Prosperity was often a symbol of peacetime.
But in times of war, there were always regions and cities more prosperous than even the brightest jewels of peacetime.
The City of Silver, the Holy Land of the foreign God of Eternal Life, was such an exception.
Like other cities that profited from war, the influx of vast numbers of "refugees" and fleeing capital brought about a sickly yet dazzling, distorted age of prosperity.
Amid the chaos of war, stable regions and factions naturally attracted large populations.
And in this world, population meant troops. Troops represented the lower limit of a legion's potential and the upper limit of a faction's overall strength. The City of Silver had been forcibly expanded more than thirtyfold just to barely accommodate the new population.
Lu PingAn's faction was not the only one enjoying the benefits of population growth. Powerful lords and veteran overlords received even better treatment, with entire households coming to seek refuge under them.
Weaker deities, lone wanderers with only Tier 7 or 8 strength, would swiftly seek the protection of a great lord if they had any sense when faced with a world that had gone mad.
The status of a subordinate god could at least ensure their safety. Considering that this was one of the three conditions for ascension, and that the Heavenly World no longer seemed safe, subordinate god positions had become exceptionally valuable.
Some famous, long-established deity lords could even use those positions to lure lesser gods into killing one another, weeding out the weak and keeping the strong.
And in this chaotic, excessively prosperous age, it resembled the Warring States era after the collapse of a great dynasty. Heroes would always rise from obscurity, while great predators would fall apart on the road to enthronement.
"Are we still maintaining