I, the Rock King Emperor with 21 billion in power, have joined the chat group.

Chapter Thirty-Eight: The Game: Prologue (2)

Pope Dustin VIXI of the Divine Word received a "divine message" that was not from Sally, at noon on that day.

He had just finished lunch and was enjoying dessert.

Because he is already quite old in this generation, his digestive system cannot absorb many kinds of food, and he can only eat simple liquid foods.

However, he could still eat a couple of bites of his favorite cheese.

After taking the last sip of wine, Pope Dustin VIXI of the Theological Seminary instructed his servants to take away the tableware in front of him.

Then the post-meal prayer began.

This is a blessing and tribute to Sariel, the goddess who created the world we know today, and also the Pope's psychological explanation for the many evil deeds he has committed.

Since he has chosen to save the human race as the reason for his existence, he must strive to do so.

Otherwise, how could he face his many friends from the orphanage who had already died, and the goddess who sacrificed herself for humanity?

【Greetings, Goddess Sally. Thank you for your blessings; humanity, protected by you, remains safe today.】

Pope Dustin VIXI of the Divine Word Church greeted the God of Divine Words that he had imagined in his mind with a relaxed expression.

Then, as always, he knew that this imagination could not be answered.

He shook his head slightly, pulling himself out of this seemingly schizophrenic state—a state he himself knew was not quite normal.

But for him to only develop this mental illness after living for sixty-one lifetimes is truly a blessing from the goddess.

Just as he was lost in thought, a voice suddenly rang in his mind.

Hello, Pope Dustin VIXI of Theocracy.

"Huh?" He was suddenly stunned.

---Read the words?

No, this is the word of God.

---No, Lady Sally's voice is not that of a composed young man.

---Even the Black Dragon, the administrator, cannot use the [Divine Word] skill.

I am a god from another world, and I just made a bet with the god who created this skill system—the evil god D of the underworld.

-----The evil god D of the underworld?

---Superior Manager D? I remember Lord Black Dragon mentioning this deity...

[Starting on the first day of the next calendar month, which is also the first day of the new year, and continuing for ten years from now, the entire planet will be divided into two parts by the power of the skill system.]

One part is inhabited by humans, and the other part is inhabited by demons.

Aren't demons also human? Although they've used genetic modification to make themselves smarter and more physically perfect.

[I don't know what the evil god D is thinking. You only need to know the following.]

----What's up?

I have a bad feeling about this.

This planet has now been turned into a game, and I am one of the players. My opponent is the evil god D, who created this system. The reason I am here is...

This divine message surpassed anything seen before; it was a divine message delivered by a composed young deity, causing Pope Dustin VIXI of the Church of Divine Words to give a wry smile.

Then he felt increasingly powerless in life.

No matter how hard a mortal like him tries, he is nothing more than a toy for the gods to play with.

Moreover, the value of this toy is decreasing.

If NPCs in RPG games can have their own lives when they are not harassed by players, then NPCs in RTS games are born for war.

Even mining robots can use welding torches to blow up enemy bases.

In competitive RTS games, all NPCs are truly just cold, hard numbers representing population and troop strength.

I will arrive tomorrow at noon, with my friends, outside the capital of the Papal States of Saint Areus.

----Yes, Your Majesty, I will lead the high-ranking officials of the Holy Aleus Papal Kingdom to greet you.

Even in the face of utter despair, Dustin VIXI never gave up hope.

He dealt with it cautiously and carefully in his mind.

---By the way, I still don't know your name.

【Hmm...you can call me Zhongli, the Rock Dragon.】

......

The memories are fading away.

Pope Dustin VIXI, leading a large group of high-ranking officials of the Papal States of Saint Aleus, cleared his mind of all thoughts.

He stood outside the capital's walls, awaiting the arrival of the deity who called himself "Zhongli, the Rock Dragon".

Tick-tock!

Tick-tock!

The clock ticked incessantly in his ears.

Even though this world doesn't have the ability to make clocks, the ticking sound coming from my mind is so clear.

[The Word of God]

He understood what it was in an instant.

The "divine words," which usually only repeated phrases like "skill proficiency has reached a certain level," "skill upgrade begins," and "skill acquired," were now clearly heard by everyone present, like the ticking of a clock.

【Clang!】

The noon bells rang once again in Dustin's mind after nearly a thousand years.

Then, a dazzling pale golden light descended from the sky, enveloping all the humans standing on this land.

Everything became silent; the chirping of insects and the calls of birds vanished without a trace.

Within this silence, only the clear sound of ticking could be heard.

Greetings, people of this world.

Accompanied by a steady young male voice, a figure appeared on the road ahead.

He was a handsome young man dressed in a style unlike any other in this world. He had a relaxed demeanor, but his appearance was not overly eye-catching. He was handsome, but his sharp features were not overt, like a warm and lustrous gemstone.

Beside him was a strange creature with a pure white upper body and a spider lower body.

The moment the young man appeared, all the humans present realized that this person was a more perfect and superior being than them.

They couldn't help but kneel down and worship just by looking at it.

Dustin VIXI was no exception.

But he was very stubborn.

Although intimidated by the other party's imposing presence, and knowing full well that he could not contend with the other party, Dustin 61 was not prepared to be completely controlled by the other party without even saying a word.

Even if he and the human race are merely NPC toys in the hands of the gods, he still wants to prove to the gods that toys also have their own value.

He forced himself to go up.

Force yourself not to bow your head before the gods, like those ordinary high-ranking officials who dare not even look directly at the true face of the gods, but to force yourself to look the gods in the eye.

"Hello, the great [Rock Dragon Zhongli]."

"I am Dustin 61, Pope of the Divine Word Church of the Holy Aleus Papal States of Humanity."

Chapter Thirty-Nine: The Game: Prologue (End)

"Hello."

Zhongli nodded slightly to the old man in front of him.

They are not arrogant, nor are they devoid of human emotions.

He looked at Dustin VIXI, who was kneeling on the ground, just like an ordinary human being, took two steps forward, and extended his palm.

Pope Dustin VIXI was clearly somewhat surprised by Zhong Li's reaction.

Although he had imagined many scenarios of meeting the gods, he had never thought of the gods personally reaching out to help him up.

However, he was a hero among humankind, and his ability to adapt to changing circumstances was undeniably rapid. Otherwise, he wouldn't have become the Pope of the Divine Word Cult, leading humanity, which had lost everything, back to its current level of civilization.

"Thank you for your help, great Rock Dragon."

Dustin VIXI, supporting himself with Zhong Li's outstretched hand, immediately grasped it and stood up.

He wasn't overly excited, but instead bowed slightly and said, "Great Rock Dragon, please allow me to solemnly introduce to you many high-ranking officials from the Holy Areus Papal Kingdom among us humans."

He pointed to a man with a belly so large it could support a single-person canoe and said, "This is the Minister of Finance of our Holy Aleus Papal States. He..."

"No need to introduce me."

Zhongli waved his hand slightly: "I came here mainly to introduce myself to you. It's not to interfere in anything."

Pope Dustin VIXI was visibly stunned for a moment, and then felt a chill run through him.

His eyes trembled violently, and then he spoke in a voice that was almost a wail, only Zhongli and he could hear.

"But didn't you say... that you and the higher-ups, Lord D, made a bet? She chose the demon race, and you chose the human race."

Have you already given up on us?

Zhongli naturally knew what Pope Dustin VIXI was worried about.

He shook his head slightly: "That's not the case."

"However, I have a better way to issue commands and guide humanity in my own way. Of course, in general terms, this guidance has not yet been tested by time and practice, so I am still working on it."

Upon hearing Zhong Li's words, Pope Dustin VIXI visibly breathed a sigh of relief.

His aged face held a cautious, tentative look: "Do you still need to enter the city? Although it is simple, the Papal Palace is quite comfortable. We mortals have many things we would like to ask you."

“Hmm…” Zhongli shook his head slightly: “I won’t go.”