"That's probably because of the war between the Valla Empire and the Grand Duchy of Rominos, leaving many refugees."
The branch chief answered absentmindedly.
"Start a war in the winter? Are they serious? "
Marni, who had been trying to strike up a conversation showed a look of surprise.
Winter was the coldest time of the year, with months of gloomy skies and frightening snows that could destroy any army.
Unless it was a nation that worshipped the God of Flames and had the protection of a deity to nullify the damage caused by low temperatures, most armies would lose the ability to march or fight in the cold. Even if they forced a war, as long as the enemy relied on the city walls to defend, they could easily wear down an army that was a dozen times stronger!
That was why there was an unwritten rule in this world: as long as a war dragged on until winter, it would automatically enter a truce. Many smaller nations relied on that unwritten rule to catch a breather.
"According to the Brilliant White Church's declaration, Lionel, the God of Light, and Kratos, the God of War, of the Seven Divine Fathers had an irreconcilable conflict in their divine kingdom. Cainphas of the Valla Empire worships Lionel, while the Silver Goat-Horn Duke of the Grand Duchy of Rominos is a loyal believer of Kratos. Under the god's will, the two nations began a 'One Year War', and the outcome of the war would decide the winner of the wager between the gods."
"Wager …?"
"Yes. Since the war between the gods was so widespread, the honor of deciding the outcome was given to Cainphas and the Silver Goat-Horn Duke." The branch chief said. "They used Lovinia, one of the four great cities of the former Tierra Empire, as their battleground. It was said that the city had been reduced to rubble, and the original citizens had lost their homes, which was why they became refugees and came to this area. "
"…"
Marni did not say anything as he watched the branch chief excitedly predict the identity of the army.
In the past, he would have thought that such a thing was perfectly normal under the influence of this world's environment, and after mourning for the refugees of Lovinia for a while, he would do what he had to do.
But after becoming a Player, he had a completely different feeling after interacting with the God of Games.
That god would prepare a gift called the 'system' for every believer, and after accepting the gift, the original believer would officially become a 'player'.
The God of Games would not bind his believers with daily prayers, weekly worship and mass, nor would he require his believers to show their devotion to the bishops of his church every once in a while.
On the contrary, the system's EXP setting was like a god encouraging the players to explore and take risks, using the most freedom to follow their hearts to explore the world.
Even if they would occasionally trigger quests similar to divine decrees, there was no compulsion. Players could choose to give up on the quests, but most would not do so, instead following the guidance of the quests and completing the quests in their happiest manner, enjoying the rewards from the gods.
If one were to describe other gods as slave masters who sat upon the heads of their believers, waving their whips high above and forcing their believers to sacrifice everything for themselves, the God of Games was more like an elder and a friend. He would silently watch over his believers' growth, and when necessary, he would give them a little push from behind so that they could overcome insurmountable hurdles.
Even if the God of Games did not borrow the mouths of clergymen to tell his believers that the gods pity them like other gods did, Marni could clearly feel that:
The God of Games loves his believers (Xi Wei sneezed in his divine kingdom).
That was precisely why Marni felt that the God of Light and the God of War were indifferent towards humans, even their own believers. They were even using a war that would cause countless deaths and families to be torn apart as a bargaining chip …
It was no wonder why the king of Tierra would risk universal condemnation to worship the God of Games.
It was also no wonder why Tierra would be destroyed by the puppets of other gods in the mortal realm.
An indescribable feeling of suffocation was making Marni very uncomfortable.
He accepted the letter of identification from the branch chief and took off the ring that represented his identity as the Silver Windchime, returning it to the chief before turning to leave the room without another word.
It was only when he stepped out of the house and breathed in the chilly air of winter that Marni felt the tightness in his chest soothed a little. "I'm starting to miss those clowns back in town …"
Be that as it may, he had no intention of giving up on his mission to preach among the refugees.
In fact, after understanding that the God of Games was the only god who stood on the side of humans, Marni decided to do his best to recruit as many believers as he could without attracting the attention of other churches.
As an ordinary human, this was one of the few things he could do to help the God.
Just as Marni climbed into his carriage and was about to drive to the refugee camp outside the city in search of someone worth preaching to, the figure of a girl suddenly appeared around the corner up ahead and caught his attention.
She looked to be about sixteen or seventeen years old and seemed to be running away from someone. Although she looked very disheveled, it still could not hide her beautiful face. Her golden hair, which was like sunshine, was tied into a ponytail and swayed as she ran. In this winter, it seemed to bring some wonderful warmth.
Of course, Marni was a traveling merchant who had gone through countless asuras and immortals, and was no longer a person who would be easily influenced. What really caught his attention was the white name that floated above her head.
Leah Yakaran.
That was when the girl saw Marni in his carriage and the Player's name that floated above Marni's head in the same style as hers.
At once, the anxious girl stopped in her tracks and hesitated for a moment before asking tentatively, "Game, grant us new life?"
Marni nodded at her words, understanding that she was a Player who believed in the God of Games just like he did. "Game, grant us new life!"
After all, it was a secret code used to unlock the System granted by the God of Games. On Earth, it was the equivalent of 'Namo Amitabha' spoken by monks, 'The Boundless Lord' spoken by Daoists, 'Two Lines of Tears' spoken by Wandering Earthlings', and 'Two Blossoms' spoken by Sexologists. In short, it was a secret code that only believers of the God of Games would know.