I Have a God Simulator

The people of the Salt Race were a new, naturally occurring type of human, born with innate levels. However, there were only three of them in all of Yan City, and they were all children around seven or eight years old.

They were much weaker than true Extraordinary Creatures.

Luh Yao found the child with the highest level among the three and inspected their stats panel.

...

[Salt Race LV2] Yan Jiu

Life Value: 20/20

Mana Value: 5/5

Damage: 1

Defense: 1

Speed: 1

[Longevity]

Possesses a longer-than-average lifespan.

...

Luh Yao felt there was something peculiar about these three youths with the [Salt Race] title.

So, he tracked their movements.

After some careful investigation, Luh Yao found the origin of the Salt Race. The three children shared the same father: the Corrupted Guard, Salt Geller.

The fellow had fathered these three children with a woman from the East Sea Clan in Yan City, and he would often sneak over to give them meat and salt.

Luh Yao’s feelings were mixed.

The good news was, of course, the interspecies romance. It had given rise to the never-before-seen Salt Race, which could improve the future generations of the entire tribe. In the long run, change was ultimately a good thing.

The worrying part was that the emergence of the Salt Race signified a union between ordinary people and Extraordinary Power, and he had no idea where this would lead the pixel people.

There was no precedent for this.

From this point on, the history of the pixel people would begin to diverge significantly from human history on Earth, which gave Luh Yao a bit of a headache.

’It probably won’t be long before I run out of homework to copy.’

All in all, Luh Yao was pleased with the emergence of the Salt Race.

They came with the innate Longevity Attribute. Regardless, if this attribute could gradually spread throughout the entire city, giving every pixel person a longer Growth Stage, it would certainly be a good thing.

Luh Yao decided to wait and see.

He was a Watcher in the rye; as long as the pixel people didn’t walk off a cliff, he would let them grow untamed. Interfering too much would only stifle their creativity and hinder the Pixel World’s own civilizational progress.

...

Yan City lacked the splendor of the main tribal settlement. It had no trend-setting marvel like the Beast Fighting Arena, no Monument to symbolize History and heritage, nor did it have such a rich variety of resources. Its population was merely two thousand, less than a quarter of the main settlement’s.

On the other hand, Yan City carried no historical baggage.

There were none of the deep-rooted customs here—no fanatical worship, no beast-fighting culture, and no tradition of constantly praying and offering sacrifices to a God...

Yan City was a brand-new city, and as such, it was open to all new things.

Yulian, free from all sorts of Binding, was finally able to flex his muscles.

A series of notifications popped up on the screen.

[Yulian has invented the library.]

[The intelligence of everyone in Yan City has increased.]

[Shang Li has invented the carrier pigeon.]

[Yan City has mastered the method of raising and using carrier pigeons.]

Luh Yao was a little surprised.

’Shang Li came to settle in Yan City, too?’

He remembered the man. Shang Li had been at the Garlic Tribe’s main settlement, managing the Beast Fighting Arena with Muke. Now, he had completely changed course.

Luh Yao’s gaze swept over the city, and he spotted Shang Li by Yulian’s side. It seemed he had become Yulian’s second-in-command, or perhaps his partner.

’Did he spot a money-making opportunity in Yan City?’

Whatever his motive, it was a good thing that these two tribal Heroes were working together.

Yulian was highly creative, often having wild and imaginative ideas, and he was bold enough to turn his visions into reality.

Shang Li, on the other hand, was all about practicality and profit, a pragmatist at his core. His greatest strength was his sharp eye for talent, which always led him to excellent partners.

He had previously seen potential in Muke, and now he had his sights set on Yulian.

Luh Yao watched the two pixel people’s conversation with great interest.

"The library must charge a fee."

Shang Li said, "Knowledge that comes without a price will not be valued or respected."

Yulian objected, "The whole point of building a library is to allow more people to read books and gain knowledge. If we charge Sea Shells, many people won’t be willing to come."

"There will always be those who want to learn, and those who don’t."

Shang Li said, "It’s just like meat. If we put a piece of meat on the side of the road and say anyone can take it for free, what do you think will happen?"

"Someone would take the meat, of course."

"Wrong."

A sweat-drop emoji appeared over Shang Li’s head. "This is something we merchants have actually tried."

"What really happened was that many people came to look, but no one took the meat because they all assumed there was something wrong with it. Many of them told us they wouldn’t fall for such a trick and not to take them for fools."

"After all, if there’s nothing wrong with it, why would someone give away good meat for free?"

"In the end, a stray dog ate the meat."

"..."

Shang Li continued, "But, if you simply lower the price of the meat just a little, it will attract a huge crowd, all scrambling to buy it. This is another one of our real experiences as merchants."

"I know you want everyone to have access to knowledge. I admire that about you; otherwise, I wouldn’t have left the Beast Fighting Arena to come work with you."

"Unfortunately, you understand knowledge, but you don’t understand people."

"They don’t need knowledge. Or rather, they don’t truly want knowledge. They just want good things."

"And good things don’t just appear for free; you have to pay a price to get them. That’s something every Hunter and Farmer knows."

Shang Li patiently explained to Yulian, "The reason I say the library needs to charge a fee is to show them that knowledge is precious—that it’s a good thing. That way, they’ll actually treasure it."

"..."

Yulian was speechless.

He finally conceded, "You’re right. I was being too idealistic. Let’s charge a fee."

"Yes, Mayor." A smiley face emoji appeared over Shang Li’s head.

A question mark appeared over Yulian’s head. "Let me ask again, why did you come here?"

"My answer is the same as before, Mayor. Because I believe in this city, and in you."

Shang Li said, "The Beast Fighting Arena is great, but it can’t compare to a burgeoning new city."

"The Beast Fighting Arena in Yao City represents the past and the present."

"But this place... this is the future."

"And a merchant always places his bets on the future."

...

The library in Yan City was extremely crude—just a large stone house built in the center of the city. It was squarish, and a flag outside depicted the image of a book.

Someone at the entrance was shouting, "Library, library! Find the book you need, and someone will read the entire thing out loud to you! You can understand it even if you can’t read!"

Because of the fee, not many people went inside. Most just loitered outside, waiting to ask those who came out what they had learned—the classic freeloader approach.

Yan City was like an energetic youth, full of curiosity and drive, unhesitatingly stepping forward to try all sorts of new things.

...

Luh Yao shifted his perspective.

Back at the main settlement of the Garlic Tribe, however, the scene was entirely different.

Some of the people had become addicted to the thrill and excitement of the Beast Fighting Arena and its ale. They indulged in wild revelries, lost in a drunken Madness of blood and wine.

Another group had become puritanical fanatics. They praised their God with every meal and drink, quoted passages from the Divine Gospel, and prayed and worshipped toward the Divine Hall.

Still another group longed for wild adventure. They sailed galleys, charging toward the borders of the Broken World time and again as if dueling unseen giants. Many lost their lives to the East Sea as a result.

...

The sudden abundance of food had caused most of the pixel people in the main settlement to lose their way, casting a pall of lethargy over the ancient birthplace of the tribe.

In other words, they’d had it too easy.

The death of Wizard Senji only worsened the situation.

In the Divine Hall, Prophet Hemira finally lost her temper.

She began leading the Scholars to preach throughout the land, forcing those lost in desire to repent before the Divine Hall and the Gospel. Next, she expelled some of the most extreme hedonists, indirectly driving them toward Yan City. To enforce this, she created an army.

[Hemira has created the Divine Hall Army.]

[The Garlic Tribe has learned to form and use armies.]

[The Garlic Tribe has established a city: Yao City.]

Unlike Yan City, Yao City was steeped in an atmosphere of fervent God worship. It was slowly transforming into a city centered on agriculture and religion.

Luh Yao looked down upon the two cities, one in the east and one in the west.

They had set Sail from the same starting point, but their paths had finally diverged.

The two cities would travel further and further down their own paths. What the future held, no one could say.

Luh Yao leaned back in his chair, remembering the classic opening of "A Tale of Two Cities."

It was the best of times, it was the worst of times, it was...

’I forget the rest.’