Chapter 38

Let’s see. I’ve roughly organized my thoughts, so should I go ahead and contact the Lizardman?

Hmm… Should I go there in person to speak? But it’s been quite a long time since I last visited the Lizardmen…

These guys may be keeping records about me, but I’m not sure if they still remember me after all this time…

Ah, that’s right. This “GodTalk” basically has the function of a messenger.

Using this, I might be able to send a message to the Lizardmen, huh?

With that thought, I started fiddling around with the messaging window for the Lizardmen.

「Oh great Creator Dragon God! Are you resting at this moment?!」

I pressed on the message sent by the Lizardman Chieftain last time.

If this were a smartphone messenger, connecting through various functions would definitely be possible here… like a reply function…

There it is? Reply.

I carefully pressed the part labeled “Reply.”

Then a small window popped up with a tiny button.

A red circle with a small microphone icon in the middle… Is this a recording button?

Hm. Does this side send voice recordings? And what’s with the microphone icon? Why even have a microphone? In this world, only I would understand what this shape means.

Could it be… that I’m the only one who can use GodTalk?

I shook my head slightly to dismiss the sudden thought. There couldn’t possibly be only me as a god in this world, right?

Other gods could appear too, couldn’t they?

With a small cough to clear my throat, I began thinking about what words to convey.

First, I should check if my voice is heard and confirm if the Great Chief of the Lizardmen is still there… Maybe I should tell them some stories while I’m at it.

Come to think of it, this feels like delivering a divine oracle. This thing.

No, this is literally just a divine oracle, isn’t it? Hmm…

First, let’s instruct them to hold a martial arts tournament during the festival. I’ll bestow the title of Great Warrior and my blessing upon the winner.

Ah, I mustn’t forget to make sure no one dies during the martial arts tournament. What I want to see is a martial arts competition, not a slaughter fest where everyone kills each other.

I just want to pick out the strongest person, you know.

The direction should be about overpowering without killing, and if there’s a tie, let the judges or spectators decide the winner… Sounds good.

Next, I should also consider selecting an Archmage. Hmm.

Wait. Magic… talent for magic… To learn more about this, do I need to study magic myself?

Hmm… Well, since it borrows the power of spirits, I suppose I can adjust it somewhat efficiently…

Right now, the Lizardmen are using magic by borrowing elemental powers and applying them to their bodies.

Like using the power of water spirits to swim faster, wind spirits to move more agilely, or fire spirits to maintain body temperature in cold environments. Due to their lack of magical power, they minimize direct effects from the spirits.

If I could somehow systematize and improve this rough usage of magic… It would surely help the Lizardmen.

Though, it might be a bit harsh on the spirits, but giving them more specific instructions instead of vague ones would probably be easier for both sides, wouldn’t it?

Alright. I’ve roughly figured out what to say.

I pressed the red recording button floating in front of me with my finger. Then two additional buttons appeared on either side of the red recording button, and its shape changed.

Above these buttons, a small number appeared and quickly increased. Let’s see… Is this showing the recording time? It goes up by 1 every second.

Below the number, the transformed recording button had a white circle with || drawn inside. Is this the pause button for recording?

The two new buttons also had very familiar shapes. On the right was a white circle with a black square ■ drawn inside, and on the left was a play symbol ▶.

Hmm. Even at a glance, I can tell what they are. The triangle seems to be the button to replay the recorded voice for confirmation, and the square is probably the button to finish recording. Very intuitive, nice!

Good. Let’s give it a try. I pressed the square to end the recording.

Then a small window popped up above the recording screen.

「Do you wish to send the recording?

Yes / No」

Indeed. Such a system, huh. Alright, I get it now.

I pressed No to cancel and reset the recording, then cleared my throat again before pressing the recording button once more.

The rapidly increasing numbers. Good. It’s working properly. While looking at the recording screen, I spoke in a low voice.

“Can you hear my voice?”

Just a short sentence. After pausing the recording with the temporary stop button, I pressed the play button to check the recorded voice.

「Can you hear my voice?」

A soft, delicate voice flowed out from the recording screen. Hmm… As expected, the recorded voice sounds different from when I speak directly.

Somewhere I read that when speaking directly, the sound resonates inside your body, making it sound different… Hmm.

Thanks to that, the recorded voice doesn’t feel like my own at all.

Anyway, the voice itself seems to have been recorded properly… I pressed the recording end button, then selected Yes on the small transmission window that appeared next.

Then something new floated up at the bottom right of the message window with the Great Chief of the Lizardmen.

A round button with a triangle pointing to the right. When I pressed it, the voice I just recorded played back.

This is probably for reviewing the voice messages I recorded and sent. Hmm.

Not bad at all.

I smiled contentedly at the first message.

Alright, while waiting for a reply from the Great Chief of the Lizardmen, I’ll lightly skim through the Lizardmen’s magic…

「Oh great Creator Dragon God! Creator Dragon God!!! You’re delivering an oracle! Our long prayers weren’t in vain! Those with weak wills said you abandoned us, and the ignorant young ones lost faith in you! But you’ve answered our call once again! What a great honor! Thank you!!! Creator Dragon God!!! Thank you!!!」

Whoa, fast reply. And lots of content. And it’s intense.

Slightly overwhelmed by the heavy reply message, I sighed softly.

Guess I’ve been neglecting the Lizardmen for a while. Hmm. I’m feeling a little apologetic…

I pressed the recording button again and started speaking.

“Managing this world took a lot of time, but now there’s nothing urgent for me to handle. With a bit of free time, I’m responding to your calls.”

Hmm. Is the voice okay? Is this the right way to speak? Not too casual. Let’s aim for an appropriately weighty tone.

And checking if the recording went well… Good. It’s decent enough!

I sent the recording, and soon a reply came back.

「Oh. Creator Dragon God… Thank you. Since you’ve responded to our call, we shall create a new stone tablet to honor you! Please accept it, and kindly forgive the sins of us foolish beings!」

No, stop with the stone tablets already. Seriously, stop.

“The stone tablets are enough. You have no sins worth worrying about. The reason I called you is because I have something important to convey.”

Alright, sending again.

「Anything you wish! We will do anything Creator Dragon God desires! If you wish, we will harvest the heads of those insolent humans and offer them to you!」

Stop harvesting human heads! That’s absolutely not happening!!!

If you guys start targeting humans, they won’t stand a chance and will be wiped out!

“I don’t need that. What I have to tell you is that I’m preparing a small gift for you who revere me.”

「A gift for someone as insignificant as us?! We are far too honored!!」

Ignoring the overwhelming sense of gratitude conveyed through the text, I continued sending voice recordings.

“What I ask of you is to prepare one task during the next festival. On the final day of the festival, select the strongest Lizardman among you.”

「The strongest one, you say?」

“Yes. You must choose the strongest one. However, no lives should be lost in the process of choosing, and the victory must be clearly decided. If the match ends in a close draw without a clear winner, let other Lizardmen decide the victor according to their will. Also, nothing other than physical combat and weapons should interfere in this battle.”

「We understand that you desire a pure duel without any magic. If that is your wish, we will follow it without question.」

“Good. I will bestow my blessing upon the one who stands victorious in this duel. That one shall become the strongest Lizardman and act as my blade.”

Well, calling them “my blade” doesn’t mean I intend to actually wield them!

Still, saying something appropriate now leaves room for maneuver later, right?