I Have a God Simulator

The vast majority of Yunzhong Temple's territory is desert. The clouds, however, float low in the sky, moving slowly over the sand dunes like living creatures.

The low-hanging cumulus clouds coalesced into tall, cloud-shaped humanoids. Each was three times the height of the Apostles, with arms that nearly dragged on the ground.

They floated as they walked on the ground. Some walked all the way up into the sky or simply dissipated. Others came and went with the wind. There were also large, four-legged animals condensed from clouds, which also moved slowly across the land.

Luh Yao clicked on one of the cloud-people.

...

[Cloud Monk LV33]

Life Value: 1440/1440

Mana Value: 307/307

Damage: 29

Defense: 16

Speed: 10

[Cloud]

It is a part of the clouds.

[Undead]

Possesses an undying trait for unknown reasons and can continually resurrect.

[Rule Projection]

A projection formed by Rule Power.

...

The Cloud Monks were impossible to communicate with. They seemed to live in a world of their own, hiding in the clouds, drifting with the wind, wandering and roaming through the world of Yunzhong Temple.

They were not aggressive and paid no mind to the unfamiliar visitors.

As long as they weren't attacked, they wouldn't initiate combat.

Luh Yao had his Apostles try killing a few Cloud Monks.

After being destroyed, a Cloud Monk's body would dissipate into clumps of white cloud. These clouds would drift in the air and, a short distance away, reshape the deceased.

The Cloud Monk would then continue its aimless wandering.

Overall, the Cloud Monks as a group possessed no individual consciousness. They were integrated into the Rule [Cloud], and what appeared now were figures from the past. They were merely images formed by the effect of Rule Power, essentially a group of afterimages from a bygone era.

The Apostle Squad continued to advance through the desert.

Along the way, they could see tall [Sand Towers]. These pillars, built by Sand Walkers, stood silently in this quiet world, a sign that many Sand Walkers had once existed here.

Suddenly, an exclamation mark appeared over the White God's head.

"Lord True God, a special treasure is rapidly approaching from due north."

It possessed the [Treasure Hunter] Trait and was extremely sensitive to all kinds of treasures.

Soon, the treasure that was actively approaching them burst out from the sand.

It was a gigantic fish head.

Luh Yao even took a moment to identify it, thinking it must be a catfish head. The sand fish's head was rather flat, its mouth was large, it had several long barbels, and a pair of vacant, staring eyes.

The only problem was that it was made entirely of sand, with only its chubby fish head protruding from the desert.

The sand fish opened its mouth, and a dialog box appeared above its head.

"Welcome, guests from afar. Yunzhong Temple welcomes your visit. This little monk is the Guest Monk here."

Luh Yao clicked on the fish head.

...

[Drum Fish LV88] Guest Monk

Life Value: 28679/28679

Mana Value: 4407/4407

Damage: 122

Defense: 160

Speed: 18

[Undead]

Possesses an undying trait for unknown reasons and can continually resurrect.

[Symbiote]

Exists in a state of symbiosis with multiple individuals, gaining additional benefits.

[Sand Elemental Mystery]

Doubles speed in sand and grants the [Undead] trait.

[Debater]

Prefers to decide victory and defeat through words rather than combat.

[Persuade with Virtue LV8]

[Drum Fish Exclusive Ability]

It is polite and courteous to everyone it meets. If the other party is also proper, the Drum Fish will be even more modest. However, if the other party is consistently rude or lacks etiquette, the Drum Fish's anger will rise, and it will enter the [Forceful Conquest] stance, greatly increasing all of its combat Attributes.

...

Luh Yao read the ability descriptions twice, front to back.

Unlike the Cloud Monks, which were Rule Projections, this catfish was undying because it had mastered the Sand Elemental Mystery. In other words, on its home turf of this desert, it was immortal and indestructible. It could only be completely destroyed by taking it out of this place or by altering the environment.

Furthermore, the Drum Fish's [Persuade with Virtue] ability could also trigger a transformation. The resulting Combat Power bonus would likely be significant, which posed a potential risk.

However, Luh Yao wasn't worried.

'If it wanted to talk, then they could have a nice chat. If it wanted to fight, he had the LV99 Apostle Soul Seal of Forrest. And if all else failed, using Rainfall to alter the environment for a forced kill was also an option.'

The Guest Monk asked, "Are you beset by many confusions?"

"It has been many Eras since guests have come here. To see all of you is truly a blessing. That a God has even come in person... this little monk is deeply honored."

Isabel, acting as Luh Yao's ambassador, communicated with it.

"Excuse me, is the God of this place still here?"

"Lord Cloud Guest disappeared during the 511th Era."

"Disappeared? The God abandoned its Divine Kingdom?"

The Guest Monk did not shy away from the topic. "Allow this little monk to correct you. It was not that the God abandoned Yunzhong Temple, but that the God bestowed upon this place a final gift. Lord Cloud Guest hoped that a new God could be nurtured here."

Isabel continued to ask, "Then, will the God return?"

"..."

The fish-headed Guest Monk seemed to be thinking.

After a moment, text appeared in the box above its head. "Lord Cloud Guest once merged many Gravel Worlds into Yunzhong Temple, wanting to make this damaged world whole again."

"Lord Cloud Guest was struck by the world's Rule Power and exhausted his Fire of Faith. In the end, He left."

A question mark appeared above Isabel's head. "Why would a God do that?"

"Lord Cloud Guest wanted to return to his homeland."

"Homeland?"

"Lord Cloud Guest came from a distant world. It was impossible to remain there; one could only continue to ascend, or fall."

The Guest Monk told them almost everything it knew. "During a great catastrophe, the Divine Kingdom was damaged and fell continuously, eventually becoming Yunzhong Temple."

"Lord Cloud Guest needed many Gods to make the Divine Kingdom set sail once more and return to his distant homeland."

'This Cloud Guest must have been quite powerful in the past,' Luh Yao thought.

Isabel raised a key question. "Why insist on cultivating local Gods, instead of trying to acquire other Subordinate Gods? It should be much easier to find them through outside Divine Kingdoms, right?"

"Because it requires many Gods—thousands of them—for the Divine Kingdom to complete this long-distance journey."

"The Divine Kingdom needs to birth Gods."

Luh Yao was a little confused.

'Cloud Guest's idea is very bold, and he's made many attempts. But can it really be achieved? Is it possible to create Gods using only the power of the Gods-tier, without a Divine Format? He had a feeling the Guest Monk was hiding something.'

Luh Yao had Isabel press the Guest Monk for more information.

The catfish head replied, "Gods do need a Divine Format, but the Sand Walkers created by Lord Cloud Guest can hold the Fire of Faith. Sand Walkers can enter other Gravel Worlds to collect the Power of Faith."

Luh Yao had a sudden realization.

'The Sand Tower discovered previously in the Banquet Bird World must have been from a Sand Walker searching for the Fire of Faith there.'

"Guests, would you like a further tour of this world? This Guest Monk will guide and explain things to you," the catfish head offered.

Isabel said, "Then we'll have to trouble you."

"Please, everyone, stand on this little monk's back."

The Drum Fish's broad back emerged from the desert, and everyone climbed on.

Then it began to cruise through the sand. Its movements seemed slow, but the surrounding sand dunes continuously receded into the distance.

As they moved forward, the Guest Monk explained, "The fall of Yunzhong Temple caused severe deficiencies in the world's rules. As a result, only the two rules of cloud and sand remain relatively intact. That's why this place doesn't have the rich environment of other Divine Kingdoms."

"As you can see, in the past, there were only two kinds of existences here that could be called living things: life in the sand, and creatures in the clouds."

"But after many Eras, as the world's environment continued to worsen, all life vanished. Now, the only ones left are the Cloud Monks and myself."

Isabel asked, "What about the Sand Walkers?"

"If a Sand Walker's Ascension is successful, it can enter a nearby Gravel World. Sand Walkers who fail their Ascension are completely bound by the rules, unable to leave the world's borders."

"Those who went out never came back, and those who failed their Ascension were all eaten by me."

The Guest Monk swished its tail in the sand.