Chapter Forty-Three: Pretending to Be the Serpent God

“Ha! So, because I happened to descend from the sky right in the middle of their sacrificial ceremony, they mistook me for some sort of serpent god.” At first, Zhou Tian was completely baffled by the reaction of the people around him, but after a brief survey of the situation, he was quick to deduce the reason behind their behavior. He wasn’t exactly slow-witted, after all.

Now that he realized he had been mistaken for the deity they worshipped, Zhou Tian truly didn’t know what to say. Honestly, he had never intended to deceive these fervent villagers, but given the circumstances, Zhou Tian knew that if he dared deny his identity as the serpent god, those zealots below would surely turn into demons and fight him to the death.

Believers are sometimes the most unreasonable creatures; for their faith, there’s nothing they won’t do. If Zhou Tian was the god they worshipped, whatever he commanded, they would obey. But if he denied his divinity now, who knows if they would accuse him of impersonating their god—according to their mindset, they’d most likely brand him a blasphemer. Zhou Tian wasn’t afraid of them turning against him, but it was wiser to avoid unnecessary conflict, especially in unfamiliar territory. Besides, he couldn’t help but find the idea of impersonating the so-called serpent god and enjoying a taste of divine authority rather amusing.

Having settled on his course, Zhou Tian subtly adjusted his expression and asked the believers below in a deep voice, “Who is calling upon this god?”

“A humble follower, Extra A of Serpent Village, along with over a thousand devotees, bows before the great serpent deity!”

Watching the old man below kneel before him with utmost solemnity, Zhou Tian had no idea how a typical god would respond to such reverence. After a brief silence, he could only take the initiative to ask, “Why have you summoned me?”

“Great serpent god, allow me to explain. All of us in Serpent Village are your faithful followers, living by your teachings for generations. But recently, a band of thieves has come from outside the village. They’ve not only seized our entire harvest, but demand a hundred gold coins and ten young maidens from us. Our village is not wealthy and cannot meet their demands, so we implore you, great serpent god, to descend and deliver justice for your devotees!”

“What?” Zhou Tian hadn’t expected that his playful decision to impersonate the serpent god would end with such a request from the villagers. Frankly, given his current abilities, dealing with ordinary thieves would pose no challenge. The problem was, Zhou Tian was not truly the serpent god, and the people below were not his genuine followers. Helping those villagers would be easy—but why should he bother?

Compassion was not something Zhou Tian could claim to have lost entirely, but he felt little sympathy for these villagers. While sacrifice seemed normal to them, to Zhou Tian it was sheer ignorance. Zhou Tian had been teleported to this place by chance, which made him available for communication; had he not appeared, he could easily imagine the young girl bound beside him would have been slaughtered as an offering.

Whether gods actually existed in this world was uncertain, but Zhou Tian was sure that the villagers’ actions had no real power to summon a deity. Even if there was a serpent god somewhere, if that god could not truly help these villagers, the girl’s death would be in vain.

Ignorance was not their fault, but if Zhou Tian helped them and thereby promoted the serpent god’s fame, making the villagers even more ignorant, such a thing may not harm Zhou Tian, but it was reason enough for him to avoid it.

So, after hearing the old man’s plea, Zhou Tian did not agree, instead feigning hesitation.

Clearly, the old man misunderstood Zhou Tian’s reaction. Seeing Zhou Tian’s indecision, he promptly said, “We dare not ask the great serpent god to aid us for nothing. If you are willing to rid us of the thieves, our village will offer ten maidens in sacrifice to serve you in the divine realm.”

Well, Zhou Tian was tempted.

He couldn’t be blamed for wavering so quickly; as a recluse, he often indulged in daydreams and unhealthy fantasies. Now, hearing someone offer ten maidens as sacrifice, even if they weren’t as glamorous as celebrities back on Earth, the sudden prospect was impossible to ignore.

Fortunately, after spending time with a group of elves recently, Zhou Tian’s tastes had been elevated. While the girl tied beside him was quite pretty—likely the village beauty—she still paled in comparison to the elves. Having grown accustomed to finer things, Zhou Tian could hardly be moved by mere village girls. The old man’s proposal may have stirred his interest briefly, but Zhou Tian quickly regained his composure.

“This god is not interested in you mortals!” he refused without hesitation. And, compelled by some strange impulse, he added, “Unless you offer me magic cores, don’t expect this god to help you.”

“Great serpent god, we have magic cores!” The villagers below had turned pale at Zhou Tian’s initial refusal, but when he mentioned magic cores, the old man’s face lit up with hope, as if he had seized a lifeline. He immediately ordered the villagers, “Extras B, C, D—go to my house and fetch all the magic cores our village has saved!”

“Oh, oh, oh!” Perhaps Zhou Tian’s behavior differed so much from their expectations of a god that, aside from the old man, the other villagers were already quite bewildered. Upon hearing the command, several of them responded blankly, then hurried off to a house within the village.

Soon, the villagers returned, carrying a bundle. After handing it to the old man, they quietly stepped back.

With reverent hands, the old man raised the bundle and earnestly pleaded, “These are the magic cores collected over years by Serpent Village. We offer them all to you, great serpent god, in exchange for your aid in ridding us of the thieves and saving our village from disaster!”

“What is this…” Zhou Tian, who had been quite calm, lost all composure when he saw that the bundle contained over a thousand magic cores.

A thousand magic cores—even if their quality was mediocre, their quantity made up for it. If Zhou Tian absorbed them all, the spiritual energy in his system’s store would surely surge.

With this windfall, Zhou Tian’s motivation soared. Without a hint of shame, he scooped up the magic cores and declared to the villagers, “Since you have offered this god so many magic cores, your request shall be granted!”

(My deepest thanks to the generous reward from Lord Rekst! This humble monk is most grateful!)