Under Mingtu's smile, Jean, who had just felt a slight sense of relief, was immediately struck by a bombshell.
"However, please start processing these documents as soon as possible. I have already confirmed the entire content of these files; you only need to sign your name."
"Just signing my name is enough? That's simple enough."
"But these documents have a small peculiarity: they must be read in their entirety before they can be signed. This is also the best part of this expression method invented by Lord 'D'."
"These? All of them?!"
"Yes, because they have been piling up for a long time, please process them as soon as possible."
After being stunned for a few seconds, Jean picked up a document and began to read it mechanically. In a daze, they felt as if they had been tricked into becoming a laborer.
---
Two hours later, Jean looked at the stack of documents, only about the height of a shoebox, that they had finally managed to finish after half a day of hard work, and the several small mountains of files that stood in stark contrast.
"Ah, I really was tricked into being a scapegoat, wasn't I?"
Jean slumped onto the desk with no regard for their image, looking utterly world-weary.
Looking at the content itself wasn't the issue, but the meaning expressed within these documents had to be accurately interpreted. If one encountered someone who expressed themselves concisely, it would be fine, but there were always some who seemed very steady and thorough, yet expressed themselves like a spinning wheel, going around and around. This feeling was simply torture, and the most fatal part was that one couldn't sign them without finishing reading.
Especially the one in their hand—three large pages that only contained two sentences when summarized. This guy might as well be Humphrey reincarnated.
After finally finishing the 20-page document that only expressed five sentences, they looked closely at the signature: Humphrey Appleby.
"Are you kidding me? Does this guy work here too?!"
Mingtu picked up the document, glanced at it, and then said: "Although this Mr. Humphrey is somewhat slippery in his dealings, his work ability is extremely strong. As an ordinary pet cat, he actually became a high-level monster solely through his labor achievements; he is a rare talent."
"Wait, a pet cat? Ah, that civil servant cat with the same name..."
After signing their name on the last page of the document, Jean picked up another one.
"By the way, the signatures on these documents are all very familiar. Is it my imagination?"
"It is not. Those capable of forming works that spread throughout the world are generally souls with high intensity. These souls usually obtain some positions upon entering the Comprehensive Underworld. Of course, there are also some pure soul drifters whom the Reincarnation World cannot accept and who are transferred to our side."
Thinking carefully, various myths they had encountered before also had such situations, like great heroes or upright officials who held positions in the underworld after death.
After signing the one in their hand and picking up another, Jean looked at the mountain of files that showed no signs of decreasing and asked casually: "Do I get fed before these are done?"
"Of course. As the head of the entire Comprehensive Underworld, we cannot let you go hungry." Then she paused deliberately before continuing: "I will prepare a boxed meal for you."
"???"
"Hehehe, the reason for the boxed meal is that the notification has not been fully passed down, and most people do not yet know your identity, so it is a measure to prevent accidents. Moreover, you only need to work until noon for now. The equipment you ordered will be ready for use in the afternoon, so please notify the people who need to use it to gather in this room."
"Oh, oh, oh! I see!" With something to look forward to, Jean's motivation returned, and they plunged back into the ocean of documents.
Confirming that there were no problems, Mingtu proposed to leave for a while: "Then I will take my leave now. If you need anything, just call my name in this room, and I will be able to hear you."
Then she walked towards the door, but stopped halfway. Then, as if she had made up her mind, she said to Jean: "Lord Jean."
"Hm?"
"There is one thing I must remind you of. Although the desire to learn how to manage an organization is good, please do not forget to improve your own strength. At any time, your own strength is the most important, especially when exceeding a certain limit, individual power will override the group."
Turning around and seeing Jean's surprised expression, Mingtu asked: "Do you know about the largest organization that once existed between worlds?"
Jean shook their head; regarding these matters, Jean was completely ignorant.
"That was a powerful organization called the Seven Saints Church. It was born from the will created by the belief in seven fundamental laws, which are the beings known as the seven saints. Its power was incomparably strong. Whether in quality or quantity, its members were the undisputed strongest, and the scope of its influence was unprecedented."
Then Mingtu let out a laugh that sounded like mockery, and also like self-deprecation: "But the biggest problem with this organization was that it was founded by people outside the seven saints, a religious group that had nothing to do with the objects of their worship. Eventually, one day, the group annoyed one of the seven saints, and in an instant, hundreds of worlds were reduced to ashes. Of the entire church, only a few members who had sensed the danger in advance and completely severed their connections barely survived."
She slightly pulled open the collar of her maid outfit. The scene Jean expected did not appear; not only was there no fair skin, but the entire right half of her chest was gone, replaced by blue transparent crystal. One could even see the clothes on her back through her body.
"This is the price of ignorance. Whether it is the organization you want to build or this Comprehensive Underworld, they are just aids, just icing on the cake. Please do not get trapped in them. Seize the opportunity to fly to greater heights; then, both you and those around you will benefit from it."
Then Mingtu bowed to Jean and exited the room, leaving Jean alone in deep thought.
---
Walking down the corridor, Mingtu recalled what she had just said in her mind: 'I said the same thing again; the last time was when it was Lord Shiraori.'
Even though this behavior was the overstepping she hated the most, she still said it.
"Lord 'D'..."
That was the deepest memory imprinted in her mind. On a huge planet that had been completely turned into smooth glass, her entire body had already turned to ashes, leaving only one arm, one shoulder, and a head barely connected.
This was the indiscriminate divine punishment. Even though they had transcended gods in any world, they had suffered true divine punishment.
And this divine punishment came from the object of their worship, and it was also the punishment they deserved. Even though she had sensed the crisis long ago and completely severed ties with it, she was still involved in the situation.
Looking at the sky where even the sun and moon had been annihilated, yet which was still reflected as pure white by the not-yet-cooled ground, her heart became as pale as this sky.
Just then, a black-haired figure covered her face, and at the same time, a cheeky voice reached her ears.
"Yo, isn't this the High Priest of the Church? Haven't seen you in a few days, you've really fallen apart."
"Are you here to mock me?"
She was very familiar with the woman in front of her; it was the lawless evil god that the entire church had besieged for hundreds of years and ultimately failed to defeat.
"That's not it. I've just established a new Underworld management system, and I'm missing a maid to manage affairs. Hmm, you, do you want to come?"
"I'm already beyond saving; all those involved will be annihilated..."
"So, do you want to come?" But the woman in front of her acted as if she hadn't heard her, talking to herself.
Listening to her words, she nodded subconsciously.
"Since you are a maid managing the Underworld, then I'll call you Mingtu."
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