At that moment, within the Kingdom of Joy, Lin Xuan was completely stunned by the three sudden donations.
Almost immediately, several special messages from the gods arrived in his homepage backend.
He opened the first and saw it was from Lilith, the Goddess of Heroes, whom he had recently added:
[Lily the Adventurer: Hehe, excited, aren't you? You're welcome. Your game has been a great help to me; this is just an equal return.]
[Lily the Adventurer: Damn it, those two old men beat me to it! I thought I'd be your first tipper!]
Lin Xuan couldn't help but smile. He replied politely, expressing his gratitude, and found his goodwill toward Lilith increase considerably.
The remaining two messages, unsurprisingly, came from the God of Pain and the God of Hope. Though they subtly jabbed at each other in words, both expressed high regard for Dark Souls.
Lin Xuan, amused and a little exasperated, shook his head and replied courteously, feeling as if he were in a dream.
Since arriving in this universe, the gods he encountered seemed different from those he remembered in the era of Soul Eater. Back then, both benevolent and malevolent gods sat imperiously on their thrones, looking down on all living beings.
But the gods of today were more human-like, with emotions. They were no longer cold statues placed in temples—they laughed, got angry, cursed, and acted with whim and will.
This was the nature of deities: born from the echoes of believers' thoughts. As productivity and open-mindedness grew among mortals, these qualities extended to the gods.
Gods loved humanity, which was why the "Theocratic Council" was established after two great divine wars. Believers and deities were no longer in a master-servant dynamic but in a relationship of harmony and mutual development.
Lin Xuan considered himself fortunate. The God Realm he encountered was not cold or indifferent. Compared to spreading faith from the heavens, this method of creating works that allowed mortals to freely choose whom to worship suited him perfectly.
Composing himself, he refocused on giving tips. After all, a reward from three gods at once was a spectacle rare even over millennia.
Tipping was only possible on the New God Ranking, and only deities who had reached intermediate divine power could bestow it. They selected outstanding demigods, and if a work impressed them, they granted a reward.
Yet every god of intermediate divine power was a seasoned veteran. Even the relatively young God of Heroes was a genius of his generation, with impossibly high standards. Newly minted demigods' works, often riddled with minor flaws, were glaringly obvious to these gods.
Thus, earning their recognition was exceptionally difficult. Typically, one reward occurred every five New God Rankings. A double-god reward was rare, appearing once every few decades, and the triple-god reward—like the one Lin Xuan received—was virtually unheard of, only occurring once every few thousand years. Demigods who received it would, if they survived the process, reach intermediate divine power.
By the Theocratic Council's regulations, 1,000 units of faith equaled 1 unit of divine power. Reaching demigod status, where a weak divine fire ignites, required 10 units of divine power.
A nascent divine power marked a demigod—the primary goal for all on the new god list. Those with weak divine power were "followers," who, with enough believers and understanding of their authority, could solidify their status. Moderate divine power denoted spirit gods, like the Gods of Pain, Hope, and Courage, granting the authority to establish a pantheon independently, though most joined one of the eight major pantheons.
Above intermediate power were the celestial gods, whose legends spanned realms and whose followers dotted stars across the universe. Leaders of the God of Warriors, like the Guardian God, were celestial beings whose presence could decide the outcome of wars.
At the pinnacle were the Chief Gods, the leaders of the eight pantheons. Their positions were determined in a thousand-year general election. The god with the most votes in each pantheon became its leader, taking the title of Chief God for that millennium.
For now, Lin Xuan was far from that level. As a newly born demigod, his immediate goal was to regain weak divine power and ascend to sub-god status. Lesser godhood offered strength, prestige, the ability to recruit believers, and the right to formally establish missionary churches across the heavens.
Lin Xuan had declined the God of Heroes' invitation to join the God of War faction for two reasons: he refused to be bound, and he was ambitious. He intended to create his own pantheon.
His mind wasn't only filled with games. In his previous life, while designing games, he spent his free time reading novels, comics, and poetry, and watching films and anime for inspiration. In this universe, any of those influences could catalyze a massive shift in divine power.
For his debut as a new god, he chose his main authority to be "game." Once he reached minor god status, he would lead his followers into his divine kingdom. His goal: transform it into a perfect paradise. Believers could play to their hearts' content, and as their strength grew, they could create larger-scale online games. Animation and movies would come later, but only after gaining greater power.
After all, advancing from demigod to lesser god required 10,000 faith points—a massive sum. Accumulating this usually took years, during which demigods had to consolidate their authority.
In this vast universe, countless things were born and perished every second. If demigods failed to absorb and learn constantly, their powers could be shaken—or even vanish.
The path to godhood was no easy feat.
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