I Am God!

Chapter 9: Food and New Species

On the grand avenue of the City of Divine Gifts, the lifeless bodies of the Trileaf people lay before King Laideliqi, the Wise Monarch blessed by the gods, their eyes forever closed.

Hundreds and thousands of Trileaf individuals knelt on the ground, a somber atmosphere lingering in the air.

No one spoke in the crowd, but all eyes were fixed upon King Laideliqi—their origin and ancestral leader, the supreme ruler.

Laideliqi placed his hand on one of the bodies, feeling the youthfulness that had already passed away.

For the first time, he felt the terror of death and the fragility of life.

"I will find a solution," he vowed.

In the mournful eyes of the people, Laideliqi's promise was regarded as truth and faith, a will to change their current situation and crisis.

Fervent cheers echoed through the crowd.

It made one feel that Laideliqi was not just their king but their god.

"King of Wisdom!"

"King of Wisdom!"

"..."

Laideliqi believed he was the King of Wisdom, and as a king, it was his duty to protect his people.

Yet, he had no choice. The King of Wisdom turned his gaze once again towards the colossal pyramid at the center of the Divine Gifts City.

Under the starry night, Laideliqi ascended the pyramid, guarded by Trileaf warriors at the stairs.

Only the King of Wisdom Laideliqi could enter this temple; for other Trileaf individuals, stepping on it would be an unforgivable crime.

Before reaching the pinnacle, he saw a figure emitting a radiant white glow standing at the highest steps.

In the darkness, the figure sparkled.

The glow transformed into threads, wandering in the sky, connecting with the stars above. The figure in the glow seemed ready to depart from this world at any moment.

This scene compelled him to involuntarily shout, "God!"

He hurriedly approached, climbing the extended stairs, chasing after that glow.

As if afraid the glow would truly disappear and merge into the stars.

Sally, with her braids neatly tied, sat obediently on the steps, her green eyes blinking, staring into the distant sea.

Unlike a living being, she seemed more like a doll.

The god gazed at the sky and stars, as if waiting for him. At the moment Laideliqi drew near, the god spoke.

"Do you know?"

"In this era, the land should not harbor any life, but here, it nurtures the miracle of life."

"Before our arrival, there was greenery here."

Laideliqi followed the god's gaze, not understanding why the god would look at the sky when talking about things on land.

The sky was filled with stars, and prolonged gazing made it easy to feel dizzy and disoriented, as if the stars and galaxies were spinning.

But it seemed that the God heard Laideliqi's thoughts, and continued to speak.

"Because the factors influencing life are not on the earth but in the distant sky and universe."

"This place should be close to Earth's poles, or a highly unusual location, forming a layer of ozone overhead that shields radiation."

"It should be the ozone layer, allowing us to see plants here."

"This is truly a miraculous place, the Eden of life."

Laideliqi couldn't comprehend the god's words. The murmurs seemed more like the god's soliloquy than an explanation for Laideliqi.

But he knew that the god was unraveling the mysteries of this world, the truths unseen by mortal beings.

When they faced the vast, boundless blue sea with fear, the god's gaze had already penetrated the stars and galaxies.

Laideliqi: "It is the guidance of the gods that brought us to this miraculous land of life."

"It is you who let us thrive here, protecting us."

"Granting us a race, initiating a civilization."

"If there is truly a miracle, God, you are the creator of miracles."

The god lowered its head, and in Laideliqi's eyes, the radiant shadow cast its brilliance over him.

"Facing difficulties?"

Laideliqi found it difficult to speak. When he promised to the divine being that he would create a great civilization, he was confident and believed he could easily accomplish it.

Because he was the first intelligent being created by the gods.

However, just at the beginning, he was struck down by difficulties.

Over these years, he had learned sorrow, joy, and love—various emotions.

This time, he understood shame.

Laideliqi knelt before the god, prostrating himself on the cold stone, unable to look at the god.

"Food!"

"God!"

"We need food."

Laideliqi's tone became much higher, speaking with utmost sincerity and seriousness.

"Oh, God!"

"Please guide us."

The god's gaze fixed on the King of Wisdom, as if looking at an immature child.

The god pulled Laideliqi into the temple.

Laideliqi, with shame on his face, listened to the god's instructions and visions for the future.

"The most primitive civilization involves hunting and gathering. The next stage involves animal husbandry and crop cultivation."

"Crop cultivation is not currently feasible, but I can teach you how to raise animals."

Laideliqi heard this term for the first time: "Animal husbandry?"

On the outside of the temple, the conch shell shed by the fusion creature Sally was embedded in the wall, visible from inside the temple.

Inside the temple were stone basins, containing marine plants obviously not native to the land, but had long withered.

The god touched the conch shell, and light emanated from its fingers.

The enormous conch shell, responding to the god's control, gradually became transparent.

Through the transparent shell, one could see that it was filled with pure seawater.

Strange organisms swam within, with the majority resembling fish but having thick shells.

"This is a life form I recently created. I want to call it a fish, but it doesn't seem fitting."

Laideliqi, close to the transparent conch shell, watched the creatures inside.

"Fish?"

The god pondered for a moment. "Let's call it the Ancestral Fish."

In times of boredom, the god was enthusiastic about creating new life. It was one of the few hobbies and abilities in this era.

More and more species seemed to be created, allowing this world to more quickly become familiar to him.

Although he used Issa's conch shell, a random box, more skillfully, he had not yet created the mythical beings he wanted, like Laideliqi and Sally. Instead, there were unexpected creations.

This was a jawless fish that survived by sucking in small organisms with its straw-like mouthpiece.

They possessed armor and had a somewhat terrifying appearance.

Called fish, but not true fish.

The god pointed to the jawless fish inside the conch shell. "This is the food I bestow upon you."