The words carried different weight when speaking them about himself.

It was not authority directed outward but recognition turned inward!

The green-gold leaves that materialized around him seemed more personal, more knowing, as if they could see every effort he had ever made, every struggle he had pushed through, every moment he had chosen to continue when stopping would have been easier.

|Harvest Festival Endowment activated|

|Target: Self|

|Measuring existence and worthiness...|

|Warning: Recursive loop detected|

|One who grants harvest harvesting from themselves|

|Calculating paradox resolution...|

|Resolution found: Effort to help others harvest creates its own harvest|

|Complexity gained: +24,000,000,000|

|Purity gained: +24,000,000,000|

BOOM!

The influx of power was immediate but controlled, flowing back into him with the particular satisfaction of effort recognized. His complexity soared past 50 billion again even though it was halved not too long ago!

But Noah wasn’t finished. If the cost for him was only twenty-five billion per Glyph, then why stop at one?

"Forge the second Early Living Existential Seed Glyph."

...!

Goodness.

He really kept going!

|Warning: Multiple Seed Glyphs of same Principle.|

|Calculating possibility...|

|Determination: Theoretically viable|

|Proceeding with formation...|

Another twenty-five billion drained from his existence, but this time the sensation was different. The second Glyph formed not on his forehead but on his right palm, as if his body was creating a constellation of Seeds of Principles across his form. The formation was faster this time, his existence already familiar with the pattern.

Patterns, runes, glyphs...the familiarity was unique!

|Second Early Living Existential Seed Glyph - Principle of Perpetual Harvest successfully forged|

|Synergy detected between multiple Glyphs!|

|Capabilities enhanced by 50% due to resonance|

Without pause, driven by the particular greed of someone who had learned that power seized quickly was often power that lasted, Noah commanded once more.

"Forge the third Early Living Existential Seed Glyph."

...!

|The Weavings of the Protagonist approve current actions with fervor!|

|The weavings of Cheats say more, more!|

The drain this time brought his complexity down to levels that felt almost vulnerable after the heights he had reached.

But vulnerability was relative...he still possessed more power than most beings would accumulate in lifetimes.

And even though a single glyph cost 25 Billion for him...each one actually cost and had the weight of 100 Billion Complexity and Purity!

And was that not the marker of...an Honored Living Existence?

"..."

The third Glyph began forming on his left palm, creating perfect symmetry with the second. The Shore itself seemed to hold its breath as this unprecedented triple formation neared completion.

|Third Glyph forming...|

|Resonance increasing exponentially...|

|Warning: Approaching Principle tolerance limit...|

|Third Early Living Existential Seed Glyph - Principle of Perpetual Harvest complete!|

|Maximum Seed Glyphs reached for current access level|

|1% Principle authority cannot support additional Glyphs|

|Attempting formation of fourth Glyph will result in failure|

...!

Noah felt the truth of this limitation...his existence was practically vibrating with the power of three Seed Glyphs!

But even knowing this, a part of him wondered...

"Forge the fourth Early Living Existential Seed Glyph."

The command emerged despite the warning, driven by curiosity about what failure at this level would mean.

|Formation attempted...|

|Insufficient Principle access|

|Formation failed|

|However: Effort has been made|

|Effort Multiplication recognizes attempt|

|Even failure plants seeds for future success|

|Complexity gained: +1,000,000,000|

|Purity gained: +1,000,000,000|

...!

"Haha!"

Noah smiled and even laughed at this ridiculous revelation...even his failures would yield harvest now. The Principle didn’t punish attempts that couldn’t succeed; it rewarded the effort of trying!

"Again!"

He made his intent known with but a word!

|Formation of a fourth Early Living Existential Seed Glyph - Principle of Perpetual Harvest attempted again...|

|Insufficient Principle access|

|Formation failed|

|However: Effort has been made|

|Effort Multiplication recognizes attempt|

|Even failure plants seeds for future success. But since it is the same failure, harvest is reduced|

|Complexity gained: +500,000,000|

|Purity gained: +500,000,000|

...!

Okay.

So the reward for the same failures reduced, but Perpetual Harvest was teuly astonishing as the first Principle Noah gained acess to was truly a ridiculous one!

He could feel the power coursing through him now, three Glyphs pulsing in synchronization. His forehead bore the primary Glyph, glowing with steady authority. His palms each held secondary Glyphs that seemed eager to be used, to grant endowments, to recognize effort wherever it might be found.

With this new power singing through his existence, Noah turned his attention to other matters. His perception brushed against the Seed of Inevitability, feeling its slow but steady progress toward blooming. It felt would need more time, but time was something they had.

He opened his eyes fully, taking in the sight of his gathered companions. The Infiniverse floated on her verdant throne-leaf, power radiating from her transformed state.

Ruination stood with her dress of ruptured existence rippling in winds that didn’t exist, her nature as an Early Living Ruin making reality uncertain around her edges.

Sigrid maintained her split presence, one body still listening to the Queen of Matter’s endless Fables while the other watched him with interest that transcended simple curiosity.

Moiraine observed everything with the particular intensity of someone observing experiences for future reference.

When Noah spoke, his voice carried the calm certainty of someone who had found their next step on an infinite path.

"The Festival will continue here, tended by those who know their purposes." His gaze swept across the Tenders, who were still efficiently distributing the harvest to all who desired it. "The Shore itself will manage what needs managing."

He stepped forward, and the three Glyphs pulsed in unison, creating an aurora of green-gold light that made him appear as something glorious.

"But we have depths to explore. The Primordial Early Excavation Depths await, and within them lie materials from the Earliest Folds. Ores that can enhance our Shore. Crystals that can accelerate our growth. Memories that might teach us what we don’t know we need to learn..."

He smiled as he said this because...was this not his discipline? His effort?

To continue doing things and not simply lie back and rest just because he achieved something great?!

And man...it felt good to simply do things!