"Tea or coffee?"
Holding two steaming mugs, Kasumigaoka Utaha walked over to Luo Shu and offered one to him.
Luo Shu glanced at the mug clearly filled with coffee, the corner of his mouth twitching as he took it and muttered, "If there's no real choice, don't bother asking."
"Is that so?" Utaha replied as she took a sip from her own cup and settled onto the nearby sofa. "But don't you think a choice that only seems like a choice… kind of reflects our current situation perfectly?"
Luo Shu raised his eyebrows and looked at her, intrigued. Half-lidded eyes, a soft smile, and the lazy way she sipped her drink—it all gave her an air of quiet confidence. Sensing his gaze, Utaha tilted her head slightly and smirked.
"Senpai, if you keep staring at me like that, I might have to call the police."
"The same girl who just begged me to help her escape the police? I think your credibility's a bit shot."
Luo Shu took a sip of the bitter coffee and asked, "By the way, you don't plan to report me, do you?"
"In normal circumstances, what happened earlier would definitely attract the attention of the Metropolitan Police. With all the street surveillance around, our entire escape route is probably already in their hands."
But just then, a familiar voice echoed in both their ears.
[No need to worry, dear~~]
[Per your follower Kasumigaoka Utaha's request, all surveillance along the route has been 'rationally processed', darling~]
"..."
Luo Shu suddenly found himself at a loss for words.
Utaha narrowed her eyes and gave him a bright, victorious smile. "Still want to keep talking?"
He sighed, rubbing his temples as if the whole situation was giving him a headache. "So, you two really teamed up, huh?"
He was, of course, referring to the system and Utaha. At some point, the two had clearly come to an agreement and were now cooperating to push forward the so-called "Divine Pantheon Reconstruction" plan.
Having just narrowly escaped death, Luo Shu was feeling deeply uncomfortable. He didn't like being nudged forward by others, manipulated into playing a part in someone else's script.
Shaking off his earlier reluctance to participate, he looked directly at Utaha and asked, "So then, you and my so-called divine servant—what exactly do you plan to do?"
"It should've told you its mission and objective, right?" Utaha replied smoothly.
"That being the case, you also know that I'm just a 'normal person' who happens to have a few special abilities. In that situation… how do you plan to work? What exactly do you want to achieve? And equally important—after we achieve it, what kind of 'reward' are you expecting?"
Utaha was a bit surprised at how quickly he cut to the heart of things. Just earlier he was hesitating, and now he's already this proactive? Gods really do adapt fast… she mused internally, her gaze toward Luo Shu softening ever so slightly.
Taking another sip of her coffee, she said, "According to the intel your divine servant gave me, the energy it needs is something akin to… influence, isn't it?"
"From what I understand, besides a few rare individuals born with it, most of this energy comes from people who already hold considerable sway in society. That's correct, right?"
"...Roughly," Luo Shu admitted after thinking over the system's explanation. She wasn't far off.
"In that case, it's simple."
Utaha set her cup down and smiled.
"Famous celebrities, powerful politicians, bureaucrats who shape national policy, CEOs of major corporations, and even religious leaders—if we can convert people like that into followers, collecting energy should be easy, right?"
"After all, I really can't imagine many of them refusing the chance at longer life or a younger body."
Luo Shu didn't refute her. Because, honestly, she was right.
If a real-life elixir that cured disease and extended life ever existed, the ones who'd get it first would be the so-called elites. That's how the world works—status has always been a gateway to privilege.
[Ding-dong!]
[Regrettably, while the strategy from our main god and the lady follower does have theoretical merit, the recruitment of followers is limited by a key requirement: 'aptitude'. And this 'aptitude' is not something widely distributed.]
[In addition, energy points can currently only be collected by increasing the main god and his followers' own 'influence'.]
[Therefore, the proposed approach is not viable.]
Utaha frowned. "Aptitude? And what exactly does that mean?"
The system replied vaguely: [A preference of fate.]
That made Utaha pause for a moment before she chuckled self-deprecatingly. "Really? I never thought someone like me would be considered fate's favourite."
She pushed aside the emotion and asked, "So is there a way to identify these people with 'aptitude'?"
[The 'Eye of Truth' possessed by the main god can discern them from the crowd.]
Luo Shu rolled his eyes internally. This system… isn't it just talking about "main characters"? Don't tell me this world is filled with protagonists I already know?
While he was mulling that over, Utaha glanced over and said, "So that means… our options are pretty limited, huh?"
Luo Shu turned to her and said, "Limited? I don't think so. If anything, the idea of becoming a god without any restrictions would've been the real red flag."
He paused, then added, "And even if we can't recruit those 'big shots' as followers, doesn't mean we can't influence them."
"What do you mean?" Utaha asked, curious.
A playful smirk tugged at the corner of Luo Shu's lips.
"I once read a book. I've forgotten most of the content… but one particular line stayed with me."
Utaha blinked, her expression becoming slightly uneasy. "What line?"
Moonlight streamed through the window, casting shadows across Luo Shu's face as he calmly said, "The greatest lie in the world… is 'religion'."
"And us? We just so happen to have the power to make that lie come true. Don't we?"
Utaha fell silent for a while, then murmured, "That book you read… it wouldn't happen to be titled Criminal Law, would it?"