Chapter 30 Part 2

Amuruo sat up straight and stretched: “Foresee? I rather think they aren’t foreseeing, but have truly experienced it. Lang’s combat experience, and the so-called ‘common knowledge’ Feng possesses, aren’t things that can be gained through precognition. What, Suer, do you suspect they aren’t Prophets?”

Suer shook his head: “They are indeed Prophets. The Heavenly Father makes no mistakes. They also undeniably bear the Heavenly Father’s protection. I just worry that, possessing greater power and knowledge than ordinary Prophets, they will face trials even more arduous than what you and I have experienced.”

Amuruo took the opportunity of covering his mouth while yawning to subtly curl his lip.

He thought Suer was worried about something profound, but it turned out his mother-hen instincts were acting up again.

Perila had no idea that the “common knowledge” Xia Xifeng spoke of was actually common knowledge among players.

The books on the list did exist. Without any doubt, he believed that the knowledge in the books Xia Xifeng recommended was all true.

Didn’t he see that Mr. Suer was also familiar with those books and didn’t refute Xia Xifeng’s claim that “these are all common knowledge”? Then these books must certainly be “common knowledge.”

As Perila read and took notes, his doubts about the divine wars and successions suddenly cleared up.

He pulled Leo into studying with him.

As God’s Favored, although their gods made no demands of them, merely generously sharing their power, they still had to consciously study and become excellent God’s Favored.

“No wonder the Mana Network didn’t disappear after the God of Magic fell, but magical power simply became chaotic and disordered until a new god appeared. Magical power objectively exists; the Mana Network is the god’s power.”

“Divine wars involve devouring each other’s concepts? Wow, I don’t understand.”

“So the true death of a god is the extinction of a concept, or its absorption by another concept.”

“Perila, do you understand?”

“Actually, not quite. However, I understood the rule the Heavenly Father decreed: first comes the Divine Throne, then comes the god.”

“Oh, I understood that too. According to the Heavenly Father’s decree, the Blood Moon Evil God is a false god. He has no Divine Throne of his own, so he wants to seize the Silver Moon’s Divine Throne.”

“Whoa! Leo, you actually understood it! And you can even give a concrete example!”

“Heh heh, I’m very clever!”

The two Halflings pressed their heads together, forcing the obscure text into their brains.

They didn’t understand it, but they’d memorize it first and ponder it slowly later.

So that next time they wouldn’t have to watch their friend fight alone, they would overcome even the reading that Halflings were least skilled at.

Xia Xifeng passed by, not disturbing their reading.

He said to Qin Lang, “I thought God’s Favored would know gods like the back of their hand, but they don’t even know common knowledge? As God’s Favored, do they not have the slightest desire to seek knowledge about their gods? Perila even said his path to godhood is understanding the secrets of the gods, yet he hasn’t even read the books in Green Sand City related to gods?”

Qin Lang also found it rather absurd.

He said, “Perhaps because Perila is Hope’s Sun’s God’s Favored, his personality is somewhat similar to Hope’s Sun.”

Xia Xifeng understood: “Thick-skinned, procrastinating, a bit foolish? Sigh, only realizing he’s dying when he’s about to die—how can there be such adorably foolish gods?”

Qin Lang also found them a bit adorably stupid.

He said, “Birth’s Sun is also a bit dumb. He’s always with Hope’s Sun, yet couldn’t even tell Hope’s Sun was injured?”

Xia Xifeng said disdainfully, “That’s not dumb; that’s blind! Even if the plot wasn’t detected, can’t you see with your own eyes whether your twin brother is injured or not?”

Qin Lang said, “Maybe injuries to gods don’t manifest on the surface?”

Xia Xifeng thought about it and agreed: “Possible. Otherwise, I can’t imagine just how adorably moronic the Twin Suns are. Ah, how can there be such adorably moronic gods?”

The two players complained about the suns without any reservations, never considering that gods truly existed in this world, or what consequences there might be for calling gods adorably moronic.

The Twin Suns hung quietly in the sky.

Mm, they complained about the suns, and the suns showed no reaction. It seemed there were indeed no consequences.

With this harvest, Xia Xifeng gained a large amount of Farming Proficiency. Not only did the quality of the harvested crops improve, but there was also a chance to drop seeds one tier higher than the harvested crop.

Seeing that the Farming Skill truly could automatically obtain higher-grade seeds, Xia Xifeng poured all the skill points saved up from leveling into Farming.

“Build high walls, hoard vast grain” was a “lord strategy” ingrained in the bones of the Hua people. Xia Xifeng, through massive debt, had already built high city walls; now all that remained was hoarding grain.

Although Green Sand City said it could provide food, and the grain trade in this world was quite developed, and they could also hunt in the forests…

For Xia Xifeng, if grain couldn’t be grown in his own territory’s fields for self-sufficiency, he wouldn’t even sleep soundly.

Especially with the Apocalypse looming right before their eyes, who knew if grain production would plummet after the Apocalypse?

Xia Xifeng, filled with guilt, postponed his plan to earn money and repay debts, first maxing out his Farming Skill.

He wanted to stockpile tons of seeds to give to the farmers in the Knight’s Domain to plant.

To get farmers to use his seeds, he even provided superior seeds and farming knowledge training for free. Moreover, planting the crops he recommended was tax-free for the first year.

The farmers in the Knight’s Domain, besides the Halflings, were initially skeptical. Upon hearing “free plus tax exemption,” they immediately agreed.

They converted half their fields to the seeds provided by the lord, leaving the other half to plant according to their own experience.

This was the wisdom of farmers.

Even though Xia Xifeng offered immense benefits to the farmers, they still preferred to pay taxes rather than give up half their fields to plant crops they were familiar with.

This half of the fields ensured that even if the other half failed, the farmers and their families wouldn’t starve.

Xia Xifeng didn’t forcefully command the farmers to plant only the crops he recommended; he also wanted to encourage farmers to retain their own wisdom and not blindly follow.

Although he was confident his seeds were definitely fine, it was good that farmers possessed the spontaneous awareness to resist total crop failure.

Perila originally argued with Xia Xifeng.

Skilled at manipulating plants, he naturally knew how excellent Xia Xifeng’s seeds were. He believed they should just forcibly order the farmers to switch crops, rather than using benefits to entice them.

Other lords all did it that way.

Only after Xia Xifeng brought him along in disguise to chat with farmers in the fields many times did he compromise.

Perila said: “You don’t act like a lord; you’re more like our old Village Chief back at Sunflower Valley.”

Xia Xifeng asked, puzzled: “What’s the difference? I am a village chief.”

Perila shook his head but didn’t explain. Instead, he smiled from the heart.

“Alright, we’ll do it your way, since you’re the Village Chief.” Perila said, “Before planting, how about we hold a Solar Festival? The Church of the Sun still refuses to believe that Leo and I are God’s Favored.”

The senior bishops of the Church of the Sun were all Light Elves and Light Dragonborn. Although no God’s Favored had appeared among their races, they firmly believed it was simply because the Sun God’s Favored hadn’t appeared yet. If the Sun God’s Favored appeared, they would certainly appear among superior races like theirs.

Look at their power, look at their unparalleled beauty—they are the races closest to the God of the Sun, the darlings of the Sun God.

Now two Halflings jump out, claiming not only to be Sun God’s Favored, but special God’s Favored—the darlings of the gods, “Sons of God” who could directly borrow power from the divine.

What? Halflings? How could you be worthy!

Although the Church of the Sun was unwilling to acknowledge it, real gods existed in this world.

The High Priest prayed to the Sun, saying two Halflings were impersonating divine favorites.

The Sun said they weren’t impersonating. The Sunflower Family was the Sun Family, guardians of the Sun for generations.

Ah? For generations?

Then what are we?

A certain Light Elf family and a certain Light Dragon family, who called themselves Guardians of the Sun, were stunned.

Although the Church of the Sun had moved to Xia Xifeng and Qin Lang’s Knight’s Domain, they still harbored doubts about the Halfling Sun Guardian Family that had suddenly appeared.

Perhaps they had misinterpreted the deity’s will? After all, gods could no longer directly deliver Oracles now, only conveying vague intentions.

Though Halflings were broad-minded and didn’t mind being doubted—their reason for serving the gods was simply to serve the gods, never thinking of gaining any benefits from it; others’ opinions didn’t affect their service to the gods. But the Sun, which had suddenly become more active, entered Leo and Perila’s dreams, urging the God’s Favored to quickly start the Solar Festival.

Leo and Perila received such a clear divine suggestion for the first time.

Xia Xifeng said: “The Twin Suns really dote on you both.”

Perila replied, a bit shy: “Yes, the gods dote greatly on Leo and me.”

And then, at the Sunflower Valley’s first Solar Festival attended by the Church of the Sun, both Perila and Leo’s heads ignited with solar flames, their silver and golden hair both burned clean off.

The solar flames burning atop their heads caused them no discomfort, only serving as a painless head-shaving.

Two little Halfling heads reflected the sun’s light, shining as brightly as the sun itself.

The bishops of the Church of the Sun wept profusely, forced to acknowledge the two as Sons of God.

Look at those bald heads—symbols of the Sun!

Xia Xifeng: “…Old Qin, I think something’s fishy.”

Qin Lang: “Perila mentioned before that Leo only gets his hair burned off when he makes the gods angry.”

The two exchanged glances. Had Perila and Leo done something bad?

Perila and Leo also exchanged glances.

As their heads were being burned, they clearly heard the gods’ whispers for the first time.

Ah, wasn’t it said that after the War of the Gods, gods could no longer deliver Oracles? How were they hearing an Oracle?

[Tell your friends to shut up! I am not stupid!]

[Little brother is very angry.]

Not only did they hear a clear Oracle they shouldn’t have heard, but this Oracle…

Leo: “If this Oracle is true, were we implicated by Feng and Lang?”

Perila, who cared greatly about his appearance, wept sadly: “Mm…”

Leo: “What exactly did they say? Why are the gods so angry?”

Perila cried out: “Shut up! Do you want even your eyebrows burned off?!”

Leo muttered: “Eyebrows don’t matter, as long as my clothes aren’t burned off, making me streak in public.”

Based on the Oracle, Xia Xifeng and Qin Lang must have been calling Hope’s Sun stupid, right?

Leo found it unbelievable.

Gods don’t care about mortal words. Many mortals curse the heavens when they’re upset, and the sun gets cursed particularly often—for example, during floods or droughts.

Cursing the gods is not blasphemy. This is a universally accepted principle in the Dream World.

He would get “divine punishment” before because he was a God’s Favored. The gods were close to him.

What reason did Birth’s Sun and Hope’s Sun have to be so angry over Xia Xifeng and Qin Lang’s casual remarks? And even if they were angry, why take it out on him and Perila?

Petty gods.

Leo stood firmly by his friends’ side, muttering complaints about his own gods in his heart.