Maya, under the curious gazes of everyone present, explained:
"The rune patterns just now weren't permanent—those were the 'login ID and password.'"
"Everyone, please turn your attention to Mr. Fet."
Following Maya's gesture, both the mortals and gods alike turned to look at the man in the trench coat. He, too, was wearing a ring-like ornament and traced a few strange symbols in the air. Soon after, a gray-white interface identical to Maya's appeared before him.
Then, the man in the trench coat sent a message, and almost instantly, the same message appeared on the gray-white screen in front of Maya.
A string of text followed a simple username: [Trenchcoat].
Maya typed a reply:
[Beer Enthusiast]: Received.
In its earliest form, this was what forums looked like—no avatars, no images, just a basic chat room with simple personal IDs and a plain, almost dull background.
Yet, despite its simplicity, everyone was left in awe, exclaiming in surprise.
The exchange of information was almost instantaneous, with no noticeable delay. Though the demonstration took place between the stage and the back row of the audience, no one believed that this was the system's limit.
On the contrary, though the distance wasn't far, communicating clearly over such a range would require more than just shouting. One would need to get closer to ensure the message was properly conveyed.
But now, that was no longer necessary.
These two windows could be used across vast distances, with the ease and speed of a prayer to a god. And yet, the interaction required no faith, no prayer & no value.
Before the mortals could voice their astonishment, the gods were already wide-eyed in disbelief. But before they could speak, Ashur addressed the requirements for using this "orum:
"As you've seen, no faith, prayers & value is necessary. It allows two individuals, no matter how far apart, to interact with minimal delay. However, I must point out that this system comes with conditions."
"What you see now is only the first version. For your divine faith to spread to other worlds and for this system to gain widespread adoption, you'll need to install signal stations in your divine realms or temples."
There was no better place for signal stations than a god's divine realm, especially since many gods' faith extended across multiple worlds. Using something as abstract and powerful as faith as the medium for signals would be incredibly efficient.
However, Ashur knew well that the gods wouldn't agree to this.
Because it was a preposterous suggestion.
It needed to be paired with a more reasonable offer.
Regardless of nationality, people tended to compromise. If you proposed tearing down the entire roof, they would vehemently refuse. But if you merely suggested opening a window, they might just agree.
The divine realms of gods were sacred and hidden, even from their most devout followers, to prevent rival gods from attacking or causing mischief. After all, plenty of gods leaned toward madness and chaos, though they didn't often show themselves in more civilized worlds.
One could only imagine the chaos if such gods were to reside permanently in more advanced civilizations. Their very presence would create a paradox, for a world couldn't develop such high levels of civilization with gods of chaos constantly interfering.
Take, for example, the great painter from another world. The God of Colors he worshiped was a bit chaotic but limited his madness to the canvas. He didn't turn entire worlds into paintings or blotches of paint.
While he leaned toward madness, he hadn't completely lost his sanity. In contrast, the God of Sacrifice often bordered on chaos, but even he wasn't a fully chaotic god.
However, some gods were entirely devoted to creating madness and disorder, for the value they sought came from the chaos they sowed.
There was also a crucial point—no matter how powerful you were as a god, once your divine realm was exposed, it was vulnerable. Any random entity could seize the opportunity while you were off giving lectures or wandering about and tear your realm apart. When you returned, your home would be gone, and you'd have no idea who did it. It would drive you mad.
Sure enough, many gods subtly shook their heads, immediately rejecting the idea of installing signal stations in their divine realms. But as for placing them in temples? They had no qualms.
No problem at all.
After all, temples and churches were widespread, serving as conduits between the divine and mortal realms. Installing signal stations in temples wouldn't change much. The gods could still connect to the mortal world via the stream of faith. The only downside might be slightly weaker signals.
A slower internet speed? So be it.
"Won't letting mortals and gods communicate in the same forum cause chaos?" a priest asked, concerned that this might lead to disrespect for the gods.
Ashur laughed, his sketch-like body moving in exaggerated gestures as he responded, "Devout priest, your faith in your god is admirable. They are fortunate to have such a loyal servant."
"However, the old way of praying isn't as efficient. Allow me to demonstrate."
With that, Ashur left the fictional space, returning to his divine realm. The virtual space magnified and replicated the chat window, ensuring that every spectator could clearly see the next steps.
Maya typed into her window.
[Beer Enthusiast]: @God of Fiction, please respond to my request.
[God of Fiction] has entered Beer Enthusiast's chat room.
[God of Fiction]: @Beer Enthusiast, I'm here. What's the matter?
[Beer Enthusiast]: Could you grant me a blessing? Perhaps a bottle of beer?
[God of Fiction] has granted a bottle of beer. Collect it at any mailbox in the real world by entering the code 12345.
At this point, the crowd was on the verge of a standing ovation, their exclamations of astonishment never-ending. Meanwhile, the chat windows continued to fill with text, one line after another, without pause.
[God of Fiction]: Now, let me show you all how to prevent unwanted interactions from fake believers on this forum.
[Trenchcoat] has entered Beer Enthusiast's chat room.
[Trenchcoat]: @God of Fiction, Oh, great God of Fiction, grant me eternal life.
[God of Fiction] has added Trenchcoat to the block list.
[Trenchcoat]: My lord, are you there?
(Your message has been rejected by the recipient. The recipient may not be your friend.)