Iluvia Is Exhausted

Inside the Divine Kingdom, atop the Divine Seat.

Iluvia rested her chin on one hand, her golden eyes watching the bustling, eager God-Chosen Ones gathered on the temple square through Mikael’s perspective.

Then, she let out a gentle sigh.

It wasn't exhaustion from depleting divine power.

It was pure weariness of heart.

To clean up after this bunch of troublesome players, she had specifically sent an oracle to West, ordering him to "supervise" them from the sidelines.

To put it diplomatically, it was "observing and learning to accumulate experience." To put it bluntly, it was "keep an eye on them so they don't get themselves killed."

Although West's actual combat experience was average, with the Silver Rank power she had granted him previously, dealing with kobolds that hadn't even reached Bronze Rank was more than enough.

Sigh, I feel like I'm becoming a dedicated babysitter for these players. I really am going above and beyond, Iluvia thought to herself.

Oh well, no point dwelling on it.

She refocused her attention on the temple square.

Right now, through the perspective of Mikael hidden in the shadows, she saw the players gathered in a tight huddle, seemingly arguing over something.

To be precise, they were arguing fiercely.

“Everyone, look at me! Our party is the highest level! There's no problem with us teleporting first, right?”

“??? Who the hell are you? Why does your party get to teleport first?”

“Exactly! What gives your party priority?”

“Well, since we can only build a small teleportation array, we have no choice but to begrudgingly let the higher-level players go first.”

“What do you mean? Why can we only build a small teleportation array?”

A player asked, looking bewildered.

A player nearby immediately chimed in, “I heard Miss Lilith say she didn't bring any extra materials, so she can only construct a small teleportation array.”

“Wait, what?! Then what are we supposed to do? Don't tell me we have to go find the materials ourselves?! Is this game really that hardcore?!” The player's eyes widened in shock.

“Yep, seems that way.”

“That's ridiculous! Where are we supposed to find materials? We don't even know what they look like! I thought playing a game was just killing monsters and leveling up. Moving bricks to build the town earlier was one thing, but now even the main quest requires gathering materials? Is this a game or a construction job?”

“Calm down, calm down.” Another player patted his shoulder. “Gathering materials is part of the game too. If you don't like it, don't play.”

“Why does that sound so punchable coming from you?”

“By the way, what kind of materials are needed?” someone asked.

“As for materials, based on the info I just got, I heard it's stuff like slime secretion, lightning-struck wood charcoal, beeswax, magical beast blood, lime powder, and so on.”

“?? Wait, how do you know all this so clearly?”

“Hehe, I was right there when Miss Lilith mentioned it. I heard every single word crystal clear.” He wore a smug look, as if he possessed some groundbreaking intelligence.

“Damn it! You were there and didn't call us?”

“Well, I figured none of you asked.”

While they were talking here, another argument broke out over there:

“Since nobody agrees with that idea, how about this? Why don't I command this quest? I've played seventeen virtual games and got three first clears! I have plenty of commanding experience. I'll do my best to make sure every player gets to hit mobs.”

“Give me a break! You probably paid your way to those first clears. Try doing it zero-pay-to-win if you're so tough! When it comes to commanding and tactical planning, I've written three virtual game strategy guides with a combined view count over a million!”

“Strategy guides? Hilarious! Anyone can talk a big game on paper! Real battle comes down to mechanical skill!”

“Mechanical skill? What kind of mechanical skill do you even have?”

None of the players would yield to another, and the argument grew increasingly heated.

The surrounding players either egged them on or tried to mediate. The entire square turned into a chaotic mess, noisier than a bustling street market.

Iluvia’s temples throbbed as she watched.

She had originally assumed the players were arguing over materials and the turn order for the teleportation array—after all, those were the actual problems that needed solving—yet this group was red-faced and screaming over "who gets to be chief commander"?

The quest hadn't even started yet, so why were they breaking into internal strife already?

She was utterly speechlessly exasperated.

On the other side of the temple square, West, who had been waiting there for a while, frowned as he watched the noisy, disciplined-less God-Chosen Ones.

Although his combat ability was unremarkable, he still possessed the basic standard of a knight.

To be honest, ever since his idolized view of the God-Chosen Ones had shattered during their initial arrival, West had still held onto a ray of hope.

He had thought that perhaps the God-Chosen Ones had just arrived in this world and hadn't adapted yet, which was why they acted so... chaotic.

But looking at them now...

Well.

They had adapted... very well.

A little too well, in fact.

In short, from West's perspective, the God-Chosen Ones possessed even less discipline than city guards.

Although those city guards were lazy and acted like rogues, they would at least put on a show in front of their superiors—at least wiping that casual smirk off their faces, standing a bit straighter, and looking somewhat serious.

He didn't view himself as the leader of the God-Chosen Ones or anything, but as a believer of the Goddess and the personal guard of Her Saintess, he at least expected to receive some degree of respect from them. Now, it was clear he had overthought things.

Compared to those lazy city guards, what about these God-Chosen Ones?

They didn't even bother to pretend.

Shouting whenever they wanted, arguing whenever they wanted, squatting whenever they wanted, lying down whenever... Wait, what? Someone actually lay down? What was with that guy lying on the ground sunbathing? Did he think this was a picnic?

West took a deep breath, trying hard to calm his complex emotions.

He couldn't help but begin to doubt: Was there really no issue with Her Ladyship choosing these... these... these guys as the hope for reviving human civilization?

West shook his head, hurriedly squelching that dangerous thought.

Atop her Divine Seat, Iluvia let out a faint, long sigh.

She naturally saw West's expression and roughly guessed what he was thinking.

But what could she say?

Was she supposed to say, "Sorry about that, I didn't expect this bunch of God-Chosen Ones to be like this either. Why don't you recommend a few normal people to me?"

Iluvia felt that she still needed to save face.

“Looks like I'll have to add a game system restriction later to control the players' behavior,” she murmured in a distant tone.

Just then—

“Everyone, stop arguing! Cheng-ge has something to say!”

A thunderous shout erupted like a crack of thunder, instantly drowning out all the noise on the square.

Everyone turned in unison toward the sound.

They saw Bruce standing atop a wooden house not far from the temple square, holding a massive wooden megaphone in both hands. His face was flushed red, clearly having put every ounce of effort into that roar.

“Cheng-ge? Is that Nan Cheng, the one whose Glorious Era review video hit the trending searches?”

“Nan Cheng? The game streamer Nan Cheng? I know him! I watched his review video for Glorious Era!”

“Holy crap, he's in this server too? Wait, he's in this beginner village as well?”

“Are you stupid? All two hundred people are in this beginner village. Isn't it obvious he'd be here?”

“Fair point.”

“Alright! Shut up, everyone! Listen to the big shot!”

“As expected of a veteran game streamer, he definitely has a plan for a chaotic situation like this!”

The players murmured among themselves, yet they all consciously shut their mouths. The previously chaotic square instantly became much orderly.

Although Nan Cheng wasn't at the absolute top tier of the gaming world, as a veteran streamer in the virtual gaming realm, he enjoyed a decent amount of fame.

Among virtual game players, even if eight or nine out of ten didn't know him personally, almost everyone had heard the name at least once.

Especially two days ago, when his review video for Glorious Era shot straight onto the trending list, earning him countless followers and a massive spike in popularity overnight.

So when they heard "Cheng-ge has something to say," everyone temporarily set aside their arguments to see what insights this veteran streamer had to offer.

As for where that wooden megaphone came from—

It was, of course, crafted on the spot by a player.

Seeing that the effect was fully achieved, Bruce raised his eyebrows triumphantly. He hurriedly stepped aside, ceding the center spot on the roof to Nan Cheng behind him. Then, as if offering a treasure, he handed over the wooden megaphone and gave an OK gesture: “Cheng-ge, all set.”