Thousand-Faced Dragon

Chapter 297 The Poet in Desperate Circumstances
"Life is inherently suffering, and calamities are ever-present. Since we cannot control our own lives, we might as well seize every moment, every touching experience, and enjoy the pleasures of life."

“My believers should bring joy to the world. If they cannot bring joy to others, they can become the prerequisite for others’ joy.”

"You should all do one good deed every day. If you cannot solve the hardships in reality, then at least provide spiritual relief, give those who are indulging in illusions a moment of ease."

"Actions of helping others, music, drama, and other artistic works are all good remedies for relieving stress."

“Artists, actors, clowns, singers, bards, and other professions that bring joy to others will be protected by me as long as they recite my divine name.”

Finding information about the "god of pleasure and drama" was not difficult. The mages had a basic respect for the gods, but that was probably just respect.

The reason for recording them is partly because we might encounter their pawns interfering in the mortal world, their relics left on the continent, and also because some of their relics often cause major incidents.

Even if their original forms don't rise from the dead, their divine offspring, bloodline descendants, followers, etc., will basically bring a series of troubles. Many major events start with a certain god trying to resurrect this one but being completely dead. There are currently no records of them rising from the dead.

This deity, whose activities are estimated to have occurred between 4400 and 5000 years ago, left behind few historical records and religious artifacts because he was not only weak but also short-lived.

Contrary to Rean's previous malicious speculation, His "joy" was a normal happiness, and He seemed to be a benevolent god.

"The world is suffering, save as many as you can, and if you can't save them, at least give them some anesthetic. Since you can't save the world, try to create more cultural and entertainment works to satisfy some spiritual needs. Seems like a pretty normal God."

Rean continued to examine his records. He seemed to have had a brief period of glory, with most of his followers being bards, artists, creators, especially playwrights. For a time, there were even some combatants who believed in him, and then...
"Then He died."

Unlike those historical "unsolved mysteries," the cause of this deity's death is clear.

"The Demonic Tide War has broken out, the whole world is in chaos, and nobody cares about cultural and entertainment creation. This deity, whose main followers are artists and creators, has disappeared."

In peacetime, "humanities" are certainly useful, but in world wars or even the end of the world, the cultural and entertainment industries that create "entertainment" are directly and completely torn apart and destroyed, and this god of pleasure, whose main business is culture, is completely gone.

It seems that He did not survive the recent demonic war; as a deity, His active period was even shorter than that of the long-lived species.

"Although it's a short-lived deity, it seems quite safe; there's no sign of it coming back to life or anything like that."

Based on the information and records, this deity can be considered harmless, weak, kind, and even somewhat timid.

His followers have no fighting power. There are still some inheritors and believers in some elven regions, but they are no longer important. After all, elves have long lifespans, and the beliefs of many ancient gods have been passed down, but they are merely recorded and passed on.

"Not too far, a half-elf god, perhaps."

It is said that this being was a half-elf in the mortal world, which means that his activities were mainly concentrated in the elven kingdoms. Considering the elves' love of art and poetry, it seems only natural that such a deity would exist.

But being a half-elf is not a good thing.

In an era where racial conflicts could easily escalate into racial wars, mixed-race individuals often meant distrust and exclusion from both sides, and their birth was often a tragedy.

Looking at the records, Rean breathed a sigh of relief; it seemed that he was not an extreme deity.

If you're still on the benevolent side, then you should be able to meet your needs.

Rean didn't ask for much, just a puppet's divine power server and a banner to conceal his actions.
"First, create a legacy, pretending to be the chosen one who seized the legacy of the ancient gods, and revive the gods' power."

This is actually quite a formulaic approach. Those emerging forces, numbering only a few but possessing divine favor and magical artifacts, might very well be backed by some ancient deity undergoing a period of resurgence.

Starting from a small town and village, the Chosen Ones gradually rise to power.

They offered Him faith in exchange for power, and became local lords or even regional overlords.

It's also the path to the rise of legendary protagonists in many novels—it's truly a case of "manna from heaven."

However, because it spread so widely, many evil gods started using the banner of "reviving the ancient gods" to create alternate accounts, and those nominal ancient god churches gradually went astray. "I need to make some adjustments. My side has a true 'divine' lineage, so there shouldn't be any unexpected problems, right?"

Rean felt there wouldn't be much of a problem. When the "human incarnation of the ancient god" stood up for him in the Hall of Inheritance, the inheritors of the heroic souls would naturally believe it.

"By the way, a god is also a heroic spirit, so he should be able to recruit a group of inheritors, saving the need for priests."

Rean became more and more excited as he thought about it; Lex, who was leaving, had indeed done him a great favor.

If there is a benevolent deity or even a benevolent church backing up the dock area, the pressure on their side will be much less.

Rean didn't rush to activate it. On the one hand, he needed to further confirm the intelligence. Those alchemists and members of the royal family might have more special information.

"Since it is an elven god, the dark elves might have more detailed records."

The Elf God and the Dark Elf God can be considered mortal enemies, and those on opposing sides often have more detailed and comprehensive intelligence.

On the other hand, there's Rean's own problem.

"I'm so tired, I need to rest for a few days."

Since arriving in this city, Rean has barely stopped. Every arrival of a heroic spirit means a storm is brewing.

Especially during the days when the spirits of heroes possessed him, each one brought too many variables and causes to Rean, but this time, it was a true god.

Even if he had fallen, Rean felt he needed to recover to his best condition before facing any further challenges.

I'll also use these few days to digest Lex and his team's "legacy".

"If only we had information about this deity as a mortal."

Compared to this deity, his earthly title, "the Crimson Poet of Melancholy," Festrion, has no record whatsoever, from his title to his name.

But upon closer reflection, it seems to make perfect sense.

"That title makes him look like a street thug."

The bards speak with great grandeur, but in the eyes of many "decent people," they are just street urchins wandering around.

They are the carriers of "poetry" and "interesting anecdotes," and the disseminators of all kinds of information, but many of them are even illiterate and cannot read or read music.

Besides spreading rumors, what they are best at is using their handsome faces to seduce wealthy women.

This isn't to say that all bards are handsome, but rather that bards who are average-looking generally can't make a living.

It's perfectly normal that someone like that wouldn't leave a historical record.

“Festerion? I know that name.”

However, Rean unexpectedly obtained crucial information from his elven mentor.

"Do you know about Mage Chess? It's one of the chess sets I'm good at." It seems he's quite a remarkable figure, though only within the Elf faction.

"Remarkable? Of course it is remarkable. This 'clown's' foolishness has left an important mark on our history."

(End of this chapter)