I Have a God Simulator

Luh Yao had experience making Magic Potions. The All-Purpose Stone was easier to use than a Crucible and required no other ingredients.

It only required Faith as fuel to operate.

Luh Yao clicked on the All-Purpose Stone, and an icon for [Forging (10 Faith)] appeared.

He selected the icon.

After 10 Faith was consumed, a large illustration of the All-Purpose Stone appeared on the screen.

A stone with a faint, speckled luster grew soft and distorted beneath a pale flame.

[Forging Failed].

’As expected,’ Luh Yao thought.

The problem lay in the All-Purpose Stone’s description: the phrase "a certain probability." When a price isn’t transparent, it’s usually because the actual cost is exorbitant...

It was a classic pricing trick. Most items are priced by the pound, but one expensive item, like squid, is priced per 100 grams. An inattentive customer sees a low number and doesn’t realize the actual price per pound is five times higher.

The vendor pulls this little stunt because they know the price is outrageous; posting it plainly would scare off most salaried workers. Customers only realize they’ve been tricked when it’s time to pay. ’I’ve been had!’

And some of them, despite feeling the sting, will grit their teeth and buy it anyway.

The All-Purpose Stone was using the same trick.

Compared to this, even the Golden Dice seemed like a model of honesty, a truly fair deal.

Forging was a bottomless pit; no amount of Faith could withstand such a constant drain. In the end, the Bright God had only managed to create a Broken Magic Potion Crucible, making him another victim of the All-Purpose Stone’s scam.

Luh Yao mused.

’I’ll try again if I can find an Artifact that increases the Forging probability, or if one of my followers has a bonus ability like Forging or Refining. I have plenty of Artifacts right now, so there’s no rush.’

The Refining ability, however, was worth a try.

Unsure if failure would damage the Artifact, Luh Yao first found a test subject.

[Refining (10 Faith)]

Luh Yao clicked the icon, and a box immediately appeared on the screen.

[Please place the treasure you wish to enhance.]

Luh Yao dropped the Magic Potion Crucible inside.

On the screen, the Crucible was enveloped by the Fire of Faith.

A moment later.

[Refining Failed].

The failure was expected.

The good news was that failing to Refine had no negative side effects; it didn’t destroy the Artifact itself.

Meanwhile, Isabel was already leading her people to excavate the mine. They were steadily producing results, and the All-Purpose Stone count in the top-left corner was slowly rising.

Luh Yao used a second, and then a third All-Purpose Stone.

The failures continued.

Finally, on the nineteenth try, something changed.

[Refining Succeeded].

A brand-new illustration appeared on the screen.

The image showed a stone basin, translucent from top to bottom.

...

[Magic Potion Crucible LV1]: Faith +1/hour. When heated with the Fire of Faith, it can be used to create unstable magic potions.

[Magic Potion Recipe]

Madness Pill: Add a spoonful of sand, a spoonful of blood, a spoonful of salt, and a spoonful of rotten corpse.

Effect: Gain the [Madness] Trait. Damage +1, Defense -2.

...

So the Madness Pill did have attribute effects. The Crucible had simply been too damaged to display the information before.

Luh Yao was quite satisfied with the results of his experiment.

He had achieved his goal.

’If my reserves of All-Purpose Stones are high enough, I can try gradually enhancing some of the other Artifacts that don’t have a level yet.’

’For example, the Energy Staff, the Magical Fish Spear, the Drifting Letter, and the Tearful Amber.’

Luh Yao decided to temporarily relocate the tribe of Burrower Monsters. They excelled at digging, which made them perfect for mining.

He would also have the Striped Lynxes remain stationed on the island to continue culling the Mad Traveler Rat population and prevent them from gaining a foothold again.

...

Back at the office, Sister Peng hadn’t come to work in two days.

Boss Huang, who normally couldn’t stand it when people took time off, seemed to turn a blind eye.

Luh Yao found this a little strange. He had called Sister Peng earlier to ask about some work issues, and she had seemed perfectly normal, though she didn’t mention why she was absent.

Since she didn’t bring it up, Luh Yao was tactful enough not to ask.

Around noon, Boss Huang found Luh Yao.

"Xiaolu, I need you to go over to Peng Xiaoyi’s place in a bit and bring this to her."

Boss Huang handed him a carrier bag containing a box of cheesecake from a popular bakery.

"She lives at Century City, Phase II, in Gonggu Lane, apartment 305. You can head straight over. Clock out early today."

With his boss’s permission, Luh Yao left the office early, taking a few transfers to get to Century City.

When Sister Peng opened the door, she didn’t seem surprised to see Luh Yao.

"Old Huang send you?"

"Yeah."

Luh Yao handed her the pastries. "Sister Peng, I should get going."

His mind was still on the simulator.

"What’s the rush? Stay and eat with me. I’m on a diet, so I can’t eat much of it."

Sister Peng waved him in, saying matter-of-factly, "Come on in. What are you just standing there for?"

Luh Yao got the feeling she really did see him as a little brother.

The two of them started on the pastries, washing them down with some juice.

Sister Peng wiped her mouth with a napkin. "When you get back, tell Old Huang not to worry. I’m not jumping ship. I’ve just been feeling really unwell these past couple of days. I went to the Second Municipal Hospital for a check-up and I’m still waiting on the follow-up results."

Luh Yao nodded to show he understood.

"So, what about that young lady from before, Isabel?"

Sister Peng sat cross-legged on the sofa and asked with keen interest, "Is she back yet? She didn’t actually run off, did she?"

Luh Yao could only say, "She’s still at home."

"No. That’s no good."

Sister Peng said with a serious expression, "As someone with more experience, I feel it’s my duty to give you some life advice."

"Long-distance relationships, especially international ones, are just too risky. If you’re not careful, one day one of you gets lonely, has a few drinks, hears a few sweet nothings... their resolve softens, and the next thing you know, sparks are flying with someone else."

"People can’t resist temptation."

"A girl with Isabel’s looks and charisma? You think no one’s hitting on her? If I were a guy, I’d be all over her, and I wouldn’t rest until I’d put a ring on it."

"How can you not feel the slightest bit of urgency? Are you dense, kid?"

"..."

Luh Yao just smiled awkwardly.

He had reason to suspect Sister Peng had only insisted he stay for dessert so she could gossip about Isabel.

Just as Luh Yao was about to make an excuse to leave, there was a knock at the door.

Sister Peng went to check, then opened the door. "What are you doing here at this hour? Oh, and who’s this?"

The visitor said, "Sister Xiaoyi, you’re sick and live all alone. As your cousin, I just decided to come and check on you myself. It wouldn’t have been convenient for my dad to come, obviously."

Luh Yao glanced toward the door, following the sound of the voice.

As he did, he realized he recognized the visitor. It was none other than Boss Huang’s daughter, Amy.

’Wait a minute.’

’Amy called Sister Peng her cousin?’

’So Sister Peng was also someone with connections! She hid it so well.’

Luh Yao was stunned.

’No wonder Boss Huang always has me run his errands. The office is full of his relatives. If he asked any of them, it would probably start rumors and speculation. A clueless outsider like me, on the other hand, is perfect for the job.’

Luh Yao noticed another girl standing beside Amy.

She was wearing a colorful, striped knit sweater and had short, silver-gray hair. Her thin lips were pressed together lightly. She looked to be around twenty and had that bright, tender quality unique to young women that made it hard to tear one’s eyes away.

It was Song Shiyi.

’What is she doing here? Did she track me down because of what happened with Fu Chenggang?’

A sudden panic seized Luh Yao.

He quickly ate another piece of cake to calm his nerves.

Fortunately, the cake was delicious.