Lusia Continent.
Not far from a human settlement.
While described as "not far," this was only true for higher races. For humans, traversing such a distance would take several months.
This land had been scorched into pitch-black glass by the extreme heat of the war. Massive glass pillars jutted diagonally into the sky like colossal spikes.
Amidst these spikes, a hazy ball of light pulsed like a heart, with conceptual laws enveloping the entire area.
An unimaginably vast "concept" continuously nourished this "heart."
Within the heart curled a tiny humanoid figure of light.
This luminous figure held a piece of a chess set in its hand, radiating emotions of joy, excitement, and nervousness throughout the surrounding space-time.
In truth, its consciousness had existed for a long time. However, the "concept" it belonged to had been far too weak—utterly insufficient to activate its "divine essence."
In this era where all life lived in "war," the concept of peace was rare.
Among all beings, the one who most firmly believed in this figure's concept was a mere, weak "human."
This moved the figure deeply, prompting it to secretly assist this weak "Human #317."
317 had been kept safe from the aftermath of the Ex-Machina's battle against the Dragon King and was guided to safety.
Though its concept was weak, it encompassed many rules:
"Fate," "Contract," "Deception," "Victory," and so on.
Though it touched on many rules, each was shallow—many, but not refined.
Its concept was essentially a patchwork of fragmented rules.
Originally, it believed it would protect the human who believed in it until death, and then fall back into slumber, uncertain of when it would awaken again.
Or perhaps its divine essence would be salvaged by the God of Forge and handed to the Dwarves to make an E-Bomb.
In which case, it would sleep forever.
But unexpectedly, the "One True God" of another universe arrived and claimed the Star Grail, gaining control over universal sovereignty.
Even more unexpected was that this "One True God" was resolving war through "Gift Games."
In that instant, the figure's concept of "Game" became the most powerful concept.
Even the gods of another universe were bound to obey it.
And those fellow gods—they were frighteningly powerful.
The moment the first Gift Game began, its divine essence was activated.
Concepts poured in without end, absorbed into its divine essence. It was about to be born.
And upon birth, it would already be far stronger than the former War God Artosh. Though not yet comparable to the current Artosh.
If Gift Games continued indefinitely, it would definitely reach, or even surpass, Artosh's current level.
The more it thought, the more excited and joyful it became, eager to manifest in form.
Just as it prepared to do so, a supreme voice echoed in its consciousness:
[If you're not a goddess, go back and be reforged. Also, your divine name shall be Tet.]
The forming Tet instantly froze, her spirit paralyzed. Realizing who had spoken, her divine essence trembled in fear.
This... this was the sovereign of another universe, the one who now held the Star Grail, the One True God of both universes.
Gulp...
Tet instantly anthropomorphized, her divine essence retreating.
The light dissipated, revealing her form:
Only about 1.4 meters tall, wearing a large checkered hat.
Her multicolored eyes bore the symbols of a square and a spade. Dressed in a pink jacket and blue shorts, her appearance sat between that of a young girl and a loli.
At that moment, she glanced around nervously, palms pressed together as she anxiously fidgeted.
"Um... Lord One True God, is this form acceptable?"
The One True God, wielder of world sovereignty—everything would shift according to His will. If not, she'd surely be reforged, and that was the last thing she wanted.
She had read that divine intent very clearly: the One True God had a preference for appearance. And now that His gaze was on her, if she drew His disfavor, she would be doomed.
[Looks good.]
With those two simple words, Tet immediately sensed that the presence watching her had vanished. She quickly wiped the cold sweat from her brow.
Gods were originally without gender, but once anthropomorphized, their personalities tended to align with their physical form.
"Phew, that was close. If I'd been disliked, I'd be toast."
She had initially intended to take on a male form, since she'd been most focused on that weak human.
"Hehe, but I finally have a form! With so many exciting Gift Games, how could the God of Games, Tet, possibly be left out?"
"Games! Here I come!"
Tet slapped her chest proudly and then cheerfully took to the sky, flying toward the nearest ongoing Gift Game.
...
Beside the Star Grail, Noah rested his chin in his hand, watching various scenes unfold, while rubbing his chin thoughtfully.
"Tsk tsk, once this universe is annexed, the concept of 'Game' will become immensely powerful thanks to the Gift Games. It might even become a 'Principle' someday."
Once this universe was annexed, combined with Teyvat's multiverse-level foundation, and a few more completed Pseudo Star Map Creations, Teyvat could be elevated straight into the 'Super Universe' class.
At that point, some powerful conceptual rules would ascend along with the universe to become 'Principles.'
"Principle of Time and Space," "Principle of Life and Death."
Just like the Imaginary Principle and Quantum Principle in the Tree and Sea cosmology.
Then, the concept of "Game" might truly become one of the first to ascend to a Principle, and Tet, the concept god of Games, would become the sovereign of the Game Principle.
Even before that point, as long as Gift Games continued to exist, Tet could endlessly grow stronger while anchored to the Teyvat Universe.
Although she might plateau at the "First-tier Primary God" stage for a while, with the potential of an Old Deus, she would surely comprehend a Principle quickly.
It had to be said—a concept god born of divine essence was far superior to the Archons born from Primordial Shards in Teyvat.
Had Teyvat not become a universe, its Archons wouldn't even compare to a single hair of an Old Deus.
Divine Essence and Primordial Shards were essentially similar substances, but Divine Essence held a higher conceptual hierarchy.
"Won't be long before Tet skyrockets to an 'Exceptional Primary God,'" Noah thought calmly.
Artosh was now also an Exceptional Primary God—without the status of Supreme God, but possessing Supreme-level combat power.
Once this universe was annexed, all of Teyvat's gods would undergo a complete "great upgrade."
All Upper Gods and above would become advanced concept gods, like the Old Deus.
"Still, with things as they are, the current divine system is completely inadequate."
"It's the perfect time for a significant update to the divine hierarchy—this time, pushing it straight to the multiversal level."
Noah's eyes turned toward the feeds from across the universe. All sorts of Gift Games were underway.
Conflict and war-type Gift Games were actually... relatively few.
...
At that moment, the Flügel were collectively devastated, as if half their faith had been shattered. In their hearts, the strongest, most invincible Creator had actually tasted defeat.
Only Jibril felt no disappointment—in fact, she was elated.
Where there is victory, there must also be defeat. Even Flügel had been slain by Gigants and Dragonia.
Artosh had withdrawn his power and returned to the Phantasma Avant Heim. By now, he had already noticed that the seven powerful Sovereigns who had been observing the battle had disappeared.
He wasn't angry. On the contrary, he felt joy and respect.
The Sovereign he had fought exuded far less presence than those seven—proof that the seven were even mightier.
That, in turn, affirmed that his own title of "strongest" was limited. No longer hollow, but full of meaning. He had found his purpose and the value of his existence.
For the gods, their concept was their purpose. If that concept could not be fulfilled, then their existence had no meaning.
"Lord Artosh..."
"You lost... sob sob..."
The Flügel, their faith in ruin, stood in a daze. Even their wings drooped.
Artosh said, "My feathers, victory and defeat are the most primal of heavenly principles. I am no exception. But because of that, I can now feel the value of existence."
"Your value is not in fighting for me, nor are you mere weapons. You have greater worth—worth you must discover yourselves."
"Even I, who created you, do not know what that is."
"If you can find the meaning of your existence, distinct and unique from others, then you will have shattered the false 'self.'"
Gods were incarnations of concepts, born with knowledge and omnipotence. Aside from being bound by their own concepts, they surpassed all other forms of life.
Artosh knew well that he was driven and constrained by his own concept, which had prevented him from finding his meaning. His "feathers" were the same.
They believed themselves weapons created for battle.
While it was true that he had created them to eliminate formidable enemies, over time they had diverged from that purpose. Now, with wills of their own, they could no longer be viewed as mere weapons.
Azril blinked, confused. As the eldest sister, she spoke first:
"Lord Artosh, I don't understand what you mean."
"Yeah, what does 'not mere weapons' even mean?"
"Discovering greater value?"
"Finding a unique value different from others?"
"What exactly are you trying to say, Lord Artosh?"
The Flügel, created by the strongest god, had intelligence that far surpassed other races. They could grasp almost any concept or issue instantly.
But when it came to ideas like "self," "value," and "meaning," they fell into logical deadlocks.
Shedding the belief that they were just weapons and finding a new sense of self-worth was incredibly difficult for them.
"Unique personal value..." Jibril blinked, as though she'd half-understood something. She felt like she was grasping at an idea, but couldn't fully comprehend it.
She scratched her head and drooped her shoulders.
"Lord Artosh's words are too profound... I can't understand them at all..."
Just then, a Gift Game for the Flügel appeared.
[Gift Game Name: Battle or the Search for Self?]
Battle and the search for a new self may be interconnected.
Perhaps the gods from Teyvat hold the answers you seek.
Challenge them. Defeat them. Or find your purpose through their words.
Participants: All Flügel, all Lower and Middle Gods of Teyvat
Victory Condition for Individual Flügel: Defeat your opponent, or discover your true self.
Penalty for Defeat: Your life imprint will belong to the Teyvat Universe.
Organizers: Teyvat's Heavenly Principle, Disboard's One True God
The Flügel didn't fully grasp what the Gift Game meant, but they did understand that each of them would need to defeat a uniquely matched opponent.
In the next moment, thousands of golden meteors streaked toward the Flügel's location.
The Flügel were few in number, only several thousand, so the gods from Teyvat participating in the Gift Game were also limited.
Those who received the "mission" were overjoyed. Those who didn't were pounding their chests in frustration.
This was free merit!
"To discover a new sense of existence... The higher you climb on the ladder of life, the harder it is to redefine your meaning. If you wish to search, I wouldn't mind serving as your teacher."
A charming, mature voice rang out.
Standing at the front of the group was Lisa, librarian of Mondstadt's pantheon, now a top-tier Middle God. She was only one step and a bit of merit and insight away from becoming an Upper God.
Her title as "librarian" was no longer so simple. The library of the Mondstadt pantheon now held not just ordinary knowledge, but divine knowledge collected across the pantheon.
As the God of Scholars, knowledge was her power.
Among Middle Gods, she ranked in the top thirty.
Standing beside her were familiar Middle Gods from the original Seven Nations of Teyvat:
Noelle, Amber, Fischl, Barbara, Diona, Eula.
From Liyue: Yaoyao, Yun Jin, Yelan, Qiqi, Beidou.
From Sumeru: Nilou, Candace, Dehya, Layla, Dori, Faruzan.
From Fontaine: Charlotte, Navia, Sigewinne.
From Inazuma: Sangonomiya Kokomi, Kirara, Yoimiya, Sayu, Kujou Sara.
From Snezhnaya: Lynette, Arlecchino.
All of these were still Middle Gods from the original Teyvat Seven Nations.
Noah had intentionally shifted focus onto them.
Otherwise, with all future worlds being of universal scale, Teyvat's lower and middle tiers would fall behind.
After this series of tasks, the original Teyvat Seven Nations' middle and lower ranks would quickly rise in tier.
They would all eventually become Upper Gods. Those who were already Upper Gods would ascend even further.
...
Noelle looked at her opponent. This was her first time engaging in such a formal battle. Gently, she said, "If you're trying to find a new sense of purpose, I'll help you."
Azril licked her lips, eyes glowing with bloodlust: "Rather than some new meaning, I think beating you quickly is more efficient."
"Enough talk. You seem strong—like facing a Dragonia."
"But you can't be as tough as a Dragonia with multiple temporal bodies."
A bit flustered, Noelle summoned a greatsword: "T-then let's begin. I won't go all out. I won't hurt you."
Azril felt insulted and underestimated. Gritting her teeth: "You dare look down on me? Us god-slaying weapons?"
Energy surged from her body. Violet-black power formed into a scythe as she charged in, breaking the sound barrier.
The Flügel, in unison, chose direct combat. Even the most rebellious "Exceptional Unit," Jibril, was no exception.
Rumble rumble rumble rumble rumble—
A grand battle erupted across the cosmic deep space.
...
Meanwhile, on the Divine Star's Lusia Continent—
A unique Gift Game for humanity appeared.
[Gift Game Name: The Birth of Civilization]
The hymn of humanity is a hymn of courage.
The greatness of humanity is the greatness of its courage.
Overcome all hardships and establish a civilization uniquely human. Prove your intelligence and wisdom.
Participants: All humans of Disboard
Victory Condition: Establish a civilization with the assistance of Teyvat gods.
Penalty for Defeat: ???
Support Participants: Any god of Teyvat
Organizers: Teyvat's Heavenly Principle, Disboard's One True God
The Gift Game decree descended before the silent, migrating band of humans—right into the hands of their leader, Riku.
Riku stared at the decree, cold sweat beading down his face, stunned by the Voice of the Cosmos that had just echoed in his ears.
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