I am God LSLCCF

Chapter 188: The Birth of a Festival

The sun hung in the Dream Realm’s sky, its light seeming almost tangible.

At times it curled into a circle, while at others its rays stretched out, as if covered in angles.

It looked quite different from a real sun, sometimes more like a child’s scribble.

This was because the sun itself was a divine artifact, and its radiance was composed of the Light of Wishes formed by dream myths and mortal wishes.

On the Divine Cup.

The spirit stood on tiptoe at the rim of the cup, endless light flowing past beneath her, making her robes and golden hair dance.

Compared to the Divine Cup, she appeared tiny.

The spirit extended her hand.

The Divine Cup began to churn, and Dreams of Law as large as mountains floated out from within.

There were vast snowy landscapes, kingdoms of clay dolls, wind god realms, and heavens brimming with all manner of delicacies.
Huge, colorful bubbles rose and floated before the spirit, filling her entire view with various dreams.

The scene was so breathtakingly beautiful that the spirit stood mesmerized.

But the spirit didn’t forget her true purpose for coming here; she was here to assimilate these Dreams of Law.

She selected one of the Dreams of Law, pouring all her strength into infusing her power and imprint into just a fraction of this dream.

“It’s still too slow.”

“With so many Dreams of Law, when will I ever be able to fully assimilate them all?”

The spirit cupped her chin with both hands, looking somewhat troubled.

She gazed at the dense mass of Dreams of Law floating before her, unsure where to begin.

Initially, the Divine Cup only contained Yinsai’s dream, but now, as generations of priests created various rituals one after another, the Divine Cup was filled with all kinds of Dreams of Law, and the Light of Wishes extended like tentacles based on these laws.

She felt the Divine Cup resisting her because it bore the mark of Polo, the Lord of Dreams.

Even though the spirit Polo had passed away, vanishing with the Star Queen in that dreamlike rain over the sea of flowers.

He was still the master of this divine artifact, the ancestor and bloodline source of all spirits.

As the spirit pondered her dilemma, something unexpected occurred. The Light of Wishes within the Divine Cup, formed by the wishes and dreams of all living things, suddenly began to change.

“Huh?”

In the dreamy star sea, dreams suddenly lit up one by one, projecting the spirit’s shadow within them, as if faint voices calling her name could be heard.

And the Dreams of Law in the Divine Cup, those Light of Wishes surrounding the divine artifact, suddenly began to converge towards the spirit.

The aura and power belonging to the spirit on them imperceptibly grew stronger.

“Are they… getting closer to me?” the spirit wondered aloud.

Dream Spirit Hila looked at her own hands, rubbing her temples with her index finger in confusion, wearing a puzzled expression.

“What’s going on?”

“I didn’t do anything, did I?”

The spirit finally discovered that all the changes were extending from the dreamy star sea.

She floated up to the dreamy star sea, examining the situation through each mortal’s dream.

She looked through the barriers of dreams towards the mortal world, finally discovering why this was happening.

“The Wish Festival?”

Sandean City.

A brisk sea breeze swept through the city as the weather gradually cooled.

Early in the morning, a large group of children ran through the streets, pushing and shoving each other playfully, creating quite a commotion.

Finally, one child spoke up about something interesting.

“Do you know what day it is today?”

The other children shook their heads, but that child said,

“Today is the day when spirits bring gifts to children and grant wishes.”

Some of the other children had also heard stories about spirits granting children’s wishes, and immediately said, “I’ve heard my mom talk about it too, saying that spirits bring gifts to the most obedient children.”

A slightly older child immediately scoffed and said, “That’s all lies adults tell. Spirits are just statues in the temple, they don’t move at all.”

The boy who first told the spirit story wasn’t happy with this and immediately said seriously, “It’s true!”

The older child said, “Have you seen it?”

The boy’s confidence wavered a bit: “My grandfather told me.”

The older child immediately said, “You sound so sure, then surely the spirit will bring you a gift?”

“Show it to me tomorrow then.”

The boy immediately mumbled, “Spirits only bring gifts to the most obedient and kindest children, not to everyone.”

The children argued noisily, some refusing to believe, while others claimed to know someone who had received a gift from a spirit.

However, regardless of whether they said they believed or not.

A longing welled up in their hearts.

Along with a small expectation.

They hoped that today they might encounter a beautiful spirit who could grant their wishes, bringing them the new clothes, candies, food, and toys they desired.

It was some time ago that Dream Spirit Hila had ventured into the mortal world to break through to the fourth level of power, collecting children’s wishes to condense the Light of Wishes.

Her first stop was Sandean City.

Therefore, the legend of spirits granting children’s wishes was strongest here.

Inside and outside the city, many people spoke as if they knew for certain, and all sorts of stories had been passed down.

Some said the spirit looked like a golden flower, others said the spirit looked like the sun, but adults mostly used this story to coax children into being obedient, saying that only well-behaved children could receive gifts from spirits and have their wishes granted.

Since this legend spread, there were occasional rumors of children receiving gifts.

But no one knew whether the gift-giver was really a spirit or the child’s parents.

Oil Temple.

Once upon a time, Sandean City was the stronghold of the old nobility, with several priest families entrenched here for hundreds of years, their influence so deeply rooted that even the King of Yinsai had no good way to deal with them.

But when the second-generation king of the Henir Dynasty passed away, Sandean City and the High Priest of the Oil Temple sparked a rebellion that was suppressed.

The third-generation king of the Henir Dynasty who ascended to the throne then constantly suppressed the priest families of Sandean City.

The current High Priest was now someone from the Temple of Truth, ostensibly to monitor and suppress rebel forces, but in reality, he was suppressing the priest families of the Oil Temple.

It had been so long since the new king took the throne, yet these families still wouldn’t behave.

The High Priest of the Oil Temple stood before the temple, looking at the distant lighthouse and the sea.

“The weather’s getting cold!”

“People have also become much quieter recently.”

It wasn’t clear if he was referring to the people in the city or those priest families.

The ordinary priest accompanying him was from Sandean City, and seeing the weather turn cold, he was reminded of something.

“It’s that time of year again!”

The priest sighed nostalgically, then revealed a reminiscing expression.

“When I was little, every year on this day, my father would tell me stories about spirits bringing gifts,” he recalled. “He’d encourage me to study divine technique knowledge and ritual arrays diligently.”

“As long as I listened obediently, every year on this day, things I liked would appear in my room.”

“I really thought it was spirits bringing me gifts!”

“I truly believed I was the chosen one, the luckiest person in the world,” he continued. “I studied divine techniques believing I could change this world.”

The priest turned back, looking at the statue of Yinsai inside the temple.

“I even thought I was chosen by Yinsai,” he admitted, “and that the spirits were bringing me gifts on behalf of God.”

Every child has imagined or hoped that they were someone special.

In this world, that one unique person.

The High Priest of the Oil Temple came from the former capital, having grown up on the Island of Mist in his youth, so this was the first time he had heard such a story: “Is there really such a thing? Spirits bringing gifts to children?”

The priest recounted the local legend, then laughed heartily. “It wasn’t until I grew up that I realized those gifts were actually from my father and mother.”

The High Priest nodded approvingly. “You were blessed with a good father. It was his guidance that shaped you into who you are today.”

With that, the High Priest turned his gaze towards the towering statue inside the temple.

His eyes fell on the statue of Hila, the divine messenger, to the right of Yinsai’s statue.

“Spirits!” he mused. “What beautiful beings they are, noble creatures existing only in God’s realm, messengers of God traversing dreams.”

“I wonder which great spirit from the Spirit Country descended upon Sandean City, leaving behind such a wonderful story and legend.”

The ordinary priest chuckled, his tone light. “It certainly couldn’t have been the messenger at God’s right hand!”

In his view, the exalted divine messenger Hila, even if she were to leave God’s realm, would surely carry God’s mission and will.

How could she possibly engage in such childish activities, playing with a group of children?

It must have been some little spirit who snuck out of God’s realm and came to the mortal world to frolic with children, thus leaving behind this legend full of innocence and childlike wonder.

The High Priest, however, suddenly had a realization: “Come to think of it, a divine miracle occurred in Sandean City!”

The High Priest’s interest was immediately piqued, his mind racing with the potential for a new achievement.

“Since it’s a divine miracle, we naturally need to commemorate it.”

“Why don’t we establish it as an official festival in Sandean City to honor the divine messenger?”

“Spreading the faith of Yinsai is something we believers should do at all times, that is our true responsibility.”

“Instead of constantly indulging in selfish desires and doing things that can’t see the light of day.”

He finished with a cold snort: “Let those people know that God is still watching over this world!”

And so, that very day.

Following the High Priest of the Oil Temple’s decree, the entire city began preparing for the festival celebrations.

In Sandean City, the will and orders of the High Priest of the Oil Temple carried more weight than even those of the city lord.

“The High Priest has issued an edict, declaring today as the Wish Festival.”

“This day will be used to commemorate the divine messenger and express gratitude for everything the great God Yinsai has bestowed upon us.”

“Once upon a time, a messenger from God’s realm descended on this day…”

Various workshops began to close for the holiday starting from noon.

Throughout the streets and alleys, discussions about the Wish Festival could be heard everywhere. Even those who hadn’t known about this story before now understood it clearly.

As people took time off work, the streets grew more crowded.

Consequently, the number of vendors selling various goods along the streets also increased.

The shops on Main Cross Street hurriedly began decorating and even started promoting activities to attract children.

While the city had been ordinary in the morning, by afternoon, a transformation had taken place. The streets were adorned with colorful lanterns and decorations, and the entire city was filled with a festive atmosphere.

Priests from the Oil Temple began distributing gifts to children throughout the city. The steps of the temple were crowded with children, all jostling together.

“Do you know why we’re giving everyone gifts?” a priest asked.

The children, having already heard the news, shouted in unison.

“The Wish Festival!”

“We’re celebrating the Wish Festival!”

The temple priest nodded, “This is a blessing from God, a gift from the divine messenger Hila to you all.”

“You should thank God and the divine spirits for bringing you this festival.”

The children received their gifts, their joyous cheers rising in waves.

And so it was.

The Wish Festival was thus established in Sandean City, becoming a fixed official holiday.

It evolved from a simple folk tale and legend into an official festival that began to be passed down in Yinsai.

At first, it was only celebrated in Sandean City and coastal areas, then gradually spread inland.

This festival sparked a change in people’s hearts. They began to associate wishes, dreams, the power of miracles, and spirits together. The power of wishes spread through the dreamy star sea to the Divine Cup.

The Light of Wishes formed through wishes and the Dreams of Law at the source of miracle power were simultaneously affected.

In God’s realm, the spirit gazed upon the mortal world through the dreamy star sea, finally comprehending what had just transpired.

“So that’s it!”

“A festival, a festival belonging to me and the spirits.”

The spirit marveled at the unexpected outcome.

The seed she had planted long ago had now blossomed in this moment.

—————

The great spirit lay sunbathing in the Sun Cup Flower Sea of the God-Given Land, holding an exquisite and beautiful clay doll in her hand.

She was the little spirit whose doll Sandean had taken away years ago to create the Seal Dolls.

So many years had passed, and the little spirit had gradually grown into a great spirit.

Yet, from the spirit’s perspective, it seemed as though little had changed.

When Sandean took away her doll back then, she had cried and fussed for a long time.

Later, it was Lady Hila who comforted her and made her a new doll.

The one she held in her hand now.

Since then, she never dared to carelessly throw her things around again, fearing someone might pick up her doll.

She even guarded carefully against the memories of the deceased coming from outside, hiding her “treasure” away.

Lying in the flower sea, she held the doll high, gazing at it.

The spirit suddenly thought of Sandean, recalling something interesting.

“That thief… hmm… Sandean has been back for many years now, why don’t I go ask him about stories from the mortal world?”

She immediately got up and headed towards the Spirit Country.

“Whoosh!”

Her golden robe billowed.

The spirit floated further and further away, gradually leaving the God-Given Land.

The Spirit Country was a continent enclosed in a bubble, floating in the upper middle layer of the Dream Realm. It was like a crossroads connecting different parts of the Dream Realm.

From here, the paths to the gates of God’s realm, to the dreamy star sea, and to the God-Given Land were all the closest.

Currently, the Spirit Country had nearly ten third-level spirits. Their dream domains were located in the core of the Spirit Country, surrounding the great Spirit Library.

Thus, one could see that the Spirit Country was composed of large and small colorful sections connected together, like a palette of paint.

The closer to the edge, the more illusory it became, and the closer to the center, the more real it appeared.

And one of these domains, made up of wool balls and yarn, belonged to this great spirit.

The great spirit entered the Spirit Country and headed straight for the library, moving like the wind.

All spirits were like this, never walking slowly.

They either ran in chaotic groups or flew in disorderly flocks.

It was impossible to make them walk steadily and slowly.

“Sandean!”

“Sandean, where are you?”

A hazy, ethereal shadow emerged from behind the front desk of the library.

“Oh!”

“It’s Simila.”

The former Sage of Truth, Sandean, had now become the librarian of the Spirit Library.

Spirit Simila saw Sandean and first smiled, then suddenly remembered something. She quickly put on a stern face and hid her new doll behind her back.

“I won’t hold it against you for stealing my things last time, Great Simila will let it slide.”

“But you must tell me about your stories from the mortal world.”

“If you tell a good story,” she added, her voice softening slightly, “I’ll forgive you.”

The librarian’s consciousness seemed a bit dazed, somewhat sluggish.

It took him a while to react: “Oh… I see…”

“You want to hear stories!”

Simila nodded eagerly: “Yes, yes! Stories, stories!”

The librarian paused again, not responding for a long time.

Just as the spirit was getting impatient and starting to stamp her feet, the library manager finally spoke.

“Yinsai is a…”

As she listened to the old librarian’s story, the spirit’s imagination took flight.

The story was filled with seas and mountains, the rise and fall of cities. The spirit didn’t care much for the grand, sweeping tales, but she loved the characters from the city’s small alleys.

These were the interesting and novel things that captured her attention.

Simila was particularly intrigued when Sandean mentioned that people should be grateful to the spirits for all the wonders they had brought into the world.

“Thank us?”

“We brought hope and light to the Trilobite Men?”

Spirit Simila listened, her entire being brimming with pride, her cheeks flushed and her eyes sparkling with excitement.

She sprawled on the library counter, nuzzling back and forth like a cat.

“The mortal world seems quite interesting!”

“With so many mortals, there must be many fascinating individuals.”

“It would be nice to go and see it!”

Suddenly, someone burst in, calling out Simila’s name.

“Simila!”

“Simila!”

The little spirit ran in, head bobbing, and upon seeing Simila, said with displeasure: “Why are you here?”

“I was looking for you here earlier, and others said you went to the flower sea in the God-Given Land.”

“I ran to the flower sea in the God-Given Land, but you had come back here.”

“I’ve been searching for you everywhere.”

Simila tilted her head, looking at the other spirit in confusion: “What did you need me for?”

The little spirit replied: “Lady Hila is calling for you.”

“Huh?”

“Lady Hila is looking for me?”

Spirit Simila immediately became anxious. She rushed out the door, then came back.

“Where is Lady Hila?” she asked with an embarrassed smile, her words tumbling out hastily.

The little spirit answered: “Lady Hila went to the dreamy star sea. She’s waiting for you there!”

Great Spirit Simila arrived at the dreamy star sea and quickly noticed the presence of the divine messenger Hila.

The divine messenger Hila was traversing under the divine moon, accompanied by several great spirits, gliding through the dreamy star sea together.

Simila immediately caught up, carefully inserting herself at the back of the group.

The other great spirits looked over: “Simila, why are you only arriving now?”

Simila felt a bit embarrassed: “I was taking a nap.”

The divine messenger nodded at Simila: “Is everyone here now?”

The great spirits shouted in unison: “Everyone is here, Lady Hila. Let’s begin!”

“Then I’ll start teaching you the Art of Wishes.”

The divine messenger smiled, taking the spirits’ hands and flying towards the divine moon.

As they flew, she began to explain.

“The Art of Wishes is about transforming our inner power into the Light of Wishes. It’s composed of three key elements: mythical blood, wish dreams and laws, and dream domains.”

“Wish dreams are the origin of the names ‘Art of Wishes’ and ‘Light of Wishes’…”

The divine messenger spoke eloquently as the spirits formed a circle, wandering beneath the moon.

Although many spirits had read “The Art of Wishes” written by spirits, it certainly wasn’t as precise as hearing her explain it in person.

The divine messenger Hila guided these spirits with the potential to break through the third level, finally teaching them the methods she had mastered.

“This is the Art of Wishes!”

The spirits looked expectantly at the divine messenger Hila: “So, what’s next?”

The divine messenger looked at the mortal dreams beneath her feet: “That’s why I brought you here!”

“These are all children’s dreams, and today is the Wish Festival.”

“Here, choose the dreams you like best and fulfill their wishes!”

The spirits cheered and dispersed, transforming into streaks of light as they raced to different parts of the dreamy star sea.

Above the dreamy star sea, the spirits selected children’s dreams.

Simila floated slowly, sometimes stopping to look through the bubbles at those bizarre and colorful dreams.

Sometimes she shook her head and flew away.

Because she had learned the law of weaving, she could only fulfill dreams related to weaving.

If a child wanted something else, she couldn’t fulfill it.

Finally, she saw a dream.

A dream filled with various yarn dolls.

A child lay in the middle of the yarn dolls, happily rolling around.

This immediately caught the spirit’s attention, and she let out a delighted sound.

“Look at this!”

“This mortal likes the same things I do, they all like fluffy things.”

“Hmm!”

“This mortal has good taste.”

But the dream quickly changed, and the previous happy scene disappeared.

The dream became a window, with the child only able to hide behind it, watching the candlelight in other people’s homes and the yarn dolls other fathers gave to their children.

“Ah!”

“She doesn’t actually have any dolls?”

The spirit looked through the dream to reality, seeing a dilapidated and shabby house, and a home with nothing.

The spirit immediately struck a heroic pose, feeling like a champion about to rescue a princess in distress.

“Alright!”

“Let me fulfill your wish and give you more happiness than others.”

“Simila will send you a big doll, a pile of countless dolls.”

The spirit blew her power into the dream, projecting it into reality through the dream – this was the power of the divine artifact, the Divine Cup.

Immediately, one could see the power of miracles generating balls of yarn in the child’s room.

The yarn kept moving, kept intertwining.

Finally, it turned into various yarn dolls, falling onto the bed, table, and floor.

Filling the entire room to the brim.

In the dream, the child also dreamed of all this.

She let out a cry of wild joy, rolling on the dolls in her dream, thanking the spirit.

Simila, watching this scene from outside the dream, also felt very happy, letting out joyful songs and hums.

In this joyous atmosphere, the child’s dream merged with Simila’s body, combining with her power.

A beam of Light of Wishes emerged from her body, circling around Simila.

Finally, it transformed into a mark, imprinting on her golden robe.

Simila completed her task and flew back to the higher realms.

Unfortunately, not all spirits could condense the Light of Wishes. Some great spirits fulfilled children’s wishes but still couldn’t condense the Light of Wishes.

In the end, only three great spirits mastered the Art of Wishes and successfully condensed the Light of Wishes.

It wasn’t quite crossing the threshold to the fourth level, but it was seeing the dawn of becoming fourth level.

The divine messenger Hila instructed them.

“This is just the beginning.”

“Next is rest, fully absorbing the Light of Wishes condensed this time, then conducting the next round of responding to wishes, transforming all power into the Light of Wishes.”

The three great spirits held their heads high with pride, while the other great spirits looked a bit dejected.

At this moment, the divine messenger Hila said: “But, I have one more thing to ask of you three.”

“The emergence of the Wish Festival has given spirits the opportunity to break through to the fourth level.”

“It’s also my chance to gain immortality.”

“I need to guard the Divine Cup and cannot leave, so I need one of you three to go to the mortal world, fulfill children’s wishes, and leave behind legends.”

“Not only to let more people know that the Wish Festival is real, to let more children know that spirits fulfilling wishes is real.”

“But also to make the Wish Festival a holiday that spreads everywhere.”

When the spirits heard about leaving God’s realm, they all shrank back in fear.

Since their birth, the spirits had never left this place.

In their view, the outside world was too scary.

One spirit said: “Lady Hila.”

“Can’t we do this in God’s realm? We can do it without going out.”

The divine messenger Hila didn’t say it was completely impossible, but said:

“We could do that, but the effect wouldn’t be as good.”

“Moreover, by truly interacting with the mortal world, you’ll gain a deeper understanding of the power of wishes. The dream realms you form later will be more vivid and powerful as a result.”

“This is something that cannot be achieved by just observing the human world from above the dreamy star sea.”

The spirits wanted to complete this task for Lady Hila, but they were also a bit afraid of everything outside.

At this moment, Simila was the first to step forward and say to the divine messenger Hila.

“Lady Hila, may I go to the world of the Trilobite Men?”

“I want to see.”

“To see…”

“What that world is really like, to see what the people there are like.”

The spirits looked at Simila in amazement, surprised by her courage, and unable to understand why a spirit would want to leave God’s realm.