Game World: I Can Share Talents

A room somewhere in the lower levels of the Crimson Throne, in the Xuli Capital.

When there were no battles to be fought, Wan Qi usually kept to herself in some quiet corner, writing in a diary that seemed to have no end.

’Year 658 of the Xuli calendar, fourth month...’

’My love, just as you predicted, I have been hailed as a savior. I have become a symbol of faith, much like the heavens above. A grand deification movement has elevated me to heights I never before reached.’

’If false faith can bring hope, then true strength can do so all the more. I have become the people’s faith... I don’t like this. I don’t want to be worshipped in the slightest, but if this is part of fulfilling my destiny, I will accept it gladly.’

’The war is not going in our favor. We have nothing left but the Crimson Throne, the final bastion of our civilization.’

’But I will not question our victory, because you said I would succeed. You said it was my destiny. Therefore, it must be so, without a doubt.’

’The war may yet drag on for a long, long time, but that doesn’t matter. At least I am no longer stretched too thin. I have the resolve to see this through...’

Wan Qi wrote on and off for a long while before stopping, still feeling she had more to say. She rose and left the room.

There was a war council meeting today to discuss the defense of the Crimson Throne. As the supreme leader of their entire civilization, she had to be present to make the final decisions, even if she wasn’t keen on giving orders.

When Wan Qi arrived at the assembly hall on a lower level, all the attendees had already gathered and were waiting.

"Venerable Lord."

"Venerable Lord..."

As the greetings echoed around her, Wan Qi gave a calm nod and said:

"Have you finished discussing how to arrange the Crimson Throne’s defenses? The next wave will arrive soon."

"...Regarding that, our research has actually had a new breakthrough. It might be able to completely change the course of the war."

The High Tier researchers exchanged a look, then presented a report to Wan Qi.

"We’ve carefully studied the manuscripts left behind by Qinghui and discovered that Soul Bone Metal is not just a key to breaking one’s limits—it can contain souls... both the user’s own and those of others. Therefore, we conducted some... unspeakable experiments and finally completed this research."

"We can now store purified souls within Soul Bone Metal, with almost no capacity limit."

"Store... souls... in Soul Bone Metal?"

Wan Qi recognized every word, but the combination made her frown slightly.

"Yes, it’s entirely possible. And as long as they’re stored in the Soul Bone Metal, these souls can be extracted and used as energy at any time, becoming the highest quality fuel."

"This is also an opportunity for all those without the necessary aptitude to achieve the Extraordinary. According to researcher Qinghui’s theory of ascension, this should fulfill the conditions of the path, because all our souls would belong to one great individual..."

The more they spoke, the more wrong it sounded. Wan Qi frowned in thought for a moment before displaying a rare flash of anger:

"You!"

SHUFFLE—

Before Wan Qi could unleash her anger, everyone in the assembly hall dropped to their knees in unison, petitioning her:

"Venerable Lord, we have resolved to entrust our souls to you! Please, use them as you see fit in the battles to come!"

"I have laid countless compatriots to rest, and now you want to irresponsibly place your souls in my hands, telling me to ’use them as I see fit’... Such words..."

Wan Qi looked at the people kneeling before her, her eyelids lowered as she spoke coldly:

"How despicable... and cruel."

"My Lord, you are absolutely right."

The one prostrating himself at Wan Qi’s feet was the former Xuli Leader. He admitted it without reservation:

"We are just that cowardly and incompetent. We have exhausted our strength and wisdom, yet we could not find a path to salvation. So we can only beg, only hope against hope... how wonderful it would be if there was someone who could save us. And our hope is you."

"We have given up struggling, given up thinking, and given up on the battles yet to come. We are unwilling and too afraid to face them any longer."

"We have become deserters in the final war, insatiably seeking to ascend to the heavens. We are fully aware of our own selfishness and depravity, but we truly... truly cannot bear to face such a terrifying enemy again."

The former Xuli Leader’s voice choked with emotion. He fell silent for a moment before crying out in a heart-wrenching voice:

"But even if we become mindless spirits, we will still sing your praises! Whether the final destination is destruction or rebirth, and no matter what fate we might face, we will not have a single trace of resentment!"

"This word, this oath, is absolutely true!"

Wan Qi’s eyelids drooped, her crimson eyes casting a dim, sorrowful light as she said slowly:

"You want me to build a kingdom upon my heart, to make me bear the weight of an entire civilization alone."

"My Lord!"

The former Xuli Leader kowtowed deeply. "We beg for your mercy..."

Wan Qi’s crimson gaze swept over everyone in the hall before she spoke:

"Is this your decision, or..."

"It is not a decision we made on our own!"

The former Xuli Leader said immediately, "It is the decision of everyone! My Lord, please... listen to our voices."

Something suddenly dawned on Wan Qi. She raised her head and strode quickly out of the Crimson Throne’s palace.

!!!!

Leaving the lower level and just stepping out of the main gate, Wan Qi saw a sea of people.

From the giant plaza in front of the Crimson Throne’s palace to every street in the outer districts, every available space was packed with people.

A hundred thousand? A million? Ten million?

As far as the eye could see, there was nothing but a dense, dark mass of people, all prostrating on the ground, quietly awaiting the arrival of their Venerable Lord.

A breathtaking spectacle of grandeur and supplication.

Wan Qi paused for a moment, then continued walking forward.

The sea of people parted automatically. No one blocked Wan Qi’s path, but the kneeling mortals on either side reached out, carefully touching the hem of her pure white robe that trailed on the ground, as if touching this sacred corner would grant them a path straight to the heavens.

"Venerable Lord... we beg for your mercy."

"My Lord..."

"Oh, God... have mercy on us."

An old veteran, all four of his limbs replaced by prosthetics, gently touched the hem of Wan Qi’s robe, looked up, and pleaded:

"Venerable Lord, I followed you into thirty battles. To carry out the will of the heavens, I had long since disregarded my own life and death... But in the last battle, I was frozen by fear. I... I couldn’t even lift my weapon anymore."

"Please, don’t let me die a coward. I am willing to give my soul into your hands. I don’t ask to ascend to the heavens; use my soul as currency in your hands, do with it as you please. Just don’t let me die in such a pathetic way..."

"I beg you... have mercy."

Wan Qi remained silent and continued walking forward.

A young girl kowtowed, her face streaked with tears.

"Venerable Lord, I don’t want to fall from grace and become one of those walking dead Monsters! I’m so scared... I’m so scared of suffering such a torment..."

"I beg you... let my soul be entrusted to you. Take me... and let me ascend to the heavens."

"I beg for your mercy..."

Wan Qi remained silent and continued walking forward.

An Ascetic who constantly whipped himself touched Wan Qi’s robe and wept with joy, a low growl rumbling in his throat.

"Venerable Lord, please become a god! This is our every wish, our every hope! Use our souls as the stairway for your ascent to the heavens! We ask for nothing else!"

"We beg for your mercy!"

Wan Qi remained silent and continued walking forward.

...

Wan Qi walked through the endless murmurs and pleas until she reached the edge of the crowd. Just as she was about to leave the vast sea of people, the gray-haired savior stopped.

She turned around.

A single, clear tear fell from her crimson eye, tracing a path down her cheek. Her bloodless lips trembled slightly, her voice nearly inaudible.

But she was clearly saying:

"Alright."

"I will answer your prayers. I will take you... and we will ascend to the heavens."