Gods and Pathways

The Affection value slowly ticked up past the decimal points, finally stopping at 25.

Hanging out with Director-General Shen was really no easy task.

You'd better drop me something incredibly awesome once your Affection reaches a milestone.

Silently, he replaced his thoughts with his past grievances and the beautiful memory of his first meeting with Director-General Shen.

Bai Xiaodu made sure his inner thoughts aligned perfectly with his spoken words.

Simply lusting after Director-General Shen's body certainly wouldn't do. The first time was for self-preservation, but if he did it a second time, she would only find him vulgar after reading his mind.

What he was currently trying to covet in his heart was Director-General Shen's gentle nature and actions when she told him he could come to her for comfort.

Facing someone who genuinely loved both her body and her soul from the bottom of their heart—especially when that person was a highly attractive member of the opposite sex—even the coldest person would probably feel a tiny bit of pride.

However...

Not a single trace of pleasure appeared on her bewitchingly beautiful face.

But in the end, Director-General Shen put down the document.

Then, she decisively drew a large "X" across it with her pen.

The trouble was solved.

Bai Xiaodu understood that there would be plenty of people cleaning up his mess after this.

After showing it to Bai Xiaodu, she leaned back into her black ergonomic chair, raising a hand and curling her finger toward him.

Instantly understanding her meaning, Bai Xiaodu didn't resist at all, obediently leaning in closer.

Unfortunately, a certain distance was still maintained. Only his chin was gently scratched by her finger.

If Director-General Shen suddenly pulled out a spiked metal collar from nowhere and put it on him right now, Bai Xiaodu wouldn't be surprised at all.

He felt a sudden urge to laugh, but he forced himself to hold it in by trying hard to recall sad memories.

Whether it was personality degradation or some special hobby, Bai Xiaodu had always maintained an attitude of respect and understanding.

Life was a play, and everyone had to perform their assigned roles.

Bai Xiaodu considered himself nothing more than a top-tier actor hired by his employer.

After scratching his chin, she moved on to patting his head.

Director-General Shen stroked him very slowly and carefully, and her technique was unexpectedly good.

But it was still a bit unpracticed.

Is she constantly making micro-adjustments based on my subconscious reactions? This woman's Perception is terrifyingly strong.

Her information panel being entirely filled with question marks was truly terrifying. Forget her name; Bai Xiaodu wasn't even sure if the person sitting in front of him was some kind of clone.

And her next words made the hair on the back of his neck stand up.

After stroking him like a set of prayer beads, Director-General Shen nodded slightly.

“The children of the silver fox-kin really are adorable.”

“It is a pity, though, that you are about to die.”

His blissful expression froze instantly, but Bai Xiaodu didn't panic over a single sentence.

Her predictions were indeed highly accurate.

But he was confident that those mortals couldn't kill him, and the Association would handle all the mess for him anyway.

Besides, those people didn't even have the right to know who the real killer was, so how could they seek revenge?

Could there be an even stronger expert out there?

Instead, he calmed down and asked, “Are you going to help me again?”

To him, this crisis might feel like the end of the world, but to Director-General Shen, it might just be a matter of lifting a finger.

Director-General Shen neither shook nor nodded her head.

She straightened her back and sat up properly.

Bai Xiaodu couldn't help but marvel inwardly; if they ever got into an argument, Director-General Shen's “points” were truly massive.

“Did President Liu ever tell you about the gods?”

Bai Xiaodu nodded.

She was deliberately dodging the topic with something completely unrelated.

But a leader's words always had meaning, so Bai Xiaodu kept a very serious expression on his face.

If he had a notebook in his hand right now, he would definitely be taking notes faster than anyone else.

Lowering her eyes slightly, Director-General Shen said softly, “He didn't lie to you. It's true.”

“Gods exist. They are high-dimensional entities. They might be right before our eyes, but we have no right to see them.”

“Each of them wields a different authority, representing both the positive and negative sides of that authority.”

“And the essence of transcendent power is humans channeling the power wielded by the gods.”

“A god's authority is what we mortals call a Pathway.”

Bai Xiaodu listened intently.

Director-General Shen's words were shattering his common sense sentence by sentence, but now was not the time to think.

As a former mortal and an ignorant lamb, this information was far too important to him.

Director-General Shen really is a wonderful woman.

She's actually teaching me the good stuff.

Director-General Shen rested her head on one hand, the corner of her mouth curving upward.

It seemed Bai Xiaodu's humble attitude of seeking knowledge pleased her greatly.

“Your class will change depending on the Pathway you choose.”

“In the general sense, the race and attribute points of the silver fox-kin are highly suited for the Warlock class.”

“The most classic deity worshiped by this class is the Arcane and Magic-Guiding Wings.”

“The positive side of this authority is Knowledge, and the negative side is Trickery.”

“So, have you ever thought of becoming a Draconic Warlock?”

The Arcane and Magic-Guiding Wings.

Bai Xiaodu silently repeated the name.

But he suddenly felt something was off.

What did she mean by “Draconic Warlock”?

Pure-blooded dragons were supposedly the mortal enemies of the Human Federation.

No matter how poor his background, Bai Xiaodu had still gone to school, and his history grades weren't low.

Worshiping the enemy's god? Bai Xiaodu didn't want to change his last name to Liu just yet.

Seeing his strange expression, Director-General Shen nodded.

“It's exactly as you think. The Arcane and Magic-Guiding Wings has another name. He is revered by the chromatic and metallic dragons as the Holy Father of Magic, Arcana, and Transmutation.”

Her tone shifted as her slender, pale finger gently stroked Bai Xiaodu's face, making him squint slightly from the cool, comfortable sensation.

“See? Your common sense has deceived you.”

“Why can't you worship the god of an enemy race? As long as they grant you a Pathway, you can worship them without worry.”

Shrugging nonchalantly, Director-General Shen continued, “Gods are very peculiar. They quietly appear alongside the rise of a race, and silently vanish with its extinction.”

“But who knows what actually happens? Perhaps they simply change their appearances.”

“For example, the probability that the Arcane and Magic-Guiding Wings was once called the God of Kobolds and Pigmen is definitely not zero percent.”

Uh, that analogy was a bit too crude and direct.

Director-General Shen didn't seem to hold much respect for the gods she spoke of.

Director-General Shen suddenly smiled. She didn't make a sound, but the slight curve of her lips reached her eyes, filling them with amusement.

“See? Your common sense has deceived you once again.”

“Why must worshiping a god require actually revering them? Don't you think that a mortal wielding a god's authority is, in itself, an extremely blasphemous act of transgression?”

“Imitate the gods. Select a fragment from their long, glorious past, and perform an incredibly grand, world-shaking act of roleplay. This is the true advancement ritual for all those high-and-mighty transcendents you know of.”

She stopped after saying this.

Having apparently said too much in one breath, a look of exhaustion naturally appeared on Director-General Shen's face.

Being highly observant, Bai Xiaodu took the initiative to step forward and softly asked if she needed a massage, mentioning that he had once worked part-time at a blind massage parlor while wearing sunglasses.

Director-General Shen neither refused nor agreed, only letting out a brief, noncommittal hum.

The corner of Bai Xiaodu's mouth twitched.

Tsk, that's how leaders were.

No matter what they wanted you to do, they always expected their subordinates to rack their brains trying to guess their thoughts.

If you guessed right, there was no reward, but if you guessed wrong, you got punished.

But he had no choice. Bai Xiaodu still wanted to pry information out of her regarding why he was going to die.

And...

What exactly was the transcendent advancement ritual for a Warlock.