"People like us," Luo Wei glanced at the three of them, noting how Theodore had clearly grouped Gladys and Hol into his camp.

  Why?

  She had thought Theodore simply disliked nobles, yet he accepted Gladys as one of his own while singling her out for exclusion?

  "I wasn't affected by your situation. I requested leave of my own accord," Luo Wei stated calmly.

  Gladys looked up: "Luo Wei, it's because you don't want to wear the magic robe, isn't it?"

  "Ha, I knew it," Theodore rose with a sneer, "Truly the mindset of nobility. We commoners could never understand such thinking."

  He strode to the attic door and flung it open: "Your Highness, you needn't suffer alongside us. Please leave - we'll clean this place ourselves."

  Luo Wei fixed him with a cold stare: "Senior, this is the Headmaster's punishment."

  "I'm aware, but you don't have to participate. We'll complete your share." Theodore turned to the others, "Gladys, Hol, what do you think?"

  Hol smiled with simple sincerity: "I'll follow Senior's lead."

  Gladys nodded slowly and addressed Luo Wei: "Luo Wei, you should go. We can handle this."

  Three people, all united in excluding her.

  Luo Wei regarded them steadily: "Could you at least give me a reason? A reason for your hostility?"

  Gladys frowned: "There's no hostility. We actually like you."

  "Then why..."

  "Because we need to discuss certain matters and don't want you present. Is that reason enough?" Theodore gestured toward the door, "Please leave."

  When things had reached this point, staying would only invite further humiliation.

  Luo Wei tossed aside the linen cloth and lifted her skirts as she passed Theodore. She cast one final glance back at them: "Good luck to you all."

  She could guess what they wanted to discuss, probably something related to the Holy Knights, but since they didn't want her to hear, she wouldn't force herself to expose her vulnerabilities.

  Some things were better kept secret.

  Otherwise, they would be like intertwined Chinese knotweed roots - find one, and you could trace all the roots beneath.

  Back in her dormitory, Luo Wei drew the curtains and began her divination.

  "Will the Holy Knights come to Siria?"

  The stars indicated: Yes.

  "Will the Holy Knights' visit bring me danger?"

  The constellations flickered, with the Northern Dipper Star dimly glowing.

  Meeting the Northern Dipper in autumn and winter meant both fortune and misfortune.

  Another divination showing intertwined blessing and calamity.

  Luo Wei set aside her divination shell, already knowing what she must do.

  Success lies in seizing opportunities, and fortune favors the bold - wasn't this always her way?

  What she feared most about the Holy Knights were their Holy Water and Judgment Stone. She had already experienced the power of Holy Water - it was manageable as long as she could keep it from touching her body.

  This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road. If you spot it on Amazon, please report it.

  The Judgment Stone, from what she knew, was simply a truth-detecting stone.

  When it came to rules involving language, there was plenty of room for manipulation.

  Overall, no problem!

  Her most pressing task now was to assemble a mercenary team for the Demon Sea expedition. A month wasn't particularly long or short - it would pass in the blink of an eye, and she couldn't afford to find herself short-staffed when departure time came.

  She'd need to hire at least fifteen to twenty people, wouldn't she?

  Before bed, Luo Wei's left eyelid kept twitching, which considerably improved her mood.

  As the saying went, a twitching left eye brings wealth while a twitching right brings misfortune - she had a strong intuition that everything would go smoothly!

  However, that night, the strange prayer sounds began again.

  The voice was notably hoarser than the previous night, but the devotion in the words had intensified.

  This time, Luo Wei could clearly hear the content of his prayers.

  "Great God of Death and Time, Koevikros, who governs human souls and the six cycles of reincarnation, I am your faithful follower Nick..."

  "Oh God, please accept my soul..."

  "Please guide me, I must avenge my wife and children..."

  The prayer repeated over and over, Nick's voice growing increasingly weak.

  Luo Wei's gaze deepened. She now knew his identity - he was the husband of the peasant woman who had scratched her.

  But why could she hear his prayers?

  And more intriguingly, the deity she had fabricated was actually gaining followers.

  Were the gods in the heavens truly all born from the Mother Goddess's body as claimed?

  Luo Wei recalled the history she had read in books. Two thousand years ago, the Wastelands had erupted in a massive War of Faith.

  Followers of different gods had turned against each other, fighting to secure faith for their deities. The conflict had rapidly spread from isolated regions across the entire Wasteland continent, eventually drawing in the gods themselves.

  Once one god entered the fray, all others would follow, transforming an unbalanced war into an equal playing field.

  The warfare between gods far exceeded human imagination. Their battle shook heaven and earth, darkened sun and moon, and transformed the paradise of the Wastelands into scorched earth overnight.

  The scars of the divine war refused to heal. Lava and black water flowed throughout the Wastelands, volcanoes constantly spewed gray-black smoke, former forests became scorching deserts, and the harsh climate left thousands of miles barren, not even birds daring to fly across.

  Only the Wasteland survivors remained, guarding the few remaining temples, struggling to survive in the arid desert.

  When Luo Wei first read this history, she had merely marveled at the Western gods' capricious and unlimited nature. Now, reconsidering it, she sensed something amiss.

  Weren't the gods born divine? Why would they need to compete for mortal faith?

  In her Chinese mythological system, heavenly gods were selflessly devoted - only human-turned-gods, those who had accumulated enough faith during life to achieve divinity after death, needed faith.

  Western mythology was purely bloodline-based - only those with divine blood could become gods. If they were born divine, why fight for faith?

  Could these gods be false deities?

  If one could truly achieve godhood through faith in this world, then the voice she heard made sense - the deity she had invented had gained faith, so she could hear the prayers of its followers!

  Luo Wei's heart tightened, her first reaction not joy but fear.

  Would the gods already seated on their thrones allow a new deity to share their authority?

  If she wasn't fully confident in battling humans, how could she hope to contend with gods?

  Should she let this opportunity slip away?

  Luo Wei clenched her fists.

  As the saying went: The cautious starve while the bold feast!

  She immediately abandoned her warm bed, sent Nicole out for a quick patrol, then flew out the window.

  One should always keep two paths open - if she couldn't wait for fellow gamers to log in, becoming a deity might be her only way home.

  Luo Wei flew back to the small courtyard, quickly changed into her previous outfit, concealed her magic wand in her sleeve, and flew out of the city following the sound of prayer.

  In a small village just three kilometers from Siria's gates, seven or eight low-roofed thatched houses were scattered about.

  These square stone houses sheltered both people and livestock, divided between opposite ends, with a central hearth for cooking and warmth.

  Nick knelt beside the hearth, endlessly praying to the dying flames.

  Suddenly, the flames leaped higher with a whooshing roar. Among the dancing sparks, a black mist mysteriously condensed, revealing a pair of crimson eyes within.

  """