Unlike the world of the Yao Clan, Wuzi Wang's kingdom was filled with stones and sand, with sparse vegetation. Over half of its territory was desert and mountainous.
Wuzi Wang was completely unaware that his divine realm was being overshadowed by the gaze of another deity.
This confirmed Lu Yao's speculation.
The Main God Space and the Mythical Wonders indeed contained substantial value, even their connection to other worlds was silent and undetected.
Isabella continued, "Lord Wuzi Wang, we would like to propose a trade."
"We wish to introduce a portion of the Wuzi people—rest assured, it's only to ensure the diversity of the world's races."
The Wuzi people were natural underground guides and professional miners. In the peaceful and stable civilization of the Yao Clan, their talents and potential would be quickly realized.
Moreover, with the Wuzi people, the technology related to the subterranean boats would come as a package deal.
Lu Yao had his eye on this.
A dialogue box appeared above the Earth Golem's head: "What can you offer in return?"
Isabella said, "We come to end the war."
"End the war…"
The Earth Golem fell silent for a moment: "You have slain the Apostle Shane, which proves your exceptional personal capabilities. I have only recently entered the Pantheon and am somewhat unfamiliar with divine warfare, but I understand that once it begins, it will not stop unless one side becomes a vassal or is completely destroyed."
He continued, "Now that parts of our two worlds are bordering each other, followers of God Bo are invading and slaughtering the Wuzi people on a large scale. The empire's soldiers have seized vast tracts of our land, building altars everywhere, forcibly converting the faith of the Wuzi people, many of whom are being captured and killed…"
Wuzi Wang expressed his concerns, and Lu Yao could understand why.
Studying the world encyclopedia, Lu Yao had gained further insight into this divine war.
The usual method of divine warfare was a war of attrition, not the blitzkrieg and direct confrontations he was accustomed to. Even the battle-hardened God Bo, facing the clearly weaker Wuzi Wang, proceeded cautiously and methodically.
It was somewhat like a chess game where kings do not meet.
There were two key reasons behind this: one was the absence of information asymmetry, and the other was to maximize the outcome of the war.
When gods clashed, it was difficult for either side to fully understand the other's Divinity and Divine Body characteristics, let alone the artifacts and miracles they possessed, so both were very cautious. During combat, gods would engage in a series of probes before launching a full-scale attack.
Someone like Lu Yao, who possessed the True Sight Curse, was obviously a rarity.
The goal of divine warfare was to seize strategic resources.
The most direct resources were population and faith, and population could bring faith, so capturing people was also a primary war trophy.
To take as many people as possible and then try to convert their faith to gain a continuous flame of belief, creating a long-tail effect. Even if these people were stubborn, they would become the foundation for nurturing the next generation, which was also very good.
Other spoils of war included various rare resources, including unique minerals, technologies, cultures, and various species that could generate profit from a world.
At the beginning of the conflict, God Bo gave Wuzi Wang a direct ultimatum.
Either go to war, and this world would be destroyed.
Or submit and become a vassal deity of God Bo.
As Wuzi Wang tried to negotiate further with God Bo, He discerned the other's scheme.
The soldiers of the Fearless Empire were spreading rumors that Wuzi Wang was about to become a subordinate deity to God Bo, causing panic among the Wuzi people and weakening their will to resist.
Wuzi Wang was a mature sage among his people but a novice among the gods.
Facing the battle-seasoned God Bo, He was completely outmatched in both strategy and warfare.
A cloud of war and panic hung over this world.
The current crisis was no longer just the invasion of the Fearless Empire; the Wuzi people were also gradually disintegrating from within.
Many could not bear the fear and pressure, either fleeing to what they thought were uninhabited underground hideouts or surrendering directly to the powerful enemy, exchanging their faith for safety.
Wuzi Wang had also considered the path of vassalage.
"Unfortunately, that too is not an option."
"My other Apostle, Sandman Yatel, risked great danger to infiltrate the capital city of the Fearless Empire. There, he discovered that God Bo did not treat the captives well, but used the Wuzi people as materials for making weapons and altars."
"Yatel learned that God Bo has been constantly waging wars. He had two subordinate deities in the past, but they both disappeared… The empire has stone inscriptions that record how the negligence of these two deities angered God Bo, who turned them into altars, igniting the flame of belief with their Divine Bodies."
"To obtain this precious information, Yatel paid with his life."
"God Bo is an incredibly fanatical conqueror, and war is His way of ruling the world."
The Earth Golem paused for a moment.
"I do not know where you come from, but as a deity of this place, I thank you for your kindness. However, ending the war may not be so easy…"
Isabella patiently waited for Him to finish before saying, "To show our sincerity, we have also brought a gift."
"Two of God Bo's Apostles, Yanihu and Karlo, will no longer cause any trouble for you or the Wuzi people."
An exclamation mark popped up above the Earth Golem's head.
"You… have killed a total of three Apostles?"
He pondered for a moment: "As a return gift, I shall share with you the technology of the subterranean boats."
"This underground vehicle can only be constructed and piloted by the Wuzi people. The key internal structure requires 'Wu', which allows the subterranean boat to continuously ingest and dissolve sand, propelling the vessel forward."
Lu Yao had seen the structure and animations of the subterranean boats in Rule Repair, and the details of their principles and various modes of operation were described below.
But he knew that theory was useless; the pixelated beings within the world needed to understand and manufacture it.
The simplest and most effective method was to have the Wuzi people who mastered the technology teach it.
Wuzi Wang was not lying.
"Please take some children away. They are young among our people, but they can also make and operate subterranean boats, which will preserve some bloodlines for Wuzi Wang's kingdom."
He selected a group of young Wuzi people, who packed the 'Wu' in stone chests and black Wu mud, and left with Isabella.
Before leaving, Isabella said, "Since you have cooperated with us, please be patient for a while, try not to confront God Bo directly, preserve the flame of belief and the population, and delay, harass, and stretch the battle lines as much as possible. We need a little time, but it won't be long."
"The counterattack will begin here, with this city as the line."
***
Watching the enigmatic Apostles depart, a white shadow slowly condensed on the ground.
Wuzi Wang turned to the loyal Earth Golem behind Him: "Zelkuku, have I made a wrong decision?"
"The deity could never be wrong," the Apostle asserted firmly.
Is that so?
Wuzi Wang sighed.
His own war had ended. God Bo had firmly controlled the battle from the start, and He had no way to turn the tide of defeat.
For a deity, there is nothing more desperate than helplessness.
He was not a qualified deity, unable to even protect His followers.
He did not pin His hopes on these outsiders, whose allegiance was unclear; expecting pity from others could not exchange for a space to survive. The subterranean boats created by the Wuzi people were their value and foundation for survival.
The cruel war woke Wuzi Wang from the praise of His followers.
Those stagnant and idle years were such a pity and a lament.
The kingdom of Wuzi Wang could have been a rich and powerful world, with more creations like subterranean boats and black Wu mud, more cities like Wuda City standing on the ground, more Wuzi people being born and growing into heroes… But because of His detachment from worldly affairs, it had become a situation where enemies could insult at will.
Perhaps this was punishment.
Relying on good luck to obtain the status of a deity, only to be stripped of it by bad luck.
Now, He would stand as the only deity of this world, completing the last defense.
Proofreader & Editor: Lotas