The moment the 'Cosmic Center' released the 'merit', all the gods in the 'Teyvat Universe' felt it, and they all raised their heads, looking towards the sky.
A meteor shower lit up the entire sky, falling towards the earth. Every meteor carried the power of the "master" of the Teyvat universe. In the face of such power, even gods seemed as insignificant as mortals.
The entire "Main World of Teyvat" and people from all realms of time and space raised their heads in shock, gazing at the beautiful, dreamlike sky. For many, it was their first time seeing such a miraculous spectacle.
"Wow! It's so beautiful. Did some god create this miracle?"
"Amazing!"
"The gods are truly whimsical, creating such a beautiful sky."
"Hurry, make a wish! Maybe your wish will be granted by the gods!"
While the people looked up at the meteor shower, pillars of light rose from the land of the 'main world' and all across different realms of time and space.
Most of the 'quasi-gods' who had participated in the mission ascended to the sky on the light of faith.
Sixteen pillars of light rose from Mondstadt.
Lisa, Diluc, Kaeya, Noelle, Albedo, Amber, Razor, Fischl, Rosaria, Sucrose, Eula, Klee, Barbara, Bennett, Diona, and Mika were bathed in the sacred light. With the people of Mondstadt looking up to them, they ascended to the sky on the gentle, holy light.
When Jean became a god, the people of Mondstadt witnessed this scene and knew exactly what was happening.
"Oh my god! Master Diluc, Mr. Albedo, Miss Barbara, they are becoming gods like Lady Vanessa and Acting Grand Master Jean!"
"Even Eula, the former noble from the Lawrence family, has become a god!"
"How can you say that? Miss Eula becoming a god proves her goodness."
"Yes, Acting Grand Master Jean has said that those who can become gods have fought for all the good things in the world."
"That's right. Let's apologize to Lady Eula—I mean, to the Lord God."
"Yes, I'm sorry... I was wrong, please forgive me."
Eula, in the process of becoming a god, could hear the voices of the people of Mondstadt looking up and worshipping her. She pursed her lips, her eyes moistening. She was being recognized by the people of Mondstadt, and she felt their sincerity.
Noelle blinked happily. "Ah! I've become a god! Now I will definitely pass the Knight of Favonius exam."
Lisa chuckled. "Miss Noelle is so determined. Your goal for becoming a god, Noelle, is just to become an official Knight of Favonius?"
Fischl opened her arms and declared, "I, the Prinzessin der Verurteilung, have revealed my true power here. Oz, my loyal servant, can you feel the surging power of this Prinzessin?"
Oz responded, "Indeed, my lady, your power knows no bounds."
Kaeya smiled. "So, what are you all planning to do now that you've become gods? As for me, I think I'll keep protecting Mondstadt as usual. After all, other than world missions, there's not much else to do, right, Diluc?"
However, Diluc was looking intently in the direction of Dawn Winery. When he saw two 'shooting stars' falling on the cemetery behind Dawn Winery, his eyes widened slightly.
"Father, Mother..." He suddenly turned to Kaeya.
"Kaeya... you..."
Kaeya smiled warmly. "Your wish could only resurrect one person. I had no particular wish, and your parents were like my family too, right?"
At that moment, a comedic voice broke the atmosphere.
"Oh, oh, oh, oh, ouch! It fell—it fell! Ouch, that hurts!"
In a beam of light, Bennett—who was becoming a god—suddenly fell from the sky, hitting his head and getting a bump.
The previously sacred "Ascension to God" ceremony instantly had the people of Mondstadt laughing.
"Hahaha... Even in becoming a god, Bennett can't escape his bad luck!"
"Not even the gods can stop Bennett's misfortune!"
Before they could laugh for long, an angry voice sounded.
"Ahhhh! Why?! Why is this happening?! Bacchus?! I don't want to be the god of wine! I hate wine the most!"
Diona was fuming in her beam of light. Her old father, who was nervously watching from below, swallowed hard when he heard the word "Bacchus."
Not only her father, but all the old drunkards in Mondstadt instantly kowtowed devoutly to the new God of Wine.
"The God of Bacchus has returned! Grant us endless divine wine!"
Even Venti, seeing Diona's reaction, couldn't help but chuckle, his mouth watering.
"The God of Bacchus... endless divine wine!"
He quickly put his hands together and knelt, praising loudly.
"Praise be to the heavenly principles! Praise be to the heavenly principles! I, Venti, shall forever honor Bacchus!"
Jean looked on in embarrassment at the Archon of Mondstadt, who was reduced to such a state after hearing the name "Bacchus."
At this moment, her "merit" was being released, her divine status rising. The "quality" and "quantity" of her divine power surged rapidly. The "authority" and "rules" she possessed became overwhelmingly powerful.
*Crack!*
Jean broke through a critical threshold, merging with the rules.
In one moment, her divine body turned into the rules; in the next, it re-formed from the rules.
She became a "higher god," the embodiment of the rules.
Venti returned to his senses, looking at Jean—the first human to become a "higher god" in the Mondstadt pantheon.
"A higher god... Mondstadt's divine system has finally revealed its true strength," he mused, looking in the direction of the ruins of the old Mondstadt city, sighing slightly.
"Dvalin, before this, only had the strength of a mid-level god. Even sharing some of the merit, he could only reach the peak of a higher god, still far from being a 'main god'."
"Until a few main gods appear in the Mondstadt pantheon, he will have to hold on alone."
"What else can I do? If he isn't strong enough, he might even get removed."
However, with his strength as a "first-level main god," the "Mondstadt pantheon" still ranked among the strongest of all gods.
*Buzz—*
Venti's face lit up in excitement. "My reward has finally arrived!"
He was already a "First-Level Main God." Though his comprehension of the truth was slow, he could now acquire more "rules."
He converted all his "merit" into new rules, opened his arms in delight, and closed his eyes, ready to receive the divine gift.
Rule after rule integrated into his godhead.
When he opened his eyes again—
"Not bad, not bad! Twenty-one rules—slowly but surely, it all adds up!"
He eagerly looked at his ranking.
Upon seeing the latest rankings, Venti's eyes nearly popped out.
"What?!"