Even though she was a clumsy and timid pushover, Lin had moments of seriousness—after all, she is a true God. When needed, she can exude authority. Facing the two hopeful half-dragon girls, she has thought carefully and has a plan of her own. She wants to free the world’s Half-Dragon People from their dismal status as an inferior race.

"I don’t know why, but you really have dragon genes in you. Perhaps, during the Ancient Era of this world, a group of dragon hybrids transformed into the Half-Dragon People of today." Lin quietly watched Shajina and Sona. The two Half-Dragon girls seemed to sense the change in atmosphere, their faces displaying unusual tension, and their bodies were even more taut.

"Therefore, I cannot ignore the current situation where the Half-Dragon People are reduced to being an inferior race, used as servants and tools."

"I will grant power to the Half-Dragon People, at least, so they won’t be dependent on others. If you are willing to accept this power and use it correctly, then I can bestow the blessing now. However, all Half-Dragon People will make an oath with me. This oath is signed in the name of God and is always bound by divine restraint. The cost of breaking the oath will be immense—I must remind you of this."

"So amazing," Qianqian’s eyes sparkled as she looked at Lin, "She seems like a completely different person now!"

Qianqian’s occasional bouts of leapfrogging into eccentricity were already a natural phenomenon, and no one paid attention to her mutterings. Only I reached out to grab her arm to prevent this fellow from rushing over to tug Lin’s wings. Shajina and Sona’s faces were beaded with fine sweat, their breathing more rapid than usual. They were digesting the information revealed by the giant dragon before finally confirming it wasn’t a dream: there is dragon blood in the veins of the Half-Dragon People, and now there is a possibility for it to awaken.

I wasn’t sure to what extent they comprehended Lin’s words, but these obvious things were surely understood. Actually, I was a bit surprised that the Half-Dragon People’s ancestry was indeed related to the Dragon Clan. Originally, I thought Lin made up a story on the fly to help the two Half-Dragon girls out of trouble, yet it turned out to be true!

No wonder Lin, usually honest and straightforward, would suddenly become so proactive.

"What should we do?" Sona was the first to speak, her voice hoarse, as if uttering those words required an immense amount of courage. Being suddenly thrown into a historical moment is far from easy. Most people, when faced with similar situations, would typically become dumbfounded or follow instinct blindly, but one way or another, history will remember this moment: beneath the crumbling cliff, a God of Giant Dragon from a distant world, two still bewildered half-dragon girls, were about to change the entire world.

"Believe in me," the giant Golden Dragon God gently bowed its head, speaking in a soft yet solemn tone, "Believe in the Dragon God, and the power in your bloodline will reawaken. You must also uphold the oath, wisely use your power, not to dishonor it. If the Half-Dragon People lose themselves in the power and bring calamity to the world, you will lose everything once again and never find salvation. Now, you two are the representatives to accept this oath."

Shajina and Sona took a deep breath, looking at each other. Finally, Bingdisi couldn’t stand it anymore and went up to give each a flick on the forehead: "If you want to mess about, go back and talk! Nod quickly, or you’ll miss out. Our recruitment isn’t like picking cabbage; are you really going to waste this chance?"

The two half-dragon girls were still dazed, and with Bingdisi’s shout, they were immediately startled and instinctively nodded. Almost simultaneously, a dazzling golden light rose from Lin’s dragon wings, and a peculiar feeling surged in my heart. It was hard to describe, as if something in the world had suddenly changed, followed by a momentary sense of dissonance.

To use a metaphor, it’s like this: you’ve grown accustomed to the environment on Earth, and suddenly, the speed of light in the Universe changes from 300,000 km/s to 100 m/s. You have no existing knowledge to explain such a phenomenon, yet you can sense the world’s strange nature; it’s this kind of dissonance.

This is one of the ways the Divine Race rewrites the world’s "settings." After this moment ended, every Race known as the "Half-Dragon People" in the world was rewritten, including all knowledge related to dragons. Even the most fundamental power system of the world has also been adjusted, altering the structure of the world to accommodate changes in the life ladder’s newly generated order. The racial attribute of the Half-Dragon People also changed, forming a new talent tree at their core.

The momentary dissonance quickly ended, and the patch Lin wrote has been integrated into the current world’s fundamental database, functioning as a new add-on. When "abnormal" becomes "normal," naturally, you no longer feel the dissonance.

"What happened here has already spread among your kind," the giant Golden Dragon softly said to Shajina and Sona, "but for now, not many people will know. I don’t wish to destroy this world’s order directly; gradual change is more beneficial. The key has been handed to you; how to use it depends on you."

"Everything has become so weird!" Qianqian, held by me, was still trying her best to hop forward, clearly finding the domineering Dragon God dramatically different from her image of the silly and clumsy Lin. "Is this how you Divine Race office go about your business, always so impressive?"

Uncle Kenser rubbed his chin with a benevolent expression: "Very good, very good." 𝙛𝒓𝓮𝒆𝔀𝒆𝙗𝓷𝒐𝙫𝒆𝙡.𝒄𝓸𝓶

Yelsen drew his longsword and planted it in the ground, gazing at the sky at a forty-five-degree angle with foresight.

Bingdisi scratched her head: "When I’m recruiting believers, I just do it my way. The first rule in the Bible is: Follow God, and you’ll have meat to eat. Everyone seems to have different work styles; Lin is going the idol route, while I’m more of a wild beast type."

This character doesn’t need to be taken into consideration.

Lilina ran over and slapped each of Shajina and Sona on the tail (she couldn’t reach any higher), trying hard to jump up to attract their attention: "Hey, you two, how long do you plan to stay stunned?"

Only then did the two half-dragon girls react, realizing that the historic moment had passed. They incredulously looked at their hands, seemingly trying to see what power they had gained with their own eyes, scratching their heads with silly smiles before turning their eyes back to the golden giant dragon watching them. The dragon blinked, apparently wanting to express a smile.

Two large golden scales floated in the air and slowly descended in front of Shajina and Sona. The scales were about half a person’s height, an inch thick, with mysterious runes and flowing light, shed from Lin’s body—I quickly pulled Bingdisi back, fearing that unruly girl would rush out and turn the dragon scales into a set of mahjong tiles right in front of everyone...

"These are my scales, inscribed with the oath between God and Mortals, preserve them well, they will never break."

Having said that, the giant dragon suddenly transformed into a form akin to tangible light, rapidly shrinking and condensing into a human figure: wearing a cool little vest, a short leather skirt, golden short hair, brimming with youthfulness, Lin—mascot number two of the Tiaozi Five—was back.

Head down, looking like a wronged little wife, Lin promptly reverted to this state upon returning to her girl form. Bingdisi went over to rub her head, cheerfully saying: "Yo, not bad at all."

"Hehe..." Lin just kept her head down, giggling, completely lacking the formidable demeanor just now. This scene left not only us but even the still-dazed Shajina and Sona flabbergasted, with Shajina being the first to cry out, pointing at Lin and almost jumping: "Ah! It’s you!"

As soon as she spoke, Lilina jumped up and gave Shajina a head bump (might have learned from Pandora): "Address her as Goddess! Now that you’re my new colleagues, I have to fill you in on the job knowledge!"

As she spoke, Lilina pulled out a thick stack of small booklets, as if presenting treasures: "Look, this Pope just knew these things would be useful sooner or later. Take them back and have a good look; they are all little tips that might come in handy in your future work. You need to have a clear understanding of your positions; otherwise, you might easily find yourself being roasted on a firewood pile..."

I leaned over and saw that the religious booklets Lilina took out were quite different from the various versions of the Holy Scripture of the Life Goddess I’d seen before. They seemed to be working manuals for missionaries, including "Introduction to Quick Bamboozling Techniques," "How to Become a Dazzling Savior," "One Hundred Ways to Handle Being Tied to a Firewood Pile by Authorities," "Quick Guide to Faking Death and Resurrection," and "Goddess Feeding Guide (Interim Version)" among many others. There were even two teaching CDs, one human version, one Divine version...

The two poor half-dragon girls who nearly lost their ability to think due to today’s series of events stared with their mouths agape.

Despite not wanting to admit it, the person best at explaining this situation was Lilina. We, a group of onlookers, decisively pulled Lin back to a spot dozens of meters away, leaving Lilina to explain everything thoroughly to the two half-dragon girls. From afar, we saw Lilina jumping up and down enthusiastically, waving a rolled-up religious poster in her hand like Pandora unleashed, feeling quite worried: Is this guy really teaching Shajina and the others the correct knowledge?

After a while, Lilina’s explanation ended, and she waved us over. Shajina and Sona each held a giant scale that covered most of their bodies, nervously looking at our group of "people," before saying in unison after a pause: "Are you the gods?"

I turned my body slightly, pointing at the Tiaozi Five of the Divine Race: "Here are the gods, and they are already licensed." Then I pointed at Dingdang, who was having afternoon tea on her own head: "This one is also a member of the gods, though she doesn’t look it, but she’s licensed too." Finally, Bingdisi pointed at us, adding: "Actually, these are gods too, but they’re just forming their group now, and each of our two houses shield different places."

Vanilla had been tagging along with us, dazed, but suddenly her mind sparked, and she quickly jumped out, waving her hands: "I’m not included, I’m just like you."

"If you’re the same, then it means..." Shajina and Sona exchanged glances, trying to explain with the knowledge they just acquired, "It means you’re also a representative of the gods, right?"

Vanilla scratched her cheek awkwardly: "Though I’m not really sure, it seems like that’s the case. Lilina said I’m still an Apprentice Archbishop, oh, and let me introduce you to the Goddess I serve, the Crow God Medivh!"

Little Crow heard someone call his name and immediately put down the nuts he was holding, happily flapping his arms: "Caw!"

Big Sister went off with Little Crow to explain the differences between ravens and ducks...

The two half-dragon girls, despite having learned the ins and outs of the matter, seemed like they’d need quite some time to calm their chaotic minds. I reckoned those present were overturning all their assumptions about gods: I was overthrown in a similar way back in my day. They asked many questions about gods, faith, and what they should actually do. Lilina seized this opportunity to sell over twenty books...

They felt most restricted when facing Lin. Before today, Lin was just a regular girl to them, not very noticeable, always diligently working and unfamiliar. But now Lin had become their most revered Dragon God, and this giant change was not something an average person could easily accept. Facing the two half-dragon girls’ reserved attitude, Lin seemed even more awkward than them, waving her hands repeatedly: "No... no need to be nervous. Actually, I’m not that formidable; I only got my certificate ten thousand years ago."

Half of us covered our faces with our hands, unable to bear witnessing: The timid ten-thousand-year-old indeed...

"And then, are you planning to return to Sen Tu?"

Fearing Lin might have another incident at any moment, I quickly interrupted her conversation with the half-dragon pair, turning to Sona and asking, "If you go back, you’ll probably be worshipped like ancestors by the locals, and then you can dominate the countryside."

"No way, that’s too troublesome," Shajina said, without hesitation, shaking her head, "I and Sona prefer a more free and normal life. Oh, by the way, Lilina said we’re now Dragon God emissaries, does that mean we should stick with you guys from now on?"

"You can choose freely," Bingdisi added, "Being a divine emissary doesn’t mean you have to stick with the gods all the time. Your task is merely to organize believers and promote doctrines. Of course, while we temporarily stay in this world, it’s better for you to stay with Lin. This benefits all half-dragon people globally. You’ve merely gained the recognition of the Dragon God; that doesn’t mean you’ve acquired any powers yet. True power emerges by honing your faith, enduring trials, and gradually unlocking it. Additionally, faith doesn’t just mean how much power it gives you; it’s about uniting believers: That’s what your half-dragon people lack the most."

Sona nodded silently—half-dragon people in this world had weakened to their current state not only due to being eliminated by the era of magic, but for a bigger reason: their inability to organize themselves. A bunch of strong illiterates scattered worldwide, faced with discrimination and even persecution, with no single organization dedicated to protecting them—this was their biggest issue.

"This Pope has a suggestion for you:" Lilina glanced at Shajina, "Establish the Dragon God Church, first gather your scattered tribesmen, even if not confronting other races globally yet, half-dragon people can summon up the dignity of a Wisdom Race. Then, proceed south; there is vast wasteland and abandoned kingdoms, including your former realm. Rebuild your cities amidst the ruins, use the church’s secret channels to inform half-dragon people everywhere of such a refuge, and once you’ve grown strong enough, your race’s re-independence becomes a reality. Then see the world’s other races’ attitudes; if they acquiesce, peace follows; if they attack, you retaliate. No race’s resurrection is bloodless."

In just a few sentences, Lilina already had such a plan arranged that nearly overturned the current world order. Seeing the incredulous expression on the two half-dragon girls’ faces, she smiled slightly: "Don’t worry, it’ll all happen quickly. You don’t understand how powerful the True God’s bestowed strength can be."

"But about the south... will the natives there accept us?" Sona asked cautiously.

"That’s the origin of the Crow God Sect, what do you think?" Lilina cast a glance at the Silly Bird searching for pebbles on the ground, "Soon, the entire south will fall into our hands. Just don’t foolishly clash with Crow God believers—actually, it’s improbable, since the Crow God Sect doesn’t establish kingdoms, they won’t mind who establishes one there. Dragon God Sect’s believers should predominantly be half-dragon, while Crow God Sect’s believers are mostly from other races—no conflict there. We also allow polytheistic belief."

Shajina and Sona’s eyes gleamed; the new homeland Lilina painted for them ignited for the first time a flame known as hope in the two half-dragon girls. Watching their eager expressions made me smile too. Though they still seemed a bit uncertain about destiny, their previous chaotic days had ended. Leading a race’s resurgence is an exceptionally arduous mission, but with the True God’s power as backing, perhaps the half-dragons of this world might soon rise to prominence.

"Next up is heading to that Sky Tower," Big Sister spoke, diverting our attention, "Anyone have questions?"

"We do!" Shajina exclaimed eagerly, raising the enormous golden dragon scale in her hand — the Dragon God’s bestowed "Oath Stone," and asked perplexedly, "Lin... uh, Lady Goddess, what should we do with this?"

Indeed, Lin had merely given each of them a scale as a pledge token. However, considering the size of this thing, it seemed it could serve another purpose. Lin tilted her head in thought, then suddenly dashed over, taking the dragon scale from Shajina’s hand and pointing at a spot in the middle, offering a suggestion: "Here’s an idea, install a handle here, and use it as a shield..."

She truly is the Shield Maiden!

(Talking about winter this year, it’s really cold... especially in Tangshan.) (To be continued. If you enjoy this work, please visit Qidian (qidian.com) for votes and monthly tickets. Your support is my greatest motivation.)