While Buer was engaging in a Gift Game with the Domain of Fate and all the Gods of Fate, the Teyvat Universe had already completed its assimilation of the Campione World.
The Campione World was rather special and provided a significant boost to the entire Teyvat Universe.
Notably, it increased the reserves of the "Origin Power of Fate" and added a new cosmic model to Teyvat—perhaps even enabling the birth of one or two "Pseudo Star Map Creation."
...
The True Name Contest had ended, and only a quarter of the gods from the Campione World remained. Most of those were ancient earth goddesses or unique true names that various pantheons originally lacked.
Netherworld.
Pandora, sensing that the world had finally calmed down, collapsed into a duck-sit with exhaustion. She patted her chest with her little hands, eyes brimming with tears.
"Thank goodness it's finally over. No more other gods trying to steal from me... at the very least, I managed to keep Pandora's true name..."
Saying this, she suddenly realized something and puffed out her cheeks.
"Wait a minute! I am Pandora! What do you mean 'at least kept Pandora's name'!?"
She didn't just have the name Pandora—she had other divine aliases as well. But all of them had been lost to the gods of the universe. Only the true name Pandora remained.
"Oh~ it's not over yet, Pandora~"
A voice suddenly whispered into Pandora's ear, triggering an immediate scream.
"Aaaahhhh!"
She shrieked like a cat whose tail had been stepped on.
After losing all her other divine names, she had developed a conditioned fear toward unfamiliar voices.
In front of her appeared a male god who gave her the chills even as a deity—he evoked the feeling of having just seen a ghost.
Her hands instinctively hugged her knees, teeth chattering as her delicate body trembled uncontrollably.
Even her chattering followed a rhythm.
A perfect embodiment of weakness, pitifulness, and helplessness.
"Y-You're Pandora too?" she whimpered tearfully.
She had already lost all her other divine names—if someone else was here for one more, it had to be for the last: Pandora.
This was it. Now she wouldn't even be able to keep her last name.
Sob sob sob sob...
Even though she knew she wouldn't die, being bullied one after another by gods who could easily crush her had completely worn down her divine pride.
Noah was left speechless by the sudden reaction.
Yet he couldn't help but be amused by the weak, pitiful, and helpless little purple twin-tailed loli trembling before him.
This might've been the first time he had seen a god hugging her knees and shivering like this.
This posture practically screamed: Please bully me.
Noah smiled and said, "Pandora? Yes, I'm Pandora too. I'm here to take your last true name. No, no, just taking your true name is far too boring."
Clapping his hands, a Gift Game document materialized before Pandora.
The voice of the cosmos resounded:
[Gift Game Name: Rock, Paper, Scissors]
Rock, paper, scissors—
Determine the outcome with the simplest of means.
Body, soul, authority, true name, will—everything.
Participants: Pandora, Noah
Win Condition: Best of three
Lose Condition: None
Note: Upon losing, the winner shall obtain everything listed above from the loser.
If one refuses or delays, the host is deemed the victor.
Host: Noah
Pandora, whose face was already tearful, froze the moment she saw the document. Her eyes lost all sparkle.
After a moment, she gulped, staring in horror at the smiling man. Her face was drenched in sweat as she forced a smile.
"W-What kind of Gift Game is this... W-Wasn't this supposed to be a True Name Contest...?"
Her smile looked more painful than crying.
High-ranking gods are the arbiters of the universe. Rules are rigid, but gods are alive. For lower-tier gods, things like the "True Name Contest" and "Origin Power" are absolute, immovable laws of order.
But for high-ranking gods, those things are subject to change—if they deem it worth altering.
Pandora knew how to play this game. She had always used her cunning and strategy to exploit rule gaps, patching up the world and making herself an indispensable existence.
Even if the "God of Steel" or some of the "Earth Goddesses" hated her to their core, there was nothing they could do about her.
Placing both hands on her cheeks, Pandora raised her head and blinked timidly.
"Th-Then... can I get special treatment?"
Her eyes sparkled with hope. Of course she wanted backdoor privileges!
Having lost again and again in the "True Name Contests," this Pandora identity was the only true name she had left.
As Pandora, she was the most enchanting divine creation. She wouldn't mind being kept as a vase by a high-ranking god if it meant survival.
After all, clinging to a powerful backer wasn't shameful for a god. With a being like this, one who was practically a spokesperson for the universe, countless minor gods would kill for a chance to latch on.
Since she had run into one, she'd hold on tight.
Noah stroked his chin thoughtfully. "Hmm... You're barely good enough for me to give you special treatment."
"After all, the myth of Pandora is just a story humans made up about you. Your true divine body remains pure and unblemished."
The moment Pandora heard that, her entire body relaxed.
Was this it? Had she succeeded?
Even though myths didn't portray her as a virgin goddess, her real divine form was absolutely pure.
Many gods had experienced all kinds of strange effects due to mythological influence, but ever since she obtained the "Ring of Usurpation," she had stayed secluded in the Netherworld and avoided most of those downsides.
As for that so-called Epimetheus of hindsight? He had nothing to do with her real self.
Noah extended a finger and tapped her lightly on the forehead.
This allowed her to retain her divine name in future True Name Contests and coexist with the other versions of Pandora as equivalents.
Any future gods eligible for retention could also coexist as equivalent versions without weakening the Origin Power.
After doing all this, Noah's figure disappeared from Pandora's sight.
She blinked, a huge question mark hovering in her mind.
Was... that it?
...
Noah returned to the Main World.
The world annexation process began.
Since this annexation significantly impacted the Teyvat Universe, the Cosmic Nexus issued a formal announcement.
Noah watched as the Campione World was gradually dismantled and integrated into the Teyvat Universe.
Only two worlds remained now.
Re:Creators, and the true centerpiece—No Game No Life.
Re:Creators would enhance the strength of the Dream Truth.
The No Game No Life World would allow Teyvat to leap from galactic scale to supergalactic, and with the "Star Grail," would accelerate Teyvat's rise to the "Single Universe" level.
In other words—
Once Teyvat devoured the No Game No Life world, it would instantly gain the resources and foundation of a singular universe.
The rest would simply be digesting that foundation.
Even if nothing else were done afterward, Teyvat would still ascend directly to singular universe level.
...
[Ding! Campione World assimilation complete, commencing annexation.]
[Calculation initiated.]
[Calculation complete.]
[Top-tier perfect elemental type, pseudo-universe model / True Infinite Parallel World Type world acquired upon annexation.]
[Human History acquires the Origin Power of autonomous parallel world evolution.]
[Human History gains the Fate Origin Power, which will be consolidated into the Chronicle of Ages, governed by Holy God Phanes.]
[All Gods of Fate are now automatically categorized under the Phanes faction.]
[Teyvat Universe Rule Quality increased by 3%.]
[New Rules added to Teyvat Universe: +0.7%.]
[The Constellation System will gradually integrate into a unique 'Domain of Fate' exclusive to the Teyvat Universe.]
[Total universe mass increased by 0.06%.]
[One foundational blueprint structure added to Teyvat Universe.]
...
At layers only perceptible to Supreme Gods, the Campione World was being dismantled—its myriad parallel worlds absorbed into Human History.
Its divine realm merged beneath the divine realm of the Teyvat Main World, forming a second divine layer.
The original divine realm of the Main World now occupied the topmost tier.
Thus, the current Teyvat Main World had taken on a three-layered cake-like structure.
The Campione divine realm resided on the second layer, still inhabited by its surviving gods. The lowest layer was the foundation of the world—the Teyvat continent.
At present, the Teyvat continent continued expanding outward toward the boundary. Its surface area had already reached that of a star. The original Seven Nations now sat at the center.
The Seven Nations themselves had expanded to several hundred times their original size.
After all, the number of gods in the Seven Nations had surpassed one thousand. In strong pantheons like Liyue, the number of gods had nearly reached ten thousand.
Across the entire Teyvat Universe, the total number of gods across all pantheons had exceeded 800,000.
Although more than 90% were Middle and Lower Gods, these lower-ranking gods formed the backbone of the Main World's current prosperity.
Surrounding the Seven Nations were not barren lands, but nations built by various pantheons.
At present, the Main World had established over a hundred countries. Even so, more than half of its landmass remained unclaimed.
As the number of nations increased, so too did the population—which had long surpassed one hundred billion.
Due to the vast uninhabited areas and a widespread demand for talent among pantheons, many had jointly submitted a request to the Cosmic Nexus for a 'Talent Invitation' rule.
This rule allowed individuals with the potential to become gods to be invited by divine beings to the Main World.
This system resembled the invitation system used in the Little Garden.
However, it was far less restrictive than the traditional invitation protocols.
Useful rules would inevitably emerge, even without Noah's direct influence—some god would always propose them.
Now, the "Main World" had finally become a true cosmic center. Everything that happened here profoundly affected the entire universe.
At the same time, Human History began influencing all gods in the Main World.
In summary: the gods influenced the universe, the universe influenced humanity, and Human History influenced the gods—completing a cycle.
Everything the gods did would eventually reflect back on them through Human History.
The flourishing of the Teyvat continent also bolstered the prosperity of the original divine realm.
At present, only gods could access the second layer.
Currently, there was no major difference between the first and second layers, and all gods could travel freely between them.
However, once Teyvat ascended to the singular universe level and the gods' power advanced dramatically, every action they took would begin to influence the lower realms.
At that point, all gods would need to relocate to the upper layer and would no longer be permitted to descend freely.
Once the Primary Gods possessed power on the stellar system or dwarf galaxy scale, even a single breath leaking out in the mortal world could annihilate countless nations instantly.
...
The annexation of the Campione World was swift—completed in less than a day.
The voice of the cosmos rang out across the public channel of the Cosmic Nexus:
[Campione World conquest complete.]
[Merit distribution among pantheons has been finalized, based on each faction's contribution to the Teyvat Universe and impact on Human History.]
[Origin Power will be fully activated following merit distribution. Please stand by.]
...
With the Campione World conquered, all gods returned to their respective pantheons and communities.
This round of the "True Name Contest" had increased the strength of nearly all gods, especially the main gods of each pantheon.
As for those who lost their true names, their pantheons didn't abandon them. Even without a true name, they remained part of their home pantheon.
Gods who had acquired new true names naturally joined the pantheon associated with those names.
For most pantheons, the contest didn't weaken their strength—it bolstered both power and foundation.
Whether the newly joined gods liked it or not, or whether the original members accepted them, didn't matter. The gods weren't that petty.
The contest was fought fairly—losses and victories were accepted. New members were treated as new comrades. Belonging to the same mythological system, unity was essential.
After all, the pantheons still competed against one another, and more allies were always welcome.
At this moment, in the nation of Athens under the Olympian Pantheon—
A silver-haired girl, Athena, stepped into the Temple of Athena.
Beside her was the former Athena, whose true name had been taken. She had since changed her name.
"A bet is a bet. Since I lost my true name, this nation belongs to you now."
With those words, she left. Giving up the nation was no big deal—it was still Olympus' territory. She could simply return to Mount Olympus or found another state.
Athena, holding her serpent-headed staff, entered the temple.
...
Scenes like this unfolded across all Teyvat pantheons.
The original Seven Nations, however, did not experience these upheavals.
Liyue—
Thanks to the massive population surge alongside land expansion, Liyue's gods had established massive cities across its territories.
With the vast distances between them, the gods of Liyue constructed space gates to connect the cities.
Naturally, spatial issues weren't unique to Liyue's deities.
The distance between nations had grown immense. Without the authority of space, even a Middle God would take months to fly from one end of the continent to the other.
Not because Middle Gods were slow—but because the Main World's mass was astronomically high.
Wangsheng Funeral Parlor—
Zhongli was sipping divine tea at a stone table in the courtyard, thoroughly at ease.
Across from him was Barbatos from Mondstadt.
However, Zhongli didn't pour tea for his old friend.
To him, pouring tea for Barbatos was like feeding ox-grade wine to a bull—wasteful.
Barbatos didn't mind. Relaxed, he pulled out a bottle of divine wine from his pouch and drank with great satisfaction.
Mondstadt, being the land of freedom and wine, had grown prosperous. Its people often offered wine tributes, so Barbatos was never short on spirits.
"Old man, once the merit and Origin Power distributions are made, your power will take another leap, won't it?"
He lowered his voice.
"Hey~ old man, tell me honestly—what realm are you at now? I can't see through you at all."
To Venti's eyes, Zhongli had become unreadable. But one thing was certain—the old man wasn't ascending to Supreme God just yet.
Rather, it was clear that the Teyvat Universe had grown significantly stronger, and accordingly, the main gods had all advanced in power to varying degrees.
Zhongli set down his teacup. "It's not anything significant—just a small step forward on the path to Supreme Godhood."
He shook his head.
"I'm still far from a breakthrough in rank. Unless I make a huge contribution during the next major world conquest, I'd need at least ten thousand years of personal comprehension to advance."
Venti sucked in a cold breath. "Ssshh..." He then whispered, "Old man, how far have you gotten on that path?"
The path to Supreme Godhood was like a staircase—the stronger the universe, the longer the staircase. The stronger the universe, the more valuable its Supreme Gods.
If one's pace couldn't keep up with the universe's growth, the end would be ever farther away.
Zhongli calmly poured himself another cup of tea. "Roughly one-third."
Venti blinked. "As expected of the old man..." He himself had only reached a fifth of the way—he was far behind.
Zhongli replied, "As long as I keep moving steadily forward, I'll get there eventually. For now, let's focus on understanding the Origin Power."
"This is a power that surpasses Authorities. With its aid, we might shorten the time needed to reach Supreme Godhood."
Even though he had advanced a third of the way, Zhongli could not ignore the might of Origin Power.
This was true Origin Power—a level of authority that had previously only existed among those hand-picked by the Heavenly Principle.
Now that Teyvat had become a full-fledged universe, such Origin Power was being distributed.
Venti was also excited. After all, fully developed Origin Power could rival the Authorities of Supreme Gods.
This was a privilege bestowed upon every god.
And this "privilege" was tied to one's influence within Human History.
The greater one's influence, the higher the potential ceiling of their Origin Power.
All pantheons eagerly awaited the distribution of merit and the activation of Origin Power.
Buzz...
As gods across pantheons watched with anticipation, the Cosmic Nexus began evenly distributing merit across all pantheons.
With their merit, some ascended to godhood, others advanced to higher tiers.
In the Main World, becoming a god was no longer a momentous occasion—gods were everywhere.
At the same time, Origin Power activated. The influence of Human History was projected upon every god in Teyvat.
Not only gods of ancient myths and legends received Origin Power.
Every god did—the only difference was in the strength of that power, for all gods had some degree of influence over humanity.
Celestia—
As Origin Power began taking effect across the gods, Phanes—seated on the throne with closed eyes—slowly opened them.
Her pupils turned golden.
The Chronicle of Ages before her instantly unfolded, and all the Authorities within it activated.
The strength of Origin Power stemmed from influence in Human History.
And the Chronicle of Ages was the supreme Authority governing influence.
The fate and life-and-death authority over all gods below Supreme God was recorded within it.
A satisfied curve formed on Phanes' lips.
"The Teyvat Universe has grown much stronger once again. Its cosmic order has entered an entirely new phase."
With her overseeing it, the order of Teyvat would never falter.
After all, this was the duty her husband had entrusted to her.
Her golden eyes then noticed her husband, who had returned to the Main World but not to Celestia, along with the Greater Lord Rukkhadevata by his side.
"Maybe it's the will of the Heavenly Principle, but Teyvat's major gods seem to have a strong affinity for indulgence..."
A mere festival hosted by a community had drawn all these gods just to mooch off food and drink—it left Phanes puzzled.
Still, since the gods continued to fulfill their duties, she saw no need to intervene.
If she were still the Heavenly Principle, this would have already been considered dereliction of duty.
...Execution would have followed...
The distribution of merit and the activation of Origin Power didn't disrupt daily life. The gods of Teyvat carried on as usual.
Liyue was especially lively.
The first-ever "Universal Gourmet Divine Championship" had opened in Liyue Harbor, hosted by the Wanmin Hall community.
Gods from many pantheons who were interested in food had quietly arrived to enjoy the feast.
Of course, it wasn't just gods—there were also the "talents" from various worlds who had entered the Main World through invitations after their respective pantheons had conquered worlds.
For them, this was the first major gift festival they experienced since arriving.
These "talents" were, naturally, the key figures from their original worlds.
"Miko! Wow! There are so many people! Look! A youkai! And an elf! Wow, is that one a vampire?"
"Hana, don't point—it's rude..."
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