In the midst of that lush crystal desert, humans remained on high alert. The crystal beings that attacked them revealed a considerable threat, and the prospect of a possible increase in the number of these creatures left them uneasy. Faced with this scenario, they decided to leave, returning to the safety of the vast sandy expanse of the desert.

Ariana, observing the scene from above, was surprised by the intensity of the sudden attack. Her curiosity to see how some living beings would interact led her to witness the surprising territoriality of the crystallines.

As she watched, she noticed some crystallines moving like automatons within the crystal desert. These creatures didn't feed, didn't communicate; they simply wandered as if programmed for a specific task.

With the sudden destruction of two crystallines, the large crystals around them shone brightly, as if sensing a loss, and suddenly, one of the imposing crystals split open, revealing the figure of another crystalline.

A thought crossed Ariana's mind: "Useless." After all, these creatures seemed to serve no significant purpose other than aimless wandering. However, upon reconsideration, observing the previous attack, she saw these crystallines as small guardians dedicated to protecting the precious crystals that composed the landscape.

Ariana sighed, feeling boredom setting in, realizing there would be nothing more of particular interest to witness at that moment. The humans were almost out of the desert, and the Goddess wished to find something more intriguing.

With a step forward in the air, Ariana materialized elsewhere, near the forest of giant trees, where she had created the elementals.

Something immediately caught her attention. The small elementals were gathered, using their magic to weave a barrier around the forest, making it practically invisible to any external observer.

The Goddess realized they had decided to make that forest their home, an idea she found interesting. This forest, shaped by her manipulation of the terrain, could naturally arise in other parts of Arcadia as well.

Entering the forest, Ariana concealed her presence so as not to distract the elementals. The landscape had already been transformed by their presence; some places displayed frozen trees, while others revealed large newly-created lakes.

However, a conflict unfolded between the nature elementals and the fire elementals. It seemed the fire elementals sought to establish their dominance by destroying a part of the forest, while the nature elementals resisted vehemently.

Ariana watched anxiously, knowing these elementals had the purpose of creating the magical abilities of Arcadia. Until then, all magical abilities of Arcadia's creatures were a result of the laws of the universe. However, Ariana had decided to create living beings capable of exerting total control over some of these abilities. Thus, the elementals emerged, destined to create and integrate the abilities of their respective elements in Arcadia, allowing them to be acquired naturally or through training. The Goddess eagerly awaited the unfolding of this process.

Ariana decided to open her System interface; it had been a while since she had checked how things were.

[Name: Ariana] [Goddess Rank: Beginner Goddess] [Worlds: 1] [Arcadia] [Followers: 237] [Creation Points: 2204] [Title: Queen of Drinks] [Purchase Interface] [Small World: 5000 Creation Points] [1] [Medium World: 10000 Creation Points] [Large World: 17500 Creation Points] [Fertile Soil: 100 Creation Points] [1] [Creation of Living Being: 50 Creation Points] [Mass Creation of Living Beings: 200 Creation Points] [1] [Creation of Biomes: 250 Creation Points]

Since the last time Ariana accessed the System, her followers and creation points had increased considerably due to the fifty years that had passed. Her initial plans involved creating two new living beings, and with the creation of the elementals, there was still a "Mass Creation of Living Beings" option.

As time advanced, Ariana refined her understanding of her own powers. However, she still hesitated to create living beings without the direct assistance of the System. The options "Creation of Living Being" or "Mass Creation of Living Beings" offered the ability to create any creature perfectly, providing an experience that made it seem easy and natural to use her powers for such a purpose. It was as if the System temporarily granted her maximum mastery in the ability to create living beings.

However, the creation of power for Angely, which involved a time-consuming process, made Ariana fear getting stuck in a similar situation. Angely spent years creating only a few living beings, and Ariana feared wasting so much time. Therefore, even using the System to speed up the creation process, she recognized the need not to rely exclusively on this tool.

Faced with this dilemma, Ariana decided to try creating her first living being on her own. She chose a common forest nearby and spent hours focused on attempting to materialize a living being. However, most of that time was marked by frustrating attempts. Mentalizing everything she wanted in the living being became a challenge, especially when trying to infuse consciousness.

After several attempts, Ariana began to better understand the intricate process of creating living beings. She developed a more efficient approach, dividing her mind into several sections, each focused on a specific aspect of the living being. One part took care of the appearance, another of consciousness, and so on.

With determination and success, Ariana gave life to some of her newest creations: the Elves, magical beings that inhabited forests, similar to those she used to see in movies, series, and cartoons. The beauty of the Elves was dazzling, reflecting Ariana's effort to ensure they embodied the beauty and youth she remembered. With their captivating green eyes, pale skin, slim figures, and an aura of elegance, the Elves were a vivid expression of Ariana's imagination and her growing mastery over her divine powers.

As the Elves awakened to consciousness, their curious looks surveyed the new environment around them. Their innate instincts indicated that they posed no threat to each other. Led by an Elf who used some form of communication, the group ventured deeper into the forest, exploring their new home. Ariana, attentive to details, made sure there were no threatening predators in the forest that could endanger the Elves, after the dedicated effort to bring them to life.

The Elves, along with the Primordial Fairies and Humans, stood out as the most intelligent groups of living beings in Arcadia. The next step was to await the development of the Elves and observe how they would adapt to the environment of Arcadia and interact with other forms of life.

Meanwhile, in the desert, the group of humans headed towards the vegetation-covered mountains, glimpsed in the distance as a possible exit from the desert. Fatigue began to affect some members of the group, leading a healer to question if what they saw was not a mirage. A warrior nearby responded uncertainly, suggesting the possibility.

In the midst of this conversation, Noah let out a discreet laugh, but his expression changed abruptly when he came across a chest almost entirely buried in the sand. Intrigued, he tried various ways to open it, including using his abilities, but the chest seemed indestructible. Not a scratch appeared on its surface. Noah, even as an experienced warrior, couldn't open the chest.

Deciding to continue the journey towards the mountains, Noah took the chest with him, leaving the group intrigued by the mystery surrounding that indestructible object.