OBS Chapter 958: If You Refuse to Accept the Growing Pains, Then Stay Behind
Chapter 958: If You Refuse to Accept the Growing Pains, Then Stay Behind
"..."Meteria was at a loss for words. Her little troublemaker’s move was truly ruthless, but also utterly disgusting. It practically screamed, "I’m a troublemaker, come at me if you dare."
The key point was that the situation in the Miniature World might really be incapable of reacting.
If what Bell had described about the Miniature World was true, then no matter how unpleasant it was, the Miniature World would have to swallow its pride. Otherwise, if the troublemaker actually entered, the resulting turmoil could be even worse than the current state of the Miniature World.
Realizing the potential outcome, the Miniature World would likely follow Bell’s words.
Bell had finished summarizing his earlier points and now moved on to the next topic—the "growing pains."
"The issue with the ’growing pains’ is the same. The gods created by Mother each carry a portion of her authority, severed from her total power. This severance has robbed them of their ability to grow."
"The authority they bear didn’t come from the baptism of ’Human History,’ but from the fragmentation of a world that can’t grow. So, for the gods to continue growing, a world that connects to ’Human History’ must be created. Additionally, the gods themselves must work to create their own myths, which in turn will allow them to forge their own authority."
"Mother must also reclaim all of her powers and sever herself from the world, or she, too, will have no space left for growth."
"I see. So, this is the labor pains?" Hermes gradually began to understand Bell’s words.
Only by being willing to abandon everything gained and rewrite one’s own myth can a god cultivate their own authority. The process is incredibly troublesome, but Hermes felt that it might be the best opportunity.
"Abandoning authority. Does that mean the gods will fall back to the five-digit rank?" Hermes grasped the crucial point.
"Exactly. This is what I mean by ’growing pains.’ Only by discarding everything and starting anew can one earn the right to continue growing."
Bell’s confirmation made the gravity of the situation clear to Hermes, though his gaze shifted toward the direction of the "World."
"Bell, I assume you’ve already thought about this? What if some gods—the outliers—refuse to comply?"
Bell had already considered Hermes’s question. A hint of vexation flickered across his expression.
"God Hermes, you know I’m a person who values efficiency. I’ve thought about the gods who are willing to cooperate, and naturally, I’ve also considered those who won’t."
"Ah, to avoid misunderstandings, I’m not implying any threats. I’m simply saying that there are efficient methods and more troublesome alternatives."
Bell made sure to emphasize certain words to avoid any confusion.
"Mother doesn’t necessarily need to reclaim all her authority to sever her ties with the world. It would be sufficient to sever most of her authority and then place her connection to the world, along with all her remaining authority, on those gods who are unwilling to give up theirs."
"Of course, this means that those gods would remain forever bound to this world. Their power wouldn’t increase drastically, but this world would become their prison."
This was Bell’s solution for gods who were unwilling to relinquish their authority.
Since this world had lost all purpose anyway, he might as well leave all the useless remnants with those gods who refused to let go. It could serve as a parting gift.
Bell smiled faintly at this point.
"Of course, I think there will be some humans who choose to stay in the end. Those gods who decide to stay won’t be entirely alone."
"Hiss!"
Hermes took a sharp breath. These words weren’t necessarily severe, but to a god, they were utterly devastating.
Gods who refused to give up their authority might not face excessive punishment, but the ultimate consequence would be that those gods would be left behind in this world.
A world that even the children of the Genkai would leave behind.
A world that might hold only a handful of gods, completely devoid of interest.
That wasn’t just boring—it was pure torment!
Merely imagining such a scene made Hermes’s head spin. His breath became labored.
That scenario was like hell.
Bell hadn’t spoken harshly, but this treatment was far worse than punishment. It was a death sentence for those gods left behind.
Though not physical or biological death, it was a fate a hundred, a thousand times worse than simply dying.
Especially when the fool left behind knew that everyone else had moved on to the new world... while he, the idiot, stayed behind because of a wrong choice. Wouldn’t that feel even more miserable?
The facial muscles of the gods in attendance began to twitch uncontrollably. It was clear they had all imagined that scene.
...
"My peers have all gone to the new world to seek new pleasures and have their own growth, and I’m left alone in this desolate, joyless world?"
Thinking of this, many gods felt as though the world in front of them was spinning, nearly overwhelming them with the urge to faint.
Wasn’t this even worse than being in the Tenkai?
Many gods turned pale. Such a dull existence was beyond their imagination. Hermes was the first to snap out of it, though his face still looked grim.
"Bell, it’s just a minor growing pain. We gods can endure it."
After Hermes’s statement, the gods at the banquet began voicing their own positions one by one.
"Exactly. We’ve been using authority for billions of years. It’s completely useless at this point. Especially after coming to the Genkai, we haven’t used our authority in years. Even if we abandon it, it’s no problem."
"A mere growing pain? We can handle it."
Yes, compared to absolute boredom, being left in this desolate, uninteresting world was far worse. Facing the growing pains head-on, no matter how uncomfortable, was undoubtedly better than staying here.