Chapter 196 Approaching the Divine (Eighteen)
As Liu Sheng stepped into the temple, carrying a bag of sweet potatoes and boiled peanuts, and holding a few books, the world's prompt sounded.
“Congratulations! thirty-ninth xuan candidate, xuan thirty-nine Temple Faith Value +5, current total is 8, please keep up the good work!”
Upon hearing this, Liu Sheng merely paused, her face devoid of any extra expression, but inwardly, she was secretly delighted.
The family of three, along with Sòng Guǎfù and her daughter Xiaoya, had finally become believers under Earth Mother, thus adding five points to the faith value.
“You gambled correctly. Because of your spiritual number, the faith gained by ‘Earth Mother’ can also be counted towards this temple's faith value.”
“It's probably like, you, the ‘Earth Mother Divine Official,’ developed believers, and these believers believed in ‘Earth Mother,’ which means they believed in the Supreme God that ‘Earth Mother’ worships.”
After the world explained it, Liu Sheng also praised it repeatedly in her heart.
“A perfect equation.”
“A perfect ‘faith’ distribution model!”
“Rejoice and praise!”
While Liu Sheng was happy, someone else was not so pleased.
“You just got back? I've already made dinner. You didn't come back to eat, nor did you say anything.”
Dawn Priest's dejected face emerged from the darkness deep within the temple, pale and reflecting the faint light of a hanging lantern. Coupled with her deep resentment, she looked even more terrifying than the weird objects Liu Sheng had seen today.
But Liu Sheng knew she was in the wrong and hadn't expected Dawn Priest to be so diligent as to cook for her. Naturally, she apologized profusely.
“Enough, less chatter. The Grand Divine Official is looking for you.” Dawn Priest said with a sour expression, “I don't know what the Grand Divine Official sees in you anyway…”
Upon hearing this, Liu Sheng grew excited.
It must be progress on the main quest, and the Grand Divine Official is here to give rewards!
“Dawn Priest, take these edibles as compensation for you.” In her excitement, Liu Sheng shoved the bag of food into Dawn Priest's hand.
After thinking for a moment, she picked out two sweet potatoes and the bag of boiled peanuts from it: “Sorry, I'm keeping these.”
Then Liu Sheng hurriedly ran towards the Grand Divine Official's room, but Dawn Priest grabbed her.
“Hey, hey, where are you going? The Grand Divine Official isn't in her room, she's in the divine hall.”
“Okay, thank you, Dawn Priest!”
Liu Sheng thanked her and ran towards the divine hall, leaving Dawn Priest standing alone in the darkness, clutching a small bag of sweet potatoes, in a daze.
“This child, so rash… Speaking of which, what is this? Don't just give me any random things…”
So, Dawn Priest opened the cloth bag with a hint of suspicion and found a few dusty sweet potatoes with specks of mud.
“Sigh, never mind, I'll forgive her… Let me think what to make, sweet potato cakes or sweet potato syrup…”
Then, she carefully hugged the bag of sweet potatoes and walked towards the kitchen.
…
Before the divine statue, in the candlelight, the Grand Divine Official sat quietly, lost in thought.
“She must be thinking about the future of the temple, and what its path will be?”
“After all, only three points of faith for so long is too disrespectful to the Supreme God.”
Thinking of the Grand Divine Official, at her advanced age, still pondering the path forward so late in the divine hall, Liu Sheng couldn't help but feel a surge of respect.
So, she respectfully bowed to the hunched figure and softly called out, “Grand Divine Official.”
However, there was no response.
“Grand Divine Official, Grand Divine Official!” Liu Sheng could only call out a few more times, each time louder than the last.
Only then did the Grand Divine Official's body jolt. She slowly turned around, rubbing her eyes, looking half-asleep.
“Oh, Earth Mother Divine Official, you're back…” Saying this, the Grand Divine Official yawned.
“Yes, Grand Divine Official.” Liu Sheng was somewhat speechless.
But considering her age, it was normal for her to be sleepy.
Just, falling asleep in front of the Supreme God's statue…
“I heard you were looking for me?” This sentence should be the standard opening for a conversation with the Grand Divine Official.
“Was I?” The Grand Divine Official momentarily couldn't recall. After a while, she seemed to receive some signal, “Oh, yes, yes!”
“Earth Mother Divine Official, although it's already resting time, this old man is truly too excited, I must reward you promptly!” The Grand Divine Official might have been genuinely overly excited, she paused to catch her breath before continuing, “Our temple's sacred value has increased by five points! A full five points! May the Supreme God bless us!”
“May the Supreme God bless us!” Liu Sheng also mumbled along.
“This is an unprecedented event, a five-point increase in one day. This old man has truly never seen anything like it since becoming Grand Divine Official…” The Grand Divine Official was still sighing with emotion.
“Grand Divine Official, if I may ask, how long have you served as Grand Divine Official in this temple?” Liu Sheng couldn't help but ask.
“You know this is a question they cannot answer.” The world said coldly.
“But I still want to try.”
As expected, the Grand Divine Official was stumped.
“How long? How long have I been in this temple? How long have I been Grand Divine Official? Why do I have no recollection at all…”
“Sigh, I'm really old, I can't remember anything…” The Grand Divine Official's aged face wrinkled tightly, looking very distressed.
“It's alright, Grand Divine Official, please continue.” Liu Sheng quickly stopped the dead loop.
“Where was I? Oh, in short, because of your outstanding performance, this old man has decided to officially promote you to a formal Divine Official!”
“In one day, she shed the probationary title!”
“Look at that speed!”
“It's going to drop the jaws of those watching the mirage outside.”
“Quietly, astonishing everyone.”
…
Indeed, just as Liu Sheng and the others thought, the jaws of the examiners watching the progress outside nearly dropped off.
“Eating a meal, getting some sweet potatoes and peanuts, and it can still increase faith by five points?” Hanshan Jun exclaimed, looking at the small characters next to “xuan thirty-nine” in the bottom right corner of the mirage— “Faith Value: Eight.”
“Strictly speaking, it wasn't ‘getting’ it; wasn't it those two families who forced it upon her?” Yan Xueshi expressed his disagreement on this point.
She herself came from a rural background, and thus had an inexplicable fondness for this candidate who took the rural route.
“Yes, yes, I misspoke.” Hanshan Jun pleaded.
Li Shangshu pinched a magic seal, and a very long light screen popped out of the jade box, displaying “Seat Number, Name, Faith Value,” which was the current faith value ranking of all candidates.
The first place clearly stated: “xuan thirty-nine, Liu Sheng, Eight.”
Following that were:
Second place: Heaven Eighteen, Wen Xuanning, Six
Third place: Barren Eighty-Five, Lin Shuying, Five
Fourth place: Universe Sixty-Three, Chu Shudu, Four
Fourth place: Xuan One Hundred Thirty-Four, Ling Yuke, Four
…
All those further down had only three points, which was the initial value.
After all, they had just arrived in a strange town, and everyone was a stranger. Who would easily believe in a strange god?
Unless this “god” could truly demonstrate an omniscient and omnipotent side, thereby subduing people?
Or…
Li Shangshu looked at the ranking, pondered for a long time, and then said: “Perhaps she is truly a born diviner; only this can explain why she could make two families believe in a god just by having a meal.”