You're So Annoying

"God's Chosen, huh..." Inside the audiovisual room, having finished the documentary *Book of Gospel* at eight times speed, Igola wrote the term down in his notebook and circled it heavily. The documentary had been filmed in 1680, a mere eight years ago. Setting aside the typical tendencies of social science documentaries—pandering to the audience, boasting of grand achievements, and glossing over the costs—it served as essential reference material for Igola's future actions in this country. A great deal of noteworthy information had appeared in the film: for instance, the millennium-old corporation Salome that manufactured artifacts for the Book of Gospel; the division of every city into racial autonomous districts and multi-racial mixed districts; the aggressive push planned over the next thirty years for "multi-layer cities" to deepen urbanization; and the fact that Gospel Country offered completely free education. Anyone who passed the entrance exam for a sorcerer vocational university received free admission along with complimentary room and board, and the number of higher education institutions had surged from 89 to 135 over the past century, with annual enrollments climbing year after year... One could tell just from the proportion of notes Igola took how deeply he envied the educational environment in Gospel Country. He frantically wanted to question it, convinced that free education had to be nothing more than a marketing gimmick, but the documentary slapped him in the face time and time again. Igola was forced to admit that while he had been saddled with student loans, forced to work part-time at mud cafes, and gritting his teeth just to finish university, a massive pack of lucky bastards in this world had been enjoying a carefree, rosy college life. Consequently, even at eight times speed, it had taken Igola nearly half an hour to finish the documentary. The more he watched, the more he felt like he had spent his past living in a literal sewer. His heart ached so badly he could hardly breathe, forcing him to pause repeatedly just to recover. He was the type of person easily consumed by jealousy. Seeing others happy made him sick to his stomach, to the point where even catching Yaxiu's occasional optimistic, goofy grin felt like a needle poking him in the eye. Even in a documentary that was clearly produced as a self-congratulatory celebration, however, Igola still managed to pick up several unusual pieces of information. First, there were no churches in Gospel Country. Everyone knew the Book of Gospel was a boon bestowed by the Omniscient Weaver, but that was where it ended. No one preached the teachings of the Omniscient Weaver, no one erected divine statues of the Omniscient Weaver, and not a single soul could even establish an "Omniscient Weaver Study Group"—because the moment you opened the Book of Gospel to ask, you would learn that all churches were unauthorized, fly-by-night cram schools. Thinking about it made complete sense. The foundation of a church was the premise of "God choosing spokespersons to shepherd the mortal realm." In simple terms, it was like a group owner being too lazy to manage their chat group, so they appointed an administrator to help handle the members. But the Omniscient Weaver was not lazy at all. As long as you had points, the Book of Gospel—representing the Omniscient Weaver—would listen to your nonsense twenty-four hours a day. How could any church possibly compete with that level of service quality? In a sense, churches were middlemen taking a cut, whereas the Omniscient Weaver operated on direct-to-consumer factory sales. There was simply no soil for churches to survive. Second, although there were no churches, Gospel Country had... an imperial royal family. Back in the Blood Moon Country, Igola had heard that royalty and aristocracy existed in other nations, so reasonably speaking, he should not have been surprised. Yet Gospel Country was so extraordinarily developed and prosperous that Igola found it difficult to understand why it remained an absolute monarchy rather than adopting a democratic system. Even vampires understood the folly of a dictatorship! Yet the Isu royal family, which currently governed Gospel Country, had reigned for 760 years. From the moment the dynasty was founded, power had been increasingly consolidated generation after generation, leaving legislative, judicial, and executive authority firmly in their grasp. Armed forces such as the Red Hats responsible for public security and the Bluebeards who suppressed the Abyss were led directly by royal appointees. All state decrees originated from the imperial capital, Nabistin—the Multi-Layer City Strategy, for instance, was a new policy enacted by the royal family. Military and political power were both held under their direct control. By all rights, an absolute monarchy of this kind should inevitably breed a massive bureaucratic interest group, plunging the common people into misery until internal collapse brought about a change of dynasty. In fact, that was precisely how the dynasty prior to the Isu royal family had fallen. Yet for some unknown reason, the Isu royal family had broken this historical cycle. Not only had they endured for more than seven centuries, but the nation had also surged forward at breakneck speed, thoroughly thrashing the democratic Blood Moon Country and leaving Igola to wonder whether an autocratic monarchy might actually be the only viable path for a sorcerer nation. Third, while the specific goals of each individual in Gospel Country might differ, their ultimate objective was always the same: make the rankings and become God's Chosen. The term "God's Chosen" echoed through almost every part of the documentary. Only God's Chosen could pioneer new technologies, only God's Chosen could lead the era, and perhaps only God's Chosen could achieve true happiness... Much like the Blood Saints and Moon Shadows of the Blood Moon Country, God's Chosen were the privileged class of Gospel Country. Unlike the two Blood Moon races propped up by the Blood Moon Sovereign, however, God's Chosen were nobles endorsed by mortals. Furthermore, the barrier to entry was ostensibly very low: as long as you made it onto any ranking list, you were God's Chosen. Even ranking in the top ten of a regional cat's cradle competition was enough to qualify. In another sense, though, the barrier was extraordinarily high. If you lacked sufficient talent and adequate effort, you stood no chance at all. Even if you did everything right, you still had to consider the course of history: if a multitude of geniuses happened to appear in your generation, you still wouldn't be able to squeeze into the top ten. Unless you worked even harder... A thought struck Igola. He finally realized what felt so "familiar" about this documentary. Though everything in it seemed wonderful—everyone brimming with vitality, a harmonious division of labor among multiple races, and a thriving society—Igola did not see on their faces the kind of "happy smiles" that triggered his jealousy. Every person and every sentence appearing in the film conveyed the exact same message: Be the best! Be the strongest! Defeat your competitors! Become number one in the industry! Those who hadn't made the rankings were holding their breath and pushing themselves to the limit, while those already on the lists dared not slack off for a single moment to maintain their edge. The entire society was like a machine wound up on an infinite gear, everyone spontaneously accelerating into a sprint. You didn't even have to worry about running in the wrong direction; with just a few points, the Book of Gospel would point the way forward at any time. The social atmosphere was undeniably worlds apart from the Blood Moon Country, yet Igola felt an uncanny sense of familiarity. It was like a fly discovering a pile of dung hidden inside a cake. Fascinating. Truly fascinating. Igola resolved to watch a few more documentaries to gain a comprehensive understanding of Gospel Country. He left the audiovisual room, planning to grab some food and drinks to sustain him for the long haul. Passing by the Wonder Game Room, Igola heard dejected muttering coming from inside. Peeking through the crack of the door, he discovered Lisi sitting there with a massive box of building blocks in front of her, seemingly trying to assemble a toy. This little drama queen was actually playing with blocks? After their interactions over the past two days, Igola had naturally seen through to Lisi's true nature: cute on the outside, cunning on the inside. After all, she was quite similar to how he had been as a child, using an adorable exterior to win adults' trust while mocking their foolishness in secret. Igola was certain Lisi was cut from the same cloth. People like them would never be satisfied entertaining themselves with toys. Once someone had tasted the thrill of manipulating others, toys lost all appeal. They didn't get angry, they had no warmth, and they couldn't even cry out—what fun was there in toying with an object like that? So what was Lisi up to? Could Annan's secrets be hidden in those blocks? Or was she waiting for someone to come by? Igola stayed concealed behind the door, watching Lisi intently compare the shapes of the blocks in her hands and snap them together whenever she found matching pieces. One minute. Three minutes. Ten minutes. Fifteen minutes. Igola truly couldn't take it anymore. He walked inside, pointed at the chaotic mess of blocks, and snapped, "The instructions are sitting right next to you! Can't you just follow the manual?! This is clearly a castle set, but you've turned it into a dungeon!" Lisi pouted at him in silence, merely pulling the instruction booklet over to take a look. Igola clenched his fists and marched forward, scowling fiercely. "You impolite little brat, looks like I need to teach you a lesson..." Another dozen or so minutes later, Yaxiu, exhausted from playing virtual games, headed toward the kitchen to grab some drinks and snacks. Passing the Wonder Game Room, he heard bickering from inside: "This clearly snaps on right here! Look at the manual!" "Do you even know how to play this? I've never seen such a clumsy brat!" "Why did you pick such an enormous block castle?! This isn't a project just two people can finish!" "You're so annoying." Yaxiu peeked through the door crack twice, took a look at the castle set where even the foundation had yet to be finished, wore a thoughtful expression, and walked away. A moment later, he returned with Banjie and Harvey.