CHAPTER 409: BOILING A FROG IN WARM WATER

No third party was present at the battle between the Thunder Heavenly King and the God of Darkness, so Lin Bai could freely arrange the narrative. Moreover, every word he spoke was the truth, the kind that could be verified by the Truth-telling Technique.

Belief is both the source of strength for the gods and their curse. Otherwise, they wouldn’t have excitedly rallied to battle against the Heavenly Kings upon hearing the news of a Divine Status being taken away, without making any discernment. Not a single deity would permit a challenge to their vulnerabilities.

However, Lin Bai was now offering them a new possibility: to break away from faith and become gods truly detached from worldly affairs. The temptation was too great; even the Earth Goddess, who had the most followers, felt her heart flutter.

"Is what you’re saying true?"

"But I heard that the God of Darkness also lost his freedom," the Forest Goddess and the Wisdom Goddess said simultaneously.

"During the battle between the God of Darkness and the Thunder Heavenly King, the God of Darkness was utterly subdued and had no choice but to become a puppet," Lin Bai said with a sincere smile. "If you don’t wish it, I won’t force or coerce any of you. In fact, I seldom take the initiative to seal others. All along, those I’ve sealed were enemies who provoked me during my journey of growth..."

The gods’ excitement simmered down once more. Compared to faith, freedom was more precious. Becoming true gods but losing their freedom—it would be more prudent to kill Lin Bai.

"Gods, if you understand me, you should know that I come from the Righteous Door, which roams above the Three Thousand Worlds and exists at the same level as game companies."

Lin Bai could clearly sense the emotions of the gods, but he appeared oblivious and continued, "My master once told me about the cycle of karma: once a cause is made, a corresponding effect must be borne. My past enemies tried to kill me. It stands to reason that I would seal them and not bear any karma for it.

"I had no grudge against the God of Darkness, yet I sealed his freedom. Although it was to save him, I will still bear the consequences of this action. For instance, you all want to kill me right now to prevent future trouble.

"Is there any resentment between us? No. We don’t even have conflicts of interest, let alone know each other. However, because of the God of Darkness, because I helped him out of kindness, we inexplicably became enemies. This is the power of karma.

"Therefore, in most cases, I will not casually seal innocent people. Even if you beg me, I might not necessarily seal you. There’s no benefit in it for me. If I accumulate too much karma, I will certainly suffer a greater backlash, possibly even affecting my cultivation..."

This was a strategic retreat. Lin Bai had always had a knack for manipulating people’s hearts. I’ve shown you the benefits, and I’ve also told you the consequences you’d have to bear. You think being sealed by me is bad, but if you begged me to seal you, I might not even be willing! You think I wanted to seal the God of Darkness? Not at all! I’m innocent too!

An image of someone doing good but bearing evil consequences was thus successfully established.

...

The gods fell silent once again.

"You built a Magpie Bridge between two worlds and deliberately instigated a war between them!" The Wisdom Goddess continued to challenge Lin Bai, determined to unmask him.

"Atis, have you ever heard a story called ’The Frog in Slowly Warming Water’?" Lin Bai asked, looking at the Wisdom Goddess.

"Never," the Wisdom Goddess replied.

"A wise man once conducted an experiment. He threw a frog into boiling water, and it quickly jumped out. But if he put the frog in cold water and slowly warmed the water, the frog wouldn’t notice the danger. By the time the water became hot enough for it to realize the peril, it would be too late for the frog to escape."

After concisely explaining the story, Lin Bai looked around at the gods and said calmly, "Forgive me for being blunt, but in this chaotic game, you are those frogs in warming water. You allow these players to survive in your world, always assuming everything is under your control. By the time you realize the danger, it will likely be too late for any reaction, because you have no idea what’s happening in the outside world."

The Wisdom Goddess’s expression darkened considerably in an instant.

"Do you think the players will discover that your power comes from faith? They are immortal and possess the wisdom of another world. Could they subtly influence your followers?" Lin Bai said, pointing at the players in Free City, "In fact, it’s quite simple to achieve this: enable your followers to become self-sufficient, possessing enough spiritual and material wealth, and they will naturally break away from their reliance on deities..."

"Silence!" several deities cried out in unison.

"You find my words distasteful? You think if I don’t say it, they won’t realize it?" Lin Bai shook his head, contempt in his eyes, "That’s just like the saying ’plugging one’s ears while stealing a bell’—thinking that if you cover your own ears, others can’t hear the ringing. That’s exactly what you’re doing. You’re too naive. You have no idea what sparks will fly when two civilizations collide, or what kind of changes it will bring! What’s more, there’s the Fairy World out there, and beyond the Fairy World, there’s the game company!"

"Say no more," the Wisdom Goddess said coldly, her face livid.

"You’ve all lived in your own world for too long—so long that you only think about maintaining the status quo. Atis, when one’s wisdom is shackled by a narrow perspective, that wisdom becomes covered in dust." Lin Bai looked at the Wisdom Goddess with pity and sighed softly, "What I did was merely swap the tepid water you survive in for hot water. When you were at the peak of your power, I brought the danger right before you, tearing away the fog that clouded your eyes. I did this so you would reacquaint yourselves with this world, so you wouldn’t, in the end, die without even knowing how."

All the deities were stunned. They stared at Lin Bai in a daze, each falling into silence. Their gazes towards Lin Bai were complicated; after his speech, their perception of him had completely changed.

"Actually, the Immortal World on the other side faces the same problem. Initially, the cultivators there also considered me an enemy. But I showed them the ferocity of the players and the miserable state that awaited after ascension. Now, they are my like-minded companions."

A sacred and confident glow suffused Lin Bai’s face. "As distance tests a horse’s strength, so time reveals a person’s heart. I have never been a villain. Even if you currently think what I’m doing is wrong and harmful to you, time will ultimately prove everything."

...

「Real World」

Tuohai and the others watching the live broadcast were dumbstruck.

They had seen the gods, brimming with killing intent, and had thought a fierce battle was inevitable. They never expected it to end this way.

Even though they had witnessed firsthand the torment the God of Darkness, sealed as a puppet, had endured at their Master’s hands, they still couldn’t discern if what Lin Bai said was truth or fabrication.

They even felt that everything Lin Bai said sounded right... How terrifying! Is this the power of Spoken Law Follows?

Tu Yanchong looked at Lin Bai with utter admiration. Even though he was hundreds of years older than Lin Bai, at this moment, he felt he was still too young.

Xu Longyun’s, Jiang Qingqin’s, and the others’ eyes shone brightly. This is our man! His commanding strategic view and his ability to call black white are enough to overwhelm anyone.

On the screen, bullet comments flew thick and fast.

"Shopkeeper Lin outdebated the gods! So powerful and domineering!"

"I thought Lin Bai would be done for as soon as he showed up. These gods are too cowardly; he bluffed them with just a few words."

"Why do I feel like Lin Bai is telling the truth?"

"According to a normal game script, when we fight these God BOSSes, we might actually have to target their believers. This is an unprecedented game mechanic. It’s a shame Lin Bai completely ruined it."

"As expected, Lin Bai has always harbored deep malice towards us players. The threat he poses is no less than Dream Heavenly King’s."

"Dream Heavenly King only used his Skills to force players to delete their accounts. But Lin Bai wants to eradicate the joy of gaming from its very roots. I really hope they both perish and give us back a fair gaming world!"

"I’m going to start a poll on the forum: who’s more harmful, Lin Bai or Dream Heavenly King?"

"Lin Bai’s fans, wake up! Your idol never intended for you to enjoy the game properly."

"Who says games have to be all about fighting and killing? Wouldn’t it be great if all worlds were peaceful and everyone could just play happily together?"

"That’s not a game, that’s playing house."

"The Lin Bai sycophant above, get out!"

"Members of the Anti-Linbai Alliance, get out! You’re the real cancer in this game. Sooner or later, we’ll exterminate every last one of you!"

...

In no time, the opposing sides on the livestream were engaged in a heated argument through the bullet comments.

「Eastern Continent.」

General Chen was also watching the livestream. Seeing the two sides squabbling, he shook his head. "I never thought Lin Bai would use the ’frog in warming water’ analogy in this situation."

Cheng Xunyun said regretfully, "Speaking of which, our world, including the players selected by the game companies—aren’t we also like frogs in warming water, being slowly boiled? By the time we realize the danger, we’re already too deeply trapped to escape."

General Chen looked at Cheng Xunyun and chuckled. "Xiao Cheng, you’ve been brainwashed by Lin Bai. This isn’t a good sign."

Cheng Xunyun was taken aback, then smiled bitterly. "But I genuinely think he’s right."

General Chen said, "Compared to those gods at their peak, we are weak. For us, being frogs in warming water might not be entirely bad; at least we have a process to adapt. Lin Bai has suddenly thrown us into scalding water. We probably wouldn’t even have the strength to jump out; we’d just be boiled alive instantly."

Cheng Xunyun froze. "..."

General Chen sighed once again. "Now, we don’t even have the qualifications to be players in this game."

...

Once caught in Lin Bai’s linguistic traps, everything would seem logical and flawless. After all, Lin Bai was a man who could concoct perfect origins for his randomly awarded System Skills and deceive an entire world with them.

To this day, most players and natives still firmly believed in the existence of the Laws he preached, tirelessly using the cultivation methods Lin Bai taught, hoping for a meteoric rise to power.

"Gods, good advice is often harsh to the ear, but it is beneficial. Although my words may sound unpleasant, they are the truth. I’ve told you all my thoughts and intentions without any concealment." Lin Bai looked at the silent gods with a smile, gave them an elegant bow, and said, "If you still insist on viewing me as an enemy, then I have nothing more to say. I can only seek an opportunity to cooperate with an Evil God from the Lord of the Abyss’s faction."

"Do you have no distinction between good and evil in your heart?" the Goddess of the Moon couldn’t help but ask. "The Lord of the Abyss is a symbol of evil and fury. If you cooperate with him, what will become of the world?"

"One must choose the lesser of two evils. In any case, it’s far better than the world’s destruction. After all, I have more than just your world to save," Lin Bai replied.

"Why doesn’t your master intervene?" the Earth Goddess asked. "Since they possess power equal to the game company, resolving this disaster should be easy for them."

All the players watching the livestreams pricked up their ears.

"Beings from higher-dimensional civilizations cannot enter lower-dimensional worlds," Lin Bai explained. "It’s like how we can’t walk into a painting. If they were to solve the problem, the easiest method would be to destroy the entire painting. Byleth, do you want to see such an outcome? Right now, they don’t want to destroy this painting, so they chose me from within it to solve this difficult problem..."

The Earth Goddess’s expression changed. She subconsciously looked up at the sky, as if imagining what the world outside the painting was like.

"In my master’s eyes, whether it’s you or the Lord of the Abyss, all are equivalent forms of life; there’s no distinction between good and evil. Therefore, having been taught by my master, I uphold the same philosophy. In my heart, black and white, good and evil—they are all the same. All sentient beings are equal," Lin Bai said with a faint smile.

"If all these matters are resolved, will you leave this world?" the Earth Goddess asked.

Lin Bai also looked up at the sky. "Perhaps I will. My master told me that the Heavenly Dao I have been striving to comprehend is the method to transcend this world. Unfortunately, my path has already strayed. I’ve ventured further and further down the Way of Love, and I can no longer see where the future lies..."

...

「Real World.」

Xu Longyun and Jiang Qingqin jolted, their eyes filled with guilt as they looked at Lin Bai.

Xu Longyun took his hand. "My lord, we..."

Lin Bai looked at them and smiled gently. "With you here, it doesn’t really matter whether I transcend or not. The mortal realm is full of beauty, and the Heavenly Dao may not be suitable for me."

Xu Longyun returned his smile and nestled affectionately against Lin Bai’s shoulder.

...

"Heavenly Dao?" The Earth Goddess pondered for a moment, then looked at Lin Bai and said, "Lin Bai, my power is endless. I have lived in this world for countless years and can no longer perceive any meaning in existence. For me, losing faith and Divine Power might be a kind of liberation; I don’t care about that. But now, you have shown me new hope. Next, I will verify your claims. If they are true, I hope I can venture out and see for myself, to witness higher forms of life."

"So, you’re agreeing to join forces with me?" Lin Bai asked, pleasantly surprised.

"Yes." The Earth Goddess nodded seriously and said, "Although I’ve grown weary of my current existence, I will not stand idly by and watch the world that birthed me be destroyed. I must be responsible for every living being in this world..."