"Negotiating with the Merfolk under the sea?"
A Li slammed the bone table fiercely, staring angrily at the loud voice not far away.
"Are you crazy, or am I? Do you know what this means?"
Brushing a calm gaze across the other Prophets in attendance, Gu Sheng also saw their opposition to his trip reflected on their faces.
"I’m not crazy yet, and slamming the table is of no help in solving the problem."
Gesturing to Xiong Pi, beside A Li, to calm their Prophet, Gu Sheng then spoke with a steady expression.
"Negotiation requires sincerity."
"What do you think could be a more sincere act than having me go to the bottom of the sea to negotiate with the Merfolk?"
This statement immediately silenced the usually quiet Prophets.
The rules of the "Zhiku" left them reluctant to speak on topics outside their expertise.
"What sincerity do we need?"
"We’re not the only ones afraid of an all-out war! Those cowards hiding under the sea are too!"
"Besides, isn’t it just war? It’s not like we haven’t fought one before!"
Fuming, A Li raised his voice again, but this time was met with Gu Sheng’s pointed counter-question.
"Indeed we’ve fought, but did we win?"
This question left A Li at a loss for words, and Gu Sheng continued to speak.
"Inciting a war is easy. Just go to the seaside and kill any Merfolk, and the second ’War of Divine Punishment’ will begin."
"But the question now is, is it really necessary?"
Looking around the gathering again, Gu Sheng also appeared slightly angry.
"We are different from those creatures. We exist between life and death and have few needs."
"Food, water, they have no meaning for us."
"All we need is a piece of territory to inhabit."
"Isn’t that the very reason we established ’White Bone City’ in the first place?"
Ignoring the bewildered faces of the Prophets below, Gu Sheng’s voice regained its calm.
"This world is vast, and the concept of a ’nation’ as the guides talk about it is destined never to appear."
"Because every piece of land in this world belongs to the Creator..."
"We are merely beings living on this land, not its owners."
In a world where True Gods exist, no race dares claim any land as solely their own.
Gu Sheng understood this point more clearly than any Skeleton because it was an affront to the powers of the Gods.
Moreover, being constantly influenced by the Immortals over the years, every creature in this world knows very well that "they are the children of the Father God."
As long as the Father God exists, the possibility of the "children" declaring independence is minimal.
Of course, if the Skeletons and the Hundred Races of Mountains and Seas could, like the Immortals, have a "Brilliant Realm" of their own, it would be a different story.
At least within the Mountain and Sea Realm, most races with foresight know where the bottom line is.
.........................................................
"This Gu Sheng... is indeed very leader-like."
Staring at the conference on the computer screen with a peculiar expression, Li Hao realized for the first time his own status in the Mountain and Sea Realm.
He was not merely a nominal "Creator"; his existence influenced the future trends of an entire world.
For any race that believes in the Creator, the Creator is the greatest patriarch of the entire Mountain and Sea Realm.
The children of the family can make a fuss, can fight.
But regarding something like division, as long as the patriarch remains silent, no one dares bring it up proactively.
"This leader of the Skeletons is quite foresighted."
Also watching the conference, Hua She spoke up at this moment.
"However, its theory does not apply to all worlds."
Fully understanding his own role, Hua She didn’t need Li Hao to ask and proactively explained.
"First of all, not all gods are as caring and nurturing of their world’s races as you are."
This was indeed flattery from Hua She, but it was also the truth.
"Secondly, not all races are as... ’filial’ as the Immortals and Skeletons." This update is available on novel•fire.net
After some thought, Hua She chose the word "filial" to describe the relationship, as it best reflected intimacy.
"How gods treat the people is how the people will repay them."
"This is a saying my Father God once told me, reflecting the relationship between most gods and creatures."
"When gods only want to harvest faith, the creatures living in their world will only offer faith."
"I even heard from my Father God that some arrogant beings would willingly leave the protection of the gods, even at the risk of war."
Nodding thoughtfully, Li Hao could understand Hua She’s perspective.
Since there are families with ’compassionate fathers and filial sons,’ naturally there are those without.
"Under normal circumstances, how do gods usually handle such issues?"
Upon hearing this, it was Hua She’s turn to look at Li Hao with a peculiar expression.
"Generally speaking, gods do not deal with these ’small matters.’"
"Unless it’s a matter of extinction, gods often don’t concern themselves with such things."
"Of course, this doesn’t exclude gods with a darker disposition actively inciting or fostering wars between races."
As always considerate, Hua She explained further.
"After all, the civilization process in a peaceful environment cannot be compared to that in an extremely harsh one."
"It’s like breeding venom; no one thinks it’s cruel, and the same goes for gods."
"You may not yet be accustomed to your current role, which is why you have such doubts."
"In fact, if you view the wars in the Mountain and Sea Realm as a process like breeding venom, you won’t have these thoughts."
"The fiercer they fight, the stronger their faith in you becomes, and the faster their civilization advances."
"My Father God once mentioned a Main God known as the ’God of War and Civilization,’ capable of cultivating an advanced civilization in just three to four centuries."
Hua She didn’t continue, as Li Hao already grasped the underlying implication.
A race like the Skeletons, with thousands of years gone by and still only possessing a basic civilization structure, held no value in the eyes of normal gods.
"It’s a bit harsh but curiously logical."
Once again having his worldview reshaped, Li Hao fell silent for a while before revealing his signature gentle smile.
"However, ’time’ doesn’t seem to be of much consequence to me."
☞☞Monthly votes☜☜/☞☞Recommendation votes☜☜