System, can I contact the leader of the System Lord pantheon? I asked. I half expected to be ignored, but I was pleasantly surprised when the system answered.
ATTENTION: REPEATED ANSWER. All additional information will only be accessible when you become a True God.
I sighed, annoyed with myself for actually thinking that the System was going to respond. For some reason, either the System or the System's creator wanted me to become a true god before it would tell me anything. Perhaps it wanted me to prove myself. Of course, there were a lot of things I needed to do, such as find the missing scouts.
Wait, I thought. I'm a god. They are my followers. It should be easy to find them.
I wanted to hit my head against the nearest wall. Although I had noticed that being a kobold had affected my thinking to some degree, I hadn't really considered the fact that my old ways of thinking were limiting me. I needed to think like a god, not a human, a kobold, or a dragon.
It was a little embarrassing that I hadn't thought of it sooner. I'd gotten so used to doing things like a mortal that I kept forgetting I didn't have to anymore. Being a kobold-turned-dragon-turned-god was still something I was getting used to.
Closing my eyes, I focused on my divine senses. It was like reaching out into the world, except I wasn't using my body. Instead, I let my awareness expand, searching for the scouts. It didn't take long to find them.
I sighed in relief when I discovered that they were fine. Not only that, but they also seemed to be having the time of their life. More than likely, Barda would be laying an egg when she made it back to the city. They were just further away than I had expected. Apparently, they had been delayed because they were inspecting a cave that looked promising.
Exhaling slowly, I felt the tension leave my shoulders. At least they weren't in danger. Still, I made a note to remind them to report in if they ever ran late again. Taking a deep breath, I closed my eyes and concentrated on my divine senses again, this time on Geyma.
Once I found her, I sent a mental command to her, Don't worry about the scouts. They are fine. Go ahead and check out the Ancient Mines. Just be careful. Retreat immediately if you sense even the slightest hint of danger.
Yes my lord, Geyma replied. He truly is divine, she thought. Strong, wise, powerful...
I chuckled as I heard her thoughts. Geyma's awe at my abilities was clear enough. Still, the corner of my mouth twitched. At least I knew she respected me, although maybe a little too much after hearing her next thoughts.
It would be an honor to carry his children. Little gods born of his might and my devotion. After that, she started thinking about how…
I broke the connection so fast it left my mind reeling, my eyes snapping open as if I'd been caught doing something I shouldn't. Heat rose to my cheeks, and I rubbed the back of my neck, unsure whether to laugh or groan. I hadn't anticipated that particular reaction. Then again, I probably should have though.
I was starting to wonder about telepathy and how gods view their followers. So far, almost every time I read someone's thoughts, I would regret it somehow. While Geyma's loyalty was admirable, I needed to be more careful when listening to her thoughts. Some things were better left unknown. I did wonder if I would ever get used to it.
Still, I decided to go ahead and check with the other kobolds in the city. I needed to start acting like a god. If there was one thing I was sure of, it was that gods were supposed to help their followers and listen to their prayers.
Usually, mortals sent prayers through rituals and offerings. That was the traditional way, and it ensured the god would hear them. When I created the Dragon God's System, I built it to answer some of their prayers or at least give them a way to get some of the things they wanted.
But gods could still hear the thoughts of their followers if they wanted to. They just had to take the time to concentrate on it. Curious, I decided to try. I closed my eyes again and focused on the connection I had to the kobolds in the city. It wasn't hard to feel them.
My followers' loyalty was like a steady flame that continuously fed me Faith Points. They were my people, and they trusted me completely. Although I was a little worried, I would regret it, I tried to sense some of their thoughts instead of their general emotions.
The first ones were simple, like the steady hum of a worker concentrating on shaping stone for a building. He wanted to make sure that future generations would remember the day when kobolds were given the opportunity to become god-like dragons. Then he started wondering if Azula would be willing to wash his back after work.
I could only shake my head and resist the temptation to chuckle. Kobolds really were simple creatures who were easy to please. Give them work, food, and "friendship," and they were happy. The next kobold's thoughts were much the same. I then shifted my focus to another. This one was daydreaming, their imagination filled with visions of soaring over the city, flames spewing from their mouths as female kobolds cheered at the scene.
It was humbling and a little overwhelming. Their faith in me wasn't just strong. It was absolute. They didn't just follow me because I was powerful. They believed in me with their whole hearts. The fact that I had given them the chance to become real dragons was a dream come true. I pulled back, letting my connection with them fade.
In fact, just in the time that I had been hopping from one kobold's mind to another, I had gained some Faith Points. With this in mind, I decided to write off one more thing I needed to do. I needed to keep my word and give the red dragon his tribute. While I might have become a god, that didn't mean I shouldn't keep my word, even if I was considered a chaotic evil god.
And what is up with that? I asked myself. Who decided that I was chaotic evil? Was it the Planar Will? Was it the creator of the god who created the system?
Pushing such thoughts aside, I turned invisible. Then I flew through the city, being careful so that I didn't bump into anyone. Everywhere, kobolds worked hard, and the city was taking shape. They didn't see me, of course, since I was invisible, not wanting to distract them.
I let my thoughts wander as I looked around the city, just absorbing the ambiance while trying to think about what I needed to do differently. Afterall, if I was able to easily solve one problem just by adjusting how I thought, maybe I could solve other problems in the same way. Thinking like a god was harder than I had expected though.
My instincts kept pulling me back to my old habits of thinking. My kobold instincts craved community, work, and... uh, other stuff. My dragon instincts demanded I encourage my kobolds to do other stuff so that I would have enough followers to create the most amazing dragon hoard in the world. As for my human instincts, they were actually the hardest to change.
What did it mean to think like a god? I wasn't sure. While I thought about it, I continued my flight, heading toward the western edge of the city. I was headed toward the red dragon's lair. The tribute was ready, and it was time to deliver it. For some reason, it bothered me enough that I felt like I had to do it. Keeping my word mattered, even if I was a chaotic god.
Before long, I had left the city behind and was on my way. Luckily, being a lesser god, I was able to fly even faster than before. Still, it did take a while to reach Einvaldskonungr's lair. Even with the considerable distance involved though, I was still no nearer to my goal of thinking like a god than when I had left the city.
It was as if I had a blind spot. I knew that I was missing something, but I had no idea what it was. I just felt that I was really close to coming to some type of realization. However, all that I could come up with was that fact that I was thinking too narrowly. I also knew that it was probably something obvious. In fact, I would probably feel like an idiot after realizing it too. The question was, What was I missing?