Hyperdimensional Player

Chapter 281 Extra - The Era of the Hidden Gods
The Kingdom of Simir.

A gentle sea breeze caressed the beach, and fishing boats were moored in the distant harbor. On a rock by the shore, a tall young man held a fishing rod, chin in hand, gazing at the distant sea, his eyes seemingly looking beyond the horizon and observing everything beneath the deep sea.

Not long after, a fishing boat docked nearby. The fisherman on board came down from the deck, took a look, and shouted, "That's upwind. The waves are too big. We can't catch any fish."

"If you want to fish for silverfish, you have to go downwind. There's a good spot at the bend in the bay over there."

Hearing the fisherman's voice, the dashing young man turned around, but instead of putting away his fishing rod, he asked, "How was your catch today?"

The fisherman's dark skin shone brightly in the sun, and he seemed very pleased as he said, "Praise be to the goddess of the sea."

"The sea has been calm recently, which has allowed us to venture into deeper waters and have had a good haul."

The young man nodded thoughtfully.

His gaze swept across the waves, where a mermaid swam quietly to his bait and hung a silverfish that he had caught by hand on it.

There is a mouth!
The fish has been caught.

The dashing young man pulled on his rod, and immediately a silver-scaled fish more than half a meter long struggled to the surface, which he then forcefully pulled up.

The fisherman, who was not far away, stared in disbelief, then muttered, "Something's not right!"

"Silverscaled fish don't live in shallow waters, do they?"

"How could such a large deep-sea fish be caught in this place?"

The young man smiled and carried his catch back home. Before leaving, he turned and carefully examined the fisherman, asking, "Has the Church of the Sea God recently been forcing you to make sacrifices?"

Upon hearing these outrageous words, the fisherman turned pale with fright and quickly shook his head and waved his hands, saying, "No! Absolutely not!"

"We all volunteered."

“The seas have been calm lately, and the catch has been plentiful. It is only right to offer the catch to the Church of the Sea God.”

The young man nodded slightly, didn't ask any further questions, and carried the big fish towards the market.

The influence of the gods is in great decline.

In the past, if the Lady of Raging Waves was even slightly displeased, the sea would become turbulent. If any place failed to offer sacrifices to her, she could easily unleash storms and tsunamis. Many deities in this world are worshipped by mortals not because of their greatness, but because they possess immense power. If you do not offer sacrifices and worship them, you will suffer misfortune.

Those places that once disrespected the Angry Waves have either seen their fish catches decrease, been ravaged by storms, or encountered shipwrecks at sea.

In mythological stories, mortals often angered the gods by refusing to offer sacrifices, and were subsequently punished. This illustrates the immense power of the gods to influence reality; they were so powerful that they could use threats against mortals to obtain whatever they desired.

But now, sorry, any god who wants to unleash divine punishment or calamity must first get past Duncan.

The era of forcing mortals through fear is over.

Even Lady Raging Waves cannot easily influence the laws of the world with her mood, nor can she arbitrarily control the sea. She can bring down divine punishment or calamity, but she will have to pay a price of more than ten times the divine power she used to have.

The era of gaining faith through fear and threats is over; even the most domineering and furious gods now have to dutifully preach.

Duncan even flipped the table.

Now all you gods, sit still and think carefully about what kind of doctrines your churches should come up with in the next thousand years.

Apunari.

This is a small city-state near the City of Gold. In the past, this land was prosperous with temples. There were tens of thousands of temples in the surrounding area alone, dedicated to gods, demigods, and godlike beings of all sizes. But now most of the temples have been destroyed, the priests have been dismissed, and mortals only worship a few main gods, such as the great goddess Isis.

As the gods gradually faded into obscurity, the power of the priests was greatly diminished. At the same time, a new priestly faction emerged, spreading rapidly and replacing the old sectarian system.

Next to the temple pyramid in the central square, a temple under construction is almost complete, while a bustling crowd gathers in front of it.

Temple of War.

This magnificent temple stands in the bustling city center, with rows of shops directly in front of it. Unlike other temples, its front hall is open to the public, making it more like a business hall than a temple.

"Mercenary Guild?"

"What is that? Is it some new thing that came from the south?"

People asked out of curiosity.

Soon, they learned some information from others that this was a place to register mission requests, mainly serving warriors. It was a branch of the Temple of War. From here, one could hire experienced and reputable veterans who believed in the God of War, Quinn. They would provide protection along the way and charge a considerable fee.

With their escort, even if they travel all the way south to the grasslands, they will not be troubled by the Golden Family. This organization has only been established for a few years, but it has expanded very quickly and is basically directly linked to the Church of the God of War.

"The God of War is transforming into the gods of faith."

"A warrior priesthood?"

In the crowd, a tall, thin man stared ahead. The registered people were mostly retired veterans. Initially, this mercenary guild was also called the Warriors Guild and was directly under the Church of War. Later, it gradually became an independent organization, but it was still usually located near the Temple of War.

Unlike other religious sects that accept offerings from believers, the Church of the God of War is not large and obtains its operating funds directly through the Warriors' Guild.

It also has certain banking functions.

Mercenaries who accept missions can store their earnings here. In case of any unforeseen circumstances, the designated heir can claim the entire estate from the guild.

The oath-keeper ensures all of this.

This organization doesn't accept trivial jobs like finding cats or dogs. The lowest-priced jobs cost dozens of gold coins. Most of their jobs involve escorting animals from the Gold Coast all the way to desert kingdoms, distant grasslands, and even further subcontinents.

They are not typically sought out by large, established businessmen, as their meager profits cannot cover the expensive hiring fees.

The tall, thin man entered the Temple of War. It was quite spacious inside, with a training ground on the left, an armory on the right, and a monument to the nameless heroes in the center. Upon entering the hall, he immediately saw the magnificent golden throne, though it was only gilded and was probably the only thing decorated with gold powder.

He looked around but couldn't find a donation box. Unlike other churches of gods, the Church of the God of War did not require believers to make donations.

"Our Lord does not need monetary offerings."

The priest standing to the side was very burly and strong, like a bodybuilder wrestler. He wore a tight priest's robe and spoke with a gentle but imposing manner: "Today is the day of the great competition."

"Other pastors, guards, and believers were competing and grappling in the training ground."

"If you need anything, you can tell me."

"If you intend to pray."

“There is a small room in the side hall, where there is a shrine to our Lord, who will hear your prayers.”

"If you wish to perform a sacrifice."

"You can offer sacrifices directly at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier in the square."

He paused for a moment, then continued, "If you intend to train your combat skills and strengthen your physique, then please come back on the weekend."

"At that time, there would be instructors providing free guidance."

"If you wish to please my lord."

"You can go to the training grounds to challenge the warrior mentors. If you defeat them, you can obtain the Iron Cross Medal from the Temple of War."

The tall, thin man seemed somewhat surprised. He curiously offered a sacrifice before the monument to the nameless heroes, and then went to the training ground next to it, which was already packed with people, like a large arena. In the very center, a barbarian from the north and a sword and shield warrior from the highlands were competing.

Both sides were using training equipment. The priest on the side was clad in full heavy armor, holding a shield and warhammer. He was burly and strong, and also eager to try.

There are many retired veterans here.

There were seats at the back of the crowd, where wealthy merchants mingled, watching the arena with great interest. One of them asked his servant, "What's that highland swordsman's name? How much is his hire fee?"

"He looks very tough."

Soon, the servant returned and held out a hand, saying, "This man is a retired highland swordsman, skilled in using a sword and shield, and was once a centurion."

This price isn't cheap; you could hire five or six guards outside.

In this era, warriors who could escort caravans across half the continent and through uninhabited areas were generally renowned figures, at least two- or three-star level.

Everything here is different from the church of gods that men know, and this god of war doesn't seem to care much about faith.

He even had a feeling that the Church of the God of War was just putting on a show, giving a bunch of muscular men something to do.

Many veterans of this era can do nothing but kill. Those with a little education and a bit of brains can find a place to settle down and make a living. However, there are also some who, for various reasons, cannot fully integrate into society and need a job to make a living. Thus, they become the world's largest mercenary organization.

As for why the barbarians are here, it's simply because there's a fight going on here. They're all bored and came here looking for someone to fight.

Because they fight a lot, the priests here are also very good at treating sword and knife wounds.

"As long as the profession of warrior exists."

"As long as the concept of combat remains."

"Then almost no one can shake the position of this God of War," the tall, thin man murmured to himself.

This trip to the Gold Coast was indeed very rewarding.

This war god is tempering his murderous nature.

If it were merely a war church, its faith would never have spread so quickly. Although it abandoned various rituals and secret sacrifices used to unite the faith, this new-era sect possessed a wider universality, and could even be said to have influenced all aspects of city-state society.

If a city-state worships a god of war, its inhabitants must be physically strong, because daily competitive training completely replaces sacrificial prayers.

However, due to its universality, most believers are in a generalized faith.

believe it or not.

No one cares.

Although the churches of the God of War in different places have different styles, they are generally similar, with believers mainly consisting of soldiers, warriors, fighters, mercenaries, adventurers, etc.

Dimensional space.

Duncan's consciousness was also observing the tall, thin man who had entered the Temple of War. After being elevated to godhood, all the temples became his branch bases, allowing him to switch perspectives to observe. However, anything outside the temple's boundaries was no longer within the perception of his 'Divine Eye'.

—Sodala (demigod) (half-elf), the god of travel and exploration.

An interesting guy.

It's worth paying attention to; this is Duncan's first time encountering a half-elf.

He turned his attention back to the mortal avatar fishing, which quickly disappeared. He had been racking his brains to deal with the various problems that arose after ascending to godhood, and he rarely even went to the Crystal Palace of the Ocean Goddess.

This doesn't work.

I still need to make time to visit the Crystal Palace; even the gods need a balance between work and rest.

On the projected page, a unique page appears.

—"Quinn (God of War) (Master of War) (God of Battle)!"

—"Divine Rank: 11 (Intermediate Divine Power) [Under Promotion]!"

—“Cleric: War.” (The concept of a war cleric is being condensed and integrated with the idea of ​​a war lord.)
—"Domains: War, Sun, Domination, Royal Power, Courage, Strength, Conquest, etc."

—“Faithful people: soldiers, warriors, mercenaries, fighters, adventurers, etc.”

—“Church size: Large. (Universal missionary work) (Broad faith)”

—"Core parishes: Gold Coast, Subcontinent, Desert Kingdoms, Storm Bay, etc."

This is a simplified page about deities.

Duncan can observe his own temples, shrines, and shrines throughout the world through his willpower, and he can see the core parishes where believers are active. As for the strength of his divine power, he doesn't care that much. In any case, he is just as strong as he is, regardless of whether there are believers or not.

"Being a believer in gods is quite tiring."

Duncan felt like he was playing a god simulator, needing to spread his faith from one city-state to another. In the end, he simply gave up and said, "Believe it or not, it's up to you."

A mature church of God needs to learn to work for God.

"Give me a few hundred years to accumulate power, and I should be able to advance to become a powerful god."

Duncan rested his chin on his hand, looking at the various abilities of the human host. In terms of strength, this human host was no weaker than the King of Kings. However, the two had overlapping domains. Without the foundation of the first human host, this human host could not have secured the position of God of War.

Because the system of belief in gods has not yet been fully formed, aside from the human body's own abilities, the most representative thing is probably the divine laws that govern Him.

—"Divine perception: You can see, hear, and perceive everything within a 12-kilometer radius. When your will descends, you can perceive believers, miracles, everything related to you, and even beings that call your true name near temples, shrines, and altars."

You can extend your perception to multiple places and simultaneously invoke the will of the gods.

—"Divine Perception: You can sense all wars and battles happening nearby, and you can look back and see wars and battles that have happened in the past or will happen in the future. This ability of perception cannot exceed your divine level."

After being elevated to godhood, Duncan truly felt as if he had gained divine insight.

However, the sheer volume of information he was dealing with made him, who was used to being lazy, very uncomfortable. In the end, he simply continued to slack off, believing that a neutral God of War was the best God of War.

The art of war dictates action and killing; avoid unnecessary actions.

After being elevated to godhood, Duncan discovered that he could modify some of the functions on the projection page himself.

It felt like programming.

If he wanted, the projected page could display all the information he needed to know, such as how many believers there were and how wide the faith was.

"In that case, the data capabilities of dimensional space are actually the manifestation of my cognition."

"Because I see everything from a game perspective."

"That's why the game-like projection page appeared?"

If Duncan were an ancient person, perhaps his various manifested functions would have been displayed in a different way.

Hosting.

Hosting.

All under trusteeship.

After gaining divine power, Duncan's data processing power became even more enormous. However, since he didn't even care much about the Empire back then, how could he possibly be a diligent and dedicated god today? He would rather use that time to condense a mortal avatar and go to the Crystal Palace of the Oceanid, the Royal Palace of Mississippi, and Princess Cleopa's bedroom to relax and have some fun.

—The deity you are calling is not on the server and is being transferred to human customer service (otherworldly divine servant).

Duncan directly promoted the fallen heroes to otherworldly divine servants, and even entrusted them with the construction of the divine kingdom. After all, they were just human beings, so he didn't need to be busy every day.

The Warrior's Sleep, the Temple of War.

The fallen warriors, such as Pastor and Blue, have been resurrected as otherworldly divine servants, their souls having been forcibly taken back from the raging gods.

This realm is directly connected to Valhalla in Asgard, on the same level as Odin's Golden Palace, and together they form part of the Heroic Realm - the Garden of Joseph. In the future, it will also accommodate the realms of some raging gods.

After being busy for half a year, Duncan simply and decisively became a hands-off manager and went straight to Oceania's Crystal Palace to enjoy himself.

He's a war god.

Just chop people up and that's it, there's no need for so much work.

After being elevated to godhood, Duncan officially began to retreat into the background, awaiting the changes of the times. According to his prediction, as the power of magic gradually flourished, this world should take a completely different path from the Root world.

An avatar of the human form enters the temple of the gods, while the original body falls into slumber on the golden throne, merging the divine laws of combat and warrior.

As for his avatar, it returned to the simple and unadorned daily life of a barbarian, except without so much killing and fighting.

Using the descriptive style of the Three Kingdoms period.

Cao Cao, Cao Pi, Cao Zhen, Cao Shuang.

………………

(End of this chapter)