Chapter 1361
Chapter 1361 - 1347 The Urgent Deity
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8 min read
In the trading market of the grand bazaar, every week saw the rise and fall of planets with populations of tens of millions or even billions.
Reality was that in this increasingly polluted multi-universe, where most races and planets were trying to climb over other victims, misfortune and nightmares were always the main theme.
"Since life is destined to be terrible, we might as well adapt. If a world has to climb over other dimensions to survive, why can’t it be ours..."
The Earth of this timeline was deteriorating, with its level of pollution increasing daily, a rate that was at least one and a half times higher than before the Nirvana Plan was implemented.
"Our world added a total of six hundred and seventy gods last year, while the Exotic Realm saw more than three times this number. The ’actual area’ of our world has expanded at least sixfold. The stability of our plane’s rules has also significantly increased, as has the average level of the population and professionals. This is a period of rapid development, our very own Golden Age..."
The Golden Age was a term many had come to recognize; at least on Earth’s television, various mentions of "gold" bombarded with information, making even ordinary citizens feel that the era was indeed favorable, with better days ahead.
The most noticeable change was the vast number of new gods linking, the successful (plundering) fusion of world rules and World Keystones, increased world stability, and a significant reduction in accidental incidents in Secret Realms and Spatial Rifts, making advancement much easier for professionals, and even delaying outbursts.
The dawn of a new era was bound to bring many pigs flying against the wind... Lu Ping’an never denied this "Qi Yun"; he even hoped to soar higher before the storm subsided, before the era stabilized, and most of the easy gains had been shared.
"If I could manage to deal with them as well..."
Looking at the bustling crowd in the courtyard, there was one family unable to lift their heads from angering the Big Cat and being reprimanded (Eve: I have canine genes!), some training juniors and fellow alumni from Ancient City University (led by Xueyi), a group of Beastmen brothers clashing (Xue En: Doesn’t anyone want to spar with me?), and mortals busy in the factories...
"...I seem unable to stop. Since I can’t stop, I might as well floor the accelerator."
Lu had long ceased to be alone; his personal growth was linked to his team’s growth, and the team’s benefits and growth were connected to countless others.
One could say that every morning when he got up, many were waiting for him to dine...
At this time, if he did not "seek personal gain," it was probably not out of great selflessness, but rather pure foolishness... If you can’t even ensure the interests of those following you, how can you save humanity? Do you really believe it yourself?
Lu Ping’an needed to rebuild a "My Town" on Mercury 42, a fallback for himself and the Ancient City as well as a "home" and stable logistical base for his companions who had journeyed with him.
Once he gained the town and its residents, he could establish factories, schools, and the entertainment industry, creating economic and industrial chains.
Then, his team’s old pals could retire with a pension, or even if disabled, find a job. Their families, races, and offspring would have additional paths to choose from.
Even the professionals needed resources and space to grow, not to mention that a Beast Tamer couldn’t possibly tame a large swarm of beasts on Earth, as their limit was hard to exceed.
Especially considering that, in Lu Ping’an’s view through the Eye of Truth, the energy level of Mercury 42 was actually quite high, its stability perhaps no worse than Earth’s... a reality probably unknown to most Quasi-Gods.
"Is that Moon God also eyeing Mercury 42?"
Lu Ping’an, sitting at his stall in the market, saw many people, bantered with few, and made even fewer sales.
This was mainly because the nominal conditions of Mercury 42 were indeed mediocre, having suffered from an invasion from the Exotic Realm, and the Lin Nu’s Church having already claimed a large area, which meant that newcomers were likely to encounter an "encirclement."
"...My Deity is alone, and she along with her Demigods are always the minority, no matter which world."
After the initial contact, the first one to rush over was a Rule-level Saphire people big shot...probably the strongest Moon Goddess Knight Lu Ping’an had ever met, and turned out to be a Divine.
She had parachuted in from the Red Star Republic by special means, an action that unavoidably revealed an anxious mood.
And such a posture, obviously begging for aid, was a big taboo during business negotiations.
"...I’ve heard that your god... uh, you can see that I also take on a low-level side job as a Moon Goddess Knight, so saying ’our god’ isn’t wrong either. It seems like you’ve encountered some minor difficulties. For instance, that Mr. Boris..."
Lu Ping’an did not beat around the bush but directly asked the straightforward question.
Lu Ping’an’s "proficient Saphire language" and the Saphire artisan work in the space of conversation had given the self-named "Moon Ring" Bishop some reassurance.
As for the part-time "Moon Goddess Knight" the other party mentioned... that was something to be taken lightly, no one took it seriously.
"So, you also know about it? It’s a helpless and sad reality..."
"This is out of respect for you and your deities."
Boris T. Androv, known as "Banshee," was a rather powerful singer who had reached the level of Quasi-God... Now probably over two hundred years old, he was a product of an older era, born from nobility in an imperial court of what was once the Red Star Republic.
That background wasn’t an issue, but some people tend to take things to extremes. Boris was called Banshee not only due to his naturally banshee-like voice but also because he created many "banshees," a type of armless winged creature with legs transformed into feathered tails... If one were to take this seriously, heaven knows how many times he could be sentenced to death, considering that the best and cheapest materials for humanoid biological modifications are human beings themselves.
In the era of changing times, he caught the fast train of the era, sweeping the old-time nobles under the rug and becoming the most famous singer and soprano of the time.
"...He is a trouble, and the worst part is, even if we don’t agree with him, there might be worse options."
The Red Star Republic, in some aspects, is far more extreme than the Eastern Country to the south.
Disloyalty, if not purely loyal, is absolute disloyalty. In the Eastern Country it might be a joke, but in the Republic, it can be a reason for someone to force you into the frontline trenches based on occasional speech and complaints.
The Moon God is powerful, and the Twin body system could potentially transform a world; such a national treasure is naturally held tightly in their hands.
Therefore, even without Boris, the high-level "relative," the other options are similarly bound by "loyalty."
"...Our god can only accept the Goddess as a partner, and among their candidates, the only one unacceptable to our lord is an old ghost granny."
"Then why come to us?!"
"The Red Star Republic operates on a ’pre-arranged system’; you agree first, handle the business, and protest later... I can’t understand such customs. What’s the point of protesting at that time?"
The Bishop went around in circles but ultimately spoke the plain truth.
"Only if the Eastern Country accepts the Moon God and leaves this planet, will the full scope of the plan not conflict, and then those people from the Red Star can accept it."
This indeed seemed to be the plain truth. If the Moon God opted to jump to the Western camp, they would immediately be branded a traitor and might even be hunted down directly.
And in the Eastern camp, the only ones who could handle this situation and not worry about offending the Red Star, were indeed the Eastern Country whose strength already exceeded the others by a notch.
"...Also, some Saphire people made connections. We know about you and your team. We are natural allies complementing each other’s advantages."
Well, this, perhaps, was the real reason after all.
— End of Chapter 1361 —