Chapter 162: Divine Allies

Within the sea of his consciousness, Sun Licheng was seated across a table from a handsome man. The table was laden with sumptuous dishes and fine wine, enough to make anyone's mouth water.

"Your Majesty, God of Knowledge and Diplomacy, you truly surprise me. I have met a few divine majesties in my time, but this is the first time I have ever encountered a deity who knows me so well." Sun Licheng said with a sigh of emotion, looking at the familiar food and wine spread across the table.

Hearing Sun Licheng's words, the divine majesty burst into hearty laughter.

"Sun Licheng, I have been keeping my eye on you for quite some time," said the God of Knowledge and Diplomacy.

To retrace how this came to be, Sun Licheng had followed High Shaman Abner into his tent. The latter quickly initiated a prayer ritual, and moments later, a beam of radiant white light enveloped Sun Licheng. Within the realm of his own consciousness, he now stood face-to-face with the God of Knowledge and Diplomacy.

"Is that so? I never imagined I would attract such a high level of attention," Sun Licheng said with a wry smile.

The divine majesty smiled and nodded, picking up his goblet to take a sip of the fine wine before continuing: "You have indeed drawn great attention from us. Being able to slay a deity is a feat worthy of being chronicled in grand style. However, my perspective differs from that of other deities, because you are the creature who values knowledge above all others that I have ever witnessed."

"Values knowledge above all others?" Sun Licheng asked, perplexed.

The God of Knowledge and Diplomacy nodded and began to recount all the observations he had made—starting from how Sun Licheng initiated the language translation magical array, down to his various subsequent actions.

"In short, if my faith is to be propagated throughout this world, you are my most suitable emissary," the divine majesty concluded.

"But I am already the chosen champion of the Earth God. There is no way I can serve or revere another divine majesty," Sun Licheng said, his face full of doubt. He figured that this secret, widely known throughout the divine realm, was certainly no secret to the majesty before him.

"Of course I know that. Yet, your respect for knowledge stems from the very depths of your heart—or rather, from your very instincts. Regardless of whether you formally worship me or not, you will inevitably broadcast the radiance of knowledge to all corners of the world," the God of Knowledge and Diplomacy said with a smile.

"What you say is true. Knowledge, or rather science, is the primary driving force behind the development of the world. Naturally, I will strive to propagate it," Sun Licheng also smiled and replied.

"Science, you say?" Hearing Sun Licheng's words, the divine majesty fell into a thoughtful silence.

"What would you have me do?" After exchanging a few more pleasantries, Sun Licheng asked.

Soon, the divine majesty began to explain his intentions to Sun Licheng.

It turned out that the God of Yellow Sands, who had ruled this sea of sand for ages, had just fallen. As for the cause of that fall, the divine majesty did not elaborate in detail.

The demise of a deity naturally creates a vast vacuum in belief. As a God of Knowledge and Diplomacy who could barely be considered a mid-tier deity, he was eager to seize this rare opportunity to expand his following. And the best method to expand one's faith was to help the sand people solve their pressing crises.

Whether others could solve it, the divine majesty did not know, but he believed that with Sun Licheng's resourceful and brilliant mind, he would undoubtedly devise the optimal solution. That was why he had forcibly descended an oracle upon the High Shaman of the Blue Sea Oasis, commanding him to send people to find Sun Licheng.

"To speak plainly, as deities, we pursue ever-greater divine power, and faith is the vital source of that power," said the God of Knowledge and Diplomacy.

Sun Licheng finally understood, comprehending the thoughts of this divine majesty.

However, his primary mission was to find the Earth God's divine persona fragments, and to do so, he first needed to visit the Three Sisters of Time. How could he possibly have the time to help the God of Knowledge and Diplomacy fulfill his ambitions?

Reading Sun Licheng's thoughts, the divine majesty smiled and said, "You serve the Earth God. Although he has escaped immediate danger, he is currently in no position to offer you any further assistance."

Upon hearing this, Sun Licheng's expression instantly darkened.

The divine majesty paid it no mind and continued, "I believe you also understand how crucial the strong backing of a deity is. And now, such an opportunity lies right before you. Seize it—helping me is, in essence, helping yourself."

Sun Licheng understood. He reckoned that the God of Knowledge and Diplomacy made a valid point; in any endeavor, fighting alone yields no results, and working as a team is always the best approach. In this world, having a divine ally was undoubtedly an exceptionally favorable advantage.

Seeing that Sun Licheng was tempted, the divine majesty decided to apply a little more persuasion.

"I already know you wish to seek an audience with the Three Sisters of Time, and I also know you intend to go to the Oasis of the Sands of Time. But let me tell you, formidable though you and your ogre wife may be, you have no way of accomplishing this task on your own. To reach the Oasis of the Sands of Time, you must have formidable military support, and the sand people are your most ideal choice. Well then, are you in or out?" the divine majesty asked with a smile.

"In. Of course I'm in."

Since matters had been laid out so candidly, Sun Licheng knew how scarce and precious this opportunity was. He gritted his teeth and accepted the majesty's proposal.

"This is a map of the Myriad-Mile Sand Sea. The reason there are so many oases scattered across this desert is because of a broad underground river flowing beneath it. Right now, a section of this subterranean river has been severely blocked, which is why widespread oases are withering and drying up."

A massive projection appeared before Sun Licheng. It was a topographical map of the Myriad-Mile Sand Sea, and the divine majesty was introducing the local environment to him.

"Is it not because of a severe drought?" Sun Licheng asked, deeply puzzled.

The divine majesty chuckled and said to Sun Licheng, "The Sun God certainly does not possess such idle amusement to deliberately destroy an underground river. The divine power expended on such a feat would be far less valuable than finding ways to increase his own flock and elevate his own strength."

Only then did a great realization dawn upon Sun Licheng.

"Now you understand. As long as you can clear this blockage, the river water will flow back into every oasis, and the sand sea will spring back to life," the majesty said, pointing to a large red dot on the map.

"However, you must first strengthen your own power. Opening up this blockage will be no easy feat, oh no," the divine majesty added promptly.

Sun Licheng hurriedly asked why, but the God of Knowledge and Diplomacy only smiled and kept his counsel.

An hour later, accompanied by the reverent High Shaman Abner, Sun Licheng stepped out of the tent. Looking around, he saw the area was packed densely with people.

"Lord Sun Licheng has accepted the oracle of the divine majesty and will lead us to restore the vitality of our oasis!"

At Abner's resounding proclamation, the entire oasis erupted into a frenzy. Everyone cheered wildly, venting the pent-up frustration and gloom they had harbored for days.

"Sun Licheng, you're amazing!"

Carolyn lunged at Sun Licheng, wrapped her arms tightly around his neck, and shouted at the top of her lungs, her eyes sparkling with absolute adoration.

Looking at the cheering crowd, Sun Licheng clenched his fists tightly. In the depths of his heart, he silently swore: "For the sake of going home, and for everyone here, I must work hard! Harder! And hardest!"