While over fifteen thousand kilometers might seem like a vast distance, for a deity, it was truly negligible. The speed at which a deity truly exerted themselves was astonishing, even more so when they took to the skies. It was no wonder these establishments were so immense; anything less would likely fail to capture attention.
“According to the positioning system, I should have arrived at Ashubel Academy by now, shouldn’t I?” Surveying the desolate surroundings, marked only by an endless expanse of flagstones, I couldn’t help but wonder, ‘Wasn’t it supposed to be right here?’
Then, upon closer inspection, a magnificent gate seemed to materialize at the very edge of the horizon, directly ahead.
‘What kind of academy is this, dozens of kilometers away? This plaza is utterly ridiculous! A plaza spanning dozens of kilometers could easily host all the aunties in this divine realm for their square dancing sessions! There are too many absurdities to even begin addressing them.’
Spotting the massive gate, I resolutely set off towards it. Before I had even covered half the distance, my expression darkened. For some reason, certain aspects of the Divine Realm consistently drove me to the brink of exasperation.
A vibrant red banner stretched across the gate, proclaiming, “Welcome, New Student, Moe God Miss Ye Menghan!!!”
‘Lately, I feel like my eye-twitching frequency has been increasing,’ I mused. I immediately turned to leave, but before I could make my escape, a dark, dense mass of something seemed to be flying towards me from the front. Amidst it, voices could be heard:
“Hurry, don’t let her get away!”
“Catch her! You, circle around and block her!”
“Stop dawdling! She’s getting away!”
In no time, my vision was completely filled with deities clad in black uniforms. And no, I hadn’t made a typo; they truly ‘paved’ the area around me. I was completely surrounded, so densely packed that even the sunlight from above couldn’t penetrate.
I stood frozen in place, utterly terrified. I could only stammer, “Um, excuse me, have I done something wrong? So many of you blocking just one of me—can’t I just apologize?”
The leader among them, a young man with golden, disheveled hair, was the first to speak. “How could Miss Ye Menghan ever do anything wrong? We are the honor guard of Tianqi Academy, and today, we are here to welcome Miss Ye Menghan to join our esteemed institution.” As he finished speaking, he subtly gestured to a red-haired youth beside him.
The red-haired youth then slowly ‘received’ the letter of recommendation from my hand. It truly was a ‘reception,’ as some irresistible force caused the damned letter to gently float over on its own.
After taking it, the red-haired youth handed the letter to the golden-haired leader. The leader glanced at it, a smile as bright as the sun illuminating his face.
‘To me, however, his radiance felt somewhat irritating. Standing approximately 185cm tall, handsome, dashing, and utterly charming—the epitome of a god-tier male! Isn’t this precisely my ideal type? Yet, yet…’
The golden-haired youth’s smile remained as brilliant as ever. “Beautiful Miss Ye Menghan, my name is Ryan Micheus. I am an upperclassman, a year ahead of you. Please, come with us.”
‘Calm down, be calm,’ I repeatedly admonished myself. ‘Otherwise, I fear I won’t be able to resist punching him if I see that smile again. Having been repeatedly provoked by God’s Agent recently, my patience was already stretched to its limit.’
‘Aklys, you truly are something. This must be another one of your elaborate schemes, right? I’ve added this to your tally. A true hero knows when to yield and when to stand firm; for now, I shall endure.’
I then followed this group—who resembled kidnappers more than an honor guard—towards the grand gate.
What I didn’t know, however, was that Aklys had stated they were at liberty to use force if I stubbornly refused to go.
****
Inside the gate stood merely seven colossal stone pillars. Arranged in a circle, they encircled several layers of shimmering, pearlescent light arrays floating in the air.
Ryan bowed respectfully. “Miss Ye, please.”
I stepped inside, and gazing up at the stacked light arrays, I was genuinely awestruck by their power.
Ryan and six of the others each moved to stand before one of the stone pillars. Their bodies began to emanate divine power, some stronger, some weaker. None of them unfurled wings, leading me to believe they were all wingless deities.
As the pillars absorbed the divine energy, delicate patterns began to emerge on their formerly smooth surfaces. Simultaneously, the light arrays in the air started to rotate slowly. One by one, from top to bottom, their luminous brilliance intensified.
Then, without any warning, a golden pillar of light descended from the heavens, passing through the arrays and engulfing my upturned, curious face.
‘I’m blind, absolutely blind! With such intense light, it would be a miracle if my retinas hadn’t detached!’
Of course, this reaction was only relevant for mortals. As a deity, I would merely experience a brief moment of blindness. However, relying on over a decade of human common sense, I instinctively covered my eyes and crouched to the ground.
The ‘honor guard’ members stared at me with puzzled expressions, clearly bewildered by my sudden crouch. It was Ryan who spoke first, his tone perfectly gentlemanly: “Miss Ye, may I ask if there was a particular reason for your sudden crouch? Is there anything I can assist you with?”
His question jolted me back to reality. ‘Right, I’m a deity. Deities don’t get blinded by holy light, do they…?’
I stood up awkwardly, clearing my throat twice. As a gentleman, one must always conceal any lapse in composure. “Ah, just now, when I saw that holy light, I had a sudden epiphany, so I crouched down to ponder it for a moment. No worries, no worries at all.”
He nodded, seemingly understanding. “I too was deeply moved the first time I witnessed it. But to think Miss Ye would have such an epiphany upon her very first sight—truly befitting a rare high-ranking Illusion God.”
I let out two strained, dry laughs. “Oh, not at all, haha, haha.”
‘His words made me want to die of shame. *That* is true gentlemanly conduct.’
“This is the fifth campus of our academy, where the dormitories and administrative buildings are located,” he explained, simultaneously removing the armband inscribed with ‘Honor Guard’ from his arm and replacing it with one that read ‘Enforcement Team’.
My expression darkened. ‘Damn it! To use an “Enforcement Team” to “welcome” me—you definitely intended to use force, didn’t you? And your academy’s prospectus was so haughty, yet in person, you’re all so overly enthusiastic?’
Ryan noticed my gaze and expression, his face stiffening momentarily. He immediately clarified, “Outside the academy, we are the honor guard; inside, we are the enforcement team. There’s absolutely no intention of using force if you don’t enroll, haha, haha.”
‘Heh, he just gave himself away.’
“So, what do I do next?” I asked, sighing. ‘This Divine Realm truly is… Ugh, it’s exhausting.’
He adopted a serious expression. “Next, you simply need to go to your dormitory. Your enrollment procedures have already been completed. Oh, and by the way, though I’m not sure why, the Headmaster asked me to personally hand you this map.”
Taking the map, I thought, ‘How considerate.’ ‘But what’s with this uncontrollable temper of mine?’
Following the map, I arrived at a magnificent, a, a… whatchamacallit? It wasn’t that I didn’t want to name it; rather, my limited vocabulary simply lacked a corresponding term.
Before me stood a towering, circular stone pillar. Around it, countless pearlescent white cubes floated, slowly revolving.