Chapter 9 - 8

Chapter 71: The magistrate Has Another Brilliant Idea

Cassell College, Principal's Office.

Hilbert Jean Angers was signing documents submitted by various departments requesting funding, sometimes nodding or shaking his head, occasionally frowning as if their reasons for needing funds were utterly absurd.

"Principal Angers, some unusual events have occurred in a small, war-torn country in South Africa," the voice of Cassell College's AI and secretary sounded in the principal's office.

"Unusual events? What are they, Norma?" Angers continued scanning the documents, his pen never stopping.

"A new religious belief has emerged locally, quickly quelling a rebellion. The country's prime minister issued a decree establishing this new religion as the state religion. The religion is called 'Eternal Slumber,' and the primary entity they worship is referred to as 'the magistrate.'"

The pen signing various documents stopped. After a moment of silence, Angers asked, "Do we have any specific information about this 'magistrate'?"

"The country has a 'scripture of eternal slumber' that records various myths and legends about 'the magistrate' and the angels under his command. Moreover, the angels of 'the magistrate' are suspected to have appeared in reality. Various supernatural phenomena have occurred locally recently, though overall, they seem relatively benign."

"Continue monitoring. We need more information."

After ending the conversation with Norma, Angers made a call to someone across the ocean.

"Hello? Principal Angers? Is there a dragon you can't handle that requires my intervention?" The voice on the other end sounded somewhat lazy. It was daytime on this side of the planet, so of course, it was nighttime on the other side. The person had likely been woken from sleep.

"Heh, sorry to disturb your rest, Mr. Administrator. I just wanted to ask if you are aware of a recently emerged religion in South Africa called 'Eternal Slumber'?"

"It's a religion I founded. What about it? You're only finding out now? Your intelligence is a bit slow there."

"Does establishing a religion hold any special significance for you?"

"There are special arrangements. It's best you don't interfere. They are my believers now, and I will protect them. Of course, regardless of whether they believe in me, I will offer help if I see it's needed."

"...I have no further questions. By the way, the new letters from Lu Mingfei's parents have been delivered."

Beep, beep, beep...

The other party hung up. Angers stared at the phone emitting the dial tone in his hand, placed it on the side of the desk after a few seconds, and lowered his head, lost in thought. After a few minutes, the centenarian looked up and spoke to the college secretary: "Norma, maintain surveillance on that country. If the Execution Department plans to send Special Agents there for investigation, stop them. Say it's my order."

...

Ji, eyes closed and listless, hung up the phone and tossed it under the pillow, then gently placed his hand back on the girl in front of him, wrapping his arms around her.

Xia Mi had said she wanted to sleep together for one night, just sleep, nothing else. But she had been inching closer and closer, and now she was directly nestled in Ji's arms.

"People rarely call you. Who was it?" The girl's soft voice came from within his embrace.

Ji slowly opened his eyes, looking at Xia Mi, who only had her head sticking out from the blanket while the rest of her leaned against his chest. His voice still sounded listless: "It was Angers. He disrupted my desire to sleep. He called to ask about that religion related to 'the magistrate'..."

"Hmph, that old man is really terrible. I was waiting for you to fall asleep so I could do something~" Xia Mi lifted her head, looking at Ji with a mischievous grin.

"It's strange. The two of us, who don't need sleep, lie in bed all day. Meanwhile, Zero and Nono next door are full of energy at night. Lu Mingfei is even more extreme; he's about to set a record of 20 days without sleep..."

"Bastard Boss, mentioning other girls while holding your girlfriend. I don't even know what to say about you."

"Sorry, I just wanted to say that no matter what mischief you're up to, I'll wake up immediately, hold your hand, and pinch your cute cheeks a few times." As he spoke, Ji withdrew the arm holding Xia Mi and gently pinched the adorable girl's face.

"By the way, I just thought of something."

"This is our first time sleeping side by side through the night, Boss. If you want to talk business, do it during the day, okay?" The girl withdrew one of her hands from under the blanket, which had been hugging the young man, and poked his abdomen.

He had abs, but not many.

"I'm afraid not. I'm worried I'll forget by then." Ji paused and asked, "Can inscribing an alchemical matrix suppress the bloodline issues of Hybrids?"

The girl shook her head slightly: "It should be possible, but I don't know how."

"Then I've thought of something to keep Ronald Tang from being idle. There's a place holding many potential believers, waiting for me to save them."

"Huh? Where?"

"Kobe City, Japan."

"Japan again? How many schemes has that crazy woman, the White King, cooked up? Damn, I wanted a few more years of peaceful life."

"I don't know. On the surface, she only bestowed the bloodline. We know nothing about her other arrangements. But if I hadn't interfered before, she might have become 'he'."

Dragon King Miss clicked her tongue, lowered her head again, and wriggled as if trying to burrow deeper into the young man's arms: "Let's find my unreliable elder brother after dawn. For now, it's better to keep lying here a while longer."

The two fell silent, quietly holding each other until the horizon turned orange.

Dragon King Miss moved reluctantly, as if making a very difficult decision. She extricated herself from the black-haired young man's embrace and slipped her feet into the shoes placed on the floor.

She planned to return to her room first to freshen up, then go downstairs to prepare breakfast for everyone. Sometimes, the blonde Russian loli would help if she woke up early.

After the girl left and closed the room door, the young man sat up in bed.

"Hmm, does this even count as sleeping? We were just awake and holding each other all night." The young man shook his head and complained.

After that phone call, he and the girl had spent the time with their eyes closed, awake, and holding each other.

The young man retrieved the phone from under the pillow and dialed a number.

A lazy female voice came from the other end: "Hello? Mr. Administrator? Why are you calling so early in the morning... I've been working overtime for several days now, and I'm in a terrible state."

This reminded me of another person who was also originally idle but was forced to work overtime. Ji stopped reminiscing and asked the person on the line: "Do you have Jude Mai's phone number? I want her to look into something for me."

"I'll text it to you in a moment. If she doesn't answer or the call doesn't go through, it means she's on a mission. If there's nothing else, I'm hanging up..."

Beep, beep, beep...

This time, the other party hung up on him. Not particularly bothered, Ji opened the text message, which already contained the number Su Enxi had sent. He glanced at it and immediately dialed.

After a brief hold music, a pleasant female voice sounded through the phone: "Hello? Who is this?"

And it was in Japanese. Fortunately, Ji understood some basic phrases. He asked directly: "Jude Mai?"

After a brief silence, the female voice switched to Chinese: "...It's you? Damn, that potato chip girl sold me out!"

Ji ignored her complaint: "You're still in Japan, right? Help me look into something. I need the specific location of the dangerous bloodline care facility built by the Sheqi Eight Families in Kobe."

Chapter 72: Introspection

'I asked you before, you said you were a creation of a truly high-dimensional civilization?'

'Yes. According to your language and cognition, my formal name is 'Third Generation β Human Order Collection and Construction System'. It is used to collect the thoughts of intelligent beings to build a vast human order model. We affect the collection subjects, and we are also affected by them. Choosing you was also due to the influence of a random algorithm. We have already understood these matters long ago, and the strange actions I make are also due to your influence.'

'The essential communication between us ended years ago. I do not understand the point of you asking this question again?'

'Hmm, I just wanted to look back at my new life, my life as Ji Eggers...'

On a whim, I went to find the

me

of this world, the

me

who didn't become Ji Eggers. I was lucky; I saw him. He is just a child who has just learned to walk, and my hometown is exactly the same as in my memories.

This gave me a strange feeling. Did I go home? No, I didn't go home. I just arrived in a very similar world. Theoretically, there are countless worlds like this, and each world is experiencing the same or different stories.

Did I think about these things before? Impossible... Letting one's mind wander in that kind of world is a big taboo. When exactly did it become like this? Starting from when I came to this world?

In the end, I returned to Peacock Residence. I don't know if I still kept that smile when I stepped through the Door. I can't remember when I'stitched' that smile onto my face.

Everyone seemed very worried about me—Xia Mi, Lu Mingfei, Nono, and Zero. They all watched me with that kind of look. I shook my head, trying to shake those thoughts away, and I made that smile again—or at least, I probably did.

Being able to let my mind wander about these things means I am lucky. One wouldn't be like this without enough humanity. I had the system anchor me to this world; I don't want to suddenly die like I did three years ago and then end up in another place.

"Ji... We don't know where you went just now or what you experienced, but we will try our best to help you. You can try to confide in us."

"Thank you, everyone. I was just feeling a bit sentimental. I'll be fine after a rest. I will adjust my state as soon as possible. This world... people need me."

Since I have come here and I have the ability, I am the tall one, and I must step up.

Why do I have such thoughts? I am indeed completely unlike 'me' anymore, but I don't dislike it.

The few of them watched the young man in the black trench coat walk up the stairs. Only after the sound of a door closing did they return to the sofa and sit down, then began to communicate with each other.

"Ji's state is very wrong. Does he usually... think too much?" As a 'Hypnotist', Nono spoke first. She noticed that Ji's various movements were inconsistent with his usual self, and that face that was originally smiling was now full of confusion.

"He was perfectly fine in bed just a few days ago." Miss Xia Mi dropped a bombshell, though it didn't seem that shocking; to the others, it would be strange if those two weren't in bed together.

Lu Mingfei looked at Zero beside him. The girl took his hand, and his tone revealed his worry: "Master looks a bit dejected."

"He is troubled by some things. We can only wait for him to reveal it voluntarily." Zero said this while gazing into Lu Mingfei's eyes, her face, which rarely showed expression, fluctuating slightly.

"Decided!" Xia Mi jumped up from the sofa suddenly. She exclaimed and then said righteously: "I know the best way to comfort a man. Although I wanted to save the experience for the best time, helping my dear boyfriend cannot wait!"

Her appearance made the faces of the other three twitch slightly. Nono quickly controlled this, but she felt a bit annoyed by Xia Mi's words. After quickly using 'Calm' on herself to settle her mood, she shrugged, indicating that Xia Mi could do as she pleased. Lu Mingfei and Zero both shook their heads slightly.

Whether Xia Mi would actually go, and whether Ji would accept, were not questions for them to consider. They needed to seize the time to act, digest their potions, and increase their Sequence, so that they could better help Ji.

'Does the Sequence 4 potion require special tasks? Why did Xia Mi give the Sequence 4 potion directly?'

'She has a sufficient status, no special treatment is needed.'

'...I'm very curious, aren't Beyonder characteristics conserved and attracted by splitting? How did you manage to get these things out? And the Uniqueness as well; that should be 'unique'.'

'To me, those are nothing more than a string of code, a segment of characters. Your thoughts, emotions, desires, etc., are what I need. Step by step, recording gradually; this is my purpose.'

"Hmm, you mentioned this before."

"Mentioned what?" Miss Xia Mi pushed the door open and entered the room. As soon as she arrived, she heard Ji muttering something. Now she was wondering if her poor boyfriend really had some other personality?

"Chatting with my other personality, Miss Xia Mi." Ji answered Xia Mi's question in a joking tone. After the girl sat beside him, he asked: "Did you ask Ronald Tang about the workload of engraving alchemy matrices on the human body?"

"He said that the White King is also within the Dragon Kind system, and alchemy can suppress their unstable bloodline. It's relatively simple, but very troublesome because it requires regular maintenance, so you'd better pay him a salary or something."

The girl appeared nonchalant. She was sitting right next to Ji, her legs dangling naturally, swinging slightly a few centimeters off the floor.

"What did you go do earlier? How come you ended up like that after coming back?" Xia Mi lowered her head looking at the floor, eyes sneaking glances toward Ji.

Ji waited a few seconds before answering slowly: "I went to see the

me

of this world. Looking from afar, my spirituality reminded me that that was me."

"He is still very young, just learned to walk, and can say some simple words."

"So? Touched by the scene? I really don't know why, you are a very contradictory person, and you really think too much." Xia Mi raised her head to look at Ji. The young man also had his head bowed, his eyes holding some unclear light, a faint smile hanging on the corners of his mouth. He shook his head and continued:

"Heh, perhaps. The more powerful one is, the more fragile one becomes. I don't want to be troubled by these things either, but it's not like they don't exist just because I don't want them to."

"I might have some clues, clues to why I've become self-contradictory, but I don't really dare to confirm them."

Finally, Ji took a deep breath and turned to look at Xia Mi. The girl saw that his eyes were very firm. He said a few words, words that made the girl unable to remain calm. In the end, the girl nodded heavily.

It was a plan, a somewhat crazy plan. The girl chose to believe in him, believed that he would return alive, and believed that the one returning would be 'him' and not 'Him'.

Chapter 73: The Prideful One

Miss Xia Mi ultimately failed to carry out her evil plan; after all, how could there be any mood for that in such a situation?

After briefly embracing Ji, she left the room.

Hearing the faint sound of the door closing, Ji continued to question the system.

"What about the Original Will?"

"Do you think this world has an 'Original'? Therefore, this so-called Original Will only exists in you, the one who has merged with Ji Eggers."

"Then why is there a Spirit World here too?"

"It is one of the three basic realms; different places have different names for it."

To the outside world, it looked like Ji had been dazed for a long time before nodding, but in reality, he was processing what the system had said.

"So even with your help, I still need more anchors to stabilize myself? They don't need them, right?"

"I actually haven't helped you too much. Letting the observation target have absolutely no desire to move forward would affect the results. As for the others, they don't need many, but they still need some."

"What happens if I 'clear' this world?"

"You can choose to stay here, return to the two previous worlds, or go to a new world. If you choose the first two, I will leave you and look for the next target."

"I have no more questions for now. Also, thank you."

"Hehe, no need to thank me; it's just work anyway~"

The system's tone shifted so quickly...

Ji leaned back and lay on the bed. He raised his hand to cover his head and said helplessly, "I hate using my brain~"

He suddenly remembered something and sat up abruptly: "Hey? If you leave, who will suppress my Original Will?"

"I'll help you solve it before I leave."

"...Fine."

Ji shook his head and stood up. He took a deep breath, put on his standard smile again, and raised his right hand. A bronze gate rose before him. The hem of his black trench coat moved without wind as he entered the Underworld with its master.

Every day, Ji would go to the banks of the Underworld river to review the prayers filtered by the spirits. If there were any special ones, he would take action personally, and urgent ones would be reported to him directly.

"Mills is doing quite well. That village is basically full of believers of Eternal Sleep. Spreading from there will likely be slow, as transportation is inconvenient, and there's nothing attractive there except for a large-scale harvest miracle."

Streaks of specially filtered light spots floated from above the river into Ji's hand. He closed his eyes to sense the intentions of the prayer targets. Soon after, he opened his eyes, raised his hand to summon some Beyonder items, and responded to those prayers.

Life in backward areas is indeed too difficult. No one knows what tomorrow will bring. When they are helpless, they can only pray to certain entities, hoping for a miracle to happen.

It is recorded in the scripture that the Lord only helps those who possess virtues, and the greedy will be punished.

Hmm, so the Beyonder events happening in this place are mostly friendly, and the small minority are punishments.

After settling the prayers, Ji stood by the Underworld river and muttered to himself: "I wonder how long it will take for Jude Mai to find the location. I remember Su Enxi is a major creditor to the Sheqi Eight Families, right? Judging from that identity, finding information should be quite fast, right?"

Ji shivered abruptly. Looking at the unknown substance flowing in the river, he suddenly remembered something. A Pale light appeared in his hand—it was a transparent glass bottle filled with water from the Underworld river.

"The aura is very rich. It actually merged together?"

Ji turned the bottle upside down and opened the cap. The substance inside did not flow out at all; it seemed to be a part of the bottle itself.

"Did it turn into this thing because of the influence of the Sefirah? Wait, can this thing be bestowed as a sacred relic?"

Ji sensed the function of the bottle in his hand, and some information appeared in his mind. After quickly filtering it, he summarized: "Beyonder abilities will slowly fade unless it is kept here. The effect is equivalent to the 'Horror Bishop's' aura of fear. The method of use is to throw it directly at someone... The side effect is a large-scale calming effect? Isn't that a positive benefit? It's not really a side effect at all. No, being in a state of calm all the time isn't great. I'll just seal it to reduce the range to the future church area."

Hmm, it can be bestowed, but only after there is a church. I'll wrap it in some packaging, and when believers come to the church to pray, it will calm their minds.

Ji put away the bottle, then summoned a light spot—it was Mills, whom he had marked. He prepared to issue a new oracle.

Calculating the time difference, it should be morning over there. I wonder if that boy is working in the fields...

...

Ji's guess was indeed correct. The black boy named Mills was working in the fields. Although he had previously let Xia Mi act as an actor while he himself used 1-29 to proliferate crops on a large scale, under Mills's promotion, people also knew that it was mercy and could not be forced.

Most people still followed their usual pace of life, while a few waited for the divine grace of the gods. Of course, they could only wait for punishment.

The temperature wasn't that high in the morning, so Mills didn't look too tired for now. Just as he was still working hard, a familiar, ethereal, and gentle voice rang in his mind.

"You have done well. You have brought many living beings under the wings of the Lord. Soon, I will give you a trial in accordance with the Lord's instructions. If you can pass, you will become the spokesperson of the Lord..."

The moment the voice rang out, Mills put down his tools and stood there devoutly. Only after it ended did he say, "Praise the magistrate, praise the Angel of Abundance."

In fact, the voice of the Angel of Abundance had always been Ji speaking; he just used the title of the Angel of Abundance to cover it up. After all, if the Lord were to speak personally, it would be too beneath His status.

The so-called trial was a bluff. He had previously selected a useless Beyonder item, which had now turned into a characteristic: the Beyonder characteristic of a Sequence 9 'Arbiter', as well as one for Sequence 8 'Sheriff' and Sequence 7 'Interrogator'.

"Without auxiliary materials, consuming Sequence 9 is already quite difficult. As for the subsequent two portions, I'll leave it to fate. I also need to call Nono to stabilize his spirit."

The system doesn't give tasks to just anyone, so there were no extra auxiliary materials to use. However, the purpose of auxiliary materials is actually just to get through the initial period of consuming the potion. Someone even used fake materials projected from the historical void.

Moreover, Ji had reasons for choosing Arbiter. Mills is not a Hybrid; the Arbiter potion can grant him excellent physique and combat ability, and he can also possess the charisma and authority to convince others. This allows him to better serve as a spokesperson and bishop, facilitating management.

"Hoo, now I'm just waiting for Jude Mai to give me the intelligence. Save those poor little ones, let Ronald Tang help them stabilize their bloodline, and then send them to Africa? Damn... why does it feel like I'm a human trafficker?"

"Also, I have to confirm their wishes."

Ji gazed at the sky above the Underworld river, where many Pale light spots were flickering from time to time. The spirits nearby would catch the shining light spots and respond. Each light spot corresponded to a believer. After more than ten seconds, Ji turned around, raised the gate, and returned to the real world.

Chapter 74: Moths to the Flame

"Two plans: one is to inscribe a matrix onto every target, and the second is to build a large-scale matrix within a specific area."

A young-looking Chinese youth sat on the living room sofa with his legs crossed, talking eloquently in a rather unrefined posture, while everyone looked at him with strange expressions.

After Lu Mingfei, who was sitting next to him, slapped his leg, the youth's posture straightened up a bit.

The youth was none other than Norton, who had been called over. Now, he had transformed into Ronald Tang, looking nothing like a Dragon King. After sitting properly, he continued: "The benefit of the first plan is that you aren't restricted by range and can move freely; you only need to return periodically for maintenance. As for the second plan..."

Ronald Tang paused and used his hands to trace a circle in the air: "At most, it covers the range of a single city; once outside that range, it no longer has any effect. I heard you guys say that Cassell College has a large-scale Discipline matrix? It's theoretically similar to that, but the one I build and inscribe will definitely be more effective."

He looked very proud after that last sentence, perhaps feeling that he was finally able to be of use.

Ji Eggers, sitting opposite him and stroking his chin, narrowed his eyes in thought. He went back and forth between the two options before finally deciding: "Fine, I want both plans."

Ronald Tang was no longer proud. He suppressed a facial twitch and shook his head slightly: "That would be quite a heavy workload. Let's build the large-scale alchemy matrix first; that requires a large amount of materials and a suitable site."

"How much longer until Constantine can hatch? I heard from Xia Mi that if you two are together, your work efficiency will be higher."

"You can call him Little Kang. As for hatching, I reckon it will still take a while to let his body become more complete. Although my brother possesses 'Power', his personality is extremely timid. Sigh, no matter how I teach him, he just doesn't improve."

Norton shook his head with a distressed expression, thinking that it was all Nidhogg's fault for creating these heaven-defying flaws at birth.

"By the way, where are we going to build it? And can you really find that many White King descendants? Until I learned this news, I had assumed that the White King had been reduced to ashes by Nidhogg."

Xia Mi, who was beside Ji Eggers, leaned forward slightly and said with a smile: "Be a bit more respectful, call him Boss."

Ronald Tang closed his eyes, nodded, and raised his hands to show he understood, though his manner was somewhat punchable.

Ji Eggers coughed lightly and answered Ronald Tang's question: "Regarding the specific situation of the White King, you can ask Xia Mi. The construction site is in a small Third World country in South Africa. However, before that, we need to improve their development slightly—just a little bit, we cannot over-influence them."

"At the very least, they need a network connected to the world and electrical and water systems to ensure basic living standards."

Xia Mi lowered her head in thought and curled her lip: "That's a bit troublesome. The gap in technological levels isn't so easily resolved; the houses where the people there live have dirt floors."

"Don't worry, we have this~" Ji Eggers magically produced a black card between his raised index and middle fingers, then pointed to Zero: "And you, the 'Angel of Intelligence' under the 'magistrate'."

"Do you want me to contact Potato Chips and go guide them?" Zero had already advanced to Sequence 6 'Artisan'. She also possessed the 'Mirror Eyes' capable of analyzing everything; any technological product was, in her eyes and hands, completely transparent.

"Uh-huh, I think your Boss wouldn't mind helping me out either. Heh, I seem to have asked you for help many times, yet I only took one thing back for him."

Zero shook her head expressionlessly: "He said that being able to take good care of Lu Mingfei is the best transaction."

...

In a certain mountain forest in Kobe City, there was a'school' that accepted only 'problem students'. The school was surrounded by solid stone walls, with electrified barbed wire laid across the top.

It seemed that those inside were not students learning knowledge, but a group of Monsters that had to be locked up.

This was the second year after Sakurai Akira had graduated. He was already 19 years old, yet he had not left this place even once.

Perhaps he had been outside before the age of 5, but he had no memories of that period. Ever since he could remember, he had been in this square-shaped place.

His parents, whose impressions had become blurred, had never come to visit him. Only on every birthday would different men in black come. Some had good attitudes, while others were rather poor, and they would ask some very strange questions. Those questions made him dislike birthdays very much.

After answering the questions, the men in black would score him, and then the files would be taken away. Fortunately, Sakurai Akira was able to pass every time. Those men in black said that if he kept up this state, he would be able to leave after the age of 40.

40 years old? Sakurai Akira was already 19. Even if a Hybrid's lifespan was longer than an ordinary person's, 40 years was still half a lifetime. Sakurai Akira was a Hybrid, but not one of those so-called 'elites' in the families he heard about; he had been defined as 'trash'.

The school only taught up to high school content. After graduating, Sakurai Akira became a school custodian. He no longer had to stay in a dormitory with others and had his own room, but every night, someone would still lock the iron door to his room with a chain.

For example, right now, this youth who had just turned 19 was curled up in his room. There were no extra decorations in the room: a bed, a desk, a chair, and not even a window... On the desk was an exercise book issued by the school, and a figure was sitting in front of the desk writing something.

"Finally, the 'Child of Light and Darkness' Sakurai Akira defeated the evil dragon with his companions. He used the 'Azure Judgement' to sever the dragon's head..."

The figure did not look robust from behind, but rather thin. He spoke while writing, and fluent Japanese echoed in the small room.

"Sakurai Akira and his companions embarked on an adventure once again. They would encounter more powerful enemies, defeat the Martial God at the end of the Firmament Passage, open the gate to carve out the Star Sea Passage, and in the end, what would be on the other side of the sea..."

"What could be on the other side of the sea..."

The figure looked up at the ceiling, and after a good while, set the pen aside and closed the exercise book.

He lay down on the bed, preparing to sleep. He was a school custodian, and he had work to do tomorrow.

Chapter 75: deep gloom angel

"Master, when you brought me to meet this long-legged beauty, I thought it would be some wonderful trip. Instead, we're wandering around deep in the mountains in the middle of the night." Lu Mingfei pushed aside the bushes in front of him, complaining as he spoke.

As a sequence 5 'Spirit Warlock' of the Darkness Path, his night vision was even better than during the day. Although the beautiful female ninja in front was very attractive and easy on the eyes, the rugged mountain road and some annoying bugs kept bothering him.

Ji, walking at the very back, did not respond to Lu Mingfei's words, but the person next to Lu Mingfei did.

"Hehe, it's not bad to have a great beauty to look at, Ming Fei." Ronald Tang, walking beside Lu Mingfei, put his hand on his shoulder. His expression was hard to describe, and even Lu Mingfei wanted to stay away from him; in fact, he did tilt his head to the side.

Walking in front and leading the way was Jude Mai, dressed in a ninja outfit. However, she wasn't covering her face since they were all people she dealt with often. Hearing the conversation behind her, she turned her head and said, "It's a bargain for you to have a great beauty like me to look at, little white rabbit~"

Lu Mingfei pointed at himself in confusion: "What little white rabbit? Are you talking about me?"

"Uh-huh." Jude Mai stopped walking. She turned and stared at Lu Mingfei for a moment before continuing forward: "Hmm... they really look alike. Three-No is truly blessed..."

"Huh? Look like what?"

"It's nothing. Let's keep going, we're almost there, but we'd better be stealthy." Jude Mai shook her head and activated her Word of Power 'Domain of Silence'. However, the situation was a bit awkward; they were too far apart, and the range didn't cover everyone.

Ji wanted to remind her that there was no need to activate the Domain of Silence, as he could disable the surrounding electrical signals, but the girl beside him seemed eager to try.

Jude Mai sensed another 'Domain of Silence' field, larger than hers, so large it was terrifying.

"Hehe, I know how to use 'Domain of Silence' too~" The voice came from the brown-haired girl beside Ji, Miss Xia Mi. Clearly, the Domain of Silence field was opened by her.

She almost forgot that there were two Dragon Kings and a very terrifying existence behind her... Their attitude was too good; it was easy to overlook some things.

Jude Mai shrugged and stopped her Word of Power. She pointed straight ahead in the direction they were walking and said: "It's probably five hundred meters ahead. There are many surveillance cameras installed in the surrounding area, controlled by their artificial intelligence, Bright Moon Princess. That place is full of White King descendants with unstable bloodlines."

Seeming a bit confused, Jude Mai continued: "The White King descendants seem to have better mental resilience and should be able to withstand more dragon blood. It's said that they are all 'dangerous bloodlines' close to the bloodline critical value, but they don't show clear signs of high bloodlines."

"No high-risk Word of Power, no particularly strong physique. That's all the information I could find. I'll leave the rest to you; I still need to go monitor Genji Heavy Industries."

After saying all that, Jude Mai quickly passed through the group, bypassed Ji and Miss Xia Mi at the end, and returned the way she came. Just as she said, she still had to monitor the situation at Genji Heavy Industries and needed to rush back now.

After Jude Mai left, Ji walked up to Lu Mingfei, patted his shoulder, and said: "Ming Fei, this time I need you to appear as my 'angel'."

Lu Mingfei scratched his head: "Do I have to act? Isn't my voice a bit unsuitable? And it seems we didn't bring any costumes or anything, right?" Ji had notified everyone in a hurry; they were all wearing casual clothes and had no costumes for role-playing.

"You just need to stand there with a bit of dignity. I'll add special effects for you, and leave the communication to me. Remember to listen to me carefully and use your abilities when the time comes. I will temporarily boost your abilities in a certain way later so that you look more like an 'angel'."

Sakurai Akira had a dream. In the dream, he didn't have to stay in this cramped dormitory every night, didn't have to stay in a school with an activity area probably smaller than a soccer field, and there were no men in black coming to ask him questions on his birthday every year. He could run on vast plains with the blue sky above and endless grass below, or stroll in a city filled with high-rise buildings, seeing all kinds of pedestrians—some in a hurry, some walking slowly like him. That was a freedom he had never experienced.

"What a realistic dream." Sakurai Akira opened his eyes and woke up from his sleep. He sat up and looked around. Because there were no windows and only small vents for air circulation, he couldn't see the current situation in the room clearly.

He could only leave here at the age of 40. Sakurai Akira recalled this matter. He took a deep breath and muttered to himself: "I really wish this dream were real..."

Wait a minute, he had never been to any grasslands or cities; how could he have such a dream?

Sakurai Akira sensed something was wrong.

'This can be real.'

A deep and calm voice echoed in his mind. He didn't understand the language the voice used, but he could understand its meaning. Sakurai Akira looked around in a panic. For a long time after the voice sounded, it was very quiet; he could have heard a pin drop on the ground.

Sakurai Akira asked with a trembling voice: "Who is it?"

'Your doors have been opened. If you want to know the specific meaning of that sentence, come to the playground to meet me.'

After the voice sounded again, there was no more movement. Sakurai Akira used the button by the bed to turn on the light. He could see the entire scene in the dormitory; there were no strange people, nor any Demons or ghosts.

He curled back onto the bed, frowning and pursing his lips, thinking about what had just happened and his bizarre dream. In the end, he decided to go and see.

Tiptoeing to the door, he pressed down on the handle. Click. The door actually opened. Sakurai Akira widened his eyes. He saw the chains outside had fallen to the ground. He poked his head out and looked at both sides of the corridor. Many doors were open, and here and there, several heads poked out, looking at each other.

After communicating with each other, they reached a conclusion: only the'students' or the'students' who had already graduated heard the voice and had the bizarre dream. The other school staff had not woken up; in fact, they were sleeping even more soundly and couldn't be woken up no matter how they called them, though fortunately, they were still breathing.

A few of the braver ones walked together slowly toward the playground. Sakurai Akira watched their receding figures, thinking of the dream and the voice from earlier.

Clenching his teeth, he followed them.

After all, hope is the thing that allows people to overcome fear and the unknown.

More and more people came out of different rooms and different houses, gathering in the school's playground. In the past, Sakurai Akira often looked up at the sky here during the day. He even named every cloud he saw, but the next day, those named clouds had flown away, leaving only him on this lawn.

"Who are you? Come out! We're all here!"

People in the crowd kept shouting loudly. Sakurai Akira pursed his lips, feeling a bit scared but also looking forward to what would happen next.

The voices in the crowd suddenly died down. Sakurai Akira didn't know what had happened, so he looked up. Under the moonlight, the surroundings seemed to be covered by a layer of shadow, which separated everyone on the playground from other places.

"What is that?!"

Directly in front of the crowd, a figure wearing a black robe, with two pairs of black wings on its back and a face covered by a black veil, appeared in the sky.

It descended slowly, hands raised to both sides as if to embrace the entire world. The four black wings behind it spread to their limit, shining with a dim light.

The familiar voice reached everyone's mind.

'I am the angel by the side of the 'magistrate', bestowed the name 'deep gloom angel', and I have come for the living beings bound by misfortune.'

Chapter 76: Playing the Mystic

"deep gloom angel"? What is that? There couldn't possibly be such a thing as an "angel" in this world, right?

This was the thought of most people on the playground lawn, as they had received basic Hybrid education.

They knew that in this world, excluding their own kind as Hybrids, there was only one type of supernatural creature: "Dragon." "Angels," on the other hand, were purely the stuff of myths, and none of the various myths regarding the Dragon race had anything to do with "angels."

The figure in the air radiated wave-like dark ripples outward. As those ripples spread throughout the enclosed area, everyone on the playground felt a strange sensation.

A sense of "tranquility" that did not stem from their own will; the chaotic thoughts in their minds ceased, and they simply stared at the figure slowly descending in the air.

"You have carried a curse since birth. This place is not your cage; the bodies that imprison your souls are."

"You are sorrowful and powerless, and even worse, vile Conspirers have exploited your curse. That is why I have come; the 'Lord' has commanded me to bring His gospel."

This voice made Sakurai Akira feel his heart calm down completely, allowing him to perceive the heartbeats of those around him and their unstable breathing.

Could there really be a "God"? But those people said... the so-called "Gods" were actually noble Dragon princes. Could it be... could this "angel" in front of him be... a Dragon?

"You... You are..." Sakurai Akira said, trembling: "Are you a Dragon?"

Many people around him turned to look at him. From their shocked expressions, it was clear that they also believed the creature before them was a humanoid dragon, but they hadn't expected anyone to dare say it out loud.

"...You certainly need more help. The lack of information and incomplete education have led you to this conclusion. I can say it again..." The voice in their minds paused before continuing.

"I am the Guardian hidden in the night."

"I am the executor of misfortune and fear."

"I am a retainer of the Death Consul, the 'deep gloom angel' by His side."

"I bring you the 'hope' from that dream."

Many people were left dumbfounded by that long string of descriptions. Sakurai Akira quickly snapped out of it and continued to ask: "That dream, was it the dream you made us have?"

"That was a disrespectful invasion of privacy, and I apologize to you. I want you to know a life without shackles..."

"The curse you carry is indeed quite severe, but my Lord has commanded me to bring you salvation, so I have brought three choices."

"First, you may leave here with me and go to the kingdom that believes in the Lord. There, your curse will be completely suppressed, though there are range limitations. Second, also leave here; once you go there, the Lord's believers will reduce the curse's influence for you, which requires regular maintenance, with each session lasting about a few years."

"Finally, the third choice: you may choose not to go with me and continue to stay here. Before I leave, I will briefly suppress it for you, but it will not last for very long."

"You keep talking about a curse, but most of us don't feel it. What exactly is the curse?"

"It originates from your bloodline. It will change you without you knowing, making you bloodthirsty, irritable, and impulsive, transforming you into creatures that can no longer be called 'human'."

The deep gloom angel lowered its outstretched hands and shook its head.

"Some of you have not been affected by the curse. As I mentioned before, this is the evil deed of the vile Conspirers."

"How... how can we be sure that what you are saying is true or false?"

"Do not worry. After tonight, the changes will begin to occur within you. At this time next week, I will descend here again. I hope you will have made your choice by then..."

The words in their minds ceased completely. Before anyone noticed, the figure that had been slowly descending in the sky had already vanished. The surroundings, which had seemed shrouded in shadow, returned to normal, leaving everyone staring at each other in bewilderment.

While Sakurai Akira was pondering what had just happened, some people around him clutched their heads and collapsed to the ground. He widened his eyes, wanting to know what was going on.

The next moment, his eyes, which had just widened, became heavy. He felt so sleepy...

Thud.

He also collapsed to the ground.

...

"Quite a few people haven't reached that critical level at all, but because they have the White King bloodline, I didn't dare to be certain, so it was better to do it for everyone. It just took a while to carry them back to their dormitories, and fortunately, Ming Fei remembered where they came from."

Outside the stone wall covered with barbed wire, Ronald Tang and Lu Mingfei were reporting the details of this operation.

Ronald Tang had gone to great lengths to inscribe a matrix for everyone—over a hundred people in total. Fortunately, it was just a simple inscription; he only needed to draw a few circles they couldn't understand.

Lu Mingfei was still fiddling with his special-effect black wings. Ji snapped his fingers, causing him to revert to his original appearance, without the black robe, black veil, or wings.

"That was amazing. My Nightmare ability was able to affect so many people, and the range was so large, as was the tranquility effect. By the way, that domain must have been opened by you, Master, right? I don't think I can do that yet..."

"Who else could it be but me? You are the one I favor, so I can use some Sefirah permissions opened to you to briefly enhance some abilities. However, that domain is an angel-level ability; you cannot do that."

So, Lu Mingfei had actually just used the Nightmare ability and the tranquility effect that the Midnight Poet could use, and then struck a few poses he thought looked cool. Everything else, like the communication, was done by Ji.

Beside them, Miss Xia Mi made a heartbroken expression: "The Bastard Boss is getting better and better at playing the mystic. Little Xia Mi sternly condemns this."

Ji pinched Xia Mi's cheek, returning that expression to her usual cute look: "Heh, playing the mystic and bluffing can also be considered my way of role-playing. Alright, it's over, so we can go back. Ronald Tang, you haven't finished that large matrix yet, have you? We'll have to continue tomorrow."

Ronald Tang stretched: "Sigh, after this matter is over, Boss, you really have to let me have some peace and quiet for a while."

The bronze gate rose and fell silently, and the area returned to tranquility—or perhaps it had always been tranquil, because from the outside world's perspective, nothing had happened here, and everything remained as usual.

Chapter 77: Unheard Of

"Ming Fei, go to South Africa for some training during this summer vacation."

Tonight, Xia Mi was in her room binge-watching shows, so Ji took this opportunity to call Lu Mingfei to his room to arrange some matters.

"Huh?"

Lu Mingfei was clearly very confused. He had just been dominating the entire field in StarCraft, and now, just after arriving here, he heard about a major event.

Ji stood on the balcony with his hands behind his back, looking up at the sky. The hem of his black windbreaker fluttered without wind. He turned his head and said: "This concerns your future potion digestion and the maintenance of humanity. Your Sequence 3 is called 'Horror Bishop'. Although it's too early to talk about this, you should seize the opportunity to act it out in advance. Help out more once the church there is built."

"Alright. Actually, I was thinking of going back to see my Aunt since they took me in for two years. Wait, does that mean I won't be able to play games or watch anime?" Being unable to play games, watch anime, or engage in other entertainment activities was worse than death for him, but in this world, some people were worrying about how to survive the next day.

"Ming Fei, the people there didn't have games or anime for a long time. They struggled for how to survive every day. I'm not glorifying suffering; I just want you to know that we possess far more than many others."

"Don't worry too much. Due to some external factors, it's not exactly developed, but basic living can still be guaranteed. However, I hope you can try your best to help them in your daily life. They are also your believers, and descriptions of the 'deep gloom angel' are not few in the scriptures."

A month ago, Zero descended there as the 'Angel of Intelligence'. With the help of Ronald Tang and the funding from Su Enxi, they were at least able to improve the living environment of the people. It was unknown where she found the infrastructure team.

"Then what identity should I use?"

"Just use 'God's Favored'. A God's Favored of the 'deep gloom angel'. Go and demonstrate your Beyonder abilities and kind nature."

Ji returned to the room from the balcony. He walked to his bookshelf and looked at the dazzling array of figurines on it. He was deep in thought. What puzzled him now was that after killing Tachibana Masamune, Herzog, who was hiding in the shadows, actually hadn't made any obvious moves, and Minamoto no Chisei was doing just fine as the Family Head. It was hard not to suspect that he was plotting something big.

He picked up a male figurine that stood out among the many female ones.

It was Emiya Shirou with red hair wearing a hoodie. Ji didn't buy the Archer figurine because he didn't want to end up like that.

He wasn't afraid of any schemes or plots, but he was afraid of flipping the table. He couldn't protect so many ordinary people or believers by himself as a Sequence 2. If it really came to that point, he would inevitably have to make a choice between protecting the many or the few.

'What is the task required for Lu Mingfei to advance to Sequence 4?'

'Make him the highest-ranking entity of the 'Eternal Slumber Cult' in the mortal world and make him famous throughout the dark world.'

It was relatively simple, but the time span would be a bit long, and spreading the Eternal Slumber Cult might not be good for the civilians.

He needed to organize some self-defense personnel for them. Let's see how many of those poor guys in Japan there will be in a few days. If they want to stay there after they go over, can they recruit a few and establish an official organization?

Ji put Emiya Shirou back on the bookshelf. He walked in front of Lu Mingfei and looked at him, saying: "Calculating the time, Chu Zihang should be going to Cassell College in a year. After he returns this summer, he can advance to Dawn Paladin. Then, the next Sequence is 'Guardian'. Both are relatively easy to act out."

"Then Senior Brother Chu... uh, Junior Brother? Will he still be in contact with us after going to Cassell College?"

Ji nodded affirmatively: "Of course. From now on, he will be our inside man at Cassell College. The stronger his ability and the higher his status, the more first-hand intelligence we can obtain."

"Then can I stop going in the future?" Lu Mingfei looked forward to it; he didn't really want to travel across the ocean to a foreign country.

"What are you thinking? You still have to go. But don't worry, both you and Zero will go. You won't be in a long-distance relationship, and you can even get a university degree." Ji patted his shoulder and then turned him around to face the door.

"Master, what are you saying! We haven't..."

"Alright, alright." Ji pushed Lu Mingfei towards the door. "Your master needs to sleep. Let's talk tomorrow."

"Master! I have one more question!" Lu Mingfei raised his hands and waved them.

Ji stopped his walking motion. He answered softly: "Speak."

After Lu Mingfei lowered his hands, he maintained his previous posture without moving, only tilting his head slightly: "You seem to be a bit off, Master." You seem to have become a bit like the 'hypocrisy' you once mentioned. Lu Mingfei did not say this out loud.

The youth smiled: "That's quite a thing to say. I'm just a bit anxious. After all, we don't have much time left."

"You know... that's not what I asked."

The youth's hand fell from Lu Mingfei's shoulder. His smile carried a hint of complexity. He lowered his head and was silent for a while, finally shaking his head: "I don't know either, Ming Fei."

After sending Lu Mingfei away, the Youth in Black Clothes sat back on the edge of the bed. He lay back, covered his head, and muttered to himself: "Damn! Even Lu Mingfei could tell, but my own consciousness didn't feel anything wrong! That thing must be done! I hope it can be done before I am still me."

When everyone thinks you have a problem but you don't notice it yourself, either the world is crazy, or you are crazy.

...

'magistrate'.

How could a 'God' have such a name? It was completely unheard of.

Sakurai Akira was absent-mindedly cleaning the corridor. This was one of the janitor's jobs.

Two days ago, he woke up from his bed, thinking those bizarre experiences were a dream. But that memory was so real, and other people's reactions confirmed this. Some people tried to notify the clan, but no matter what method of expression was used, it was ineffective. Verbal communication, writing, or body language, everything containing information was ignored. The people of the clan acted as if they didn't see it.

Sakurai Akira knew a little about mythology. He knew about Izanagi and Izanami from Japan, or Jesus, God Almighty, Odin, Zeus, and the like from other places.

But this so-called 'magistrate' had absolutely no information. He had never seen it in the mythology books at school.

He hadn't felt the curse mentioned either, but some people in the school said they indeed felt much better. Now, there were still a few days left before that 'angel' returned.

Sakurai Akira thought that perhaps what that 'angel' said was all true. I want to leave this place. I don't want to wait another 20 years. I want freedom...

As long as I can leave this place, I am willing to do anything. No, not leave this place, but to have freedom!

Chapter 78: A New Beginning

Nono had been disguising herself for a long time. From childhood to adulthood, she had always been putting up a front, packaging herself as someone who didn't care about anything and acted as wildly as she pleased.

At home, she only kept close to Zero and Xia Mi, rarely speaking with Ji Eggers or Lu Mingfei.

After becoming a 'Hypnotist', she could see herself more clearly. She was someone who lacked a sense of security, was timid, and was afraid of loneliness. The persona she displayed was merely a disguise to cover up her true self, and this disguise had only deepened after becoming a Beyonder.

Beyonders of this Pathway could not only see the hidden hearts of others but also the flaws in their outward expressions. Likewise, they could see their own flaws, which is why every 'Spectator' could disguise themselves so well.

But disguising oneself too well was certainly not a good thing. This Pathway was the least likely to lose control or have internal problems, but what if that person had already lost their original self?

'Nono, face your own heart, accept your original appearance, and remember one thing: you are only acting! Do not lose yourself!'

This was what Ji Eggers had told her when he spoke to her alone a few days ago. She didn't like her original self, but as her master had said, if she didn't remember that she was acting, she would lose herself, lose control, and turn into a Monster. She had already experienced some situations where she heard unclear whispers.

She had once asked others from an indirect angle if they had experienced such situations, but it turned out only she had. She was very worried. It was like turning back into the original Chen Motong; she didn't want to be Chen Motong, she wanted to be Nono.

"Phew, everyone has something to do, yet I can only stay at home. It's a bit boring~" Nono lay on her bed with red sheets in her room, staring at the ceiling. She liked red very much; the decoration of the entire room was basically in this tone.

"Zero is still out, Xia Mi spends all day running around with Ji Eggers, and Lu Mingfei... forget about Lu Mingfei."

Since Nono's Pathway was indeed of no use at the moment, she was the most idle. She had no part in any of the operations, and she didn't want to go over just to watch. After all, her presence didn't make much of a difference.

'Can you imagine a life where you never left the Chen family? Chen Motong.'

This was what Ji Eggers had said to her on her last birthday. It was truly strange; why would her birthday be known? A life without leaving the Chen family... it would definitely be worse than now! And looking at the attitude of those lackeys, I must have some use I don't know about. They might even send me out for a political marriage!

"Ji Eggers... if I weren't so special, you certainly wouldn't have come to help me, right?" As if speaking to herself unintentionally, Nono murmured softly.

...

A full week had passed since the first descent of that 'deep gloom angel'. Today was the day he had spoken of for making a decision. Sakurai Akira had already decided; he would follow that 'deep gloom angel'. No matter where that 'deep gloom angel' would eventually take him, it would be better than spending another 20 years in this cramped school!

He picked up his notebook, which contained the novel he had been writing since he was still studying, and it was still unfinished to this day.

Sakurai Akira placed the notebook against his chest and lay on the bed. Someone outside had already locked his room door. He was waiting, waiting for the 'deep gloom angel' to arrive, for the moment he would leave.

This waiting time was unbearable. Because there were no windows, he didn't know how much longer it was until night.

After imagining who knows how many futures, he heard a crisp sound. It was the sound of a chain falling to the ground.

It was here!

Sakurai Akira placed the notebook inside his clothes and slowly walked to the door. With a gentle push, the door opened. Sounds of doors opening came from all around; many people, including him, had already made their decision.

Still on the lawn of the original playground, everyone except the controlled students was sleeping very soundly. Sakurai Akira noticed that the surroundings were not covered by a shadow-like curtain as they were last time.

That 'deep gloom angel' was not hovering in the air. It was standing not far away, its four pairs of wings folded behind it, head bowed, not knowing what it was thinking.

'You have come.'

It did not look up or make any movement, but the voice rang directly in everyone's mind, making them feel an unprecedented sense of tranquility.

'Since you have come here again, it means you have chosen to leave.'

A bronze gate rose from the grass beside it and opened wide, emitting an indescribable light from within. The 'deep gloom angel' looked up at the crowd, fingers together, pointing at the gate. Its face was covered by a black veil, and no one could see it clearly.

'Regardless of whether you decide to stay there or travel far after you pass through, we will not stop you.'

'My Lord 'magistrate' ordered me to save everyone, not to bind you in a new prison.'

Sakurai Akira looked around. He bowed his head, gritted his teeth, and took the first step. He moved towards that black figure and the bronze gate. Behind that... would be the freedom he craved!

Suddenly, his thoughts stalled, as if he had fallen into some kind of illusion. He saw the men in black from his family who came to visit him; he saw himself lying on the lawn looking at the sky. He seemed to be able to see something else, but he heard a crisp snap of fingers.

He returned to the lawn of the playground, maintaining his walking posture.

Just now... what happened? Was it done by this 'deep gloom angel'?

Sakurai Akira didn't quite understand what had just happened. Just as he was about to ask, he saw the 'deep gloom angel's' wings extend to the limit, and an aura of deep gloom burst out from its body.

'Everyone, those who want to leave, just walk directly into the gate. After entering, keep moving forward. Your vision will be blocked until you arrive at the designated location.'

A bone longsword had appeared in the 'deep gloom angel's' hand at some point. Its shape resembled the spine of a humanoid creature. Although it looked terrifying, it exuded an aura of peace.

'Standing still won't get you saved. Move quickly!'

A slender figure suddenly appeared from the dark night. He attacked the 'deep gloom angel' rapidly, but the 'deep gloom angel' just lightly swung its longsword and knocked him flying backward.

Tch, Master was really right. But isn't the person sent to stop us a bit weak?

The bone longsword in Lu Mingfei's hand turned into specks of pitch-black light and vanished. He could no longer sense the target; it seemed they had been scared off by his move and retreated directly.

'Lackeys of the despicable, apologies everyone, I overestimated his ability. We can proceed slowly now.'

The voice rang in the minds of the crowd who had stopped running. They saw the 'deep gloom angel' walk slowly to the side of the gate, extending a hand to point inside.

After passing through the gate that emitted a strange light, the feeling was very strange, as if he had entered some kind of state of floating in the void. Sakurai Akira had never been swimming, so he didn't know how to describe it.

"Welcome, everyone, to the Lord's kingdom. I am the Lord's messenger; you may call me Mills."

After his vision returned, the first thing Sakurai Akira saw was a Black boy, slightly shorter than him but with a fit build. The boy spoke fluent English. He had learned it in school, but only to the extent of some daily communication and being able to understand a little.

However, he knew that this was a welcome.

Only now did he have time to look around. The surroundings consisted of some buildings that could be seen to have been newly constructed. The ground was also paved with cement that looked relatively new. The sky was still glowing with an orange-red light; it should still be dusk.

At least a 6-hour time difference. Did they send us to the other hemisphere?

Sakurai Akira felt shocked by this ability to traverse distances instantly.

He looked back. Behind the bronze gate he had come through was a church still under construction. Whether it was originally designed this way or not finished, the entire church was mainly in a pale, grayish-white tone. Above the wooden double doors at the front was a circular symbol.

Two crossed giant scythes, a serpentine pattern winding upwards, and a long river composed of simple stripes.

"Your Highness 'deep gloom angel'."

Mills' voice made Sakurai Akira turn his head back. He saw that the 'deep gloom angel' had also arrived here.

'Mills, I leave them to you to arrange. You are a person recognized by the Lord, and I believe you can do it well.'

The voice still echoed in everyone's mind. The boy named Mills stood tall, hands clasped together, and responded devoutly: "I will never fail the expectations of the Lord and the angels. Praise the 'magistrate', praise the 'deep gloom angel'."

The 'deep gloom angel' nodded slightly and then turned into black light and disappeared.

Sakurai Akira looked at the orange-red light on the horizon and raised his hand to gently stroke the notebook in his bosom.

This is a new beginning...

Chapter 79: A Mysterious Plan

"A believer of the Lord provided us with significant help. Judging by her features, she was likely Eastern. It was then that I realized there were many other places in the world that worshipped the Lord. She once came here for an inspection. The Lord trusts me and has commanded me to spread His gospel across this land. Because of this, our small village received many resources. It was not the capital that was developed first, but our village, and all of this is due to the Lord's grace."

Mills, a Black boy wearing a black robe, led the group from Japan on a tour of the village, which had changed completely. Among them were some children who still looked quite young.

Not long ago, Mills became a Sequence 9 'Arbiter' of the Justiciar Pathway. It was a difficult process; thanks to Nono descending as the 'Angel of Insight', her soothing presence combined with Lu Mingfei's calming effects prevented the Black boy from losing control. It is estimated that Mills will remain at this stage from now on, as there are no auxiliary materials, and this time was already quite dangerous, unless Nono becomes a true angel.

Perhaps this place can no longer be called a village; it has almost turned into an emerging small town, and one with Chinese-style architecture at that.

Many people walked on the streets; some were heading to the fields to work, others were conducting business on the newly paved roads, and one could also see believers wearing linen robes, deep in prayer.

"We have finished building concrete roads leading to various places, and many new houses are under construction. However, we want to prioritize building the central church first; this is our expression of gratitude to the Lord."

"After news of these things spread, many people came here, either to revere the 'scripture of eternal slumber' or to seek opportunities."

"I have also received many opportunities to learn. I never attended school; I hope my current way of speaking hasn't made anyone feel uncomfortable? In fact, not long ago, I was still a farmer working in the fields, and I still quite enjoy the feeling of tilling the land."

"Mills..." Sakurai Akira, who was walking among the crowd, spoke up, wanting to ask a question, but he didn't know how to address him.

"Just call me by my name; I don't hold any official position yet." Mills responded, turning slightly before continuing to walk forward.

Sakurai Akira nodded and asked: "Mr. Mills, I would like to ask, do you know about that 'magistrate' and His 'angels'?"

The Black boy just smiled at such blunt and slightly disrespectful words.

"Once, the Lord's 'Angel of Abundance' helped us and bestowed the scripture upon me. Now, a copy of that scripture is placed in front of the unfinished church. Anyone who wishes to learn more can take it to read at any time. The original scripture is kept inside the church, blessed by the 'deep gloom angel', filling the entire church and its surroundings with a rich, peaceful aura."

"The scripture records many deeds of the Lord and the angels. I do not ask you to believe them to be true right now; just treat it as gaining some understanding."

"The Lord and the angels have always been merciful. Those who harbor virtue and do not commit evil will be protected under His wings."

"The Lord has sent four angels to protect us: the 'deep gloom angel', the 'Angel of Abundance', the 'Angel of Intelligence', and the 'Angel of Insight'. Directly beneath the church lies a massive 'matrix', built by His Highness the Angel of Intelligence and His Highness the deep gloom angel, which can significantly suppress your curses."

This was no secret. When the church was being built, a pile of materials was brought in, and a very deep pit was dug. It was not only used to build the large alchemy matrix, but also to place some 'Mystical Item's inside in the future.

Ling is a Sequence 6 'Artisan', also known as a 'Craftsman'. By using ordinary materials as a base and adding certain special materials, she can create 'Mystical Item's that decay over time.

However, the alchemy matrix was not built by any deep gloom angel or Angel of Intelligence, but by the dependent Ronald Tang, who was mentioned in passing somewhere in the scripture.

Mills, walking at the front of the group, turned around and said: "Everyone, you may stay here for a while to decide whether to leave or stay. The curse has granted you physiques and special abilities different from ordinary people. We are currently still very weak and need a certain level of self-defense. The Lord has many followers, but they will not be watching over us at all times."

"If you choose to leave, the Lord's followers will suppress the curse for you; you only need to return once every few years for maintenance, and there will be specialists to resolve your identification issues. If you choose to stay, the matrix covering the entire village will protect you. The Lord's followers will also suppress it for each person individually, and you may take leave to depart temporarily whenever you wish."

After a pause, the boy's faint smile turned serious.

"But please remember, do not have any thoughts or actions of doing evil. The Lord is merciful but also strict; He will not tolerate those who commit evil acts, and the 'Twilight Angel' beside His throne will destroy every evildoer."

After hearing Mills' words, the group looked at each other, all contemplating their next move: to stay or to leave?

...

"Alright, congratulations to our classmate Chu Zihang on successfully advancing to 'Dawn Paladin'."

Ji Eggers took the lead in applauding, and Lu Mingfei excitedly followed suit. Ronald Tang raised one eye slightly to observe Chu Zihang, while the other three girls looked somewhat listless.

It was rare for the living room at home to be this crowded. Come to think of it, why was Ronald Tang here? It was probably Lu Mingfei who called him over to play video games...

Chu Zihang gathered his overflowing spirituality and opened his eyes. Because his body had not yet adapted to the potion's transformation, the 'Golden Eyes' in his eyes manifested unconsciously.

Chu Zihang reached out, clenched his five fingers, and squeezed, likely digesting the knowledge brought by the potion: "Such powerful abilities, and my body has been significantly strengthened as well."

After a brief adjustment, Chu Zihang seemed hesitant to speak. After opening his mouth slightly a few times, he finally said: "Master, there is one thing I must mention."

"Mmhmm."

"I might have to enroll in 'Cassell College' early. I have already finished the preparatory courses ahead of schedule. Due to the experience on the train, I was invited to participate in several branch operations last semester, so they believe I can join the 'Cassell College' headquarters directly."

"Hmm, that's a good thing... What about your dad? I don't seem to have felt him in this city much lately."

"He has been assigned a new mission. I do not know the specific details." Chu Zihang shook his head in response. Being able to tell him about a new mission was, in fact, already a violation of protocol.

"Angers has already lifted the surveillance on Ming Fei, trusting me this much? Heh, Zi Hang, once you go over there, hold back a bit. Don't go and slaughter your way through the entire school. If you can avoid using special abilities, don't use them."

"However, try to secure some key positions—positions where you can get your hands on some intelligence. As for the rest, do whatever you want. Remember to practice acting and meditation regularly. If there is an urgent matter, call me directly. If there is no response, recite my 'esteemed name'. Also, remember to use the copper whistle I gave you. Right, don't just believe whatever others say; you need to experience and feel things for yourself."

"Understood, I will remember that." Chu Zihang had been keeping that copper whistle with him, as he discovered that this whistle had some miraculous effects when dealing with dead servants.

...

The young man in the black trench coat and the girl in the white dress stood on the balcony outside the room. Why didn't the girl wear black as well? She had tried it, and it looked like she was attending a funeral...

A somewhat warm breeze blew on the summer night, and the hems of their clothes fluttered in the wind.

"As I expected, Lu Mingfei's actions were interfered with by some people, but it is clear they completely underestimated Lu Mingfei. Someone cast a 'Word of Power' of the dream domain in front of him. With the support of me opening the 'Sefirah' authority, Lu Mingfei was even able to use some 'Sequence 3' abilities with weaker effects, causing those who came to stop him to suffer a huge loss. Heh, I can probably guess who it is."

During that night's operation, Ji Eggers was only responsible for opening a 'Door', and everything else was done by Lu Mingfei. He had requested help by communicating with the nearby natural spirits, changing the tone of his voice to transmit it into everyone's minds. Since he could at most use some weakened 'Sequence 3' abilities, he was unable to open a field of 'Concealment'.

Xia Mi's dress was very thin. Under the blowing of the wind, Ji Eggers could see the outlines of her undergarments. This girl obviously knew this too. She turned around, smiling mischievously, and pulled up the hem of Ji Eggers' trench coat, responding: "Are we going to follow the vine to find their lair? By the way, are they weak enough to complete that plan of yours?"

Ji Eggers shook his head and took the hand Xia Mi was using to pull his hem: "They cannot complete it, but the 'White King' should be able to. We only need some guidance, but we must minimize the risks. I don't want to drag civilians into this. Damn! I'm truly afraid that these people will just ignore everything and flip the table."

"Can I try to advance now? The 'Sequence 6' potion has almost been fully digested; it's just a little bit left, so it shouldn't be a problem, right? The progress is a bit slow, and I'm afraid I won't be able to help you when the time comes."

"My dear lady." Ji Eggers turned to face Xia Mi, raising his hand to brush aside her hair and gently stroke her cheek: "Before loving me, please love yourself first. You cannot advance without fully digesting the potion; it will cause problems."

"Who said I love you! We aren't at that stage yet! At most, we just sleep together!" Xia Mi slapped away the slightly 'Pale' hand resting on her face, the whole dragon jumping up and dancing around.

Ji Eggers raised both hands and smiled helplessly: "Alright, alright, alright..."

Chapter 80 Side Story: The Pit-Fallen Ferryman

"This is definitely not a good idea, but if I want to become an Angel, I have to go..."

Inside a reasonably comfortable hotel room, the Youth in Black Clothes lay on the soft bed, feeling distressed. It was quite difficult to find a quiet and comfortable hotel in the 'City of Generosity' Bayam; after all, you never knew when someone in the room next to yours might make some unpleasant noises.

Fortunately, he had found one, and a long time ago at that. Whenever he returned to Bayam, he would come to this hotel, rent a room, and get some good rest. Right now, he was waiting for today's gathering while thinking about his future arrangements.

"I went through so much trouble to kill that Ancient Feathered Snake. Now I have the main ingredient and the supplementary ingredients, but the ritual is a bit tricky."

"And how exactly am I supposed to put my coffin into the potion?! If I could put something like that in, I'd eat a ton of the food that guy Frank makes!"

Frank Lee was the first mate of one of the pirate admirals on the sea, Admiral of Stars Cattelya. He was a Sequence 6 'Biologist' and a very enthusiastic person. However, whenever the Youth in Black Clothes thought of the various things he crossbred, he felt a bit nauseous. If not for his slight acquaintance with the Admiral of Stars, he would have beaten up this guy who thought about crossbreeding every day, especially since this biological genius had even set his sights on him.

The youth had been at sea for a long time. There were no plays or novels at sea, which were his few ways of entertainment in this world. To buy novels, he had to return to the continent. Although it wasn't difficult or time-consuming, it was very troublesome!

However, there was one good thing about being at sea: there were plenty of gold pounds! No one would dislike gold pounds!

One thing the youth loved to do most was catching those notorious pirates for money. From his time as a Sequence 6 'Spirit Guide' until now as a Sequence 3 'Ferryman', he had never tired of it.

He was very lucky. Even after advancing to Sequence 3, he hadn't been affected by any artificial Death. Perhaps it was because he had brought external help with him when he arrived in this world?

The youth counted on his fingers on the bed: "Let me think... the skull and blood of an Ancient Feathered Snake. That snake was truly a treasure trove. A coffin that has buried oneself, hmm, the one I used when I advanced to Undying; good thing I kept it. A crown that has symbolized royal power? I don't seem to have that. Does the hat Azik wore count? I'll ask him later. Then I need something Pale from the Underworld. The scope of this item is a bit broad..."

"Tsk, at least I'm considered a descendant of Death. It shouldn't need to be that precise, right?"

"Should I go to the Royal Museum and steal one? Or should I post a commission later?"

As the youth was thinking, a suddenly emerging crimson light covered his vision. He was sometimes puzzled that with Klein's current spirituality, he could actually support a Sequence 3 like him participating in the gathering.

"Good afternoon, Mr. 'Fool'~"

It was 'Justice', Miss Audrey. She stood up gracefully to greet everyone, looking to be in a good mood and still as optimistic and cheerful as ever. She was now a Sequence 7 'Psychiatrist'.

The youth looked around. He saw that Mr. 'Hanged Man' seemed a bit distressed. It must be because the Ocean Songster characteristic and formula mentioned by 'The World' earlier would make him suffer a huge loss, and he was currently hesitating.

"Respected Mr. 'Fool', I have collected three pages of Roselle Gustav's diary."

The one who spoke was the 'Hermit', Madam Cattelya. The contents recorded in Roselle Gustav's diary were useless to the youth. He knew many secrets, he just couldn't recall them usually while outside.

The youth raised his hand to stroke his chin, lost in thought. He was waiting to enter the free exchange segment. Klein's spirituality definitely couldn't support a Sequence 3 like him here for too long, so he would likely read through it quite quickly.

After the 'Fool' announced that they could begin, the participants discussed the details of the transactions with each other. When no one spoke at the end, the youth spoke up.

"I need a crown that has once symbolized royal power. This shouldn't be too difficult to obtain. May I ask who can provide it for me?"

After a moment of silence, the 'Hermit' responded: "Is it enough if it just represents royal power? Do you not need more mystical significance?"

The youth nodded slightly. "Yes. The exchange condition I offer is one opportunity for assistance."

One opportunity for assistance—the ability to have a demigod provide help. Everyone in the Tarot Club was a bit tempted. Everyone knew that Mr. 'Death' was a Sequence 3 demigod, and to get him to provide help, one only needed a crown that some king had once worn.

"There's no rush. Whoever has the chance to obtain such an item can talk to me. Alright, that's all for my commission." The youth, codenamed 'Death', stopped speaking.

After another silence, Klein, the 'Fool' at the head of the table, tapped the edge of the long table to signal that free exchange could begin.

"Let's see if those few can find it next week. If I go to places with too many ordinary people, I might be exposed..." After the Tarot Club ended, the youth lay on the bed and fell asleep just like that. He wasn't afraid of any sudden danger; after all, as long as a 'Justice Mentor' or an Angel didn't come, he basically couldn't die.

...

Klein, who was preparing to sneak away but was blocked, saw the thin ice-crystal arrow attacking his head through 'Danger Premonition'. Through flexible limb movements, he let that arrow hit the "Groselle's Travels" placed on his left chest. This book was very hard.

After blocking the arrow, he rolled to the side, pulled out a harmonica, and blew it hard. Then, he began to observe the surroundings, chanting the esteemed name of a certain existence.

"The Undying wandering the mortal world."

"The driver and enslaver of the undead."

"The Ferryman traveling to and from the Underworld."

"The hunter above the sea."

"The great Ji Eggers!"

The Death Pathway possessed Spirit World traversal capabilities at Sequence 4, and the one Klein was calling was Mr. 'Death' from the Tarot Club, the Sequence 3 'Ferryman'.

Klein didn't know when he would arrive, but the Messenger lady summoned by the harmonica had already walked out of the void. She held four heads, looked in one direction, and began her attack...

About a minute later, while Klein was entangled in a fight with the 'Admiral of Blood' Senor who had appeared out of nowhere, a bronze gate finally rose in the place where he had previously chanted the esteemed name. Walking out from inside was Ji Eggers, dressed in a black trench coat and wearing a top hat.

Ji saw Klein, who was fighting in the guise of Gehrman. He raised his hand and summoned his own undead. Countless bones formed a legion, and they launched a charge towards the two people fighting.

But they charged straight at Klein? What the hell?

"Damn it! I forgot he had the copper whistle on him!"

Ji covered his face and recalled the undead legion. Now, he had to go up himself.

"Ji! Can't you just take us away directly?"

"Do you think I'm Azik? That I can leave whenever I want? I'm Sequence 3! Not an Angel! You've been fighting a sequence 5 for so long and haven't won, right? Take out that book of yours!"

The two were even communicating in Chinese. That's right, they both knew each other's status as transmigrators, but Ji pretended not to know that the 'Fool' was Klein, so he had to treat Klein as 'The World'.

Ji flew forward and kicked. Senor was kicked flying, and blood also splattered onto "Groselle's Travels".

"A Wraith? I like things related to Death the most. I counter them perfectly~" Ji raised his foot and boasted to Klein.

"Stop playing! Let's go!"

As Klein spoke, the sky suddenly turned dim, and a giant arm reached out directly!

It was covered in various pitch-black, dripping viscous substances, as well as countless skulls, tongues, and eyes!

It was the 'Abomination' Suah!

"Damn it! Let's go! Wait, where are we going?"

Klein closed his eyes and pointed out the direction. Ji grabbed his hand and started running. Above them, the sound of lightning rang out again, and behind them, Reinette Tinekerr turned into a huge castle and also began to exert her power.

"What kind of Angel royal rumble is this? How dare you still call me over! If I'm exposed this time, you're fully responsible!"

Ji didn't hear a response. He turned his head and found that Klein was trembling uncontrollably. This was the side effect of using the 'Reaper's Breath', and Klein was now afraid of the dark, but he kept rummaging through his belongings and throwing them out—gloves from a cigarette case, some strange copper whistle, all of them thrown out.

The situation on the field was even more chaotic now.

"Damn it! What did you throw out?! Why did someone from the Death Pathway come here! My legs are so weak I can barely run!" Due to the extremely high suppression effect of high-Sequence individuals of the Death Pathway on low-Sequence ones, the suddenly appearing Angel made Ji almost kneel on the ground. Fortunately, they had already rushed out of the cliff and landed directly into the open mouth of a deep-sea creature that Klein had prepared long ago.

"Temporarily... safe..." Ji sat on the creature's tongue. Klein took out the 'Priest of Light' Beyonder characteristic to let the light illuminate the surroundings.

"Before I become an Angel, I definitely won't help you casually anymore. You really know how to cause trouble! Offspring of an Evil God, the Demoness Sect, and now all this mess."

Klein, wearing the appearance of Gehrman Sparrow, shook his head and smiled. He wasn't maintaining his cold persona anymore: "If I didn't call you, you would still come if you knew, right?"

At this moment, the figure of Reinette Tinekerr appeared in front of the two. She now had three heads growing on her head, and she was still holding one in her hand.

She extended her empty hand, took Klein into the Spirit World, and directly traversed away.

Leaving only Ji stunned on the spot.

"Wait, what? What about me?"