Chapter 16 Change and Deception
The appearance of the ever-shining star eased the tense atmosphere considerably. But all the gods understood that this was merely the calm before the storm; the real main event was the reorganization of the faith districts that followed.
Sure enough, after introducing Starfire Eternal Brightness, Ophelia changed the subject and brought up the issue of the Faith Zone again.
"Everyone, now that Lord Origin of Change has awakened, we need to arrange a suitable area of faith for him," Ophelia said. "After all, every innate god should have his own place of faith."
Upon hearing this, the atmosphere in the hall immediately became subtle.
The gods looked at each other, their eyes darting around, each secretly calculating their own interests.
The last time they divided up religious areas, they fought tooth and nail over it, and it was only with great difficulty that they finally reached an agreement.
Now that the area is to be re-divided, wouldn't that stir up another bloody storm?
Moreover, Wanbian Yuanguang is a high-ranking innate deity, so his area of worship naturally cannot be too small or too barren.
However, the human territory in the world of gods is only so large, and it has already been divided up by the existing gods. If we want to allocate a suitable area of faith for the Omnipotent Source Light, we must take it from the other gods.
This is about taking away the gods' cake; who would be willing to give up so easily?
Moreover, the Source of Myriad Changes governs cunning, transformation, and conspiracy; he's clearly not a benevolent figure. Letting him enter one's own faith territory to preach would be like inviting a wolf into the house.
For a moment, the hall fell silent. No one was willing to speak up and give up their place of faith to the Myriad Transformations Source Light.
The ever-changing source of light, Rocky, seemed to have anticipated this situation. He sighed softly and said in a benevolent manner, "I know that asking everyone to give up their faith areas for me, the newcomer, is indeed a bit unreasonable."
It looked around and continued, "How about this, we make a new rule, hehe. Lady Omni-Transformation Source Light can spread her faith anywhere, without being restricted by region, area, or national borders. However, other gods also have the right to expel or even kill Omni-Transformation Source Light's followers within their own sphere of influence in order to maintain their own rule."
The moment this suggestion was made, the gods began to discuss it animatedly.
Some agreed, some disagreed, and some remained silent.
"I disagree!" The God of War was the first to stand up and object. "Wouldn't this allow you, Rocky, to infiltrate our religious territories with impunity? Your followers will surely spread your doctrines like venomous snakes, corrupting our people and disrupting our order!"
"That's right!" Poseidon also objected. "You, the Source of Myriad Changes, are in charge of tricks and conspiracies. Your followers will definitely use all sorts of despicable means to compete for believers. Wouldn't our faith areas be thrown into chaos?"
"I think this is a good suggestion," said one of the Gods of Law who had been silent until now. "The Source of All Changes can preach anywhere, and we can expel his followers anywhere. In that case, we'll see whose methods are more ingenious."
This God of Law is a newly ascended neutral deity with few followers and relatively weak power. He feels that this new rule is actually an opportunity for him.
He can take advantage of the chaos caused by the ever-changing source of light to expand his influence.
As the discussion deepened, more and more deities began to agree with the Prophet of the Ever-Changing Light's proposal. After all, none of them were willing to relinquish their respective territories of faith, and this new rule seemed to be the best solution at the moment.
Ultimately, after a heated discussion, the gods reluctantly approved the proposal of the ever-changing source light.
That is, the ever-changing source light gained the power to preach anywhere, but other gods also had the power to expel and kill his followers.
As for the outcome, that depends on each person's abilities.
Ophelia was clearly very dissatisfied with this result.
She originally hoped to secure a fixed area of faith for the Omnipotent Light, so as to better maintain the balance among the gods.
But now it seems that this wish has been dashed.
While the new rules may seem fair, they are actually fraught with uncertainty and danger. They will intensify competition and conflict among the gods, making the world of the gods even more turbulent.
"It seems the world of gods is about to descend into chaos again," Ophelia sighed inwardly.
She turned to look at the Origin of Myriad Changes, only to find that this newly promoted high-ranking deity had a strange smile on his face.
That smile was full of cunning, amusement, and a hint of barely perceptible anticipation.
He seemed quite pleased with this situation.
"As expected of the god of trickery and intrigue..." Ophelia thought to herself, "What exactly is Loki planning?"
Bai Zhe, however, remained silent throughout.
"Gods, fight to your heart's content, the more chaotic the better," Bai Zhe thought to himself. "The more you fight, the longer I have to develop, and the greater my potential for growth."
He consistently embraced this vision of the stars and the sea.
With the resolution on the issue of faith in the ever-changing source of light barely passed, this multi-day conference of gods, filled with arguments and compromises, finally came to an end.
The gods, each with their own distinct feelings, departed the magnificent hall one after another.
Some deities looked worried, clearly concerned about the new rules and afraid that their areas of worship would be impacted by the ever-changing source light.
Some of the gods seemed to be deep in thought, plotting how to use the new rules to expand their influence;
Some gods were in high spirits, as if they could already foresee the impending chaos in the world of gods and were ready to get a share of the spoils.
Bai Zhe, on the other hand, looked relaxed and happy.
He couldn't wait to return to the God of Creation and continue his plan to conquer the Star Beast Jungle