Walking down the street, I held the personal mobile terminal the God’s Agent had given me. To put it simply, it was an ‘EX’ phone, far superior to any regular smartphone in every aspect.
My first reaction upon seeing it was, ‘Wow! Do even gods have high-tech gadgets?’
Then, a moment later, I mentally slapped myself. Even if gods weren’t adept at inventing, there were countless lesser worlds beneath them; they could simply replicate anything useful they found.
Still, it was truly something to marvel at. I, who had never attended school in the mortal realm, was now, after becoming a god, expected to enroll. A wave of profound emotion washed over me.
****
While I was lost in thought elsewhere, the scene shifted to Aklys’s Divine Temple.
Aklys sat with one leg crossed over the other, positioned behind a grand, expansive desk. Her gaze remained fixed on the direction from which the train was approaching.
Just then, a woman entered, dressed in a sleek black outfit with a form-fitting black skirt, clearly an assistant. “Divine Lord,” she reported, “the radical faction learned the train’s precise arrival time.
It was destroyed before it could reach the station, presumably by a God-Slaying Artifact. There were no survivors onboard.”
Aklys remained utterly expressionless. Her assistant, however, was clearly perplexed. “Lady Aklys,” she began, “this time, the Divine Lord candidates, Lord Jia Ge and Miss Xi, were killed by them…”
Aklys shook her head, a wry smile gracing her lips. “They certainly acted swiftly this time,” she conceded. “But it doesn’t matter; this was merely a smokescreen.
What I hadn’t anticipated was that this smokescreen would be neutralized before it even took effect. This was my miscalculation, but regret serves no purpose now. We can only hope they didn’t realize it was a smokescreen.
The plan remains unchanged. You may go; you’ve worked hard.”
The assistant bowed her head, softly uttering, “It was no hardship.” As she turned to leave, a cold smirk played upon her lips.
Aklys, watching her depart, also smiled. ‘How could it be no hardship?’ she mused. ‘You are my ace, after all, and I’ll still need you to deliver this news to Ken later.
What a pity about Jia Ge, though…’
A moment later, Aklys murmured softly, “Senior Xi, you must protect her…”
****
Not long after, Ken received the news. He let out a cold laugh. ‘No wonder it went so smoothly,’ he thought. ‘Still, this has eliminated the two major nuisances, Xi and Jia Ge.
Instruct our subordinates to feign belief that we’ve killed their candidate. We’ll conserve our strength and await an opportunity to eliminate that despicable fellow, Sen. Who would have thought he was the true candidate all along?’
Ken now felt as though victory was already within his grasp. “Now, I am destined to win,” he declared. “You old fox, your mistake was trusting Blood Lotus Tianqi’s former subordinates too much.
I’d like to see how you intend to fight me now, without that troublesome woman Xi by your side.”
****
Meanwhile, I was pondering the vexing question of which school to attend. It was, admittedly, a rather luxurious dilemma.
It was as if I had applied to every school imaginable and been accepted into all of them.
“What a bother,” I sighed. My list of prospective schools included Andacru Academy, ranked first; Cross Holy Temple, second; Abyss Gate, third; and Tianqi Academy, fourth.
“Let me see,” I muttered, settling into a small shop that sold beverages. The menu, meticulously written in divine script, listed various drinks.
Though I had never studied it, I understood its meaning instinctively. Moreover, they understood me when I spoke Chinese, and I could comprehend their language despite never having heard it before. It truly spoke to the wondrous nature of the gods.
I ordered a drink called Xiu Yi Juice and began to carefully read through the school brochures.
Andacru Academy:
“We uphold the most rigorous teaching standards and the strictest regulations. Every student who graduates from our academy…”
Address: Tami Avenue, First Divine Domain.
I scanned the description. This school was absolutely out of the question. The strictest regulations? And so far away?
There was no way I would ever attend such an institution.
Cross Holy Temple:
“This is the Cross Holy Temple. We respect each student’s autonomy and never compel you to do anything against your will…”
Address: Bright Avenue, Second Divine Domain.
This one seemed promising; initially, I was quite tempted. However, the final entry read: “Sole mandatory admission requirement: Light God Race.”
That immediately ruled it out.
Abyss Gate:
(…)
Address: Abyss Avenue, Third Divine Domain.
My reason for not attending was the same: the sole mandatory requirement was the Dark God Race.
Evidently, they were all pointing me toward Tianqi Academy. I decided to take a look at its brochure.
Tianqi Academy:
The largest academy in the Divine Realm, founded by Blood Lotus Tianqi. Come if you wish, or don’t.
Address: Eternal Avenue, Fifth Divine Domain.
Why were all the addresses “Such-and-Such Avenue”? And with such an arrogant description, did they truly expect to attract students?
Annoyed, I picked up the juice and took a large gulp.
Suddenly, something seemed to catch in my throat. “Damn it, this… this juice.”
With that, I collapsed onto the table.
A moment later, I sat upright. My first instinct was to hurl the cup of juice far away.
Yet, before it could shatter upon impact, something seemed to cushion its fall.
Xiu Yi Juice. I finally understood its true meaning. ‘Good heavens, did the Divine Realm have to be so playful?’ I wondered. “Can this even be served?” I asked myself.
Yes, you guessed it: I had just died, poisoned. If not for my undying faith preventing true death, I would have certainly met my end right then and there.
Just then, a young man, presumably a Divine Servant, gently picked up the cup. “Miss, you must be new here,” he explained. “Xiu Yi Juice is quite famous in our region.
Its toxicity cannot kill a prepared god, and its flavor is considered a classic. It’s a very popular drink, you know.”
My mouth twitched once more. In a single phrase, I summed it up: “You gods in the Divine Realm certainly know how to have fun!”
However, it seemed I was currently on Eternal Avenue. I activated the Divine Realm’s positioning system. Tianqi Academy was 15,236 km away…
After a long silence, a single thought echoed in my mind: ‘Excuse me, but why is one of your streets so incredibly long?!’