"Black tea or coffee?"
Utaha Kasumigaoka walked over to Luo Shu, holding two mugs, and offered them to him.
Looking at the coffee-filled mug before him, Luo Shu's lips twitched as he accepted it while complaining:
"Don't offer choices when there aren't any to begin with."
"Is that so?" Utaha set her mug down and sat on the nearby sofa, taking a small sip before saying:
"But don't you think this illusion of choice perfectly mirrors our current situation?"
Hearing this, Luo Shu stared at his coffee before turning to look at Utaha.
Noticing Luo Shu's gaze, the half-lidded Utaha soon smiled and said:
"Senior, if you keep staring at me like that, I might have to call the police."
"The person who just told me to evade the police has no right to say that."
As he spoke, Luo Shu took a sip of coffee before asking:
"Speaking of which, aren't you planning to report me to the authorities?"
"Normally, an incident of that scale would definitely attract the Metropolitan Police Department's attention. Considering all the surveillance cameras along the way, our whereabouts are probably already exposed."
Just then, the system's voice suddenly rang in both their ears:
[Not at all~~]
[As per Familia member Utaha Kasumigaoka's request, all surveillance footage along your route has been logically processed~]
Luo Shu: "..."
For a moment, Luo Shu found himself at a complete loss for words.
Utaha narrowed her eyes and smiled sweetly at Luo Shu: "Would you like to continue that line of thought?"
Sighing, Luo Shu rubbed his temples as if suffering a headache before asking: "...So you two teamed up, then?"
Luo Shu was referring to the system and Utaha joining forces.
Somehow, these two seemed to have reached an understanding and were now jointly advancing this so-called 'divine pantheon reconstruction' project.
This left Luo Shu, who had just narrowly escaped death, feeling particularly unsettled.
He didn't like being pushed into this situation.
Thinking this, Luo Shu abandoned his earlier desire to disengage and instead asked Utaha Kasumigaoka:
"So then, what exactly do you and my God's Servant intend to do?"
"It should have informed you of its mission and objectives, right? In that case, you must understand that currently, I'm just an 'ordinary person' with some minor superpowers. Under these circumstances, how do you plan to proceed with your work? What goals are you trying to achieve?"
"Similarly, after accomplishing these goals, what kind of 'reward' are you expecting?"
Utaha was rather surprised by Luo Shu's quick response.
'He was reluctant earlier, yet now he's taking initiative so readily. A god's adaptability is truly frightening...'
With this thought, her gaze towards Luo Shu shifted slightly.
Holding her coffee cup, she took a sip before speaking:
"According to the information your servant provided me, the energy it requires seems to be something akin to influence?"
"Aside from certain special individuals who naturally possess this energy, it's generally only collectable from influential figures in society. That's correct, isn't it?"
"...More or less." Luo Shu considered the system's explanation and found Utaha's summary quite accurate.
The energy the system required was indeed something along those lines.
"In that case, things become quite simple."
Utaha set down her cup with a smile:
"Popular celebrities, politicians wielding authority, civil servants who truly shape national policy, presidents of major corporations, even religious leaders - converting these people into Familia would make energy collection effortless, wouldn't it?"
"After all, I can't imagine any of these individuals refusing longer lifespans or rejuvenated bodies."
Luo Shu raised an eyebrow at this but didn't refute Utaha's idea.
Because everything she said reflected reality.
In the real world, if a genuine life-extending treatment appeared, the first to benefit would invariably be these 'important figures'.
Because society has never rejected the concept of 'hierarchy'.
[Ding dong!]
[Unfortunately, while the Main God's and Familia's ideas have excellent feasibility, the Main God's Familia members require specific 'qualifications' - qualifications that aren't widely available.]
[Furthermore, Energy Point collection currently relies primarily on the Main God and Familia members increasing their own 'influence'.]
[Therefore, this proposal isn't feasible.]
Hearing this, Utaha frowned: "What exactly are these qualifications?"
The system's response was vague: [The favour of fate.]
At these words, Utaha froze momentarily before laughing self-deprecatingly: "Is that so? I never imagined someone like me could receive fate's favour."
After collecting herself, she asked: "Is there any way to identify those with such qualifications?"
[The Main God's Eyes of Truth can effectively discern these individuals from crowds.]
Hearing the system's nonsense, Luo Shu could only grumble inwardly: 'This damn system, is it talking about the protagonist? And these people... Could there be many protagonists I know in this world?'
Just as Luo Shu was silently complaining, Utaha Kasumigaoka glanced at him and said:
"In that case, what we can do is quite limited..."
Hearing this, Luo Shu turned his head and looked at Utaha before replying:
"Limited?"
"I actually think it's fine. After all, becoming a god or founding a religion—having no restrictions would be the strange part."
Pausing briefly, Luo Shu continued:
"And while we can't recruit those so-called 'big shots,' it's not like we lack the ability to influence them, right?"
"What do you mean...?" Utaha looked at Luo Shu curiously.
At that moment, Luo Shu curled his lips slightly and said in a teasing tone:
"I once read a book. I forgot most of its contents, but I remember one line."
"What line?" Utaha suddenly felt uneasy.
Moonlight streamed through the window, illuminating half of Luo Shu's face as he spoke:
"The greatest lie in this world is 'religion.'"
"And coincidentally, we happen to have the power to turn lies into reality, don't we?"
Utaha fell silent for a moment before asking:
"The book you read... Was it called 'Criminal Law,' by any chance?"