The God Simulator did not provide a detailed description of this Pixel World, nor did it reveal the complete map or all kinds of data. As a god, the player had to explore it step by step.
When the Black Bear attacked the tribe last time, Lu Yao had truly believed it was a beast attack. It was only after the Prophet examined the corpse that he identified its true identity as a Demon Cultist.
In a sense, Lu Yao did not know much more than these Pixelated Villagers.
He merely possessed the "player" identity that the Pixelated Villagers could not understand, somewhat like an outsider god descending upon the Pixel World.
An outsider god...
Lu Yao immediately thought of something.
Since there was an outsider god like himself, there were likely Local Gods in the Pixel World as well.
He looked at the [Energy Staff] in his hand and the [Cactus Follower] hibernating in a small flowerpot nearby. Both miraculous treasures had originally belonged to the Forest God. The Temple showed that the Forest God had already fallen, which was why the treasures he had held had ended up scattered about.
Could a god like the Forest God have been an Old God?
Unfortunately, no one could answer that question for him.
Lu Yao thought for a moment and made his decision.
Trade!
Although Wheat was precious, it would be difficult for the Garlic Tribe, allied with the Forest Tribe, to monopolize this food. Rather than possibly having their Wheat taken for free, it was better to make an open and honest 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 opened a private chat with the Shaman beside him.
The leaders of both tribes quickly reached an agreement, and smiling faces appeared above the Forest Tribe's Pixelated Villagers.
"The Shaman got Wheat!"
"God Yao bestowed food upon the tribe!"
"Wonderful! We don't have to fear winter anymore!"
"Great God Yao, wise Shaman!"
Then the Forest Tribe's people carried a stone coffin out of the forest. They carried it all the way to the Garlic Tribe's Temple, where the Garlic Tribe's people brought it inside.
A gray stone coffin icon immediately appeared in the Temple interface, named [Apostle].
Lu Yao clicked [Apostle].
An illustration appeared on the screen. In it, a woman lay inside a gray coffin, her eyes covered by black cloth.
Fine cracks covered her cheeks, and her body seemed to have been sealed in clay. Her gray stone shell had nearly fused with the stone coffin. If not for the faintly visible soft features of a young girl's face, she would have been no different from a stone statue.
[Apostle]: Near death. The Forest God's Apostle. Apostles carry out a god's will and commands, listen to a god's voice, and serve as vessels through which a god descends upon the world.
Judging from the description, this Apostle seemed to be a unit that a god player could directly control?
However, awakening her would not be easy.
Lu Yao clicked [Apostle] and received a prompt.
--Reviving her and converting her into an Apostle of your Temple requires a large amount of Power of Faith. Would you like to spend 500 Faith Points to convert this Apostle?
By the Faith cost of Miracles, one Lightning cost 20 Faith Points, meaning this Apostle was worth twenty-five Lightnings. He simply could not afford that level of Faith expenditure yet.
Lu Yao could only set the matter of the Apostle aside for the time being and continue building up his foundation.
He pondered it. This near-death Apostle had once served the Forest God.
Considering that the [Energy Staff] had previously been dug out of the forest by the Prophet, that the [Cactus Follower] sent by the Forest Tribe had also come from the Forest God's Temple, and that a near-death Apostle had been unearthed underground, this forest clearly had some kind of connection to the Forest God.
Unfortunately, he could not speak with the Pixelated Villagers, nor was there an option to ask questions, so he could find no clues.
Lu Yao turned his attention back to the tribe's construction.
He moved one of the Pig-Fish Brothers to the riverbank and the other into the forest. One had previously been a fisherman, the other a Hunter, so this was putting each to his proper use.
The two Heroes soon gave their feedback.
"Most places with lots of fish in the river are in deep water. We need boats. The tribe must build boats before we can fish."
"Medicinal herbs have been found in the forest. There are animal bite marks and bloodstains on them, but they cannot be identified. We need a pharmacist to identify them."
The resources were there, but they lacked the specialists capable of identifying and using them.
Lu Yao knew this could not be rushed, so he relaxed and watched from the sidelines.
He found two rock-hard frozen corn cobs in the refrigerator and boiled them in a pot for dinner.
Gnawing on the hot, soft, sticky corn, Lu Yao watched the tribe's little people bustle about. It felt like when he had watched ants on the ground as a child, simple and joyful in its own way.
Before long, snow began to fall in the Pixel World, and winter arrived.
Aside from the two Pig-Fish Brothers, the Garlic Tribe's Pixelated Villagers who had gone out all returned. Everyone hid in their houses to keep warm. During the short days, they gathered branches for firewood and cleared snow around the Temple and Farmland.
Fortunately, the Wheat had been planted long ago, and the abundant Wheat Field harvest provided the tribe with plenty of food. Faced with the harsh winter, the Pixelated Villagers were not afraid at all.
"We have Wheat, enough food, and warm homes."
"Wheat, the power of Wheat!"
"Winter looks like it will be long. Luckily, God bestowed Wheat and Garlic upon us. No one should starve to death this winter."
Every Pixelated Villager in the tribe had a happy expression above their head.
At that moment, the Forest Tribe suddenly came to visit.
Unlike their past trades, this time the high-ranking Shaman personally led the visit. The Prophet received them and lit a bonfire amid the snowdrifts, warming themselves together with the visiting allies.
An anxious expression appeared above the Shaman's head.
"Friends of the Garlic Tribe, we have encountered a difficulty we cannot resolve and humbly ask for your help."
"Twenty Hunters from the Forest Tribe, also the finest Hunters in our tribe, entered the depths of the forest for one last hunt to prepare for winter. Snow sliding down from the mountain buried them in the northern forest, and we cannot find them."
"Only the mighty power of a god can save them."
"We beg the omnipotent God Yao in the Temple to pity these Hunters seeking food and grant them protection. If you can help these tribesmen survive, we will build a Temple in our tribe to worship God Yao, offer Sacrificial Offerings, and pledge our tribe's loyalty."
An exclamation mark appeared above the Prophet's head.
He said, "Since you wish to pray for the god's protection, then go worship God Yao at the Temple. Only the most devout and honest pleas can earn a god's mercy and Blessing."
So the Shaman brought his people to worship around the Temple.
Lu Yao considered it.
According to the Shaman, if those people could be found, a Temple could be built in the Forest Tribe as well. That would mean he could bestow Blessings upon two tribes at once. Would that not mean Sacrificial Offerings from two tribes?
But how could he save these Hunters trapped in the snow?
Lu Yao thought of [Scorching Sun] among the Miracles.
This Miracle cost 25 Faith Points. Once activated, it should be able to melt the snow.
He selected [Scorching Sun], expanded its range as much as possible over the northernmost reachable part of the forest on the game interface, then clicked the mouse.
A brilliant golden light appeared above the northern forest. The thick white snow in the forest quickly melted away, revealing many little people lying on the ground and shivering.
An exclamation mark appeared above the kneeling Shaman's head.
"Great God, the Forest Tribe sincerely thanks you for your kindness. We firmly believe in your mighty power, and we will immediately build a Temple to worship you!"
Then the Shaman sent some of his people quickly toward the northern forest where the snow had melted. Soon, they found the missing Hunters.
Just as the Shaman had promised, the Forest Tribe also built a Temple. This Temple was made of wood and modeled after the White Temple.
What disappointed Lu Yao somewhat was that there was no change in the Temple interface. His plan to double his Blessings and Sacrificial Offerings had not come true.
However, there were gains as well.
[Your Miracle has changed the Forest Tribe's attitude to worship.] [Because they worship the same god, the Forest Tribe is merging with the Garlic Tribe.]
Lu Yao perked up.
If he could merge the Forest Tribe's hundred-plus people, it would be an enormous boost.
That was more than a hundred Faith Points!
An increase in population would also expand the Temple's boundary of influence. With more manpower, they could trigger more random events.
The current Faith expenditure had been exchanged for long-term, lasting returns.
Win!
Before you continue