Lord of Prayer - Chapter 317 - 215: Become a Good Person?

Take the Anvil Hammer in the video, for example.

It was obvious that this Anvil Hammer, which had accompanied Forging Master Mitkail for decades, contained a significant amount of “Forging Secret Power.” Otherwise, the Hammer of Forging wouldn’t have reacted for no reason.

“So I have to win the championship to get the hammer…”

After a long moment, Zhou Chen slowly exhaled. “Looks like I need to make more preparations.”

He opened the announcement from the program organizers. It didn’t specify the competition venue or rules, only instructing all contestants to prepare cold-weather gear and wilderness survival items and to report to their nearest Forging Association branch within the specified time.

Zhou Chen scrolled through videos of past competitions and found that the Sword Forging Competition’s format was never fixed. For example, the last competition was a battle royale, the one before that was a team-based competition, the one before that was a wilderness survival challenge, and even further back, there were modes like tower defense and puzzle mazes.

Many people on the forums analyzed the announcement’s contents, posting theories that this year’s competition would likely be a wilderness survival challenge set in a land of ice and snow.

Just then, Zhou Chen saw a post from a user with a golden-colored name and clicked on it out of curiosity.

[YeAoNaiWoHe]: Heard this competition is a wilderness survival in the snow. Anyone wanna team up?

[MengZhiMaoLei]: Holy crap, pro player, please carry me!

[AnonymousWeirdUncle]: The pro who got 27th place! A girl is looking for a carry! I’m pretty, have a sweet voice, long legs, and I can even do the ’ying ying ying’ cry!

[Press1ForAPuddingCup]: Bro, DM me your contact info.

[YeAoNaiWoHe]: 11111, for real bro? You’ll really send one? Already DMed my info.

The replies below were also from users with golden names. Zhou Chen clicked on [YeAoNaiWoHe]’s profile and discovered that the original poster was a contestant who had achieved a good score, placing 27th in the qualifiers.

The next two users were ranked outside the top 100, so their placements weren’t displayed, but they both had the golden names of contestants.

[GoodBullsSlider]: Bro, send your contact info. Serious about teaming up.

[YeAoNaiWoHe]: Dude, your name… I thought it was an illegal title. What’s your relationship with MilkyWhiteXuezi, TurkeyFlavoredRiceCrust, and RosyPinkFanLeader?

[GoodBullsSlider]: The four of us are from the same school of thought.

[YeAoNaiWoHe]: Your master must have a great temper not to have beaten you all to death. But forget about teaming up. You four can make a team; I’ll find someone else.

[InvincibleTyrannosaurusWarGod]: Bro, DM me your contact info. I’m a free agent. I can show you my Watermelon Credit score. Genuinely looking to team up.

’What are all these weird-ass names…’ Zhou Chen had a million things he wanted to roast them for.

He kept refreshing, and more posts looking for teams appeared in the exchange center.

Most of them were shut-ins who spent their days hammering away in their forges, not combat types. Suddenly being thrown into a wilderness survival situation in a frozen wasteland, it was impossible not to feel a little panicked. The contestants in the Sword Forging Competition were all restricted to below Tier Three, which was also why the organizers dared to cover the material costs for the Advancement Secret Ceremonies: the resources required for advancing from Tier One to Tier Two, or from Tier Two to Tier Three, were just a drop in the bucket for the Forging Association.

That’s why many contestants tried to form teams before the competition. There was strength in numbers, after all.

After having lunch at home, Zhou Chen went to work at the Star Association. He had, after all, promised Jiang Che he would work seriously for the next few days and not slack off.

He had barely sat down, his seat not even warm yet, when Jiang Che walked up to his workstation with a small box. She handed it to him and said succinctly, “It’s a Fire Spirit Bracelet. It’ll keep you warm in temperatures as low as minus fifty degrees.”

Zhou Chen paused, a little surprised, then broke into a delighted smile as he took the box. “Thanks.”

“Just get a good result. Don’t disappoint me.”

“I will.”

Jiang Che gave a calm nod and turned to leave.

Zhou Chen opened the box. Inside lay a bracelet carved from Red Jade. It had a lustrous sheen, and he could feel a wave of warmth when he touched it. He happily slipped it onto his wrist.

’My iceberg of a boss giving me a gift? How refreshing!’

’So what kind of gift should I get her when I get back?’

* * *

「Three nights later.」

Another meeting was being held in the Round Table Hall.

“Good evening, Mr. Lamp God,” Lin Ya said, taking the initiative to greet him. The others followed suit.

The Lamp God nodded, maintaining his usual profound demeanor. “You may now spend wish points to train in the Simulation Space. This includes combat and Alchemy operations.”

Everyone looked around but saw no new doors. However, a [Simulation Space] function had appeared on their System Panels.

Lin Ya’s eyes lit up slightly. Although she had completed a few missions, she still sorely lacked real combat experience. This function had come at the perfect time for her, because she had already accumulated 67 wish points over the past few days—more than enough to use it.

Colin and Soron both felt a jolt of excitement. ’This function is really useful.’

Even the battle-hardened Colin wasn’t arrogant enough to think he no longer needed training. In fact, he was more eager to undertake missions than any other member of the White House Squad. It was the only way for him to improve through real combat and advance on his path of vengeance. Unfortunately, missions in the real world were not very frequent.

Now, the Simulation Space had undoubtedly solved that problem. He could treat the scenarios inside as real combat.

For Soron, this was also a great opportunity. He could simulate Alchemy operations in the Simulation Space to increase his proficiency and reduce his margin of error.

“Mr. Lamp God, I’m very sorry, but I wasn’t able to find a suitable new member,” Lin Ya said quietly, her head lowered and her tone dejected.

“Sorry, Mr. Lamp God, I couldn’t find anyone suitable either.” Number One’s stand-in scratched his head. “The guys around me are all fanatics obsessed with Forging. I don’t think it would be a good idea to bring them in.”

Colin and Soron followed suit, both stating they hadn’t found any suitable candidates either.

“It doesn’t matter.”

The Lamp God showed no anger, appearing quite calm. “You will eventually meet suitable candidates.

“At that time, as long as the person you recommend meets the conditions for joining the Round Table Hall, you will receive 5 wish points for each new member.”

’Five points…’ Soron was instantly motivated. After so many days of running errands and searching for resources online, he had only managed to accumulate 5.4 wish points. He knew very well how difficult they were to earn. Getting 5 points just for recruiting a new member was an extremely generous reward.

Colin had also been collecting wish points very slowly these past few days. He thought it over calmly, considering whether he should bring Shane into the fold.

“You may now converse freely,” the Lamp God said.

Lin Ya, who was usually introverted and quiet, was the first to speak. “I’d like to share my method for getting wish points. Um… I’ve accumulated 67 wish points over the past few days…”

What???!!!

Soron, shrouded in mist, stared wide-eyed at Lin Ya in disbelief. ’Did I hear that right?’

’Sixty-seven points?’

’Sixty-seven points???’

Even the ever-composed Colin’s breath hitched, stunned into silence. ’Sixty-seven points? How is that even possible?’

Lin Ya didn’t notice their shock and continued, “I’ve gained a lot of wish points from children these past few days. Children’s wishes are actually very pure…”

She explained her methods, such as letting the children watch more cartoons, playing games with them, drawing with them, and so on.

Soron and Colin listened in a daze, feeling as if they and Lin Ya were from two different worlds.

They had worked so hard for so long, and their returns were so small it was depressing. Yet Lin Ya was doing things that, in their eyes, couldn’t be simpler, and she was getting so many wish points for it…

For a moment, neither of them could accept it.

After composing themselves, they began to think deeply, analyzing that Lin Ya’s success boiled down to two points: first, the large number of children meant that even small wishes could add up; second, the children’s wishes were pure and easy to fulfill.

The combination of these two factors resulted in Lin Ya’s extremely fast rate of earning wish points.

“Number Three, I can see that you do not treat the children as a tool for gaining wish points, but genuinely wish to fulfill their desires and make them happy. You have done well,” the Lamp God said with a gentle nod and a smile, offering his praise.

Lin Ya froze for a second, then became ecstatic. Her body trembled slightly, and she gripped the hem of her clothes tightly to keep from losing her composure. The corners of her lips curled up unconsciously, and her face grew hot.

’Mr. Lamp God praised me, Mr. Lamp God praised me…’

Nearby, Colin and Soron were lost in thought.

’Not as a tool for gaining wish points, but genuinely wishing to fulfill their desires and make them happy.’

’Is he asking us to become good people who enjoy helping others?’