62: Incompetent Gods

When Lin Luo endured the dizziness of pulling an all-nighter to show Uka the perfect clear save screen, he thought he would welcome the solemn moment of the deity fulfilling her promise.

However, the goddess curled up in the pile of games just rubbed her sleepy eyes, glanced at the screen, and then revealed a deeply apologetic, even somewhat cute smile, before uttering incredibly cold words:

“That... I'm really sorry, but right now, I simply can't do it.”

“...”

The anticipation on Sakurajima Mai's face instantly froze, as if all her strength had been drained. She stumbled back a step and slowly crouched down, hugging her knees and burying her face deep within them. The color seemed to fade from her entire being, and she fell into a state of complete withdrawal.

“What?!”

Lin Luo's eyes were still bloodshot, a testament to his battle through countless 'Divine Realm Hours.' He pointed at the dense list of achievements on the screen, his voice hoarse from shock and exhaustion: “Then what was the point of me working myself to death, memorizing the preferences, schedules, and even the tie colors of every male lead in this moronic... in this game, just to clear every single ending?!”

Uka shrank her neck back, startled by his agitated tone. She pressed her hands together and stuck out her tongue apologetically: “Well... I just... I just wanted to find someone to play games with me. It's so boring being alone facing a screen all the time, with no one to share a win or complain about a loss with...” Seeing the two of them nearly petrified, she quickly added, “Don't worry! Once my Divine Power recovers, I can definitely, definitely help Mai-chan return to normal!”

A premonition of doom welled up in Lin Luo's heart. Suppressing his anger, he gritted his teeth and asked: “So, noble Deity, how long will it take for your Divine Power to recover? One day? Two days? Or a week?”

Uka tilted her head, tapping her chin lightly with her index finger as she thought seriously for a moment, then gave an answer that caused the air to completely freeze:

“Probably... three years?”

“Three... years?”

Crouching on the ground, Mai murmured the words. The last bit of strength supporting her was drained, and she slumped completely onto the floor, her eyes hollow.

Three years? Never mind her acting career; in three years, she feared even her very existence would be completely forgotten by the world. The opportunity wouldn't just be gone; it would be rotten, weathered away, and vanished without a trace.

Just as this suffocating despair began to spread, something unexpected happened.

“I'm... truly very sorry! I let your hard work go to waste and failed your expectations!”

Before her voice even finished, Ukka-no-Mitama-no-Kami—the noble deity presiding over grains and harvests—actually dropped to her hands and knees without hesitation, pressing her forehead deep into the tatami mat, performing a standard 'Dogeza' to Mai. Her smooth long hair spilled across the floor, creating an absurd and shocking image alongside the scattered game cartridges.

At this moment, the unreliable Aura of a shut-in gamer girl vanished from her, leaving only the purest sincerity born of deep guilt for her own powerlessness.

This sudden, overly solemn method of apology acted like a wake-up call, instantly shattering the daze of Mai's despair.

“U-Uka-sama! Please, get up! You can't do this!”

Mai was so startled she nearly experienced Soul Flying Away and Spirit Scattering. To have a deity, a real deity, perform such a grand gesture to her was simply unthinkable; she feared it might shave ten years off her life! Almost as an instinctive reaction, she also hurriedly bent down, returning the gesture with an equally standard Dogeza, her forehead pressed against the back of her hands, her voice trembling:

“Please, you mustn't! We can't accept this!”

For a moment, in this Divine Realm Japanese-style room filled with game consoles, the two girls—one a fallen deity, the other a forgotten actress—knelt and bowed to each other in the humblest of postures, making the scene incredibly bizarre yet filled with an indescribable mix of the comical and the solemn.

Standing to the side, Lin Luo watched this surreal scene and rubbed his aching temples, feeling that the exhaustion from clearing the game was trivial compared to the mental shock he was experiencing now.

“I say...” he couldn't help but speak up, his tone filled with deep skepticism, “Are you sure you're not a fake deity? You're neither solemn nor serious, and you're obsessed with Otome Games. Has the bar for being a god become this low?” He stroked his chin, lost in thought. “Wait, that's not right. Ukka-no-Mitama-no-Kami, the Inari Okami, is a high-ranking deity. And your shrine's incense is flourishing with an endless stream of believers; logically, your Divine Power should be abundant.”

“Insolent!” Uka snapped her head up, her cheeks flushing red with anger instantly like a puffed-up pufferfish, even the guilt from before being washed away by this blunt questioning. She sat up on her knees, pointing her fan at Lin Luo, her voice clearly tinged with annoyance: “You—you are being extremely disrespectful to a deity! I shall punish you!”

“Eh?” Lin Luo raised an eyebrow and delivered a precision retort. “If you have the Divine Power to punish me, why don't you use it to lift the 'Concealment' status from her first?”

This perfectly aimed strike hit right where it hurt.

Uka, who had been aggressive just a moment ago, deflated like a punctured balloon. A massive sense of grievance and powerlessness welled up in her heart; her mouth puckered, and her lapis-colored eyes quickly filled with tears.

“Waaah... I'm really... really sorry!”

She suddenly burst into tears like a child who had done something wrong and couldn't fix it. She lunged forward toward Mai, who was still in a Dogeza position, and hugged her tightly, burying her wet face in Mai's shoulder. Her crying was full of sincere regret and frustration.

“Eh?! U-Uka-sama?!”

Mai was completely stunned. Being held tightly by a wailing deity, she froze in place, her hands hovering awkwardly in mid-air, completely unsure of how to handle this unprecedented situation. Comforting a deity? This was a service she had never encountered before!

“Sigh, the scale of the Divine Power exceeds my spiritual energy, so I can't break it either.” Lin Luo shrugged, his tone suddenly becoming relaxed as he turned to Mai: “How about this, Mai? Why don't you just stay here and become a Divine Messenger? Since a certain incompetent deity has caused you to 'disappear' in a literal sense, you might as well stay with her. Free food and housing, plus the latest games to play—isn't that better than struggling in the entertainment industry?”

“Who are you calling incompetent?!” Uka immediately looked up to protest, her tear-reddened eyes glaring at Lin Luo, but then she turned back to Mai, her tone becoming exceptionally gentle: “But... if Mai-chan is willing to stay and keep me company, I'd be very happy. You don't have to be a messenger; we can be friends, play games together, eat snacks together...”

Having gone through a series of shocks, Sakurajima Mai was now somewhat numb. She managed to force a smile: “No, I think I'll go back. I've already troubled you far too much.”

“You really can't take a joke.” Lin Luo suddenly smiled.

Mai looked at him in confusion. Lin Luo retracted his joking expression, pinched the bridge of his nose, and turned to Uka: “Uka-sama...” Although he used a formal title, there wasn't much respect in his tone. “The Power of Spiriting Away shouldn't be completely impossible to break by external forces, right?”

He looked at Uka with a sharp gaze: “A so-called deity is, in the end, just a leap in the level of life. Your power shouldn't be enough to truly manipulate the fundamental rules and 'erase' a person from the world entirely. Mai's existence itself hasn't vanished; it's just been 'overlaid' by your Divine Power, right?”

Uka puffed out her cheeks, and though she looked displeased, she had to admit: “Even though it's really uncomfortable hearing you analyze it like that... you're right. My Divine Power can currently only cover the territory of Japan. Beyond that boundary, the influence of my Divine Power will weaken or even disappear.”

At this point, she suddenly realized something and looked at Mai in surprise: “Eh? Is Mai-chan going to leave Japan?”

Mai shook her head subconsciously, the movement almost an instinctive reaction.

Lin Luo looked at her and couldn't help but smile, his tone carrying a hint of understanding: “Oh, you're so stubborn. If you went to develop your career in Mainland Dragon Country, wouldn't the market be much better than just being in the Japan region? With your qualities, you might even turn this disaster into a blessing and open up a broader world.”

Mai continued to shake her head, her fingers unconsciously twisting the hem of her clothes, her voice growing softer: “I... I don't really want to leave here. I...”

Her words stopped there, as if something heavy was blocking her throat, preventing her from continuing. Those eyes, usually bright and determined, were now clouded with a thin mist, revealing a vulnerability she was unwilling to admit even to herself.

Lin Luo watched Mai's struggling expression with understanding, his eyes—which seemed to see through people's hearts—narrowing slightly as a knowing smile touched his lips.

“I see.” He nodded knowingly, his tone softening. “You can't let go of your family, can you? Even if they can't see you now, and might even have 'forgotten' your existence.”

These words gently knocked on the softest corner of Mai's heart. Yes, even if the whole world turned a blind eye to her, even if it was because of a heated argument with her mother—who was also her manager—that she had impulsively made the wish to “disappear completely,” leading to the abrupt end of her career. This was still her homeland where she grew up, with the streets she knew, the warm flavors of her memories, and most importantly—her family who she cared about.

Even if they could no longer perceive her existence, as long as she could watch them from afar and see they were well, it was an irreplaceable solace to her. This invisible bond was more resilient than any acting contract.

This realization sank Mai into a deeper silence. She had to admit Lin Luo was right; she was indeed a stubborn person—tenacious about her dreams, yet unable to let go of that concern she couldn't voice.

Looking at Mai's lowered profile, a complex look flashed through Lin Luo's eyes. He turned to Uka, who was still sobbing, and his tone suddenly became lighthearted:

“Since that's the case, why don't we try a different approach? Uka-sama, besides waiting for your Divine Power to recover naturally, there should be other ways to lift this state, right?”