Chapter 61: Completion
Lu Mingfei crawled through the dark, deep tunnel. He couldn't see his surroundings clearly and felt as if he had no legs? He could only lie on the ground and move forward using his hands and the rest of his body.
A light seemed to appear at the end of the tunnel. He crawled forward even harder, thinking there should be more information ahead.
The light drew closer and closer until Lu Mingfei passed through it. After a flash before his eyes, he found he was no longer in the tunnel. He was lying flat on an operating table. Sounds came from all around, but he couldn't make out what was being said. His body couldn't move either. He could only watch the light reflected off metal instruments, the unknown liquids in various vessels... and the unbearable pain. He wanted to struggle, but it felt like he was bound by something and couldn't move an inch.
Another flash before his eyes, and the environment changed again. He was on a metal recliner in an operating room filled with all sorts of foul smells. This spot was in the shadows of the entire room, unreached by the occasional flashing lights from outside the window. He was tied down, wrapped in who knows how many restraint straps.
Thud.
Was that a sound? Something was opened?
Lu Mingfei looked up. He saw a little girl in a white cotton nightgown walk into the room from outside. She held a small teddy bear in her hands, and her face was dotted with freckles, not particularly pretty.
"How pitiful," the girl said softly.
She walked to the room's water pipe, scooped up a handful of water, then returned to stand before Lu Mingfei.
Drop, two drops. The water seemed blocked by something, only able to slowly trickle down and seep to the corner of his mouth.
...
"Alright, from today on, this will be your new home." Xia Mi used a key to open the door of a villa. This was a residential area not far from the Peacock Residence, relatively cheaper and with fewer residents. She thought if Norton made any commotion, it would be easier to handle.
Old Tang, that is, Norton, was currently holding Constantine's egg, carrying a backpack, and standing behind Xia Mi.
"The boss is so rich, huh? Buying a villa just like that. After spending so many years in the poor district, this is the first time living in a place like this." Old Tang followed Xia Mi into the house. Hmm, well-decorated, ready to move in. He first placed Constantine on the sofa, then turned and saw his distant cousin sister just plop down right there.
"Jörmungandr, aren't you going back?"
"Norton, I need to make this clear to you. Behave normally, don't try any tricks. The boss really doesn't like seeing that sort of thing." Xia Mi sat on the sofa, her expression and tone very serious. "Also, call me Xia Mi from now on."
Old Tang placed his backpack on the floor, then sat down next to Constantine. "Got it. His aura is terrifying, but he's been relatively friendly to me so far, if you don't count getting beaten up."
"What exactly is he? Xia Mi, if you can tell me, please do." Old Tang felt very unsure. For now, he was just told to stay put and would be called if needed. He had no idea what 'needed' might entail.
"Hmph, you've become more polite now. Telling you isn't a big deal. Ahem, listen up! He is upon the River Styx..."
"Stop, stop, stop! I know that one. I want to know something else." Old Tang interrupted the three sentences Xia Mi was about to recite.
Interrupted, Xia Mi could only wave her hand and say, "Fine, fine. To put it more directly, he's Death."
"What?"
"He is the master of souls, the embodiment of Death." Xia Mi stared into Old Tang's eyes and said this with a serious face, though she couldn't help laughing in the end. "So edgy. But it's pretty much accurate. The boss is powerful. Under his protection, maybe we won't have to fight each other and can live peacefully." Xia Mi turned her gaze to the living room window, lost in thought.
"...You have special feelings for him. I can tell. The interactions between you two are different from with others." Norton looked at Xia Mi with a complex gaze. Thinking about it now, that 'Lust' tantō really wasn't given to the wrong dragon. To fall for him just like that?
The girl's eyes grew downcast. She said in a low voice, "In the long years, no creature has ever shown kindness to beings like us. Only fear or schemes..."
"You don't know how I felt when I was in dire straits and he appeared before me, sweeping away the obstacles with overwhelming power." That had truly made her happy. Someone came to save her, told her he would protect her.
"I don't know if it's because I was truly useful that he came to save me. We talked a lot later. It's really hard to imagine someone completely equated with Death being so... I think I might really be falling for him. He's so gentle, so naive. He even said he'd share his birthday with me. He gave me a gift but didn't prepare anything for himself..."
"I once read a book that said people always like to pursue innocent things. I think this has a different meaning. I must be influenced by him."
Xia Mi still gazed out the window, but a smile appeared on her stunning face, and her tone became firm.
"I don't just like innocent things. I also like innocent people."
...
A storm of bullets grazed the girl's body and shot into the ice and snow behind her. Her frame was too small, so the bullets only tore her cold-weather gear and skirt, cut her skin, but also nearly took her life.
All her efforts seemed futile. She was sent flying by the shockwave from rockets fired by fighter jets in the sky. Shrapnel embedded in her body, taking off half her head. She was about to die.
The girl used her last shreds of consciousness and strength to tightly hug the teddy bear in her hands.
"You are of no more use to me, so I no longer need to keep my vow... But this makes me feel like a bad person... Let's make a new contract."
Whose voice was that? Lu Mingfei was confused. He was like a bystander. From this scene, he only saw the girl on the vast ice field and the Su-27s circling in the sky.
"Live, Renata. There are many beautiful things outside you haven't experienced yet. Like embraces, like kisses, like a man and a woman in love. So, don't die."
A miracle happened to the girl. The frail body collapsed on the ice field regained its vitality.
Lu Mingfei watched this scene in amazement.
It was truly unbelievable. She just recovered like that. No, more than that. Could Xia Mi do this? Wait, that voice! So familiar!
The next moment, Lu Mingfei seemed to sense something. Standing on the ice field, he looked back. His pupils dilated. A youth whose appearance was identical to his own was standing not far away.
The youth was smiling, smiling at him.
Chapter 62: The Faceless Spirit
The bronze gate appeared before Nono and Ling, rising directly from the ground. Neither of them had sensed it with their intuition before it appeared. The gate opened, and Ji, maintaining a smile, walked out alongside a somewhat strange-looking Lu Mingfei.
Ji looked toward the two girls sitting on the living room sofa and pointed at Lu Mingfei, saying, "Congratulate classmate Lu Mingfei on successfully advancing to sequence 5 'Spirit Warlock'."
Clap, clap, clap, clap... Ling was the first to applaud, while Nono shrugged and then clapped half-heartedly.
Lu Mingfei watched Ling applauding, staring at her cold, glamorous face, not knowing what to say. A strange emotion flashed in his eyes, which Ling captured.
"Speaking of which, Xia Mi hasn't returned yet..." Ji closed his eyes to check the location of the mark on Xia Mi, then opened them and said to everyone, "Do as you please. I'm going back to my room for a while; call me if anything happens."
He walked upstairs just like that, ignoring the seemingly off Lu Mingfei and Nono, who felt the current situation was a bit strange.
Lu Mingfei opened his mouth slightly and made a sound: "Lei..."
"Lu Mingfei." Ling interrupted what Lu Mingfei was about to say. She looked into Lu Mingfei's eyes and said to him, "I go by 'Ling' now. This is a name given to me by a very important person."
Lu Mingfei lowered his head and averted his gaze. After swallowing hard, he looked up and said, "We need to find a time to talk properly."
Ling nodded in response, "Okay."
Well, throughout the whole process, only Nono was kept in the dark. She could tell that Lu Mingfei's current state was a bit strange—not the kind of strangeness that comes from just advancing, but likely a psychological issue. However, she still didn't understand what the two were talking about. She silently cast a pacification on him and watched Lu Mingfei walk upstairs.
Seeing that Lu Mingfei had completely gone up, Nono leaned over to Ling and said to her, "Although I don't know what happened between you two, aren't you going to talk to him?"
"He said 'find a time,' not 'now.'" Ling tilted her head and answered Nono's question.
"...Fine. Since they're all back, I'll head out to see if there are any opportunities for acting." Nono walked to the door and muttered while changing her shoes, "A Hypnotist, huh? Let's try using hypnosis for treatment..."
The entire living room was left with only Ling. She just sat there. The TV hadn't changed channels since Nono turned it on, though, of course, they hadn't been paying attention to it. Ling lowered her head, thinking about something, and a sweet smile slowly curled the corners of her lips.
...
After going upstairs, Lu Mingfei actually went straight to Ji's room. He knocked on the door, and as soon as he entered, he saw his master sitting by the bed with his eyes closed. His posture was very relaxed; he probably wasn't thinking about anything too important.
"Master? What are you doing? Meditating?" Lu Mingfei said as he closed the door behind him and walked in front of Ji, waving his hand.
"You are a Spirit Warlock now; you can possess your own natural spirits or undead." Ji opened his eyes to see Lu Mingfei waving in front of him and asked helplessly, "What are you doing?"
Lu Mingfei scratched his head and said, "Hehe, I wanted to try and see if you could see things with your eyes closed, Master."
"I can see when I want to see, and I don't when I don't want to." Ji shook his head and continued his previous words: "However, the Darkness Path is more suitable for natural spirits, which I don't have here. I can only pick an undead you can currently control for you, and it also needs to be one without a physical form."
"Controlling powerful spirits to fight or do other things will accelerate digestion through acting. Sit for a while; I should find one soon." Ji closed his eyes again to search. Picking usable ones from thousands of undead was truly a bit troublesome.
Lu Mingfei sat beside Ji and looked around the room. He hadn't been to Ji's room many times; most of the time, it was Ji who came to him.
Master really likes figurines; he actually bought so many... and he even put up a few posters that were a bit inappropriate for children. Wouldn't Miss Xia Mi be angry if she saw them?
"Found it." Ji opened his eyes and snapped his fingers. Some grayish-white light detached from his body, forming a human figure in front of the two.
It was a humanoid creature, not tall by human standards, wearing somewhat decayed clothing that looked like the style of some Western nobility. Its face couldn't be seen. It felt like the faceless man from some urban legend seen online. Lu Mingfei observed the appearance of the undead in front of him.
"From today on, you are his spirit." Ji stood up and pointed at Lu Mingfei.
The faceless undead knelt on one knee toward Lu Mingfei. Lu Mingfei looked at Ji, and Ji nodded at him. He then opened his mouth, and the figure of the undead gradually became illusory, turning into some grayish-white light that flew into Lu Mingfei's mouth.
The spirits controlled by a 'Spirit Warlock' are stored in their own teeth. Therefore, the more teeth, the higher the Sequence, and the more and stronger spirits one can control. However, compared to the 'Gatekeeper' of the Death Pathway at sequence 5, several Spirit Warlocks combined might not necessarily compare to the spirits a Gatekeeper can control, after all, a Gatekeeper's spirits are stored in their own Underworld.
"This is a sequence 5 level undead. It can rely on the Spirit World to use special abilities; passing through walls or tunneling underground is still possible. You'll need to develop other abilities yourself. You can also go and look for natural spirits or wild undead willing to submit to you." Ji patted Lu Mingfei's head; that black hair was very soft. One hidden change of the Darkness Path is that hair grows very quickly after advancement. Wait a second, why is Dunn's hairline so high? Is it because he was stuck as a Nightmare for too long?
"Master, how did you find that army of undead?" Lu Mingfei was very curious. He had seen with his own eyes in Odin, that is, Macallan's Nibelungen, Ji summon an endless army of skeletons.
Hearing Lu Mingfei's question, Ji recalled the past, his tone slightly heavy: "At the beginning, I slowly searched for some ancient ruins, where I could always find some good undead. Later, I participated in a war... I used to be considered a wild Beyonder. I wanted to protect the ordinary people of that world regardless of stance, but I also couldn't watch the armies of other countries set foot in the place where I had lived for a long time. There were people I knew there, and my friends. The vast majority of those armies were people being used; they were originally farmers, students, and some were soldiers. They responded to their country's call and stepped onto the battlefield."
"This was a conspiracy, a conspiracy of the Beyonder world. Compared to more important interests and the overall situation of the world, the True Gods don't care about having a few less believers."
"I didn't want to kill them; people without Beyonder abilities are all being used, but I thought I still had to do something. I roamed the edges of the entire war, specializing in attacking those Beyonder armies, and I could also harvest quite a few undead. Hehe, the commander on the other side definitely didn't expect to encounter a Death Consul who had never appeared in any intelligence reports. However, after that incident, I became famous."
Ji smiled and imitated in a strange tone: "An unknown angel walks the earth, suspected to belong to the Church of the Evernight. Hehe, they sure have quite the imagination."
Chapter 63 Your Humanity Seems a Bit Too Plentiful
"So Ji told you these things? Hmm, war... He mentioned he was quite young, saying his usual smile was to cover up the aftereffects of participating in war? No, doesn't seem like it. Probably nothing could leave him with aftereffects."
Lu Mingfei was secretly reporting to Xia Mi. Earlier, Xia Mi had told Lu Mingfei to secretly relay some of the things Ji had said to her.
But it wasn't really that secretive, because they were discussing it openly in the living room on the first floor. Both Zero and Nono were there. Today was still during the National Day holiday, so everyone could still rest at home, except for Xia Mi—she basically never went to school.
The Red-haired Girl and the blonde girl also seemed very curious about this mysterious gentleman's story. However, the mysterious gentleman himself wasn't there. He had said earlier that he had some matters to attend to and left early.
If it was something that made him leave through the front door of the house, then it wasn't anything urgent.
Indeed, it wasn't anything urgent. Ji was thinking about how to establish faith to serve as an anchor to stabilize himself. He planned to go to the library and flip through the Bible or something to find inspiration.
"In the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth. The earth was formless and empty, Darkness was over the surface of the deep, and the Spirit of God was hovering over the waters. God said, 'Let there be light,' and there was light..."
"I have to admit, the person who could write this is truly a divine being. I would never dare to write such nonsense; it's too embarrassing." Ji frowned, flipping through the Bible with a bitter smile.
'You absolutely could. Think of the great Mr. Fool.'
"I think Klein's skin is still too thick. By the way, can the River of Eternal Darkness I currently control respond to prayers?" Ji had an idea. If it could be realized, he wouldn't be bothered by believers in the future.
'With a suitable esteemed name, one can point to you through your connection to the Sefirah. Oh, right, isn't your skin just as thick? Mr. Administrator~'
Ignoring the system's sarcastic tone, Ji continued thinking aloud, "the governor above the styx... Hmm, this line doesn't need changing. The Styx is a projection of the River of Eternal Darkness. the supreme undead lord? That could be changed; it doesn't directly point to the essence..."
Ji, wearing a black trench coat, leaned against a bookshelf, holding a Bible and muttering softly. This was the theology section of the bookstore. There weren't many people reading around, but they all seemed to ignore him, and no one came to take books from his spot. Without actively engaging, psychological invisibility was a pretty good ability.
"the governor above the styx, the final destination of the eternally sleeping, the Death Monarch who governs the cycle of reincarnation and rebirth... Sounds like an evil god. I don't have any authority over reincarnation at all. The second and third lines most likely point to the River of Eternal Darkness. Then, I could have some undead over there respond to prayers on my behalf. I'm practically a genius."
'But the premise for all this is that you first need people who believe in you.' The system poured cold water on his idea.
Ji opened the Bible, trying to find more inspiration.
God said, "Let there be lights in the expanse of the sky to separate the day from the night, and let them serve as signs to mark seasons and days and years, and let them be lights in the expanse of the sky to give light on the earth." And it was so. God made two great lights—the greater light to govern the day and the lesser light to govern the night. He also made the stars.
"This guy called God is quite a character. Blowing things up to the biggest extent always works. But nowadays, people don't really believe in this stuff anymore unless you show a bit of... divine miracle." Thinking of this aspect, Ji pondered what items he had that could serve as manifestations of divine miracles, at least something that could save people or the like.
"Nothing. No high-level healing items..."
As a Pathway that endures killing but not survival, Ji believed that against beings capable of killing him, items would be useless. Those who couldn't kill him couldn't even break his defense.
So he never really obtained many items from those Pathways. He gave a sequence 5 Druid's bracelet to Lu Mingfei, and after that, he had nothing left. He did have some from the Hanged Man Pathway before, but he sold them for money.
"Distortion might work. 0-18 Duke of Entropy... Forget it, I'll think about it later."
Putting the Bible back on the shelf and straightening his clothes, Ji walked out of the bookstore and looked at the sky. It was still quite early; he could prepare gifts for the one at home.
"Just don't know what she likes. If it were the original route's Lu Mingfei, maybe he'd know? Hmm, better prepare something for everyone, or Miss Dragon might get angry." Nodding to himself, Ji headed towards the city's central commercial district.
...
"I'm back~" Ji opened the villa's front door and changed his shoes in the entryway. Actually, he didn't need to change them; after all, angels remain untouched by worldly dust.
"What does Bastard Boss mean?" Xia Mi's expression was strange, her face puffed up. She ran from the living room to the entryway and asked quietly.
Ji patted the dragon girl's head to soothe her, but she wasn't having it this time. She glared at the young man before her and reached for his waist, using the skill all girls seem to master without being taught.
Ji smiled wryly and raised his hands, saying, "I surrender, I surrender. I bought gifts for all of you too." Ji pulled out a large box from behind him—who knows how he managed that.
"Remember to wait until you're back in your room to open it." After patting Xia Mi's head again, Ji walked into the living room. Miss Dragon followed closely behind him, though her expression had clearly improved.
...
"The night sky isn't bad, right? Miss Nono." Ji, sitting on a lounge chair in the villa's backyard, asked Nono beside him. If Xia Mi hadn't reminded him, he would have almost forgotten there was a backyard.
"It's alright. What does my cheap master want with me, calling me out here?" Nono sat on another lounge chair, some distance away from Ji.
"Do you ever imagine a life where you never left the Chen family? Chen Motong."
"...If not for your words, I would have almost forgotten my original name is Chen Motong." After a brief silence, Nono continued, "I don't know. They said they would send me abroad to study later, but in the end, I would probably return there. If it weren't for you, I wouldn't even know it was such an isolated place. Every time I had a chance to go out, they were always following me."
"Happy birthday."
"...What?" Nono was somewhat bewildered. Ji's expression didn't change, his body didn't move. He had only asked her one question and then directly jumped to a birthday wish?
Wait, how does he know my birthday... I never told anyone.
"Sorry I couldn't celebrate your birthday last year. Are you thinking it's strange that I know? It's not strange. I always know a lot." Ji saw Nono's confusion and responded. "Birthdays always deserve gifts."
Ji snapped his fingers, and a red-wrapped gift box with a golden ribbon landed in Nono's hands.
The young man sitting on the lounge chair blinked and whispered, "Put the gift away for now and open it later. Then come downstairs; I prepared a cake."
...
"Always talking about humanity, humanity. I think your humanity is indeed too plentiful. Actually celebrating another girl's birthday when you have a girlfriend. Now you'll earn the title of a two-timing boss." Xia Mi sat on the edge of Ji's bed, speaking. She held a rilakkuma plushie in her arms—yes, the gift Ji gave her.
Sitting at the computer desk, chatting with someone while responding, Ji said, "She's also quite pitiful, and she's one of us. Celebrating a bit is nothing. Last year, I forgot about it. Besides, you have me, Zero has Lu Mingfei, but who does she have?"
Xia Mi lowered her head and said, "How touching. But she might die, you know, if she really has the identity you mentioned."
"I will protect everyone. I will."
Hearing this, Xia Mi gave Ji a deep look, then averted her gaze.
Chapter 64: He Is Not Right
Miss Xia Mi was in a fairly good mood today, until she went downstairs and saw Ji sitting on the sofa, holding a copy of the Bible, while various theological books were laid out on the coffee table. Not far away sat Lu Mingfei, who was scratching his head while flipping through a book.
"What? Does our Mr. Administrator want to learn how to play god?" Seeing this strange scene, Xia Mi clutched her head and sat down beside Ji. After sitting down, she froze for a moment, staring at her own hand.
Damn, I've picked up his habits. Why have I started clutching my head and shaking it too?
"You're down? Perfect, help me think about how to create a religion. I don't really need one, but once you reach the stage of possessing divinity, you will need faith to serve as an anchor to stabilize yourself." Ji closed the Bible in his hands and said to Xia Mi beside him.
Xia Mi took the Bible from Ji's hands, flipped through it, glanced at it, and said, "It's indeed a bit troublesome to preach in this day and age. Humans aren't stupid anymore. But then again, we really do have 'gods.' Wouldn't it be enough for you to show off a trick or two?"
Ji shook his head and replied, "It's not that easy. Faith will stabilize you, but it will also change you. I need to display gentle miracles, and the scriptures must contain things that are close to my original personality. I also need to consider where to preach. This place is definitely out; the West should be considered." Ji paused, narrowed his eyes, and continued, "However, one could actually consider seizing faith. It's very convenient, but creating a new image would be very troublesome."
Ji's mythical creature form is the Feathered Serpent. It just so happens that there is a Feathered Serpent God in Mayan and Aztec mythology, but the authority is too different. He governs death, while the Feathered Serpent God governs life.
"I don't understand, but I am deeply shocked." Lu Mingfei, who had been frowning and scratching his head on the side for a long time, finally blurted out a sentence.
Ji beckoned towards Lu Mingfei, and the New Testament in Lu Mingfei's hands floated over to Ji's hand.
"Forget it if you don't understand. Anyway, there's plenty of time; we'll figure it out eventually." Ji leaned back on the sofa, raised his hand to cover his head, and closed his eyes. He wanted to ask the system.
'Do you think it would work if I just modified the Fool's holy scripture?'
'Sure, anyway, I don't think you could come up with anything yourself.'
'...Hmm.'
Ji straightened his body and opened his eyes, saying, "I have a clue, but first I need to select a target. I remember the news mentioning some small countries that frequently break out in civil wars. Tch, I don't want to interfere in things like civil wars..." He tilted his head back, took a deep breath, briefly put away his smile, and said, "Damn."
"Xia Mi, we have to go on a long trip tomorrow." Ji made his decision.
"Uh-huh, where to?" Xia Mi nodded in response.
"To spread our gospel."
A small country in Africa. As a third-world country, the environment here is not bad, but the level of economic and technological development is backward, and civil wars break out all year round.
But today, the office of the Prime Minister and Minister of Defense welcomed two mysterious, black-robed, masked figures. One was taller and the other shorter; from their figures, their gender could not be determined.
They called themselves 'Agents of the magistrate.'
The taller one held a book, performed a prayer gesture, and said, "Thank you for agreeing to meet with us, Mr. Prime Minister, and I will introduce my Lord to you..."
"Mr. Administrator."
The Prime Minister was a man who had seen the world. He knew that supernatural powers existed in this world, and that the country had special departments. Those people had bodies and special abilities that surpassed ordinary people, but no one could do what these two agents could.
Turning wasteland into a sprawling forest, completely healing patients disabled in civil wars and suffering from various severe illnesses, and so on—in his view, this was not something that could be achieved by mere supernatural abilities; it was truly like a 'miracle.'
These were all gifts from the Lord. The Lord is merciful, and the Lord is also strict. The Lord cannot bear to see all living beings suffer. The light of the Lord will eventually shine upon the world.
The two agents said that this trip was to preach, to let living beings know of the Lord's existence. One only needs to believe in and praise the Lord and His angels, and the Lord will protect His believers.
Regarding this, the shorter one later commented: 'We completely bamboozled them.'
And the other said: 'How can this be considered bamboozling? They believe in me, and I protect them. It's very reasonable.'
The Lord is merciful. He does not need sacrifices from believers. As long as there is praise and faith, the sincere will receive the Lord's protection and be granted blessings.
...
The bronze gate rose in the living room and opened. There was no one in the living room. Ji and Xia Mi, wearing black robes and masks, walked out from the Door. Ji took off his mask and said to Xia Mi, "How was it? I acted pretty well, right? This was my first time preaching."
"It was okay. That human was dazed; a few tricks and he believed more than half of it." Xia Mi hurriedly took off the black robe she was wearing and threw it onto the sofa.
"Ji, you don't seem to like interfering in these things, do you?" Xia Mi poked Ji, who was still wearing his black robe beside her.
Ji shook his head and said, "If there is oppression from external special factors, I will protect civilians. For example, in the world I came from, there were evil gods and organizations of Concealment, and in this world, it is you all."
"If some Second Generation Dragon Kind jumped out and started a war or something, I would definitely scurry over and slaughter him."
"There are many civilians when they have civil wars too." Xia Mi walked to the sofa, sat down, and reached out to fiddle with the black robe she had just thrown.
"Yes, many. Just like a moment ago, I distorted the location of a village. I can save them for a while, but I can't save them for a lifetime." Ji also began to untie the black robe he was wearing. He had bought it at a clothing store. He folded it up, held it in his hand, and prepared to go upstairs first.
"You just think too much, and your thinking is very contradictory. Can't you just pretend you don't see it?"
Ji's movements paused for a moment. He turned his head, closed his eyes, and smiled, saying, "I don't want to be blind to it."
Xia Mi looked at Ji's back as he walked up the stairs and whispered, "People who think too much always live very tiring lives. The books really weren't wrong."
'Faith will stabilize you, but it will also change you.'
'I don't really need one, but once you reach the stage of possessing divinity, you will need faith to serve as an anchor to stabilize yourself.'
Xia Mi recalled the words Ji had said. Her pupils widened slightly, and she frowned in thought: "Why would Ji not really need it... Is this not a bit, not right?"
Chapter 65: The magistrate and the Angels
"the governor above the styx... my child..."
"the governor above the styx... I hope this year I can..."
"the governor above the styx..."
"Damn it... I forgot to arrange some undead to respond to the prayers over there, and I don't understand them at all!"
Ji pressed a pillow against his face and muttered; he had been woken up by the sounds of prayer but couldn't understand what the supplicants were saying at all, as yesterday he had only been able to hear and communicate because he was holding the White Towern, which was an item of the Reader Pathway.
"I have to set up some automatic responses, and then put 0-18 and some things that might be needed inside; anyway, the undead will be reborn after being affected..."
Saying this, Ji stood up, put on his pajamas, opened the bronze gate, and walked inside.
While he was going to the side of the Styx to do the preparatory work, Xia Mi opened the door and poked her head in to observe Ji's room.
"Hmm? Not on the bed, out so early? I think I sensed that door just now."
Apparently, Xia Mi had come to check because her spiritual perception had detected Ji summoning the bronze gate, but she had arrived a little late; Mr. Administrator was currently at the side of the Styx teaching the undead how to respond to prayers and mark special prayers.
Xia Mi, wearing a white nightgown, silently slipped into the room and quietly closed the door; she walked to Ji's bedside, turned around, and lay back on it, her feet dangling over the edge of the bed as her hands swung on the bed.
"Ugh, nothing, only a lingering trace of the scent of death; this can't count as his scent at all." The girl sat up, hugged her chest with both hands, and said with a hint of melancholy in her tone.
"Got it." The girl seemed to have come up with a brilliant idea; she cleared her throat and began to recite: "the governor above the styx..."
"If you aren't busy right now, or even if you are very busy, do it and come back immediately."
After reciting the esteemed name, the girl stood up and walked to the computer desk in the room to turn on the computer; she knew Ji could hear her, so she prepared to stay here for a while first, then see if Ji had saved anything bad on the computer.
Boys always save that kind of stuff! I have to see which type he likes!
"My lovely Miss Xia Mi, you got up so early just to run into my room to check my computer?" Ji walked out from the bronze gate that had appeared silently; as soon as he came out, he saw his own Dragon King Miss mischievously clicking around on the computer.
"Hmph, isn't it normal for a girlfriend to check up on her boyfriend? I see this in a lot of TV dramas." The Dragon King Miss couldn't find the little secrets Mr. Administrator was hiding, so she had no choice but to look at him with that beautiful face of hers.
"I don't have anything hidden on my computer, but Lu Mingfei definitely does." Ji walked behind Xia Mi, wrapped his hands around her underarms, and lifted her up.
"Geez, can't you be a bit more gentle?" The Dragon King Miss was put to the side, and she watched the young man who had set her aside sit down in the chair. With her arms crossed and her cheeks puffed out, the girl sat on the young man's lap and asked angrily: "Hey! Where did you go just now?"
Ji stroked the girl's head in his arms and replied: "That Prime Minister publicized my esteemed name on a small scale, and the sounds of prayer woke me up, so I went to set up some automatic responses and things like that."
"You can even set up automatic responses? That advanced? Hey, is that esteemed name you designed for me useful?"
Ji thought for a moment and replied: "It should be useful; your status is sufficient, but your spirituality is not enough; I estimate that you can hear it but cannot respond."
"Then what are you planning to do next?" The girl nodded thoughtfully.
Ji squinted and created a new document on the computer desktop: "Let's make something like a bible first."
...
The black Prime Minister took the scripture of eternal slumber, written on unknown material, handed over by the black-robed agent, with both hands.
The black-robed agent nodded, clasped his hands together to make a gesture of prayer, and his figure faded and gradually disappeared.
Seeing him leave in this form, the Prime Minister devoutly made a gesture before picking up the scripture of eternal slumber in his hands to examine it; the characters on it did not belong to any language he had learned, but the moment he saw them, it was as if a voice from heaven was known and understood by him.
'My Lord is named the magistrate; He awakened from ancient times, opened His eyes to gaze upon the world; He is the symbol of the end for all living beings, the supreme existence hanging high above the Styx, and the great King who governs reincarnation and the afterlife.'
'The Lord is merciful and severe; He loves the beautiful and innocent living beings of the world, and hates the despicable ones who cause chaos and commit evil in the world.'
'Seven angels stand by His throne; they share the Lord's duties together; the "Angel of Passage" points the way to the Lord's divine kingdom for the sleeping souls; the "deep gloom angel" hides in the Darkness to provide protection for living beings; the "Angel of Insight" is the Lord's eye, and He observes the world for the Lord; the "Angel of Intelligence" is known for wisdom and creation, and He represents the radiance of civilization; the "Angel of Abundance" is the Lord's right hand, and He heals all living beings; the "Twilight Angel" is the Lord's left hand, and He punishes the wicked; the "Angel of Self-Discipline" represents human self-control...'
'The Lord says: "Do not offer living sacrifices, do not use humans as sacrifices, do not take My name in vain, do not commit adultery with others, do not harm the innocent..."'
The holy and majestic scripture of eternal slumber echoed in his ears; his whole body trembled slightly, and not until the voice ended did he slowly say: "Praise the magistrate..."
"Bastard Boss, you really are a god; how on earth did you make this up? It's too funny; who could have imagined that among one 'Lord' and seven angels, there is actually only one angel?"
"Speaking of which, I can see the first six of these seven angels, but who is this last one?" Xia Mi leaned on Ji's shoulder and commented as she watched him type the'scripture' into the document.
"I referred to the scripture of a certain great existence; I hope he won't mind." Ji first answered the previous question, then paused, looked at the words 'Angel of Self-Discipline' displayed on the computer screen, and then let out a breath and said: "That is a future companion."
Chapter 66: The Question of the Angel of Self-Discipline
"I find that sometimes you are really… let me think about what that word is, right, fighting with your own brain! Your thoughts are very strange, or the things you do are very strange!"
The brown-haired girl leaned against the black-haired young man's side. The young man did not like to turn on the lights, so the only source of light in the entire room was the screen of the laptop he had placed on his lap. The girl turned her body to the side, using the light to examine the young man's features.
"For example, right now, a beautiful girl as big as me is lying on the bed, and you don't have any reaction at all!" The girl expressed shock at the young man's self-control.
The young man paused for a moment, turned his head to stare at the girl for a few seconds, made an expression of surprise, and said: "Where is the 'big' part?"
"…I am really going to get angry."
"Hahaha, sorry." The young man apologized with a smile and turned back to continue what he was doing.
The room was very quiet, and the two stopped speaking. Outside the window, unknown birds or insects chirped from time to time. The girl liked this atmosphere very much; although the young man beside her didn't understand romance at all, this kind of life was very peaceful, without having to worry about this or that.
Well, in a few years, I still have to fight the crazy woman and the old thing. Just thinking about it gives me a headache. The acting for 'Harvest Priest' still feels like it's lacking something. Should I go and show more 'miracles'?
Xia Mi thought this way and said to Ji Eggers: "Bastard Boss, why are you switching back and forth between chatting and documents? Sigh, my potion still needs some digestion. Can you take me there tomorrow?"
Ji Eggers nodded slightly, "Okay. Among the items I use to respond to prayers, there is nothing related to healing and abundance. The distortion of 0-18 cannot cure the root cause."
'System? Can you give me a Mother Pathway item? It doesn't need to be too high level, a Sequence 2 item will do.' The system hadn't given any special tasks or good things for a long time; he had to fleece some wool.
'Complete the content of the scripture of eternal slumber, create stories for the angels that fit them, and be rewarded with a random Sequence item of the Mother Pathway.'
Hopefully, it won't randomize to Sequence 9 for me...
To the outside world, the conversation with the system was just a pause, as if he was thinking about what to say next.
"The chat is with our investor, and the document is still perfecting the scripture of eternal slumber. Only a complete myth can make believers more pious and reverent."
"We still have an investor?" Xia Mi propped herself up, seemingly wanting to see what they were chatting about. "Potato Chips? How can someone use a snack as a screen name?"
"That's a nickname, and do you think all my money was blown here by the wind?" Ji Eggers opened the chat history to let Xia Mi take a closer look.
In the chat history, Ji Eggers was often asking how the game development was going. Xia Mi asked with some confusion: "Hmm, you still want to make that Death game? Hasn't the missionary work already started?"
"Not enough. At least one hundred million people need to have the name Ji Eggers in their minds. Besides, I didn't announce my name during the missionary work. If the believers knew the true name of the true god, there would be no sense of mystery."
"Alright, I wish you success." Xia Mi stopped looking at the chat history and asked instead: "What is the name of my next Sequence?"
"It is 'Biologist'. To be honest, I really like this Pathway, but it's a pity that in this world, this Pathway cannot be chosen without the help of a true god." Ji Eggers tilted his head and shook it, looking like he was recalling something. After a few seconds, he looked down at Xia Mi and said: "You can start acting in advance now to facilitate the digestion of the potion after promotion. Miss Xia Mi is so smart, maybe it will melt in your mouth?"
"Hehe, of course!"
...
'The Angel of Passage is the existence that has followed my Lord the longest. It has a close relationship with the Lord, is the leader of the angels, and is the deputy monarch of the Kingdom of Heaven.'
'The deep gloom angel was saved by the Lord during disasters and conspiracies, and later swore allegiance.'
'The Angel of Insight was tested by the Lord. It obtained the eyes bestowed by the Lord and can see all things in the world.'
'The Angel of Intelligence has a close relationship with the deep gloom angel. They once made a vow never to betray, and finally both bowed at the feet of the Lord.'
'The Angel of Abundance is the oldest of all angels. It received grace and was redeemed by the Lord, healing all living beings for the Lord.'
'The Angel of Twilight is the executor of the Lord's stern side. It is the executioner of all the fallen and unclean.'
'The Angel of Self-Discipline is %*?_*+*...'
The Black Prime Minister thought he had misheard. The descriptions of the previous angels were all fine, but the last one, the 'Angel of Self-Discipline', had turned into a chaotic and irritating whisper.
The black-robed executor saw the Black Prime Minister's confusion and explained to him: "The Angel of Self-Discipline is trapped in a conspiracy. Its wings are dull and lusterless, and its divinity is suppressed. The Lord will save it, just as the Lord will save everyone."
Far away, countless kilometers away, in a building in Tokyo, Japan, the Red-haired Girl wearing a shrine maiden outfit seemed to sense something, and she turned her head to look in one direction.
The young man sitting cross-legged beside her looked over with her. On that side was a wall covered with various anime and game posters, and a poster of "Death" was particularly eye-catching.
"Sorry Eriyi, I can only accompany you up to here today." The young man put down the game controller in his hand, stood up, and touched the Red-haired Girl's head.
"I have to go deal with some matters. The family needs me. Eriyi, be good. When I have time, I will come to accompany you again."
The girl wrote quickly in a notebook, then she picked up the notebook and showed it to the young man.
'Brother, don't worry about Eriyi.'
The young man nodded, walked to the door, looked back once, and then left the room wrapped in layers of steel.
...
"I still don't understand who this 'Angel of Self-Discipline' is, and you didn't write it clearly. It's not just a fictional one created to fill a spot, is it?" Xia Mi had a guess, but it wasn't accurate, so she could only ask in a puzzled tone.
Ji Eggers took the laptop to the living room so that everyone could see the history he had constructed. Lu Mingfei showed great interest in this; after all, this should be considered a description of him.
Nono frowned and squinted at the description of the 'Angel of Insight'.
She was a bit different from before; was she wearing four-leaf clover earrings on her earlobes? Was that a gift from Ji Eggers? Xia Mi glanced at her secretly, but Nono, as a 'Hypnotist', also noticed her gaze.
Zero sat beside Lu Mingfei, a faint smile seemingly on the corners of her lips, which was impossible to see if one didn't look carefully.
Ji Eggers nodded and answered Xia Mi's question: "Hmm, it is currently fictional, but it will exist in the future. It's mainly because I feel that changing the scripture might affect the issue of faith, so I just added it directly."
Chapter 67 Oracle
The weather here is always very hot; after all, most of this land is in the planet's tropical region. Influenced by climate, geography, technology, and so on, clean water is always hard to come by in this land.
However, the country where Ji chose to preach is somewhat lucky. A long river crosses the entire territory, and the tributaries radiating to the surroundings allow the people to use water that is not quite clean.
An old pickup truck welded with quite a bit of scrap metal roams in a small village. Most of the houses in the village are not very sturdy, but in such a backward country prone to war, having a place to stay is considered very good.
The pickup truck carries several soldiers with guns. They are on guard against the surrounding situation at all times, and the villagers disappear without a trace when they see them from afar.
They are here to conscript soldiers.
Judging from the current situation, the side that started the civil war is at a disadvantage, and the country's official organization should be able to suppress the rebellion before long.
But who could have imagined what will happen later? Perhaps it will be another war in a few years, or perhaps it will be a slightly stable life like before.
A boy ran in from outside the village. He nimbly dodged the conscripting rebels, bypassed a few small alleys, and slipped into his own home. It was a thatched cottage, which originally contained his parents and younger brother.
Later, his father was forcibly conscripted and taken away, and there is no news back now.
He and his Mother both know that his father might not be able to come back, but they must always hold some hope; only with hope can they survive in a difficult environment.
His younger brother has been sick recently. He took the little food the family harvested and went to a small town dozens of miles away from the village to trade for medicine. He did not want to obtain what he needed through evil acts, because his father taught him that it was wrong.
He could not exchange for much. It is a time of war, and all resources are scarce. The doctor who kindly gave him medicine said he could try praying to a new 'God' and handed him a note with a prayer written on it.
In this place, children who cannot be supported are often abandoned, but he and his Mother do not want to abandon his younger brother. If these medicines cannot make his younger brother better... he does not know what to do. Religion is just a false hope. He once tried to pray to God Almighty, but his father could not come back. Now he does not quite believe that there will be a so-called 'God' to save them, to save this country.
...
Ji's room often has the curtains drawn even during the day. Those who don't know might think he is doing something bad, but in fact, he is still perfecting his "scripture of eternal slumber". However, he thought halfway that there are two Dragon Kings living not far away.
Ronald Tang often runs here to play games with Lu Mingfei, or else he is picking up girls in some bar. Constantine should still be an egg, because he didn't feel the signs of a powerful life appearing.
He thought it would be better to use this so-called person who is best at alchemy, so he turned his head to look at the girl sitting on his bed and said: "Xia Mi, do you know about that seven kingdoms of alchemy?"
"Oh?" Xia Mi, who was playing on the computer on the bed, raised her head to look at Ji in front of the computer desk: "Boss, you actually know this? Does Cassell College still write this kind of thing in textbooks?"
Ji shook his head and looked at her: "So can you do it?"
"No, or rather, I know a little bit. My scythe was created by alchemy plus Word of Power." Xia Mi shook her head and replied.
"What about Ronald Tang?"
"He can, but his younger brother is even more powerful."
"Hmm, I need them to forge 'Conceptual Armaments' for me, similar to Macallan's Eternal Spear that has the attribute of guaranteed hit. He can forge so many, I also need to get some for my 'Angels'." The Youth in Black Clothes left the computer desk, turned around, and walked to the bedside to sit down. He leaned down and fiddled with the girl's hair.
"Aren't the seven deadly sins enough? And don't you have so many Mystical Items you mentioned?" The girl closed the computer and put it aside, then removed the hand that was still fiddling with her hair, and wrapped her arms around the youth in front of her.
"It must be seven working together to have a great effect; it's only useful when fighting a boss. My Mystical Items are either too weak, have too large side effects, or are not suitable for combat." The youth raised his hand to stroke the long hair behind the girl's head.
"Alright, I'll ask later. Hey, has the relationship between Zero and Lu Mingfei gotten better recently? She wouldn't really be Lu Mingfei's old flame from a past life, would she?"
Xia Mi has seen Zero holding Lu Mingfei's hand when going out a few times recently. She doesn't know what they are going to do, but it must be something exciting!
Ji saw the girl starting to wiggle again. Every time she thinks about some strange things, she likes to wiggle around. He shook his head and said: "Pretty much, it's another story of mutual redemption. I like such stories, and I also hope the ending of the story is perfect."
"Naive." What Xia Mi didn't say was that she also hoped that good stories could have good endings.
"Hehe." Ji just smiled.
...
One night, the younger brother's condition became worse. Mother held him in her arms to comfort him, and the boy brought local currency and some food to go out to other people's homes to beg for medicine.
But it was a pity that he couldn't beg for medicine. During the war, money is the least valuable thing. It is also difficult to distinguish the priority of medical supplies and food. Everyone in the village is not very rich, and the boy knows it...
"Someone pointed directly at me through an esteemed name. This probability... can simply go play a gacha game."
Ji, wearing black pajamas, rolled over and got off the bed, opened the Door of the Underworld, and walked in. He came to the bank of the River of the Underworld. There were quite a few undead around. When they saw Ji, they knelt down collectively. Ji nodded to signal them to stand up. These are the undead he arranged. The less capable undead will replace each other to come here to respond to the prayers of believers.
Floating above the river were some Pale points of light. Each point of light represented a believer who was praying. Among them was a red one, which was the one Ji had marked just now. He raised both hands and waved them lightly. An open book appeared in one hand, and the other hand guided the red point of light into it.
The boy had no other way. He took out a crumpled note with three sentences written on it in their language. He prostrated on the ground and looked at the three sentences, reciting them one by one.
The whole environment became quiet, as if a long time had passed, or it might be that he had just finished reading. He suddenly realized that his younger brother's crying had disappeared. He turned his head to look, and the younger brother who was previously in Mother's arms was actually standing on the ground, with a very shocked expression on his face.
The boy seemed to have noticed something. He looked at the place where he had just prostrated. The soil on the ground protruded with some text...
'Even if you are powerless, you are unwilling to harm others. Maintain your character. The Lord loves those who possess virtue. The Angel of Abundance has paid the price for this powerlessness. Since it is a price, it must be paid off. Remember this.'
The boy was so happy that he prostrated on the ground again, kowtowing repeatedly, his mouth constantly saying words of praise.
The undead will filter whether some people are really desperate before they pray. They will respond if it is true, and punish if it is false. Treating the boy's younger brother was done by one of the undead mobilizing a new item, a Classical Alchemist-level item given by the system, codenamed 1-29.
Ji came to the bank of the River of the Underworld and responded personally, actually only writing that passage on the ground, because he had an idea.
He wanted to cultivate a true spokesperson. As an angel, he could crush items to obtain Beyonder characteristic. Selecting suitable low-Sequence Beyonder characteristic and suitable people, he could let them take them directly to become low-Sequence Beyonder without other auxiliary materials.
"This boy can be considered for cultivation as a bishop. He is kind enough and firm enough." Ji nodded and thought. Hmm, he was very rude, secretly checking the boy's memory, which is why he could know his kind and firm virtues.
Chapter 68: Descent
In the corner of a luxurious restaurant, Xia Mi and Ronald Tang were sitting and chatting, though in reality, the more secluded the corner, the easier it is to be noticed, right?
" He wants me to forge ' Concept Armed ' in a place like this? Is he out of his mind? Do I have the materials to forge it for him? " After Ronald Tang finished speaking, gesturing wildly and aggressively, he lowered his head slightly to look around, exhaling in relief only after confirming there were no men wearing black trench coats nearby.
Xia Mi placed the milk tea she was holding with both hands onto the table, picked up the spoon beside it, and began eating the ice cream she had ordered. With one spoonful in her mouth, she revealed a sweet smile: " Why so fierce? Aren't you a master of alchemy? Can't you even forge a few things when asked? "
" My dear sister, is that something that can be forged casually? Someone like you who only knows the basics naturally doesn't understand how strenuous ' Concept Armed ' is. This requires manifesting a concept and anchoring it onto an object. "
" You have materials in your Bronze City, right? Can't you go back and forge it? "
" I do, but I want to wait for Constantine to hatch. I'm worried about him, and with his help, I can forge it faster and better. "
" Fine, I'll go back and tell him. " Xia Mi picked up the menu on the side and waved it in the direction of Ronald Tang: " Aren't you going to order something? It's rare to come out for a big meal, right? "
Ronald Tang took the menu with a chuckle: " Indeed, I've been eating instant noodles lately. Hehe, this steak, this crab, they all look good. "
Upon hearing Ronald Tang's words, Xia Mi thought of something. She rested her head on one hand while waving her spoon in the air with the other: " Why do you think those stories always write that dragons eat humans? Skin and bones, not a bit of meat, they're completely inferior to things like cattle or sheep. "
" Hehe, perhaps it was written by some Hybrid who was scared out of their wits. It just goes to show how imposing we are. "
" Can you stop laughing? It looks so disgusting. I really don't want to be related to you... " Xia Mi looked disgusted and scooted back a little.
...
" I'm home~ "
The cute, beautiful, dignified, and generous Miss Xia Mi returned to her little nest—these adjectives were all said by herself—and she didn't even return to her own room. Instead, she directly opened Ji's bedroom door and threw herself onto that double white bed.
" Welcome home. What did Ronald Tang say? " A calm voice came from the balcony. A few seconds later, Ji, wearing a black trench coat, returned to the room.
Xia Mi turned over, propped herself up, and said: " He said he can't do it here, there are no materials, and he has to wait for Constantine to hatch to help him. He has to return to his lair. "
Ji nodded, his eyes shifting slightly as he pondered: " It seems he'll be idle for a long time. By then, there won't be a need for him to forge things... No, it's still needed. My church needs it. "
" You even started a church? "
Ji shook his head and snapped his fingers. A thick book with a white cover appeared in his hand: " Not yet. To proselytize, it's best to have a church and some chapels. However, we must wait until they end their civil war and the people's lives gradually improve before discussing church matters. "
" But, it's still possible to create a prototype first. The complete ' scripture of eternal slumber ' has been written. I read quite a few theology books to compile it. "
Ji walked over to Xia Mi, sat down, and handed her the book in his hand, saying: " I have selected a local spokesperson over there. It just so happens that your ' Harvest Priest ' potion still needs a little more digestion. I will locate him, open the Door, and you will manifest some ' miracles ' and then give him this scripture of mine. "
" Can he understand it? These are all Chinese characters, right? "
" He can understand it for the time being. I have exerted influence on this book; they will all interpret the characters on it as the text they recognize. "
Hmm, I still need to mobilize the River of Eternal Darkness to add some special effects for Xia Mi. Angels in mythology often have wings, which seems a bit troublesome. The River of Eternal Darkness can influence Darkness, death, and decay; the special effects that can be manifested aren't very suitable for Abundance. However, it should be possible to amplify the influence of 1-29 through status and items.
1-29 is the Mother Pathway Sequence 4 ' Classical Alchemist ' item obtained not long ago. I don't know if it's enough...
Thinking about it, Sefirah Castle is really a good thing. It's quite good at playing god, it's just that there's an old geezer who wants to snatch the body.
Ji slowly stood up and then pulled the slumped Xia Mi up from the bed: " Let's go out first to pick out some clothes that can reflect the status of an angel, and dress you up properly. After we arrive there, I will remind you what to say. "
" I just came back and I have to go out again? The Bastard Boss has no sympathy for the fair sex at all... "
After Ji and Xia Mi left, Nono in another room opened the window and watched the two walking further and further away. She had sterling silver four-leaf clover earrings hanging from her earlobes, and she was loosely holding a piece of paper in her hand, not knowing what she was thinking about.
...
The black boy was kneeling on the earthen floor of his home. His younger brother and Mother were watching from the side with worried eyes. The boy's expression was pious and his posture dignified, as if he were about to welcome some important figure.
It was indeed to welcome an important figure. He had a dream last night; he had received a revelation, a revelation coming directly from the ' magistrate '!
In the dream, he was originally in a chaotic and unclear place when suddenly he had a clear consciousness. He saw a deep, dark river without an end, and saw a Pale light covering the entire world. Above that river was a majestic, sublime figure exuding a terrifying aura. That figure had noticed him!
Without needing to think, without needing words, he realized that was the great ' magistrate ' he had heard about in the small town!
After the boy's brother was cured, he took some supplies and left the village, hoping to learn more information about that ' Lord '. He inquired about some myths and legends and the name of the ' Lord '.
' magistrate. '
Suddenly, he woke up from his dream, and an ethereal and majestic voice echoed in his mind.
' The Angel of Abundance will descend here, remember this. '
While the boy was slightly distracted, recalling that event from last night, a bronze gate of ancient style rose from the ground in front of him. Upon seeing it, the boy immediately bowed down, and his Mother and brother also knelt on the ground facing the bronze gate.
The gate slowly opened, revealing an indescribable light from within. A pair of bare, snow-white feet stepped out first, with a ring woven from some unknown plant hanging at the ankle. After those feet touched the ground, the figure fully appeared in this room, wearing an emerald green veil-covering robe, tied with a belt made of wheat ears, and exuding an aura of nature all over.
Two pairs of Pale wings spread out behind Her, and various crops grew from the ground at an unimaginable speed.
The boy had only one thought in his mind.
This is the ' Angel of Abundance ' of the ' magistrate '!
Chapter 69: The Mostly Digested Biologist
The boy could not clearly see the Angel of Abundance's face, nor did he dare to examine it closely. He remained in a prostrate position until a gentle voice, indistinguishable in gender, resonated in his mind.
'Stand up. The Lord does not favor kneeling; sincerity is all that is required.'
The boy stood up from the ground, trembling. He heard his Mother and younger brother behind him doing the same. The Angel of Abundance, dressed in emerald robes, waved a hand, and the dirt and impurities clinging to them were cleansed away.
'Mills.' The Angel of Abundance turned its gaze toward the black boy—or at least, it seemed to. Its face was obscured, and the boy could not see it, but he knew this was calling his name.
The boy named Mills pressed his hands together in a gesture of devout prayer.
"Your Grace, Angel of Abundance."
'The Lord has seen your conduct. He commanded me to pay the price you could not afford, and now you must make restitution for it.'
As soon as the voice in his mind faded, a heavy, Pale book with no decorations on its cover floated before the boy.
'This is the Lord's scripture. You have been chosen by the Lord to spread the Lord's gospel across this land.' The Angel of Abundance nodded slightly, and the Pale book fell into the boy's hands.
It glanced around slightly, and after a moment, its voice sounded again: 'May you maintain your original intent and not be led astray. If you encounter danger, you may chant my name: Priest of Earth and Nature, Messenger of Creation and Abundance, Dependent of the Death Consul.'
After the voice faded, this four-winged, green-robed Angel of Abundance turned and returned into the bronze gate. The gate slowly vanished, leaving only the three stunned people and countless crops in the small hut.
The roots and stems of those crops began to change. The fruits floated up and slowly landed on the ground, while countless plants retracted back into the earth. The floor of the room was smoothed out. If not for the fruits growing there, the three would have thought what just happened was a hallucination.
Suddenly, screams came from outside, as if something impossible had happened. Mills exchanged a look with his Mother and brother, then ran out, clutching the book. A moment later, he was stunned again.
He saw the crops planted in the fields growing and ripening at a speed visible to the naked eye; even some barren land had sprouted plants.
The boy lowered his head, closed his eyes, and whispered devoutly: "Praise be to the 'magistrate', praise be to the 'Angel of Abundance'."
...
Without the wing special effects, Miss Xia Mi and the pensive Ji Eggers walked out from within the bronze gate and returned to the living room on the first floor.
"Pfft, what kind of weird outfit is that? Are you cosplaying? Mistress?" Lu Mingfei, who was sitting in the living room eating snacks, couldn't help but tease when he saw Miss Xia Mi's attire. If he hadn't added 'Mistress' at the end, Miss Xia Mi might have given him a few hits.
"Hmph, your mouth is sweet. I won't hold it against you. Sigh, that Bastard Boss exploits his employees and his girlfriend, dragging me off to force me to act." Since Miss Xia Mi only had her undergarments on beneath that emerald robe, she didn't take it off and throw it away as soon as she returned.
Ji Eggers was stunned for a moment, then touched the girl in the emerald hood beside him and asked: "How is the potion digestion progress? It should be completely digested, right?"
Ji Eggers had just suddenly remembered why Miss Xia Mi's special effects were so intense; the Mother Pathway possesses a portion of the authority of reincarnation, so it pairs very well with the River of Eternal Darkness.
"No reaction yet. I guess they haven't... Ah, now I have it." Miss Xia Mi closed her eyes, feeling the sensation brought about by the complete digestion of the potion. It was indescribable and felt great.
Miss Xia Mi said happily: "It's completely digested. Should we prepare the potion for advancement now?"
"Hmm. By the way, how much knowledge about biology did you learn before?"
"Hmm, species composition, morphological structure, living habits, reproduction, development and heredity, classification, distribution, etc.—I've learned quite a lot of all of it. If human knowledge is rational and correct, I should be able to digest a lot, right?" Miss Xia Mi listed a bunch of things, leaving Lu Mingfei, who was listening nearby, dumbfounded.
It seems the smartest dragon is truly very good at learning things.
Ji Eggers nodded in approval: "Hmm, it seems that once you drink it, we can start considering the ritual for advancing to sequence 5 'Druid'."
In the evening, under the watchful eyes of everyone, Ji Eggers took out a bottle of potion mixed with blue and orange. The blue base color looked like the night sky, while the orange accents looked like the sunset that had yet to fade.
"I don't know why the 'Biologist' potion presents itself in this form. It feels strange, but the materials used are all correct. Drink it with confidence." Ji Eggers nodded, signaling that Miss Xia Mi could chug this strange drink.
Miss Xia Mi controlled her facial expression to keep it from twitching, picked up the potion, and poured it into her mouth.
Hmm, not only was the appearance strange, but the taste was also very strange. It had a hint of soil flavor, along with a fresh fragrance. It wasn't hard to drink, but it was strange.
Miss Xia Mi closed her eyes and used meditation to control her overflowing spirituality. After a short time, she opened her eyes and revealed an excited smile: "It digested more than half directly! Hehe, it shouldn't take long before I can advance to sequence 5."
"I also want to act in advance to digest the potion... Can we do that?" Nono, who was sitting nearby, raised this question.
Ji Eggers thought for a moment and said: "You might not be able to, but the others can."
"Why?" Nono asked, somewhat confused.
"Their subsequent Sequence acting does not require the use of special abilities. Lu Mingfei's next Sequence is 'Nightwatcher', Zero is 'Artisan', Chu Zihang is 'Dawn Paladin', and your next Sequence is called 'Dreamwalker'. You can't even enter a dream, so how can you be a walker?"
"Then why can Chu Zihang's Dawn Paladin be acted out in advance? He doesn't seem to glow or anything like that, right?"
"Isn't it enough to be a knight at dawn?"
"..." Nono was now completely speechless.
Lu Mingfei seemed to recall something. He took out a theology book from behind him and asked Ji Eggers curiously: "Master, didn't you summon a Sequence 4 undead before? You said that in mythology, it could be considered an underworld judge. So, what position would you be in?"
"You're curious about this kind of thing?" Ji Eggers turned his head to look at the book in Lu Mingfei's hand, which listed the ranks of positions in the underworld from mythology, from low-level ghost messengers to the ghost emperors. He thought for a moment, then raised his finger and pointed to the very top row.
"The Emperor of Fengdu should be a fairly accurate fit."
Chapter 70: Extra - Witness to the Divine War
'City of Hope' Backlund, in the suburban area on the outskirts of the city.
"A high-Sequence Beyonder of the Justiciar Pathway has suppressed the Beyonder powers in this area..." The black-haired Youth in Black Clothes stood not far from 'City of Hope' Backlund, watching the once bustling and prosperous city now turned into a scene of deathly silence.
Most of the residents must have hidden in the underground shelters; the siege was about to begin, and many buildings in the city had already been affected, with no small number reduced to ruins.
The youth noticed a blonde girl dressed in hunting attire sneaking out of the sealed-off Backlund.
She was a girl of perfect appearance, so perfect that she could only be described as the most beautiful diamond in the world.
For an ordinary person, running out of the city under such circumstances would be tantamount to suicide, but this girl was no ordinary person; she was a noble of the Loen Kingdom, the daughter of a count, the most dazzling diamond of Backlund, a demigod of the Thinker Pathway, and a Sequence 4 'Manipulator'.
"Miss Audrey Hall, I clearly warned you at the Tarot Club, yet you still decided to step forward and execute the 'Justice' in your heart? How very Prideful."
The Youth in Black Clothes shook his head, though he finally curled the corners of his lips and smiled, "However, I quite like people like you."
The youth turned his gaze toward the coalition positions of Intis and Feysac. The demigods of the Justiciar Pathway from the Loen Kingdom had lowered the mysticism concentration of the entire battlefield, but unfortunately, their artillery and Beyonder attacks still failed to pierce the enemy's defensive line.
The battlefield was filled with an impenetrable mist, and a layer of transparent walls blocked the attacks; this must be the ability of a demigod of the Warrior Pathway, as they were the best at defense after all.
Could this mist be the ability of a demigod of the Red Priest Pathway? A 'War Bishop'?
"I acted too early in this war; they might have countermeasures. I estimate there is a 'Weather Warlock' constantly prepared to respond to prayers."
The youth narrowed his eyes and continued to watch. The war mist of a 'War Bishop' could not obstruct the vision of an Angel; this was an existence on an entirely different level.
A blurry, gigantic humanoid figure emerged in the Loen position, over ten meters tall, with two arms extending from its ribs and waist respectively.
"What is this? It certainly isn't a direct display of a Mythical Creature form, otherwise, it would harm oneself before harming the enemy. Is it an illusion created by a Horror Bishop?"
The transparent barrier in the center of the battlefield was opened, and the coalition forces, as if driven mad, hurled Beyonder attacks toward the Loen position; there were countless flaming spears streaking across the sky.
But those flaming spears, as they were about to approach the Loen position, were affected by something, changing direction—either flying straight up or plunging directly into the ground.
"It is the 'Distortion' ability of the Black Emperor Pathway. There are quite a number of demigods from the royal family and the military participating; there should be double digits."
Large-scale utilization of Beyonder abilities—this was a true Beyonder war, which looked very cinematic. However, the youth stopped paying attention to the main battlefield and looked toward the lady with the codename 'Justice' who had appeared on the periphery.
But then he saw a gigantic gray-blue figure, holding a silver broadsword matching its size in both hands...
"Tsk, that wasn't an illusion before; there really is an Angel of the Darkness Path displaying a Mythical Creature form! This giant is the Mythical Creature form of the Warrior Pathway. Damn! So many Angels? And ordinary people are only affected by fear? This war mist is actually quite useful. Hmm, then they shouldn't have time to deal with me, right?"
The youth muttered a whole lot, unsure if he was talking to himself or speaking to some unseen people.
However, it seemed someone really was listening to him. Behind him, a rat transformed into a man wearing clothes popular in the current era, with grayish-brown hair, a thin face, and a broad forehead.
He slowly took a monocle made of crystal from his jacket pocket and placed it on his right eye.
"It's not a crow? You seem to have some free time, Mr. Thief." The Youth in Black Clothes turned around to look at the man who had appeared behind him, his smile gone.
"Hehe, this is just a Sequence 3 avatar. I just wanted to come and see what you are planning to do, hmm... perhaps I'll go see others as well." The broad-foreheaded man looked at the Youth in Black Clothes with a pleased expression.
"Aren't you going to help that beautiful lady? She won't be able to withstand a 'Silver Knight'; that's why you came, isn't it?"
"How annoying. I don't want to have anything to do with you at all." The Youth in Black Clothes was suspicious of every word the broad-foreheaded man said.
"You killed several of my avatars, and I haven't even said anything about it." The broad-foreheaded man shook his head and said.
The Youth in Black Clothes turned around and walked toward the battlefield, ignoring the man behind him.
After all, they were not adjacent Pathways; that Mythical Creature would not have too much interest in him.
The Youth in Black Clothes stepped out from a bronze gate. He saw a grayish-white giant dragon fighting a 'Silver Knight' not far away. After reaching Sequence 4, the Thinker Pathway could display an incomplete Mythical Creature form, but the duration was not long.
It seemed he had arrived just in time; Miss 'Justice' had only just transformed.
Flaming spears rained down toward the two demigods. The Youth in Black Clothes, not far from them, raised his hand. Those flaming spears lost their color, leaving only Pale; they lost their momentum and fell to the ground.
Suddenly, the youth felt himself being suppressed. He became slightly weak, and his ability usage was significantly restricted. He looked up toward the coalition positions.
An orange-red light occupied most of the sky, obscuring even the Sun.
But very soon, thick Darkness surged from the opposite direction, and this Darkness collided with the opposing orange-red twilight.
The soldiers and officers across the entire battlefield fell into a deep sleep. The black-haired youth watched all this. He looked toward the side of the Darkness and said slowly in a disappointed tone, "*****... Sigh, I also want to become a higher-level existence... Forget it, this stage is quite good, no need to be interfered with by any other will."
"Good luck, *****." The Youth in Black Clothes gazed at the deep, dim sky and made the prayer gesture of the Church of the Evernight with one hand on his chest.