Perhaps He Was a Very... Failed God
During the Lucky Star's days, the God of Wealth and the God of Luck lived a relatively peaceful and comfortable life. Every day they either looked at the mountains and rivers or admired the sea of clouds, and occasionally they would come down for a walk to observe the busy creatures around them.
When life is peaceful, it seems to drag on.
But if things stay peaceful for too long, some problems will inevitably come knocking on your door.
Sure enough, one day, a strange figure appeared before them. The other person's attire was similar to that of the Demigod shrouded in black whom Lin Yan had fought.
However, their auras were worlds apart.
"Gentlemen, I think you're looking for me."
God of Luck gave the other person a thorough once-over.
I couldn't tell the gender from the other person's voice; it was neither male nor female, neither warm nor cold. I also couldn't make out their facial features or figure.
"Hehe, this is really interesting."
God of Luck spoke first, circling the other person slowly a few times, her honey-colored eyes under the brim of her hat scrutinizing them up and down.
"I've never seen anyone come to us like this before. Besides, you're standing right in front of us, why won't you show your true colors? Do you think you've got us cornered today?"
The dark figure extended its hand from its black clothing.
The hand was pale and slender, with its five fingers spread out and palm facing upwards, as if inviting someone.
"Of course not. I just think you two are a good match. How about joining my team and becoming my friends?"
God of Luck's spinning motion came to a stop.
He turned his head, and his honey-colored eyes, hidden beneath the brim of his hat, looked at the other person.
"We don't need you as a friend. Leave now, or luck will leave you."
The black- Gods deity lowered his head and sighed.
"Actually, you don't need to be so wary of me. I have no ill intentions; on the contrary, I've brought an old friend to the God of Wealth."
As He spoke, He raised His hand, and a man in black holding a paper umbrella appeared behind Him, who lowered the hood of his head.
The sight of the face that appeared left the God of Wealth speechless.
"Elena..."
One face made the God of God of Wealth's memory suddenly begin to regress.
A long, long time ago.
At that time, he had just parted ways with God of Luck.
Back then, the world was not like it is today.
At that time, he was still on a planet Otheros. On Otheros, there was an empire Saint Soren.
That was the largest empire on the entire planet.
In this empire, from top to bottom, almost everyone worships the God of Wealth. Every town has a Fortune God Temple, and even in the remote wilderness, there is a small God of Wealth Shrine dedicated to the God of Wealth, where travelers can rest and offer incense.
In the capital of Saint Soren, the Fortune God Temple was the most extravagant place in the entire empire.
It was several times more luxurious than the palace where that emperor lived.
The vermilion eaves soar high, and the roof is covered with gilded tiles, making the whole hall shine when the sunlight shines on it.
The beams and pillars inside the hall were covered with exquisite gold patterns, and incense and candles burned day and night, with smoke swirling around them all day long.
The hall was packed with people bowing and kneeling in worship.
Merchants pray for daily riches, the powerful pray for official advancement, scholars pray for academic success, farmers pray for favorable weather, soldiers pray for victory in every battle, women pray for a good husband, the elderly pray for health and longevity, and children pray for peace and happiness...
The place was bustling with noise, and the fireworks never stopped.
The people of the Saint Soren Empire all say that the God of God of Wealth controls all the wealth and fortune in the world, and is the richest and most carefree Gods in the world.
The God of Wealth heard these wishes.
At that time, he believed that since he was worshipped by thousands and enjoyed the incense offerings of thousands, he should not just be a cold, lifeless decoration since he had taken this Divine Position.
Therefore, he fulfilled all the wishes made by those who worshipped in his temple.
Merchants made a fortune every day, the powerful and wealthy had a constant stream of money, gamblers became rich overnight, and the poor were free from worries about food and clothing... He was like a generous giver, filling every hand that reached out to him to the brim.
But at that time, he had just separated from the body of the God of Fortune and did not know what he would become after all his wishes were fulfilled.
The God of Wealth only knows that as long as someone kneels in the temple and speaks their wish, he will grant it.
At that time, he thought that making people rich, preventing them from going hungry and cold, and fulfilling their heart's desires were the things that Gods should do.
During that period, he was almost always there for everyone who asked.
The incense in the Golden Temple burned ever brighter, and more and more people came to worship. His Divine Power also rose with the tide of faith.
But gradually, he realized something was wrong.
The first to change are those who get what they want.
Merchants were no longer satisfied with making a fortune every day; they began to seek monopolies, to seek acquisitions... and to seek to bankrupt their competitors.
The powerful and wealthy were no longer satisfied with their existing power; they began to demand more, enough to influence the course of an empire.
A gambler who wins once wants to win a second and a third time, until he bets his entire fortune and his life.
And those poor people who most deserve pity, once they have enough to eat and wear, turn around and chase after the next thing they don't need...
Human desires are like a well whose lid has been pried open; it can never be covered again.
Later, the entire Saint Soren Empire changed.
The fields are uncultivated, and the labor is unsold.
Everyone believes that if they go to the Fortune God Temple to pray, they will receive a windfall the next day.
The streets were deserted, but the temples were bustling with activity.
The foundations of the empire are rotting day by day.
Merchants were left only with infighting, and the powerful were left only with fighting. Even those who once knelt in the palace begging for a meal had learned to turn against each other for a few silver coins.
Then, the emperor of the Saint Soren Empire arrived.
He came alone, dressed in plain clothes, and stood in Fortune God Temple in the Imperial Capital.
The once magnificent Fortune God Temple now houses only him.
He entered the main hall laughing wildly, drew his sword, and shattered the Deity Statue of the God of Wealth with a single stroke.
When that sword fell, the God of Wealth was right beside him, but he did not voluntarily unleash Divine Punishment.
Once, the other person was his most devout follower.
But what he bestowed ultimately destroyed that person's kingdom, and destroyed that person as well.
He had no reason to punish someone who had already lost everything.
Just because the God of Wealth doesn't punish doesn't mean the rules won't apply.
The instant the Deity Statue shattered, the sanction of the rules descended from the heavens.
The God of Wealth accepted that punishment.
But that emperor eventually died.
He stood Fortune God Temple, glanced back at the Deity Statue he had personally shattered, then looked at the devastated Imperial Capital outside, and suddenly smiled.
The emperor drew his sword and committed suicide. As the blade sliced across his neck, he left behind only one sentence.
"I regret that I worshipped the God of Wealth in the first place."
Those words, carried by the wind, drifted into the hall and into the ears of the God of Wealth.
Later, the war lasted for a full hundred years.
A new empire was built on the ruins.
But the emperor's dying words were like a thorn stuck in the heart of the God of Wealth for many, many years.
He might just be a very... failed god.