I Have a God Simulator

Luh Yao asked Selena to tell him about the Calamity Beast situation over the past few years.

"My lord, the Calamity Beasts themselves are of average strength. They're usually around LV 20 when first born. If left unchecked, they can grow along with natural disasters. The strongest one we've ever seen reached LV 36."

"It was hiding deep within Aegir's Fire. It was a Fire Attribute Calamity Beast that escaped after a volcanic eruption, so I reverted it back into Fire Elements."

The Tyrant kept her explanation brief. "Later, I told the Snowman to have Pasha deal with the Calamity Beasts. This would give the Dragon more combat experience and help it practice its Dragon Language Magic."

Luh Yao then asked about how dangerous the Calamity Beasts were.

"To ordinary people, they are extremely dangerous."

Selena said, "Calamity Beasts are different from most Extraordinary Beings. They are granted special powers by the Rules, and even individuals of the same type can have differences. Their behavior is also influenced by the Rules..."

Calamity Beasts were mutated species catalyzed by natural disasters.

For example, the crocodile Calamity Beast that Pasha killed was born in a flood. It would then expand the flooded area, attracting more Rainfall and creating wastelands. The Calamity Beasts and the disasters fed off each other.

The three cities of the Yao Race prioritized prevention. As soon as a Calamity Beast was discovered, they would dispatch Armored Warriors to exterminate it, preventing it from growing stronger.

In the first three years, droughts, floods, and fires left many people homeless. Thousands of ordinary people went missing or died in these natural calamities.

After paying a heavy price, the Yao Race quickly developed targeted preventative measures against both the disasters and the Calamity Beasts.

From then on, the losses caused by volcanoes or torrential rains were greatly reduced.

The frequent natural disasters also led to the official appearance of the Engineer profession among the Yao Race. Engineers retrofitted houses and dams, reconstructed canals and farmlands, and developed fire-resistant mud coatings, protecting the lives and property of many.

Selena concluded, "Calamity Beasts are no longer a problem now. The Martial Cultivators and Armored Warriors are very experienced in dealing with them. The Poisonous Mosquitos are actually more troublesome than the Calamity Beasts, but thankfully, Huangjue did a good job with the locust swarms in Crystal City before. They're more than happy to come over and hunt the mosquito swarms."

Luh Yao felt a twinge of regret.

'Sometimes, developing too well can also cause problems.'

This Era Update was clearly a major nerf to the Yao Race, but judging from the world's various stats, they were actually bucking the trend and growing stronger. The escalating natural disasters had instead sparked the Yao Race's creativity.

Luh Yao glanced at the upper-right corner.

The Faith Reserve had reached 4.35 million.

The total population had also surpassed 430,000.

Population: 430,390

Yao City: 103,278

Yan City: 117,765

Saniluo: 40,811

Crystal City: 82,173

Uda City: 23,770

Canopy City: 58,302

Other: 4,291

The current population was nearly three times what it was before the Era Update. Even excluding the Ghosts in Crystal City and the squirrels in Canopy City, the population growth over the past 36 years was quite impressive.

Luh Yao thought to himself.

'As expected, once you have a stable foundation, everything is much easier to manage. Subsequent population growth will bring in a large amount of Fire of Faith. The hardest part is getting started, from zero to one.'

He brought his focus back. The current priority was to find a Calamity Beast.

'When you need a disaster, they're always hiding.'

Luh Yao couldn't help but look at his Artifact Bar. 'Do I really have to hatch the [Calamity Branches]?'

He looked around and suddenly discovered that there were actually two Calamity Beasts in Crystal City. They were viciously tearing at each other in a field outside the city.

One, shaped like an eel, was a LV 24 Water Elemental Disaster Beast. The other was an almost-extinct Sand Lizard, a LV 25 Earth Element Calamity Beast.

The two Fierce Beasts were locked in a desperate struggle, turning the surrounding ground into a sticky mire.

Meanwhile, the White God, in its wild boar form, was watching from the sidelines.

Sensing Luh Yao's gaze, the White God shuddered. "Lord True God! Your humble servant is terrified by your magnificent presence!"

Luh Yao told it to cut the crap and explain the situation.

The White God explained, "Lord True God, there was a Calamity Beast outside Crystal City—that Sand Lizard. It was constantly causing droughts out there. Your humble servant was just about to deal with it when people from the neighboring Uda City came asking for help, saying a Calamity Beast had appeared there too."

"The one in Uda City was that long serpent. It was causing endless torrential rains over there, which was a huge headache for the Wuzi Race. Plus, with my good brother King Wuzi away on a mission, your humble servant went over to handle that one first."

"At the time, your humble servant had an idea. Since Calamity Beasts each have their own territory, if the one causing droughts and the one causing floods were to run into each other, would they fight? So, your humble servant threw them together, and it turns out they really did start fighting! They're both going for the kill."

The White God had originally just been watching for entertainment, planning to finish off both sources of calamity once they had worn each other out.

'Thank goodness,' Luh Yao thought.

'The White God can be surprisingly useful in the most bizarre ways sometimes.'

Luh Yao requisitioned the great serpent, the representative of floods.

He tossed the great serpent over to see if it could bring some rain and improve the overly arid desert.

As for the remaining drought-causing Sand Lizard, Luh Yao told the White God to raise it well for now. It could be used as a dryer during heavy rains, and it might be useful for future experiments.

The White God immediately replied, "Your humble servant understands! Rest assured, your humble servant will raise this Calamity Beast well."

...

After the Calamity Beast was captured by Isabel, it was released into Yunzhong Temple.

As soon as it was free, the great serpent threw its head back and let out a long roar. It took heavy steps, moving across the Sand Dunes, its footprints emitting black smoke.

Although it was only LV 25, it possessed a special ability in addition to [High-Level Water Element].

...

[Water-Gathering Beast]

Can grow continuously in water. Water Elements will converge towards it.

...

Luh Yao observed the Calamity Beast's every move.

Wherever it went, damp water stains appeared where its tail had passed. It raised its head, opened its mouth wide, and tried its best to gather the Water Elements of this world.

However, the relevant Rules in Yunzhong Temple were too broken. Its hard work was almost completely ineffective; not only did the Calamity Beast fail to bring water, but it was also getting dried out by the sun.

Gradually, the Calamity Beast began to show signs of agitation.

Luh Yao didn't know if it was due to the problems with the Rule Power here, or for some other reason.

In any case, the great serpent grew despondent.

Its majestic, imposing posture as it slithered through the desert was gone, replaced by slow movements and a drooping head.

When it encountered the Shell Cockroaches, the Calamity Beast became excited again.

It crushed the weak Shell Cockroaches in its path, leaving a field of wreckage from the fragile insects.

After a brief period of excitement, the Calamity Beast became listless again.

Luh Yao figured that killing a group of defenseless insects was probably like crushing a pile of rocks; it offered the Calamity Beast no real thrill of combat.

Finally, the Calamity Beast lay down in the desert and stopped moving.

It raised its head and looked into the distance, where identical Sand Dunes stretched out in every direction.

Luh Yao watched, scratching his head.

'Did it... get depressed?'

Luh Yao opened the Golden Field's backend and checked the entry for [Calamity Beast].

He discovered that Calamity Beasts were influenced by Rule Power, which caused them to become filled with Madness and aggression. But after coming to Yunzhong Temple, the Calamity Beast had lost its connection to the non-existent [Rainfall] and [Flood] Rules, like a robot that had lost its command signal.

The good news was that the great serpent was actually recovering some of its former self here and was gradually calming down. It no longer slaughtered the Shell Cockroaches.

Just then, the massive Guest Monk swam over through the sand.

"O visitor from afar, Yunzhong Temple welcomes you. This humble monk is the Guest Monk here."

"Are you filled with much confusion?"

"I can see that there are many things you cannot let go of."

"Cultivation requires a bit of detachment. To be infatuated with a world does not mean you must be with it for a lifetime. To love a cloud does not mean it must always hold the shape you desire."

"If you do not mind, please follow me. Allow this humble monk to tell you about this place's past. I hope you can find your answers therein."

The Calamity Beast seemed to understand. It hesitated for a moment, then slowly straightened its body and followed the Guest Monk.

The Guest Monk chattered on and on, leading the great serpent on a stroll through the world.

This series of developments felt a bit surreal to Luh Yao.

'Yunzhong Temple truly is a world devoid of life. Even a Calamity Beast got lost in here.'

'It seems taking a shortcut with Calamity Beasts won't work. I'll still have to write the Rules myself, bit by bit.'

Luh Yao sighed.

Just then, a message appeared on the screen.

[A Calamity Beast has developed Wisdom and has actively offered you its Fire of Faith. Your prestige among Calamity Beasts has greatly increased.]

Luh Yao was stunned.

He clicked on the entry.

As expected, the view jumped to the great serpent next to the Guest Monk.

"Thank... you... for your guidance."

"This world... is so... so big."

The Guest Monk simply said, "This is Yunzhong Temple. This is how Yunzhong Temple is. You are skilled at creating water, guest. Feel free to try."

"Cannot... I... I am too weak... The Rules of water... feel... difficult..."

The great serpent could already communicate with the Guest Monk, albeit haltingly.

Luh Yao realized a new use for Yunzhong Temple.

'Perhaps I can capture all the Calamity Beasts and bring them here. First, let them struggle against this world for a while. Then the Guest Monk can give them a few lessons to straighten out their thinking. Maybe they can be reformed into Auspicious Beasts that actively participate in construction.'