I'm Trapped in the Block

Chapter 403: Chapter 400: The Birth of a God

”The reason the Sea of Creation can create ’gods’ is because it has the ability to manifest collective consciousness. The races that come here with their wishes will each find a collection of their own desires.”

The fatty seemed quite happy to discuss the topic of gods with Li Luo...

”The more specific and abundant the wishes, the more powerful the god that can be created.”

The images of gods mostly come from the imagination of living beings. They attribute phenomena they cannot understand to the actions of gods, and then entrust their wishes to these divine concepts.

In primitive civilizations, beings could not comprehend the sun and moon, wind and rain, thunder and lightning, so they regarded all of these as gods.

Gods of the sun, moon, rain, and thunder... most of these nature gods were abstract, with no concrete form. But based on the most primal worship of power, civilizations would transform these elements into abstract deities.

By the time of agrarian civilizations, the connection between living beings and nature became closer. The images of these nature gods grew more specific, beginning to be subdivided to preside over all sorts of minor matters.

A god to manage the rice paddies, a god to manage the fishing grounds, a god to manage making fires and cooking food...

These gods were categorized under the original nature gods.

As the ”domains” of the gods became more specific, their images also became more concrete.

The god who manages making fires and cooking food would surely be a kind, amiable, plump old man.

The god who manages the fishing grounds would surely be holding a fishing net and wearing a wide-brimmed bamboo hat...

As civilizations developed, the ”equipment” of these gods constantly changed, their images perpetually shifting and growing more specific.

But in the end, these images were all based on the creations of the civilization itself.

The one creating the ”gods” was, in fact, the civilization itself.

”So, the Sea of Creation uses these wishes to create gods that match the imagination,” the fatty said.

Li Luo listened with a shocked expression. ”How does the Sea of Creation do that?”

”Simulation,” the fatty replied.

”Simulation?”

”Yes. The Sea of Creation simulates a god based on that collection of wishes.”

The fatty thought for a moment, then asked Li Luo, ”You humans, don’t you have a god called Guan Gong?”

”Yes.” Li Luo nodded. ”His image is that of a red-faced warrior in armor, holding a Guan Dao. Lightning flashes and thunder rolls around him as he gallops across the battlefield, conquering all who stand against him. With a swing of his Guan Dao, a bolt of dragon-shaped lightning strikes out...”

”Yes, yes.” The fatty nodded repeatedly.

”Take Guan Gong, for example. A god like him isn’t just created from thin air. He needs a true sense of identification with the civilization.”

”The Sea of Creation will start the simulation from the time Guan Gong spurred his horse and brandished his blade, battling on the field. It creates a virtual consciousness that experiences life in the ’mortal world’ before finally becoming a god. This way, the simulated god is completely whole, as if he had truly existed.”

”At the same time, this god will feel a sense of belonging to the civilization that wished for him, which is how he’s able to fulfill the wishes of that race.”

”Then what’s the purpose of the divine object?” Li Luo pressed.

”A medium. A medium for the wishes. It’s like a divine statue, a vessel for their hopes. The wishes of those beings are concentrated on the divine object. Only when the wishes are sufficiently concentrated can they awaken the Sea of Creation’s simulation.”

”So, just like a statue, the divine object doesn’t need to have any actual function. It just needs to ’look good’ and sufficiently match the desired image. After all, it’s just a medium; it never needed any practical purpose to begin with.”

Listening to the fatty’s explanation, Mo Ling, who was inside the Block, had a sudden realization.

Those races that came to the Sky Shuttle to purchase divine objects probably knew the objects had no real function. They just needed a suitable image, a fitting ”vessel for their wishes.”

And human technology could create ”images” that satisfied them. Both sides were just getting what they needed.

’But why did the wishes of the Stonians concentrate on the Block?’

Mo Ling thought about the life of the Stonian he had experienced earlier. It seemed to be a form of ”simulation” by the Sea of Creation as well.

Except, that simulation didn’t create a new consciousness. Instead, it pulled him in directly, using him as the consciousness for the simulation.

’The Block took the place of the divine object, and I became the simulated god...’

Mo Ling felt that something was off, as if he had just been passing by and was forcibly dragged into this mess.

It was as if the Sea of Creation was slacking off. It could have clearly created a new consciousness, but it insisted on using an existing, mature one.

The more Mo Ling thought about it, the weirder it seemed. He had stumbled into this Divine Sacrifice Site for no reason, been pulled in while completely bewildered, and become the god of the Stonians.

What was even more coincidental was that his teleportation ability just so happened to be exactly what the Stonians wished for.

He had brought the Petrifying Dust from the simulation into reality, and this was precisely what the Stonians needed.

He, an imposter god, had actually turned out to be ”efficacious.”

As Mo Ling’s thoughts churned, a strange idea suddenly occurred to him:

’Is the Sea of Creation just... phoning it in?’

It really seemed possible.

While Mo Ling was still thinking, a new conversation started outside the Block.

”How do we get back?” Li Luo squatted down and asked the fatty.

”I don’t know. You’ll have to ask Transcendence.” The fatty spread his hands in a helpless gesture.

Li Luo had no choice but to look toward the Block.

Mo Ling instantly understood what she meant and flew toward the mirror-like surface below.

’If I could fly over here just by flying directly, then it should be easy to fly back, right?’

However, while Mo Ling’s thoughts were simple, the execution was not.

The Block slammed hard against the mirrored surface.

”Transcendence says it doesn’t want to go back,” the fatty said, looking at the Block pressed tightly against the ground and analyzing the situation seriously.

”It probably can’t go back, right?” Li Luo also looked at the Block, her face full of doubt.

”There’s nowhere Transcendence can’t go. It’s pretending. Pretending it can’t go back when it really just doesn’t want to. Its plan isn’t finished yet,” the fatty continued his earnest interpretation.

”What plan?”

”A grand plan.” The fatty looked at Li Luo with utmost seriousness. ”There must be a reason why Transcendence is unwilling to go back.”

”Think about it. It was so easy for Transcendence to come here, how could it possibly be unable to go back?”

The fatty squatted down and knocked on the hard, mirrored surface.

”Transcendence must want to go to other Divine Sacrifice Sites. I bet it wants to continue killing more gods...”

The fatty’s expression suddenly turned incredibly grave, the blocks on his face scrunching together. ”This is its test for us...”

Just then, the head suddenly shot out from the fatty’s shoulder again. ”You’re finally using your brain!”

”You’re right! Transcendence wasn’t satisfied with our performance just now! It had to personally act to take out that god, while we did nothing useful. Transcendence must think we haven’t passed the test yet.”

The fatty stared blankly at the head, looking thoughtful.

’So that’s how it is? Is it because I was too indecisive...?’