Grandfather Arrived

Hill could hardly take it all in. How many years had it been since he had seen such an entertaining spectacle? The players' world really existed to infuriate enemies, while onlookers got to enjoy the show the most.

Hill had already seen some people laughing and talking about how the forum was blowing up. It seemed they could access the forum through tablets.

I really want to get my hands on a tablet! Hill thought, scratching at his head.

Unfortunately, Hill was too timid. Even if he got one, he would not dare use it. The moment he did, he would be completely exposed beneath the God of Space-Time's gaze. Hill silently chanted, Think of William! Poor William! and finally managed to restrain himself.

Hill crouched in another direction and saw a player browsing through a complete collection of alchemy formulas. Though they were only basic-level potions, formulas provided by a God had to be far more comprehensive than the ones Hill possessed.

The player flipped through the pages quickly, and Hill had to devote nearly all his focus just to memorize them.

Suddenly, someone patted his shoulder and asked, "What are you looking at?"

The heavy use of mental power had left Hill somewhat numb, so he failed to react immediately and cast a spell to flee.

Breaking out in a cold sweat, Hill turned and saw Falan glaring at him. "Gr-Grandfather, why are you here?"

"If someone wanted to kill you, would I only be able to collect your corpse?" Falan asked coldly. "Do you have any idea how many people are watching you nearby? Just because you have a little talent, you think you can throw your life away?"

"Yes, yes, Grandfather, I'm sorry! I definitely won't do it again!" Hill pleaded repeatedly.

"What are you doing here?" Falan demanded. "I told you to stay obediently in the Mage Tower and not concern yourself with these matters! A little Mage like you dares involve yourself in a God War?"

Hill was startled. "A God War? They only just appeared!"

"Watch what you say in the Divine Realm!" Falan said. "Hurry up and come back with me!"

Hill said regretfully, "But those tablets are very useful! I only looked for a little while, yet I already filled in many missing formulas."

Falan replied, "There will be opportunities later. News of the God War will soon spread back here. Some of these Undead will always run away. We can just catch a couple then."

Hill could only agree, but he understood that players feared having nothing to do, not war. The Gods were not afraid either.

In their games, no matter how powerful gods and demons were, they were merely bosses the players would eventually defeat. Throwing lives at them was something they knew all too well.

The God of Space-Time's ambition was already obvious. As long as most of His divine power was handed over to the system, the summoned players could flood the entire human continent.

There were dozens of human kingdoms, but their combined population was only two or three hundred million. Hill had no doubt about the population scale of a technological society.

Hill looked up at Falan. "I want to find an excuse to tell the Undead my address. I want to welcome them to visit me when they reach the Western Frontier."

Falan raised a brow. "It seems you picked up quite a bit of information these past few days. We need to have a proper talk after we get back!"

Hill knew Falan had agreed. He quickly turned his head and searched around.

The little Mage who had been studying basic alchemy had already gone over to a furnace in the corner and was trying to brew a potion.

Hill lightly settled onto a branch above his head. "Wrong. Those are Many-Flavored Grass seeds. You need to use Milk Thistle."

The little Mage called Jijiyaya cried out in alarm and hurriedly threw away the Many-Flavored Grass seeds before tossing in a handful of Milk Thistle seeds. Only then did he abruptly look up at Hill. "Who are you?"

Hill lowered his head and smiled faintly at him. "Hello, I'm Hill. Hill Bolanio."

Jijiyaya stammered, "Hello, I'm Jijiyaya. Is there anything I can help you with?"

Hearing that standard quest-acceptance line, Hill smiled. "I was curious about the legendary Undead, so I came to take a look. Out of all these people, only you were seriously identifying herbs. Do the Undead not use potions?"

"No, it's just that the herbs here are rather different from ours, so we can't recognize them," Jijiyaya said. "The people who arrived first prefer fighting. There will be more researchers later."

"Is that so?" Hill replied. "Actually, I wanted to watch for a few more days, but my elder came to drag me back. I admire your diligence."

Hill watched Jijiyaya nearly leap into the air and smiled. "You are currently outside the Northern Frontier of Salar, while I live in the Barony of Bolanio outside the Western Frontier. If you ever reach the Western Frontier, you're welcome to visit my home."

Hill handed Jijiyaya one set of Small Mana Potions. "I saw that you wanted to make these. I made them before, so you can have them."

He looked at the grateful Jijiyaya. "Though we are both at the Junior Profession Tier, you seem not to have adapted to using magical power yet. Read more basic books. Mathematics is the foundation of magic."

Hill slowly rose into the air. Just as he was about to put on a grand display, Falan grabbed him by the collar and entered high-speed flight mode.

A Magus truly was high-tier! Hill felt that they returned to the Mage Tower in around two hours, though it had felt a little like being caught in a tornado.

When Hill saw that Adrian had already returned, he understood why Falan had known he had run off.

He struck first and complained, "Why did you come back so early, Uncle Adrian?"

Adrian was so angry he laughed. "Do you know how I felt when I rushed back and found you gone?"

"I only went to take a look," Hill replied.

Adrian said, "You told me not to make contact with them! Then what did you go do yourself?"

Hill changed the subject. "They said that at least fifty thousand people will arrive in a month."

Falan, who had been listening all along, could not help asking, "A month?"

"Yes, they said it themselves," Hill answered. "The Undead have been discussing how that little valley cannot hold them all. William will probably give the newcomers new territory. I was curious, so I listened closely. They said that no matter what, fifty thousand people would arrive in a month."

Falan said, "In other words, at least fifty thousand?"

"Yes. That one must have been hiding for a long time. His divine power is very strong!" Hill said. "I just don't know how He accumulated His faith."

Falan replied, "He is not from this world. But His foundation is here, so He has to return here to become a God."

Hill felt that if He was from another world, He might have become the God of Games there.

He asked Falan doubtfully, "If He is from another world, why is there a God War? Which one entered the fray this early?"

Falan sneered. "Besides time and space, that one has also reached into entertainment and education, even justice and fairness!"

Hill shuddered. "Justice?"

Falan said, "Have you gone stupid? Are justice and fairness the same thing?"

He added, "Even that one only dares use Justice."

Justice and fairness had always seemed inseparable to Hill, but they were absolutely not the same thing here. This continent had never pursued fairness. The Justice God seemed more like the God of Contracts.

Justice was something all righteous Gods had to proclaim, but whom had entertainment and education offended?

Falan looked at the puzzled Hill and said, "Love and Arts, and Knowledge."

Adrian was dumbfounded. "Knowledge?"

Falan said, "That one seems to want to establish the definition of education first."

Hill suddenly understood. In this world, professionals accepted disciples one-on-one. Basic education simply did not exist, and ordinary commoners found it difficult even to learn how to write. Even someone like Bourne, who could become a noble's personal servant, had relied on generations of striving. Lina's father had once been Falan's attendant.

What did education mean? Even the Gods of this world did not understand. To them, knowledge was expensive and had to be carefully hoarded.

Hill did not want to say anything. Even if the Knowledge God understood the meaning of education, He might not necessarily fight for it.

He listened in shock as Falan said, "The main one entering the fray this time is Rose and Scepter." Hill knew that referred to the God of Nobility and Sovereignty. This one clearly understood that fairness posed the greatest threat to the foundation of nobility.

Then the Goddess of Love and Arts, who had always clung to the God of Nobles, would certainly enter the fray as well. Since those two had acted, the Justice God and the Knowledge God would only observe.

Hill silently thought, Nobility and sovereignty? No player would sincerely believe in that stuff. Hardly anyone who believed in it would come play a game.

Falan rebuked him, "Do you really think that one has a chance of winning? Why did you suddenly go make contact with the Undead?"

Adrian was stunned. "Hill, haven't you always said you didn't want us to contact the Undead?"

Falan continued, "And after I mentioned the God War, you still emphasized that they should look for you when they reached the Western Frontier. It seems you think William can win?"

Hill said, "There are many of them. Fifty thousand is only the first step to them."

Falan asked in surprise, "You think that one has enough divine power to summon even more Undead?"

"Though their bodies are formed from divine power, it is extremely faint." Hill did not want to say that the tablet computers were the true foundation of divine power, and that those bodies were actually created through the tablets.

There was only a tiny bit of divine power, forming the tablet's chip, and even that chip was hidden.

The players' bodies were created when the chip linked with magical power. Hill had noticed that the spying Mages were all focused on the Undead bodies, investigating the ratio of magical power and divine power within them. In truth, there was not even a trace of divine power in those bodies.

Whenever players used their tablets, they took them out of their backpacks. Hill had looked carefully. That small pouch shaped like a waist bag was the tablet's motherboard, and the divine power forming the chip remained securely hidden within it. The tablets in the players' hands were actually computer screens.

It was a genius idea. He was the God of Space-Time, and every one of His followers carried a spatial bag. No one would find that strange. Even an Archmage could make such standardized waist bags. And because the players used them every day, everyone spying on them had perfectly overlooked them.

Even though he had guessed it, Hill did not want to tell anyone.

He raised his head and said, "I can sense His power. And the Undead are certain that their Supreme God can summon more people!"

Adrian breathed a sigh of relief and said, "That's fine too. As long as his duties aren't affected, His Majesty back home won't interfere casually."

Falan said, "Then we will not discuss it further. The God War has nothing to do with Mages." He turned to Hill. "Where is the place you mentioned last time? I'll go see whether it is suitable for building a tower."