Sacrificial Offering

Lu Yao hovered his mouse over the [Sacrificial Offering] slot.

It was a red creature, curled up in a fetal position, looking like some kind of newborn animal.

[Garlic Tribe Infant: A sacrifice offered to the god.]

Lu Yao's face twitched.

Human sacrifice... it really fit the primitive human habit of worshipping gods.

In God Simulator, Lu Yao couldn't communicate with the Garlic Tribe through the Temple, nor could he predict what the Pixelated Villagers would do.

He hovered his mouse over [Sacrificial Offering], mulling over whether he could reject it.

A line of text appeared on the screen.

--Would you like to accept the [Garlic Tribe Infant] offered by your believers?

--[Yes] [No]

Lu Yao decisively clicked No.

If a baby suddenly showed up in his home out of nowhere, there'd be no explaining it. The cops might even come knocking for a chat.

What was even scarier was that if the Garlic Tribe kept sending babies, his home would keep filling up with them. Just thinking about the milk powder and diapers he'd need to buy... Lu Yao was already numb.

Bro, I'm a god, not your tribe's infant caretaker!

As Lu Yao rejected the offering, exclamation marks popped up over every single Garlic Tribe member's head.

"The god isn't satisfied! The god doesn't want a baby!"

"I told you not to use a baby—it should be an adult, someone who can farm and pick fruit for the god!"

"No, no, it should be prey! The best prey! The god will definitely love a Wild Boar!"

"I think it's fish! Fish are the best—slippery and harmless. The god will definitely love fish!"

"Go find a new offering! A new offering!"

Seeing the Pixelated Villagers' dialogue, Lu Yao felt a mix of amusement and exasperation.

But if they sent wild game or river fresh, he could make a late-night snack. He didn't cook much usually, but he could handle home-style dishes.

The entire Garlic Tribe, except for five people left behind, scattered into the nearby forests, rivers, and mountain areas. They looked left and right, as if searching the map for something suitable as an offering.

Lu Yao noticed one Pixelated Villager who stood out from the rest.

This villager was one of the original seven believers, bare-chested and barefoot. He stood outside the Temple, looking up at the sky, a question mark floating above his head.

Lu Yao hovered his mouse over the question mark, and a speech bubble popped up above the villager's head, filled with text—seemingly his inner thoughts.

"What kind of offering does the god truly need? He doesn't want a baby. Maybe he doesn't need manpower. He gifted the tribe with miraculous garlic—the world the god lives in must not lack food."

"The Forest Tribe defiled the Temple and immediately suffered the god's heavenly Divine Punishment. The god must possess power beyond our imagination. The things we need mean nothing to him. So, only those mysterious things we can't understand or use—those the god might accept."

The question mark above the villager's head turned into a glowing lightbulb.

As if he'd figured something out, he jogged into the dense forest.

Lu Yao watched, a bit surprised.

This villager's thinking was clearly a cut above the others—as if he'd awakened intelligence. He was the only one with a question mark over his head.

Before long, the Question Mark Villager ran back out of the forest, holding an object in both hands as he dashed into the Temple.

Lu Yao opened the Temple interface.

A small icon appeared in the [Sacrificial Offering] slot. It looked like a short-handled staff, carved and polished from a tree branch, simple in appearance.

[Energy Staff]: Faith +1/hour, Energy 12/12 hours (Recharge rate 1/1 hour).

A treasure crafted by the Forest God, capable of drawing overflowing life force from nature. When held, the user can extract vigorous energy from it. Lost after the Forest God's fall.

--Would you like to accept the [Energy Staff] offered by your believer?

Lu Yao clicked [Yes].

The staff icon in the [Sacrificial Offering] slot vanished, and a short staff the length of an arm appeared on the black keyboard of his computer desk.

Lu Yao's palms were sweating.

Though he'd vaguely guessed that [Blessings] could be sent to the Pixel World through the Temple, and theoretically [Sacrificial Offerings] could come from that world too...

Seeing it actually happen before his eyes, he still couldn't help holding his breath.

Lu Yao carefully picked up the staff.

It wasn't heavy—about the weight of normal wood.

The surface of the short staff was covered in tree grain patterns, but it felt smooth and fine to the touch, as if coated in a layer of transparent varnish. The top of the staff had two short forks, a bit like a broken-off clothes hanger. But tiny buds grew from those forks, giving it a sense of lingering vitality.

Holding the [Energy Staff], Lu Yao felt completely refreshed. The soreness in his lower back and shoulders vanished. It was like being back at fourteen or fifteen, able to stay up all night gaming and still bounce back after a nap.

The magical items from the Pixel World also work in the real world!

Lu Yao looked at the staff.

A line of text appeared on the [Energy Staff]: Energy 12/12 hours, in use.

In other words, as long as he held this staff, he theoretically wouldn't need to sleep. The next day, whether at work or in class, he'd never doze off!

Lu Yao's heart surged with excitement.

Nowadays, all-night gaming sessions were a luxury for him. Though Lu Yao was only twenty-three, he could clearly feel the changes in his body.

He was far from his teenage years—staying up just an hour or two, not getting enough sleep, and the next day he'd be yawning and drowsy, no matter how much coffee or Red Bull he drank.

With the [Energy Staff], he could return to the peak of his energetic life!

He waved the staff excitedly for a while, then calmed down.

No, the key wasn't this...

It was that [Sacrificial Offerings] could really be brought out of the Pixel Game world.

Without a doubt, there were other magical items like the [Energy Staff] in the Pixel World. If he could continuously send them out through the Temple... then this game was an endless treasure trove.

Lu Yao felt refreshed.

With the Temple's dimension-breaking ability, it wouldn't be long before he could escape his miserable, oppressed working life, reach the peak of his career, and become an ideal game otaku no longer choked by the need to make a living!

He turned his attention back to the game.

By now, the Pixelated Villagers were all returning to the tribe, smiley-face symbols floating above their heads.

"The God likes the offering, great, great!"

"So the God likes that kind of offering—I'll definitely find an even better one!"

"I still think the Wild Boar is the best. The God will surely love the Wild Boar—it's way better than that branch!"

"Nonsense, Fish is the best!"

"Wild Boar!"

"Fish!"

Lu Yao noticed that the villager insisting on the Wild Boar and the one favoring Fish were both from the Forest Tribe who had joined the Garlic Tribe. They both wore Leather Vests.

The Forest Tribe likely focused on gathering and hunting, so they considered prey the best gift—understandable.

Lu Yao's gaze darted among the villagers, trying to find the one who had offered the [Energy Staff]. But these villagers all looked identical, with no names above their heads or personal traits, making them hard to distinguish.

Finally, Lu Yao found him in the Temple.

A bare-chested, barefoot Pixelated Villager stood inside the Temple, a question mark still above his head. The tribe's sole thinker—that was him.

A new message appeared on the screen.

--A believer has sparked wisdom. Do you wish to convert him into a Prophet?

[Yes] [No]