All Gods: Starting with Two Families

Chapter 172 The Act of KindnessThis island was several times more prosperous than Mobi Us Island.

The harbor stretched as far as the eye could see, packed with ships from all over.

Some had slender hulls and triangular sails; others were broad-bodied, carved with complex totems; and then there were a few pitch-black ships, moored alone in a corner, with no other vessels approaching within ten zhang.

The people on the shore were even more diverse.

There were Northerners in fur coats, Easterners wrapped in robes, Southerners with dark skin, and Westerners with pale complexions.

They spoke with different accents and wore different clothing as they wove through the streets.

But the most eye-catching feature was the massive Pantheon in the center of the island.

Built from white stone, the temple towered into the clouds, covering an area nearly half the size of the town.

The main gates of the temple were wide open, and the interior was brightly lit.

Through the doors, one could see rows upon rows of statues neatly arranged.

About four hundred of them.

Some were beast-shaped, some were humanoid, and others were so abstract that it was impossible to tell what they were.

Each one was carved vividly, and each had flowers and offerings placed before it.

Zhou Zheng’s Feathered Serpent statue was placed on the bottom row.

It was small and inconspicuous, but it had been placed there nonetheless.

At this moment, in a certain space above the Pantheon, a meeting was underway.

...

The space was not large, but it was enough to accommodate the dozens of deities present.

A soft white light permeated the surroundings, making one feel inexplicably at ease.

After all, this was a meeting that only deities of the Good Faction could attend.

The deity presiding sat at the head of the table; his Divine Thought manifestation was indistinguishable from a human form.

His face was gentle, his brow carried a sense of compassion, and a faint glow of dawn radiated from his body.

The God of Dawn.

Zhou Zheng sat in a position towards the back, quietly observing the deities present.

They truly radiated goodwill—at least on the surface.

The God of Dawn spoke, his voice low and compassionate:

”As far as I know, those deities of the Evil Faction have already reached a cooperation with the Nameless Gods.”

A slight commotion broke out in the venue.

”Nameless Gods” was a derogatory term for those deities without a divine office.

The God of Dawn paused, then continued:

”After all, it is different from previous sessions. This time, only three hundred divine offices can leave this God-Forsaken Land.”

Zhou Zheng’s heart stirred.

Before the meeting, the God of Dawn had given him individual ”pre-class tutoring.”

He still remembered those words clearly.

The Pantheon was not as peaceful as the outside world believed.

Friction was frequent among the nine major factions.

Resources were always limited.

And the most friction occurred among the three major factions of the moral axis—Good, Evil, and Neutral.

This was determined by the nature of their believers.

After obtaining a divine office, the deities’ believers would no longer be confined to the divine domain.

They would ”invade” various Planes, spread their faith, and compete for resources.

Among deities of the Good Faction, believers could coexist.

But between Good and Evil, there was a natural opposition.

A believer who worshipped a god of the Good Faction could not live together with one who worshipped a god of the Evil Faction.

They would despise and attack each other until one side was annihilated.

Therefore, the three major factions would constantly compete for faith, as well as—

World Origin Power.

That was the ”salary” issued by the Pantheon to the deities, as compensation for holding a divine office.

But Zhou Zheng, having acquired the rudiments of an authority, knew that collecting World Origin Power was not some special ability unique to the Pantheon—it came from the authority controlled by the Pantheon!

They used that authority to collect the majority of the Origin Power, distributing only a small portion to the deities below.

Those deities thought they were getting what they deserved, but in reality, no one knew where the lion’s share went.

The God of Dawn continued speaking:

”I did not expect that the divine offices of the Pantheon would have an upper limit. It is foreseeable that the competition between the three major factions will become even more intense.”

”So, the next step is clear,” the God of Dawn’s voice became serious. ”Protect the number of divine offices of the Good Faction. Reduce those of other factions, especially the Evil Faction.”

The other side had the same idea.

They had even united with those Nameless Gods—those deities who had no divine office but were equally eager to leave.

A war was already brewing in the shadows.

Under the chairmanship of the God of Dawn, item after item was proposed, discussed, and voted upon.

The deities present were granted different voting weights based on their strength.

In the end, the meeting reached several resolutions, witnessed by divine order tokens, collectively known as the ”Good Act.”

1. Within the God-Forsaken Land, deities of the Good Faction are prohibited from attacking each other. This includes attacks against the deities themselves, as well as their believers.

The existing Pantheon non-aggression ordinance had become ineffective in the God-Forsaken Land. Therefore, this was effectively a supplementary clause.

2. Temporarily refrain from taking action against the Neutral Faction. When encountering the Evil Faction, report intelligence and organize attacks. Every deity is obligated to participate in the war.

3. ...