The Genius Evolution Store

”A new method?” Maya crossed her arms.

”Yep! We’ll use a group chat. When Katarina heard about this, she suggested Me-gram. She said it was a messaging app with such good encryption that even terrorists love using it.”

”Well, that’s true. If you do it there, at least this kind of group won’t be found easily.” Maya nodded. ”At least your privacy will be safe.”

”Yeah. We’re going to create a chat group for this project.”

”I don’t mind, but won’t it be the same as before? I have to visit all of them to give them this invitation.”

”Just send a message or an email to them.”

”But you still need to convince them.”

”Don’t we have the best way to convince them?”

”Hmm?” She tilted her head in confusion.

”I’m talking about the people we helped before.”

”Ah? Those guys?! Ugh, I feel like my brain cells are gone because I returned to my family.” She sighed.

Auric just smiled without saying anything.

Maya nodded. ”I understand the idea. Basically, you are planning to use their testimony to convince the other people, right? This is also a way to convince those few people that you’re still caring about their projects. Because they haven’t revealed your information, you’re inviting them to the group.

”This way, they will be happy that they are receiving a bit of your care. They will also know a bit of your information. The rumor about Sunlight will be confirmed, but you just have to warn them not to reveal anything.

”No, it’s not a warning. You should threaten them instead. With this, you will still be able to create a rumor, but if they’re going to reveal that information, it will be fine as well. After all, it’s just a confirmation of the rumor.

”The only person who will find that information useful is Chief Lucas, who already knows your identity. The others will be seeking Sunlight, but it will just mean that Sunlight’s value will increase.

”In the worst-case scenario, your information will be found, but for now, it should be fine. We will first use a new phone that can’t be linked to you. I will disable the GPS and erase the other data so that it can’t be traced back to you.

”If they find out about it, we can spin the narrative by saying that someone is impersonating Sunlight or something. If it’s not a problem, you can use the account to clarify your identity in the future.

”As for those new people, you can use them to convince future members or even invite more people. And with their dedication to you, you basically create a following that will do a lot of things for you.”

Auric nodded with a serious expression. ”That’s the gist of the idea. What do you think?”

”Sure. It shouldn’t be a problem. In that case, ask Katarina to try to track you using that phone. I will do the same. If it can’t, then we can proceed with this plan.”

Auric agreed with the proposal.

For the next few days, Katarina and Maya were doing their best to crack the defense, but they couldn’t find anything.

In the end, Maya allowed the plan to begin. She asked Auric to do it so that he would gain some experience with this kind of thing, but she could only shake her head helplessly.

...

Derrick was confused by the group.

[OilDerrick98: Where am I?]

[StutteringWidow: Ohhh! It’s been confirmed. So, the one who helped me evolve at that time was Sunlight! I am truly going to serve the Sun from this point forward!]

[LonelyPond: You too? Wait, where and when did you evolve your avatar?]

[StutteringWidow: I went to Malalowie City on the 23rd.]

[LonelyPond: I went there as well, but the day after you!]

[StutteringWidow: Holy shit! So, a unique element evolution master is already a thing! Praise the Sun!]

[LonelyPond: Praise the Sun! The Glory of the Sun is eternal!]

Derrick was stupefied. He never thought it would be a place for a cult, but he braced himself to ask.

[OilDerrick98: Hey. What is this place? I got invited to an unknown link.]

[StutteringWidow: You don’t know? Wait. You haven’t evolved yet? Let me guess, you must have a unique element, but you haven’t evolved yet, or maybe you can’t evolve?!”

[OilDerrick98: How do you know?]

[StutteringWidow: As expected, just looking at the group’s name, this must be a group chat for people like us. I used to be in the same situation as you as well. I was stuck because I couldn’t evolve. Our Great Sun helped me to evolve my avatar and since the Great Sun invited me to this place, it should be fine to tell this, right?]

[LonelyPond: Yes. I saw the group’s description, so I didn’t dare to ask. I wouldn’t lose my chance to evolve my avatar after all. According to the group’s description, everything in this group stays within this group.]

[StutteringWidow: Hell yeah. I just remembered and panicked earlier. I thought I met the same people, so I couldn’t help it.]

[LonelyPond: Anyway, to answer your question. This group seems to be made to gather people like us who have unique elements and are stuck.]

[SunSaintess: Hello! I am the Great Sun’s assistant. You can direct the question to me. Anyway, this is a new group chat where you can receive directions from the Great Sun directly. The purpose of this group is simple. It’s to help everyone with unique elements to evolve.]

[After some persuasion, the Great Sun agreed to expand the project, so there would be more people invited soon. You will receive your directions. As long as you follow the directions, you will be able to evolve.]

[However, I have to remind you that there are rules you need to follow.]

[1. You shall never divulge the information about this group to anyone. If an investigation proves that you are the snitch, you will be removed from the group and will be blacklisted by the Great Sun also. The Great Sun will not make any techniques related to your element anymore.]

[2. You may share your technique here, but you are not allowed to share it outside of this group, including with your family. Violating this rule will result in the same punishment.]

[3. If you have any questions, you can ask me about them. The Great Sun will rarely chat with you since the Great Sun is busy creating techniques. I will forward the message to the Great Sun and I will tell you if I receive the answer.]

[4. The rules may be expanded once the group is fully established. Be respectful toward each other and help each other.]

Derrick was speechless. He wondered if this was really the right place because it looked like a cult. He never joined the Sun Temple, so he never really knew about this.

However, the other two had joined the Sun Temple because they received the gathering techniques.

[StutteringWidow: Are you really the saintess? Has the Great Sun given you a prophecy?]

[SunSaintess: There is no information yet, but yes, I am working for the Great Sun right now. I won’t say anything regarding the Great Sun’s identity.]

[LonelyPond: What if someone leaves this group? There is a chance they’re threatening you like... exposing this group, right? I am not going to do it, but I hope that you have a plan ready. I don’t want the Great Sun to be troubled by this.]

[SunSaintess: You don’t have to worry about that. While it’s true that they can threaten the Great Sun, the Great Sun is not scared of threats. It will, at worst, only expose the existence of this group. We still have your personal information, so we might expose that person as well. The Great Sun might be disappointed and choose to stop illuminating our path entirely.]

[StutteringWidow: What? No way. Who is going to leave and stop us from evolving? I’m going to kill that person! Even if I have to go to jail, I’m not going to let anyone stop the Great Sun!]

[LonelyPond: That’s true. We need to stop that person before the Great Sun even gets involved. But how? No, just tell us that person’s identity. We’ll butcher that person for the Great Sun!]

Derrick was completely speechless. They were really insane. There was no one who could help a unique-element user evolve, so he thought these people were just roleplaying.

[OilDerrick98: So, you can help me evolve?]

[SunSaintess: Certainly. The Great Sun will review your information and tell you where to go. If you follow the instructions, you will receive a gathering technique specifically for your element. Using that gathering technique, you will be able to evolve. As long as you follow the rules, you will still be able to evolve again in the future.]

[LonelyPond: The saintess is right. I was stuck for almost a year. Thanks to the Great Sun, I could evolve. You wouldn’t receive the copy, but you received the instructions clearly enough to do it right away. I evolved within three days.]

[StutteringWidow: Yes, my case was similar. I received the gathering technique for my element and evolved in two days. I am currently progressing fast. If I’m allowed to receive the Great Sun’s blessing again, I will be able to evolve to rank 3 the next time!]

Derrick blinked a few times. He wondered if this truly worked. If he could really evolve and continue living a better life, following the Great Sun might not be that bad.

[OilDerrick98: Miss Saintess, what is the limit of the evolution? Can I... like reach rank 4?]

[SunSaintess: Rank 4 is too low. If you can continue on your path and grow stronger steadily, you will be able to surpass it. Who knows, maybe you will be fast enough to become the first unique-element user in history to achieve rank 6.]

Derrick trembled. The light in his eyes returned. This might truly be his opportunity. If he could really evolve, he would be able to stand proudly. He needed to be careful not to reveal anything about this group. He still wanted to get stronger after all.

[OilDerrick98: What should I do?]

[SunSaintess: Please wait. Right now, I’m still inviting the potential candidates who have been selected for the project. Once everyone is here, I will have to explain everything to everyone again. Then, the Great Sun will give instructions to each individual, including the time and place. This is a project for everyone. The Great Sun is planning to fund everything from your travel expenses to your accommodation if necessary.]

[StutteringWidow: Great Sun!!!]

[LonelyPond: I can work hard and donate some funds for my fellow brothers. Let’s band together so that the unique-element users in this country don’t have to suffer anymore! We will show those people that we can grow stronger as well!]

Auric was watching Katarina handle everything. It was definitely going smoothly, even though he really wanted to ask why Katarina had called herself SunSaintess.

Nevertheless, it looked like the project was going smoothly. Their desire to evolve would help him manage this group. Besides, Katarina was supervising everything, so she could report to him as soon as she noticed something wrong.