“Watson, you said that you would not ban the church. Do you consider yourself the ruler of this kingdom? Now that the gods are fighting each other and wreaking havoc on the kingdom, they will no longer protect it. The priests will lose their power if the gods do not protect them. Do you want those powerless people to remain priests?”

The civil officials were the first to question Watson after hearing his words.

The civil officials wanted to know what Hoen said when he refuted them. Hoen’s words made sense, even if they did not want to admit it. Even if they ban the church or allow it to grow, it would not solve the problem. It was a difficult problem that neither side was able to solve.

“I do not consider myself the ruler of this kingdom. I am not that proud of myself.”

Watson waved his hand, and a childlike smile appeared on his face. “Do not worry, everyone. Pay attention! I propose that the church not be banned because doing so would cause a large number of professionals to lose their strength. However, I disagree with maintaining faith in the seven gods. Because if we continue to worship the seven gods, today’s incident will occur again sooner or later. I propose for the church members to believe in someone else.”

“Who?”

Watson pointed to himself. “Me.”

What?

Everyone in the room was taken aback when they heard Watson’s words. They did not react right away. If Watson had come with a god’s recommendation, it would have at least stabilized the situation, even if it would not solve the problem of gods doing whatever they wanted in the mortal world. What exactly did that mean? Did Watson want to become the kingdom’s god?

Watson had just stated that he was not a proud man, but he also wished to become a god. Was that not a sign of arrogance?

“Young Master Watson, from what I understand, those who can become a god must have the strength of a god. Only then will they be able to absorb the faith and send divine power to assist those in need. Do you have that kind of strength?” Hoen’s eyes narrowed as he asked softly.

“I do. I would not have made that suggestion if I did not have it.”

Watson nodded and smiled. “Everyone, I want to be the Holy Dragon Kingdom’s new god, replacing the seven gods in the church. This is an order, not a request. I am directing everyone to adhere to my plans.”

“I have nothing to oppose because Young Master Watson has said so.”

Macrotov stepped back and returned to the group of civil servants.

All of the civil officials remained silent and agreed. On the other hand, no generals objected either. It seemed as if whatever Watson did was right and proper.

“Since no one has any doubts about my plan, I will announce it to the various churches. I will tell them to erect my statue and worship me as soon as possible. At the same time, disseminate this information throughout the kingdom.” Watson motioned with his hand.

The generals, led by Hoen, bowed respectfully and left to make preparations. No one looked back at King Landhar III as they walked away. King Landhar III grimaced. An illusory chess piece emitting starlight appeared in Watson’s chest.

Watson was regarded as the world’s chess piece due to his role as the human race chess piece. He did not require any titles. There was no way to go against what Watson said as long as he was a human. Even King Landhar III trusted Watson’s words instinctively.

Watson turned his head and looked at him as if sensing his gaze. His smile widened, and there was a tinge of relaxation in it. He seemed to be telling the King that he would have a way to check whatever trick the King would play.

King Landhar III sighed and turned to walk toward the palace. “I am sorry, Watson, but I am a little tired. I will return to the palace to get ready for other matters. I will reorganize the church and leave the task of constructing a faith to you.”

“You can rest assured, Your Majesty. I can still accomplish such a simple task as establishing a new faith. I hope you will pay more attention to other matters in the kingdom and avoid making any further errors. Otherwise, I will have to assist you.”

“I can do it.”

King Landhar III turned around and walked out of the street after exchanging a few simple words with Watson. His back was much more hunched than before, and he appeared lonely. Conspiracies and tricks were sometimes rendered useless in the face of absolute power. King Landhar III had heard that saying for a long time, but he had only just truly understood it.

Sylvan remained silent after exchanging glances with Watson. Instead, he quickly followed King Landhar III and resumed his duties.

When King Landhar III left, the people around Watson dispersed and began to carry out his orders. The original statues were soon toppled, and word of a new statue spread throughout the capital. Magical tools spread like wildfire throughout the kingdom.

In the cathedral…

“Bishop, His Majesty has just sent us an order to demolish the status and replace them with new ones. He wants to change our faith in the seven gods to Watson.”

“Watson is only a kingdom genius, not a god,” a priest said while standing in the hall where they worshipped the statues. “Isn’t it a blasphemy to believe in Watson? Rather, we should resign from the priesthood and pursue another career to cultivate again.”

The Holy Dragon Kingdom’s frequent changes have posed a significant challenge to the priests. Their unwavering faith in the gods had shifted as well. If the gods could not bring them happiness, it was understandable that they lost their faith in them.

“According to what I have heard, Watson was the one who issued the order. And His Majesty and all of the ministers have agreed to it! I have to say that Watson’s plan to become a god is far too audacious. What should we do now, Your Eminence?” another priest said.

“What else can we do? It doesn’t matter if it was Watson’s idea or not because His Majesty and the ministers have agreed to it. Demolish the remaining sculptures and convert them to a statue of Watson.”

The bishop sighed. Those priests could change their professions and stop worshiping the gods, but he had dedicated his entire life to the gods. It took him a long time to rise to the position of bishop. After just one battle, the gods were no longer protecting the kingdom. His life would be ruined if he did not find a new faith.

The more he had, the more afraid he was of losing it—that was his state of mind.

“What kind of god would treat us devout believers so casually?” the bishop said with gritted teeth as he stared at the five statues that had already collapsed in the hall in front of him, as well as the remaining two statues of the Goddess of Shadow and Potion and the statue of the time traveler. They had fought for their own selfish desires, almost destroying the capital. They are worse than a human! Rather than having faith in such gods, I might as well find a random faith that will protect my position.”

With that in mind, and seeing the two priests beside him remained motionless, the red-robed bishop grabbed the solid wooden chair that had been placed in the great hall. He walked up to the statues and smashed them to pieces.

Under the gazes of the two priests, the two sculptures shattered into a pile of dregs, emitting a dull cracking sound. Neither of the sculptures reacted at all during the process. It was as if they had unspokenly agreed to that result.

The bishop threw his chair away and knelt on the ground. “I want to repent to the sky,” he said as he clasped his hands together. “I had believed in the wrong god, and it almost destroyed my home. That was due to my lack of knowledge. Fortunately, the sky provided me with a new direction. I am willing to change my mind and believe in Young Master Watson. He is everything to me from now on. I shall love him more than I love myself.”

“The bishop has truly come to trust Watson.”

“I have a feeling the bishop is about to go insane, smashing the god’s statue with his own hands. I wonder if he will face the gods’ wrath.”

The two priests looked at the bishop as he recited the prayer to Watson, their eyes filled with pity. They did not want to leave the church and go without work, but they also did not want to pray to a 12 or 13-year-old child. Praying to a teenager was not only embarrassing but also pointless. It would be strange if there were any benefits to praying to a child.

When they were all thinking the same thing, a bright light burst out from the red-robed bishop’s body as he prayed. The bishop’s body erupted with a powerful force. The force changed in mid-air. It transformed into a pupil-less eye at times, and a lively green ball of light in the shape of the World Tree at others. Finally, two waves of energy changed in mid-air, and a diamond-tier aura encircled the red-robed bishop’s body. It developed into a storm.

The two priests were blown away by the powerful storm, and they hugged the stone pillar in the hall tightly. They were not taken aback, but they did appear stunned.

“What is going on?”

After praying, the bishop stood up in front of them. His body straightened, and the wrinkles on his face faded significantly. “I can feel my power increasing as I progress from peak gold-tier to diamond-tier. After praying, I feel as if I have made a connection with Watson, and a vast amount of knowledge has been transferred to me from Watson! That feeling is similar to when I prayed to the gods and received their blessings, but it is much stronger. Watson can accept our faith and do the same thing as the gods. It is not impossible for him to dethrone the gods and become the church’s new god. The church is saved.”