Chapter 102: A game, a dream

The night outside the window was dark and cold, with only sporadic cat meows and dog barks echoing in the street.

Lu Yao poured a cup of coffee and glanced at his phone.

1:12 in the morning.

Normally, he would have been asleep by now.

But not today.

Lu Yao was prepared for a long battle.

He had to arrange the plan for God Yao today.

While waiting, Lu Yao turned his gaze towards the ghost city of Sanilo.

The deep-sea fish people slept underwater. So, under Sanilo’s artificial canal, holes were dug out for the underwater residences of the fish people.

On ordinary days, the fish people would follow the small canal to the sea to catch fish, shrimp, crabs, and clams. Occasionally, they would also find some precious corals and shells.

All of these had become Sanilo’s specialties. Through trade with Salt City, these goods were exchanged for meat, wheat, potatoes, fruits, and various raw materials.

Sanilo had frequent trade with Salt City, while its interaction with Yao City was more focused on faith.

Many fish people would enter the East River and go to the temple in Yao City to worship.

The temple in this holy city was the only miracle personally erected by God Yao. The other temples were just poor imitations of the original miracle by each city.

The fish people knelt devoutly outside the temple. Under the direct sunlight, their smooth and moist skin would gradually turn red, and a weak and painful expression would appear on their heads.

But at this time, they became even more spirited, seeing this water shortage and pain as a form of asceticism.

Once it rained, they believed it was a blessing from the gods and cheered loudly. The intense sunlight was seen as a stern test from the gods, and they endured thirst until they fainted and were revived by people around them splashing water on them.

Lu Yao never expected that the earliest fanatics would be a group of fish people.

Perhaps, this was the simplest form of asceticism, the purest enjoyment?

Beside the temple, there were devout little fish people kneeling, occupying the area completely.

Apart from the temple, there was another place in Yao City that was overcrowded.

The Wheat Beer Arena.

Since Prophet Hamira reorganized Yao City, both beast fighting and gladiatorial combat had been completely stopped, and drinking was also regulated.

For a considerable period of time, this spectacle became empty. It was also because of the Puritanical regulations and the fanaticism of theological worship, and most pleasure-seeking people moved to the neighboring Salt City.

Now, the Wheat Beer Arena was once again bustling with people.

From a bird’s-eye view, Lu Yao noticed two small figures in the center of the stage.

On the left was the gamer boy Mu Ke, and on the right was Prophet Hamira.

They were no longer young now, both in their fifties. In Yao City and Salt City, this age was considered old.

Mu Ke didn’t know what had happened, he was limping and still holding a small dog.

Hamira, dressed in a black robe, was dressed similarly to Isabella.

“Citizens, today, Mu Ke and I are here to solve a problem that has been troubling Yao City. Everyone present will be witnesses,” Hamira said.

“The establishment of the Wheat Beer Arena was originally for bloody gladiatorial games. This cruel and barbaric behavior is not worthy of praise.”

“But the Wheat Beer Arena itself is a remarkable place. It once awakened the courage and fighting spirit of everyone and was a monument to past glory.”

“Now, Yao City will reopen the Wheat Beer Arena. However, Mu Ke and I have different opinions on what it should be used for…”

Mu Ke spoke up, “Simply put, Mu Ke and the Prophet will make a bet. We will each showcase our own version of the new Wheat Beer Arena, and everyone will decide which one they prefer.”

Next, Mu Ke demonstrated his new game.

He called a group of people and rearranged the entire arena. Mu Ke drew squares on the ground, brought in stones and small trees, and set up wooden fences, traps, bonfires, and some wooden crates.

Then Mu Ke explained the rules of his game.

Lu Yao understood at a glance.

This was a three-dimensional tabletop game, or a live-action version of Monopoly.

Players would move within the squares on the ground, using dice to determine the direction and distance of their movement.

They might encounter traps that would cause them to rest due to injuries, or they might enter the forest and encounter wild beasts, causing them to retreat or suffer losses. Under the bonfire, they could see the traps around them clearly, and the wooden crates might contain gems or poisonous snakes…

The live-action tabletop game was rich in content, with a large system of settings and props. Lu Yao watched with great interest.

But the little people watching didn’t think the same way.

The whole game seemed more like Mu Ke’s monologue. Only a few people gave a thumbs up, while most of them had question marks floating above their heads, indicating that they didn’t understand.

The tabletop game segment ended hastily.

Next was Hamira’s turn.

She brought over a dozen people and had them take turns performing a simple stage play. The content of the play was the scene of the battle between the Pig Fish Brothers and the Bear Apostle, a classic old show.

Everyone watched with great interest.

In the end, the bear was struck by lightning from the heavens and died – of course, there were no special effects.

The actor playing the bear and the other little people exclaimed, “Ah! It’s lightning!”

Then they trembled all over and fell to the ground.

The combination of language and physical actions made up for the lack of special effects.

All the audience stood up and cheered.

This scene made Lu Yao feel a little emotional.

Actions speak louder than words. The simple adaptation of the stage play was liked by most people, while the live-action tabletop game, due to its complexity and difficulty to grasp, only interested a few people.

Hamira won a crushing victory and received thumbs up and applause from most of the audience.

Mu Ke was also willing to admit defeat.

After winning over the citizens, the female prophet knelt on the ground, clasping her hands in front of her chest in a praying posture.

“Great God Yao, your faithful servant, I apologize for disturbing your peace and hope to receive your guidance.”

“You see everything clearly, so please give us your judgment.”

A prompt appeared on the simulator.

[The Wheat Beer Arena has evolved.]

[Do you want to evolve this wonder?]

[Yes] [No]

Lu Yao clicked “Yes.”

There can be progress only with change.

A exclamation mark appeared above Hamira’s head. “The will of the gods! The gods have approved us!”She immediately announced, “From today onwards, the ’Barley Beer Colosseum’ will be transformed into a theater, and we will continue to use the name bestowed upon us by the gods, calling it the ’Barley Beer Theater’!”

【Knowledge of all people in Yao City has slightly increased.】

Lu Yao clicked on the theater.

……

【Barley Beer Theater LV2】: A spectacle transformed from the colosseum, the choice of the people in the new era.

All spectators in the theater receive a permanent increase in knowledge, Knowledge +1.

……

Lu Yao thought to himself, that was close.

Thankfully, during the colosseum era, he had Isabella arrange all the combat members, gaining a permanent damage increase of +3 in the colosseum. Otherwise, it would have been a big loss.

Every 1 point of knowledge increases the maximum mana value by 10 points, and daily mana recovery increases by 1 point.

This is a small enhancement for Isabella and the Snowman, who are both heavy mana users.

It’s both a surprise and a reminder that wonders can also automatically upgrade when certain conditions are triggered.

Lu Yao once again turned his gaze to the inside of the theater.

After the crowd dispersed, Mu Ke sat alone on the stage, desolate.

Hamira slowly walked over to him.

The two pixelated figures didn’t say a word.

Finally, Mu Ke said, “How about a game of ’Tribe War Chess’?”

“Sure.”

And so, the two not-so-young individuals began to play this old game.

Not long after.

“I won!”

A smiley face symbol appeared above Mu Ke’s head.

“You won.”

A smile also appeared above Hamira’s head.

Mu Ke asked her, “Is the new game I made for the theater really that bad?”

“No, I personally think it’s good, very interesting.”

“Really?”

“Really.”

After Hamira finished speaking, she turned and left.

Once again, only Mu Ke was left in the theater.

He muttered to himself, “In the end, I lost to a woman again.”

“There are always wins and losses in games…”

“Only ’Tribe War Chess’ will always accompany me.”

In the end, he slowly fell to the ground, clutching the battle flag, no longer moving. The word 【Death】 appeared above his pixelated figure.

The little dog next to him licked its master with its tongue, making a woofing sound. But it didn’t know that its master would never wake up again.

Source: Webnovel.com, updated by NovelKeep