The Opportunity

In a hazy, white, infinite space, Ard found himself once again. This time, he was certain it was no dream. His consciousness coalesced from the darkness, and he sat up in the disorienting void, a profound silence ringing in his ears.

“My, my. I gave you the blessing of one resurrection, but you used it up far too quickly.”

The faceless goddess, once again wearing Yexi’s perfect, maddening face, appeared before him. “You were thinking of this girl again as you died. Tell me, tell me, have you fallen for her?”

Ard didn’t speak. He was withdrawn, lost in the chilling replay of his own death. He murmured to himself, his voice a hollow echo, “I’m sure I saw it correctly. The one who killed me wasn’t that cultist. It was Yexi. She grabbed the cultist’s broken hand and plunged the sword into my heart. But why? What was her motive for killing me?”

The faceless goddess pouted, the expression comical on Yexi’s stoic features. “Hey, hey, that’s so rude! I’m talking to you!”

“I heard you,” Ard said dejectedly, looking up at the face of ‘Yexi’. The depression in his heart deepened, a cold, heavy stone. “There are just too many things I don’t understand. If I don’t figure them out, I’ll just be walking to my death again when I go back.”

The faceless goddess chuckled, a sound like wind chimes. “Perhaps I can give you an answer to that.” She produced a shimmering contract from thin air and handed it to Ard.

Ard took the contract, puzzled. It detailed the agreement between a goddess named Lifa and Yexi.

“Why does this Lifa person want to kill me?!” Ard exclaimed, the shock cutting through his stupor.

“Not ‘person’, goddess. The administrative goddess of your world,” the ‘Yexi’ goddess corrected, materializing a staff from thin air and rapping Ard smartly on the head with it.

“Ow!” Ard clutched the large, throbbing bump on his head. “Fine, fine, Goddess Lifa then. Why does she want to kill me?”

The ‘Yexi’ goddess replied, “Isn’t it because you used the Reality Crystal and caused all her hard work to go down the drain?”

“So she wants to kill me for that?” Ard felt like his head was about to explode. He had made it onto a goddess’s hit list. He frowned, his mind racing. If he wanted to fulfill his own wishes, this goddess would be a huge obstacle. He needed to find a way to solve this problem. He glanced at the ‘Yexi’ goddess, who was watching him with a smiling, expectant face. It was obvious she wanted him to beg her.

Looking at her, his expression shifting to one of earnest humility. “Then, nameless goddess, I am truly sorry for ruining Goddess Lifa’s hard work. Is there anything I can do to compensate?”

Seeing Ard was so quick on the uptake, the ‘Yexi’ goddess said happily, “This matter is actually quite simple. I’ll take care of Lifa’s side for you. In return, you need to investigate something for me.”

“What is it?”

“Investigate the ultimate goal of the Krass Order.”

Ard was silent for a moment, then asked weakly, “…Can I refuse?”

The ‘Yexi’ goddess said sweetly, her smile turning predatory, “Can you go die?”

At that moment, Ard felt the image of this goddess perfectly overlapped with Yexi’s—sharp-tongued, beautiful, and utterly unreasonable.

“Why me? There are plenty of people stronger than me.”

“True. But those so-called experts let a weakling like you obtain the Reality Crystal and reverse time. That crystal was something I left behind, precisely to select my emissary. You used its power, didn’t you? Besides, those people might not be willing to work for me. The higher people stand, the more schemes they have in their hearts. In comparison, you’re relatively pure,” the ‘Yexi’ goddess explained.

So that was it. A man must bow his head when he’s under someone else’s roof. Ard had no choice but to agree. “Fine, I’ll do it. But I’d like you to help me with one more thing.”

The ‘Yexi’ goddess’s lips curved into a genuine smile. “As long as it’s for the sake of this investigation, I’ll do what I can. But we goddesses can’t directly interfere in your mortal world.”

“I don’t need you to.” Ard looked at the contract, his eyes zeroing in on the part detailing Yexi’s request. A seven-colored light flashed in his eyes. He had finally found it. The opportunity. The key to gaining Yexi’s power.

“Help me find the person Yexi wants to see. I will use that as a bargaining chip to win her over.”

“My, my. Forcing yourself on her like that won’t win a girl’s heart, you know.”

“Those things can be smoothed over later,” Ard said, his voice firm with resolve. “But for both my wish and your mission, I need power. I need Yexi, the assassin from my past life who nearly toppled the Krass Order single-handedly. It’s not for her beauty or her heart; I don’t have the luxury to think about such trivialities right now.”

The ‘Yexi’ goddess’s eyes narrowed into crescents as she giggled. “Honestly, a man so pragmatic is likely to die alone. But, it’s a good thing you’re so realistic. I have no need for some love-struck fool who is only obsessed with a woman’s body. I’ll help you with this.”

“Phew~” Ard let out a sigh of relief. “So is this contract settled then? Is she no longer bound to kill me?”

“Well,” the ‘Yexi’ goddess said, wagging a finger, “a Divine Contract is a difficult thing to cancel. I can’t destroy it in a short amount of time.”

“Then what do I do? Just wait for Yexi to kill me again?” Ard asked, horrified.

The ‘Yexi’ goddess looked at the contract in Ard’s hand with a strange, amused expression. “I’ve looked at this Divine Contract, and… well, I don’t know under what circumstances those two signed it. Usually, something this serious is signed with a professional judicial deity as a witness. The way they’ve signed this is, how should I put it… so unprofessional. It’s full of loopholes. For example, ‘kill you’. There are many ways to interpret ‘kill’. Does it mean physical death, spiritual death, or existential death? And there’s no deadline for completion, nor does it specify how long one party has to deliver on their promise after the other has fulfilled their part. After all that, you should understand, right?”

Ard’s eyes lit up. “I see! A contract that is inherently contradictory and poorly defined is no different from a piece of waste paper, as long as the parties involved don’t press the issue.”

The ‘Yexi’ goddess gave Ard a cute wink. “That’s exactly right. Lifa’s side is easy to handle. As for that girl, I’ll leave her to you. After all, you’re both from other worlds.”

Ard was a little taken aback by her playful smile. Wait, what did this goddess just say? Both from other worlds?

“Are you saying Yexi is also a transmigrator?” Ard asked in disbelief.

The ‘Yexi’ goddess said as if it were the most obvious thing in the universe, “Of course. Why else would she be so skilled at killing? Do you think she started training in the womb?”

Ard was dumbfounded, unsure how to respond to that irrefutable, insane logic.

The goddess ‘Yexi’ frowned as she looked at the fading light around them. “It seems our chat has to end here.”

Ard coughed. “Then I’ll be going back. It would be a problem if they buried me.”

“Bye-bye. Come find me after you’ve talked with that Yexi girl, and we’ll sign our own Divine Contract. I’ll go look for that person for you. Oh, and don’t tell anyone about these things.”

“Got it. Bye.”

———

In a private, sun-drenched courtyard in the god realm, Luna put away the now-dim communication crystal and stood up, stretching lazily like a contented cat.

“Looks like I’m going to be busy.”

Ding-dong!

“Oh, a visitor. Who could it be?”

A small, red-haired pixie with tiny, transparent wings that hummed like a hummingbird zipped over. “Luna, Luna. Someone named Karl is here to see you.”

“Thank you, little one. Here’s a candy for you. Could you bring him in for me?”

“Okay! Luna is the best!”

Watching the pixie fly away happily, clutching the candy like a priceless jewel, Luna smiled. Such simple-minded creatures always had a way of purifying one’s heart and soul.

“Karl? Hmm, him?” Luna walked, lost in thought, to the small, elegant pavilion used for receiving guests. She brewed some fragrant black tea and waited for Karl’s arrival.

He didn’t keep her waiting long. Led by the red pixie, he arrived at the pavilion.

“Thank you. Here’s a candy for you,” Karl said kindly, giving the pixie a piece of candy from his own pocket.

The red pixie’s eyes instantly lit up. “Ooh, two candies!” she chirped, flying away quickly as if she had found the greatest treasure in all the realms.

Karl laughed, a warm, pleasant sound. “These children are so lovely.”

“Yes, their minds are simple. They can be happy all day over the smallest things. Such a carefree life is truly enviable,” Luna said, pouring a cup of black tea and gesturing for Karl to sit.

After Karl was seated, Luna asked, “Karl, why have you come to see me today? Surely not just for tea?”

“Of course I wouldn’t come all this way just to bother the Grand Justice of the god realm for tea,” Karl laughed. “It’s about Lifa. I still think it would be better to transfer her to my department. It pains me to see that child work so hard with no results.”

Luna asked, “Have you mentioned this to Lifa?”

Karl smiled bitterly. “I have. But that child is surprisingly stubborn about this. I can’t persuade her at all.”

Luna rested her chin on her hand, also looking troubled. “That’s true. She is unusually persistent in this regard. She’s determined to complete any task given to her. And since it’s her home world, she’s probably even more insistent.”

Karl said helplessly, “That’s why I was hoping you could persuade her, Lady Luna. After all, you are the one she is closest to. It seems my attempts as her senior only have the opposite effect.”

“Haha, well, you were the previous administrator of that world and were promoted with outstanding results. You’ve probably ignited that child’s competitive spirit.”

Karl shrugged. “Yes, though that was never my intention.”

Luna agreed to Karl’s request. “Mm, I understand. I’ll talk to her next time we meet.”

After chatting for a while longer, Karl stood up to leave. Seeing him off, Luna rested her chin on her hand, her gaze following him as he departed, lost in deep thought.

Karl? Could it be him?