Old God Apostle

The God Simulator does not provide a detailed description of this pixel world, nor does it offer a full map or various data; as a god, the player must explore step by step.

Last time, when the black bear attacked the tribe, Lu Yao truly believed it was a wild beast attack. It was only later, when the Prophet examined the corpse, that he identified its true identity as a Demon Cultist.

To some extent, Lu Yao knows no more than these Pixelated Villagers.

He merely possesses an identity as a "player" that the Pixelated Villagers cannot comprehend, somewhat like an alien deity descending into the pixel world.

An alien deity...

Lu Yao immediately thought.

Since there are alien deities like himself, it is very likely there are also Local Gods of the pixel world.

He glanced at the [Energy Staff] in his hand and the [Cactus Follower] dormant in a small flowerpot beside him; both of these magical treasures originally belonged to the Forest God. And the Temple showed that the Forest God had already fallen, which is why these treasures He held had been scattered.

Could a god like the Forest God be an Old God?

Unfortunately, no one could answer that question for him.

Lu Yao thought for a moment and made a decision.

Trade!

Although wheat is precious, the Garlic Tribe, allied with the Forest Tribe, would find it difficult to monopolize this grain. Rather than risk having the wheat taken for nothing, it was better to make an open and fair deal now.

Lu Yao clicked [Yes].

A light bulb lit up above the Prophet's head.

"God, your servant knows what to do."

He immediately started a private chat with the Shaman beside him.

The leaders of both tribes quickly reached a consensus, and the Pixelated Villagers of the Forest Tribe all had smiling faces pop up above their heads.

"The Shaman got the wheat!"

"God Yao has blessed the tribe with grain!"

"Great, no need to fear winter anymore!"

"Great God Yao, wise Shaman!"

Then, the villagers of the Forest Tribe carried a stone coffin out of the forest. They hauled it all the way to the outside of the Garlic Tribe's Temple, and then the Garlic Tribe people brought it inside.

A gray stone coffin icon, named [Apostle], immediately appeared in the Temple interface.

Lu Yao clicked on [Apostle].

An illustration appeared on the screen. In the picture, a woman with her eyes covered by a black cloth lay inside the gray coffin.

Her cheeks were covered in fine cracks, and her body seemed sealed inside with mortar, her gray stone shell almost merging with the stone coffin. If not for the barely discernible soft maiden's face, she would be no different from a stone statue.

[Apostle]: Dying.

Apostle of the Forest God. The Apostle carries out the god's will and commands, listens to the god's voice, and is the vessel through which the god descends into the world.

According to the description above, this Apostle seems to be a unit that the god player can directly control?

But waking her would not be easy.

Lu Yao clicked on [Apostle] and received a prompt.

--To revive and convert her into an Apostle of your Temple requires a large amount of Power of Faith. Are you willing to consume 500 Faith Points to convert the Apostle?

Going by the Faith consumption of Miracles, one Lightning costs 20 Faith, meaning this Apostle is worth 25 Lightnings. With such a massive Faith expenditure, he simply couldn't afford it right now.

Lu Yao had no choice but to set the Apostle matter aside for now and continue developing the basics.

He mused that this dying Apostle was still a subordinate of the Forest God.

Considering that the [Energy Staff] had been dug up from the forest by the Prophet, the [Cactus Follower] sent by the Forest Tribe also originated from the Forest God's Temple, and the dying Apostle had been unearthed from underground, it seemed this forest had some connection to the Forest God.

Unfortunately, he couldn't converse with the Pixelated Villagers, nor was there an option to ask questions, so he found no clues.

Lu Yao turned his attention back to the tribe's construction.

He assigned one of the Pig-Fish Brothers to the river and moved the other into the forest. One had been a Fisherman before, and the other a Hunter, so this let them each play to their strengths.

Soon, the two Heroes gave feedback.

"The places in the river with lots of fish are all in deep water, requiring boats. The tribe needs to build boats to be able to fish."

"Medicinal Herbs were found in the forest, with signs of animal chewing and bloodstains, but they can't be identified. A Pharmacist is needed to recognize them."

Resources were available, but what was lacking were the professionals to identify and use them.

Lu Yao knew this couldn't be rushed, so he relaxed and watched.

He found two frozen-solid ears of corn in the fridge, boiled them in a pot, and had them for dinner.

Chewing on the hot, soft, and sticky corn, Lu Yao watched the busy Pixelated Villagers, feeling like he was back in his childhood watching ants on the ground—simple and joyful, with its own unique charm.

Soon, snow began to fall in the pixel world, and winter arrived.

Apart from the two heroes, the Pig-Fish Brothers, the Pixelated Villagers who had ventured out from the Garlic Tribe all returned one by one, everyone huddling inside their homes for warmth. During the brief daylight hours, they scoured the area for branches to use as firewood and cleared the snow around the temple and the farmland.

Fortunately, the wheat had been planted early on, and the bountiful harvest from the Wheat Field provided the tribe with plenty of food. Facing the harsh winter, the Pixelated Villagers showed no fear at all.

"We have wheat, enough food to last, and our homes are warm."

"Wheat, the power of wheat!"

"The winter looks like it'll drag on, but thanks to the wheat and garlic blessed by the Great God, no one should starve to death this season."

The Pixelated Villagers in the tribe all had happy emojis floating above their heads.

Just then, the Forest Tribe suddenly came to visit.

Unlike past trade dealings, this time the visit was led personally by the esteemed Shaman. The Prophet welcomed them, lighting a bonfire among the snowdrifts so the allied visitors could warm themselves together.

An anxious emoji appeared above the Shaman's head.

"Friends of the Garlic Tribe, we've run into a problem we can't solve on our own, and we humbly ask for your help."

"Twenty hunters from the Forest Tribe—our best hunters—went deep into the forest for one last hunt to prepare for winter. An avalanche buried them in the northern part of the woods, and we can't find them."

"Only the divine power of a god can save them."

"We beg the all-powerful God Yao in the temple to take pity on these hunters, who sought only food for their people, and grant them protection. If you can help these kin survive, we will build a temple in our tribe, worship God Yao, and offer sacrifices along with our tribe's loyalty."

An exclamation mark popped up above the Prophet's head.

He said, "Since you wish to pray for the god's protection, go to the temple and worship God Yao. Only the most sincere and honest plea can earn the god's mercy and Blessing."

So the Shaman led his people in worship around the temple.

Lu Yao mulled it over.

According to the Shaman, if he could find these people, he could establish a temple in the Forest Tribe too. That would mean blessing two tribes at once—wouldn't he then receive Sacrificial Offerings from both?

But how could he save these hunters trapped in the snow?

Lu Yao thought of the Miracle [Scorching Sun].

This Miracle, costing 25 Faith Points to activate, should be able to melt the heavy snow.

He selected [Scorching Sun], aimed at the northernmost reachable area of the forest on the game interface, stretched the range as wide as possible, and clicked the mouse.

A brilliant golden light appeared above the northern forest, and the thick white snow there quickly vanished, revealing many tiny figures trembling on the ground.

An exclamation mark appeared above the kneeling Shaman's head.

"Great God, the Forest Tribe is deeply grateful for your mercy. We have unwavering faith in your divine power. We will build a temple immediately and worship you!"

Then the Shaman dispatched some of his people, who swiftly headed north toward the melted snow. Soon, they recovered the missing hunters.

As the Shaman had promised, the Forest Tribe also built a temple. It was made of wood, modeled after the White Temple.

To Lu Yao's slight disappointment, the temple interface showed no change—his plan to double his Blessings and Sacrificial Offerings hadn't come true.

Still, there were gains.

[Your Miracle has shifted the Forest Tribe's attitude to Worship.]

[Because they now worship the same god, the Forest Tribe is merging with the Garlic Tribe.]

Lu Yao's spirits lifted.

If he could merge the Forest Tribe's hundred-plus people into his own, that would be a massive boost.

That was over a hundred Faith Points!

The population increase would also expand the temple's influence radius, provide more manpower, and trigger more random events.

The current Faith expenditure was worth it for long-term, sustained gains.

Win!