Golden Dragon: Six Thousand Years of Empire.

Chapter 261: Holy Dragon's Protection

“Is this the vision of the gods?”

When Noah woke up from his sleep and opened his eyes, he saw stars in front of him, like the vast and magnificent scenery of the Milky Way. It was a vision completely different from ordinary things and constructed and supplemented by the power of faith.

This was a scene he had never seen before. He saw golden torches that condensed the power of faith scattered all over the earth, like stars surrounding the moon, guarding the Wanlong Hall where he lived in the center.

Although Noah could see the power of faith swarming around him, he could only see the faith accumulating around him. He could not see the power of faith that was gathering towards him.

It is different now. Previously, Noah relied only on the bloodline of ancestral dragons that had evolved many times in succession, which was close to the status of the Dragon King. But now, the Word Spirit Emperor has given him the authority of the gods, allowing him to set foot in the realm of gods.

"what is this?"

Although he knew that the golden light and colorful threads that were converging towards him like hundreds of rivers flowing into the sea were all part of his faith, Noah was still a little curious about the golden torches that shone with golden light and were of varying sizes.

He knew that it was a place where faith was concentrated, but what made the faith further consolidate and reflect the glory of the gods?
As Noah was confused, his consciousness was projected into a golden torch of light that was neither big nor small. It was cold, stiff, and stagnant... Many discomforts came at once, making Noah feel extremely uncomfortable.

However, Noah soon discovered what was carrying this consciousness at the moment. It was just a statue, not any living creature. No wonder it made him so uncomfortable.

This is a statue of a holy dragon standing in the city square. Although the carved image is very different from its real image, it basically embodies the power and majesty that a golden dragon should possess.

Of course, the most important thing is that this statue is the image of a holy dragon recognized by the majority of the people here, and thus it has become one of the nodes that can accommodate and store the power of faith.

This is also the reason why gods have many images. As long as a large number of believers recognize that a certain image is the form of the god they believe in, then this form will develop into one of the many forms of this god.

This is the influence that believers have on gods. What they give to gods is not only immortality and power over the secular world, but also all their knowledge and imagination of gods.

This is one of the reasons why Noah resisted becoming a god. Gods have to pay a price for accepting and using the faith of the secular world.

If the believers of a god believe that the image of the god they believe in is a blonde loli with twin ponytails, then even if this god was a bald macho man wielding a one-handed battle axe before becoming a god, his divine body will change due to the distortion of long-term faith, and his self-cognition will also change.

Of course, this is a very extreme situation and has basically never happened. It is only a theoretical possibility. In most cases, a god has many different incarnations in order to spread faith.

For example, Noah ascended to the sky and became a god. In order to better spread faith among the humanoid race, the humanoid image with a dragon head and a human body would undoubtedly be more conducive to the spread of faith.

But his believers are not limited to humanoid races, there are many other non-human races. So in order to gain more faith among different races, Noah must make concessions and changes in his appearance.

Even humanoid races have different images and aesthetics. Even the same race will form different cultural customs due to the different living areas. In order to gain faith, gods need to adapt to local conditions and make changes.

The image of the gods will also change accordingly, which is why many gods have multiple incarnations.

Because of the split in belief and cognition, it is difficult to have a fundamental impact on the essence of the gods. But this will also bring another problem, that is, the split of the spiritual consciousness of the gods.

Of course, as long as the race and population of the believers are handled properly and a specific race and group is chosen, the adverse situation of spiritual split can be avoided.

Racial gods and professional gods are representatives of this group. They only accept offerings from a single race or a single profession.

Even so, there are still many problems. Of course, this is not something Noah needs to worry about. Noah never intended to use the power of faith to become a god.

"This is one of the Acropolises of Elisim, Del Valle!"

Noah's consciousness descended into the holy image and quickly recognized the location through the surrounding landmark buildings.

This is a city with a population of nearly one million. If it were in other places, it would surely be the undisputed capital of the region. However, this city happens to be located near the city of Elishim, so it can only become the Acropolis of the Holy Dragon City and become a vassal, transporting supplies to the main city and screening and providing various talents.

Of course, even the Acropolis and Del Valle's living conditions and living environment crush more than 95% of the settlements on the Zealandia continent. For many lower-class civilians under the rule of feudal aristocrats, this place is the legendary utopia, second only to the kingdom of God without disasters and diseases.

"It's worthy of being the territory I rule!"

With his consciousness residing in the statue that could not move, Noah could only observe this very unfamiliar city from a unique perspective. When he heard the laughter and chatter coming from the crowds in the square in front of him and saw such a peaceful and tranquil scene, Noah could not help but brag about himself.

When Noah was proud, people passing by in the square would stop in front of the statue from time to time, make wishes and pray for the protection of the holy dragon.

"Supreme Holy Dragon, please protect us and allow us to return safely."

"Oh, the almighty Holy Dragon, please make me rich. I'm really fed up with this poor life."

"Your Majesty the Supreme Holy Dragon, may your glory be eternal and immortal!"

"Your Majesty, please bless me to be in the top ten in the class in this midterm exam, so that I don't have to go home and get beaten."

"Please witness my love for Alice. I want to spend the rest of my life with her."

"Shenglong, please let my ignorant and stupid boss be hit and killed by the Earth Dragon Car while at work today. At least he should be paralyzed, and not come to the Chamber of Commerce to cause trouble for me."

A group of adventurers who accepted the mission and prepared to leave the city, an elderly man entering his twilight years, a sweet young couple, an ignorant child, a businessman eager for wealth, and a worker who was full of disgust and malice towards his immediate superior.

Noah can listen to the voices of every citizen who prays to him, and can truly feel their emotions and thoughts. The uncertainty and anxiety about the future, the desire for wealth, the childish speeches, the malice and curses against the boss, as well as the pure beauty and blessings, Noah can feel all the wishes related to him.

These wishes, whether good or bad, all fall into the realm of the power of faith. At this moment, they all converge towards the holy image. The power of faith they transform into varies in length, thickness, and even color.

There is no doubt that the power of faith that Noah can receive is of very low level in the eyes of the gods, and can even be called impurities and highly toxic, because there is also a considerable curse in it.

This is the evil desire and darkness hidden in the hearts of intelligent races. If they are not screened and are indiscriminately absorbed and utilized, then even the most glorious and majestic gods will eventually decay and fall.

This is the meaning of priesthood and godhead. Priesthood is not only the source of divine authority and power, but also a filter for faith. Godhead can filter out the "impurities" and "poisons" contained in faith.

Noah has neither a priesthood nor a godhead. If he dares to rashly come into contact with the power of faith that contains the darkness of human heart and many desires, his final end will inevitably be miserable.

But Noah doesn't know how to use it. Although the Word Spirit Emperor can let him use the power of faith, he can't let him use it on himself. This is not a shortcut, but a detour leading to the end.

“It’s been well governed.”

Although the people who prayed to him had many desires, they were generally good, so Noah was not prepared to make any response.

But when he was about to leave, he saw a girl with simple or even shabby clothes and a pretty face among the crowd. She was carrying a small cloth bag on her back and stopped in front of the holy dragon statue. She clasped her hands together, crossed them into fists, and prayed silently.

"Your Majesty, the great Holy Dragon, please bless Connie to find a temporary job tonight. I don't want any compensation, as long as I can have enough food to eat and a place to sleep."

The girl with dry yellow hair, pale face and extremely thin body silently made a wish in front of the holy dragon statue.

This is a very humble request that cannot even be called a wish.

Compared with the pure power of faith that has no desires but simply blesses Noah, the girl in front of him has her own needs. There are desires in her faith, but the desires are too low.

Noah, who was about to leave, chose to stay. He cast his eyes on the humble girl who was praying silently in front of him. He was shocked by what the girl was praying for.

A job that doesn't require any salary, but only food and shelter? Such low standards are not available, and we still need to pray in front of his statue?
What a joke!
Noah, feeling some kind of silent mockery, followed the girl with his consciousness. The girl was also a believer and worshipper of him, so Noah's consciousness could also stay on her.

In just half a day, Noah understood why the girl had such a hard time surviving in the territory under his rule.

She was an abandoned orphan. Although she was able to grow up in an orphanage, she was not healthy because she was born with a defect and her heart was not complete. Not to mention doing heavy labor, even normal activities were extremely dangerous for her.

Even so, when the girl turned sixteen, the welfare home that was responsible for adopting orphans no longer provided her with food, clothing, shelter and transportation, leaving her to fend for herself.

But who would hire such a job seeker? Even if her requirements were very low, her health was too poor.

Therefore, even under the rule of the Holy Dragon, the girl's survival was difficult, and she could only rely on charity from kind-hearted people to fill her stomach every day.

When it was difficult to even maintain food and clothing, the girl naturally had no time to pay attention to her body. Even if she did, she had no ability to solve the problem. She didn't even dare to go to the Hero Pharmacy which was specially opened for civilians.

It’s not that the pharmacy would reject a poor person like her who had no money to treat her disease, but that even the most famous pharmacist was unable to treat her disease and could only temporarily relieve her symptoms.

The heart was born with a defect, which could not be cured by ordinary herbs. It required magical elixirs or the intervention of a high-level priest.

But how could a girl like her get the elixir that could repair the heart, let alone meet the high-ranking priests in the temple.

"Your Majesty, please forgive my offense."

The girl who had applied for jobs repeatedly and was rejected repeatedly returned to the deserted square at nightfall. She apologized alone to the holy statue that seemed to be glowing with a hazy golden light in the night.
"But I really have nowhere to go. I can't bother Dr. Wendy anymore. They are very kind people, and I can't become a burden to them."

The girl muttered in a low voice, but the statue was silent and did not respond. The girl was not disappointed and remained respectful. Then she turned around and sat on the ground, leaning against the foundation of the statue. She took out a gray blanket from the small cloth bag and covered her knees with it. Then she carefully took out a toy bear that looked very shabby but was washed very clean from the cloth bag, and held it in her arms with a happy smile on her face.
"It's great that Connie survived again today!"

"..."

Noah's will, which still remained on the girl, fell silent. Although the order and system he established reduced the difficulty of survival for the lower-class people and allowed them to enjoy a higher quality of life, it was obvious that this could not benefit everyone, and there were still people struggling in misery.

"Good night, Hughes!"

The girl said goodnight to the teddy bear in her arms, then she wrapped herself tightly in the blanket and closed her eyes in the cool evening breeze.

She didn't dare go to those dark, narrow, wind-sheltered corners. Only under the holy dragon statue could she feel some sense of security and the warmth she longed for.

"..."

This is a very ordinary but kind-hearted girl who sticks to her bottom line. Her miserable background and poor health have not made her complain about everything, nor has she fallen into despair. She is still trying hard to survive.

Noah didn't feel much negative emotion from her. Although she was depressed, it was only temporary. She was more optimistic and positive. She wanted to live very much, even if the world was not very friendly to her.

Word Spirit Emperor

The gift of the Holy Dragon comes at this moment
(End of this chapter)