"Red tea or coffee?"
Kasumigaoka Shiwa walked up to Luo Shu, holding two mugs, and handed one over.
Luo Shu glanced at the cup filled with coffee in front of him, his mouth twitching slightly as he took it and grumbled:
"If there's no real choice, don't bother suggesting it."
"Is that so?" Kasumigaoka Shiwa took a small sip from her cup as she settled onto the nearby sofa. "But I think this kind of situation—where it looks like there are choices—fits our current circumstances perfectly, doesn't it?"
Hearing this, Luo Shu stared at the coffee in his hand and couldn't help turning to look at Kasumigaoka Shiwa.
Kasumigaoka Shiwa, her eyes half-closed as she sipped her coffee, quickly noticed Luo Shu's gaze and smiled. "Senpai, if you keep staring at me like that, I might have to call the police."
"You're the one who just yelled at me to shake off the cops—you're in no position to talk."
Luo Shu took a sip of his coffee as he spoke, then asked:
"Speaking of which, aren't you planning to report me to the police?"
"Normally, an incident like that would definitely catch the Japanese Police Agency's attention. With all the surveillance along the way, our movements are probably already on their radar."
But just then, the system's voice suddenly rang out in both their ears:
[No worries, dear~~]
[Per Clan member Kasumigaoka Shiwa's request, all surveillance footage along the route has been reasonably handled, dear~]
Luo Shu: "..."
In that instant, Luo Shu found himself at a complete loss for words.
Kasumigaoka Shiwa narrowed her eyes, smiling brightly at Luo Shu. "Do you still plan to keep going with that?"
With a sigh, Luo Shu rubbed his forehead as if nursing a headache, then asked: "...So, you two teamed up, huh!"
Luo Shu was referring to the system and Kasumigaoka Shiwa joining forces.
Somehow, these two had reached an agreement and were pushing forward with this so-called 'God Group reconstruction' mission.
It felt especially jarring to Luo Shu, who had just escaped death.
He hated being dragged along like this.
With that in mind, Luo Shu dropped his earlier attitude of wanting to break free and turned to Kasumigaoka Shiwa with a question:
"So, what exactly are you and my divine servant planning to do?"
"It must have prompted you about its mission and goals, right? That means you know I'm just an 'ordinary person' with some superpowers at best. In that case? How do you plan to proceed? What goal are you aiming for?"
"And similarly, once that goal is achieved, what kind of 'reward' are you after?"
Kasumigaoka Shiwa was surprised by how quickly Luo Shu had caught on.
'He was so unwilling before, but now he's taking the initiative. A god's adaptability is truly terrifying...'
With that thought, her gaze toward Luo Shu shifted subtly.
She took a sip of her coffee and said:
"Based on the intel from your servant, the energy it needs seems to be something like 'influence,' right?"
"Aside from a few special people who have it innately, it's usually collected from influential figures in society. That sound about right?"
"...Close enough." Luo Shu considered the system's phrasing and figured her summary was pretty accurate.
The energy the system required was indeed similar to that.
"In that case, things get simple."
Kasumigaoka Shiwa set down her cup and smiled:
"Super popular celebrities, politicians wielding great power and righteousness, civil servants who truly steer the nation's course, corporate executives of massive companies, or even religious leaders—if we convert people like that into Clan members, collecting energy should be a breeze, don't you think?"
"After all, I can't imagine any of them turning down longer lifespans or younger bodies."
Luo Shu raised an eyebrow at her words but didn't refute them.
Because she was speaking the truth.
In reality, if a genuine potion appeared that could cure diseases and extend life, the first to benefit would always be these 'big shots.'
Society had never rejected 'hierarchy' after all.
[Ding-dong!]
[Unfortunately, Main God and Clan lady's idea has good feasibility, but Main God's Clan members require certain 'qualifications,' and these 'qualifications' aren't widely applicable.]
[Additionally, energy point collection relies heavily on Main God and Clan increasing their own 'influence' at present.]
[Thus, this proposal isn't feasible.]
Kasumigaoka Shiwa frowned and asked: "What do you mean by 'qualifications'?"
The system's response was vague, only mentioning [Favor of Destiny.].
Hearing this, Kasumigaoka Shiwa paused, then gave a self-deprecating smile. "Is that so? Who would've thought someone like me could earn destiny's favor?"
After composing herself, she asked: "Is there a way to identify people with these qualifications?"
[Main God's Eye of Truth can effectively discern them from a crowd.]
Luo Shu inwardly rolled his eyes at the system's nonsense. 'This thing's talking about protagonists, right? "These people"... Does that mean this world has a bunch of protagonists I know?'
As Luo Shu grumbled in his mind, Kasumigaoka Shiwa glanced at him and said:
"In that case, our options are pretty limited..."
Luo Shu turned to her and replied: "Limited?"
"I think it's fine. After all, becoming a god and founding a lineage without restrictions would be the weird part."
He paused, then continued:
"Besides, we can't recruit those so-called 'big shots' directly, but we do have ways to influence them, don't we?"
"You mean..." Kasumigaoka Shiwa looked at him curiously.
At that moment, moonlight streamed through the window, illuminating half of Luo Shu's face as he smirked playfully:
"I read a book once. I forgot most of it, but I remember one line."
"What line?" Kasumigaoka Shiwa suddenly felt uneasy.
" The greatest lie in the world is 'religion.'"
"And we just happen to have the power to make lies come true, don't we?"
Kasumigaoka Shiwa fell silent for a moment, then asked:
"The book you read... it wasn't called 'Criminal Law,' was it?"