God Simulator

Chapter 5: Request from the Forest Tribe

Yesterday, Luke managed to leave work early, but today the company mandated overtime. The boss, apparently upset about something that happened outside, called an impromptu meeting upon returning. He berated everyone, demanding that they submit a summary of their recent work by the end of the day. The office atmosphere was oppressively tense. The boss stood alone by the window, hands behind his back, his gaze dark and brooding. No one dared to leave before him, and even the usual slackers were pretending to work hard.

"Here, have a wafer," colleague Penny offered Luke a snack, breaking the tense silence. "Thanks, Penny," Luke replied, feeling a bit hungry. Penny, around thirty, single, and not particularly beautiful, was known for her gentle and easygoing manner. Initially, she had befriended Luke, suspecting he might have connections. However, she later realized Luke was reliable and a helpful colleague, especially in critical moments. Moreover, she felt a certain kinship with him, as Luke reminded her of her cousin.

"Do you know why the boss is so angry?" Penny whispered to Luke, who shook his head in response. "Someone scratched his car," she revealed. Luke remembered the boss's white BMW X5, often accompanied by a rotating roster of young women. "The culprit was a kid, the son of one of the boss's mistresses," Penny gossiped with a hint of amusement. "A big deal fell through for the boss a couple of days ago, lost to some young guy. Even the experienced can stumble... this time, he's lost both face and fortune."

Luke nodded, his mind preoccupied with the game. Finally, when the boss left, Penny offered to give him a lift. "No need, I'm planning to go out for a bit," Luke declined. "Well, be careful," she warned. "There's been a recent incident in the area. Some creep has been attacking people, knocking them out, stripping them, and tying them up..."

Luke had heard about the case. "Yeah, it's a crazy world. Hard to understand such a fetish." "The victims, a female college student and a male courier, are both undergoing psychological treatment. The perpetrator's gender is unknown."

Suddenly, Penny remembered something. "Aren't you living in the Edge Hill?" Luke nodded. "Both victims are from your community. Be careful. The perpetrator hasn't been caught yet."

Luke hesitated. "Can I catch a ride with you today?" he asked. Penny chuckled. "Scared?" "A little." "Alright, then. I'll make sure you get home safe and sound. Let's go."

She drove a red Mazda, and they entered the city's night. Inside the car, despite the awkward silence, the air was filled with the scent of air freshener and the sound of car radio, easing the tension. Luke wasn't particularly afraid of the attacker; he usually took public transportation and walked only a short distance to his apartment. But a ride with Penny would get him home faster, and he was eager to see the progress in the game.

The Mazda stopped outside the community. Penny seemed relieved as she returned to her usual cheerful demeanor. "See you tomorrow," she said as Luke thanked her and wished her a safe drive home.

Luke rushed back to his apartment. "Garlic Tribe, your deity has returned!" He opened the door to find his small apartment transformed. The bedding, curtains, and even the dust and stains had been cleaned by the Cactus Follower, leaving a faint scent of herbs in the air. The only untouched items were his computer and desk, which the Cactus Follower seemed to regard as sacred and untouchable.

The 24-inch monitor glowed with the light of the "Deity Simulator," which Luke had left running. Upon checking the game, he saw that the Garlic Tribe had grown to 38 people, including newcomers from the Forest Tribe in leather vests, barefoot wanderers, and a mysterious figure draped in leaves. The faith points had increased to 44.

The Cactus Follower and the Energy Wand together provided a steady gain of 2 faith points per hour, a fixed income, while the increase in population offered a variable income. Luke's next focus was on the Divine Gift. He opened his backpack and took out a parcel. Inside was a transparent plastic bag filled with light brown wheat seeds.

He decided to bestow the wheat seeds upon the Garlic Tribe, providing them with a solid foundation for further development. Without sufficient food, there could be no learning or progress. Luke considered the tribe's current educational level; even simple enlightenment texts like "Three Character Classic" would be incomprehensible to them.

"Would you like to bestow the 【Wheat】to your followers?" Luke pressed 'Yes.' The temple's exterior erupted with exclamations of joy from the tribe members. "A gift from the deity!" "Long live the miracle, long live the deity!" "Thank you, great deity, for the miraculous wheat!" "Delicious food!"

The Prophet spoke, "The deity has given us wheat, we must use it wisely and spread the faith as we did with garlic." Luke was pleased. The Prophet, being the only cultured person in the tribe, had a broad perspective.

The screen displayed: 【Your Divine Gift has taught the followers to cultivate wheat, increasing their faith.】 The faith points jumped from 44 to 84. Luke recalled that the garlic had added 15 points of faith, while the wheat brought in 40 points. Clearly, the impact of food on the Garlic Tribe was significant.

After a while, the Prophet entered the temple, kneeling with a question mark above his head. Luke accessed his query. "Great deity, the Forest Tribe knows of a dying old god's apostle and wishes to sacrifice it to you. However, they need us to teach them wheat cultivation, and wheat is too precious. With my limited wisdom, I cannot decide, only humbly ask for your guidance, almighty deity. Should we share wheat with the Forest Tribe in exchange for the apostle?" 【Yes】【No】