NOVEL NEXT Chapter 38
Chapter: 38
Let’s see. Now that I’ve roughly sorted out my thoughts, should I contact the Lizardmen?
Hmm… Should I go speak to them directly? But it has been quite some time since I last dropped by the Lizardmen…
They say they keep records about me, but I wonder if they still remember me…
Ah, right! This GodTalk thing essentially has a messenger function.
Maybe I can use it to send a message to the Lizardmen?
Thinking this, I was fiddling around with the message window for the Lizardmen.
“Ooh, Creator Dragon God! Are you sleeping?”
I poked the last message the Lizardman chieftain sent.
If this is a smartphone messenger, there should be different functions to connect… like a reply function…
Oh? There is? Reply.
I carefully tapped the part labeled “reply.”
Then, a tiny window popped up with a small button.
A tiny microphone inside a red circle… Is this a recording button?
Hmm. So, am I sending my voice when I click this? And what’s up with the microphone icon? Why is there a microphone? I’m pretty sure I’m the only one who would understand this symbol in this world.
Could it be… Am I the only one who can use GodTalk?
I dismissed the sudden thought with a shake of my head. I can’t be the only god in this world, right?
There could be other gods popping up, right?
I cleared my throat lightly to prepare my voice and thought about what to say.
First, I should ask if they can hear my voice, and whether it really is the Great Chieftain of the Lizardmen… Maybe I should share a bunch of stuff with them.
This feels a bit like delivering an oracle…
No, is this just an oracle? Hmmm…
For starters, I should instruct them to hold a martial arts tournament at the festival. I’ll bless the winner with the title of Great Warrior!
Oh, and I shouldn’t forget to remind them not to kill each other during the tournament. I want to see a contest of martial arts, not a bloodbath where they wipe each other out.
I just want to pick the strongest one, that’s all.
The focus should be on subduing the opponent without killing them… And if it ends in a tie, the judges or spectators can decide who wins… Sounds good.
Next, I should think about selecting a Great Shaman too. Um.
Wait a second. Magic… Talent for magic… Do I need to study magic myself to figure this out better?
Hmm… Well, since it’s about borrowing the power of spirits, it could be modified for efficiency.
The Lizardmen are currently using magic by borrowing the spirits’ powers and applying them to their bodies.
For instance, they use water spirits to swim faster, wind spirits for quicker movements, or fire spirits to maintain their body temperature in the cold. Their magical power is limited, so they minimize the direct effects from the spirits.
If I could help transform this haphazard use of magic into something more systematic and efficient… it would really benefit the Lizardmen.
Well, it might be a bit hard on the spirits, though. But I’m sure specific instructions are better than vague commands for both sides, right?
Alright, I think I’ve got my thoughts organized.
I pressed the red recording button in front of me. Then, additional buttons popped up on either side of the red recording button, and it changed shape.
A small number appeared above the button, rising quickly. Let’s see… is this counting the recording time? It’s going up by one each second.
Below that number, the now-changed recording button had a white circle with || drawn on it. Is this the pause recording button?
The two new buttons looked pretty familiar. On the right, there was a white circle with a black square. ■ In the left circle, there was a play symbol. 
Hmm. Glancing at them, the triangle probably plays back the recorded voice, and the square should finish the recording. Pretty intuitive!
Alright. Let’s do this. I pressed the square to stop the recording.
Then, a small window popped up above the recording area.
“Would you like to send the recording?
Yes / No”
Oh wow, such a system! I get it now.
I pressed No to cancel and reset the recording, then cleared my throat again to prepare my voice and tapped the recording button.
The numbers kept climbing. Alright, it’s underway! I looked at the recording screen and spoke softly.
“Can you hear my voice?”
Just a short phrase. After pausing with the pause button, I pressed play to check my recorded voice.
“Can you hear my voice?”
A soft and gentle voice flowed from the screen. Hmmm… As I thought. The voice I hear when I speak and the one that plays back sounds different.
It’s like the pitch resonates in my body when I speak or something… I swear I read that somewhere. Hmmm.
Because of that, the recorded voice feels weirdly unfamiliar.
Anyway, it seems my voice was recorded fine… I pressed the stop recording button and then clicked Yes on the little sending window that popped up.
Then, something new appeared in the bottom right of the messaging window with the Lizardmen’s chieftain.
A round button with a right-facing triangle on it. I pressed it, and the voice I just recorded played back again.
Is this for checking the voice message I recorded and sent again? Hmmm.
Pretty great.
I grinned at the first message, feeling quite pleased with myself.
Now, while I wait for a reply from the Lizardmen’s chieftain, I’ll casually skim through some Lizardmen magic…
“Ooh, Creator Dragon God! Creator Dragon God!!!!! To bestow an oracle upon us!! Our long prayers were not in vain!! The weak-willed old ones say that you have abandoned us, while the ignorant young ones are losing their faith! But you have answered our call again! What an honor! Thank you!!! Creator Dragon God!!! Thank you!!!”
Whoa, that was a quick reply! And there’s so much content! It’s almost overwhelming.
After scanning through the somewhat intense reply message, I let out a small sigh.
I guess I’ve been a little neglectful toward the Lizardmen. Hmmm. I feel a tad guilty…
I pressed the recording button again and started to speak.
“I’ve spent a lot of time managing this world, but now there’s no place that needs my immediate attention, so I finally have a bit of time on my hands to respond to your call.”
Hmm. Is my voice okay? Is this how I should be phrasing it? Not too light; it should have a suitable weight to it.
And checking to see if the recording went well… Alright! Sounds pretty good!
I sent the recording, and before long, a reply came.
“Ooh. Creator Dragon God… Thank you. Now that you have answered our call, we will create a new monument in your honor! Please accept it, and forgive the sins of us foolish ones!”
No, please stop with the monument. Seriously, just stop.
“Enough about monuments. Your sins are nearly non-existent, so there’s no need to worry. Instead, I summoned you because I have something important to convey.”
Alright, hit send again.
“Please tell us anything! If it’s what the Creator Dragon God desires, we’ll do anything! If you wish, we’ll gather the heads of those impudent humans and offer them to you!”
Stop with the human head gathering! That’s definitely not it!!!
If you all start harvesting humans, they’ll be swept away without even having a chance to fight back!!
“That’s unnecessary. What I have to tell you is that I am preparing a small gift for those of you who worship me.”
“A gift! For us who are so insignificant! That’s simply too much honor!!”
Ignoring the exuberant gratitude emitting from the messenger, I continued sending voice recordings.
“What I wish for you to do is something at the next festival. On the last day of the festival, you are to determine who among the Lizardmen is the strongest.”
“The strongest, you say?”
“Yes. You must identify the strongest one. However, in selecting the strongest, no one should lose their life, and the victory must be clear. If it’s too close to call, let the others decide the winner. And nothing other than the clash of bodies and weapons should interfere in this battle.”
“We understand you want a pure duel without any magic. If that’s your desire, we shall comply.”
“Good. I will bestow my blessing upon the one who stands victorious. That person will be the strongest among the Lizardmen and will be my blade.”
Well, even though I’m saying “my blade,” I don’t actually plan to swing it myself!
I’m sure if I phrase it well enough, I can figure something out later, right?