Chapter: 204
After that, I set off on my journey with Asterios and Hwan.
As we traveled along the seaside, we occasionally picked up injured Rabbit Beastmen and met the Sea Serpent, who, for some unknown reason, had gained intelligence and was revered as a sea god. There were quite a few incidents, but… um, it seems like explaining everything would take too long, so let’s just summarize.
Gathering suitable companions and observing the situation in various parts of the world, I let out a small sigh.
There were too many gods in this world. No, there were even those who, lacking the qualification to be gods, proclaimed themselves as such and gathered followers.
Of course, some of them were benevolent beings, but… it wasn’t good for humans to rely on such gods.
While relying on an existing god might seem comfortable, excessive dependence would make it difficult for humans to stand on their own.
So… the gods need to be pruned. After pruning them, direct interaction between humans and gods should be minimized.
“Thanks to that, we’ve managed to create a list of gods that need to be killed over the past few months.”
“Hmm. Sounds like you’ve had a tough time.”
“Yes. Very much so. What’s with that list of gods! I never expected to see the list of gods expanding in real time!”
Saying this, Sylphid unfurled the papyrus scroll in her hand. The scroll stretched endlessly and began rolling around on the ground.
“Look at this! The list never ends!”
“Do you understand now why I said there are too many gods?”
“Yes. I sort of get why Mom has been saying that.”
With so many gods being born over trivial matters, it has become a real problem.
As humans’ wisdom accumulates over time, their faith in gods might gradually decrease… but given the strong influence the gods already have on the world, that faith isn’t going to wane easily.
“But after many gods disappear, I wonder if the aftermath will throw the world into chaos. Is that alright?”
“There won’t be any issues. I’m not planning on personally killing them.”
In some classic game, an angry bald guy brought chaos to the world by killing a god, but this world is different from that game.
After all, gods were born after the world and humans existed, so if those gods disappear, it won’t mean the world will crumble, right?
“But… won’t humans be confused if the gods disappear?”
“Don’t worry about that; we have it under control.”
If I trigger an event to conclude the age of the gods and reduce faith in them, such chaos should be minimized.
The ideal scenario would be to establish a massive religion to push out existing gods and concentrate all faith into one, but… given the current situation, it seems highly likely that a major religion devoted to the Goddess of Life would emerge.
“Hmm… I don’t know what kind of plan you have in mind, but I trust you’ll manage somehow. I won’t worry about it.”
After saying this, Sylphid diligently rolled up the never-ending scroll and handed it to me.
“Although we made the list… the conclusion is that there aren’t that many gods that must be killed. Rather, most of them suggested we just confiscate their divinity.”
“Hmm… Confiscating their divinity, huh.”
I slightly unfurled the scroll given to me and focused on the top names.
Zeus.
Odin.
Amun.
And Indra.
The leaders of the respective god factions, the chief gods.
And those who possessed the fragments of Baal.
While there might be other gods, these ones definitely needed to be punished.
Aside from them… there were gods demanding human sacrifices, abusing divine punishment, and holding humans hostage… uh, Olympus seemed to be rather prominent.
As I skimmed down the list, next to each name were detailed notes on what kind of punishment should be imposed if their divinity was confiscated.
“Hmm. It must have been quite the task given how long the list was. I’ll make sure to reflect your opinions well.”
“Yes. We’d really appreciate that. We put a lot of thought into that list.”
I tucked the scroll away in my robe. This would come in handy later.
“By the way, who are those kids accompanying you, Mom?”
“Those kids?”
Sylphid pointed subtly to the others nearby—Asterios, Hwan, the bruised Rabbit Beastman Nava whom I had picked up, and the Sea Serpent, now in human form, who had gained wisdom.
A diverse bunch. Different backgrounds, origins, and races.
“Shall we call them new candidates for gods?”
“Wait? Candidates for gods?”
Upon my words, Sylphid’s expression shifted to one of disbelief.
“Wait, the person who said there are too many gods is now saying you’re adding new gods? That sounds a bit off, doesn’t it? It doesn’t quite add up!”
“Well, those kids have their roles. Initially, I thought, as underlings of Sirius, they’d become the tribal gods of various beastfolk…”
“Thought, huh?”
“I figured I could add some more roles for them.”
“More roles… but you just said there are too many gods. Why would you go ahead and create even more gods?!”
I smiled gently as I spoke.
“You could say they’re the guards protecting the Divine Hall.”
“Guards? Isn’t one Sirius enough?”
“If it’s just guarding the entrance, maybe.”
At my words, Sylphid tilted her head in confusion.
“Are you saying there’s something else that needs to be protected besides the entrance?”
“Yes. More specifically, it’s about preventing those inside from getting out.”
“Preventing from getting out…?”
You could say it’s akin to the security in a prison.
“So you’re saying you’re not protecting the gods from outside dangers but making sure the gods in the Divine Hall can’t escape?”
“Exactly. The only place where the gods can exist is in the Divine Hall. To escape from there, one would have to incur significant sacrifices or meet special conditions.”
“Why on earth would you want to do something like that? Are the gods really that much of a problem?”
Problematic. Yes, very problematic.
Those beings with uncontrollable powers that humans could not manage simply cannot be left free.
We must prune away any weeds that grow unchecked. Especially if those weeds start parasitizing other flowers or trees.
“Isn’t it obvious that we’re putting in this effort because there’s a problem?”
Sylphid still seemed quite unsatisfied with that.
Well, I wasn’t looking for her understanding.
I was hoping for an era where life thrives, not a world rampant with countless gods.
So until that time comes… I must keep working hard.
“To be honest, I believe that even without you doing this, the gods will eventually decline… but you must have your reasons for doing this, right?”
Seeing Sylphid sigh, I could only smile gently.
– – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – –
After that, I continued my observations of the world.
I visited the Lizardman village, where a Lizardman tried to ignite himself to calm the anger of the Creator Dragon’s wrath as he felt it coming from me. I had to prevent that and then train him not to try such things again.
I also encountered Epona, a small horse god born from the faith surrounding the legendary Epona. Well, it wasn’t the original Epona but more akin to a namesake created from achievements and worship. A deity by the same name? Something along those lines. In any case, this new Epona stuck to me like glue upon seeing me.
As we traveled east in search of a plant that grows wool so he wouldn’t have to watch his sheep die, I took along Baromets, a Sheep Beastman.
Afterward, while traveling eastward, we ran into a troublesome Monkey Tail Beastman hindering our path, whom I had Asterios subdue before naming him Sun Wukong and providing some mental education.
Moving further east, I witnessed the land engulfed in a scorching heatwave caused by the Sun Gods of Kunlun, and I saved a Chicken Beastman who was suffering for the sin of shooting down nine out of ten Sun Gods.
By the way, Kunlun ended up half-destroyed because those guys couldn’t even manage their own sun gods.
After that, while heading north through the Snowfield, I also managed to tame a gigantic wolf god who was captured by the Aesir.
I dealt with a Pig Beastman who was making a nuisance of himself trying to make money by committing various misdemeanors.
Traveling all around the globe, meeting various beings and experiencing different events, I eventually started a bit of behind-the-scenes work.
– – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – –
One day, rumors began to spread among the gods of the Divine Hall.
Due to the disappearance of Baal, originally the king of the gods, the era of the gods was said to be coming to an end.
Among the many gods, only a handful would survive, with most losing their divinity and falling to the mortal realm.
Among them, those responsible for Baal’s death would not be allowed to exist.
Numerous gods began searching for the source of this rumor, and after utilizing their followers to track it down, they eventually found it.
A being dwelling alone in a deep forest, where not even a single ray of sunlight was permitted.
An extraordinary being who could foresee all events that would take place in the future.
The being aptly dubbed the Sage of the Deep Forest.
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