I Have a God Simulator

Pawa walked down from the galley’s deck, pulling his hood down a little.

The southern sun was warm, the sand beneath his feet was soft and clean, and the sea breeze carried a faint, salty tang.

Pawa surveyed the others around him.

Adventurers with packs on their backs traveled in groups. They carried bows and shields, and had different accents and skin tones. Most of them wore soft leather armor with swords and knives at their waists. The moment they got off the ship, they couldn’t wait to head toward the forest.

Sailors sat in twos and threes on the rocks by the shore, resting and eating pickled grapes.

In the galley’s shadow stood a Scholar whose skin had been tanned dark by the sun. He had set up a wooden easel, stretched a roll of parchment over it, and was sketching a map of this New Continent with a charcoal pencil.

A Pharmacist with a medicine kit on his back was gathering various herbs on the outskirts of the forest.

There were also three Dwarves, deep in conversation.

Pawa had dealt with Dwarves before. They lived in a fortress outside the Ghost City Saniluo. Every one of them was a skilled blacksmith, but they couldn’t hold their liquor, which was a shame because they loved to drink.

These three Dwarves had argued with the captain when they boarded, which had left a deep impression on Pawa.

The captain had argued that since each Dwarf wore Copper Armor, their weight was equivalent to two or three people. Therefore, each of them had to pay double the fare.

After some dispute, the Dwarves helped the captain repair a batch of ironware and improved his Half Armor. The captain not only waived their fares but also gave them a jug of beer.

Pawa watched this unfold, his heart filled with envy.

’Having a solid skill means you’ll never go hungry, no matter where you go.’

Just then, Pawa caught the Dwarves’ attention.

One of the Dwarves came over, gestured at him, and pointed forward. "You?"

"Me, me, me."

The Dwarf pointed to himself, then to his two companions.

"That way."

The Dwarf pointed toward the forest ahead.

Pawa understood what he meant.

So he pointed to the three Dwarves and himself, then turned toward the forest. "Us, together?"

The lead Dwarf burst out laughing. "Yes, yes!"

’They want to team up with me.’

Pawa didn’t understand why. ’Is it because I’m wearing black clothes?’

It was the mark of someone who had undergone advanced studies at the Divinity School. However, he wasn’t qualified to wear the Holy Flower on his chest because, for five consecutive years, Pawa had failed the final Theology exam.

He had read the Gospel and the Tribe’s Brief History over and over again, until the pages were worn and fuzzy, but in the end, he still couldn’t give the Scholars the answers they wanted.

On the other hand, he found Prophet Doron Nunu’s Yan City’s History of Change fascinating and knew it by heart, backwards and forwards.

Pawa had committed every part of it to memory: the brutality of the hundred-year war outside the castle, the solemnity of a God subjugating a Blood Knight, the grandeur of Yan City’s founding, the pride of the city’s lighthouse, the thrilling sight of the Twin Cities shining in harmony... and even the tragic suffering of the final age of slavery.

After failing the Divinity School exam for the sixth year, Pawa was expelled.

He would never be able to wear the Holy Flower, the mark of an official Scholar. He was still just an apprentice, only allowed to wear the black robes of an apprentice who had once studied at the Divinity School.

Pawa resolved to be like Prophet Doron Nunu, to write down everyone’s stories so that more people could see and hear them.

...

In the ancient Beer Theater in Yao City, he listened to people tell stories of the Ghost that haunted its halls. They said it was the genius Inventor, Muke, who had died in the theater.

Muke had lost to the previous Prophet, Hemira, here, and his Wandering Soul refused to leave.

It was said that if you played Tribe’s Battle Flag in the theater, you could sometimes hear Muke’s laughter.

In the theater, Pawa learned to play melodies on an ox horn and a conch.

...

In the mountains between Yao City and Yan City, Pawa visited the Ascetic Order and heard about the winding life of Grand Elder Yan Jiu. In the Ascetics, who had renounced all desire, Pawa saw how the flame of Faith tempered the will.

Through their penance, they received God’s guidance and Blessings. A very small number of them even stepped into a realm beyond the mundane, possessing incredible abilities.

...

After arriving in Yan City, Pawa heard people tell the story of two mayors. In the past, Shang Li and Yulian had racked their brains trying to sell off various houses to raise funds for building roads and walls.

Because they were so short on funds, Mayor Yulian even considered temporarily leasing the iconic lighthouse to merchants, intending to buy it back once Yan City had the money.

Back then, Prophet Doron Nunu was still a Chieftain, and he bought three of the mayor’s mansions in a row. It wasn’t that the Chieftain was foolish; he just found Shang Li and Yulian interesting and wanted to buy a couple of houses to befriend them.

...

In the southern Ghost City Saniluo, Pawa saw the most hardworking Sand Worms, and also the laziest Fish People, lying on the ground being baked dry by the sun.

Although he couldn’t see the city’s ghost residents, Pawa still recorded many stories there. He picked cotton and repaired dams with the Fish People and dug for ore with the Sand Worms. When the Dwarves pushed their carts into the city to sell various iron and copper wares, Pawa kept their accounts and collected Sea Shells for them.

...

Thanks to his experience dealing with Dwarves in Saniluo, Pawa quickly got to know the three of them.

The three Dwarves were named Gao Youzhuang, Weii Ermeng, and Huoo Shaoyun.

They could pronounce their own names accurately and understood simple phrases in the Yao Race’s language.

The three had formed an Adventurer Group called the High Furnace Wonders. After finding nothing in the Land of the Setting Sun at sea, they had come to the Southern New Continent to hunt for treasure.

The reason they asked Pawa to join them was because they had noticed on the ship that Pawa was also alone.

This young man of the Yao Race liked to write and could also play beautiful melodies on a conch—this was important, as it represented a masterful skill, much like the Dwarves’ blacksmithing.

The Dwarf Adventurer Group had a request for Pawa.

If they died here, they asked Pawa to record their adventure and tell the other Dwarves in the Dwarf Fortress, so that the name of the High Furnace Wonders would be passed down in the fortress.

Pawa agreed.

The hastily formed team had just entered the forest when they ran straight into a powerful enemy.

A pack of Forest Wolves was pacing through the woods, patrolling their territory.

Each of these Extraordinary Beasts radiated a chilling aura, and there were more than fifty of them in total.

Pawa froze stiff, his calves cramping up in fear.

The Dwarves pulled him behind them.

They formed a defensive line, protecting Pawa, and slowly retreated while in a standoff with the wolf pack.

The Forest Wolves didn’t attack. They merely glanced at the group before continuing on their way, as if they were on some important mission.

The Dwarves were baffled and looked to Pawa for an explanation.

Pawa’s heart pounded nervously.

’This situation... I’ve never encountered anything like this before.’

Pawa steeled himself, gritted his teeth, and explained with a flurry of gestures, "There must be something in the forest that’s attracting these Extraordinary Creatures. It could be treasure, or it could be..."

"Treasure!"

The three Dwarves were sharp when it came to that word, and they instantly grew excited.

"Charge! Charge! Charge!"

The Dwarf trio brandished their axes and hammers.

’Maybe we should come back another time?’ Pawa wanted to say.

But seeing the expectant gazes and trusting expressions of the Dwarves, Pawa couldn’t bring himself to say it.

All he could say was, "Let’s wait for them to leave, then we’ll go take a look."

...

Two days later, Pawa and the Dwarves fled the forest in a sorry state.

The Forest Wolf Pack behind them bared their fangs, a vicious gleam in their green eyes. Being stared at by all those pairs of eyes made Pawa’s scalp tingle.

He knew very well that this was the pack’s final warning.

Seeing that they had finally backed down, the wolves turned one by one and returned to the forest.

The three Dwarves and Pawa built a fire on the beach. Drawing on his experience as an islander, Pawa caught fish in the sea and found fresh water in a puddle, so for the time being, they could at least fill their stomachs.

That same day, they saw many Adventurers come scrambling and crawling out of the forest. Some fled directly back to their galleys, while others cursed under their breath but didn’t dare venture back into the woods.

Seeing this, Pawa and the others felt a little better.

Around midnight, a man walked toward their campfire.

He looked exhausted, and his face and hands were covered in scars. He wore battered Copper Armor and carried a hammer on his shoulder, a style quite similar to the Dwarves’.

"Mind if I warm myself by the fire?"

A pure Yan City accent.

Pawa glanced at the three Dwarves, who didn’t object.

So the newcomer sat down cross-legged.

Pawa felt that the man’s face looked vaguely familiar.

A distant memory was suddenly stirred.

Pawa froze for a moment, then said excitedly, "You’re Mr. Tonghai, the Liberator of Slaves? You saved me once. You probably don’t even remember, but I’ve never forgotten your help..."

Tonghai paused, a hint of melancholy in his smile.

"This forest has been taken over by wolf packs, giant lizards, and Tree People. There shouldn’t be any Slave Traders inside. They only bully the weak and fear the strong; they’re not that brave." Pawa handed Tonghai a grilled fish.

The two of them chatted for a while, and Pawa, getting carried away, began to talk endlessly.

When it came to Tonghai’s exploits, he knew them even better than the man himself—the flanking and boarding battles at sea, the three raids on the port, burning down the lighthouse, crushing the slave phalanx...

"That’s all in the past."

Tonghai slowly nibbled on his grilled fish and changed the subject. "I’ve discovered an interesting monster on this continent. Do you all want to go see it?"

"The creature calls itself the ’Lake Fairy.’"

"But she can’t fool me. She’s actually a Tree Demon. I just don’t know why she likes to hang around the seashore."

Seeing the three Dwarves’ eager expressions, Pawa asked cautiously, "Is that Tree Demon dangerous?"

"Hard to say."

"If someone is willing to be her husband and tell her stories every day, she’s willing to give him a lot of treasures. I think..."

Tonghai looked at Pawa.

The three Dwarves also looked at Pawa.

"What are you all looking at me for..." Pawa furrowed his brow.

’Tell her stories every day?’

’There’s a limit to human stories!’

’How could anyone possibly do that!’