I Have a God Simulator

The Abyss Third Layer was originally where the Slime Mod Limb had been stored. Now, a stone Divine Hall stood in its center. The Divine Hall itself was indistinguishable from those found in any city of the Yao Race.

At this moment, Hai Zhe of the Sinners was kneeling inside the Divine Hall, praying to the Divine Statue of Yao God.

"O all-knowing Yao God, your loyal servant awaits your Oracle. Until an Oracle is delivered, Hai Zhe will continue to wait."

"I hope you find this Sacrificial Offering to your liking. It is a spoil of war the Sinful Legion obtained from annihilating a Demigod..."

Luh Yao listened. ’Interesting.’

’Wait a minute.’

’They killed a Demigod?’

’There aren’t any Demigods left on the first three layers. Has the Sinful Legion already descended to the Fourth Layer?’

Luh Yao put his thoughts on hold and double-clicked the Sacrificial Offering.

It looked like a piece of Red Agate with a green gemstone for a stopper. Even as a pixelated image, it was rather exquisite.

...

[Smoker’s Snuff Bottle LV3]: Faith +3/hour.

Health: 180/180

Filled with powdered tobacco, spices, or other substances to preserve their aroma. When opened, continuously drains Health, inflicting the [Extreme Excitement] and [Poisoned] statuses.

...

This Artifact was a double-edged sword.

Luh Yao tossed it into his Artifact Bar, deciding to use it with caution. ’It would be a pain if I accidentally created some kind of poisonous bug with it while making Extraordinary Creatures.’

As the Sacrificial Offering vanished, a lightbulb lit up above the head of the kneeling Sinner.

"Great Lord Yao God, it is wonderful that you are not displeased with this Sacrificial Offering."

He then produced another item and placed it in the offering slot.

It was a leather harness with X-shaped straps and a thick, wide belt at the bottom, looking like some kind of garment.

Luh Yao blinked.

’A second Sacrificial Offering?’

...

[Rock Giant’s Belt LV2]: Faith +1/hour. Defense +10.

A domestic Artifact used by Rock Giants to carry their infants. It is both flexible and protective, a testament to the Rock Giants’ sense of familial responsibility.

...

’So it really is a carrier.’

Luh Yao felt conflicted.

’Those 10 defense points could be a huge help at a critical moment. It would be a shame to use it for a creature creation experiment.’

He sighed and dragged the belt into his Artifact Bar as well.

Then, Hai Zhe, still in the Divine Hall, took out yet another item and placed it in the [Sacrificial Offering] slot.

’There’s more?’

Luh Yao took a closer look.

The third Sacrificial Offering was a small red flag with a gold border.

...

[Siren’s Vitality Banner LV3]: Faith +2/hour.

An Artifact crafted by the Sea Demon race. Waving the banner rouses Sea Demons from their languor and fills them with vitality.

...

’So there’s even a treasure that works like a shot of adrenaline.’

Luh Yao liked this one.

This Artifact was perfect for creating new Extraordinary Species.

The worlds under the Yao Race’s control had no Sea Demon species. The only one they had ever encountered was the Sea Monster Kraken, a subordinate of the Prayer God, but it wasn’t a native species, so this Artifact was of no use.

However...

’Is there more?’

Luh Yao looked at Hai Zhe.

"..."

Kneeling on the ground, Hai Zhe seemed to sense the pressure coming from his God. "...Great Yao God, the Sinful Legion will certainly offer you new Sacrificial Offerings."

’I guess that’s it, then.’

Still, Luh Yao was quite satisfied.

"Allow me to offer the Fire of Faith we have gathered."

A Flame rose from Hai Zhe’s head and merged into the upper right corner of the interface.

Faith +61,071.

This came from the [Collector] Trait inherent to the Sinners, which gathered fear, suffering, anger, and jealousy and converted them into Fire of Faith.

Luh Yao’s total Faith reserves now reached 21,780,000.

Early on, Artifacts had been the primary source for increasing his Fire of Faith. But after inheriting the Golden Field and the Black Abyss, Luh Yao had a starting capital of 15,000,000 Faith, making the income from artifacts seem trivial in comparison.

He had initiated many large-scale projects. Some turned a profit, others a loss, but with a high tolerance for error, he wasn’t concerned about temporary deficits. Overall, he was in the black.

The flourishing development of the Yao Race Civilization continued to bring in a steady stream of Fire of Faith.

His initial, steady development had laid the foundation. The Golden Field and the Black Abyss served as the catalysts and provided his first big score, which was what really got the snowball rolling.

After collecting the last Fire Seed Artifact, Luh Yao dispatched Isabel to the Abyss Third Layer to get a better understanding of the situation.

Facing the Apostle, Hai Zhe appeared much more relaxed.

"Miss Isabelle, here’s what happened..."

After killing the Star Sea God, Hai Zhe chose to have his forces rest and recuperate.

For a long time, the Clay Corpse Demons of the Sinful Legion practiced coordinating with one another, mastering tactical maneuvers like ambushes, surprise attacks, and kill strikes.

To ensure the training was effective, Hai Zhe had the Corpse Demons engage in real combat, using Self-Destruction to simulate true life-or-death struggles. These "live-fire" exercises resulted in some losses, but Hai Zhe considered it a worthy price.

Meanwhile, the Clay Race and Ghouls on the first layer were still constantly being fused into new Corpse Demons, so their total number increased steadily.

By the time the number of Clay Corpse Demons reached 302, the first three layers could no longer support the creation of new ones. The available corpses on the first and second layers had been completely excavated, making short-term growth difficult.

Hai Zhe immediately decided to venture deeper into the Abyss, to fuel his war with war!

He couldn’t break the seal forged by the Fire of Faith, but the third layer was already riddled with fissures. Among them were a number of natural paths, though there was no guarantee they would remain stable.

After numerous attempts and the loss of 18 Corpse Demons, Hai Zhe finally found a way through.

He led his troops through the fissure.

Within this narrow, winding passage, the Sinful Legion encountered a Demigod. The moment they met, both sides launched an immediate attack.

This was where the Sinful Legion’s long-term, high-intensity combat training paid off. The legion killed the Demigod at the cost of 37 fallen Corpse Demons and seized these three items as spoils of war.

After consuming the Demigod’s body, some of the Corpse Demons in the Sinful Legion gained a slight level increase, and two [Corpse Hunters] were even created.

Corpse Hunters use the [Sewn Corpse] ability to create Ghouls. This allowed them to make use of remains that were previously unusable, further raising the population limit for Clay Corpse Demons.

After this skirmish, Hai Zhe led his troops back to the third layer. The path they had taken vanished soon after.

"...If we had encountered Curse Insects, or a Demigod with powers that countered ours, the destruction of the passage alone could have wiped out the entire legion."

Hai Zhe said, "That is why I have dared to pray for Lord Yao God’s guidance, to open the gate to the Fourth Layer. Allow the Sinful Legion to continue its advance, so we may offer more Sacrificial Offerings and Faith to our great God!"

Isabel remained silent.

Hai Zhe waited quietly.

’It’s a good thing for people to want to improve and challenge themselves,’ Luh Yao mused.

The seal leading from the third to the Fourth Layer was on the floor, right in the center. It, too, was bound by chains, upon which were many clusters of fire condensed from the Fire of Faith.

Luh Yao clicked on the seal. Countless Flames immediately flew into the top-right corner of his interface, granting him 96,000 Faith.

He did a quick mental calculation.

’The seal to the second layer yielded 32,000 Fire of Faith. The seal to the third was opened by Curse Insects, so that amount is unknown. This one, the seal to the fourth layer, just gave me 96,000. Looks like it’s a multiple of 32,000.’

Luh Yao clicked the black vortex, and his view shifted to the Abyss Fourth Layer.

The scene suddenly brightened.

The main feature of this layer was a city of considerable size.

The city’s roads crisscrossed in a complex network. Throngs of pixelated monsters moved about: some setting up stalls, others hawking their wares, juggling, carrying goods, or patrolling. The sheer variety of monsters created a bustling, panoramic scene, like a living version of the famous painting *Along the River During the Qingming Festival*.

If not for the words [Abyss Fourth Layer] floating at the top center of the simulator, Luh Yao would have suspected he’d accidentally flicked his mouse and tabbed into a different program.

Luh Yao quickly noticed that the light in this place came from the vaulted ceiling.

Some twenty-odd [Mad Flame Birds] were there. With wings folded, they huddled together, creating a giant fireball that resembled a Sun and bathed the entire city in light.

Down on the ground, the center of the fourth layer was a wide intersection. Buildings shaped like mountains and caves were packed tightly together around the central, cross-shaped avenues. The monster residents here all lived within these caves and on the small hills.

Of the four long roads, one connected to the passage from the third layer. The other three stretched out into the distant darkness.

At the intersection stood a magnificent stone statue. It depicted a giant sitting on the ground with its chin propped on one hand, reminding Luh Yao of the famous sculpture, *The Thinker*.

The Clay Corpse Demons marched in neat, unified ranks, following Hai Zhe into this strange yet orderly city.

Two mobs guarding the roadside saw the mighty Corpse Demon corps, and huge exclamation points appeared above both their heads.

One of the winged mobs said, "I’ll go report to the King! You stall them!"

With that, it flapped its wings and took off, disappearing with incredible speed.

The one left behind was a scrawny LV14 Minotaur. It clutched a Stone Spear and trembled as it approached the Corpse Demon corps. "This is the Four-Direction Kingdom. What... what do you want?"

Hai Zhe raised a hand, and the legion halted at once.

He stared at the mob blocking their path and said nothing for a long moment.

An icon of a nervously sweating face appeared above the Minotaur’s head.

Luh Yao opened a bag of sunflower seeds and settled in to watch the show.