Zero chuckled, knowing well that Yoko thrived on complex and intriguing projects. "Rest assured, my dear Yoko, these projects are anything but simple," he replied, his eyes gleaming with excitement. "The first one involves a particular artifact that I recently created—this is a cradle or seed, so I call it. This red egg was crafted by me to create a living magical familiar; however, it is incomplete," explained Zero as he pulled the incomplete seed out of his shadow storage.

Yoko's eyes sparkled with interest, and she leaned in closer, her curiosity piqued. "An artifact created from your power over life and souls? Count me in," she exclaimed eagerly. "I love a good troubleshooting of an artifact. So what makes it incomplete?"

Zero grinned mischievously, enjoying Yoko's enthusiasm. "Everything, I'm afraid," he admitted. "The seed or cradle is supposed to create a special loyal familiar for the one who hatches it. The process works by feeding the egg blood as a black sphere forms at the center of the egg. Since it already contains a soul, it will create a living creature rather than a magical construct like other familiars. Once the blood coalesces into the black sphere, the user needs to pour their mana into the egg until it feels full, which becomes obvious when the egg becomes less and less transparent. Once that is done, the egg hatches, birthing a creature that is fully bonded with its user."

Yoko's eyes gleamed with delight as she absorbed Zero's words. "It sounds fascinating," she exclaimed. "If I’m not mistaken, that lizard you gave Avarus was born from one of these, correct? So the issue is not the process of creation but rather the binding, correct? Also, did you bleed our child to create that lizard?"

Zero shook his head and said, “No, that dragon was created from my own blood, and it was basically a failure, but I didn’t want to kill it. Avarus seemed to like it, so I helped him form a manual contract with it. I created the sigil and allowed him to take it over with his mana to make the contract since forming a sigil is impossible for him as a baby.”

Yoko's eyes widened with anticipation, her thirst for discovery unabated. "Hmm so we’ll have to rework the entire process from the beginning then," she exclaimed, her voice filled with wonder. "Now what’s the other project?"

“I want to create elemental spirits in this world. While traveling I noticed that this world is full of mana but it is pure mana, thus allowing for them to use it differently from your world. Here they simply need to speak words to control mana in the air to create effects, and that magic is called lingua. In your world, one uses the mana held within their souls to activate magic through the use of sigils and runes. The people of this world cannot hold mana in their souls, thus producing weak souls. No matter how strong a body is if the soul lacks strength, then they cannot wield any true power,” explained Zero.

Yoko tilted her head in confusion and asked, “What does that have to do with why you want to create elemental spirits?”

Zero smirked as he explained. “It’s simple; I want to make a race of spirits that can bond with the different races. This will grant them a little bit of power, but the true purpose is to slowly strengthen the soul rank of the people of this world generation by generation. If we find out this world is a safe place with no other deities around, then I’d like to develop it a little bit.”

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Yoko's expression shifted from confusion to intrigue as she absorbed Zero's explanation. The prospect of creating elemental spirits and gradually strengthening the souls of the people in this world fascinated her. It was a unique and ambitious project that held the potential to shape the course of this realm's future.

"I see," Yoko replied, her voice filled with contemplation. "So by bonding with these elemental spirits, mortals in this world will gain a small measure of power, while also gradually developing stronger souls over generations. It's an ingenious way to elevate the potential of the inhabitants and pave the path for their growth."

Zero nodded, pleased with Yoko's understanding. "Exactly," he affirmed. "It's a long-term investment, but one that could bring about significant changes. By infusing this world with elemental spirits and gradually strengthening the souls of its people, we can foster a society capable of wielding greater power and understanding magic on a deeper level. It will be a slow process, but with time, the impact could be substantial. As a goddess of magic, I thought you might be intrigued by this plan. Also, an added boon will be crafting a race that we can leave the maintenance of this world to."

Yoko's eyes widened with realization, her fascination deepening as she grasped the full extent of Zero's plan. The concept of creating a race of elemental spirits not only to empower mortals but also to entrust them with the maintenance of this world resonated with her deeply. It was an opportunity to forge a symbiotic relationship, where the spirits and mortals would mutually benefit from their connection.

A smile tugged at the corners of Yoko's lips as she responded, her voice laced with excitement. "Zero, this is truly a remarkable vision," she exclaimed. "To create a race of spirits that not only enhances the potential of the mortals but also ensures the preservation of this world and inspires them to travel the road of magic more deeply—it's a concept that aligns perfectly with my interest as a goddess of magic. I'm more than intrigued, I'm exhilarated by the possibilities."

Zero's smirk widened into a genuine smile, pleased to see Yoko's enthusiasm matching his own. "I knew you'd understand the significance of this undertaking," he said, his voice filled with satisfaction. " We'll need to study the existing magical creatures and the gems that form in their bodies. I believe if we figure out how they coalesce mana into their bodies and alter the pure mana into elemental mana, we could create a pure spiritual elemental. Then we can devise a method to imbue a few of the four races with their power while ensuring the stability of the power. It will require extensive research and experimentation, but I have no doubt that we are up to the challenge.”

Yoko nodded eagerly, her mind already racing with ideas and possibilities. "Studying the existing magical creatures and their mana coalescence process is an excellent starting point," she agreed. "Understanding how they harness and manipulate mana within their bodies will provide valuable data. Once we analyze the gems formed within their bodies, decipher the intricate processes involved, and devise a way to replicate, improve, and modify those mechanisms for our purposes."

Zero's eyes gleamed with anticipation as he added, "And once we've successfully created the pure spiritual elementals, we can begin the process of imbuing a select few representatives from each of the four races with their power. It will require careful selection and consideration, ensuring that the individuals chosen are capable of harmoniously bonding with the elementals and utilizing their abilities to their fullest potential. We'll need to develop a method to test compatibility and establish a strong bond between the mortals and the spirits. We should maybe start capturing bandits for some test subjects."

Yoko's excitement grew with each passing moment, her mind already formulating plans and strategies. "Yes, compatibility testing will be crucial," she affirmed. "We might need you to modify their souls slightly to increase durability. This will help us find the most suitable match between the individuals and the elemental spirits. Additionally, we should consider establishing a magical program here that teaches them to gather mana within themselves to see which individuals hold the most potential."