Chapter: 60
Manipulating the faith in the Cloud Whale was a magnificent success.
In an era where the existence of gods was vaguely understood, with each region having its own arbitrary traditions that weren’t even properly documented, it was quite handy to slightly tweak and spread information to reshape these traditions into the desired form and function of the god.
Well, this trick worked now because the traditions about the gods are still pretty unclear in this era. Once some more time passes, it won’t be possible, so I should take advantage of it while I can!
In each region and city, the same god is known by completely different traditions and names. In some places, the gentle wind god is viewed as the fierce storm god in others. Because there was no clear information like that… it left plenty of room for me to wiggle in.
With just a dash of rumor and a sprinkle of magic, I could whip up the god I wanted. Now, that’s a scam of the finest kind!
Of course, this won’t last long. As records about the gods pile up and regions start to unify their stories, my opportunities to interfere will dwindle.
Ah! Speaking of which, Sylphid’s name has made it onto the godliography now. Looks like the fear from those storms did a number!
Honestly, I thought sailors might grow fond of Sylphid once they hit the seas, but it seems fear from those crazy storms really did the trick.
Anyway, I’ll make sure to congratulate Sylphid about this the next time I find the chance.
The Cloud Whale was circling the world as I intended, leading a flock of various white birds to help bring forth new life.
Hmm. I spread the word, thinking about storks, and labeled them as white birds, but does that mean any white bird will do? From swans to storks, even white doves were flapping around the Cloud Whale like it was a party.
Even if I designate the major aspects, can the tiny details change? So much for making things easy—another thing to be careful about!
Plus, with the Cloud Whale now having a some smarts and being able to chat, handling it was a piece of cake!
As long as it doesn’t throw childish tantrums from time to time, that is.
But then again, it’s still a huge step up from a wild beast! At least it listens when I talk.
While I was caught up in thoughts about the Cloud Whale and planting flowers to decorate the second layer of the underworld, a message chimed in on GodTalk.
Hmm, could it be the lizardmen again? I’ve been chatting regularly via the Archmage, but is there another reason they need me?
I’ve been gold-starring the Grand Warrior’s blessing just before the annual lizardmen festival martial arts tournament and showering the winner with blessings, so really, they shouldn’t need to contact me.
Thinking that way, I opened the message window only to find out that it wasn’t a lizardman but a different entity sending the message.
The dragons! The life-giving dragons roaming the world sent me a message.
And to make it more unusual, the name featured on the message wasn’t Creator Dragon God but a different one altogether.
The name on the screen read the Goddess of Life.
Whoa, Goddess of Life, huh? I did use “god of life” when I solidified the faith for the Cloud Whale, but why the “Goddess of Life…” ?
Hmm… either the info I spread got a bit twisted, or maybe the dragons figured out I’m a woman and decided to switch the title from God of Life to Goddess of Life.
Let’s brush aside the title for now; the sender was the Dragon Lord.
Hmm… why is he calling me again? He’s usually capable of handling most things on his own. Is it that important?
Anyway, I opened the GodTalk screen.
[O, great Mother of Life, your humble servant calls upon you.]
Why is he addressing me as the Mother of Life instead of Creator Dragon God? All of a sudden, I’ve got two titles!
I cleared my throat a bit and hit the record button before speaking up.
“What’s going on?”
[Thank you for responding to my call. I’m facing a difficult decision that I can’t manage alone, so I needed to bring you in.]
Oh great, what could it be this time?
“Isn’t it something you can handle on your own, usually?”
[This matter is far too weighty for me to decide alone, and it also deeply concerns the future of those who grant life.]
Hmm. For a dragon representative to say that, this must be juicy.
“Spill it. What’s the deal?”
[Well, some humans have looked up to us and expressed their wish to become life-givers. What should we do about it?]
“What?”
Humans? Becoming life-givers?
Wait a second… is it possible because they are dragons?
They earn their surplus life force through magic, which allows them to share it. A human? Like a dragon?
That’s usually a hard no???
“Could you explain how this happened?”
[While wandering the city healing the sick, a human child witnessed their sick mother completely recovering and was inspired to do the same.]
“A child? Isn’t that just a fleeting fancy from a kid?”
[That’s what we thought too, but we explained how it’s not something that can be just done; it requires dedicating one’s life to the Goddess of Life. Still, the child was relentless. They were chatting with a dragon about it, and that dragon didn’t know how to respond, so they summoned me to discuss. Plus, that child isn’t the only one asking—they all want to become like us.]
Hmm… what am I going to do.
Humans and dragons are entirely different creatures; they can’t function how dragons do.
They lack magic, and only dragons can overflow with life force…
Can humans even host a dangerously overflowing life force? I’m leaning toward no!
If a human body—lacking the durability or size—starts generating endlessly regenerating cells due to too much life force, that just sounds like getting cancer!
The most realistic route would be to shatter their dreams… but for some reason, I really don’t want to.
Is it because I don’t want to mess up that child’s dreams?
“This is a sticky situation.”
I sank deep into thought.
Even though this position was created for dragons, humans want to do the same.
Hmm. Should I simply expand the group size? Create a collective that anyone—dragon or human—can join?
Though even if I did that, humans still wouldn’t be able to replenish life force. That child desires to be a life-giver not for the title but in hopes of healing others, right?
While I was pondering this, an idea flickered through my mind.
Instead of dragons using magic to activate life force for healing, could I set up a system utilizing different resources for healing?
For instance, could faith in the divine be used?
Of course, I fully admit this sounds far-fetched. But if it works out, it could offer substantial aid to believers.
It could lead to the birth of priests harnessing faith to heal others.
So, here’s what we’re going to do.
“Have them pray to me for 10 minutes each morning and before they sleep.”
[Pray? What does such an action even signify?]
“It’s a simple test. An experiment to see what we can accomplish using human faith.”
If it goes off without a hitch, priests wielding miraculous powers through faith will manifest.
—
And that little experiment of mine.
“Bestow upon me the light to heal them.”
Wrapped up with the young child who prayed to me daily, blossoming into a youth who healed others with their newfound faith.
While several humans were longing to become life-givers, he was the only one who could genuinely channel faith to do it.
Thus, the youth, holding faith in their heart, transformed into a priest, executing the will of God while healing others.
A priest who operates not on magic or life force, but on faith alone—now that’s something that didn’t exist before, but now? Now they’ll surely come to be.
Thanks to their efforts, the ranks of life-givers began to swell, even if it was just a trickle at first.
No, they’re no longer merely life-givers now.
Now, they’ve become proper members of the Temple of Life!
Sure, most of the followers are still dragons, and the human followers remain a minority, but isn’t it a good thing that there’s at least a hint of species diversity among the members?
In any case, thanks to the notably miraculous healing, the Temple of Life is bustling daily. It turned into a primary healing hub for the ailing.
Because of this, the chorus of voices seeking me has grown louder and more numerous… and that’s a minor issue.
I kept ignoring the calls of those searching for God while I wrapped up the last layer of the underworld.
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