The young Cultivator declared condescendingly.
The center half of the blade lit up in an ethereal gray light, and a few dozen feathers turned black with a gentle glow.
"Mid Spirit Rank Potential with a slight chance to do something so despicable that it leads to worldwide notoriety." One of the Demigods informed the boy, whose proud look had turned to horror before he bolted from the area in panic.
"Fate truly is a double-edged blade." An unassuming Demigod woman with long golden hair chuckled as the boy ran away crying.
"Perhaps I will try my own disciple. She has gotten a bit too big of an ego for her own good."
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