Chapter 7 Bargaining
With the last share of faith being auctioned off to a deity for a staggering 63,000 standard units, the one-third of the faith area released by Bai Zhe was finally divided up.
Inside the magnificent hall, the gods displayed a variety of expressions.
The gods who won their share of faith were naturally overjoyed and returned home with their spoils. They seemed to already see a bright future where their number of followers would skyrocket and their divine power would soar.
Those gods who weren't photographed looked annoyed and frustrated, forced to watch helplessly as others snatched away their prize, feeling incredibly depressed.
As for Cainus, the god of wisdom who exchanged his lower-level divine status in spatial magic for those believers, he was currently immersed in the joy of his increased divine power and did not participate in the subsequent auction.
However, the end of the auction did not mean the end of this council of gods.
On the contrary, the more chaotic and noisy wrangling has only just begun.
Just as Ophelia, the goddess of light, had foreseen, the division of the spheres of faith became the focus of debate among the gods.
"This land is fertile and rich in resources; it should belong to me, Mother Earth!" a goddess wearing a yellowish-brown robe and a crown woven from wheat ears proclaimed.
"Bullshit! The people of this land are brave and warlike, and they worship strength. They should obviously be under the jurisdiction of my God of War!" roared a burly male god wearing heavy armor and wielding a giant sword.
"Stop arguing! This land is close to the ocean and worships the god of the sea. It has been my territory since ancient times!" A god dressed in a blue robe and holding a trident said defiantly.
"Shut up, all of you! The people of this land are intelligent, wise, and love learning; they belong to the great god of wisdom, Cauchinus!"...
In an instant, the magnificent hall descended into chaos. The gods argued fiercely over the areas of worship, offering a plethora of reasons: fertile land, large population, fierce customs, historical connections... anything imaginable was used as an excuse to fight for them.
There were even instances of gods fighting over the same area, but fortunately the Goddess of Light intervened in time to prevent a larger conflict.
Bai Zhe sat in his chair, coldly observing the farce, speechless.
He originally thought that by giving away his share of faith, he could stay out of it and watch the gods fight each other.
I never imagined these guys could argue like this; it's more lively than a vegetable market on Earth.
"This isn't a meeting of the gods, it's more like a bargaining session at a vegetable market!" Bai Zhe thought to himself.
The debate over the division of religious areas lasted for three days and three nights.
The gods engaged in a fierce debate, neither willing to yield. Sometimes they argued logically, sometimes they used threats and inducements, and sometimes they formed factions, attempting to gain more benefits for themselves through various means.
In the end, all the gods were exhausted, their voices hoarse, and their forms unrecognizable, yet they still could not reach a conclusion.
Even Ophelia, the goddess of light who had been maintaining order, felt a headache coming on. She hadn't expected the council of gods to turn out this way.
"Gentlemen, gentlemen, please be quiet!" Ophelia raised her voice in exasperation. "We've been arguing for three days and three nights now, and we still haven't reached a conclusion. This can't go on; we must come up with a solution."
She paused, then continued, "How about this: we put the dispute aside for now, and each god writes down on a piece of paper the area they want and the area they are willing to give up. Then we can negotiate again, okay?"
The gods looked at each other and thought that although this method was clumsy, it might be effective, so they had no other choice.
So they all picked up paper and pens and began to write and draw.
After another long wait, all the notes were handed to Ophelia.
Ophelia examined each document one by one, her expression growing increasingly grim.
These gods are making outrageous demands! The areas they want are all fertile and populous places, while the areas they are willing to give up are all barren, desolate, and sparsely populated remote and impoverished areas.
According to their division of the world, ten worlds wouldn't be enough for them!
"No, this won't do!" Ophelia shook her head. "Gentlemen, your demands are too much. We must renegotiate."
And so, a new round of wrangling began...
After a long time, with Ophelia's strong intervention and the constant compromises and exchanges among the gods, the division of the faith areas was finally barely agreed upon.
Although some controversy remains, it has finally come to a temporary end.
"Phew…" Ophelia let out a long sigh, feeling as if she had aged hundreds of years. "Everyone, let's leave the division of the faith areas as it is for now. If there are any problems later, we can discuss them again."
She looked around at the exhausted gods and felt a pang of emotion.
This council of gods must have been exhausting!
"Alright, everyone," Ophelia stood up, preparing to end this long meeting, "the division of the faith zones has come to an end. I hope that you will all abide by the agreement, spread the faith within your own zones, and refrain from causing further disputes."
"Furthermore, I hope that you will all remember that as gods, we should guide humanity toward light and justice, rather than indulging in the struggle for power and profit."
"Finally, I declare this Council of Gods to be successfully concluded!"
Ophelia's voice echoed through the hall, bringing this long and chaotic meeting to a close.
The gods rose, bowed to Ophelia in farewell, and then left the magnificent hall.
"Finally over. These idiots, did they really think I'd obediently share the cake with them? Dream on!"
Bai Zhe thought smugly to himself. He had already planned everything; this meeting of the gods was merely one part of his plan.
He obtained a lower-level divine status in spatial magic, gained a massive amount of faith energy, and successfully diverted the attention of the gods to the competition for faith areas, thus buying himself valuable time.
Now, he is ready to begin his real plan—invading another world!
"It's time for the Holy Terra Empire to take action," Bai Zhe muttered to himself. "Send out the order: the entire nation is to enter a state of war, all troops are to assemble and stand by, and all resources are to be prioritized for the construction of the portal!"
Although his voice was not loud, it clearly reached the Court of Creation and the ears of every black goat.
These hideous monsters let out excited roars, as if responding to Bai Zhe's command.
"Hehehe, gods?" Bai Zhe's smile grew even more sinister. "You pathetic worms bound by the world have no idea what true power is!"
He could almost see the scene of the Black Goat Army sweeping across the other world under his leadership, trampling countless living beings under his feet.
"You are only fit to tremble at my feet and become stepping stones for my great God of Existence to ascend the supreme throne!"
Bai Zhe became increasingly excited as he thought about it, letting out a long string of unpleasant, strange laughs:
"Hehehehehehe