Ren was speechless for a moment at their ideas.
"Your ideas are quite impressive."
"Each of you is even thinking of building a city."
One truly couldn't underestimate the imagination of some wealthy heirs and the children of officials. At least now, Ren understood what that phrase meant.
Sometimes, these people's sudden inspirations were truly terrifying.
Still, it was interesting.
Ren's lips curved slightly.
"I have to say, your proposal is indeed quite interesting."
"Since you've all decided this, then if there's anything you need help with, I can assist."
He had never thought about building a city before, but it was indeed an intriguing idea.
Especially what Kaguya had said about building a city that belongs to them.
That had piqued his interest.
Since everyone had this idea, he might as well take part in it too.
"Eh? Really?"
Chika's eyes instantly lit up as she floated toward Ren, her movements almost ethereal.
"Then, Ren, can you also make my mother a believer?"
"...Huh?"
Ren looked at her in surprise. He really couldn't understand why she would make such a strange request.
"If you want to bring your mom in, just say so. I lowered the influence of the Boon System precisely for believers. Didn't I say that?"
Chika's face brightened at first, but as he continued, her expression puffed up in protest.
"You didn't say that! You didn't say that at all!"
Ren belatedly realized he really hadn't said that. He had only mentioned that the Boon System's influence was reduced.
"Cough, my mistake, my mistake. I thought you would understand when I said I reduced the Boon System's influence. I didn't explicitly state it."
He coughed to hide his embarrassment, then continued formally.
"Regarding the Boon System, based on my modifications, the influence caused by blessings has been reduced to a point where it's almost negligible."
"Although this method greatly weakens the power of the blessings, there's no need to worry about those blessed being influenced by me as they grow."
"The only limitation is that the number of blessed individuals can't be too many, since managing them all would be troublesome."
Ren wasn't sure how many blessed individuals a proper Sefirot could create.
However, for him, there was no strict limit.
It was just that managing too many would become quite troublesome.
He wanted to develop believers, but that didn't mean he wanted them to grow without control. Before solving the issue of management, he didn't plan to increase the number of his followers significantly.
At least not the kind that granted power.
"Then I want to speak for my older sister and younger sister. Oh, and my mother too."
After hearing this condition, Chika immediately and boldly took the opportunity to secure blessings for her family.
Ren nodded slightly, then turned to the others.
Sakuya was the first to speak up.
"Ah, my family can be excluded for now."
"My family is full of troublesome people. My younger brother is annoying, and my illegitimate older brother is... well, abnormal."
"If they get involved, I'm afraid things might spiral out of control."
"Let's wait before discussing that."
Considering her own unreliable family, Sakuya made a decisive choice.
If you didn't give them anything, there was no problem. But once you did, things would definitely become troublesome.
"Ren, please reserve a spot for my mother."
Hayasaka, who had been quietly listening, spoke up.
"Recently, my mother has started taking on more work for the Shinomiya family. I hope she can also gain a power."
Ren nodded. That was a reasonable request.
"Ren, I'd like to ask for a spot for my mom too."
Ran thought for a moment before deciding to ask as well.
"Your father?"
Ren immediately thought of Mouri Kogoro.
Ran's face showed a hint of distress.
"Dad and I live together now. I'm worried that if he gets involved, he might notice something strange."
"And with his carefree and sometimes crude personality, I'd rather not let him know too much for now."
If possible, she would've wanted her father to be blessed too.
But considering his unreliable nature, she didn't want to cause unnecessary trouble for Ren. Her mother, on the other hand, was much more dependable.
Sonoko, who understood Ran's feelings well, gently patted her shoulder.
"Indeed, that uncle really isn't reliable, especially with that shrunken detective nearby. It's better not to involve him."
Then she turned to Ren.
"So, I'll try to secure one for my dad and mom too."
Ren nodded slightly, glancing at the others to confirm their requests. Then he spoke.
"In that case, we can meet separately later, and they can choose their powers themselves."
"The specific time can be arranged after you've spoken with your families."
Everyone agreed.
Choosing different powers naturally required the individuals themselves to decide, and they also needed to discuss it with their families.
Once the serious matters were settled, the atmosphere in the club relaxed again.
Sonoko glanced at the TV screen, where a game was playing, and suddenly remembered something.
"Speaking of which, Nagi, do you know about 'Cocoon,' that thing that's been really popular overseas lately?"
Nagi, who was playing, paused for a moment.
"Ah, you mean that powerful AI and virtual reality technology."
Since it was game-related, Nagi knew about it, though she wasn't particularly interested.
"A powerful AI is something that shouldn't exist in this era, and the virtual reality technology that came with it isn't a product of this time either."
"By definition, the difference between a powerful AI and an ordinary one lies in self-awareness. Current technology clearly isn't advanced enough to control such things. Once a self-aware AI appears, it'll definitely cause serious problems."
Nagi was almost certain that the company controlling that AI was headed for trouble.
Once humans created an AI capable of moving freely through the network and possessing self-awareness, it would mean that AI could control everything connected to the internet within human society.
"It's like the question of whether God can create a stone that even He can't lift. If He can't lift it, then it's not something no one can lift. But if He can't lift it, how could He have created it in the first place?"
"With powerful AI being uncontrollable, its emergence will only bring chaos."
"So, don't mess with that kind of thing lightly. It's easy to get burned."
(To be continued.)