"Okay, and now we need to discuss the problems involving religion," one of the ministers said. "How exactly are we going to handle that situation?"
The question immediately made the atmosphere in the room heavier. The issue of religion was considerably more complicated than the question of military titles or technological development, especially because China's government had spent decades building a nation that was, for the most part, practically atheistic. Although believers still existed throughout the country, the idea that an actual god might awaken and begin influencing the world was something the ministers had never seriously needed to consider before.
"Isn't it obvious that religious groups should simply align themselves with our values and demonstrate loyalty to the state?" Xian Mu asked. "I don't see why we need to change our current approach. They can believe whatever they want, provided they do not undermine the country or challenge the authority of the government."
"Yes, I agree with that," Yan Wen replied, "but don't forget that we still have to deal with the monks from Tibet. If their god awakens, the situation could become considerably more complicated."
He did not sound pleased with the thought. The problem was not simply that a religious organization might gain a powerful figurehead. The real concern was that China had very little experience dealing with people who genuinely believed they could receive orders or blessings from an actual divine entity. If such a god were to appear, the government would have to determine whether it was dealing with a legitimate supernatural being, a corrupted entity, or simply a powerful human using religion as a justification for rebellion.
"Regarding that concern," Yu Dong said, "our scientists have managed to conduct a limited amount of research into the matter. Based on what we currently understand, gods do not yet appear to have the ability to descend into the physical world."
The ministers turned their attention toward him. As the Minister of Science and Technology, Yu Dong was responsible for analyzing the information that had emerged about gods, Gaia, and the strange rules governing supernatural entities. His department had been working with incomplete information, but the book Gaia had provided had at least given them a starting point.
"First, we believe that the gods are currently poisoned," Yu Dong continued. "That is the most reasonable explanation for the behavior we have observed so far."
"Poisoned?" one of the ministers repeated.
"Yes," Yu Dong said. "A great deal of what we have experienced appears to match certain elements of our own literature. We still do not know whether those things became real because humanity wrote about them, or whether our literature was influenced by truths that already existed somewhere beyond our understanding. However, the similarities are useful because they give us a foundation from which we can begin our analysis."
He folded his hands in front of him before continuing. "Using the information Gaia provided in her book about gods, we developed the theory that divine entities are heavily influenced by human perception. In other words, the way humanity imagines, worships, fears, or idealizes a god may directly affect the nature of that god."
"That would explain a great deal," Yan Wen muttered.
"It would," Yu Dong agreed. "And if our theory is correct, then many of the gods currently associated with human religions may be entities so corrupted that Gaia would never allow them to move freely through the world in their present condition."
The room became quiet.
Everyone understood the implication. It was not difficult to see why gods might become corrupted if their existence depended heavily on human perception. Very few people worshipped divine beings without wanting something in return. Some prayed for wealth, others for power, health, victory, revenge, or personal protection. Even those who claimed to worship out of devotion often expected rewards, salvation, or preferential treatment.
"There are very few people who hold an entirely honest view of a god," Yu Dong continued. "Most people either fear their gods, idolize them, attempt to use them for personal gain, or project their own desires onto them. If divine entities are shaped by those perceptions, then corruption would be almost inevitable."
"That would mean the gods are not necessarily evil by nature," one minister said. "They may simply have become distorted by the people who worship them."
"That is one possibility," Yu Dong replied. "However, regardless of how the corruption began, the result is still dangerous."
He glanced at his notes. "Our second major theory concerns who can interact with these gods. We believe that only individuals who have reached adulthood in the eyes of the System are capable of safely interacting with them."
"Because they are strong enough to resist the corruption?" Xian Mu asked.
"Partly," Yu Dong said. "An adult recognized by the System should possess enough physical, mental, and spiritual development to withstand the influence of a god. More importantly, such a person may be capable of helping purify the divine entity they interact with."
"That sounds beneficial," Hu Guanyu said. "If someone can purify a god, then the relationship could become mutually advantageous."
"It could," Yu Dong admitted, "but there would be risks. Those individuals might gain access to considerable power if they chose to cooperate with a god. However, based on our current projections, that power would probably be more similar to a burst ability than a stable increase in overall strength."
He paused to make sure everyone understood.
"Our speculation is that even if a person gained access to a god's power, they would not necessarily become overwhelmingly strong in every situation. If we placed such an individual against five opponents of equal strength, we believe the individual would still lose."
"That is surprisingly limited," Xian Mu said.
"It is limited, but it is also dangerous," Yu Dong replied. "A temporary burst of divine power could still be enough to destroy a military formation, assassinate an important official, or overwhelm an opponent before they had time to react. We should not underestimate the threat simply because the power has practical limits."
Yu Dong then straightened in his chair. "However, in conclusion, I recommend that we do not change our current religious policy. We should continue monitoring those regions closely and observe what happens. By the time these gods become capable of walking among humans, I believe we will either possess the technology necessary to deal with them or have developed individuals capable of fighting them directly."
There was confidence in his voice. He did not believe China would remain helpless for long. The country had access to Gaia, advanced scientific resources, growing numbers of adults, and an increasingly organized military. Even if the gods awakened within the next few years, China would not be facing them with the same level of weakness that existed before mana arrived.
"Then perhaps we should make use of our neighbors to the south," Hu Guanyu said with a smile. "If we need to test anything related to gods or religious reactions, they have more than enough religious problems for us to observe."
A few ministers exchanged glances.
Hu Guanyu's comment was not entirely serious, but no one in the room misunderstood what he meant. india had its own religious tensions, political instability, and supernatural complications. If something went wrong there, China would not necessarily be the first country affected.
"Right," Wan Gengxin said. "We will not change our policy regarding religion. Let them practice their beliefs and conduct their activities, provided they remain within the law."
He then shifted the discussion toward another subject. "Now, let us keep an eye on what is happening in the United States, because that situation is about to become chaotic. I also want to see what they intend to develop for their firearms. Our own prototypes are still extremely clumsy."
Wan Gengxin smiled faintly as he spoke. China's direct access to Gaia had given them a certain advantage, although it had also created unusual limitations. They had no particular interest in developing guns because they had already heard Gaia's opinion on the matter. The fact that she was deliberately restricting firearm development was both strange and understandable from his perspective.
The issue was not that guns were inherently useless. Quite the opposite was true. If firearms became fully functional in the new world, they would clearly be superior to many traditional weapons in terms of ease of use, range, and destructive potential. That was precisely why Gaia seemed reluctant to allow humanity to develop them too quickly.
"If humanity becomes too dependent on guns at this early stage," Wan Gengxin said, "then people may stop developing other paths entirely. They would become too narrow-minded and rely on a single technological solution instead of learning how to use the other opportunities available to them."
He looked toward Yu Dong. "Speaking of which, discuss those experiments with Yan Wen. As long as nothing can be traced back to us and the research does not involve gods becoming corrupted, I have no objections."
Yu Dong nodded.
Wan Gengxin had not missed the warning hidden in the Pope's speech. When that warning was combined with Yu Dong's theories about divine corruption, it created an especially horrifying possibility. People disappearing because they had become involved with corrupted religious groups was one thing. People being deliberately abducted and used to poison or manipulate gods was something else entirely.
That meant the missing-person cases needed to be moved much higher on the government's list of priorities.
The problem was that China could not simply focus on religious people. If they only investigated missing individuals who were known believers, the policy would immediately be taken out of context and interpreted as religious persecution. It would also be impossible to explain why the government was selectively investigating certain disappearances while ignoring others.
"There is also the matter of the missing adventurers," Wan Gengxin said, his expression becoming more serious. "We need to increase our attention there as well."
The number of adventurers disappearing every day was not insignificant. In one city, the number might appear manageable, perhaps only one missing person every month. Across the entire country, however, the total became alarming. China had thousands of adventurers moving between cities, entering forests, exploring ruins, and investigating dangerous areas.
The environment was still deadly despite the fact that the wildlife was not particularly threatening by the standards of the new world. Bears and wolves were dangerous, but most of them still possessed an instinctive fear of humans inherited through generations. They generally avoided people unless cornered or provoked.
Poisonous animals were a different matter.
Many venomous species did not share the same deep fear of humans. They could survive encounters with people more often than large predators could, and their small size made them harder to notice. A bear that repeatedly attacked humans would eventually be hunted down, but a poisonous snake, spider, insect, or other creature could remain hidden for years while continuing to kill people who accidentally crossed its path.
That made the missing-person cases even more difficult to investigate. Some adventurers might have been kidnapped or involved with corrupted organizations, while others could simply have died in the wilderness without anyone knowing what happened.
"Right," Wan Gengxin said, quietly sighing as he looked around the room. "Let's get to work."
Running a country had become considerably more complicated since mana appeared. Every new discovery created several new problems, and every solution seemed to produce another issue that needed to be handled. Wan Gengxin could not help but think that governing China had never been easy, but at least the old problems had once been understandable.