Chapter 634: Saving the World Also Follows First-Come, First-Served

"I..."

I really uncovered something astonishing...

After steadying himself slightly, Li Ang looked at the Taurus Director before him and asked, incredulous:

"I just found out that humanity... escaped from the Old Land?"

You just reached out and touched it, and you uncovered a secret like this?

Hearing Li Ang's words, the Taurus Director was greatly surprised, then nodded:

"That's right. Our human ancestors did not live in this world—they were a branch that fled from the Old Land. The Star Palace's predecessor was the vessel chosen by our ancestors for their migration. They originally planned to continue traveling further, but the Star Palace was shattered, so they were forced to remain in this world."

Well, I'll be damned—it really is like that!

After blinking in confusion and clicking his tongue, Li Ang asked further:

"Speaking of shattering... in the information I uncovered, the one who shattered the Star Palace was one of the Four Supreme Pillars—what happened to them now...?"

"They've all been killed."

"Huh?"

"The Four Supreme Pillars who came chasing from the Old Land were the Old King, the Celestial Cicada of All Things, the Crimson Sovereign, and Asur's Slumber."

"They were mortal enemies of humanity. Since we're still here, they must be gone. Though their divinity and authority have mostly been inherited by other True Gods, they're no longer the same as those original Four Pillars."

After a brief pause to recall, the Taurus Director spread his hands:

"That was countless years ago. The Four Supreme Pillars were, at base, just four gods who mastered powerful laws. In your Li Ang value terms, they probably hovered around seventy points—maybe a bit stronger than Olivia, but not by much."

After generations of comfort under the Watch Palace's protection, the overall strength of the Cleanup Bureau has declined. But there are still seven or eight individuals with strength comparable to Olivia's, and roughly thirty or so who've stably crossed the sixty-point threshold of True Godhood.

There are also some branch bureau chiefs who haven't reached sixty points but can still repel True Gods by coordinating with anomalies, plus a few elite Level One Cleanup Agents. Altogether, there are about a hundred people capable of harming True Gods—and this is after so many generations of peace.

"The predecessors who grew rapidly under the Watch Palace's protection after its creation were far stronger than today's. The Four Pillars were eliminated within a few centuries. The demonic brain now soaking in the 【Illusory Jar】 is the brain of Asur's Slumber, one of the Four Pillars."

"..."

My ancestors were badass...

Li Ang had originally thought the Cleanup Bureau was constantly under threat from four terrifying Muhouheishou, poised to strike and obliterate the world at any moment—until he accidentally uncovered the truth and was about to embark on a new heroic epic.

But it turned out the Muhouheishou had been wiped out eight hundred years ago—even their ashes were recycled, used to mix rice and feed the dog. What he'd seen was merely the glorious history of humanity's ancestors, and what he'd obtained was the post-heroic era script where peace was guaranteed—the most dangerous enemies had long been chopped to death by the big shots.

Hmm... now that I think about it, this world is so rich, with so many True Gods, Demonic Gods, Outer Gods, and Demonic Deities all desperate to squeeze in and have a good time. If the Cleanup Bureau's predecessors hadn't been incredibly powerful, how could they have held onto it for so long?

Even if the Cleanup Bureau's strength wasn't enough to repel every True God in alliance, they still had to be the undisputed strongest among all factions—capable of holding down an entire crowd by themselves. Otherwise, they'd have been driven out centuries ago, forced to wander again.

"Our ancestors were truly incredible (fucking terrifying)..."

After sincerely marveling at the ferocity of the Cleanup Bureau's predecessors, Li Ang asked, puzzled:

"Director Taurus, if you know all this, why didn't you contradict me when I said the Bureau seemed unaware of the Star Palace?"

"Because what you mentioned is history—not the current state of the Star Palace. As for its actual condition, the Bureau still doesn't know much," the Taurus Director said helplessly:

"I already told you—the Star Palace's true size is enormous. Retrieving them from near the Sun once was already incredibly troublesome; a round trip could take over a decade and consume countless precious materials."

"Since the first Virgo Director made one trip to deliver the eighty-eight Star Palaces there, the Bureau has never brought them back for inspection. No one knows whether they've been properly nourished."

"Besides, even if we leave them near the Sun without retrieval, it doesn't hinder our continued use of their abilities. And since no apocalyptic crisis has forced us to flee, the Star Palaces still respond to summoning—so no one's bothered to bring them back for inspection..."

"By the way, how's the Star Palace's condition? Has it been nourished to completion?"

"..."

Indeed... given human nature, something like an ark for the end of the world would never be rushed until the last possible moment. And the Cleanup Bureau's leadership is so lax—if they'd been diligent enough to inspect every three or five years, that'd be the real oddity.

As for the Star Palace's condition...

Recalling the evaluations calling it "one of the Bureau's most vital trump cards" and "humanity's final hope," Li Ang stated firmly:

"Though it hasn't fully recovered and still bears massive scars on its back, the Star Palace is no longer just 'shards.' It should be considered nourished to completion."

"That's excellent."

The Taurus Director beamed:

"Even if we may never need to use it, having it is better than not having it... By the way, Li Ang, have you found a way to learn the secret arts without relying on the Star Palace?"

"Well... I'm not sure if I've truly found it... Wait! Besides those historical details, I discovered something else crucial!"

At this point, Li Ang suddenly remembered something and frowned in warning:

"Director Taurus, my ability tells me that anyone holding the Star Palace continuously loses their divinity!"

"No problem—that's intentional."

"Huh?"

"I mean, when the first Taurus Director forged the Star Palace, he deliberately designed this condition of use."

The Taurus Director chuckled as he explained:

"The Star Palace is so precious and so far away near the Sun—we can't reach it quickly. What if another True God steals it? So we made it so anyone who touches it continuously loses divinity. That way, no True God will want to take it."

"But what about Cleanup Agents who've been tainted and crossed the sixty-point threshold into True Godhood? Won't they lose divinity too?"

"Let them lose it!"

The Taurus Director spread his hands:

"It would take three or four hundred years—or longer—to drain even the lowest-grade divinity. But humans don't have eternal life—we live at most a hundred and fifty years. Why worry about something so far ahead?"

"..."

6

(End of Chapter)