Chapter 5 Meeting
With the arrival of the last deity, a profound silence fell over the magnificent hall. Each god, lost in their own thoughts, silently awaited the words of the meeting's chairperson—the goddess of light, Ophelia.
Ophelia sat at the head of the round table, her posture elegant and noble, radiating a soft yet majestic light. Her gaze swept over each of the gods present, then she slowly spoke:
"Ladies and gentlemen, thank you for accepting my invitation to come to this magnificent hall."
Her voice was as melodious as a hymn, yet it carried an undeniable air of authority.
"I have gathered you all here today to discuss a matter of great importance concerning the future of the world." Ophelia paused, then continued, "Since the creation of the world, the gods have spread their faith and educated humankind, allowing the world to prosper. However, in recent years, I have discovered that with the rise of human nations, disputes over faith have intensified."
There was a hint of worry in her words:
"In many countries, several religious sects coexist, attacking each other and even causing bloodshed in the struggle for followers. In the long run, this will not only disrupt the world's order but also damage the dignity of the gods."
At this point, Ophelia's gaze sharpened:
"I believe it is time to establish new rules. In order to maintain world peace and stability, I suggest that the gods should designate their own territories, preach within their own domains, and coexist peacefully without interfering with each other."
Upon hearing this, a murmur rippled through the hall.
The gods looked at each other, their expressions varied. Some nodded in agreement, some frowned in thought, and some looked displeased.
Bai Zhe sighed inwardly, "As expected, it still came."
Ophelia's proposal, seemingly noble and aimed at maintaining world peace and stability, was in reality directed at him, the god of existence.
After all, among all the gods present, only his Cult of Life has the greatest influence in the human world, accounting for almost 30% of human faith.
While other deities also have many followers, they are still far inferior to the Life Cult.
If Ophelia's proposal to delineate religious zones is indeed followed, then the White-Cut Life Cult will inevitably have to relinquish the large tracts of "territory" it has already acquired and distribute them to other gods.
This is undoubtedly a huge loss for Bai Zhe.
"The Goddess of Light played a brilliant move..." Bai Zhe sneered inwardly. "Under the guise of maintaining world peace, she actually suppresses dissent. Truly worthy of the title 'Radiance'."
He looked around and noticed that many gods were glancing at him, their eyes carrying a hint of schadenfreude.
Clearly, these guys had long coveted the immense power of the Cult of Life and were eager to see Bai Zhe suffer a setback.
"Trying to take a cut from me? Not so easy," Bai Zhe thought to himself. "I'd like to see what kind of plan you can come up with."
Suddenly, undercurrents surged within the magnificent hall, and the atmosphere became subtle.
Although the gods did not say it outright, they all knew that this council of gods was less about discussing the future of the world and more about redefining the map of faith.
The god of survival, Bai Zhe, undoubtedly became the focus of this game.
Faced with the gazes of the gods, some open, some covert, some scrutinizing, some intrigued, Bai Zhe's mind raced, and he immediately chose to abandon any attempt at confrontation. He knew that he would have to make concessions at today's meeting, or he would become the target of everyone's attacks, attacked by all the gods.
"Instead of being passively attacked, it's better to take the initiative." Bai Zhe instantly came up with a plan. "Since you want my faith 'cake,' I'll divide it into several pieces and let you fight over them yourselves. I'll use this opportunity to get what I really need."
Bai Zhe knew very well that although he controlled 30% of human faith, he could not possibly clash with all the gods. The tallest tree in the forest is bound to be felled by the wind. Besides, he himself preferred to be a behind-the-scenes manipulator and make a fortune in silence.
Moreover, he had another advantage: he was a "prophet" as a transmigrator. He knew that there were vaster worlds beyond this one, and rather than competing with other gods for limited faith in this world, he should set his sights on more distant worlds, spread faith in other worlds, and acquire greater power.
A spatial priesthood is essential for traveling to other worlds.
Bai Zhe turned his gaze to a deity sitting on one side of the round table—Cochinos, the god of wisdom, strategy, and magic.
Cauchinus is a god clad in robes, wielding a staff, and radiating wisdom. He governs strategies, magic, and knowledge, and is one of the most learned gods in the world.
Bai Zhe remembered that among the mid-level divine positions of "Magic" in Cainos, there was a lower-level divine title for spatial magic. Although it was only a lower-level divine title, it was enough for Bai Zhe to gain a preliminary grasp of the power of space, laying the foundation for him to travel to other worlds.
"A third of the faith in exchange for a lower-level godhood in spatial magic—Kochinos shouldn't refuse this deal," Bai Zhe thought to himself.
As for the remaining share of faith, Bai Zhe also had plans. He intended to auction off one-third of it publicly to obtain a large amount of faith energy, which he would use to enhance his strength, modify the Black Goat, and as initial capital for invading the other world.
For the final third, Bai Zhe planned to preserve the Holy Terra Empire. After all, it was the theocratic state he had built from scratch, and the core foundation of his faith; it could not be lost.
Having made up his mind, Bai Zhe cleared his throat and said:
"I think the Goddess of Light's proposal makes a lot of sense. For the sake of world peace and stability, I am willing to give up a portion of the faith area."
These words immediately caused an uproar in the hall.
The gods were surprised that Bai Zhe would so easily choose to back down, which was completely different from the scene they had expected, where they would argue their case and not give an inch of ground.
Ophelia, the goddess of light, was slightly taken aback, then smiled approvingly: "The goddess of survival is wise and righteous, truly a model for all gods. I wonder how you intend to distribute them?"
Bai Zhe smiled slightly and said, "The human faith I possess accounts for about 30% of all humanity. I am willing to give up one-third of it in exchange for the God of Strategy and Magic, Cainos."
As he spoke, he turned his gaze to Cauchinus:
"Revered God of Wisdom, I wish to exchange this one-third share of faith for the lower-level divine status of spatial magic that you possess. What do you say?"
Upon hearing this, a glint of light flashed in Cauchinus's eyes. He stroked the staff in his hand, pondered for a moment, and said:
"The God of Existence's proposal is very tempting. However, the lower-level divine status of spatial magic is an important part of my divine office, and I need to consider it."
Bai Zhe knew that Cauchinus was bargaining. He wasn't in a hurry and continued:
"In addition to the exchange, I will also put another third of the faith share up for public auction. Any deity can participate in the bidding, and the highest bidder wins. As for the proceeds from the auction, I hope they will be pure faith energy."
This caused even greater turmoil among the gods.
Trading a share of faith for a lower-level divine status in spatial magic is barely understandable, since spatial divinity plays an important role in exploring the unknown world.
But the public auction of faith shares in exchange for faith energy left the gods somewhat puzzled.
While faith energy is precious, it is not an indispensable resource for primordial deities. What they value more is the scale and scope of faith.
"What exactly is the God of Existence planning?" the gods wondered.
However, regardless of Bai Zhe's purpose, this one-third share of faith is a huge pie, enough to tempt any god.
In an instant, the atmosphere in the hall became even more heated, and the gods began to plan how to participate in the auction and win the cake.
Bai Zhe, on the other hand, sat there calmly, looking as if victory was assured.
He knew that he had achieved his goal.
He successfully diverted the gods' attention from himself to the struggle for a share of the faith, plunging them into internal competition, while he could take the opportunity to extricate himself and pursue a more important goal—exploring other worlds and acquiring greater power!
As for the Holy Terra Empire, as his last remaining territory, Bai Zhe believed he could manage it even better than before.
A "spoils-dividing" meeting about faith, instigated by Bai Zhe, is about to begin