Xyrin Empire-Chapter 735: God’s City

(Ooooh, asking for monthly tickets at the beginning really works, so let’s shamelessly ask for more monthly tickets! Guys, it’s not like those things can reproduce anyway.)

Father God’s name is Xingchen, something I only discovered after nearly a day in the Divine Realm.

Heaven knows why Bingdisi completely forgot to mention such crucial information, and it’s even more unbelievable that I just remembered I still didn’t know Father God’s name—maybe it’s because the usual and only reference to him by the Tiaozi Five is "Father God", Father God, that subconsciously I replaced his name with that. It’s just like when I got used to calling her "Big Sister" and someone recently mentioned Chen Qian, it took me a good five minutes to remember that’s my own sister...

"Xingchen has mentioned you several times~~" Jiajia was sitting cross-legged in mid-air, speaking seriously. This adorable act of sitting in the air doesn’t seem to be Dingdang’s original, but rather a habit of the Life Goddesses?

When the other party mentioned Xingchen, I saw a very familiar expression on the face of this little elf who held the fancy title of one of the "Four Divine Realm Leaders". It was the same affectionate and clingy look Dingdang often showed when she asked for candy. If I had to categorize it, according to Girl Lin, it’s the look a pet gives its master. So... this Jiajia really is one of Father God’s pets, just like Dingdang is to me? How the heck were these Divine Clan four god systems set up? Your existence as a Life Goddess can’t just be like the fourth bell tower at Bingdisi’s place, purely given titles by Father God for symmetry, right?

"Uh, to tell the truth, I’m still a bit dazed," I said, ignoring the group of Wild Dingdangs that had started playing a candy rolling ball game next to me, and rubbing my temples in distress, "Father God’s sudden invitation caught me totally unprepared, this whole experience has been so sudden... Uh, you’re one of the four leaders, you should know why Father God invited us here, right?"

Whether a pet or the Supreme God, the one in front of me is, after all, a high-ranking official next to Father God, maybe this little guy knows what Father God is thinking?

"Xingchen’s thoughts, huh," Jiajia said, furrowing her brow, "he doesn’t even know what he’s thinking, how would Jiajia know!"

Me: "..."

Okay, the guy in front of me is indeed playing a role like Dingdang for Father God, an everyday mascot with no function other than acting spoiled, cute, and idiotic?

The expression on my face must have been priceless for a moment because the tiny Supreme God immediately began laughing cheerfully: "Haha, your expression is so funny—don’t overthink it, maybe Xingchen just wanted to meet some new friends, he’s usually very kind."

Indeed, this is a mischievous little fellow, with no similarities to my Dingdang at all!

The lively and wonderful gathering continued. As an outsider, especially a "huge" outsider, I seemed to have a bit of trouble joining in their strange little games, but soon Dingdang helped me find a way to meld with the group: Little Douding enthusiastically performed a superb flying skill of passing through three fire rings instantly in front of Jiajia. For the next part, I began training a group of Three-inch Dings to line up through fire rings and arrange the words "Welcome to the Divine Realm" in the air...

Waving the baton and herding goddesses, theoretically, this is a serious act of blasphemy, but all the Three-inch Dings were delighted, especially when they discovered their amazing talent of jumping rope continuously for ten thousand times without touching the ground, another long-lasting entertainment activity was born among the Life Goddesses.

The gathering of the Three-inch Dings lasted for a while, and after they finished squandering the candies I had given them, both eating and playing, the Little Goddesses began to bid farewell one by one. They still had work to do tomorrow, such as dealing with a mountain of daily prayers. Although the Life Goddesses remaining in the Divine Realm didn’t specifically manage a world, they still received numerous prayers. These prayers didn’t necessarily come from believers, but could be from animal spirits, race consciousness, or even from the world itself crying out during disasters. Thus, although the gods staying in the Divine Realm didn’t manage a world outright like Dingdang, they collectively formed a much larger world peacekeeping organization. The lively and energetic Life Goddesses typically took on the role of switchboard operators in these departments because handling specific issues with them was a real test of their superiors’ mental strength.

After about fifteen minutes, Jiajia and I said our farewells, with her warmly inviting me to visit her temple. However, considering that if I didn’t return soon, those little rascals might dismantle Bingdisi’s house, I graciously declined the Little Goddess’s kind offer. Just like when I came, I followed Jiajia walking a distance that could not be described in words and reappeared on the vast plains.

"Let me remind you, this place belongs to the small beast groups. Don’t go wandering off," Lady Goddess said very seriously.

Now I knew that when she mentioned small beast groups, she wasn’t referring to any particular type of small wild animal. Instead, it referred to any kind of small animal commonly found all over the plains. These small animals had a very peculiar cohabitation trait: they did not form groups based on their race, but many different races lived together, resembling more a human mixed village than animal packs. Yes—the beasts of the main continent (limited to those from the Divine Realm) weren’t hostile toward each other. Born from the skies and land of the Divine Realm and sharing the energy from this world for subsistence, consuming only small amounts of berries and leaves, the Divine Race didn’t hunt these mainland creatures as food, since they lacked any culinary value and their souls would hop onto the dinner table and curse you out loud when cooked... Yes, in the Divine Realm, these irritable little souls were immortal, created by Jiajia during her idle times as endlessly resurrecting beings.

I think I figured out what those divinity-infused creatures usually caused by Dingdang—and nearly becoming a disaster—were all about. It seemed some traditions persisted within the circles of the Life Goddess.

Coincidentally, Bingdisi’s temple’s default exit was located right in a gathering place for these prickly little beings. These creatures were actually quite docile during the day, but come night time, the aurora in the Divine Realm made them surge with excitement, exactly like the epic battle I had previously with them.

Knowing this, I gave up the idea of taking small animals from my personal space to feed Sandora, despite her endlessly accommodating appetite, because I didn’t want to wake up the next morning to find thousands of beast souls gathered at my door, serenading me with curses: the Life Goddesses’ whimsically created creatures were truly exasperating.

With a thought, Bingdisi’s brilliantly ornate temple appeared before me again. Since I had spent a non-negligible amount of time causing a ruckus with the Three-inch Dings, it was now deep into the night. The Old Door was emitting consistent snoring sounds, and its surface’s ancient, intricate patterns formed a tranquil old man’s face, which felt eerily disturbing to look at in the dead of night.

I suspected this unreliable fellow hadn’t been waiting at all; it had probably fallen asleep as soon as I left. Since it was late, I didn’t want to disturb my family using spiritual connection to call, so I had to try waking the old chap myself: this was a strenuous task. In the following minutes, I fully utilized the creativity and hands-on skills of a modern era young adult. After multiple unsuccessful attempts at calling, I started to pull, kick, knock, and drag, this damn thing was incredibly sturdy, and the snoring was deafening. I really began to wonder what was the original intention behind designing such an intelligent anti-theft door—could there possibly be a thief louder than me in the world?

Regardless, when I finally started sticking solid explosives to the damn door, Old Door finally woke up. It groggily welcomed Prince Xin Sare returning from his night patrol and mentioned that actually, the family members hadn’t gone to sleep yet, and at the door lay enough weapons to arm fifty hooligans or ten urban enforcers—crowbars and battering rams.

"Ah Jun, why were you out for so long? We thought you got lost," Qianqian, who I first encountered, hadn’t gone to sleep yet and not just her, Sandora was also still in Bingdisi’s room, the three of them engaged in a lively game of ’Fight the Landlord’.

I briefly recounted my accidental encounter with the Life Goddesses’ gathering, which captivated Qianqian. She was immensely regretful that she hadn’t come and missed out on such an entertaining event, causing Bingdisi to laugh.

"Oh, a gathering of the Life Goddesses, huh? Those chaotic events are actually quite fun. A bunch of Little Ones singing and dancing without any order but still lively. However, their gatherings are sporadic, and they rarely invite outsiders. Even I was only invited two or three times and managed to cheat some candies to bring back—but Chen, how come you’re so popular, huh?"

"Because I’m a good person struck by a triple combo, would I say it out loud? And you even trick a bunch of three-inch Dings for sugar beans, do you still have a conscience, big sister!"

In any case, my first day in the Divine Realm just passed like that.

Early the next morning, Bingdisi led us to the "Garden," with a meeting arranged with Father God at noon, and during the leisure time in the morning, we had the opportunity to really see what a god’s city was like.

As the largest city in the Divine Realm, the Garden was not as noisy as I had imagined—it was an elegant and quiet place. Even in areas crowded with pedestrians, there was rarely any clamor, and countless majestic floating buildings made it look like a three-dimensional still painting. On the streets and between flower beds, it was common to see many "gods" coming and going, these powerful beings lived in this city just as ordinary citizens do in the Mortal World. If I had to point out something too noticeable, it might be that the ratio of handsome men and beautiful women here was really off the charts.

"Since they can control their own appearance, no one would like to be an ugly monster," Bingdisi led us through this tranquil city, her face adorned with a rare, gentle smile, "Of course, there are exceptions—" fгeewёbnoѵel_cσm

As she spoke, she gestured towards an old man not far ahead, dressed in a long robe, his white hair and beard full of wrinkles, looking dignified and authoritative as if he had just hopped out of a religious mural. If Jesus could live to eighty, he probably would look just like this.

"An unconventional youth."

Bingdisi nodded in affirmation.

"I’ve noticed you’ve become a lot more behaved since entering the city," I noted Bingdisi’s lady-like demeanor, her gentle smile, and elegant carriage were quite surprising, "Does the Divine Capital also have urban management?"

Bingdisi slightly turned her head towards me and revealed a tender smile filled with grace, her voice barely audible: "Nonsense, what if Father God came out for a stroll and saw me causing trouble again? He’d knock me out."

Having heard so much from the Divine Race tiaozi five about Father God’s daily demeanor, I now find my impression of him nearly identical to Qianqian’s dad. Hence, I wouldn’t be surprised now if Bingdisi told me Father God comes out to buy groceries every day at five-thirty. But still, it’s odd that there are actual shops and vendors in the Divine Realm.

As we walked, we arrived at the so-called "commercial district," which was bustling with trade just like in the Mortal World. Yet, the items they were holding were simply astonishing. Seeing world-management suit and various Genesis tool kits openly for sale made some sense, but what was with the Feather Care and Repair Liquid? How should one use the Scale Polishing Three-piece Set? What is Divine Artifact Special Sunscreen? Is it really safe to store a singularity in a small glass box? And the last one definitely seems misplaced!

"This is the daily goods street. The Divine Race also has daily goods, and not every god relies on divine positions for a living," Bingdisi patted my shoulder. "We have civilians too, just in smaller proportions. Since there’s nothing deemed ’essentials’ for us, this type of market isn’t demanding. Many Divine Race members with novel ideas bring their inventions here to sell under the tag of daily goods, like that singularity inside the crystal box, which is actually an ecological bottle. Once activated, it can simulate the Big Bang, but once the material list is evolved, it collapses. According to the final doctrine, worlds with life must be adequately protected, so any consumable manufacture shouldn’t inherently give rise to life."

At this moment, I deeply realized the twisted foundation of the Divine Race. The Xyrin Apostles might match some of their individual strengths, but this brutal accumulation of capital just couldn’t be compared!

Just then, a girl from the Divine Race attracted our attention as she emerged from a white house across the street. She had bright silver-white hair—not the main point—and blood-red eyes—also normal. But what truly shocked me was that she had a pair of snow-white wings.

There were two things I didn’t understand. First, why would a goddess switch to her divine form while shopping? Second, why did a girl who clearly belonged to the Dark Divine Race have a pair of pure white wings on her back?

"Do you also have half-breeds in the Divine Realm?" I asked Bingdisi with surprise, poking his arm. "That’s not right though, I heard Monina say that even if members of the Divine Race are half-breeds, they would choose to inherit the bloodline of one parent."

Bingdisi glanced ahead, pointing at the sign above the white house from which the girl had emerged: "Feather Dyeing and Styling Salon."

I: "..."

"Some people just like to try out different looks. But the wings of the Divine Race are really special. Coloring or reshaping them is quite troublesome, so some imaginative folks invented this technique. In just ten minutes, you can have true-color dyeing for wings, and it’s guaranteed not to fade quickly."

Before Bingdisi could finish, another customer came out of the styling salon: one wing was white, the other black, and the upper feathers stood straight up like a fence, while the lower feathers curved into fascinating arcs.

"Dyeing, perming, and trimming," Bingdisi curled his lips, "Fool, if you try to fly, you’ll leak air and exhaust some brainless person!"

By then, I was already sweating profusely, thinking this must be something a member of the Divine Race discovered while playing in the Mortal World and brought back to trick their own kind.

We walked around the garden for a whole morning, yet we only explored a corner of this vast city, and that corner was just part of the "First Concept Layer." Who knows how expansive the true Divine City could be once all its concept layers were unfolded? The Divine Race used the nesting phenomenon of their own world to easily solve the problem of per capita housing area, wearing us out in the process.

We got to see the daily lives of the Divine Race and their usual appearances. Honestly, it finally managed to destroy the last bit of mystery we held about the gods. Aside from the orderly and courteous residents, the city permeated a sense of being around Erli Bridge’s two-kilometer radius—not in terms of counterfeits, but rather in its rich, plain flavors.

There was no pretentious nobility, every god naturally exuded their true temperament. There wasn’t superficial and extravagant luxury either; the magnificent temples present everywhere revealed a beauty that accumulated over the years. There were no strict rules or harsh managers; all the order was naturally established, ingrained deeply in every visible resident like a habit. Everything around was grand, beautiful, dignified, but not the least bit oppressive. This city, unprecedentedly vast and serving as the supreme ruling center of the Multi-universe, was simply miraculous from its urban landscape alone.

Well, that’s if we could forget those commercial streets, clubs, resident offices, activity centers, R&D departments, enthusiast workshops, laboratories, and centers for abnormal life research.

"Don’t think this place is so great," Bingdisi suddenly exclaimed, interrupting my thoughts with a nostalgic expression and a leisurely tone. "At its peak, your Empire also had cities as massive and magnificent as this one. Sandora’s Mother Star capital might even be bigger than the garden. We Divine Race aren’t really good at building and developing; it’s just endless time accumulation and innate talent that have given us our current foundations. The development speed of Xyrin Apostles has always been recognized as a miracle in the Void, and your Shadow City also has exceptional potential. I have a feeling that it will eventually become a sacred city as magical as this one. After all, in terms of centralized functions across many worlds, Shadow City and the cities of the Divine Realm are not so different, plus you creatively made this function even more open."

"Let’s go, it’s about time. I just received a message from Father God. We’re heading to the Brilliant Divine Court." (To be continued. If you like this work, you are welcome to vote at qidian.com. Your support is my greatest motivation.)