Chapter 50: Sharing My Twenty Million Believers

Chapter 50: Sharing My Twenty Million Believers

"This is the custom of Vias. We hope Mr. Ajef will follow local traditions!" Faced with Yu Sheng'an's bewildered expression, Meg explained in a low voice.

"I wasn’t aware of this custom?" Yu Sheng'an frowned slightly, inwardly criticizing the Keville Empire's diplomatic efforts for being utterly lacking!

"Foreigners entering our Vias have always been required to sing a song to prove their sincerity. Could it be that Mr. Ajef is not from the southern regions of the Azarea Continent?" Meg looked at him strangely.

Vias had been established for over four hundred years, and there was hardly a noble who didn’t know this rule. Even the tribes of the snow-covered northern reaches of the Azarea Continent—known for their backwardness, savagery, and brutality—were largely familiar with this custom.

Great. Judging by the tone, it was his own ignorance that was the issue... Yu Sheng'an suddenly felt a headache coming on. Gods really were capricious, weren’t they?

What kind of bizarre customs would they dare to enforce without fear of becoming a laughingstock?

Then again, once you became a god, who would dare laugh at you?

Besides, habits became second nature.

Putting himself in their shoes, even on Blue Star, there were customs like cheek-kissing greetings. If that were practiced on the Azarea Continent, it would probably be mistaken for taking liberties and earn someone a beating!

"Mr. Meg, I truly wasn’t aware of your country’s custom. As you can see, I’m also unprepared. How about we simplify the formalities this time and skip this step?" Yu Sheng'an declined tactfully.

Singing in public was something Yu Sheng'an simply couldn’t bring himself to do.

For one, he was shy—only daring to hum a tune when alone in the shower.

For another, he was tone-deaf. Even at KTV, he only dared to pick songs like "Love Me to Death" or "Xi Shua Shua." How could he possibly sing now?

"This..." Meg hesitated, even consulting his superiors privately before finally nodding in agreement.

There was no helping it—Ajef’s status was, after all, extraordinary.

The envoy party eventually moved forward again under the bewildered gazes of the dancers, slowly making their way into the city.

As soon as the envoy entered the city, it drew the attention of Vias’ citizens.

Vias was far too isolated. Though the Music Academy’s annual enrollment attracted hordes of nobles sending their children to study, that was the only time the city ever saw any bustle.

Most other times, it remained a closed-off city-state.

The sudden arrival of a foreign envoy naturally drew keen interest, especially since Vias had rolled out a high-profile reception. It was impossible not to stand out.

"Are they really from the Keville Empire? They look so fierce."

"Exactly. Their armor looks so crude."

"I heard they’re all madmen obsessed with pursuing magic power. For strength, they’d even summon abyss demons."

"Unlike us, they don’t have the Music Goddess’s protection. Without a god’s shelter, they have no choice but to bargain with demons just to survive."

"How pitiful!"

"Oh, by the way, what song did they sing when they entered the city?"

"They didn’t sing."

"What? They didn’t sing?"

The citizens of Vias buzzed with discussion. When they heard that the Keville Empire’s envoy had entered the city without singing, the crowd erupted!

The news spread at an astonishing speed.

And the way people looked at the Keville Empire’s delegation changed.

"They didn't sing? What do they take Vias for? I remember Prince Howard sang 'Praise the Goddess' last year!"

"This is outright blasphemy against the Goddess!"

"A bunch of magic-obsessed lunatics—how could they possibly sing?"

"What's the point of life if you can't even sing?"

"Utterly uncouth! I don’t understand why they were even allowed in. They should’ve been driven out!"

The citizens of Vias were in an uproar!

Some were furious; others sighed in pity; still others sneered with disdain.

Completely unaware, Yu Sheng'an walked down the street, baffled by the hostile and contemptuous glares from the citizens on either side. What was going on?

The rumors weren’t unfounded after all—these people really did despise outsiders!

Of course, not all rumors held true.

For instance, it was said that Vias "shunned labor and indulged in music," leaving its people starving.

Yet, as Yu Sheng'an traveled through the city, he rarely saw anyone who looked malnourished.

On the contrary, judging by their complexions and attire, the standard of living here seemed even better than in Willis.

The streets had no mercenaries galloping recklessly on horseback, no child laborers struggling to survive, and no sprawling slums.

The architecture, arranged like musical scales, carried a harmonious yet dynamic rhythm.

Come to think of it, this was a city-state ruled by a deity—how could its people go hungry?

Moreover, with a population of just a few hundred thousand, if the Music Goddess couldn’t even manage such a tiny territory, she’d be a disgrace to divinity!

The delegation eventually settled in the embassy.

After resting, bathing, and changing clothes, Yu Sheng'an was notified by Meg that he would be granted an audience with the Music Goddess.

Soon after, Yu Sheng'an was carried by sedan into the palace, then proceeded on foot into the hall.

Passing through a corridor of stone pillars engraved with musical scores, he finally arrived at the Feather Hall within the Vias Music Divine Palace, where he met the Music Goddess Aphnora.

The grand hall was vast and gleaming, its towering ceiling stretching high above.

On either side stood statues of men and women holding various musical instruments. At the far end, seated casually on a high-backed divine throne, was a woman in a plain black robe, her hair tied in a simple ponytail. Her serene gaze fixed on Yu Sheng'an as he entered.

"Ajef pays his respects to the Music Goddess!"

Standing before the throne, Yu Sheng'an mimicked a gentleman’s gesture, placing a hand over his chest in greeting—though his eyes shamelessly roamed over the Goddess’s appearance.

White hair, emerald eyes, fair skin, and large eyes—her unpainted face bore a beauty mark on the bridge of her nose.

Though not stunning by Yu Sheng'an’s standards (he’d rate her a seven), the ethereal aura she exuded elevated her overall presence to a perfect ten.

"You are the seventh deity to set foot in Vias since its founding—though only a projection."

The Music Goddess spoke, her voice unexpectedly husky, as if she were holding a mouthful of glutinous rice balls.

"State your purpose, Outer God."

Yu Sheng’an wasn’t surprised by the title "Outer God."

Both the divine name he had chosen—"Internet God"—and the content of his prayers made it clear he was not of this world.

That said, Yu Sheng'an had no qualms about revealing his outsider status because, in this multiverse, Outer Gods were hardly a rarity.

Many deities follow the principle of "A cunning rabbit has three burrows," spreading their faith across multiple planes to prevent a devastating blow to their Believers in any single realm from disrupting their Source Essence supply.

"Before I explain my purpose, may I ask you a question?"

Without waiting for the Music Goddess to respond, Yu Sheng'an continued on his own:

"The cold-resistant, high-yield black grain was only recently developed, yet your envoy arrived in Willis City with remarkable speed."

"Rumors claim that Vias does not engage in agriculture, devoted solely to music. Yet, as I traveled here, I noticed your kingdom lacks no food."

"So, noble and beautiful Music Goddess, I must ask—if you have no shortage of food, why do you seek high-yield seeds?"

Aphnora's expression remained unchanged. "Food is vital for my people's survival. Is there an issue with me pursuing high-yield seeds?"

"Of course there is!" Yu Sheng'an raised his voice. "The world says the Music Goddess has no grand ambitions, content to tend only to herself. So I wonder—why would you need high-yield crops if that's true?"

Aphnora remained silent, her face indifferent.

Yu Sheng'an answered for her: "You want food to sustain more people, to expand your Source Essence spring! Am I wrong?"

Aphnora replied calmly, "Vias has limited territory. No matter how high-yield the black grain is, it can only support so many."

"Who knows if you have Believers in other planes?"

As he spoke, Yu Sheng'an felt—perhaps it was just his imagination—that the temperature in the hall seemed to drop slightly.

Yet when he looked at Aphnora, she remained unreadable. "You overthink things. The multiverse is vast, but the places we can traverse are already claimed. How could I possibly spread my faith?"

Lies!

Yu Sheng'an's instincts screamed. If she truly had no followers elsewhere, why bother explaining?

But lies were good.

They meant she had ambition.

And ambition made her persuadable—far better than someone with no desires at all.

Yu Sheng'an smiled and shifted the topic. "I came here to propose an alliance—to share my twenty million Believers with you!"

The moment the words left his lips, Aphnora's pupils contracted sharply, breaking her composure for the first time.

She quickly chuckled. "Share? Are you joking? How? Even the Five Great Righteous Gods of Azarea divide their rule."

Yu Sheng'an replied earnestly, "Have you heard of... NetEase Cloud?"