I Have a God Simulator

The night was dark and the wind cold. Outside, the sporadic meows of cats and barks of dogs echoed through the streets.

Luh Yao poured a cup of coffee and glanced at his phone.

1:12 AM.

Normally, he would have been asleep by now.

But not today.

Luh Yao was prepared for a long battle.

’Strike the enemy at their weakest point.’ Today, he had to take care of the Tao God once and for all.

While he waited, Luh Yao turned his gaze to Ghost City Saniluo.

Deep Sea Fishmen slept underwater, so large caves had been dug out beneath Saniluo’s artificial canals, serving as underwater homes for the Fish People.

On a typical day, the Fish People would follow the small canals out to sea to catch fish, shrimp, crabs, and shellfish. Occasionally, they would even find precious corals and giant clams.

These had become Saniluo’s regional specialties. Through trade with merchants from Yan City, these goods were exchanged for meat, wheat, potatoes, fruit, and various raw materials.

While trade between Saniluo and Yan City was frequent, its interactions with Yao City were more centered on Faith.

Many Fish People would enter the East River to make the pilgrimage to the Yao City Divine Hall.

The Divine Hall in this Holy City was the only Divine Miracle where Yao God himself had once stood. The other divine halls were merely clumsy imitations of the original.

The Fish People knelt piously outside the Divine Hall. Under the direct Sun, their smooth, moist skin would gradually turn red, and emojis for Weakness and pain would appear above their heads.

But this only spurred them on, as they viewed the pain of dehydration as an accomplishment, akin to ascetic practice.

When it rained, they saw it as a blessing from their God and cheered loudly. When the Sun was fierce, it was a stern test from their God, and they would endure the thirst until they fainted, only to be revived when others splashed water on them.

’I never imagined my first fanatics would be a group of Fish People.’

’Perhaps this is the simplest form of asceticism, and the purest form of pleasure?’

Pious Little Fishmen knelt beside the Divine Hall, packing the surrounding area.

Besides the Divine Hall, another place in Yao City was also packed to the gills.

The Beer Beast Fighting Arena.

Ever since Prophet Hemira reformed Yao City, beast fighting and gladiatorial combat had been completely banned, and even drinking was now regulated.

For a long time, the wonder stood empty. This was due to the puritanical regulations and the fervent rise of Theology, which drove most pleasure-seekers to move to the neighboring Yan City.

Now, however, the Beast Fighting Arena was once again bustling with a lively crowd.

From his bird’s-eye view, Luh Yao noticed two little figures in the center of the arena’s stage.

On the left was the "game boy" Muke; on the right, Prophet Hemira.

Neither of them was young anymore; both were in their fifties. In Yao City and Yan City, that was considered old.

For some reason, Muke was walking with a limp and holding a small dog on a leash.

Hemira was dressed in a black robe, her attire emulating Isabel.

"Citizens, Muke and I are here today to solve a problem that has long plagued Yao City. All of you present will be witnesses."

Hemira said, "The Beast Fighting Arena was built for bloody combat games. Such cruel and barbaric acts are not worthy of praise."

"But the Beast Fighting Arena itself is a remarkable place. It once stirred the courage and fighting spirit of every person, and it stands as a monument to past glory."

"Yao City will now reopen the Beast Fighting Arena. However, its creator, Muke, and I still have differing opinions on what it should be used for..."

Muke spoke up. "Simply put, the Prophet and I are having a contest. We’ll each present our ideas, and we’ll see which version of a new arena you all prefer."

Then, Muke presented his new game.

He called over a group of people who completely rearranged the arena floor. Muke drew a grid on the ground and brought in stones and small trees. He also set up wooden fences, traps, campfires, and a few wooden crates.

Muke then explained the rules of his game.

Luh Yao understood at a glance.

It was a three-dimensional board game—a life-sized version of Monopoly, in other words.

Players would move across the squares on the ground, using dice to determine their direction and distance.

They might encounter a trap and have to rest due to injury, or enter the woods and run into a beast, forcing them to retreat or suffer a penalty. A campfire would reveal nearby traps, while a wooden crate might contain a gem... or a poisonous snake.

The life-sized board game was rich in content, with a vast system of settings and Artifacts. Luh Yao watched, fascinated.

But the little people watching didn’t seem to agree.

The entire "game" was more like a one-man lecture from Muke. Only a few people had thumbs-up emojis pop up over their heads; most had question marks, showing they didn’t understand.

The board game segment ended abruptly.

Next, it was Hemira’s turn.

She brought over a dozen people and had them perform a simple stage play. The play’s content depicted the battle between the Pig Fish Brothers and the Black Bear Apostle from years ago—a true classic.

Everyone watched, completely engrossed.

In the end, the black bear was struck dead by a bolt of lightning sent down from a God—though there were no special effects, of course.

The actor playing the bear and the other little people all cried out, "Ah! It’s lightning!"

Then they all trembled and fell to the ground.

Their words and movements made up for the lack of special effects.

The entire audience rose to their feet, cheering wildly.

Luh Yao felt a bit wistful watching the scene.

The results spoke for themselves. The simple stage play was a hit with the majority, while the life-sized board game was too complex and difficult to learn, interesting only a handful of people.

Hemira won a landslide victory, earning thumbs-ups and applause from most of the audience.

Muke, for his part, graciously accepted his defeat.

Having won over the citizens, the Prophet knelt on the ground, her hands clasped to her chest in prayer.

"Great Yao God, your faithful servant presumes to disturb your peace. I hope to receive your guidance."

"You who see all things with perfect clarity, please grant us your judgment."

A prompt appeared on the simulator.

[The Beer Beast Fighting Arena has shown the potential for evolution.]

[Do you wish to evolve this wonder?]

[Yes] [No]

Luh Yao clicked "Yes."

’Change is necessary for progress.’

An exclamation point popped up over Hemira’s head. "It is the will of our God! Our God has approved!"

She immediately announced, "From this day forward, the [Beer Beast Fighting Arena] will be converted into a theater! We shall use the name our God has bestowed upon us and call it the [Beer Theater]!"

[The Knowledge of everyone in Yao City has increased slightly.]

Luh Yao clicked on the theater.

...

[Beer Theater LV2]: A wonder converted from the Beast Fighting Arena. The choice of the people in a new era.

All audience members in the theater permanently gain Knowledge +1.

...

’That was close,’ Luh Yao thought.

’Thankfully, back when it was a Beast Fighting Arena, I had Isabel make sure all my combat units got the permanent +3 damage buff. Otherwise, this would have been a huge loss.’

Each point of Knowledge increases max Mana Value by 10 and daily Mana recovery by 1.

This was a small boost for heavy Mana users like Isabel and the Snowman.

The fact that a wonder could automatically upgrade when certain conditions were met was both a surprise and a reminder.

Luh Yao turned his attention back to the theater.

After the crowd dispersed, Muke sat alone on the stage, looking forlorn.

Hemira slowly walked over to him.

The two pixelated figures said nothing.

Finally, Muke spoke. "Care for a game of *Tribal War Chess*?"

"Alright."

And so, the two old friends began to play the old game.

「A short while later.」

"I win!"

A smiling emoji appeared above Muke’s head.

"You won."

A smiling emoji appeared above Hemira’s head as well.

Muke asked her, "Was my new game for the theater really that bad?"

"No, I personally thought it was great. Very interesting."

"Really?"

"Really."

With that, Hemira turned and left.

Once again, Muke was alone in the theater.

He muttered to himself, "In the end, I lost to a woman again."

"But you win some, you lose some in games..."

"Only *Tribal War Chess* will always be with me."

Finally, clutching the war banner, he slowly collapsed to the ground and moved no more. The word [DEATH] appeared above his head.

The little dog beside him licked its master’s face, letting out small yelps. But it didn’t know that its master would never wake up again.