Desecrating the Gospel

Future first place? The group was momentarily taken aback, but Annan did not elaborate. Instead, she pivoted to introduce the Book of Gospel. "The Book of Gospel is a boon from the Omniscient Weaver and the very foundation of Gospel civilization. In His omniscience, He was not stingy with His glory, granting us the ability to hear the truest gospel, verify our talents, and discover our place in the world. "The rankings are the Weaver's way of spurring the world forward and rewarding mortals. "According to statistics, there are currently 3,788 types of rankings, including overall rankings, regional branch rankings, individual rankings, and organizational rankings. They cover not only every sorcery faction, but also all common professions and extraordinary deeds," Annan said. "Take the Azula Mission Board, for instance. Within the Azula region, it tracks the agencies that complete the highest volume of missions with the best performance. My Funeral Agency ranks ninth, making it a top-tier agency in Azula. Or take the Gallant Deeds Board, the Songstress Board, or the Cat's Cradle Board—even ordinary people who aren't sorcerers can make the lists." At this, the others couldn't resist glancing once more at the only sorcerer present who hadn't made a single list. Yaxiu used his Book of Gospel to shield his face, completely dried out by the awkward silence and regretting his life choices. Igola raised a hand to ask, "Are there rankings related to inventing new machines, popularizing advanced tools, renovating cities, or improving citizens' livelihoods?" "The Cutting-Edge Invention Board, the Enterprise Board, and the Comprehensive City Board." Annan glanced out the floor-to-ceiling window at the two-tiered city. "I think I see what you're getting at. Banjie, has Azula changed much over the past few decades?" "Miss, sixty years ago, Azula still had dry latrines. Thirty years ago, it wasn't a two-tiered city." The youthful butler beside her sighed with worldly experience. "When I was a boy, I never imagined that one day I would look out and see upside-down skyscrapers." "Because competition on the leaderboards is so fierce, new inventions, tools, and designs burst forth every second from every corner of Gospel Country. They are immediately pushed into practical application, turning into reality and reshaping the world." *So it really is the advantage of their system...* While Blood Moon Country's institute system was quite impressive—having long-lived species dedicate their lives to research not only ensured leaders could stay productive over long periods, but also prevented short-sighted opportunism, allowing people to focus on foundational research with no immediate payoff—Blood Moon Country was indeed a developed, resource-rich nation. Otherwise, it couldn't have pulled off a socialized child-rearing system. Yet compared to Gospel Country, which championed relentless competition, that bunch of vampire bats still looked far too conservative and set in their ways. Perhaps a millennium ago, Blood Moon Country and Gospel Country had been evenly matched. But the former relied merely on the slow, painstaking cultivation of a handful of long-lived individuals, while the latter mobilized an all-out competition across society. That a vast gulf had opened between them after a thousand years was only natural. Igola asked, "For ranking leaderboards to be held in such high regard by both organizations and individuals, the rewards must be extraordinarily generous?" "Points." Annan nodded. "Compared to gold and silver, points are the hard currency of Gospel Country. As long as you have enough points, you can obtain anything you desire." "Anything?" "Anything." Annan extended her hand. An instant later, a cluster of fresh, plump grapes materialized in her palm. She plucked one with her lips and gently bit down, savoring the cool juice. "For example, you can spend points to obtain a cluster of fresh, chilled grapes. "Any physical object, any sorcery spirit, any miracle—anything you can conceive of can be yours if you spend enough points. There are a few restrictions, however, such as a ban on harming others or committing unlawful acts. "Even so, things like extending your lifespan, treating near-fatal injuries, teleporting to a target location, or obtaining a rare four-winged sorcery spirit are well within what the Book of Gospel can do." "Must be expensive, right?" "Absurdly expensive," Annan chuckled. "The true purchasing power of the points spent on this cluster of grapes would be enough to buy an entire vineyard. Shenyin, come have some grapes." While Yaxiu and the others wondered who she was calling, a custard-yellow lizard suddenly emerged onto her shoulder. Its lively vertical pupils rolled around, looking remarkably adorable. With a few quick smacks of its mouth, nothing remained of the bunch of grapes but bare stems—not a single grape was left. The sorcerers hadn't even been able to track its movements as it ate! "A Scarlet-Gold Drake-Lizard," Igola murmured under his breath. "An endangered species?" Yaxiu asked. "It's not a question of endangerment; they don't exist in reality at all," Harvey explained. "If I recall correctly, they are unique creatures from the Time Continent. Once bonded to a master, they can travel between the Void Realm and reality with them. During adventures in the Void Realm, they help their master catch fleeing sorcery spirits. They're exceptionally rare pets." Compared to her penthouse, her agency, or her connections with the Red Hats—all achievements rooted in reality—this Void Realm achievement of owning a Scarlet-Gold Drake-Lizard was what finally made the stowaway trio take Annan's personal strength seriously. The world of sorcerers was just that straightforward: being impressive in reality meant little; only being formidable in the Void Realm counted as true strength. In a sense, sorcerers were like a pack of gaming nerds engaged in a live-action role-playing game, except the abilities they cultivated in the 'game' also worked in reality. Annan stroked the drake-lizard's small head. "The true purpose of points is to purchase the 'gospel' that guides you—in other words, intelligence and knowledge. "For example, if your sorcery faction's realm hits a wall, you can spend points to seek guidance, and the gospel will tell you how to direct your efforts. If your research or experiments hit a bottleneck, the gospel will pinpoint exactly what went wrong. If you don't know what talents you possess, the gospel will inspire your true potential. You can even verify whether someone is lying..." For Yaxiu, a 'mudblood who stole sorcery power,' the Book of Gospel sounded a lot like an omniscient blend of search engines and question forums. But Igola and Harvey were completely floored. As genuine sorcerers, how could they fail to grasp the value of such guidance? If the Book of Gospel truly was the creation of a divine lord, it meant that every single person in this country carried an omniscient master spirit at their side to direct their steps. This... this was... *What kind of garbage was Blood Moon Country? From this day on, I'm a citizen of Gospel!* Igola's voice trembled as he asked, "What proportion of the population here are sorcerers?" "Because the factor of students' healthy development was incorporated into the Comprehensive School Board, the proportion of sorcerers has been gradually declining over recent decades." Annan flipped through her Book of Gospel. "The current proportion is 10.19 percent." "One in ten is a sorcerer..." Harvey murmured. "The corpse resources here are of such exceptional quality..." "As strange as that sounds, don't overestimate the sorcerers here," Annan said, spreading her hands. "I imagine that back in your country, none of you were considered particularly formidable Two-Winged Sorcerers, were you? And yet, in a place like ours with such a high density of sorcerers, you still rank first and second. That speaks volumes. "For the collective whole, the gospel is unquestionably an immense boon. But for the individual, the gospel is a double-edged sword that must be wielded with caution." "Autonomous learning capacity," Yaxiu pointed out sharply. "If you grow accustomed to reflexively seeking out the gospel every time you hit a wall, your ability to learn independently will steadily deteriorate. Eventually, you reach a point where you cannot make an inch of progress without its guidance. It's like a house cat pampered into a pig—having it so good that in the end, it gets chased around by mice." "Precisely," Annan said, idly playing with the drake-lizard's tiny paw. "We divide sorcerers into 'gospel sorcerers' and 'silent sorcerers.' Because listening to the gospel's guidance is a choice of either never or endless times, gospel sorcerers generally stall at Two Wings. Their mastery of their faction struggles to advance, and even when the Book of Gospel instructs them on how to strive, breakthroughs remain elusive. "Those who manage to condense Three Wings are almost exclusively silent sorcerers who have never listened to the gospel even once. "Take Cleios, the 'Weeping Sand' Red Hat you met earlier. Aside from asking whether her fated lover has been born yet, she has never listened to any other gospel." Yaxiu was stunned. "You can even ask about love?!" "Of course you can, though more often than not, there isn't one," Annan said with a shrug. "For instance, I don't have one yet either. A so-called fated lover is a miracle of destiny where two people fall deeply in love at first glance, requiring zero friction or adjustment, and never separating once they meet. Plenty of people spend their entire lives single, choosing to wait for their fated lover, only to die waiting for someone who never existed." Yaxiu muttered, "To think destiny can actually assign you a lover..." Harvey turned to Lisi. "Looks like you won't be getting a mother anytime soon." Lisi nodded solemnly. "Compared to a mom, I feel like the chances of getting a second dad are probably higher..." Harvey nodded in dead earnest. "To be fair and completely objective, indeed." "I've shared all this simply to show you that the Book of Gospel truly does possess the power to grant any wish." Annan set the drake-lizard down on the table and spoke calmly. "Only with this consensus can you appreciate how grand my plan is, and understand what I'm wagering on you. "Not a single word of what comes next is to be disclosed to anyone." With that, Annan's green eyes locked directly onto Yaxiu, staring at him until he felt both flustered and bewildered. It suddenly struck him that Annan was the first normal woman he had encountered since arriving in this world. The Sword Princess was a 2D cutout, 222 was always wearing a mask, and Freya was a deadly, blood-soaked Veela. Only Annan was a normal woman he could touch in reality. *Why is she staring at me like that? Is she coveting my good looks? Will she take advantage of me by getting me drunk? Is she going to pull an icebreaker hazing ritual to cop a feel? Sigh, it's all 222's fault for enhancing my looks—even Freya was constantly trying to eat me up... If the new boss insists on pulling workplace harassment, should I just accept it or play hard to get first?* While Yaxiu was lost in wild thoughts, Lisi made a zipping motion across her mouth. "Daddy, I'm very well-behaved." Yaxiu blinked, realization dawning on him. "Lisi, you're not allowed to leak anything you hear next either." The new boss had no authority over Lisi and had to route her commands through Yaxiu the middleman. Only then did Annan retract her gaze and ask, "What kind of work do you think my agency usually handles?" "Semi-finished corpse transport." "Human trafficking." "Biological freight." Yaxiu and the other two blurted out essentially the same answer almost simultaneously. Annan raised her eyebrows. "That is indeed one of the agency's primary operations... To avoid any misunderstanding on your part, let me explain first. "Among the numerous leaderboards, there is a category that evaluates regional development and the governing competence of administrators, including but not limited to the Internal Affairs Board, the Innovation Board, the Public Security Board, and the Comprehensive City Board. On these leaderboards, 'talent' is a critical evaluation metric. How do you suppose 'talent' is determined?" Lisi raised her hand. "A good kid on the leaderboard like me is talent." Harvey and Igola both turned their heads toward the only zero-star trash present who didn't qualify as talent. Yaxiu slammed the table in fury. "Eldest Miss Annan! Look at them slacking off and making little gestures instead of listening attentively to your instructions! I'm officially reporting them. Speaking as Yaxiu, there's nothing I despise more than people who loaf around during meetings!" "Correct. Only those on the leaderboards qualify as talent." The Purple Moth blinked. She hadn't expected these otherworlders to start turning on one another before she'd even made a move. "However, not every regional leaderboard can be filled. Every leaderboard has a minimum qualification threshold. If one fails to meet it, there is no way to get on the list. Consequently, there are many 'empty boards.' Correspondingly, those with an adequate number of ranked individuals are known as 'full boards.' "The more full boards a region has, the higher the competence of its ruler and the greater its level of development. Incidentally, these municipal leaderboards update once every six months, which means every ruler is eager to fill their empty boards before the assessment deadline." The Swindler quickly caught onto the loophole. "If one were to abduct ranked individuals from other regions and bring them into their own, then—" "Exactly." Annan gently toyed with her new amethyst earring. "When a person's physical location changes, they are naturally counted toward the current region's leaderboard. "Therefore, the eve of every assessment deadline becomes a war among agencies like ours—kidnapping designated talent from surrounding regions and bringing them to our clients' assigned districts to fill empty boards. You've ridden in our work vehicle. We don't harm people, and we don't kill them. We merely incapacitate this talent temporarily, and once the evaluation concludes, we let them go. If possible, we even minimize unnecessary physical contact to ensure the talent enjoys a pleasant short-distance travel experience. "I hope you won't harbor any misunderstandings about the Funeral Agency. We run a very respectable establishment." Yaxiu and the other two exchanged looks: adept at unlawful detention, colluding with law enforcement, and exploiting out-of-town laborers under duress... It seemed they hadn't misunderstood her at all. "Having said all this, you should now understand what our agencies truly do." *Clink.* The Purple Moth lightly scraped her earring with a fingernail and took the wine glass offered by the young butler, Banjie. "Though our services are diverse, at the end of the day, our work consists of discovering, studying, and exploiting the loopholes of the Book of Gospel. "In other words: desecrating the gospel."