I Have a God Simulator

Harlow didn’t know much about world rules.

He wasn’t a Pioneer and couldn’t provide any practical, step-by-step help.

Luh Yao could only try things out one by one on his own.

He started by experimenting with the Banquet Bird World.

In this Gravel World, King Wuzi was still leading the Wuzi Race to excavate and collect All-Purpose Stones, leaving holes all over the world.

Luh Yao found the entry for [Death] in the backend and filtered down to the related terms [Ghost] and [Dead]. However, within these sub-terms, there was no description or definition for the Netherworld or one-way anchoring.

For cross-verification, Luh Yao checked his other two worlds, Yunzhong Temple and the Yao Race World, but found no related records there either.

He came to a preliminary conclusion: the one-way anchor pointing the many worlds to the Netherworld, and the channel for Ghosts to enter it, were hidden deeper within the world rules.

’Either not even a Main God can change this rule, or the relevant description is hidden in some clever way.’

Regardless of which it was, Luh Yao had no way to deal with it at the moment.

He couldn’t help but think.

’It would be great if I could just choose a gathering point for the Ghosts... like soldiers in a strategy game who, after training in the barracks, are all designated to assemble at the training grounds.’

’That’s it.’

’I can use that method!’

’I can’t touch the Netherworld channel and the one-way anchor, but I can work with the [Ghost] entry.’

Luh Yao immediately began writing a new rule in the backend of the Banquet Bird World.

He added a new command under the [Ghost] entry.

—All Ghosts will temporarily stop at the [Sand Tower].

This command was very vague, intended to test the basic mechanism. Creating the new rule cost 20,000 Faith.

Luh Yao clicked confirm and waited for the rule to take effect in the world.

About half an hour later, a Ghost actually appeared next to the Sand Tower at the bottom of the Banquet Bird World. However, the Ghost only lingered for about two seconds before disappearing without a trace.

But Luh Yao was greatly encouraged.

’It worked!’

He tinkered with the rule, constantly checking its actual effects, and discovered that to make a Ghost pause, even for a very short time, a vague description was more stable and feasible.

If he tried to force a precise duration, the rule would struggle to operate stably and would soon display [Ineffective].

After a dozen or so experiments in the Banquet Bird World, Luh Yao summarized two key takeaways.

First: Very few Ghosts passed through the world as a transfer point.

He observed for a total of nearly three hours, but only four Ghosts passed by. Each one made a token appearance in front of the Sand Tower before immediately vanishing.

Second: Getting a Ghost to settle down was much harder than expected; the conversion rate was extremely low.

Not one of the four passing Ghosts stayed.

Although Luh Yao had anticipated some difficulty, the grim and arduous reality was still a bit of a headache.

’Could this plan really be unfeasible?’

He ordered half a box of egg tarts for takeout and consulted Harlow over the delicious food.

"Gravel Worlds are weak, so they have few Ghosts."

The Three-Headed Dog said while licking an egg tart, "The larger the world, the stronger its Rule Power. If you want to recruit passing Ghosts, you’ll need a large Divine Kingdom to do it. The transfers and Teleportations of Ghosts are all concentrated and drawn to larger worlds, where the Rule Power can fully exert the one-way anchoring effect."

Luh Yao had a sudden realization.

’So it’s related to the world itself.’

He changed his target, choosing Yunzhong Temple as his new testing ground. This was the largest world Luh Yao controlled.

To his pleasant surprise, Luh Yao discovered that the number of Ghosts had indeed increased.

He set the designated location by the artificial lake. Ghosts would appear from time to time, in numbers far exceeding those in the Banquet Bird world. In just half an hour, ten Ghosts passed through.

Most of the Ghosts still left in an instant, but a very small number would pause briefly.

They would usually look around, as if finding nothing special about the place, and then dissipate and leave.

Luh Yao made a further adjustment, changing the marked location to the foot of the Ghost Lighthouse in Sand City.

This time, the effect was immediate.

More Ghosts appeared and hesitated nearby after they materialized.

The vast majority still left in the end. Only one Ghost stood under the lighthouse for a long time, gazing up at its top, seemingly full of curiosity and reluctance to leave.

Luh Yao checked its details.

...

[Lamp Race LV2] Deng Cheng

Life Value: 16/16

Mana Value: 1/1

Damage: 1

Defense: 1

Speed: 3

[Evasion]

[Lamp Maker]

Skilled at making various types of lamp products.

...

This Lamp Race Ghost had a peculiar form. It was a small, translucent figure with a silvery metallic sheen, and on its head was a dim Flame.

Deng Cheng gazed up at the green bonfire atop the Ghost Lighthouse, seemingly full of longing.

He took two steps forward, then stopped.

Ghosts came and went around him, but only he could not make up his mind.

’I can’t interfere right now.’

Harlow had specifically emphasized that the Ghost must stay voluntarily. While in the one-way anchored Ghost channel, only a Pioneer who controlled the world’s rules could briefly see their tracks; no one else, not even the Gods, could detect them.

And if a Pioneer made direct contact with them, it would destabilize the channel, causing it to briefly close or collapse. The resulting unpredictable chaos would not be worth the risk.

Luh Yao had no intention of intervening directly either.

’If recruiting passing Ghosts requires me, the Pioneer, to persuade each one individually, that would be far too exhausting.’

’I’ll just showcase the treatment Ghosts receive in Sand City. Those who are interested will consider staying, and those who aren’t won’t be forced.’

After half an hour of internal struggle, Deng Cheng stepped into the Ghost Lighthouse.

Luh Yao couldn’t help but pump his fist.

’Got the first one!’

At Luh Yao’s signal, Slime Mod quickly appeared beside Deng Cheng.

"Welcome, guest from afar. I am the mayor of this city. This is the Ghost Lighthouse, an essential place for Ghosts to rest and reside. The living environment is relaxed and comfortable. You can choose a spot for your private room."

Slime Mod picked up a thick, leather-bound book from nearby. "For instance, books like these are synonymous with knowledge and elegance, and have always been a favorite dwelling for Ghosts."

"Don’t like it? Then how about this?"

He then grabbed an oil lamp. "This is an oil lamp invented by Prophet Yaoshao. It has a brass base, a glass shade, and is filled with Magic Oil. Its flame is everlasting, and its scent is subtle and elegant... Meticulously polished by an Artisan, it possesses both texture and warmth."

A red heart appeared above Deng Cheng’s head, and he nodded.

"Then from this day forward, this will be your private room. Please take it."

Slime Mod handed the oil lamp to him, then added, "There are no mandatory duties in Sand City’s Ghost Lighthouse. However, if you wish to make your life more interesting, or to showcase your talents and achieve your desired ideals or goals, Sand City will give every contributor the generous rewards they deserve..."

"You must be tired from your long journey, so please rest for now."

Slime Mod was about to leave.

Deng Cheng finally spoke. "I can make lamps. Much better lamps than this one in my hand."

"Oh? What materials do you need? I can prepare them for you."

"I need metal—copper, iron, gold, or silver are all fine, but gold and silver are best. Also a hammer and pliers, an anvil and leather, and this thing called glass. It’s thinner than crystal, this will work very well..."

As Deng Cheng spoke, he suddenly sighed.

"I forgot. I can’t make lamps anymore. I’m already dead."

"Death is another beginning."

Slime Mod then introduced, "In that case, would you like to try the [Ghost Armor] made by the Yao Race? As long as you wear this suit of Armor, you can move as nimbly as you did when you were alive. Using any tool will be a piece of cake."

"There’s such a thing?"

A large question mark appeared above Deng Cheng’s head.

"Of course. You’ll know once you try it."

After putting on the Ghost Armor, a black exclamation mark popped up above Deng Cheng’s head. "Incredible... Such unbelievably fine armor! To think it has such a marvelous power, it’s like resurrection!"

Slime Mod added, "You’re very lucky. As the first member of the Lamp Race to join Sand City, this suit of armor is a welcoming gift from the city. I hope you like it."

"I do, I like it very much! Mr. Mayor... this must be very precious, right?"

"Compared to the goodwill and friendship of Sand City, it’s nothing."

"Mayor, I’ll start making lamps right now! I have my own abilities!"

Deng Cheng immediately began to craft a lamp.

An avatar of Slime Mod brought over the necessary materials and tools one by one, and the Lamp Maker immediately threw himself wholeheartedly into the crafting process...

A few minutes later, a spherical lamp was born from the hands of the armored Deng Cheng.

It looked like a large glass sphere with a claw-like iron rod underneath, connected to a long hemp rope at the bottom.

After nightfall, Deng Cheng took it to an open area next to the lighthouse. With a gentle pull of the rope, the spherical lamp floated unsteadily into the air, creating a warm white light that made the surrounding residents of Sand City turn their heads and look up.

Luh Yao clicked on the Artifact.

...

[Hanging Lamp]: A fine Artifact made by the Lamp Race. It can float high in the sky and provide stable illumination.

Life Value: 1220/1220

...

’A Kongming Lantern?’

Luh Yao immediately realized it was more than that.

Its brightness was astounding. This single Hanging Lamp illuminated the entire Ghost Lighthouse.

Luh Yao observed for a while and found that the Hanging Lamp’s Life Value decreased by 1 point every second, which represented its usage durability.

"It’s a pity. Even with so many excellent and abundant materials, and even All-Purpose Stones, the Hanging Lamp I made still can’t compare to those made by outstanding Lamp Makers..."

A sighing expression appeared above Deng Cheng’s head.

A smiling face, however, appeared above Slime Mod’s head. "You’re already amazing! Sand City has never had a device like this before. A high-flying lamp that emits such a dazzling light—it’s a remarkable skill."

Deng Cheng’s sighing expression turned into a smile. "It’s all thanks to the All-Purpose Stones you provided, which made up for my lack of crafting ability."

"Originally, the Lamp Race had to hold the lamp’s string to keep the Hanging Lamp floating and moving in the air, but now, even if it’s tied to something, it can remain stably suspended. That’s all the power of the All-Purpose Stones."

He continued, "The most skilled master artisan of the Lamp Race can create a [Celestial Lantern] that operates in the sky."

"The world where the Lamp Race lives has no Sun. We have to rely on the Celestial Lantern for light, to fend off the monsters in the black fog. By the time I died, a master artisan hadn’t appeared for a very long time. We could only patch up the old Celestial Lanterns and keep using them. After they aged, they often malfunctioned, flickering on and off..."

"The Celestial Lantern also needs to be replaced. It’s changed once every seven days, and that’s the most dangerous time. Everyone has to hold onto their own Hanging Lamp tightly and not let the Fog Beasts blow it out."

"My lamp was extinguished, and then I was killed by a Fog Beast."

Speaking of his experience, a frustrated expression appeared above Deng Cheng’s head.

"If only my homeland still had a Sun."

A thought stirred in Luh Yao’s mind.

’A Celestial Lantern?’

’An artificial Sun?’

’It sounds like the Lamp Race has groped its way to an extremely advanced stage in the lamp-making industry, likely related to their unique local environment.’

Slime Mod asked, "Then what about the God of the Lamp Race? Does He not care for you?"

"A God..."

Deng Cheng was silent for a moment. "Many Eras ago, I heard that the God of ’Fog Harbor,’ the ’Firefly God,’ fought with the World Pot and fell into the black fog. No matter how much we prayed, He couldn’t hear us... Not long after, a foreign God stole our Sun."

"The Lamp Race is an abandoned people."

Luh Yao rubbed the hot water bottle in his hands.

There were Gods who abandoned their Believers, like Cloud Guest, and the former Prayer God could be considered one too.

But a God who fought a pot and a God who broke in and stole a Sun—this was the first time he’d ever heard of such things.