Genshin Impact: Towards Godhood

Mishal sat silently on the throne.

During the peak of the [Deshret's Relics], they almost dominated half of the desert.

The interior of the desert was chaotic, with the tribes being ignorant and never considering any form of cooperation or development. They relied on blood relations to keep the tribes running and insanely pinned all their hopes on the gods.

The Scarlet King, the Flower God... they would never understand that the glory and greatness of the gods only existed while they were alive. Once they were dead, all that remained were mere titles.

The higher-ups of the [Deshret's Relics] would publicly proclaim the greatness of the Scarlet King, guiding people to worship the Scarlet King.

They believed in the gods, but the gods were dead. The power to interpret the gods' ideologies was in the hands of the higher-ups of the [Deshret's Relics], allowing them to conveniently use divine decrees to voice their desires.

Everything was going well until...

Mishal looked up.

He was a rough-looking desert man, his expression filled with resentment and frustration.

...until a cripple walked into the [Deshret's Relics]'s stronghold.

"Kusayla, damn you."

Mishal kept muttering the name.

Kusayla himself wasn't threatening, but his actions destroyed the foundation of the [Deshret's Relics]'s oppressive rule.

To join the [Deshret's Relics] and gain the value attached to the title, one had to accept their terms.

They would demand the applicant to submit proof of their crimes, retaining evidence of their misdeeds on specific dates to coerce others into obeying their orders.

Kusayla burned all the criminal records. Upon learning this, many mercenaries dissatisfied with the [Deshret's Relics] immediately defected and started targeting them in return.

As the saying goes, when the wall falls, everyone pushes. The stronger the [Deshret's Relics] became, the more people wanted to trample on it when it faltered.

The [Deshret's Relics] declined because of one cripple.

Mishal was deeply dissatisfied.

The desert's turmoil made him silent, but the fact that a great situation turned into decline due to a cripple made him even more frustrated.

"Always busy cleaning up the mess, but it seems we can't save it now," Mishal murmured softly. "The world changes. You linger in past glories, but a new era has already arrived."

Revenge was important, but for the living, there were more pressing matters.

Previously, Mishal didn't focus on this issue. Compared to seeking revenge for the past, he wanted to restore the [Deshret's Relics] to its former glory.

But it became obvious that this was impossible. So, before complete defeat, he might as well seek revenge.

This was a difficult task, as before this, not even Kusayla's mercenaries were on Mishal's radar.

When Mishal decided to seek revenge, he found out that the [Dakan Al-Ahmar] had already disbanded, and he couldn't trace the remaining members or their whereabouts.

However, "kind-hearted" people exist.

Mishal held a list.

Before arriving at the stronghold, Kusayla had voluntarily disbanded his Eremites.

He wanted to protect his companions, which meant that if Mishal sought revenge, he had to ensure all those Kusayla wanted to protect died miserably.

Previously, Mishal hadn't sought revenge because the [Deshret's Relics] was too vast to bother with the small [Dakan Al-Ahmar].

You want revenge, but many obstacles stand in your way. The enemy directly causing your downfall is obscure, and you're too busy salvaging the situation to hunt down minor characters.

But the situation changed.

Someone provided the list, hiring Mishal to do something.

"Well, it turns out these pests have been causing us trouble all along. It's these people."

"Such touching camaraderie. If I collect their heads, you'll surely regret it, won't you?"

"Tikriti, Idrisi, Bashar... and your pretty daughter, Dehya."

Holding the list, Mishal's smile grew more sinister. "Wonderful, dead cripple."

"Even after your death, you left me such mood-lifting gifts."

"How should I thank you?"

Mishal gave up on salvaging the situation.

The desert's circumstances changed too quickly. Before he could turn things around, the desert already showed signs of unification.

It was impossible to restore the [Deshret's Relics] to its former glory.

So, instead of futilely trying to restore it, he decided to focus on revenge.

Life was already hard enough; finding some amusement wasn't out of the question, right?

"Commander!"

A mercenary knelt below, speaking respectfully.

The [Deshret's Relics] proclaimed the Scarlet King, functioning as a mercenary organization with semi-divine authority.

Of course, divine authority—the power to interpret the gods' words—was always in the hands of a few high-ranking members.

Such semi-divine rule granted the rulers extraordinary power.

"The [Corps of Thirty] are urging us to act again?"

Mishal had a plan in mind. "Agree for now."

Having received considerable aid from the [Corps of Thirty], Mishal had to comply with their orders.

But orders were orders; how to execute them was up to them.

"How are the contacts within the desert?" Mishal asked. "Why should I choose the traitorous [Corps of Thirty] over these tribesmen?"

It wasn't about sharing a desert heritage but because the [Corps of Thirty] were a well-formed interest group entirely driven by the Akademiya.

Even if Mishal abandoned the [Deshret's Relics]'s dignity and compromised with the [Corps of Thirty], he wouldn't gain much.

The [Corps of Thirty] themselves were hunting dogs of the Akademiya, unable to guarantee what price their master would offer.

But the desert was different; at least there was a chance.

"The Tanit tribe agreed."

The mercenary spoke joyfully, "They promised to make you an elder and hunt the [Corps of Thirty] and the Akademiya together with you."

He was Mishal's confidant, prioritizing his leader's future over the [Deshret's Relics]'s.

The deal was simple: Mishal would orchestrate a failure, forcing the [Corps of Thirty] to intervene.

Next would be the traditional betrayal segment.

(End of the Chapter)