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In that sense, religion might play a more significant role than expected. Originally, religion was meant to unite people under a single will, fostering moral thinking and helping them become proper members of society. Over time, its meaning faded, and it transformed into something akin to a corporation.

“Argh! The sea is angry!”

“The god is furious!”

“No, everyone! The god has given us a trial! Only by overcoming this and praying to the god can we surpass it…!”

Well… of course, such insane idol worship is an exception. For some reason, Rodri, the priest of the religious group, had come to the coastal village. Was it for proselytizing? No, more importantly, what are they doing?

A typhoon was causing tidal waves, yet they had no intention of fleeing. The waves were crashing into the coastal village, and at this rate, they would be swept away.

“Oh god, I will overcome this! I am not afraid of such storms and waves!”

“Oh! Priest Rodri has started praying to the god!”

“Let us pray together! If we pray, the god will save us!”

“Yes, if we leave it like this, the village might disappear. Let us pray together!”

……

No, they were shifting the responsibility onto me. This was almost like blackmail, wasn’t it?

“If you don’t save us, it’s your fault that the village gets destroyed.” That was essentially what they were saying. For a moment, I considered just letting them get swept away. But then again, they were my followers, and it felt wrong to abandon them.

Moreover, the typhoon was stronger than I had anticipated, and if left unchecked, it could completely wipe out the village. Damn it… I originally intended not to interfere. Instead of fully saving them, I decided to reduce the typhoon’s intensity to a less dangerous level.

Whoosh!

“Ugh, pfft!”

“Argh, salty!”

Originally, a massive wave was supposed to engulf the village and sweep away the elves, but thanks to my intervention, it ended up being just a splash of water. With their basic physical abilities, the elves wouldn’t drown. However, if they stayed like that, they’d be soaked in seawater all day and end up pickled in salt.

Whoosh!

“Ugh! Cough, cough!”

“Argh.”

Their determination was stronger than I had expected. Even as they got drenched and looked like wet rats, they didn’t stop. They continued to pray to me in their own way for hours. Despite their sturdy bodies, even the elves began to shiver from the constant exposure to the waves and rain. It was only natural.

…Sigh, fine, I give up. You win.

In a way, they were like my children, much like Yujin. They were the only ones who believed in and praised my existence. Even though their devotion seemed somewhat cult-like, I couldn’t help but feel a soft spot for those who believed in and followed me.

Flash─!

“Oh, oh! The sky is clearing up!”

“The typhoon is starting to recede!”

“It’s thanks to our prayers! Thanks to Priest Rodri and our prayers!”

“Oh! The god has saved us!!”

Seeing them cheer so excitedly made me slightly regret not just leaving them be… but whatever. If a god exists and cares for its creations, shouldn’t it eliminate the injustices they face? If these creatures were merely hoping for luck without any effort, that would be different. But they risked their lives, praying to me not just to save themselves but to protect the coastal village they had worked so hard to build and maintain.

Ignoring that would make me a cruel god who saw its creations only as test subjects. While I initially created them out of curiosity, I’m not a psychopath devoid of affection for the beings I created.

…Really, what am I saying? A cosmic entity capable of traversing multiverses talking like this? Other cosmic beings would be baffled if they heard me. I guess I’m quite an anomaly. My origin, retaining the personality from my human days—everything about me is unusual.

If I were just a bit weaker, wouldn’t I have been captured and experimented on by Nyarlathotep?

#

The Iron Age.

Iron, when processed in a high-temperature furnace and through an oxygen reduction process, is relatively easy to work with. Moreover, if oxidation is well prevented, it boasts high strength and durability after processing. Most importantly, it is extremely stable, being the final product of nuclear fusion. It is also one of the most commonly available metals.

Depending on how it is processed, iron can exhibit a wide range of properties, making it highly versatile. It can be used in construction, agricultural tools, weapons, various tools, and even cooking utensils. Even the Lubaran, the most advanced race in the current universe, predominantly use iron in their daily lives unless something special is required.

Naturally, the discovery of iron leads to revolutionary advancements. First, agricultural tools.

“My goodness. This is on a different level compared to yellow stone (copper) or blue stone (bronze)! It’s lighter and much harder.”

“Even though it’s been sharpened so finely, it has incredible durability. Unlike stone or yellow stone (copper), it seems like it can be used in various ways.”

Attempts were made to create weapons and agricultural tools from bronze alloys made of copper and tin previously discovered. Unfortunately, those attempts failed. The primary reasons were the lack of good processing techniques and the fact that bronze was heavy and soft.

During the Bronze Age, most items crafted were ornaments or decorations for high-ranking individuals. This was partly because copper and tin were very rare minerals, but also because, despite being harder to process and more valuable than stone, bronze did not offer significant advantages.

However, iron was different. As long as the environment for processing it was available, it was much easier to obtain and far more versatile.

Thus, when agricultural tools like sickles and shovels were made from iron, it felt like an enormous upgrade from using stone. The same applied to weapons. Iron could be sharpened to the point where it could cut flesh with a mere touch, making it ideal for crafting swords, spears, and arrowheads. Even if not sharpened, iron was harder than bronze, making it excellent for creating blunt weapons that could strike much harder.

Iron was so versatile that it was often referred to as the “rice of industry,” being used extensively in various other sectors. For example…

“Currently, we support building walls with wood and dried grass… but with this, we can insert much sturdier supports. Yellow stone (copper) and blue stone (bronze) are heavy and scarce, so we only considered it, but this strong stone (iron) is much more common and sturdier…”

As construction chief Dro enthusiastically explained, iron could also be used as a building material.

“Depending on the temperature and method of production, its strength, tensile properties, and various characteristics can change drastically. I’m sure there are much better ways to utilize it in manufacturing…”

Hammers, screwdrivers, screws, nails… iron could be used to make all sorts of manufacturing tools. With the creation of highly efficient agricultural tools, harvest chief Selian was excited. The possibility of crafting superior weapons and armor thrilled warrior chief Elma. The ability to build sturdier walls and experiment with more diverse construction methods excited construction chief Dro. And naturally, the most excited was manufacturing chief Rakus, who was directly handling this highly versatile material.

“Excellent. We can now achieve so much more. Everyone, please do your best for the village.”

Their leader, Lasi, also seemed pleased. Watching the technological advancements of the village in real-time was undoubtedly a joy for any leader.

“Oh, I have some news to share. It’s about another elf village we discovered two years ago.”

“Yes, go ahead.”

Ah, right, that was a thing. It seemed they had made direct contact this time. Given the village’s significant technological advancements, no one could threaten them unless they were a large group like Muwan’s village, which had over 5,000 people. Not that it seemed like a hostile situation to begin with.

“Although we couldn’t fully communicate, we managed to find some common ground and had a conversation.”

The high intelligence of the elves was beneficial in such situations. Even though each village spoke a different language, they could quickly understand and adapt to the new language by grasping the context. Initially, I was worried when they all created separate languages, but it turned out I had nothing to worry about.

“After informing them about our village’s situation, they seemed interested in establishing relations with us.”

Indeed, Lumolasi village was exceptional. They were the only village in the vicinity that had not only entered the Iron Age but also properly established agriculture. Naturally, other villages, which still struggled with wild beasts and food shortages, would want to befriend Lumolasi, where such worries were nonexistent.

In such a case, it was highly likely that they would join Lumolasi to learn the technology. This would naturally increase the size and influence of Lumolasi village. It would be a peaceful victory through scientific advancement, unlike the rough methods of Muwan.