Chapter 2: The Divine Being Appears

　　Xiao Fan: (￣□￣;) ????

　　The young girl among the tiny inhabitants looked up, gazing into the clear sky. Faintly visible in the boundless azure expanse was the face of a man, ethereal yet undeniably real, as if a divine being was overlooking the world.

　　However, this "divine being" didn't exhibit the solemnity and dignity of an altar. Instead, he had his mouth half-open, with a look of panic on his face!

　　"You... can't hear me, can you?" Xiao Fan tentatively asked the young girl among the miniature figures.

　　The young girl nodded with joy, her face lighting up. The divine being in the sky had truly responded to her. "The divine being speaks! I can hear your words, Lord of the Heavens! Villagers, there really is a divine being!"

　　The words of the young girl reached the ears of the other miniature figures nearby. They quieted down, looking at her with suspicion. Following the girl's raised hand, they looked towards the sky, only to find nothing but the empty expanse.

　　"Is Yao Xi talking nonsense? Has she been frightened by divine thunder?"

　　"Old Zhang's family is really unfortunate, having such a jinx like Yao Xi. First, she brings misfortune to her father, then to her mother. Maybe the entire family next door, the Lis, was cursed by this jinx too! Anyone associated with her will be cursed to death!"

　　The surrounding miniature figures avoided Yao Xi, pointing fingers at her and speaking ill of her. It seemed that, except for the girl named Yao Xi, the others couldn't see Xiao Fan and couldn't hear his voice.

　　"Yao Xi, stop talking nonsense. Ah... there is no divine being here." The old man looked up, failing to find any divine being, and with pity in his eyes, he spoke to the girl.

　　"Lord of the Heavens does exist..."

　　"Pah! Jinx! There's no such thing as a Lord of the Heavens. Even if there were, it's because of you that he's punishing us!"

　　The sharp-tongued male miniature figure shouted.

　　"Exactly! Zhao Twelve is right! These freaks and jinxes have angered the heavens, bringing punishment in the form of daytime thunder! It's all because of Yao Xi, this ugly jinx! It's her fault that we've had three years of drought. Killing her parents wasn't enough; now she wants to harm the entire village! Burn this ugly jinx, appease the wrath of the heavens!"

　　The middle-aged woman cried out, accusing Yao Xi.

　　Zhao Twelve was a notorious ruffian in the village, involved in deceitful activities even during times of war and famine. The villagers had always been skeptical of his words. However, with the support of Zhang, the middle-aged woman, his words became more convincing.

　　Zhao Twelve sneakily glanced at Zhang, a hint of wickedness flashing in his eyes. The two schemed together, intending to deceive the simple villagers by playing tricks.

　　Encouraged by Zhao Twelve and Zhang, the villagers nodded in agreement, directing all their accusations toward the lonely and pitiful girl.

　　"Are you guys out of your minds? This 'Dili Jiaoba' can be called an ugly freak?! Is your aesthetic sense really that flawed?"Xiao Fan loudly complained in his mind!

　　"I didn't do anything! I'm not lying! The Lord of the Heavens is truly watching over us..."The young girl among the miniature figures tried to defend herself but seemed feeble.

　　"Humph! Lord of the Heavens? Why haven't we seen anything?"

　　Zhao Twelve, the sharp-tongued male miniature figure, continued to taunt.

　　He looked around at the other people, and the villagers, frowning, nodded one after another. Since there wasn't a second person who could see Xiao Fan, no one could naturally support the girl named Yao Xi.

　　"If you really can see something that only you can see, aren't you a Saintess? Hehe, then ask the Lord of the Heavens to make it rain. If it really rains under this clear sky, we'll believe you. If it doesn't rain, you're a jinx, and you deserve to be burned alive!"

　　"Yes! That's right! Ask the Lord of the Heavens to bring down rain. If there's no rain, you're not a Saintess but a witch, the witch who caused the village drought!"

　　Some echoed, and the crowd began to stir.

　　"Villagers, don't talk nonsense about ghosts and gods, don't talk nonsense!"

　　The old man tried to calm the spreading panic and anger among the villagers, but the situation was already out of control.

　　Ignoring the old man's advice, a few male miniature figures lifted the young girl, tying her to a wooden post in the open space.

　　Some miniature figures piled up firewood under the girl's feet, and the sharp-tongued male miniature figure lit a torch.

　　The young girl struggled and pleaded, but it was in vain.

　　"What the heck! Feudal superstition is causing harm! What are you doing? Stop! Stop all of you!"

　　Xiao Fan shouted desperately toward the ecological box, but the miniature figures inside showed no sign of stopping.

　　Xiao Fan: (Φ皿Φ) !!!

　　Xiao Fan was bewildered. What kind of feudal superstition was this? Setting people on fire without any discussion? And they were going to burn such a beautiful girl. Didn't their hearts ache?

　　What intrigued Xiao Fan even more was the mention of a "Lord of the Heavens" by the girl. Could it be himself? When did he become the "Lord of the Heavens"? He was just an unemployed youth.

　　Wait a minute.

　　Suddenly, Xiao Fan thought, if kicking the box could be interpreted by the miniature figures as thunder, could other actions he took also affect the world inside the ecological box?

　　In the ecological box, the young girl named Yao Xi was tied to a wooden post. She looked at the sky, hearing the Lord of the Heavens defend her. But apart from Yao Xi, no one else could hear the Lord of the Heavens.

　　In this moment, Yao Xi recalled her deceased parents, the loved ones lost to war and famine, her eyes filled with sorrow and earnest longing.

　　Like a devout saint, the young girl prayed to her Lord of the Heavens, gazing up.

　　"Lord of the Heavens, I beg you, bring down the rain for us."

　　Xiao Fan froze for a moment. He was moved by her pure plea. Even if he wasn't a god, he had to find a way to save the girl!

　　Suppose he could influence the world inside the ecological box. In that case, if he wanted to make it rain, pouring water directly would do it. However, pouring water directly would damage the ecological box, so he needed to create a simulated rain environment.

　　Creating a simulated rain environment inside the ecological box was a piece of cake for Xiao Fan, given his expertise.

　　Setting up a rainfall device for the ecological box now was out of the question. Still, there was another way!

　　"Grass, where's my compressed air spray bottle?"

　　Xiao Fan jumped up, running to the shelf beside the ecological box. He remembered having a handheld compressed air spray bottle, but he couldn't find it at the moment.

　　As Yao Xi devoutly prayed, the face of her Lord of the Heavens slowly disappeared. She looked up, trying to find her Lord of the Heavens.

　　"Broom star! Oh no, Saintess! What about the downpour you mentioned? Where's your Lord of the Heavens?"

　　The sharp-tongued miniature figure, Zhao Twelve, asked strangely.

　　"The Lord of the Heavens, the Lord of the Heavens disappeared..."

　　Yao Xi felt a bit flustered. At this moment, she couldn't see her Lord of the Heavens.

　　"Zhao Twelve didn't lie. Yao Xi is a witch! Indeed a witch!"

　　"Broom star! What Lord of the Heavens? I think she made it up!"

　　"Burn Yao Xi to appease the wrath of the heavens!"

　　"Villagers, wait a bit longer. Perhaps the Lord of the Heavens is bestowing rain upon us."

　　"Village Chief, why do you always plead for this witch?"

　　The miniature figures grew even angrier. A few male miniature figures held back the old man, while Zhao Twelve approached Yao Xi with a torch.

　　...

　　Xiao Fan: ╭(￣▽￣)╯

　　"Haha, finally found it! Hmm? It's too dirty, let me see if it still works."

　　Xiao Fan pulled the spray bottle out of the pile of miscellaneous items. Immediately, he entered the bathroom, not paying attention to what was happening inside the ecological box.

(Damn it, Xiao Fan, hurry up and do something for Yao Xi!)

　　...

　　"Yao Xi, I've said it before. If you obstruct my good deeds, you'll inevitably face retribution."

　　Zhao Twelve lowered his voice, saying maliciously.

　　"Zhao Twelve, amidst the chaos and famine, the villagers are all suffering. You deceive them and collude with the bandits outside. Aren't you afraid of the Lord of the Heavens' punishment?"

　　Yao Xi loudly questioned Zhao Twelve, but her voice was too small, drowned out by the commotion of the villagers.

　　Zhao Twelve, seeing his secrets exposed, showed a face alternating between red and white. His eyes revealed a fierce and malicious look as he quickly dodged away.

　　He lit the firewood beneath Yao Xi. With a sinister smile on his face, he quickly moved out of the way.

　　The ignited firewood burned rapidly in the dry environment. The flames resembled a violent snake, swiftly enveloping Yao Xi.

　　Enduring the intense heat, Yao Xi's requested downpour did not come, and the Lord of the Heavens was nowhere to be seen.

　　Thinking it over, she realized she had never offered anything to the Lord of the Heavens. Why would the Lord of the Heavens save her for no reason?

　　"Perhaps... I should just burn to death here... Mom, Dad, Yao Xi will be with you soon."The girl tilted her head back, closing her eyes.

　　She felt hopeless, resigned to her fate.

　　Days are too tough; perhaps death is a kind of relief...

　　Xiao Fan: (/ﾟДﾟ)/

　　Tick, tock.

　　Raindrops were felt on the girl's cheeks, forming dense lines, and unexpectedly, in the cloudless sky, it began to rain!

　　Xiao Fan: (」゜ロ゜)」

　　"I just stepped away for a moment, and the ecological box turned into this state?!"

　　The pretty girl who could hear him speak was somehow in the midst of a blazing fire. Xiao Fan couldn't tolerate this.

　　Drip, drip, drip.

　　Xiao Fan vigorously pumped a few times, adjusting the spray nozzle into a mist and sprayed water into the ecological box. He then gently adjusted the nozzle, concentrating more mist around the position of the beautiful girl.

　　Xiao Fan: (*•̀ㅂ•́)و

　　Yao Xi felt raindrops on her cheeks, opened her eyes in disbelief.

　　It was really raining, and the Lord of the Heavens had truly brought down the refreshing rain. There was hope for her and the villagers.

　　This rain felt like redemption, providing hope for the girl to survive.

　　Determined, she decided to dedicate her life to serve the Lord of the Heavens. Rain, mixed with the girl's tears, trickled down her delicate face.

　　In an instant, a gentle rain poured down, extinguishing the flames around Yao Xi. The surrounding villagers looked incredulously at the sky.

　　Dense rain was falling from the cloudless sky!

　　"Divine rain! Divine rain! The Lord of the Heavens has manifested!"

　　"What Yao Xi said is true; the Lord of the Heavens really exists!"

　　"Yao Xi is the Saintess, the messenger of the Lord of the Heavens!"

　　"Quick, go! Go and save the Saintess! Hurry!"

　　"Yes... Yes! Village Chief!"

　　Xiao Fan: ≖‿≖✧