Where Stars Go Mad

N/A: Apologies for late update, I've got to sort out my timetable for next semester. Updates will slow down as I've also got tutoring. 

The trickles of sunlight shone brightly on the small village. What was once a land filled with death had now become a sanctuary of freedom and joy. 

The children giggled happily as they frolicked among the butterflies in the fields. Farmers worked hard to till the fields as they harvested the fruits of their labor. 

Within the center square was a long black haired man accompanied by a picture perfect image of a yamato nadeshiko. "Oi!" An uncharacteristic tone left the elegant woman's voice. 

Tianzun ignored her as he performed magic tricks for the children. 

"Oi" She repeated once again in a lower tone to avoid scaring the children. 

"Oi!" Her veins popped out of her forehead as she kicked the asshole over only for him to deflate into paper.

The children laughed and applauded as they were tapped by Tianzun from behind. "Woah! Amazing mister!" 

Tianzun took one look at the pissed off Setsuka before giving her a shit eating grin. It was a new experience, walking among the people of this world. 

Granting wishes gave an entirely different type of satisfaction, different from taking a disciple. It was more... amusing? 

He didn't have the exact word for it, he was mainly observing what types of wishes people would make. Setsuka watched his amused expression as one of the children asked "I heard that the village was only this successful because you have the ability to grant wishes, can I ask for a wish?"

Tianzun stared at them without a change in expression, "It depends on what you all want to wish for..." 

The children huddled up before they all came to an agreement, "We want a place for us to play, it's sometimes boring to play around in the village all day." 

His gaze nodded as he wondered for a bit, "Where do you want the area to be? It can't be too far away otherwise your parents would be worried." 

Setsuka cuddled right up to him and coquettishly teased, "Aw... Is does this super powerful deity have a soft spot for children?" 

She soon found herself walking into a well unknowingly. "Mysteries!" 

"Here's fine right?" Tianzun asked the children who had been startled by the yell from the well. They all nodded as he asked, "Close your eyes and count to three." 

"One" 

"Two"

"Three"

The world reappeared in their vision yet now they had a large play area filled with slides and bars that allowed them to run rampant without their parents entertaining them. 

They turned around to look at the wish granting magician only to find nothing but air. News soon spread throughout the village that their benefactor had disappeared, but they had all heard the name of the one responsible for it. 

"The Immortal Lord of Heaven and Earth for Blessings." 

They all prayed in the city square. 

"The Sky Lord of Heaven and Earth for Blessings."

"The Exalted Thearch of Heaven and Earth for Blessings."

They prayed devotedly and established a church believing the man to have been a god among mortals. 

"The Celestial Worthy of Heaven and Earth for Blessings." 

In that moment they had cited the last line they had come up with, the world stilled and Tianzun felt a feedback. More secure, his mental state was better in a way. He couldn't explain it, but he understood that this "church" had effectively helped him maintain rationality. 

Speaking of which he should probably quit the act of granting wishes lest Amaterasu catch wind of these strange happenings and link it to him. 

Setsuka glared at him as he waited by the village exit. Her yakuta was soaked thoroughly as water dripped from her hair. "Fix this!" She pointed at her disheveled state. 

Tianzun raised an eyebrow, "Is that a wish?" A groan left her mouth before resigning and declaring defeat, "Yes it is a wish. Happy? No idea why you are so obsessed with granting wishes, you might as well just make the most random item a wish granting device."

The monocle slipped a bit as his smile broke. Tianzun looked at the yuki onna with a ludicrous expression. "I never knew you were capable of such intelligent thoughts. I thought all the nutrients went elsewhere." 

The winter cold soon descended with fury in a localised area as she glared at him. A snap of the fingers and her state had returned to what it had been before, dry, elegant and a scent of beauty, something this money grubbing god couldn't appreciate.

On more than one occasion she had seen him with a softer look when dealing with gold than children. 

Tianzun thought about it before wishing for a normal golden chalice with a small compartment. A small wish that barely required any wishing power. Setsuka looked at the golden chalice with a confused face, "Wait, you really were planning on making a wish granting device?"

He nodded before correcting her, "An automatic biased wish granting device." A small compartment within the stem of the chalice opened up as a small worm emerged from his skin to Setsuka's disgust. 

But she had to admit, the worm had a decent color scheme. But those tentacle patterns on its body were really creepy. 

Tianzun shoved the worm into the compartment before sealing it once again. He raised the chalice to the sky and declared in a solemn manner, "The Holy Grail, an automatic wish granting device capable of granting almost any mortal wish. But I made it utterly biased to my own liking." 

Setsuka stared at the golden chalice before grabbing it and asking, "I wish for a yukata of godly quality." The grail did not respond, she stared at him expecting an answer. 

"I said, the grail is biased to my own liking." Tianzun smirked as she could have sworn the worm within the cup made a sound similar to giggling if worms could giggle.

She looked at the grail with disappointment before denouncing it, "So it is a fraudulent holy grail wish granting device."

 Tianzun shrugged "Call it whatever you want." He simply tossed the grail onto some stone slab and carved the words onto it describing it as a wish granting device that would answer the chosen. 

//Next Chapter: The Path to Ascension//