[BONUS] ORDER STANDARDS
[Thanks to Ian <3 (5/6)] © content.
Leonel chuckled to himself. Unfortunately, Aina's Force Pill Crafting methods relied on her Blood Sovereignty to Force Pill Craft.
'Well, knowing her, she could probably take another first place after creating an entirely different method. But I can't let them covet my wife too much, she's all mine.'
Leonel ducked instinctually, only recovering when he realized there wasn't a frying pan coming for his head.
He cleared his throat, clamped his hand behind his back, and continued his stroll.
...
Owlan Race.
Minerva sat in silence, reading over the mandate again and again.
Of course, this matter had been accepted by the Owlan Race on behalf of her. It was almost an amusing joke. Almost.
Elrik had been here not too long ago telling her that her only place was in bed with a big belly. And now, the entire Race was expecting her to lead the charge for their glory.
What a bunch of sick bastards.
As the Pavilion Head, she was nowhere near the strongest Owlan, but she was certainly the best Crafter.
That wasn't just because of her Dream Force, but it was also because she was among the very few who embraced her Minerva Race roots. She had been basking in this profession for all her life.
Of course, she was far above the cut-off age for this event. It would have to be her juniors that participated. However... this was all too useful to her.
The Pluto Race had decided to hold the Gathering of Minds for the first time in such a long time, and it was the Owlans who were chosen to host it?
Just how much leverage did this give her? What would all those bastards who kept saying they should distance themselves from the Minerva Race say now?
The strongest of the Gods had given them the right to take up the mantle of the Minerva Race. Didn't this prove that all their cowardice was worth next to nothing?
"Call Celestia," Minerva suddenly commanded.
As she waited, Minerva's thoughts were churning. Although all of this felt great, she felt that she was suddenly dancing to another's tune and it was a slightly uncomfortable feeling.
But she shrugged it off.
On the one hand, if this was the tune of the Plutos, at least for now, it was impossible to resist.
On the other, if she was just overthinking it, what was the point of wasting her time?
Soon, a beautiful young woman walked in with her wings tucked and her demeanor respectful to the point it seemed she mind bowed down and kowtow if Minerva gave the slightest inkling that that was what she wanted.
"How is your Crafting these days?" Minerva asked.
"Master, I've been doing okay."
"Your temperament is still the same. I've said to be more confident, so be more confident. I do not take dregs as disciples. You are the only disciple of I, Minerva, so carry yourself like it!"
Minerva spoke in a low shout, but she didn't seem to be truly angry.
"Yes, master!" Celestia said through gritted teeth. "I have reached a Sixth Order standard."
"Is that so... not bad. I will guide you personally to reach the Seventh in the coming months. Come."
Celestia's eyes lit up with excitement as she hurriedly followed after.
...
The Order Standards were a measurement of Crafting skill created by the Minerva Race. The particular standards that Minerva herself was referring to were the Demi-God versions.
There were simply too many variables to a Crafter's prowess. There was their Spirit, their Dream or Soul Force strength, and then there was their actual ingenuity and skill.
Depending on these matters, it could vary widely.
The reason why the Black to Life system Leonel was used to didn't work was because what could be considered Black or Bronze and above varied widely in a given world. There were some worlds where a Black Grade treasure could shatter a Life Grade one with ease.
Leonel had experienced the fluidity of these rankings personally after his Life Grade breakthrough. Back then, he had gained the ability to Craft "Black Grade" items that were really of the Life Grade.
These problems were things that everyone across Existence faced, so the Order Standards were introduced.
An Order Standard was the average of one's skill in multiple categories.
The first was Control. This referred to how well you could communicate with your Spirit and how well it responded to your commands. This also baked in skills like Finger Designations and dexterity.
The second was Knowledge. The sheer amount of information a Crafter had to take in was excessive, and how much of it one grasped would inevitably decide how effectively you could Craft in the first place.
The third was stamina and Dream Force. Even if you had all the Control and Knowledge in the world, if your Dream Force or Soul Force was too weak, and you lacked stamina in using them, you would never be able to finish a Craft.
At lower levels, you could just set aside a Craft and return to it later, but when the Life Grade was concerned, everything had to be done in one go, or how else would you guarantee the creation of a new "life"?
The fourth and final category was Ingenuity and Adaptability. It was a fluid category that was more difficult to measure than most, and yet it was maybe the most important of them.
A First Order Standard actually meant more than it seemed. A person who had reached this standard was considered a true Crafter in the eyes of even the Demi-Gods and they had quite some value.
A Fourth Order Standard was highly sought after, an individual capable of making forging treasures that could even harm Ninth Dimensional experts who had one Force in the Lower Life State.
At the Seventh Order... one could make treasures that even the Gods wouldn't snub their noses at.
The average for geniuses of the younger generation, even accounting for the Demi-God Race, was Third Order. And yet...
Celestia was at the Sixth.