Lord of Prayer

2. Forged artifacts can be customized in terms of style, color, and details. Customization requires an additional fifty percent processing fee.

3. Display the time required for Forging.

4….

5….

Zhou Chen set several rules in a row. The whole thing was like programming code; it could be added to or changed at any time. He decided to run a test and see how it went.

After making a wish, his Wish Value count became 248. Adding the Weapon Forging system directly consumed 30 starlights, and the words “Weapon Forging” appeared on the System Panel.

He tapped the words, and two options popped up.

[Random Forging] [Custom Forging]

Zhou Chen chose Custom Forging. The panel then changed to something resembling a character creation screen in a game, allowing him to customize the artifact’s type, length, weight, details, texture… Every aspect was remarkably detailed. All in all, he felt the expense was well worth 30 Wish Value points.

He grabbed an Iron Ingot from the Round Table Hall, tossed it into the Forging Melting Furnace, and randomly clicked through the customization settings. Once finished, he hit the confirm button.

[This Forging will cost a total of 3 Wish Value points. Estimated Forging time: 2 minutes. Proceed with Forging?]

[Yes] [No]

’Three Wish Value points… First, subtract the 1 point for the customization fee, then divide the remainder by two. That means the base cost is only 1 Wish Value point. It must be because the material is too common. The higher the Level of the materials used for Forging, the more Wish Value it will cost, which means the more I’ll earn…’

As the thought flashed through his mind, Zhou Chen tapped ’Yes.’ After waiting for five minutes, a brand-new long spear was forged. He picked up the spear and examined it closely. The artifact perfectly matched the custom parameters, and its quality was quite good for a Low-tier Weapon.

He casually tossed the long spear aside and then made wishes to add a Library, a Quest Center, and a Materials Warehouse to the panel, which cost him a total of 60 Wish Value points.

And so, the System Panel changed to:

[Quest Center]

[Materials Warehouse]

[Library]

[Weapon Forging]

[Wish Value: 185]

The Prayer System was beginning to take shape.

Zhou Chen nodded in satisfaction. He wanted to turn the Round Table Hall into something like a virtual Game World, making Lin Ya, Soron, and Colin into workers under his command who would help him earn Wish Value.

—After consolidating a Golden Soul Fragment, Zhou Chen’s power had advanced further. He discovered he could bestow his favor—or more precisely, he could grant others the ability to collect Wish Value. These recipients, however, could not use Wish Value to make prayers. Moreover, with a single thought, he could claim all the Wish Value they had gathered for himself.

And that was why he had a bold idea—to have Lin Ya and the others work for him!

As someone who was also a worker in the real world, Zhou Chen knew one thing for sure: if you want the horse to run, you have to feed it grass.

So, he created the Forging Melting Furnace, updated the version of the Round Table Hall, and added more functions. While the members provided him with Wish Value, they could also increase their own strength, thus firmly hooking them, body and soul.

Zhou Chen believed that Lin Ya, Soron, and Colin wouldn’t refuse. For them, this was a huge and rare opportunity.

Once his preparations were more or less complete, Zhou Chen returned to the main seat at the Obsidian Round Table and looked at the two Cursed Puppets playing dead on the tabletop.

—When he’d sensed his impending departure, he had used the power of the Spirit Realm to remotely pull Angela and Alice into the Round Table Hall. He didn’t know if the two Cursed Puppets would continue to fulfill their duty of protecting Li Xiye and the dog without his intimidating presence, so he’d decided to just bring them back with him.

“From now on, you are members of the Round Table Hall,” Zhou Chen said calmly. “Others will seek your help. You can accumulate merits and points by accepting quests, which you can then exchange for certain things.

“For example, better bodies.”

Angela stopped playing dead. She pulled Alice to her feet on the table, lifted her skirt in a ladylike curtsy, and said, “We shall abide by your will.”

“Find a seat. The gathering is about to begin,” Zhou Chen said in a low voice.

Angela led Alice off the round table and they sat down on a simple, ancient Obsidian Throne. However, because they were so small, they couldn’t reach the tabletop.

With a thought from Zhou Chen, several thick books materialized beneath them, raising them up to the level of the table.

After secretly observing the current status of each member and confirming they were all at leisure, Zhou Chen sent out a summons to each of them. Five minutes later, he pulled their consciousnesses into the Round Table Hall and simultaneously manifested a false body for himself.

“Mr. Lamp God, Happy New Year,” Number Three, Lin Ya, greeted him first, a smile playing on her lips. She secretly sized up Mr. Lamp God; not having seen him for a long time had made her miss him dearly.

The others also greeted him one by one, their gazes turning to the Cursed Puppet sisters sitting on a stack of thick books.

“I am Angela, and this is my sister, Alice. We are new members.”

Angela led Alice in a polite bow to the others. “If you encounter a problem you can’t solve, you can post a quest to recruit us. We will provide assistance.”

’Are those two Cursed Puppets? One of them is actually sentient, how unusual…’ As an Alchemist, Soron’s eyes lit up. A powerful curiosity about the puppet sisters sparked within him; he had never seen a Cursed Puppet with such intelligence before.

“Mr. Lamp God, what is that?” The ever-composed Colin had noticed the changes inside the Round Table Hall—a new, open doorway had appeared, and within it stood a Forging Melting Furnace.

“In gaming terms, you would call it the ’Weapon System.’”

“Weapon System?” Colin was a little surprised. He never expected such a gaming term to come from the Lamp God’s mouth.

“One must keep up with the times,” Zhou Chen chuckled. With a thought, he sent down his Power of Favor upon the group and granted them each a System Panel.

Everyone’s vision blurred for a moment, and then something new appeared in their field of view. As young people, they had all naturally read novels and, after a moment’s thought, understood what it was. Still, their expressions were a mixture of complexity and bewilderment.

They never thought they would have a “System” of their own.

“Wish Value?” the Number One false body asked at the perfect moment. “Mr. Lamp God, is this… the point-based currency for the Round Table Hall?”

Zhou Chen nodded. “From now on, you can accumulate Wish Value by fulfilling the wishes of others, big and small. The Wish Value you obtain can be used in the Round Table Hall for things like Forging Weapons, browsing the Library, posting quests, or exchanging for materials.”

Curiously, the members tapped the text on their panels, looking through each option one by one. When they saw the Weapon Forging section, their expressions gradually grew serious.

’It’s so detailed…’

“Oh no, I feel like I’m about to be unemployed…” the Number One false body, who held the title of Blacksmith, scratched his head.

“Mr. Lamp God, I have some materials here. Can they be exchanged for Wish Value? I’d like to try out the Weapon System first,” Colin said suddenly after a moment of consideration.

“You may,” Zhou Chen nodded. “As a young man, you should know how to operate it.”

“I understand.”

After receiving permission, Colin took out a red iron ingot and a small purple flower from his Player Backpack, opened the Materials Warehouse, and tapped ’sell’.

[You will receive 10 Wish Value points. Sell items?]

[Yes] [No]

Colin tapped ’Yes.’ The items in his hand vanished into thin air, appearing in the Materials Warehouse, while the Wish Value on his panel changed to 10.

He stood up, walked over to the Forging Melting Furnace, and tossed a few Extraordinary Materials inside. He then selected Custom Forging and began to set the parameters.

After getting the Lamp God’s permission, the other members curiously gathered around, wanting to see this amazing Weapon System for themselves.

After a short while, Colin finished the custom settings.

[This Forging will cost a total of 8 Wish Value points. Estimated Forging time: 10 minutes. Proceed with Forging?]

[Yes] [No]

Colin pressed the button, and the Forging Melting Furnace immediately began to operate with a ROAR.